The musical dance production Shiver in the Pines began germinating a few years ago when local singer-songwriter and guitarist Tyler Ramsey started bringing his daughter to Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre (ACDT) for lessons. But its true roots date to at least 1996, when he traveled to France with ACDT co-founders Susan and Giles Collard, providing instrumental accompaniment for their dance pieces. The show debuts at the Diana Wortham Theatre on Friday, Oct. 18.
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Can we stomach the I-26 ‘Disconnector’?
Bill Branyon’s featured commentary “Road Hog: The I-26 Disconnector,” [Aug. 21, Xpress] motivated self-reflection. Thank you, Mr. Branyon, for informing us about the negative environmental impacts that come with a plan of action for a six-lane freeway expansion. Once again, in the name of growth.
Asheville’s ecological footprint lacks ingenuity. Instead of stewarding for regenerative solutions, which include resiliency and care for nature, the gatekeepers blindly follow in the footsteps of other cities that have neglected oneof-a-kind, less extreme, noteworthy solutions. A north-south commuter rail suggested by Mr. Branyon piqued my interest.
It pains me to envision the changes coming with the removal of homes, gardens, businesses, trees, insects, pollinators and wildlife. Can our air quality afford the loss of more trees and the addition of more automobiles? How many years will there be of destabilizing roadways and detours during the building phases?
Is this a plan of action for Asheville to become a smart city? Let’s hope not. A future of smart cars, smart phones, smart cities and desensitized people locked inside their smart homes is a colossal mistake. Count me out. Asheville in all her majesty must not consent.
— Tricia Collins Burnsville
UNCA should evolve with new programs
UNC Asheville has seen a 25% reduction in enrollment. To reduce its deficit, the university has cut four programs and reduced course offerings in two additional programs. These cuts are
to traditional curriculum areas in the liberal arts.
While most universities have struggled with enrollment because of a smaller student pool and high tuition costs, liberal arts institutions have been particularly under pressure. Those that thrive are evolutionary in their ability to assimilate, accommodate and adapt to cultural changes.
As both a student and faculty member, I spent 40 years of my life at two liberal arts institutions. Currently, the small private college has 1,600 students and the state university has 10,000 students. While adjustments have been challenging, both institutions are thriving. Recruitment, retention and graduation rates of students are high. They offer solid educational programs that they market aggressively. Both the student population and the faculty feel secure and trust the stated objectives of their respective institutions.
Of greater significance, in addition to programs being cut or reduced, cutting-edge programs have been added.
These majors and minors are hybrids of existing programs and have acted as magnets to draw students who know they will be employed after their graduation. Examples include health care administration, medical ethics, athletic training, neuropsychology, geology, criminal justice, international business, meteorology, nursing and cyber security/artificial intelligence, and master’s degrees in counseling and school psychology.
The value of liberal arts education is extremely high. Continuing to offer a liberal arts education using the historically traditional model is doomed to failure. UNCA has found a way to reduce the cost of its education and make that education more accessible to a larger group of students.
It is now imperative that the university develop and offer additional programs to its student population.
The UNC System Board of Governors and the state legislature must be convinced that it is in the best interests of the state and students that these new programs receive funding. Build a new
curriculum that has application in the workforce, and the students will come. In doing so, the liberal arts education offered at UNCA will not only survive, but it will also thrive.
— Richard Boyum Candler
We must save ourselves from plastics
Scientists have studied the impact of plastic on the ecological environment for decades and have raised concerns about the health effects of some chemicals used in plastics (e.g., perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and bisphenol A). But it’s only within the last several years that researchers have discovered the extent to which microplastics and nanoplastics have embedded in the environment and in human bodies.
While I care about human bodies, the greatest impact so far seems to be on insects. We have experienced steep declines in insect populations. Plants, birds and other animals depend upon insects for pollination and sustenance. Ocean life is awash in microplastics, and research will eventually show impact there but probably too late to effect any change. I speculate that change will only occur when the environmental disaster is unavoidably evident.
Friends, we must take personal action. The state will not even allow the city/county to ban single-use plastic bags, but we can stop using them. There are reasonably good alternatives to plastic garbage bags, (e.g., Ayotee, a cornbased compostable bag, unfortunately made in China) or, what the heck, we can use paper bags where practical. And we should contact our representatives with our concern about plastics.
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Word of the week
pirouette /pir-ə-wet/ (n.) a rapid whirling about of the body, especially a full turn on the toe or ball of one foot in ballet
Yes, we know, the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre (ACDT) — a local nonprofit that blends traditional and experimental forms of modern dance (and the subject of this week’s cover story) — may not incorporate elements of ballet into its work. But pirouette is such a fun word, so we had to roll with it. For more on ACDT, turn to page 24.
