In August 1994, Mountain Xpress launched. This week, we look back on the paper’s start, as well as the publication’s current role in the community.
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson
MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder
EDITORS:
Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Thomas Calder
OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose
STAFF REPORTERS: Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Pat Moran, Greg Parlier, Brooke Randle, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Braulio Pescador-Martinez
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Jon Elliston, Mindi Friedwald, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Oby Arnold, Mark Barrett, Eric Brown, Carmela Caruso, Cayla Clark, Kristin D’Agostino, Brionna Dallara, Kiesa Kay, Storms Reback, Kay West
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cindy Kunst
ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson
LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Caleb Johnson, Olivia Urban
MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Ralph Day, Scott Mermel, Geoffrey Warren
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick
WEB: Brandon Tilley
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DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy
Fundamentals of education haven’t changed
The fundamentals of education are not changed. Education is about teachers and students in classrooms. The specifics of activities have changed: Teachers have smart boards, and students have computers. The techniques that worked in the past may not work. The kids are almost certainly different. Educational objectives can and even should be different. But the fundamentals of education are the same: kids and teachers in classrooms.
A classroom is a bit of a mysterious place. How does the teacher interact with up to a hundred kids every day? I would propose that nobody really knows, including the teacher.
Education is buried in bureaucratic noise: project-based learning, “flip your classroom,” authentic education, expeditionary learning. And it seems to be about steering committees, diversity training, ownership, theory of action, racial equity and strategic planning, and it goes on and on and on.
It does not seem possible for the drivers of this astonishing dysfunction to realize that education is all about teachers and students in classrooms. All a school district can do is hire the best teachers, give them what they need and get out of their way.
The Asheville teachers union has approached the school board with requests to be more involved in decisions. The buzz is “meet, confer and collaborate.” Education is all about kids and teachers in classrooms. The teacher’s job is all about kids and teachers in classrooms. A union is about salaries, working conditions and job stability.
It is hard to see why the Asheville City Association of Educators created this and hard to see why some school board members bought into it. It escapes me how this could impact overworked, underpaid and probably unappreciated teachers interacting with students in classrooms.
— John Brigham Asheville
Community embraced Xpress — and it showed BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS
BY WANDA EDNEY
Where did the time go? I cannot believe Mountain Xpress is celebrating 30 years.
Publisher Jeff Fobes had steered the newspaper’s metamorphosis from Green Line to Mountain Xpress about a year before I came on board. My background was in advertising sales, and I was part of the sales management team for the New York Times’ regional newspaper in Hendersonville. Mountain Xpress was a breath of fresh air for me and the Asheville area. The opportu-
nity I saw for the future of our weekly alternative newspaper was incredible.
When I accepted the position of advertising director, I managed two salespeople (James Fisher and Robert Feirstein). We made a great team, but it was not long until we had five outside salespeople, two classified inside salespeople and an advertising assistant. We were funded and kept afloat by wonderful, caring local support. It was my goal to make us self-sufficient.
The community embraced us for our fresh and honest view of the news. The staff writers were always looking for stories of interest. The news we pub-
Where does the money go?
I read an article last month about tourists visiting and money that was generated. I do not remember the timeline, but 13.9 million visitors and nearly $3 billion spent is a huge amount.
Will the tourism bureau keep the money for advertising? A nice idea would be to distribute some of the money to the schoolteachers who pay out of their pockets for needed supplies for their students.
My wife used to help a neighbor buy school supplies every year until she retired. It is a shame that this is happening today in our area. Low teacher salaries are also part of the problem.
I think it would be nice to have a full disclosure of how the $3 billion is spent and who gets it. It just doesn’t sit well with me.
I remember a few years ago when they started the laptop program. In the rural areas around here, there is no internet, and someone came up with the great plan of telling parents to take their children to a nearby library and sit outside and use its Wi-Fi.
And you call them educated people. Western North Carolina should be ashamed for letting this happen to our teachers and our schools. Also glad that the superintendent of the school system spent $90,000 on a PR
lished was presented with the utmost professionalism and accuracy. We successfully branched out Xpress’ distribution to reach beyond Asheville to Hendersonville, Waynesville and many other areas of Western North Carolina. When I resigned in January 2003, the paper was a magnificent 106 pages. That page count tells how much the area embraced the Mountain Xpress and how important it is to the WNC market.
Happy anniversary, Mountain Xpress! Wanda Edney is happily retired and enjoys spending time with her husband of 46 years, Michael Edney. X
CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON
WANDA EDNEY
company to tout the school system. We need a full disclosure of all the money coming in and going out.
— Leonard Nickerson Swannanoa
Let’s head off a kudzu monolith
Someone once told me that they have more concern about the lint in their belly button than kudzu. Well, put that person’s opinion aside for a moment and instead try to really think for a moment about how kudzu could significantly alter the natural beauty of Western North Carolina.
Now think about the significant economic costs associated with the continuing spread of kudzu (property values depreciating, tourism dollars lost, etc.) and the associated changes to WNC’s landscape of hardwood trees, rivers, waterfalls, etc., to a kudzu monolith. This kudzu monolith will lead to the loss of scenic areas that are central to why people want to visit and live here.
It would seem that a start to the solution — especially since we are lucky enough to live in North Carolina with a large and prestigious state university system with experts in the fields of biology, chemistry, etc. — is coordination at a large scale. Coordinating that team of
experts with state, local and the federal governments to start looking into research on some form of selective herbicide targeting kudzu.
To the lint-in-their-belly-button crowd: No, it won’t work to try to solve this problem by the individual pulling up kudzu by themselves, but it is important to do our part to not let it climb power poles, trees or streams where it can then expand to new areas. That’s doable for a start. But totally getting rid of kudzu needs large-scale coordination. There is no doubt that people will be economically affected when every road and scenic area in WNC is kudzu-covered, and that time is fast approaching.
Here comes the tough part for the belly-button-lint crowd. Do me a favor and take a minute and use Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com and look at two comparable properties, one kudzu-covered and one not. Yup, the kudzu-covered property is
Editor’s note
August marked Xpress’ 30-year anniversary. Throughout September we’ll be celebrating the milestone with articles, photo spreads and reflections from current and former staff members. Thanks for reading and supporting Xpress X
worth significantly less. Now multiply that loss to an individual property value across vast sections of areas of WNC.
Kudzu will indeed hit people’s pocketbooks at some point, and maybe, just maybe, the person gazing at their belly button might finally say we need to do something.
— Tim Holloran Sylva
When zoning and politics collide
I was very disappointed to read reports that the Trump-appointee blueprint, Project 2025, explicitly supports single-family zoning, which would push me back toward the Democrats from whom I departed,
Word of the week
Blue-chip
(adj.) of the very best kind
Throughout our current 30-year run, Xpress has depended on a blue-chip crew of writers, editors, designers, sales people, distributors and front office workers to make the weekly publication possible. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, past and present. X
largely over zoning, except for its continuation in Democrat-controlled Asheville, Buncombe and the (Harris) Bay Area.
Until Asheville, like San Francisco, funds abortions or at least forces North Carolina to stop it, I couldn’t endorse single-family zoners at any level. From Haw Creek to the West Bank, zoning principles are universal. Think globally, act locally. Unfortunately, the abortion rights movement does neither, while Trump appointees do both. They are not their parents’ Tea Party.
— Alan Ditmore Leicester X
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN
NEWS Truth to power
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN
jwakeman@mountainx.com
Jeff Fobes didn’t have a lifelong passion for journalism. In fact, he didn’t strive for a career of any kind, hoping to never work more than 25 hours a week.
The latter goal fell away. At age 77, the Mountain Xpress founder and publisher is still working nearly 40 hours a week. And he did find a purpose: giving local communities a voice that those in power would hear.
Fobes recognized that need after a childhood of privilege as a U.S. diplomat’s kid and the horror he felt at being ordered to participate in the Vietnam War. Additionally, the counterculture depicted in the Whole Earth Catalog shaped his commitment to self-sufficiency and bone-deep skepticism toward power, authority and government.
Today, he and his wife, Susan Hutchinson, live on a 22-acre farm in northern Buncombe County where they grow their own vegetables, raise chickens and goats, and make their own cheese. They do many of their home repairs and renovations themselves.
Fobes recently reflected on how his life led him to a 30-year career as the founder and publisher of Xpress.
EARLY YEARS
Fobes was born in 1947 in Washington, D.C., to John and Hazel Fobes, joining a sister Patricia, who is five years older. Many details from his childhood in suburban Tauxemont, Va., are “lost in the mists of time,” he comments wryly. But he remembers his first foray into the media was a single issue of “Fobes Family Gazette” that he tapped out “one finger at a time” on the typewriter.
John Fobes had been a civil servant for the U.S. Bureau of Budget and Planning and was sent to Europe to work on the Marshall Plan, a foreign aid program to rebuild the industries and economies of Europe after World War II. In 1952, the family moved to Paris, where John Fobes helped implement the plan and Fobes began kindergarten in Paris.
Fobes’ very early life was a combination of privilege and proximity to devastation. He remembers visiting a major city in Germany, still reduced to rubble years after the war, and an excursion to Normandy Beach, site of the Allied invasion on D-Day.
At home, Fobes had an English nanny — “she was too prissy … very proper” — and for a time, the family had a maid. The maid’s husband, a blue-collar worker and a communist,
Publisher Jeff Fobes’ path to the Mountain Xpress
made an impression on young Fobes.
“That was an early point where I realized that I sort of had an affinity for the working class, and I did not like snooty or upper class,” he says.
Another formative experience with authority happened in a French classroom.
Writing from an inkwell, the left-handed Forbes dragged his arm across the page and smeared the ink. Ordered by the teacher to write with his right hand, “I refused in some way — [perhaps saying] ‘I can’t,’ and so the teacher slapped me across the face pretty hard … [it left] a hand mark on my face for hours.”
Livid, his mother went to the school, slapped the teacher and then enrolled her son in another school.
The incident illustrated authoritative abuse, which stuck with him.
“I remember as a kid thinking people [I encountered] weren’t very happy,”
Fobes recalls. “They seemed all stern. Why are these people so stern? Well, they had only been liberated from the Nazis seven years prior.”
In 1955, the Fobes family returned to the United States for John Fobes’ job at the State Department. Suburban Virginia had strip malls, a new McDonald’s and playgrounds — rousing some culture shock for Fobes after living in postwar France.
In 1960, the family moved to New Delhi, India, where John Fobes served as assistant director and then deputy director of the U.S. Mission/USAID in India. Although Fobes attended an American school, homesickness reappeared — this time for American hamburgers, french fries, potato chips, ketchup and toothpaste.
Then it was back to Paris a second time, where Fobes graduated from high school and attended 12th-grade
prom at the Eiffel Tower. “We snuck in there, my girlfriend and I,” he says with a smile. “We were too cheap. I wasn’t going to pay!” They rode up in his Honda 250 motorcycle and walked right into the prom without tickets. “Mostly, I was amazed that they were serving mixed drinks — because it’s France, you know, they don’t care.”
THE DRAFT
Upon graduating high school, Fobes already knew he didn’t want his life to follow a traditional path. He didn’t identify as a hippie, but rather with the Beats, a subculture that embraced anticonformity and anticonsumerism rather than the prescribed trappings of American adulthood. “I didn’t want to do anything,” he says. “I thought, ‘I’m a kid.’ ... Going off to college or getting a job? None of that made any sense.”
In 1965, Fobes ended up at Knox College, a small liberal arts school in Galesburg, Ill., at the behest of his parents, who still lived in France. He studied political science and graduated in 1969 — the same year the Selective Service National Headquarters began the draft lottery for Vietnam.
Upon graduating college, Fobes joined VISTA, which he describes as similar to a domestic Peace Corps. (The program was later incorporated into AmeriCorps VISTA.) He did poverty-oriented work with a South Side improvement project, as well as a project helping low-income people purchase housing, in Milwaukee.
Fobes had been classified by the Selective Service as 1A, meaning he was qualified for military service. He proactively worked to get reclassified as a conscientious objector in case he was called up. “They were pretty much going to draft me,” Fobes recalls. “The more I thought about it, I was like, ‘That’s preposterous. I’m not going to go shoot and kill people because somebody told me to.’”
His impression of the government, he says, was, “These people think they own me. They think they can tell me what to do and tell me to go out and kill people.’ I said, ’Well, I’m not going to do it.’”
He wrote a lengthy appeal for reclassification as a conscientious objector.
“They denied it,” he says. “That was typical.”
Fobes was registered in Virginia, so he returned home for an in-person appeal before a five-member draft board. He’d sent statements written by individuals supporting his conscientious objector beliefs, including by some ministers and his father. The members of the draft board hadn’t read his statements, Fobes says, and his sense was “they just don’t really care.”
When the board asked if he had anything he wanted to say, Fobes read
LA VIE EN ROSE: In this undated photograph, U.S. diplomat John Fobes, left, and his son, Jeff Fobes, are pictured on a street in France. The Fobes family lived in France 1952-55 while John Fobes worked to implement the Marshall Plan in Europe. Photo courtesy of Fobes
excerpts of those statements of support aloud. He later learned in the mail the board ruled 3-2 in his favor, which Fobes says “is supposedly very unusual.”
In 1970 or 1971, Fobes got called for service; as a civilian conscientious objector, he could spend two years providing other beneficial services for the country.
MEDIA BEGINNINGS
Fobes worked at a Baptist home for troubled children, where he lived in a cottage with eight-12 boys. Then “we agreed, in a friendly way, to part,” Fobes explains. “The Baptists didn’t like me. I was too much of a free thinker,” whereas their attitude toward the children was “rigid and sort of doctrinaire.”
He needed another assignment to fulfill his conscientious objector service.
Around this time, Fobes read Sex and Broadcasting: A Handbook on Starting a Radio Station in the Community — a book critical of the commercial radio industry that encouraged community-based radio. “The idea was that radio could be for social change,” he says. There weren’t many community-based radio stations at the time, he continues, and he wrote to half a dozen asking if he could work there. A St. Louis radio station pointed him to
the community.”
— Jeff Fobes,
North St. Louis, where Fobes helped set up a 10-watt radio station, KPLH
In someone else’s biography, establishing a community radio station might have been the direct launchpad to a media career. But for Fobes, after he fulfilled his two years of service work, he sought to work as little as possible. “I never wanted to have a career,” he says. “This stuck with me even as a teenager. I never really wanted to grow up or have a profession. It just didn’t make any sense to me.”
He earned money bartending, driving a taxi and fixing electronic equipment. But he didn’t work more than 25 hours a week. “Because life’s too short,” he explains. “Work is prison unless you find something you really want to be doing.” And fixing electronic equipment, he says, was not it. (He notes that he paid $25 a month for a three-room apartment in St. Louis, which he eventually split with a roommate.)
His attention turned toward counterculture ideas burgeoning in the
Xpress
publisher
1970s. During this time, Fobes says he was less interested in discrete political issues than an overall way of living. “The Whole Earth Catalog would probably spell out my views,” he explains. “The world would be a better place if people could go back to the land, explore different cultures … what does it mean to be human?”
Founded and edited by Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Catalog was like a proto-Google — a catalog of suppliers, an encyclopedia and magazines with community commentary and input. The catalog covered everything from raising rabbits to avoiding a “bum trip” from LSD, solar energy to reviews of futuristic inventor Buckminster Fuller’s books. The back-to-the-land ethos of the Whole Earth Catalog and its emphasis on self-sufficiency — such as growing your own food, rather than working longer hours in order to buy that food in a grocery store — resonates with him to this day.
In late 1984, Fobes moved to Western North Carolina, following his parents, who had recently retired here. In 1987, he attended a meeting of the newly formed local chapter of the Green Party. The party’s 10 key values — among them “think globally, act locally, postpatriarchal, nonviolence, grassroots economy” — resonated and spurred his interest in “getting the word out.” The Green Party was nascent at that time in the U.S.