The organizations I have found that are dedicated to this problem are limited to education or advocacy types seeking to convince governments to regulate, attempting to motivate people to take responsibility and seeking donations (e.g., Plastic Soup). Ominously, few if any organizations are physically mitigating microplastics. This means no one is going to rescue us.
Please act. I have done so, but pathetically little and late.
— Randy Sullivan (aka The Duck) Fairview X
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
CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON
Game on Regional Sports Commission confident in its new playbook
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
jmcguire@mountainx.com
Chris Smith still remembers the exact moment he fell in love with the Southern Conference (SoCon) Men’s Basketball Tournament.
It was March 2, 1984, and Smith’s grandparents pulled him out of class at Hendersonville High School. They had tickets to the tournament in Asheville, and the plan was simple: Skip school and catch some high-stake hoops at what was then called the Civic Center.
Little did Smith know that experience — including seeing Marshall University pull out a double-overtime thriller to win the championship game — would spark a lifelong passion for sports. “I was hooked,” he recalls.
Four decades later, Smith serves as executive director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, a nonprofit that has operated the SoCon men’s and women’s basketball tourneys since they returned to Asheville in 2012. Bringing the SoCon back to the mountains was the impetus for forming the commission in 2010, Smith says.
“We were fortunate to have that tournament here for 12 years [from 1984-95], then it went away,” he explains. “It really hurt the local economy and the businesses that were used to that boost in spending.”
The commission was founded by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), UNC Asheville, the City of Asheville and Buncombe County. In its 14 years, it has expanded beyond the SoCon to bring several high-profile sports events to Asheville, including the Billie Jean King Cup, the Great Smoky Mountain Grapple high school wrestling tournament and the Maui Invitational basketball tournament in 2020.
But the group’s future has been in doubt. In 2023, the TDA proposed a merger that would have put the nonprofit under the control of the TDA/Explore Asheville. After the commission’s board rejected the idea, the TDA cut its $230,000 in annual funding and hired a Florida company, Airstream Ventures, to attract sports events to the area.
“As the current one-year agreement with the Asheville Buncombe Sports Commission came to an end
“We have a sustainable model moving forward,” he says. “And we’ll just see where things go collaboratively [with TDA].”
The TDA, meanwhile, says it has no plans to step on the sports commission’s toes.
“The purpose of Airstream is to bring in new events that have never been in Asheville before,” says Michael Kryzanek , TDA’s vice president of business development.
“We don’t want to duplicate effort. It’s all meant to be collaborative.”
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
The TDA’s funding cut left the commission’s already bare-bones budget in bad shape. The group, which has two paid staffers and relies on hundreds of volunteers, receives $45,000 from the city and another $45,000 from the county annually. About $30,000 of the county money is earmarked for the SoCon.
June 30, we made the decision to remain as a sponsorship partner only,” TDA board chair Brenda Duren said in a written statement. “This means that the BCTDA and Explore Asheville will not be renewing an agreement with the sports commission. The BCTDA will be happy to explore sponsorship opportunities for new events the Sports Commission pursues. We will continue to collaborate on future sporting events.”
Back in April, sports commission board member Jan Davis told the Asheville Watchdog he feared the Airstream contract could lead to the end of the commission by making its mission redundant. He called the contract a power move by Vic Isley , TDA president and CEO, to bring all sports marketing in-house.
“I think she’s really trying to win this war that’s been a skirmish all along,” he said.
But five months later, Smith is optimistic the commission will survive without the TDA’s financial support. He has plans for keeping existing events like the SoCon tournaments, bringing in new events and maybe even working with communities outside Buncombe County to land outdoor recreation events.
But through some creative fundraising, Smith says he presented to the board a 2024-25 budget with a projected income of $278,500. For instance, the commission now charges management fees for some events it used to run for free. It also has landed more sponsorships and received money through donations, grants and fundraisers.
“We’re working a little bit harder right now,” he says. “But we feel very confident in that budget moving forward.”
With money concerns off the table, the commission is moving full speed ahead as it enters a new era.
Smith is talking to SoCon officials about renewing the contract for the basketball tournaments before it expires in 2026. The commission also recently helped Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville land a three-year contract to host the SoCon volleyball tournament, and it is pursuing U.S. Tennis Association events, NCAA basketball games and more. In all, the commission has more than 20 new events on its radar, Smith says.
Smith is particularly enthusiastic about the volleyball tournament, which will take place ThursdaySunday, Nov. 21-24. It’s the first time the SoCon has held the tourney off campus, an indication of the surging popularity of the sport. In 2023, the NCAA Final drew a
ON THE BALL: Chris Smith, executive director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, thinks the group has a bright future, despite recent challenges.
Photo by Justin McGuire
Covering a failed drug education program
When Tour DuPont came to Asheville
Rob Brezsny’s predictions for 1995. Illustration by David Cohen
How the bagel bandwagon came to Asheville
record 1.7 million viewers to ABC and the University of Nebraska played a match before 92,000 people, a world record for a women’s sporting event.
“We have a proven track record with the basketball tournament, and they [SoCon officials] saw that, and we convinced them that we can do the same in volleyball,” Smith says. “And we’re going to find out.”
Other new commission events this year include the USA Beach Wrestling Grapple, to be held in Carrier Park in October, and the New South Wrestling Nationals, scheduled for Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville in December. Additionally, Smith is expecting to hear soon on some NCAA Division II and Division III championships he is pursuing.
The Asheville Championship, a two-day tournament that brought four men’s college basketball teams to the arena the last three years, will not take place in 2024. But two individual games — UNCA vs. Appalachian State on Thursday, Nov. 14, and Western Carolina vs. Florida State on Wednesday, Nov. 27 — are on tap. Two-team, neutral-site games like those may prove a better bet in the future than multiteam events like the Asheville Championship, Smith says.
“These multiteam invitationals, they’re starting to go away now,” Smith explains. “They’re harder to schedule. Neutral-site games are becoming more and more attractive to them because you’re not there for three and four days having to worry about missing classes.”
The commission also plans to pursue men’s and women’s games from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences.
“We’re working a little bit harder right now, but we feel very confident.”
— Chris Smith, executive director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission
TENNIS, ANYONE?
Smith also would like to bring Billie Jean King Cup qualifying matches to Asheville for the fourth time. The arena hosted the competition in 2018 and 2019, when it was known as the Fed Cup, and in 2022. The 2018 event featured tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams playing doubles before an electric crowd.
“If you told me when I was that kid growing up in Hendersonville that you’d be able to go to the Civic Center and see maybe the greatest tennis player of all time as well as a top-five tennis player of all time, I would have told you, you’re absolutely crazy,” Smith says. “But it happened. And we hosted it. And we want to host it again.”
The sports commission’s pursuit of tennis events demonstrates how the TDA envisions the two groups operating going forward, Kryzanek says. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) is one of Airstream’s clients, and as soon as the TDA got word that Airstream was talking to the USTA about bringing the Billie Jean Cup to Asheville, it asked the company to stop.
And Airstream has been instructed not to pursue any events the sports commission and Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville are trying to book. Instead, the authority will focus on new events. “It’s all about bringing in more business to support our hotels,” Kryzanek says.
The TDA lists 33 events that are new to the area in 2024 and 2025 that were booked without the commission. Among those are the
N.C. Athletic Directors Association State Conference, which was held in March; the Super NIT Softball Championships, held in April; the N.C. Youth Soccer Association’s Spring State Cup Series, held in May; the National Club Softball Association’s Fall Invitational Tournament, slated for November; and the She Can Fly gymnastics invitational, scheduled for January.
Most of the events are held at places other than Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.
“There’s no point in pursuing a sports event that doesn’t fit into one of our venues,” Kryzanek says. “There’s a thought process that goes into which types of groups are going to be most appropriate, with a heavier emphasis on ones that come during weekday periods and during the colder months of the year because those are even more beneficial to the community.”
Venues are as varied as the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, Bob Lewis Ballpark in Candler and various facilities at UNCA.
The sports commission also has an interest in expanding venue options. “Outdoor events are something that we’re really focusing hard on right now, utilizing our natural resources,” Smith says. “We don’t have as many brickand-mortar facilities for events that some major cities do that we compete with. So we’re looking to utilize our natural resources.”
Such events could end up in neighboring counties like Henderson or Madison, but fans could stay in Buncombe County hotels.
Meanwhile, the commission will continue to work with the TDA on some events, particularly when it comes to securing hotel rooms.
“We’re trying to work together collaboratively to bring events to the area, and we’re also working independently of each other. We’re both doing our own thing.”
Smith adds: “We feel confident in our game plan moving forward.” X
Buncombe County commissioners fire tax assessor
Three months before a tax appraisal that will affect all property owners in Buncombe County, the Board of Commissioners fired county Tax Assessor R. Keith Miller for what it deemed a conflict of interest for buying a South Carolina condominium with an employee under his supervision.
At a special meeting on Sept. 17, the Board of Commissioners laid out documentation showing that Miller and the employee, who is referred to by the initials R.S. in statements from the county, jointly purchased a condominium in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for $685,000 in June. The employee, who reported directly to Miller, resigned Sept. 11.
The board voted 5-0 to terminate Miller immediately. Commissioners Martin Moore and Parker Sloan were absent. Not only does Miller lose his $140,000 salary but also could lose his pension and other benefits from his 28-year career at the county.
Commissioner Chair Brownie Newman wrote to Miller on Sept. 6 that “circumstances involving [your] personal business transactions and relationships … may constitute unacceptable personal conduct.” The county released the letter to the public.