“I thought, well, you guys need a newspaper — you’ve got to get the word out,’” Fobes continues. “And they said, ‘You mean a newsletter?’ I said, ‘No, you need a newspaper.’ Newsletters are for talking to yourselves. Newspapers talk to the community.”
His Green Party friends thought a newspaper — Green Line, which was founded in 1987 — sounded like too much work, Fobes says. He assured them it would not be.
How wrong he was. Green Line was the precursor to Mountain Xpress, which was founded in 1994.
“That was the beginning of my career, even though I said I didn’t want a career,” Fobes says. “Even in the late ’90s, I was still saying, ‘I don’t want a career.’ But at that point, I realized maybe, maybe I have one.” X
Speeding ahead
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
It’s never too soon to start thinking about the long-term future of transportation in Western North Carolina.
That’s the idea behind Elevate 2050, a blueprint for the region’s transportation network now being developed by the French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Still in its early stages, the federally mandated plan is expected to be completed in September 2025.
“Right now, we’re just trying to lay the groundwork,” says Tristan Winkler, director of the organization, which covers all of Henderson County, most of Buncombe County and parts of Haywood and Madison counties.
The federal government requires urbanized areas with populations over 50,000 to develop transportation plans every four to five years, Winkler says. Projects that don’t make the list cannot get federal funding.
As part of the planning process, French Broad MPO officials are looking for ideas from area residents.
It last released a plan in September 2020. “What are the goals that we should be trying to achieve for our regional transportation network? What’s the overall vision for a successful transportation network in 2050?”
So far, more than 400 people have filled out an online “Vision/ Goals Survey,” which gauges public opinion on transportation priorities. And about 60 people attended three public meetings in Asheville, Hendersonville and Mars Hill last month.
The message is clear. People want to see more greenways, sidewalks
Residents weigh in on the future of transportation in WNC
WHEELS ON THE BUS: Asheville Rides Transit is one of five public transportation agencies that serve people in the region. Some residents would like to see the agencies work together as a regional transit provider. Photo courtesy of the City of Asheville
and other paths for pedestrians and bicyclists. Those who attended also want officials to develop a network that relies less on cars and more on public transit.
“The area is growing, and we know from experience that some of these communities without planning ended up with disastrous transportation systems,” says Swannanona conservationist RJ Taylor, who attended a public meeting Aug. 6 at the North Asheville Public Library. Taylor is a volunteer with Connect Buncombe, a nonprofit that supports building greenways in the county.
“We want to see more walkability because there are a lot of dangerous roads in the area,” he adds.
SIDEWALK SAFETY
People who attended the North Asheville Public Library public meeting were asked to write on sticky notes ideas for what they would like to see in the final version of Elevate 2050.
Some of the answers addressed needs in specific geographic areas. “SIDEWALKS!! in Swannanoa and Eastern Buncombe County,” one person wrote. “Pedestrian infrastructure is almost nonexistent.”
Other notes called for safer pedestrian infrastructure along Swannanoa River Road and sidewalks connecting the business hubs between Sweeten Creek and Hendersonville roads.
Others took a big-picture approach when jotting down ideas. “No road or street should be eligible for auto traffic unless it is safely navigable by an 8-year-old AND 80-year-old without a car,” one person suggested. Another called for more road diets like the one that converted Merrimon Avenue from a four-lane roadway to a three-lane road with a center turn lane and bike paths on each side.
“More frequent buses! More places to bike!” one person wrote. “Want less traffic? Stop mandating car dependency,” added another.
Those sentiments are shared by Zach Rouhana, who moved to Asheville in July and attended the North Asheville public meeting.
“I am from New York, and the transit is phenomenal there,” he says. “There is huge potential down here for great public transportation.” Additionally, Rouhana would like to see Asheville become more bike-friendly, especially for parents with kids who want to avoid heavily trafficked roads.
“Nobody thinks it’s OK to bike in the city because it’s not safe,” he says. “If you bike, you feel like a lone wolf.”
David Nutter , chairman of Connect Buncombe’s advocacy and partnership committee, attended the North Asheville meeting. He says the group is encouraging Buncombe County voters to approve an $80 million general obligation bond package that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot; $20 million of that total would be used on transportation needs, including street resurfacing, new sidewalks, greenways and multiuse paths.
Connect Buncombe’s top 10 greenway priorities for the City of Asheville has the Wilma Dykeman Greenway Extension at the top. The project would add a 1.3-mile section extending the Wilma Dykeman Greenway near Hill Street to Pearson Bridge Road.
Nutter says the extension is the centerpiece of the area’s greenway future because it would create a northern connection in the
River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project trail network.
REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEM?
Joe Stanis is an active user on Strong Towns Asheville on the social media site Discord. Strong Towns is a national community-led group pushing for connected communities and safer transportation, among other things.
As a UNC Asheville student who lives in Mars Hill, Stanis would like to see a centrally funded regional public transportation authority connecting local cities. As things stand now, the French Broad MPO has five transit providers: Asheville Rides Transit, Mountain Mobility in Buncombe County, Apple Country Public Transit in Henderson County, Haywood County Transit and the Madison County Transportation Authority.
“Having all of that under one roof would be very helpful,” Stanis says. “I think starting the process of getting that going would be a really good priority for the future of transportation regionally.”
Stanis says he has never traveled on a Madison County Transportation Authority vehicle. The Marshall-
based agency is a demand-response, curb-to-curb transit system.
“I don’t really know how it works,” he admits. “Most people think it’s just for old people that need to go to the doctor. Under a central authority, that would help a lot with branding and being able to show people, ‘Hey, we’re able to get you to Asheville for whatever you need.’”
The feasibility of a regional system was studied in 2021 by the French Broad MPO, which concluded “regional service would improve mobility options for the most disadvantaged and provide alternatives to access jobs, health, education and other services or destinations.”
Stanis recognizes that combining different agencies that value their autonomy may prove difficult.
“I have a feeling that might be a point of conflict for getting everyone on board for this,” he says. “But I don’t care about your territory. What is the most efficient thing for the community?”
MAKING PLANS
During that planning process, the public expressed similar interest in networks that served cars but also
bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcycles and more. “And then there were other people who said we really need to focus on reducing congestion and moving freight through our region more efficiently.”
Elevate 2050 will be written by McAdams, a Raleigh-based transportation planning consulting firm.
“After identifying our transportation needs, we’ll be prioritizing them,” Winkler explains. “Because a big part of this plan is that we can’t just assume that we’re going to have an infinite amount of money. We have to have a plan that has a somewhat realistic idea of how to finance whatever projects come out of this.”
Any project that is not on the list is ineligible for federal funds, he says.
The MPO relies on state funding forecasts in its planning. And the projections this time around look a lot more bleak than in 2019 and 2020.
“When we were doing this five years ago, the transportation funding picture looked fairly rosy. But over the last few years, we have seen funding challenge after funding challenge, whether that was the revenue losses associated with the COVID19 pandemic or the escalation in
costs that we’ve seen for infrastructure projects.”
He points to the example of the Interstate-26 Connector project, which was recently put under contract for $1.1 billion, a 20% increase over earlier estimates of $915 million.
“That’s a huge change,” he says. “Accounting for the fact that the cost of building these kinds of projects has changed significantly is going to be a big part of this plan, especially when it comes to setting our priorities. We’re going have to make priorities about what kind of fixes we need to make and where do we really address our problems?”
Make your voice heard
Want to provide feedback on the future of transportation in parts of Western North Carolina? Take the following online survey:
English: avl.mx/e23 Spanish: avl.mx/e24
Council approves more time for Reparations Commission
Mayor Esther Manheimer said a vote was not required, but the Asheville City Council unanimously approved six more months of support for the Community Reparations Commission (CRC). The extension, recommended by city staff last week, gives the CRC more time and resources to develop recommendations for repairing damage caused by public and private systemic racism. City Council member Sheneika Smith was absent.
CRC Chair Dewana Little, Vice Chair Bobbette Mays and Sala Menaya-Merritt, Asheville’s equity and inclusion director, presented goals the commission planned to achieve before the February stop date. These include a final report to City Council; organizing a Black Chamber of Commerce; forming an independent accountability council to oversee implementation of CRC recommendations; and launching a reconciliation task force that would continue to develop reparation actions.
“I continue to be in awe of the task that y’all signed up for, the enormity of what it means,” said Council member Sage Turner
Mays suggested that a marker be erected to commemorate the historic work undertaken by the CRC.
“I think there should be a movie, too. These folks have done such enormous historic work. The story needs to be told,” said Asheville resident David Greenson after the presentation.
Road diet update
The road diet on Merrimon Avenue, which converted four lanes to three from W.T. Weaver Boulevard to Midland Road and added a bike lane in each direction beginning in October 2022, achieved many of its goals, according to a presentation to the City Council by Carrie Simpson, a safety evaluation engineer for N.C. Department of Transportation.
Initial safety data showed a 23% reduction in total crashes and a 30% reduction in injury crashes between October 2022 and February 2024. Car speeds slowed by 3-5 mph along the mile-and-a-half stretch between UNC Asheville and Beaver Lake. Average travel times rose 14 seconds when traveling northbound at 5 p.m. between fall 2021 and fall 2023, Simpson said.
Bicycle volume increased in 11 of 12 data collection points, with the northern end of the treatment section seeing a 269% jump in use.
“I have some questions about the pedestrian crossing time. We’re working with close to the minimum of what pedestrian crossing times are allowed,” said Council member Kim Roney.
“We’ve instituted leading pedestrian intervals so that pedestrians get a head start to get out into the cross-
Working out water bills
Some city residents are receiving water bills in quick succession as the city converts to new water meters.
“Due to our aging network of water meters, the City of Asheville Water Resources Department has encountered delays in meter reading and work order completion,” Clay Chandler, Asheville’s Water Resources
Department communications specialist, writes to Xpress. “As a result, billing cycles have become irregular, [and] some of our water customers have gotten bills in close proximity.”
To resolve the issue, Water Resources has hired temporary staff to manually read meters as quickly as possible. Getting new meters installed
walks to be visible, and those have been very positive so far,” said DOT Division Engineer Tim Anderson. Manheimer asked about future improvements to Merrimon.
“I travel this route every day. I still see people getting confused by bike lanes,” said Manheimer, adding that bike lane widths vary along the corridor. She suggested marking the bike lane in green. Anderson replied that North Carolina hasn’t adopted green bike lanes.
In other news
• City Council adopted, 6-0, the 10-year park plan, Recreate Asheville: Shaping Our City’s Parks. The plan, presented by Parks & Recreation Director D. Tyrell McGirt, sets pri-
will gradually clear the billing backlog. That’s the goal of the city’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure project, which is scheduled for completion in 2025.
In the meantime, customers will still have to pay their water bill within 20 days of the billing date. Payment plans will be available to customers who need them. Contact the Water Resources Department Customer Service Center at 828-251-1122.
More information at avl.mx/e3m X
orities for which recreation spaces need the most work, which projects will be most beneficial, and strategies to maintain city parks.
• In a public hearing, Council voted 6-0 to close an unused right-of-way at 34 Hiawassee St. The closure paves the way for a land exchange between Duke Energy and the city. In the exchange, Duke gets the land needed to rebuild the downtown Vanderbilt substation on Rankin Street, while the city gets land for possible expansion of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
• In a related public hearing, Council unanimously approved a conditional zoning amendment at 252 Patton Ave. The plan, presented by Justin Brown from Duke Energy, allows for a temporary substation while work is done to the Vanderbilt Substation on Rankin Street behind Harrah’s Cherokee Center.
• A public hearing to consider amending a previously approved conditional zoning at 179 and 144 Riverside Drive was tabled by the mayor. Suggesting more incentives for green energy and a higher percentage of affordable housing, Council asked the developer to bring the project back to the Council’s next meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10.
— Pat Moran X
WEIGHING IN: Carrie Simpson, safety evaluation engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation, presents data from the Merrimon Avenue road diet. Photo by Pat Moran
Extra, extra
A behind-the-scenes look at Xpress ’ weekly distribution
BY GREG PARLIER
gparlier@mountainx.com
Most Tuesdays, Cindy Kunst , Xpress ’ distribution coordinator, arrives at the company warehouse by 6:30 a.m. to help unload hundreds of newspaper bundles (with 50 papers per bundle) from the delivery truck. It’s hard work made harder on days when there’s an avalanche — that is, when papers tumble inside the truck, splaying stacks all over the back of the bed.
The warehouse, located off Smokey Park Highway, is in an unassuming strip tucked behind a tire shop. Inside, boxes of Xpress archives dating to the early ’90s line the walls on shelves. I joined her there on a recent Tuesday — albeit not quite at 6:30 a.m.
Green thumbs & aspiring gardeners alike!
Summer is passing, but Xpress’ monthly gardening feature is still fl ourishing based on reader questions. Please send all gardening inquiries to gardening@mountainx.com
With spreadsheet in hand, she organizes a pallet for each driver, prioritizing her early risers like Gary Selnick , an 80-year-old semiretired “fireball” who arrives like clockwork at 8:20 a.m. to pick up papers for the far-west route in Haywood and Jackson counties.
“[Distributing papers] is like putting gumballs in a jar,” Kunst explains. “Everyone has a different jar. My job is to spread the gumballs out over all the jars.”
Including Kunst, 11 drivers cover 611 miles to make 661 stops every Tuesday and Wednesday. Routes go as far north as Hot Springs, as far south as Saluda, as far east as Black Mountain and as far west as Dillsboro. Kunst makes additional trips to 189 of those locations on Thursdays to restock popular pickup spots.
As Kunst moves through the warehouse, ensuring each pallet has the correct number of papers, an aura of joy moves with her.
Since 2018, Kunst has spent nearly every Tuesday this way. “You get used to being invisible,” she says of delivering 23,000 papers to grocery stores, gas stations, bars and downtown street corners across eight Western North Carolina counties.
But even though you may not always see her or her team of delivery drivers on the streets, her presence in the Xpress iverse is larger than life.
PHOTOGRAPHY TO DELIVERY
Long before her days slinging papers, Kunst was slinging money around as a loan manager in a corporate setting in Washington, D.C. The work paid well, but it wasn’t for her.
“When sloshing $130 million around, which is chump change [in that industry], I see it for what it is — a tool,” she says.
Kunst and her husband, Cass , left Washington for Asheville in 2009. Instead of money, she finds moving newspapers to be much more in line with her ethics, as she appreciates Xpress’ hyperfocus on covering the local community.
Before overseeing distribution, Kunst contributed to the paper
PAPER HAWKER: Cindy Kunst, seen here sitting on top of a purple Xpress box, directs the paper’s delivery team with a candid charisma that has drivers looking forward to their route each week. Photo by Greg Parlier
as a freelance photographer. For nearly seven years, she documented concerts, art openings, farm-totable dinners, festivals and other news-related happenings, before she “inherited the fiefdom” that is the Xpress warehouse, she says.
In 2020, before COVID-19 disrupted daily life, she had her sights set on expanding distribution beyond the 27,000 issues being printed at the time. Instead, the pandemic shrunk the paper’s routes, limiting output to 13,000 papers each week. Those numbers have since rebounded, thanks in part to the relationships Kunst and her team have built with businesses as well as the attention she pays to every location and driver.
MIRACLE WORKERS
“Cindy is the best boss we have,” says Carl Schwieger , who delivers the far-south route to Hendersonville, Brevard and Saluda with his wife, Debbie, and their dachshund puppy, Lilly “She’s fun to work with.”
The Schwiegers, whom Kunst calls her “A Team” because of the distance they have to travel and the joy with which they do it, started working with Kunst five years ago. They’ve delivered newspapers for decades and currently manage some racks around town for Distributech, a regional distribution management company.