Newman’s letter outlined that Miller and the employee transferred the condo to Luxe Living LLC, listing Miller’s business address at the coun-
ty’s Tax Department as the LLC’s business address.
Beaufort County, S.C., Register of Deeds’ mortgage documents list Miller and the employee as residing at the same address in Black Mountain.
“You did not report any personal or financial relationships or outside
Asheville City Council
GENERAL ELECTION FORUM
Thursday, Oct. 10
Doors open 6:30 p.m. Forum begins 7 p.m.
wins today or tomorrow or whatever, that’s not going to be decided until years down the road with tons of discovery.”
Elston presented Miller’s offer to retire as an act of reconciliation, reiterating that allowing Miller to retire could avert a potential legal battle.
“We have tried to reconcile. We have tried to say, ’What can we do to work this out so we don’t result in a lose-lose situation?’” Elston said.
Elston highlighted Miller’s long tenure and his lack of disciplinary record. He also noted that Miller was no longer a company officer in Luxe Living LLC and that Miller acknowledged that he made a mistake in his personal business transactions.
“Will that decision cost 28 years?” Elston asked. “He’s worked 28 years [for] certain retirement benefits that he’s entitled to.
“Mr. Miller’s position is that the allegations do not rise to the level warranting his dismissal,” Elston told Xpress
engagements (LLC) in your 2023 Annual Conflict of Interest disclosure, amend your disclosure, or otherwise notify your supervisor as required by the County’s Conflict of Interest Policy,” Newman wrote.
Newman’s letter was in response to Miller submitting a request to retire on Sept. 4, shortly after Miller met with County Manager Avril Pinder about the issue.
“There is reason to believe that your email initiating the retirement process was an attempt to usurp disciplinary actions,” Newman wrote. “This board does not accept your notice of intent to retire.”
Instead, the board moved to issue a notice of termination.
“This board believes that your personal business transactions and relationships create a conflict of interest,” Newman wrote.
Newman cited state law 105-294 as the basis for firing Miller.
“The board of commissioners may remove the assessor from office during his term for good cause after giving him notice in writing and an opportunity to appear and be heard at a public session of the board,” the law says.
Miller’s attorney, Brian Elston, countered that terminating Miller could result in a long and costly court battle.
“This is a statute that has not been litigated,” Elston said to the board. “No one in this room knows what the definition of ‘good cause’ is, and regardless of who
Commissioner Jasmine BeachFerrara made a motion to authorize the county manager to disclose the reasons for the decision and any supporting documentation. It passed unanimously.
When asked why the board terminated Miller instead of accepting his retirement, Newman replied in an email to Xpress: “The Commission determined there had been a serious violation of the county’s personnel and conflict of interest policies that warranted termination for cause.”
Section 3.1 of the County’s Conflict of Interest Policy defines conflict of interest as: “A conflict between the public duty and private interests of a public employee in which the employee has private-capacity interests that could improperly influence the performance of their official duties and responsibilities.”
Following the special meeting, the board approved a resolution appointing Eric Cregger as interim property assessor.
Meanwhile, the tax reappraisal, the process of updating all of Buncombe County’s property values to reflect fair market value, remains on track and on schedule, writes Lillian Govus, Buncombe County’s communications and public engagement director, in response to an Xpress email.
On Jan. 1, every property owner in Buncombe County will receive a new assessed value. The last appraisal was on Jan. 1, 2021. Govus writes that the county does not expect the change in leadership to affect the property revaluation.
A TAXING MOMENT: Buncombe County Tax Assessor R. Keith Miller, left, and his attorney, Brian Elston, react to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ decision. Photo by Pat Moran
“We will ensure our property assessment team has the support and resources needed to fulfill our promise to our community to provide the best level of service during this critical juncture,” Govus writes.
Cregger has served as assistant director of property assessment since September 2023 and has worked for Buncombe County since October 2015.
“Mr. Cregger has extensive experience both in this field and in Buncombe County, and the property assessment staff are extremely knowledgeable as demonstrated by earning the certificate of excellence in assessment administration from the International Association of Assessing Officers,” Govus writes.
In other news
• County commissioners approved spending $3.6 million in COVID Recovery Funding for emergency shelter beds at three area low-barrier homeless shelters. Haywood Street Respite received $1.6 million to expand from nine to 25 beds; Safe Shelter received $1 million for up to 25 beds at Trinity United Methodist Church in West Asheville; and the Salvation Army received nearly $1 million to maintain its current 65-bed operations for another year. “We’ve finally reached a point where we’re not kicking the can down the road,” Commissioner Al Whitesides said. “We can see where we’re going.”
• Commissioners agreed to spend $4 million from the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority for the second phase of upgrades to the