Beyond their personal affinity, the Schwiegers appreciate working for Xpress because of Kunst’s commonsense approach and willingness to listen to her drivers. For example, after hearing their complaints about a particular gas station on their route that is difficult to deal with, Kunst doesn’t hesitate, promising to take it off their route.
Before the Schwiegers pull away, ready for a full day fighting traffic in south Buncombe and Henderson counties, Carl proudly points to his tailgate. It displays a new bumper magnet, a gift from Kunst: “Delivery driver. Because miracle worker isn’t an official job title.”
Next to arrive at the warehouse is Joey Nash , the only driver who works with Kunst two days a week, helping to clean and repair purple Xpress boxes when they get trashed by passersby or the weather.
She hears his truck long before it backs into the warehouse and is glad to see him when he gets out. Nash operates a farm with his wife, Courtney Israel-Nash , who also runs her own route for Xpress . After catching up on each other’s lives, Nash and Kunst discuss tomorrow’s box-cleaning projects, most of which come from downtown Asheville.
Nash will freshen them up, repair their windows and load them in a horse trailer. Later, Susan Hutchinson , Xpress ’ advertising manager, will haul the load off to her property and apply a fresh coat of purple paint.
LOCAL MATTERS
Not every driver works out, which makes Kunst especially grateful to those like Nash, who understand the job goes beyond filling boxes.
“It’s not just about getting papers where they’re supposed to go,” Kunst says. It’s also about building relationships with the businesses that carry Xpress . “Everyone shouldn’t cringe when you walk in the room. It’s all about if you can gel with the ballclub.”
Consistent physical presence in businesses, Kunst points out, can boost opportunities for the paper’s growth. And there are other, more personal benefits.
Nash enjoys making stops at businesses that are always happy to see him, such as Whit’s Frozen Custard on Merrimon Avenue. Meanwhile, Kunst’s husband, Cass, who is also a driver, appreciates
the ability to pick up fresh corn from Davis Farms on his route in Burnsville.
Once most of the drivers have secured their allotment of papers, Kunst has her own small stack to deliver. She and I make a special trip to Xpress headquarters to update management. Along the way, she installs a freshly painted box near Pack Square, replacing the previous box, which her downtown delivery driver had flagged as looking ragged.
After two brief stops at the Asheville Mall, Kunst and I head back to the warehouse.
“That’s a Tuesday,” she says as she pulls in next to my car around 2:30 p.m.
As we reflect on the day, a neighbor in the strip of warehouses pulls up next to us.
“Hey Cindy,” they say. “Did you know that car has a flat?” They motion to my SUV and offer a portable tire pump.
It turns out this Tuesday is not over quite yet. But thanks to Kunst and a good Samaritan, I’m able to make it safely down the hill.
Her job is to deliver papers. But all day, Kunst, her team and those around her show they care about their immediate community. After all, local matters. X
DOG DAYS: Cindy Kunst, right, holds Lilly the dachshund as Carl Schwieger loads papers into his truck at the Xpress warehouse. Photo by Greg Parlier
Looking back
BY PETER GREGUTT
Recent arrivals to this city might find it hard to imagine what Asheville was like back on Aug. 10, 1994, when the first issue of Mountain Xpress hit the stands. The city’s population stood at around 67,000, about 30% less than it is now, and although downtown revitalization had been underway for years, the transformation to today’s bustling, vibrant tourist town still had a long way to go. There was as yet no South Slope, no River Arts District and no high-rise hotels that helped define the downtown skyline. Asheville was only beginning to crop up on “best places to” lists; indeed, persuading anyone to venture downtown at all was still a key concern. I was the new weekly’s managing editor that day, and for the previous 3 1/2 years I had served as, first, managing editor and, later, editor-inchief of its predecessor, Green Line Founded by current Xpress Publisher Jeff Fobes, the scrappy alternative monthly had scraped along for seven years, running mostly on idealism and journalistic fumes in a city that, besides being smaller and less wellknown, was much more conservative back then. Advertisers were few and far between, and it wasn’t unheard of for pioneering downtown retailers to offer the paper’s staffers a discount on purchases in lieu of paying for their ads.
Undeterred, Green Line bravely waded into the fray, challenging a political status quo that was accustomed to operating with little transparency and only limited media scrutiny. A cadre of energetic young reporters routinely put in 50-hour workweeks for a few thousand dollars a year with no benefits; I gamely tried to oversee the project while Jeff, the ship’s captain, laid out the guiding philosophy and tirelessly ran around persuading a handful of prosperous true believers to kick in funds to help keep the lights on. It wasn’t a nonprofit but a no-profit whose “investors” had little hope of ever seeing a return on their money, apart from whatever benefit they felt our collective efforts were bringing to the city and its residents.
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES
For me, though, the job seemed ideal, as I was free to take my best stab at practicing hard-hitting, progressive journalism without worry-
What a long, strange trip it’s been
ing about which local power brokers or advertisers we might offend. We regularly ran hefty investigative pieces that enabled us to dig into key topics in depth, and during the marathon weekend when an issue was being put to bed, it wasn’t unusual for those stories to be postponed for another month if it was felt that more time was needed to get it right.
Eventually, however, financial reality caught up with us, and faced with a clearly unsustainable model, Fobes asked the assembled staff to vote on whether to pull the plug and simply fade away — or reinvent the paper as a somewhat more mainstream weekly that might have a chance of surviving over the long haul. The vote came in resoundingly in favor of forging ahead, and after another vote to choose a new name, Mountain Xpress rose from the ashes of Green Line like a paper phoenix.
We took most of July off to engineer the big transition, which included both creating a template for the layout and deciding what sort of content we would offer. To that end, a half-dozen of us drove up to Boston for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies’ annual meeting, where we heard a talk by NPR’s Cokie Roberts and picked the brains of folks representing more established papers like Raleigh/ Durham’s Independent Weekly and the Nashville Scene. A few weeks later, we put out our inaugural issue.
“Welcome to Mountain Xpress” proclaimed a boxed message on the letters page. “You are reading a locally owned, independent, investigative newsweekly committed to setting a standard of journalistic excellence in Western North Carolina. We believe that tolerance and respect for diverse views and opinions are essential ingredients for healthy communities. Also essential are media which promote local dialogue, so that the communities they serve learn who they are and who they want to become. ... We aim to reach the area’s most active, thoughtful and independent-minded readers.”
Cecil Bothwell, who went on to become managing editor for a time and later served on City Council, wrote the lead story, which explored the local implications of the War on Drugs. The cover image showed a stoned-out cartoon rabbit, eyes bulging. All well and good — but a week later, it was déjà vu all over again, and we were back in the trenches, scrambling to put together the next issue.
MONEY FOR NOTHING
In the early going, it was slim pickings. Advertising revenue was still minimal, and we were thrilled if the paper made it to 30 pages. But there were four or five issues a month instead of one, meaning more opportunities for the advertising staff to work the phones.
Meanwhile, we continued sending reporters to cover the meetings of influential local entities like the Metropolitan Sewerage District, the local air quality board and the water authority, whose deliberations had generally flown under the radar even as their decisions substantially impacted the lives of city and county residents. Under Fobes’ benevolent reign, the fundamental orientation hadn’t changed, though it would be years before the paper broke even financially and the current tagline, “Local Matters,” was adopted. The paper did extensive coverage of local elections, where each vote carries more weight, even as it typically refrained from writing editorials or endorsing specific candidates. The goal was to give readers meaningful information on which to base their choices and then encourage them to vote — for whichever contenders they deemed best. To that end, we experimented with various approaches, seeking the best way to elicit substantive answers from candidates rather than the ambiguous platitudes that tend to be politicians’ stock-in-trade.
GHOST TOWN: In the early days of Xpress, “persuading anyone to venture downtown at all was still a key concern,” says Peter Gregutt. Photo courtesy of Gregutt
We also continued shining a spotlight on the local arts and entertainment scene, which had been a hallmark of Green Line. And despite the limitations imposed by a staff that was sometimes stretched perilously thin, we periodically ventured beyond Buncombe’s borders to tackle regional and even statewide issues. A key focus was charting the sometimes turbulent doings of the Regional Water Authority. At the same time, we were conscious of the need to at least periodically pay attention to other pressing local concerns such as housing, education and racial issues. Xpress reporters were instrumental in bringing to light the extensive contamination of residential wells in South Asheville and in bringing down Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford. The former CTS property on Mills Gap Road is now an EPA Superfund site, and Medford died in prison in 2020 while serving a 15-year sentence for corruption and extortion. Week by week, a dedicated, ever-changing staff has worked hard to practice grabby but responsible, factbased local journalism.
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE
...
It seems only fair, though, to note how my own role has changed over
the years. When the decision to switch to a weekly was made, I faced a career choice of sorts, and after some soul-searching, I decided to shift gears and try my hand at freelancing. I did, however, give the paper six months’ notice — long enough to help navigate the transition and put out the first few issues of Xpress. For the next several years, I contributed to various local and regional publications, including a stint as a reporter and editor covering the Southeast’s incipient craft beer scene. At the same time, I continued doing editing, consulting, managing special projects and even occasionally writing for Xpress. Around 2006, I came back on staff for a second stint as part of the editorial staff. But by 2013, my unlikely, peripatetic and somewhat unconventional career path had steered back toward freelance editing, which has kept me involved with the paper while allowing me more leeway to pursue other activities.
Over the years, I’ve watched the paper adapt to dramatically changing conditions, survive the Great Recession of 2008 and creatively evolve in tandem with the growth of its home base. Asheville is a different city now, and Xpress has kept pace with those changes while staying true to its foundational principles. These days, I am semiretired, though in between (and even, sometimes, during) my extensive travels, I still do a limited amount of editing for the paper. That has enabled me to continue practicing a craft I am passionate about while admiring, albeit from afar, the good work that the current crop of staffers and freelancers is carrying out under the Xpress banner each week. It blows my mind to think that this ambitious, idealistic, sometimes borderline preposterous undertaking has not only survived but has flourished for three decades, and I look forward to seeing what surprises the future holds in store.
Plugged in
Decades at Xpress opened doors to community
BY PATTY LEVESQUE
I moved to Asheville from Connecticut with my family in 1989. At that time, some areas of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods were a little questionable, and we often avoided them. Slowly, though, I became familiar with places I did want to venture out to. One of the first things I did was join the French Broad Food Co-op, which was located in the Chesterfield Mill. Here, I met some of my first Asheville friends. Also, I picked up a local monthly paper called Green Line, which gave me the news I wanted.
While I was busy raising my three daughters, I worked part time for a local home business for a few years. Then, in 1994, Mountain Xpress launched as a weekly paper, and as the second issue was being printed, I was hired as the office manager. I was so glad to be part of this progressive paper, which kept me coming downtown daily for 20 years. I met many people doing important things for and in Asheville. I knew so much more about what was happening, and luckily, the growth and improvements happening downtown were making it a fun, safe, and comfortable place to work.
I was learning the payroll and billing system on a DOS computer with a dot matrix printer, thanks to the help of the bookkeeper and the computer wiz. While the rest of the staff had their weekly deadlines for publishing the paper, mine were monthly. I set up files for all of the
employees and printed paychecks once a month. Billing for advertisers was also done monthly. Bookkeeping took on quarterly and annual goals and often required late nights of hard work to meet deadlines. Jeff Fobes, our publisher, helped a lot by going through some of this with me to get things done when they were due. He knew most of what was going on in each department.
The advertising department didn’t have computers when I started. The staff used an index card file and a telephone to reach the advertisers. Eventually, we all graduated to iMacs, but that department had only one to share initially. Then, two, and eventually, all the advertising representatives had their own computer. I was thankful for the ease the iMac brought to my own work, and I learned how to do spreadsheets, which are so helpful.
Since our offices were usually shared with others, I was able to enjoy my various office mates: Frank Rabey, Nelda Holder, Peter Gregutt and Lisa Watters over the years. Occasionally our initial landlord, Elwood Miles, came by to check on how things were going.
Sometimes, we would be visited by some of our local advertisers and heroes, including Julian Price, who was wonderful to meet, and Joe Eckert from nearby Laughing Seed/Jack of the Wood. Thanks to Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress movie critic for years, we had the privilege of attending several movie premieres at Carmike Theatre. During some of the good old Asheville film festivals when Leni Sitnick was Asheville mayor, with input from
FRONT-ROW SEAT: Years at Xpress put the community at her doorstep, says Patty Levesque. Photo courtesy of Levesque
John Cram and Neal Reed from the Fine Arts Theatre, all of whom I came to know, I had the privilege of sitting behind Ron Howard and his family in the Diana Wortham Theatre. I even had a conversation with his mother in the bathroom! When Ken Russell was honored at the festival the following year, I saw Tommy at the Diana Wortham Theatre and attended events at the then-Blue Ridge Motion Pictures Studio (which now houses Highland Brewing). Andie McDowell lived in Asheville back then, and I occasionally saw her around town.
Many staff people came and went, and I enjoyed working with several who stayed on for years. Some remain good friends to this day. I got to know many more people in and around Asheville by working downtown in the Miles Building, which became my second home for many years. As the number of files grew, we had a designated storage room,
which I kept organized. I also had a wonderful office assistant (Lisa W.) who helped with filing and answering the phones. She also did some excellent writing for the newspaper, and we have remained good friends to this day. We were in charge of planning staff parties at various spots like the old Chocolate Lounge, the Sky Bar, Creekside Bar, Burial Beer and our West Asheville warehouse. We also had some fun in-office parties, along with a few out-of-office, all-staff meetings and team-building events at the Battery Park Roof Garden, the N.C. Arboretum, etc. We also enjoyed going out to lunch at some of our favorite local spots, a few of which are still around: Grove Corner Market, Pie in the Sky, Ali Baba, Chorizo, Early Girl, Woolworth Walk, Laughing Seed and Flying Frog.
For years, on the last weekend in July, the streets around our offices would be closed while vendors set up for the Bele Chere festival. The sounds and smells would permeate the building. We had our Mountain Xpress booth on the corner of Battery Park and Haywood for years. We often had a booth at the LEAF Festival in May and October. We frequently received comp tickets from our advertisers to concerts, the Southeastern Women’s Herbal Conference, and other events. In 1996, we also had the opportunity to see, on the street below, the production of some scenes from our office windows for the movie My Fellow Americans, which starred James Garner, Jack Lemon, and Dan Ackroyd.
One year, some of our staff participated in the 48-hour Asheville Film Festival, producing the short film Penultimate Penalty, filmed in the Miles Building, the Fine Arts Theatre and the streets of downtown.
Lisa, Jeff, and I had ongoing contests to see who could most closely guess the total amount of the day’s deposit based on the number of envelopes that arrived in the mail. Each person’s guess had to beat out the others’ three days in a row to win. The previous winner would provide a silly (or occasionally very nice) prize to be presented to the new winner, many of which were proudly displayed on our desks. When advertisers got behind in their payments, we had to make calls, send letters and occasionally go to court with our lawyer.
I had a great experience working at Mountain Xpress and am grateful for all I learned and was given during that time. Amid all the growth and changes, Asheville wouldn’t be the same without Mountain Xpress X
4 - SEP. 12, 2024
For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
Online-only events
Feature, page 27
More info, page 32-33
WELLNESS
Therapeutic Recreation
Adult Morning Movement
Wednesday mornings are all about active games, physical activities, and sports adapted to accommodate all skill levels
WE (9/4, 11), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
Zumba Gold
A fun dance exercise that concentrates on cardio, flexibility, strength, and balance for older adults.
WE (9/4, 11), FR (9/6),11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Tai Chi for Balance
A gentle Tai Chi exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.
WE (9/4, 11), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Tai Chi Fan
This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome.
Fans will be provided.
WE (9/4, 11), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Av, Ste 109
Gentle Yoga for Seniors
A yoga class geared to seniors offering gentle stretching and strengthening through accessible yoga poses and modifications.
WE (9/4, 11), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Nia Dance Fitness
A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.
TH (9/5, 12), 9:30am, TU (9/10), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Chen Style Tai Chi
The original style of Tai Chi known for its continual spiraling movements and great health benefits.
TH (9/5, 12), MO (9/9), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Qigong for Health
A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
strength. MO (9/9), 9:30am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Chair Volleyball
Enjoy a light workout while improving hand-eye coordination and having lots of fun.
MO (9/9), 10:30am, Dr
Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Zumba Gold & Silverobics
Calorie-burning, fun, low-impact class that incorporates dance and fitness for older adults each week.
spirit.
FR (9/6), TU (9/10), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Friday Fitness
Focuses on strengthening, stretching, and aerobics every Friday.
FR (9/6), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Tai Chi
Improve your movement and flexibility with relaxation techniques each week. Intended for participants ages 40+.
FR (9/6), 1:30pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Av
Moving Meditation in the Park
Practice gentle movement to tune into your body, feel grounded and energized for your day.
SA (9/7), 8am, 1 S Pack Square Park
Yoga for Everyone
A free-in person yoga class for all ages and abilities that is led by alternating teachers. Bring your own mat and water bottle.
SA (9/7), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Yoga in the Park Yoga class alongside the French Broad River, based on Hatha and Vinyasa traditions and led by certified yoga instructors. All levels welcome.
SA (9/7), SU (9/8) 11am, 220 Amboy Rd
Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group
A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.
SA (9/7), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd
Sunday Morning Meditation Group Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.
SU (9/8), 10am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Strength & Exercise
Workout at your own pace in this weekly class for active adults working on overall fitness and
MO (9/9), 10:30am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Yoga & Coffee
An hour long hatha yoga class on the covered deck, with the option to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, tea or pastry afterwards.
TU (9/10), 9:30am, Cooperative Coffee Shop, 210 Haywood Rd Power Hour Chair
Exercise
Build power through fun, upbeat, and gentle chair exercises each Tuesday.
TU (9/10), 10am, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St
Balance, Agility, Strength & Stretch
This weekly class for adults focuses on flexibility, balance, stretching, and strength. Bring your own exercise mat.
TU (9/10), noon, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Qigong
A gentle form of exercise composed of movement, posture, breathing, and meditation used to promote health and spirituality.
TU (9/10), 1:15pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Community Yoga & Mindfulness
Free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga.
WE (9/11), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
SUPPORT GROUPS
Nicotine Anonymous
People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.
An expressive movement class designed to help you get unstuck, enjoy cardio movement, boost immune health, dissolve anxiety and celebrate community.
Scouts unit,
of Scouts BSA, hosts Cub Scouts Rocket Day on Saturday, Sept. 7, starting at 10 a.m. at John B. Lewis Soccer Fields. This special event invites families to build and shoot off rockets, and learn about scouting. Photo courtesy of Cub Scouts Pack 4
SU (9/8), 9:30am, Dunn’s Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard
Huntington’s Disease Happy Hour Meetup Meet others from the Huntington’s disease community through this social meet up. Please register for this event at avl.mx/e3h. The event will have to be cancelled if there are no registrations.
SU (9/8), 4pm, Mars Hill Brewing Co., 70 N Main St, Mars Hills
Reconstruct Support Group
Support group for those who have experienced trauma from their religious or spiritual life. This is a safe space for belonging, community and questions.
MO (9/9), 6:30pm, Full Circle Community Wellness, 1915 George St, Hendersonville Asheville Kirtan
These ancient mantras, chanted in Sanskrit, help to connect us to our hearts- invoking feelings of well-being, meditation, and joy.
TU (9/10), 7pm, Weaving Rainbows, 62 Wall St
DANCE
Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ Mtn Vibez
A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.
WE (9/4, 11), 8pm, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd
Zumba Gold
A fun dance exercise that concentrates on cardio, flexibility, strength, and balance for older adults.
WE (9/4, 11), FR (9/6), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Intro to Line Dance
A true beginners course for those who are new to line dance taught by Liz Atkinson.
WE (9/4, 11), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Tap Dance: Beginner
Tap dance for beginners teaches the basics through a combination of exercise, music, and incredible fun. Students provide their own tap shoes.
Designed to teach the latest line dances step by step, this weekly class inspires community members to put on their dancing shoes and boogie.
TH (9/5), 1:30pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
TH (9/5, 12), TU (9/10), 6:15pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
ART
Beyond Brushes
In this unique experience, participants unleash their inner artists using unconventional tools. From pasta and produce to recycled materials and unexpected objects found in everyday life.
WE (9/4), 5:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Beautiful Mystery Exhibition
This exhibition features the colorful batik paintings of Robin Ford, clay pieces by Susan Grier and Joe Frank McKee, jewelry by Ilene Kay, and wood sculptures by Brian Melton. Gallery open daily, 10am. Exhibition through Nov. 11. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy
At the Table
Weekly Zumba Classes
Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.
TH (9/5, 12), TU (9/10), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain
Rueda de Casino
Beginners and advanced dancers welcomed at Rueda de Casino, a circle of couples dancing Cuban salsa figures.
SU (9/8), 2pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Line Dance: Beginner
Some familiarity with line dance steps is helpful, but not necessary in this weekly class with instruction to all styles of contemporary music taught by Denna Yockey. MO (9/9), noon, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Contact Improv Dance
Explore mindful, unscripted movement in deep connection with others. Experiment with weight sharing, shifting centers of gravity, and chasing a point of contact in spiraling movement. MO (9/9), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Tango Tuesdays Tango lessons and social with instructors Mary Morgan and Mike Eblen. No partner required, and no experience needed for the beginners class.
TU (9/10), 6pm, Urban Orchard Cider Co. South Slope, 24 Buxton Ave
West Coast Swing
Learn fundamentals that make West Coast Swing so unique in a four-week session. No partner necessary.
TU (9/10), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Swing Asheville Weekly swing dancing lessons with a live dance social afterwards.
TU (9/10), 7pm, Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Rd
Zumba Gold
A weekly interval-style dance fitness party that combines low- and high-intensity moves.
WE (9/11), noon, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Ballroom Dance
Learn the basics of ballroom dancing in this drop-in class that works on two different dances each week including waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha cha, rumba, swing, and salsa.
WE (9/11), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Tap Dance: Advanced Fun and active twice-weekly class for advanced students. Students provide their own tap shoes.
TH (9/12), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
We Line Dance Instructor Brenda Mills leads an inclusive exercise class that uses line dancing to get your body moving.
This exhibition brings together contemporary works of art from the 1980s to the present that explore ideas of community, power, and representation through their depiction or use of a table. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Dec. 6, 2024.
WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee
Honoring Nature: Early Southern Appalachian Landscape Painting
This exhibition explores the sublime natural landscapes of the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 21. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Randy Shull: Black & White
An exhibition of abstract work by artist Randy Shull that will feature his unique ability to evoke both gravity and weightlessness within a single artwork, pouring thick layers of paint around the loose weave of handmade hammocks. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 21.
Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd
Robert Chapman Turner: Artist, Teacher, Explorer
The exhibition will include work by some of Turner’s students and colleagues as well as work by contemporary ceramic artists whose work fits within the context of the show. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 7. Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St
CUB SCOUTS ROCKET DAY: Asheville’s oldest Cub
Unit 4
Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection
A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of American glass art can be seen in this selection of works.
Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 16.
Asheville Art Museum, 2
S Pack Square
Christine Schlageter: Wings Opening Reception
Opening reception for Christine Schlageter’s new remarkable artistic vision, Wings, that celebrates the beauty of nature through her eyes.
FR (9/6), 5pm, Asheville Gallery of ARt, 82 Patton Ave
Shifting Perceptions:
Photographs from the Collection
A selection of photographs presented in a trio of sections, each featuring seemingly opposing forces: Natural/ Unnatural, Together/ Apart, and Inside/Out. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 23.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Clay Studio
Learn sculpting techniques from Jim Kransberger. Firing of pieces is included, but clay is not. Advance registration required.
TU (9/10), 9am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Lou Ella Tucker: Story/ Place Tucker's exhibition showcases how spaces influence us and how we influence them, has led her to record their unique stories of humanity around the world. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through September 22.
Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
Christine Schlageter: Wings
Experience the colorful and and captivating world of winged creatures through Christines Schlageter's remarkable new exhibition that celebrates the beauty of nature through her eyes. Gallery open daily, 11am. Exhibition through September 30.
Asheville Gallery of ARt, 82 Patton Ave, Daily Craft Demonstrations
Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths.These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am. Demonstrations run through Dec. 31. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy
Anatolii Tarasiuk:
Embrace The Journey Tarasiuk’s art style is abstract expressionism with lots of color. His biggest inspiration is the vision of his art giving feelings of joy and hope to each viewer. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through September 22.
Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
COMMUNITY MUSIC
Music To Your Ears Discussion Series: The Music of Nina Simone Bill Kopp discusses Nina Simone with Andrew Fletcher in this months series. Additionally, Andrew gives insight to her influence in his music career and he'll play a few illustrative pieces on the keyboard.
WE (9/4), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Featuring Mare Carmody, Peggy Ratusz and Ellen Trnka who are coming together to perform the songs of Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams.
WE (9/4), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Aditi & Jay
Featuring an angelic and rootsy duo that brings the golden oldies to live with the help of their family band.
TH (9/5), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Jazz Jam
Open jam starts at 8 after a House Band set guaranteed to fill your soul with groove and joy.
TH (9/5), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
Bloom WNC Concert Series: Craig Carothers
This concert series brings classic music with the beautiful surrounding of Bloom WNC's location. This week features original songs and the swoony voice of Craig Carothers.
FR (9/6), 6pm, Bloom WNC Flower Farm, 806 N Fork Rd, Black Mountain
Boomtown FestAVL After Party: Night 1
This after party will feature music from Beastie Boys Tribute band Check Your Head as well as Granola Funk Express and DJ TopSpeed.
FR (9/6), 10pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave
Yala Cultural Tour
An in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Yala Cultural Tour includes drumming, dancing, and stories from Ivory Coast.
SA (9/7), noon, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
Boomtown FestAVL After Party: Night 2
The second night after party will feature music from electronic artist Push/Pull, multi-genre DJ Bowie, Bunsent Burner, Cobrayma and more.
SA (9/7), 9:30pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave
Mark's House Jam & Sunday Potluck
Bring a potluck dish to share with an amazing community of local musicians from around the globe. Please note that this isn't an open mic.
SU (9/8), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr
Alien Music Club's Rock & Soul Revue w/Reggie Headen, Jonathan Pearlman, & Peggy Ratusz
A sweet summer rock and soul revue featuring a collaborative musical exploration into the heartbeat of 50’s, 60’s and 70’s Rock and Soul music.
SU (9/8), 6pm, Kittredge Theatre, Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Rd, Swannanoa Robin Bullock Plays AL: A Tribute to AL Petteway
Robin pays tribute to his dear friend, who was a Grammy and Indie Award Winner, best known for his lyrical and powerful finger style acoustic guitar playing. See p32
MO 9/9), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd
Wings & Strings: Acklen Walker
This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every week.
TH (9/12), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack S, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Embroiderers’ Guild of America: Laurel Chapter
Peggy O’Connor will teach a variety of embroidery stitches that can be used to create leaves.
Learn the art of creating earrings, necklaces, keychains, and other items.
FR (9/6), 1pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St
Ronald Rand’s Art of Transformation Workshop
Feel the joy of creativity and storytelling through imaginative improvisations, poetry, song, and movement exercises as we explore together Stanislavsky’s “Method of Physical Actions” acting chart. See p32-33
FR (9/6), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Vegetable Fermentation
Learn basic fermentation and troubleshooting techniques how home fermentation can lead to a personal and cultural revolution through food.
SA (9/7), 1pm, Earthaven Ecovillage, 5 Consensus Circle, Black Mountain Alexander Technique Workshop
This workshop is a safe space to share questions, experiences and to explore together how to cultivate a sense of wellbeing while refining your artistry. All levels and abilities are welcome.
SU (9/8), 11am, Asheville Music School, 10 Ridgelawn Rd
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Crafting & Cooking
A variety of cooking and crafts for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over each week. Advance registration at avlrec.com is required.
TU (9/10), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
Breath Medicine Workshop
In this breathwork class, you’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system, release stored emotions, and transform into your most authentic self.
TU (9/10), 6:30pm, The Restoration Hotel Asheville, 68 Patton Ave
Jewelry Making
Make a bracelet, necklace, or earrings for yourself or a gift on the second Wednesday of the month.
WE (9/11), noon, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Cooking Budget-Friendly Meals
Learn to cook easy, delicious and nutritious meals on a budget.
TH (9/12), 5:30pm, North Carolina Cooperative Extension-Madison County Center, 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall
LITERARY
Pen to Paper Writing Group
Share stories of your life with others on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
WE (9/4), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
An Evening w/Martin Baron
An evening of conversation with Martin Baron, a distinguished American
journalist who was editor of The Washington Post, 2012 to 2021.
TH (9/5), 7pm, AB Tech, Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Rd
Author Signing w/Linda Summerford Award-winning author Linda Summerford will be debuting her book, The Glider, a tribute to her parents who adopted both Linda and her younger sister together.
SA (9/7), 1pm, Blue Ridge Books, 428 Hazelwood Ave, Waynesville Rookie Readers
An engaging literacy program designed specifically for toddlers with an aim to foster a love for reading while nurturing creativity through crafts.
MO (9/9), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Author Wiley Cash New York Times
bestselling author, Wiley Cash will be hosting a book reading, discussion and book signing event. No registration or tickets required.
MO (9/9), 5:30pm, Marshall Public Library, 1335 N Main St, Marshall
TBR Tuesdays Book Club
We'll be discussing Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin. Light refreshments are served.
TU (9/10), 6:30pm, Black Mountain Library, 140 N Dougherty, Black Mountain
George Masa: A Life Reimagined Book launch party for George Masa: A Life Reimagined is presented in partnership with Malaprops, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Citizen Vinyl and SmokiesLife.
WE (9/11), 7pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave
THEATER & FILM
Film Screening: Israelism
A free community film screening of Israelism, a documentary exploring a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel.
TH (9/5), 7pm, Mullen and James Humanities Lecture Hall, 1 University Heights
Eulogy Movie Night
Featuring a 1988 classic, a special cocktail menu, popcorn and your favorite movie candy.
TH (9/5), 7:30pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Get ready to laugh till you cry with The Great American Trailer Park Musical, a wildly funny and heartwarming romp through Armadillo Acres, Florida's most exclusive trailer park.
FR (9/6), SA (9/7), 7:30pm, SU (9/8), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville
Henry VI Part 2
An anarchic, gleefully theatrical, and urgent iteration of Shakespeare's War of the Roses. MPP's "Henry VI" is the Elizabethan ancestral mashup of Game of Thrones and Succession.
FR (9/6), SA (9/7), SU (9/8), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St
The Campfireball: Joy It's part storytelling, part game show and part immersive theatre experience built entirely around the audience.
TH (9/12), 7:30pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd
MEETINGS & PROGRAMS
Pickleball Beginner
Clinic
Learn rules, terms, and skills needed to play pickleball from Asheville Pickleball Association.
Advance registration required.
WE (9/4), 1pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Women For Women Fall Social
A casual evening hosted for fellow community-minded members that will feature information about the election and the upcoming Fall Focus event.
WE (9/4), 5pm, The Village Pub, 100 Fairview Rd
Balancing The Needs of Labor Unions, Lithium Mining & Electric Vehicles
Randy Francisco of the United Steelworkers Union will discuss ways that environmentalists and labor can work together to ensure that workers and their communities are protected from harm from this type of mining.
WE (9/4), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd
Therapeutic Recreation
Hiking
All hikes are between 1-2.5 miles with variable terrain. Transportation provided to site. Advance registration required, but open to individuals ages 18+ with disabilities
TH (9/5), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
IBN Biz Lunch: Hendersonville
No membership fees or attendance requirements. Just a free and open networking for everyone with a lunch.
TH (9/5), 11:30am, Thai Spice, 220 S King St, Hendersonville Family Open Gym
Weekly time in the gym reserved for all ages to shoot hoops and play other active games as a family.
WE (9/4, 11), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center
Adult Community Basketball
Shoot some hoops or play a pick up game with friends. No pre-registration required.
TH (9/5, 12), 6pm, SU (9/8), 1pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Change Your Palate Cooking Demo
This free lunchtime food demonstration is open to all but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/or their caretakers.
Expect 15 to 30 minutes of meditation followed by a dharma talk on Buddhist principles applied to daily life. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.
TH (9/5), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Craft & Connect Get crafty and acquire new skills while connecting with peers in your community. Registration is required.
TH (9/5), 7pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Meowgical Voter Registration Event
Fly on by during one of these voter registration events to fill out the appropriate paperwork so you can cast your vote this November.
SA (9/7), 11am, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd River Snorkeling Participants receive wetsuits, wetsuit socks, snorkels, and masks.
SA (9/7), 11am, WE (9/11), noon, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
Adult Community Volleyball
Enjoy open play volleyball! No pre-registration required.
SA (9/7), 11:30am, TU (9/10), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Chinese Tea & Tai Chi Foundations
Settle your Qi with Chinese tea while learning the fundementals of Tai Chi to imorive your health. Beginner friendly so all levels are wecome.
SA (9/7), 10:30am, MO (9/9), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
How to Join the Guild: Application Workshop This workshop takes you step-by-step through the application process. Afterwards, participants have the option of requesting someone to assist with and review their Guild application or a Guild member mentor
in their craft medium.
SA (9/7), 1pm, Folk Art Center, 382 Blue Ridge Pkwy
Adult Community Volleyball
Enjoy open play volleyball. No pre-registration required.
SA (9/7), 11:30am,TU (9/10), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Black Mountain Museum staff will lead attendees through historic State Street, Cherry Street and Black Mountain Ave, relaying the history of several buildings and discussing different topics.
SA (9/7), 2pm, Swannanoa Valley Museum, 223 W State St, Black Mountain
Sunday Celebration
A Sunday celebration for the spiritual community.
SU (9/8), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Coloring with Cats: Teens & Adults
Set time for yourself and cuddle with the panthers, meet other cat-lovers, and color a beautiful picture of a cat from our adult coloring books.
SU (9/8), 2pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
TR After Dark Experience field trips and activities with old friends and make new friends along the way. Open to individuals with disabilities.
MO (9/9), 5pm, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
Black Men Monday
A local group that has stepped up in the community to advocate for and mentor students through academic intervention. Kids, ages 7 and up, are welcome to join.
MO (9/9), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Why Vegan?
A fun and informative group discussion on all things vegan.
MO (9/9), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Financial Starters
Learn to understand how credit, loans, and banks work in order to attain these goals and secure your future. Experts with United Federal Credit Union are ready to answer questions.
MO (9/9), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Dharma & Discuss w/ David McKay David will lead a conversation with the group on the Dharma, with many opportunities to ask questions, share insights, or listen and learn. May include some meditation.
MO (9/9), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Kung Fu: Baguazhang
It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.
TU (9/10), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 100
The Natural History & Ecology of Fungi
Todd Elliott, Ph.D., will talk about the mushrooms and fungi of our region and their intimate relationships with other organisms. The program is free and open to the public.
TU (9/10), 7pm, W Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Rd
The Power of YOU: Finding Balance in a 24/7 World
Learn how engaging the power of self-renewal, building a support network and managing your energy can increase your ability to be more creative, energized and resourced in your personal and professional life.
WE (9/11), noon, Blue Ridge Community College, 45 Oak Park Dr, Brevard
NSA-WNC Meeting
Professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills and knowledge.
IBN Biz Lunch: Brevard & Pisgah Forest Network and have lunch with new and old friends while you promote your business products and services. All are invited, and there is no cost to attend the meeting.
Creating a Plan for Your Loved One After You're Gone
Cynthia Alleman will instruct us how to best plan for your loved ones. She will be joined by Athena Kinch, from Hope for the Future, who will discuss guardianship and case management.
Exploring the Center for Cultural Preservation’s Mountain Elder Wisdom
Project
Hear from David Weintraub, the dynamic Executive Director of the Center for Cultural Preservation and acclaimed documentary filmmaker.
TH (9/12), 6pm, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain
Fan Convention Community Info Session
We are planning a fan convention in Asheville and we need your help. We are holding Commu-
nity Information Sessions to find volunteers interested in helping us bring this event to life.
TH (9/12), 6:30pm, E Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Rd
Relational Mindfulness w/Deborah Eden Tull
It teaches 9 timeless principles for awakening through the beautiful, dynamic, and complex field of human relationship.
TH (9/12), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
GAMES & CLUBS
Bridge for Fun
A bridge game night for mid-level players, not for beginners. Contact Tom Fehsenfeld at tom. fehsenfeld@gmail.com.
WE (9/4, 11), 2pm, N Asheville Recreation Center, 37 E Larchmont Rd
Grove Street Card
Sharks
Play a variety of card games including bid whist, spades, tunk, and more every Wednesday.
WE (9/4, 11), 2pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St Music Bingo Thursdays
Test your music knowledge and your luck with Music Bingo by DJ Spence.
TH (9/5, 12), 6:30pm, Lookout Brewing Co., 103 S Ridgeway Ave, #1, Black Mountain
Firestorm Game Night
Cooperative and competitive table-top gameplay for new and experienced players. You’re welcome to bring your own games.
FR (9/6), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd
Bid Whist
Make bids, call trumps, and win tricks. Every Saturday for fun competition with the community.
SA (9/7), 1pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Ultimate Bid Whist & Spades
Bring a partner or come solo for a fun evening of competitive bid whist and spades every Tuesday.
TU (9/10), 6pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS
Parks & REC-cess
A recreation experience for kids and teens who are homeschooled with a variety of activities on the first and third Wednesday of the month.
Advance registration required.
WE (9/4), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Toddler Craftin’ Outdoors
Toddlers immerse in autumn’s embrace, crafting nature’s gifts into cherished keepsakes. For ages 2 to 4 with an adult.
WE (9/4), 5pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
Toddler Takeover
Fun-themed days for children ages 1 to 5. This weeks a day at Water World at Jake Rusher Park.
WE (9/4), 10:30pm, Jake Rusher Park, 160 Sycamore Dr, Arden Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see if it’s a good fit for you.
TH (9/5, 12), MO (9/9), TU (9/10), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Toddler & Me Time Out
This open gym time allows toddlers and caregivers to make memories and new friends through structures and unstructured activities.
FR (9/6), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Kids Night In Leave the kids behind to enjoy goofy games, crafts, and science projects. Advance registration is required, but kids ages 5-12 are welcomed.
FR (9/6), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Community Youth Open Basketball Time reserved in the gym for youth to learn teamwork and form authentic connections through play.
SA (9/7), 11am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Coloring w/Cats: Kiddie Edition
An artistic session with coloring books and markers for children ages 13 and under to relax by coloring as they pet cats to reduce stress and anxiety.
SA (9/7), 1:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
What’s Shaking? Music & Dance Party
A live, interactive 60-minute concert for young people and their adults. Shows include Mr. Ryan’s original poems, songs, and a few classic covers.
SA (9/7), 3pm, Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd
Let’s Wrestle
Young wrestlers will learn fundamentals of wrestling and experienced wrestlers build skills and improve technique.
TU (9/10), TH (9/12), 4:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Toddler Takeover
Fun-themed days for children ages 1 to 5. This weeks features tumble time at West Asheville Park.
WE (9/11), 10:30pm, West Asheville Park, 11 Vermont Ave
LOCAL MARKETS
Etowah Lions Farmers Market
An array of farm-fresh local produce that features lettuce, collards, kale, mushrooms as well as local artisans, herbal products, plant starts, prepackaged meals and more. Every Wednesday through October.
WE (9/4, 11), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville
Leicester Farmers Market
A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats and crafts, every Wednesday.
WE (9/4 11), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester RAD Farmers Market
Providing year-round access to fresh local foods from over 30 local vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, pastured meats, cheeses, raw honey, and more.
WE (9/4, 11), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr
Weaverville Tailgate Market
A selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants. Open year round.
WE (9/4, 11), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville
Enka-Candler Farmer’s Market
A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, and even educational resources. Every Thursday through October 31.
TH (9/5, 12), 3:30pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler
East Asheville Tailgate Market
Featuring locally grown vegetables, fruits, wild foraged mushrooms, ready made food, handmade body care, bread, pastries, meat, eggs, and more to the East Asheville community since 2007. Every Friday through Nov. 22.
FR (9/6), 3pm, 954 Tunnel Rd
Pack Square Artisan Market
Featuring local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville. Browse unique products and meet the folks that
produce them. Every Friday through Oct. 25. FR (9/6), 3pm, 1 S Pack Square Park
Henderson County Tailgate Market
Featuring Henderson County's finest produce, hand crafts, plant starts, vegetables, Sourwood honey, baked goods, fresh eggs, mushrooms, sausage and more. Every Saturday through Oct. SA (9/7), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville Hendersonville Farmers Market
A farmers markets featuring fresh produce, meats, baked goods, crafts, live entertainment, food trucks, and more.
SA (9/7), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville North Asheville Tailgate Market
The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors providing a full range of local, sustainably produced produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, breads, plants and unique crafts.
SA (9/7), 8am, 3300 University Heights
Asheville City Market
Featuring local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Every Saturday through December 21.
A producer-only tailgate market located on the campus of Mars Hill University on College Street. Offering fresh local produce, herbs, cheeses, meats, eggs, baked goods, honey,
body care and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 26.
SA (9/7), 10am, College St, Mars Hill
WNC Farmers Market
High quality fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily 8am, year-round. 570 Brevard Rd
Junk-O-Rama
Browse vintage clothing vendors, local crafters, antiques and more.
SU (9/8), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd
West Asheville Tailgate Market
Featuring an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, and fish to locally made specialty items such as natural beauty products, herbal medicine and locally made art and crafts. Every Tuesday through November 26.
TU (9/10), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd
FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
A free community event featuring authors and low-cost writing workshops. Visit avl.mx/e2k for the full schedule of activities and their specific times.
TH (9/5), FR (9/6), SA (9/7)
Burnsville Town Center, 6 S Main St, Burnsville Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL
This festival is tribute to Asheville's rich history, arts, and culture, showcasing an eclectic mix of performances, trail tours, and community-driven activities, interactive workshops, heritage exhibits and more. See p27 FR (9/6), 1pm, SA (9/7), 11am, Pack Square, 1 N Pack Square
Blue Ridge Relay
One of the longest-running relay races in the United States, takes place in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina.
SA (9/7), The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 Club Scouts Rocket Day
Members of the public are invited to join with their families to build and shoot off rockets, and learn about Scouting.
SA (9/7), 10am, John B. Lewis Soccer Complex, 439 Azalea Rd E
Watkins Denim Night w/Descolada & Yali
Bring your best Canadian Tuxedo and dance the night away with live music as well as the best local vendors.
SA (9/7), 5pm, Shakey's, 38 N French Broad Ave
Aurora Studio Art Retreat
A free art retreat to help you reconnect with your creative side. Lunch, snacks and refreshments will be provided. Pre-register by emailing Lori_aurorastudio@ hotmail.com.
MO (9/9), TU (9/10), 9am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING
Missions of Mercy: Free Mobile Dental Clinic
An opportunity for patients to receive free dental care from licensed dentists. Based on an initial examination and x-rays, offered dental procedures may include: cleanings, fillings, and
extractions.
FR (9/6), 6am, Biltmore Church - East Asheville Campus, 801 Fairview Rd
Mental Health Matters: Walk/Run For Awareness
A family-friendly walk/ run that aims to end the stigma around seeking support for mental health challenges. All funds raised will support the work of All Souls Counseling Center.
SA (9/7), 9am, Karl Straus Track, 600 Wellness Way
AVL Clothing Swap
A clothing swap to help raise money for reproductive rights. Clothing swaps are a great way to get rid of items that you no longer need, but that might be just what someone else is looking for.
SA (9/7), 1pm, The Regeneration Station, 26 Glendale Ave
Frock of Ages Classic Rock Drag Show
A free show featuring Asheville's most electrifying drag performers. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on-site, and proceeds from thisevent will benefit the Asheville Poverty Initiative.
SU (9/8), 1pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St
Oakley Community Closet
A cost-free opportunity to swap and shop clothes, shoes, and toys. Donations happily accepted at Murphy-Oakley Community Center throughout the week. WE (9/11), 1pm, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
NEW STUDENT
SPECIAL 3 Classes for $50
Intro to Pole Mondays 12pm & 7:15pm + Thursdays 6pm Intro to Silks Sundays & Mondays 6pm
Birthstone Breastfeeding & Wellness Center, 494 W. Main St., Sylva, is a new donor depot of the N.C. Human Donor Milk Program, which seeks to expand the availability of pasteurized human donor milk for infants.
Pasteurized human donor milk can help bridge the gap until a mother’s milk supply comes in and promote longer breastfeeding. Mothers donate their frozen milk, and a sample from each donation is lab-tested for safety. Then thawed milk from multiple donors is combined, homogenized, pasteurized, lab-tested again and frozen until ready for distribution.
The Human Donor Milk Program is an initiative of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health. The Sylva depot is one of five new locations introduced this month. A map of locations for pasteurized human donor milk is available for recipients and donors at avl.mx/e2i. For more information, contact milklab@ wakemed.org.
Caregiver support group starts
The Council on Aging of Buncombe County and the Marshall County Public Library have started a family caregiver support group that will meet every fourth Thursday, 1-2:30 p.m., at 1135 N. Main St., Marshall. No registration is required.
In a separate event at the library on Thursday, Sept. 12, at noon, Council on Aging of Buncombe County family caregiver support specialist Steffie Duginske will discuss self-care for the caregiver and strategies to prevent burnout. No registration is required.
Carrier Park playground reopens
Asheville Parks and Recreation reopened the Carrier Park playground on Aug. 15. The playground, originally built in 2001 from wood, has been completely replaced with new play structures made from environmentally friendly plastic lumber. The playground is at 220 Amboy Road, located within the velodrome.
Stroke camp set for Sept. 20-21
Mission Health is sponsoring a United Stroke Alliance Retreat and Refresh
GROWTH SPURT: Birthstone Breastfeeding & Wellness Center in Sylva is a new donor depot of the N.C. Human Donor Milk Program, which seeks to expand the availability of pasteurized human donor milk for infants. Photo via Adobe Stock
Stroke Camp, Friday-Sunday, Sept. 20-22, at Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center, 91 N. Lakeshore Drive, Lake Junaluska. The camp is for stroke survivors, caregivers, family and friends. The weekend will include education, socialization, crafts, games, a talent show and nature walks. Tickets are $150 per adult, $75 for children ages 5-15 and free for children 4 and younger. Each participant must be registered individually at avl.mx/e2q. For information about financial assistance, call 309-688-5450.
Medication review available
Mountain Area Health Education Center pharmacists have partnered with the Council on Aging of Buncombe County to create Mountain Medwise Alliance, a medication review for Medicare enrollees. Pharmacists will conduct a thorough medication review, provide counseling on the best Medicare plans for the patient and refer patients to additional services. Request an appointment at MAHEC Family Health Center at 828-257-4730 or MAHEC Internal Medicine at 828-771-3500.
Free lunch for ACS students
Asheville City Schools’ School Nutrition Program now offers online
applications for free and reduced-price school meals via the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Families can apply or reapply for free and reduced-price school meals anytime they experience a change in income. Applications are available at avl.mx/e2j. For more information, call 828-350-6110.
New pickleball nets tested at Weaver Park
Two new pickleball nets are being piloted at Weaver Park, 200 Murdock Ave. Asheville Parks and Recreation (APR) will determine whether the wheel-based nets are safe for court surfaces. According to the APR website, the city lined all existing tennis courts with pickleball lines in 2023, and select courts received pickleball nets. However, the previous pickleball nets caused damage to the courts and resulted in $47,000 in repaving at Malvern Hills and Murphy-Oakley parks. More information on public courts and the court schedule is at avl.mx/e2w.
Community kudos
• Mission Health registered nurses Amber Hyman, Hannalie Lindsey, Linda Pitman, Debbie Ogden, Shelby Harbin and Kathy McElreath have been recognized
as part of the 2024 Great 100 Nurses for North Carolina. Honorees are nominated by their peers.
• UNC Health Pardee has added Henderson County Assistant County Manager Amy Brantley, First Citizens Bank Regional Executive Greg Burnette and UNC Health Chief Financial Officer Will Bryant to its 15-person board of directors. UNC Health Pardee is a nonprofit health care organization. The new board members will serve through 2027.
Mark your calendars
• Vaya Health is hosting a presentation on navigating depression for adults Thursday, Sept. 5, 1-2 p.m., at Mars Hill Library, 25 Library St., Mars Hill. The workshop will address risk factors, symptoms and treatment options. Register at avl.mx/e2o.
• The Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a free overdose reversal training Friday, Sept. 6, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at 40 Coxe Ave. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of an overdose and how to administer naloxone and will receive a free Narcan kit. For more information, contact Mitchell Albers at mitchell. albers@buncombecounty.org.
• The N.C. Dental Society Foundation and N.C. Missions of Mercy will hold a free dental clinic for adults Friday-Saturday, Sept. 6-7, at Biltmore Church – East Asheville Campus, 801 Fairview Road. The clinic will open at 6 a.m. both days, and patients will be seen in the order of their arrival. Available treatments include extractions, fillings, cleanings, exams and X-rays.
• The nonprofit All Souls Counseling Center is hosting a Mental Health Matters: Walk/Run for Awareness on Saturday, Sept. 7, 9 a.m.-noon, at the Karl Straus Track, 600 Wellness Way at UNC Asheville. The family-friendly event will include a resource fair with information from mental health and wellness providers. Participants may walk around the track or complete a route around UNCA’s campus, which is approximately a 5K. Participants ages 22 and younger are free, while the fee for other participants is $20. All proceeds will go to All Souls. Register at avl.mx/e3i.
• Attorney Cynthia Alleman and Athena Kinch from Hope for the Future, a guardianship social services agency, will hold an event for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Western Carolina on planning for the future for a loved one
with mental illness Thursday, Sept. 12, 5-7 p.m., at AmeriHealth Caritas NC, 216 Asheland Ave. Topics will include special-needs trusts, the legal, medical and financial obligations of guardianship, and care options for loved ones. The event is free, but registration is required at 828-505-7353 or info@namiwnc.org.
• The Henderson County Department of Public Health is hosting a free suicide prevention workshop Friday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m., at 1200 Spartanburg Highway, Suite 100, Hendersonville. The 90-minute Question, Persuade, Refer training will address the risk factors of suicide, cues that someone is considering suicide, myths and facts about suicide, and how to listen and influence a person to seek help. For more information contact 828-692-4223.
• First United Methodist Church, 566 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, will be screening Plastic People, a documentary about chemicals in microplastics and health, Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
• Urologist Dr. W. Glover Little at UNC Health Pardee is offering free prostate cancer screenings 5:30-7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Pardee Cancer Center, 805 Sixth Ave. W.,
Hendersonville. Men ages 40-75 who have never been diagnosed and have not had a screening in the past nine months may participate. Call 828-696-1342 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
• NC Youth and Family Voices Amplified, a program through UNC Greensboro Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships that supports mental health and well-being in young people, will host a youth leadership event Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m-4 p.m., at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, 209 Tunnel Road. Youths ages 14-24 are invited to learn leadership strategies and resource tools. For more information, contact Kyle Reece at kjreece@uncg.edu. To register visit avl.mx/pryd.
• Love and Respect Recovery Community Center, 350 Chadwick Ave., Suite 300, Hendersonville, will provide naloxone training and give out free naloxone noon-5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26. The event will include a tour of the nonprofit’s new drop-in center, and participants can organize an outreach team to distribute naloxone to people who are homeless. Register at avl.mx/e34. X
The paper chase
BY MELANIE M c GEE BIANCHI
I don’t remember the name of the singer who chased me out of the downtown coffee shop, howling unprintable words and brandishing a thickly rolled copy of Mountain Xpress. The woman saved her better phrasings for the stages of the jazz clubs that dotted Asheville in the early millennium: popular Tressa’s on Broadway, for example, and a short-lived sushiand-cocktails experiment down on Biltmore Avenue called Tunatini’s.
A club name like “Tunatini’s” sticks in the temporal lobe whether one wants it there or not, but I’ve long forgotten the name of the outraged singer. This was 2002 or ’03. The coffee shop, today Stony Hill Bistro, was Gold Hill Espresso & Fine Teas.
I could blame my memory lapses on Asheville’s peculiar crests and troughs — all its cultural sea changes. It’s easier to pine for the lost atmosphere of your city’s perceived heyday (thinking of you, Vincent’s Ear and Chicken Alley) than to try and recall specific acts on ever-revolving marquees.
But more likely it’s just the grim march of time. After all, I moved to Asheville in 1994 — the same year Mountain Xpress was launched. That’s three decades. What hasn’t happened?
I do recall it was summer. It had recently rained, the slate sidewalk was slippery, and the singer’s weaponized copy of Xpress posed real danger.
Because in those days, the paper was stacked. In the early 2000s, a standard weekly issue ran around 75 text-heavy pages — much longer if there were special sections — with a word count that approximated Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. A single edition of Xpress offered a cover-to-cover reading journey of about two hours.
Office hours were long, too. And no wonder: We were putting out the equivalent of a short novel every single week.
More challenging than the sheer volume of content was trying to fairly divide preview coverage between national acts and the geysering local scene. We published four or five long features and a section of shorter writeups (“Smart Bets”) that grew as fast as the unchecked Virginia creeper vines that invaded the pre-HVAC arts and entertainment office, running in hungry trails up the window frames and all the way across the ceiling.
A redux of older music forms — mountain traditional, garage rock, Americana — was trendy at the dawn of the millennium, but the renovation of antique buildings? Far less so. Artists who dropped by for interviews tended to mention the gothic foliage before anything else, but I was too tethered to my grape-colored iMac G3 to pay much mind.
We’d all gotten new computers to keep up with the boom: the boom of the era, of the arts, of the internet. Band press kits still arrived in physical form, with an advance CD and an 8-by-10 black-and-white glossy, but I now had PR folks from Montford to Marshall, from coast to coast and from around the world emailing me for coverage.
These were the days when you could catch a reading by The New Yorker humorist David Sedaris at Malaprop’s Bookstore instead of in an auditorium. In 2003, the dance event Folkmoot in Waynesville was named the state’s official international festival. It ran for weeks in July, and requests for quotes from visiting performers involved the use of interpreters. Asheville’s own troupe, The Rebelles, embodied the thirst for arty burlesque, selling out show after show at N.C. Stage Company downtown.
The Rebelles’ neo-vaudeville strip act may have been smoldering, but Xpress’ early internet server was even hotter. It survived at least one epic meltdown after my inbox topped out at 11,000 undumped messages. No stranger to stealth reporting, I hid in the Miles Building’s tiny bathroom, marshaling the nerve to tell our IT
STATE OF BEING: Melanie McGee Bianchi, left, is pictured with her sister, Holly McGee, at a Man or Astro-man? show at Be Here Now after interviewing the band for Mountain Xpress in the late 1990s. Be Here Now was the biggest club on the downtown scene until it closed at the turn of the millennium. Photo courtesy of Melanie McGee Bianchi
guy I hadn’t emptied my trash in six months.
Which, then, came first? The glut of talent in that prosperous era or the avalanche of electronic communication — this bottomless new conveyance by which to get word and then spread it? The advent of the search engine squashed the inconveniences of hard research but also, sadly, the charms of obscurity.
In the previous decade, homegrown acts such as ragtime revivalists the Blue Rags had risen organically, through word-of-mouth, begetting early-2000s stars like The Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show. Now, on top of old-fashioned road touring, roots-rock bands had the exploding “information superhighway” to buoy their fame.
DIY label Fat Possum Records out of north Mississippi propelled elder bluesman R.L. Burnside and his peers onto stages everywhere. Again, though, this was premillennium. Blues disciples get credit for the grapevine effect, but if the Fat Possum phenomenon was the ’90s version of viral, it was also due to print media: namely, a controversial firecracker of an article in national Spin magazine. Xpress did its part locally with a cover story ahead of the Mississippi Juke Joint Caravan’s frenzied appearance at The Grey Eagle.)
By the time Burnside died, in 2005, the new roster of Fat Possum labelmates had online momentum to help raise them up — they wouldn’t have to wait until they were in their 70s to receive widespread recognition. Between 2003 and 2006, on the strength
of brilliant albums and newly, ardently connected fan bases, Aimee Mann and Neko Case — the last two artists I happened to interview during my time
at Xpress — went from indie darlings to respectively filling Diana Wortham Theatre and The Orange Peel.
But back to that angry jazz singer. She had received a “Smart Bet” to promote her upcoming show instead of the hoped-for feature. Profoundly offended, she had little sympathy in her repertoire for the plight of an editorial staff continually having to decide what to cover and how — balancing a golden cup that would not quit running over.
It wasn’t the first time I would be threatened, bribed or insulted during those years. But the perks were nice, especially the analog gestures: David Sedaris mailed me a postcard from Germany after our interview. A gracious local theater company once presented the Xpress arts staff with a tray of homemade lasagna.
Today, in autumn 2024, the marvel is that any newspaper — any periodical regularly distributed in physical form — could inspire such passionate feelings in its reading public. It might be malice, sometimes. But it matters.
Melanie McGee Bianchi worked for Mountain Xpress from 1997-99 as an arts reporter and editorial assistant and from 2000-07 as arts and entertainment editor. X
‘The establishment’s blues’
Council member Kim Roney talks music and running for reelection
BY THOMAS CALDER
Kim Roney and I convene at an outdoor picnic table on the side of BattleCat Coffee Bar in West Asheville.
“This is one of my favorite spots for hiding out,” she says as we begin our conversation — the third in Xpress’ limited series, “On the Record,” in which I meet with individual Asheville City Council candidates, listen to their album of choice and discuss the local arts scene. Unlike my previous two exchanges with Tod Leaven and Kevan Frazier, who are new to politics, Roney currently serves on Council and is seeking reelection.
Her musical selection is Rodriguez’s 1970 album, Cold Fact. The only problem is the Wi-Fi is spotty outside, so we’re having a hard time getting the music to start.
Roney lifts her phone toward the coffeehouse window immediately behind us, but the issue persists. Meanwhile, I ask her about the album’s significance within her life. To my surprise, I learn she and a handful of other Asheville-based musicians toured as Rodriguez’s backup band in 2009.
“I played keys but also the string parts,” she says. “And we didn’t have horn players, so I played the horn sections on keys — which is not ideal.”
2023, his story is a fascinating one and the focus of the 2012 Academy Awardwinning documentary Searching for Sugar Man. The film chronicles the musician’s popularity in South Africa in the 1970s, the mythology that grew around him and his eventual return to touring after decades removed from the music industry.
“Rodriguez writes about being a working-class person,” Roney says, as she continues to try to connect with the Wi-Fi. She also points out that he ran multiple times (albeit unsuccessfully) for public office in Detroit.
“Should we move to that other table?” Roney asks, giving up on the lost connection.
But just as we concede and begin to gather our things, her phone grabs the signal. And with it, Cold Fact begins, and so too does our conversation about the arts.
ON THE DIAL
At an early age, she says, radio played an important role in her life. Growing up in a small, rural South Carolina community, her father would call into the local station every Friday night to request a song for Roney’s mother.
“It was part of the story of our family,” she says. “And the soundtrack to our lives.”
Later on, as a student at James Madison University, she worked at the independent radio station WRIR And once she relocated to Asheville in 2006, WPVM became her entry point into the community. “It was that or [the Blue Ridge] Rollergirls,” she recalls. “And I was like, ‘Don’t make me break an arm down here.’”
But her life’s work, Roney says, is teaching piano. Seeing her students and their families struggling to afford to live here, she continues, is why she first ran for Council in 2017, before eventually winning a seat in 2020.
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affordability even really means,” she says.
In part, this is due to the shifting nature of the issue. Over the past 10 years, she points out, “workforce housing” has become “affordable housing” has become “deeply affordable housing.” All of this, Roney says, “is just creative language for trying to differentiate between the affordable housing you can’t afford and the housing you need.”
But she is hopeful that Council is on the right track. “We’ve started to put some data and metrics behind what we mean when we say ‘affordable,’” she says.
Currently, Roney notes, the city’s Land Use Incentive Grant (LUIG) program, which offers developers tax rebates if they include affordable units in their projects, is under review, alongside a number of other items that Council is considering as part of its strategic goal of equitable, affordable housing. One key component of the conversation is potentially lowering the income levels that qualify for affordable units.
Meanwhile, Roney’s own understanding of incentive programs has evolved since first joining Council. “To incentivize good-paying jobs to be here is so much cheaper than building an affordable unit of housing,” she says. “Learning that has just been a total game changer.”
But in order to attract industries with good salaries, she adds, the city must “set a good example” with living wages for its workers.
And affordability, Roney emphasizes, goes beyond housing. Workspace is essential for entrepreneurs, but accessing it can be costly. One potential avenue to address this could be land trusts for commercial use. “So, for example, if you had artists studios that were in land trust, then [the units] could be more affordable because [the artists] wouldn’t be paying property taxes,” she explains.
For those unfamiliar with Rodriguez, who died in his hometown of Detroit in
As some voters may already know, Roney’s ties to the local music scene run deep. She is a founding member of 103.3 Asheville FM, where she served as station manager and executive director from 2012-15. She also plays drums for the local marching band Brash Your Heart, has been a piano teacher for over two decades and serves as secretary of Asheville Music School.
“I want a hopeful future for our kids, for our families, for our community,” she says as we sip our coffees and listen to Rodriguez strum his guitar.
CREATIVE LANGUAGE
Affordability is a key issue for Roney. It’s also a topic difficult to navigate.
“It has been quite a challenging conversation at Council on what
Roney notes that land trusts are an approach that other cities and counties are exploring, but Asheville “is not there yet.”
Addressing costs associated with utilities and transportation is also of great importance to the Council member. “We’re looking at studies now across the country [that show] for every dollar that you save on rent by moving outside of a city center, you spend anywhere from 60 to 70 MUSICAL
Photo by Thomas Calder
cents on the dollar for additional costs,” she says. “So if we can do more placemaking — not just for places to live but places to work — that will help.”
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
In between policy talk, Roney reminisces on some of what Asheville has lost within the arts scene. Downtown’s busking community is less prominent, she says. And the closures of music venues such as The Mothlight, where Roney previously worked, and Isis Music Hall are detrimental to the creative process.
“I worry about how we’re losing those venues where folks can incubate what it looks like to play on a stage. Like, what does it mean to go direct as a keyboard player? Well, it means you’re not using an amp. But that means that the sound person is going to control the sound of your instrument in the mix, and so you need to make sure that you can hear the house sound through your monitor,” she says.
Fewer smaller venues, she stresses, means fewer such opportunities for young musicians to learn the ropes.
But opportunities in the broader sense do still exist in Asheville, Roney adds. And she is an advocate of taking advantage of all that is available. She points out that anyone with a Buncombe County Public Library card can access a ZOOM Pass, which gives people free entry into a number of museums and other local attractions.
She’s also looking ahead at renovations to McCormick Field. In March 2023, Council voted unanimously to commit $20 million to the project over 20 years. The site’s future plans, she notes, include movie and trivia nights at the stadium, as well as live musical performances.
“There’s more ways for us to use our public park that has been superunderutilized,” she says.
’THIS IS NOT A SONG’
As our conversation winds down, Roney points to her phone, which continues to stream Cold Fact. “This song is the one,” she says.
As the crisp acoustic strings are strummed at the opening of “This Is Not a Song; This Is an Outburst,” I ask what it is about the number that speaks to her. She turns up the volume and says, “I feel like it might speak for itself.”
Rodriguez’s vocals join the music as he sings, “The mayor hides the crime rates/council woman hesitates/public gets irate/but forgets the vote dates.”
We listen to the entirety of the song in silence: a track that captures a community overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. Midway through, Rodriguez laments, “I opened the window/to listen to the news/but all I heard was the establishment’s blues.”
Roney lowers the volume as the song ends and recalls a previous conversation she had with the songwriter about his experiences running for office and trying to create new possibilities for constituents.
“It’s like, how do you use your creative capacity to imagine something different than what is already on the table and tell the story so that people also understand that they want that too?” she inquires. “That’s the role of a creative person in the political world. And it’s a daily, constant struggle.” X
Community trust
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
Andrew Ellington’s last name holds particular importance in Asheville, and he aims to do right by it.
The Asheville native and great-nephew of architect Douglas Ellington — whose designs during the city’s economic boom in the 1920s include Asheville High School, City Hall and First Baptist Church — has made a mark in the music industry, including as a talent buyer for some of the top venues in Austin, Texas. More recently, he’s stayed busy as a talent agent, representing such hip-hop royalty as GZA, Rakim and Jadakiss, and has broadened his scope by working with such multiday events as SXSW, Austin City Limits Festival and Atlanta’s Imagine Music Festival.
Currently splitting his time between Asheville and Austin, Ellington has created what he calls “a melting pot for all my worlds” with the inaugural Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL, which takes place Friday through Saturday, Sept. 6-7, in Pack Square Park.
In addition to performances by the Asheville Symphony, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Toubab Krewe and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, the free festival includes children’s activities and yoga. But what Ellington believes will set Boomtown apart is its focus on Asheville’s cultural heritage, spotlighting buildings celebrating milestone anniversaries and local pioneers from underrepresented communities who deserve greater recognition.
Between putting the finishing touches on the festival, Ellington spoke with Xpress about the inspirations for Boomtown and his plans to make it a city cornerstone.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Xpress: How did you come up with the concept for Boomtown?
Ellington : I was wanting to do something to commemorate [Douglas Ellington’s] buildings and learned that there’s not any anniversaries coming up until 2027. That led to digging deeper into the history of all the architects and all the history in Asheville, and I learned a lot of interesting stuff about how Asheville was essentially supposed to be the next New York [City] in the South.
I also learned that there’s still some tension surrounding the subject — just based on the fact that it was a direct result of [Asheville’s early 20th-century economic boom that the city] incurred all these debts until 1977, and it was the less fortunate communities that suffered most. The idea was to celebrate the pioneers of that time while using the festival to generate revenue to put back into the community. If we turn a profit, the plan is to donate proceeds to five to 10 beneficiaries we pick each year. The idea is to start driving revenues back into some of the organizations that are helping drive measurable progress in the community.
When did you start planning the festival?
December of last year. All these [music] tours I was working on demanded my attention and slowed down [the festival planning] process. And a lot of politics I was dealing with early on, too, with just trying to figure out a way in [to collaborating with other communities] that felt good. That’s part of why I went to LEAF first [to recruit the group as a partner]. I grew up going to LEAF festival and feel like they’re kind of the pioneer of global arts and heritage. And I also went to the Goombay [Festival] folks and was trying to see if there was a way of collaborating with them.
There were a lot of question marks around my intentions and the concept of Boomtown itself. As I mentioned, there’s residual tension [in] some of the less fortunate communities that suffered as a result of the debts that were incurred in order to keep the buildings. So there’s two sides to that coin: Because we incurred the debt, we have what remains a snapshot of a boomtown. And then the other side of that coin is, because of boomtown, we don’t have sidewalks and basic infrastructure in some of these neighborhoods.
So, that was one of the main things I was trying to navigate is to come into the community in such a way that felt collaborative and conducive. Because I really want this to feel collaborative with all the local organizations. Highlighting LEAF for what they highlight in the global community. Highlighting Goombay and the YMI [Cultural Center]. And highlighting African and Caribbean arts and heritage within the local community. These are all local pio-
Andrew Ellington discusses inspiration, goals for Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL
HOMECOMING: An Asheville native, history buff and music industry veteran, Andrew Ellington calls the Boomtown Arts & Heritage FestAVL “a melting pot for all my worlds.”
Photo courtesy of Ellington
neers that are helping bring awareness to the community in ways that some other communities don’t have. And the more we understand where our roots are, the more we understand how we’re all connected.
In what ways are you celebrating the “Heritage” part of the festival? We’re going to be having trail tours from Asheville by Foot Walking Tours, which each year will focus on the buildings that we’re celebrating. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Jackson Building, Battery Park Hotel and the J.A Wilson Building. And we’re celebrating those buildings’ key contributors — the architects, engineers and contractors. It’s
also the 105th anniversary of Mount Zion Baptist as well as the 115-year anniversaries of the Basilica of St. Lawrence and the Legal Building. We’re going to be doing projection mapping on the Jackson Building to highlight that building. The goal is to do projection mapping on all the buildings that we’re celebrating, but it’s a little expensive to do it on all of them, so we’re going do it for the Jackson Building, being that it’s down there in the [Pack Square] Park area.
As we develop the festival, I think that’s going to bring national attention to [Boomtown]. Projection mapping is something that’s not regularly done on a massive level. They do it a little bit in New York [City], and it’s very popular in Europe. But not too much of that is happening [in the U.S.].
What are your other long-term plans for Boomtown?
It’s going to be in June in coming years, mainly to stay away from all the other [established events] that are happening — targeting the second week in June. The goal is to scale it annually in line with all the key milestones. I have a full timeline mapped out of all the buildings and their anniversaries.
And I want to add additional stages and am in talks with a couple other downtown venues that will allow us to expand. The goal is to really build this thing with big, family-friendly programming during the day and more electronic, underground programming by night. There’s kind of a perfect layout already downtown with the plans I have to expand, so it’s definitely going to be a recurring event.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/e3g. X
What’s new in food
Fair celebrates Burton Street history and the fall harvest
More than a century ago, one of Asheville’s most successful and influential visionaries, E.W. Pearson, established the Buncombe County District Agricultural Fair. On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Burton Street Community Association (BSCA) will honor Pearson and his legacy of neighborhood resilience by continuing the annual tradition.
The free event, running from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Burton Street Community Center, will celebrate the harvest season by offering all food free of charge, courtesy of the BSCA. Food from local vendors such as DreadLife Kitchen and Strictly Wings will range from fish, chicken, hot dogs, burgers, collards, and mac and cheese to funnel cakes and fried Oreos.
Born in Glen Alpine in 1872, Pearson served as a buffalo soldier in the U.S. Army and spent time in
Chicago before moving to Asheville. He opened several businesses and created housing subdivisions for Black residents in West Asheville, among them the Burton Street neighborhood. In 1913, Pearson launched the Buncombe County District Agricultural Fair in West Asheville. He also organized the city’s first Black semiprofessional baseball team, the Royal Giants, and founded North Carolina’s first chapter of the NAACP, says Clifford Cotton, a BSCA board member and Pearson’s grandson.
“When I was young, I wasn’t interested in [the history] that much, but as I grew older and found out the things that he did, it was just so encouraging for me to pass on the legacy,” says Cotton.
The agricultural fair continued annually until 1947, eventually drawing up to 10,000 people of all races, according to BSCA historical information. The event was resurrected in 2012 by former BSCA President Vivian Conley, with a focus on locally grown food and fellowship. The fair retains its original name but is also sometimes referred to as the Burton Street Agricultural Fair.
“[Pearson] wanted to make sure that people understood how important it was to come together as a community, to grow and harvest our own food, to share and to take care of each other,” says BSCA board member Yvette Jives
Fellow board member Margaret Fuller says the fair is also meant to inspire community members, particularly youths, with Pearson’s spirit of resilience. “That was a time when the Jim Crow laws were so strict, but he took a lemon and made it lemonade,” she says. “We focused the fair around that concept of being self-reliant, bringing everyone together, uplifting our community with food, with music, with fun things for the family to enjoy.”
DJ Twan will spin music of all genres, and there will be children’s activities such as bounce houses, face painting and basketball shootouts. Local organizations, including the Buncombe County Board of Elections, HERS, Bountiful Cities, Shiloh Community Garden, CoThinkk, Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement and others, will be on hand to help connect attendees with
ROOTED IN HISTORY: Clifford Cotton is pictured with a portrait of his grandfather, E.W. Pearson, at the Burton Street Community Center. Cotton is one of the organizers of the Burton Street community’s Buncombe County District Agricultural Fair, which Pearson established in 1913. Photo courtesy of Yvette Jives
fresh food, health and voting information and other community resources.
“Our community is no longer predominantly African American,” says Fuller. “But we still want the legacy of our founder to be remembered, stepping off the shoulders of people who stepped forward. It all had to do with faith and sticking together.”
The Burton Street Community Center is at 134 Burton St. For more information, call the community center at 828-254-1942.
Late-night dogs at Dizzy’s Glizzies
Plans are in motion for downtown, second-floor cocktail and mezcal bar
Imperial to expand into the building’s first-floor space, which previously housed Zella’s Deli. In the meantime, co-owners and local industry veterans Darrick Teeter, Drew Hendrickson and Ted Rautio have found a creative use for the street-level kitchen and service window: Dizzy’s Glizzies, a latenight hot dog concept that launched quietly in early July.
“It was a quick, fun way to do something out the window, kind of operating like a food truck but with a full kitchen,” says Teeter, who runs Dizzy’s kitchen.
The menu features seven specialty dogs that range from chili-cheese to regional varieties, like the New York, Carolina All the Way, Chicago
and Seattle franks. Teeter also offers specials — recent options include Hawaiian- and street corn-themed dogs — and diners have the option to DIY their own creations.
Footlongs and vegan dogs are available. Sides include curly fries, chili cheese fries, coleslaw and chips. Guests need to be prepared to eat on the fly — Dizzy’s is window service only and has no seating.
The co-owners plan to eventually expand the menu to include a selection of global street food. They have also been opening the space to other businesses for pop-ups — on recent Tuesdays, MorE ModdiSh has been slinging soul food favorites.
Hendrickson estimates Imperial’s downstairs taproom will be ready to open in late October or November, with more details to come.
Dizzy’s is open 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Thursday and 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at 48 College St. For more information, visit avl.mx/e3a.
Asheville Charcuterie Co. expands
After years of working in corporate sales, Lindsey DiMartino
started arranging artful charcuterie boards as a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, she started Asheville Charcuterie Co., offering charcuterie boxes, boards and grazing-table spreads from a commercial kitchen and workshops hosted at local businesses. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, DiMartino’s company will debut its first brickand-mortar location across from the Grove Arcade.
“The whole idea was for us to merge under one umbrella and do all of our events here, have all of our pickups here and do our deliveries out of here,” says DiMartino.
Previously home to plēb urban winery’s The Aventine Wine Bar, the roomy space features tables and bar seating. DiMartino’s parents’ baby grand piano is a focal point against the back wall’s lush mural of enormous leaves painted by Cori Anna Klepac
A grab-and-go case will offer premade charcuterie boxes and local products like pickles and pimento cheese. Another refrigerator will feature build-your-own-picnic items, including a selection of meats and cheeses. “We want to have accessible snacks and food so people from nearby hotels and downtown employees can just walk [here and] pick up something real fast that’s affordable,” says DiMartino.
While the business works on getting alcohol permits, juices, sodas and other nonalcoholic drinks will be available. Spirits, beer and wine will be added this fall. In the meantime, guests are welcome to take their charcuterie next door for mixed drinks at Cultivated Cocktails.
At press time, hours were slated to be 11 a.m.-7 p.m., with the space available for private events in the evening.
Asheville Charcuterie Co. is at 25 Page Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/e2x. For updates on hours, follow the business on Instagram at avl.mx/e2y.
Brother Wolf’s Wine Walk Asheville
Local animal rescue nonprofit Brother Wolf will host its annual Wine Walk Asheville fundraising event Sunday, Sept. 8, 2-5 p.m., starting at Sparky’s Bardega.
The event will offer two downtown walking options — the Metro Wines Route and Sparky’s Bardega Route — featuring a total of 16 businesses. At each stop, participants can taste two wines (one white and one red), and each business will offer a snack.
Regular tickets are $60; VIP passes are $75 and include early access
plus a 1 p.m. Champagne Fête with Champagne, food and live music. A portion of proceeds directly benefits Brother Wolf.
Sparky’s Bardega is at 23 Broadway. For tickets and more information about the event, visit avl.mx/e30.
Foothills Grange hosts anniversary party
Foothills Meats owners Amanda and Casey McKissick will mark the second anniversary of their Black Mountain eatery and bar, Foothills Grange, as well as the August opening of Grange’s new kitchen space, with a community celebration on Saturday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
The new kitchen is Foothills’ first phase of planned renovations to Black Mountain’s historic brick icehouse building, which is next door to the Grange. The kitchen replaces Grange’s existing food truck and was designed to accommodate an elevated restaurant that’s also planned for the icehouse building.
The party will feature food and drink specials throughout the day, an evening raffle and live music and dancing with local musician Pierce Edens from 6-8 p.m. The event is for all ages, and admission is free.
Foothills Grange is at 120 Broadway Ave., Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/e3j.
Tupelo Honey releases documentary film
In August, Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar debuted a minidocumentary film, A Journey Through Appalachia . A new menu item inspired by the movie — a sorghum pork bowl — is featured at all Tupelo Honey locations through Saturday, Nov. 30.
The film follows the restaurant’s executive chef, Eric Gabrynowicz, as he explores the cooking traditions of Southern Appalachia through conversations with UNC Asheville professor and author Erica Abrams Locklear, Cherokee basket weaver Mary Thompson, Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams owner Allan Benton and 88-year-old farmer and seed conservationist Bill Best. Proceeds from sales of the sorghum pork bowl will support organizations selected by the four people featured in the documentary. For more information and to view the documentary, visit avl.mx/e39. — Gina Smith X
Around Town
White Horse Black Mountain will host a tribute concert for Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Al Petteway on Monday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Western North Carolina musician’s death. To celebrate his legacy, Petteway’s longtime friend and collaborator Robin Bullock will present “Robin Plays Al,” an evening of Petteway’s guitar music.
“I’m continually amazed at how simple and beautiful Al’s tunes are and how perfectly they work on solo guitar,” says Bullock. “They deserve to be heard, and if I can bring them to life for listeners now that he’s no longer with us, I’m honored to be able to do that for my old friend.”
Petteway’s acoustic fingerpicking compositions were strongly influenced by his love of Celtic music and his roots in folk, rock and blues. His music was featured in the Ken Burns documentaries Mark Twain, Baseball – The Tenth Inning, The Dust Bowl, The Roosevelts and the Emmy Award-winning The National Parks – America’s Greatest Idea. In 2005, he was voted one of the Top 50 Acoustic Guitarists of All Time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar magazine. He also served as coordinator for the Swannanoa Gathering’s Guitar Week for 25 years.
Bullock is the founder and host of White Horse Black Mountain’s monthly Carolina Celtic concert series.
White Horse Black Mountain is at 105 Montreat Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/e3e.
Acting workshop
The Center for Spiritual Living Asheville will present Ronald Rand ’s “Art of Transformation” acting workshop Friday, Sept. 6, 7-8:30 p.m.
The recipient of four Fulbright Awards, Rand is a published author, poet and playwright who has toured the globe as a Goodwill Cultural Ambassador with his oneman play, Let It Be Art! He is also the founder and publisher of The Soul of the American Actor newspaper and the author of three books: Create! How Extraordinary People Live to Create and Create to Live , Acting Teachers of America: A Vital Tradition and Solo Transformation on Stage: A Journey into the Organic Process of the Art of Transformation . His workshop will incorporate improvisational poetry, song and movement exercises and explore the 40 tools of Konstantin Stanislavski’s “Method of Physical Actions” acting chart.
“Everything I have learned as an actor, having performed in hundreds of films, television shows and many stage productions, I bring into my workshop and share what it means to be a compassionate human being and how we are in service to one another,” says Rand. “I believe each of us has enormous gifts, talent and imagination, and through the workshop, those who come have an opportunity to let go of any fears and doubts and experience greater freedom and joy about creativity in life and on stage.”
The workshop costs $20 and is open to actors of all ages regardless of theater background.
The Center for Spiritual Living is at 2 Science of Mind Way. For more information, visit avl.mx/e3c.
Regional collective to empower WNC arts
WNC Creative Manufacturing held a kickoff event in August, unveiling recommendations for phase two of a plan to boost Asheville’s creative sector.
Now called the Creative Business Network, the initiative is a collaboration involving Land of Sky Regional Council, Mountain BizWorks, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Center for Craft
and ArtsAVL. The effort began in 2021, when the collective sought and received funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission Power Planning Grant and Dogwood Health Trust to create a sector development plan that supports the work and contributions of regional artists and craftspeople.
After extensive research, listening sessions and stakeholder surveys, partners on the 26-county project have recommended that grant funds be used for training and entrepreneurial support, facilitated growth funding for creative manufacturers, increased market access, shared spaces and equipment, and growth of the creative manufacturing business network.
Current and future happenings include Mountain BizWorks’
biannual Craft Your Commerce series and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area’s launch of a storytelling campaign to promote WNC craft manufacturers nationally. A new Creative Business Network directory will use ArtsAVL’s creative portal platform to offer networking opportunities and support materials. The Center for Craft has also unveiled its Ideation Lab, which includes a fully equipped photo studio, computer stations for graphic design and editing, and a pack-and-ship station.
The collective plans to continue its work of boosting creative manufacturing and its benefit to the local economy over the next three years.
For more information, visit avl.mx/e3f.
Election sticker contest winner
Buncombe County Election Services has announced the winner of the 2024 “I Voted” youth election sticker competition.
With more than 2,300 people casting their votes for the winner, 12-year-old Maya LeRoy ’s design was selected and will be featured at county polling stations this fall during the presidential election. Almost 70 designs were submitted by young artists across Buncombe County, who were then narrowed down to 10 finalists recognized at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting.
LeRoy is excited about her win. “I wanted voters to know that it is important for all different types of people to vote because they should get to have a say in the people that will run our country,” says the rising seventh-grader in a press release. Her design features a heart made with four hands, representing love and diversity.
For more information, visit avl.mx/bl7.
— Oby Arnold X
MOVIE REVIEWS
BLINK TWICE: ...and think thrice before going on vacation with Channing Tatum. Grade: B-plus — Edwin
IN LOVING MEMORY: Robin Bullock, center, will lead an evening of remembrance and celebration at White Horse Black Mountain to honor the late Al Petteway, right. Also pictured, Amy White. Photo courtesy of Bullock
Arnaudin
CLUBLAND
SIX-PIECE DANCE BAND: Sierra Nevada hosts Asheville-based Magenta Sunshine Sunday, Sept. 8, starting at 2 p.m. at its Mills River amphitheater. The horn-driven song and dance band promises a genre-defiant, elegant, energized show. Photo courtesy of Magenta Sunshine
For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.
Melodi Royale, New New, Amari D & Slim (R&B, hip-hop, newosoul), 8:30pm
THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR
Karaoke w/Terraoke, 7pm
THE GREY EAGLE
The March Violets (postpunk, rock), 8pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR
Moonshine State (Americana, country), 7pm
THE ODD
D.R.I, Re-Tox AD, On The Block & Halogi (thrash, metal), 8pm WICKED WEED
BREWING
Beer & Loathing (rock), 6pm
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 2015, a large earthquake struck Nepal, registering 7.8 on the Richter scale. It was so powerful, it shrunk Mt. Everest. I mention this, Aries, because I suspect you will generate good fortune in the coming months whenever you try to shrink metaphorical mountains. Luckily, you won’t need to resort to anything as forceful and ferocious as a massive earthquake. In fact, I think your best efforts will be persistent, incremental, and gradual. If you haven’t gotten started yet, do so now.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): We don’t know the astrological sign of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, who ruled from 51 to 30 BCE. But might she have been a Taurus? What other tribe of the zodiac would indulge in the extravagance of bathing in donkey milk? Her staff kept a herd of 700 donkeys for this regimen. Before you dismiss the habit as weird, please understand that it wasn’t uncommon in ancient times. Why? Modern science has shown that donkey milk has anti-aging, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities. And as astrologers know, many of you Tauruses are drawn to luxurious and healing influences that also enhance beauty. I recommend you cultivate such influences with extra verve in the coming days.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In two trillion galaxies stretched out across 93 billion light years, new stars are constantly being born. Their birth process happens in stellar nurseries, where dense clouds of gas coalesce into giant spheres of light and heat powered by the process of nuclear fusion. If you don’t mind me engaging in a bit of hyperbole, I believe that you Geminis are now immersed in a small-scale, metaphorical version of a stellar nursery. I have high hopes for the magnificence you will beget in the coming months.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The planet Mars usually stays in your sign for less than two months every two years. But the pattern will be different in the coming months. Mars will abide in Cancer from September 5 to November 4 and then again from January 27 till April 19 in 2025. The last time the red planet made such an extended visit was in 2007 and 2008, and before that in 1992 and 1993. So what does it mean? In the least desirable scenario, you will wander aimlessly, distracted by trivial battles and unable to decide which dreams to pursue. In the best scenario, you will be blessed with a sustained, fiery devotion to your best and most beautiful ambitions.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Famous rock musicians have on occasion spiced up their live shows by destroying their instruments on stage. Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana smashed many guitars. So did Jimi Hendrix, who even set his guitars on fire. I can admire the symbolic statement of not being overly attached to objects one loves. But I don’t recommend that approach to you in the coming weeks. On the contrary, I believe this is a time for you to express extra care for the tools, machines, and apparatus that give you so much. Polish them up, get repairs done, show them you love them. And if you need new gizmos and gear to enhance your self-expression, get them in the near future.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In all of world history, which author has sold the most books? The answer is Agatha Christie, born under the sign of Virgo. Readers have bought over 2 billion copies of her 70-plus books. I present her as a worthy role model for you during the next nine months. In my astrological opinion, this will be your time to shine, to excel, to reach new heights of accomplishment. Along with Christie, I invite you to draw encouragement and inspiration from four other Virgo writers who have flourished: 1. Stephen King, 400 million in sales from 77 books. 2. Kyotaro Nishimura, 200 million in sales from over 400 books. 3. Leo Tolstoy, 413 million from 48 books. 4. Paul Coelho, 350 million from 28 books.
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
ROB BREZSNY
a Greek myth with similar themes. It featured Persephone, a divine person who descended into the realm of the dead but ultimately returned in a transfigured form. The ancient Festival of Eleusis, observed every September, honored Persephone’s down-going and redemption — as well as the cyclical flow of decay and renewal in every human life. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to observe your own version of a Festival of Eleusis by taking an inventory: What is disintegrating and decomposing in your own world? What is ripe for regeneration and rejuvenation? What fun action can you do that resembles a resurrection?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to take inventory of your community and your network of connections. Here are questions to ask yourself as you evaluate whether you already have exactly what you need or else may need to make adjustments. 1. Are you linked with an array of people who stimulate and support you? 2. Can you draw freely on influences that further your goals and help you feel at home in the world? 3. Do you bestow favors on those you would like to receive favors from? 4. Do you belong to groups or institutions that share your ideals and give you power you can’t access alone?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Progress was all right. Only it went on too long.” Sagittarian humorist James Thurber said that, and now I’m conveying it to you. Why? Well, I am very happy about the progress you’ve been making recently — the blooming and expanding and learning you have been enjoying. But I’m guessing you would now benefit from a period of refining what you have gained. Rather than even more progress, I feel you need to consolidate and integrate the progress you have so robustly earned.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The people of Northern Ireland have over 70 colorful slang terms for being drunk. These include splootered, stonkied, squiffy, cabbaged, stinkered, ballbagged, wingdinged, bluttered and wanked. I am begging you, Capricorn, to refrain from those states for at least two weeks. According to my reading of the omens, it’s important for you to avoid the thrills and ills of alcohol. I am completely in favor of you pursuing natural highs, however. I would love you to get your mind blown and your heart opened through epiphanies and raptures that take you to the frontiers of consciousness.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Beginning 11,000 years ago, humans began to breed the fig. It’s the world’s oldest cultivated food, preceding even wheat, barley and legumes. Many scholars think that the fig, not the apple, was the forbidden fruit that God warned Adam and Eve not to munch in the famous Biblical passage. These days, though, figs rarely make the list of the fruits people love most. Their taste is regarded by some as weird, even cloying. But for our purposes, I will favorably quote the serpent in the Garden of Eden: “When you eat the fig, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.” This is my elaborate way of telling you that now may be an excellent time to sample a forbidden fruit. Also: A serpent may have wise counsel for you.
MARKETPLACE
REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES
Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com
REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE
OPEN HOUSE SEPT 7TH! INCREDIBLE HOMESTEAD September 7th 12-5 8985 NC 208 Highway Marshall NC, 28753. Incredible homestead; close proximity to Asheville and Hot Springs. Presented by Giving Tree Realty; refreshments provided! Evan Stern #294619.
OPEN HOUSE! INCREDIBLE HOMESTEAD OPEN HOUSE! SEPTEMBER 7TH 12PM TO 5PM. Incredible homestead; close proximity to Asheville and Hot Springs. Presented by Giving Tree Realty with refreshments provided! 8985 NC 208 Highway Marshall NC, 28753 EVANSTERNHGP@ GMAIL.COM
RENTALS
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
AFFORDABLE SENIOR AND DISABLED HOUSING Asheville Terrace Apartments in Asheville NC is now accepting applications for the waiting list for efficiency, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments. Accessible units designed for persons with disabilities subject to availability. Eligibility and rent are subject to income restrictions; rental assistance will be available for those who qualify. No application fee, but we do run criminal background checks on every applicant. Visit us at 200 Tunnel Rd; Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm. Call 828-255-8345 for more info. Equal Housing Opportunity.
APARTMENT FOR RENT
Lower level 1 bed 1 bath apartment East of Asheville near Warren Wilson College. Owner shares laundry room. $1050/month, plus $150 for utilities. Includes heat, A/C, and Wi-Fi. 828-545-0043
HOMES FOR RENT
ARDEN - 3/2 1500SF HOUSE - FURNISHED WITH ALL UTILITIES! $2970 1500 SF 3B/2BA. Two covered porches. Driveway with carport (pass to street). New central heat/air. Open to rent
2/1 portion alternatively. Fully furnished. No pets. ALL utilities included. jmtrexler@ jmtrexler.com
EMPLOYMENT
GENERAL
READY FOR AN OFF-ROADING ADVENTURE? New Bronco Off-Roadeo location opening in Maryville, TN. We are building a team of Trail Guides, Guest Services, and Vehicle Detailers! Text BRONCO to (313) 585-7123 to APPLY.
HUMAN SERVICES
ONTRACK WNC IS HIRING A BILINGUAL EDUCATOR
We will review applications and schedule candidate interviews on a rolling basis beginning Thursday, August 8th until the position is filled. Job description & application instructions: ontrackwnc.org/ were-hiring
RETAIL
SHOPKEEPER AT CAROLINA FLOWERS ASHEVILLE Upbeat shopkeeper needed for Asheville location. This customer service role requires excellent computer skills. Not a florist. Expect light floral duties. 4-, 5- and 9-hour shifts. Apply at carolinaflowers.com/jobs info@carolinaflowers.com
before
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming weeks would be an excellent time to file lawsuits against everyone who has ever wronged you, hurt you, ignored you, misunderstood you, tried to change you into something you’re not and failed to give you what you deserve. I recommend you sue each of them for $10 million. The astrological omens suggest you now have the power to finally get compensated for the stupidity and malice you have had to endure. JUST KIDDING! I lied. The truth is, now is a great time to feel intense gratitude for everyone who has supported you, encouraged you and appreciated you for who you really are. I also suggest you communicate your thanks to as many of your personal helpers and heroes as you can.
HANDY MAN
HANDY MAN 40 years experience in the trades, with every skill/tool imaginable for all trades with the exception of HVAC. No job too small. $35 an hour. Carl (828) 551-6000 electricblustudio@gmail.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AFFORDABLE TV & INTER-
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NEED NEW WINDOWS?
Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energy efficient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & FREE quote today. 1-877-248-9944. (AAN CAN)
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PEST CONTROL Protect your home from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833-237-1199. (AAN CAN)
STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show
you how much you can save. Call now for a no obligation quote: 1-866-472-8309 (AAN CAN)
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WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. We do complete repairs to protect your family and your home's value! For a free estimate, call 24/7: 1-888-290-2264 (AAN CAN)
YOU MAY QUALIFY For disability benefits if you have are between 52-63 years old and under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now! 1-877-247-6750. (AAN CAN)
FOR MUSICIANS
MUSICIANS’ BULLETIN
WANTED: BANDMATES FOR ROCK/METAL Possible limited practice space. Bass, drums, other. Equipment necessary. Chevelle, Tool, Måneskin, Clutch, Paramore, Pantera, not Ghost. Text Lee W. (828) 335-0930
HIRING?
ACROSS
1 Sluglike “Star Wars” bad guy
6 Man, on the Isle of Man
11 Number cruncher, for short
14 Garlicky sauce
15 Certain bib wearer
16 Played the first card 17 Television pro
19 “... ___ lack thereof”
20 Passionately discuss minutiae, with “out”
21 Bares one’s soul
23 Expose the vulnerabilities of, in a way
26 Each
28 Benjamin Franklin, by religious philosophy
29 Grandchild of
64 Part of a which-camefirst debate
accessory
Straightens things out, say Discussion
Afflictions that rhyme with the body parts they’re found in Isn’t settled
DOWN
Vaccine, informally
Word with France or Force
What it would be a mistake to write twice?
Valuable Scrabble tiles
Right hand, so to speak
“12 Years a Slave” and “12 Monkeys” ___ Cruces, N.M.
creatures with three hearts
Label for a box during a household purge
Messed up
*Not moving fast enough
Wood used to age brandy
Boat propeller
___ face
Duck delicacy
Great work
Something that’s not going to happen
Read over 13 Gets used to new surroundings 18 *Increases sharply 22 Highlighter colors, usually 23 Traps, with “in” 24 Before: Prefix 25 *Rip off 27 Meditation mantras 31 *Like 10%-fat beef
43 Bill Clinton’s is displayed at the Smithsonian, for short
45 Caught
46 Time when glaciers form
48 Gym session devoted to squats, dead lifts, etc.
49 It’s a ball
51 Powers (down)
55 Textbook section
57 Tanker, e.g.
60 Before, poetically
61 “Mushnik & ___” (“Little Shop of Horrors” song)
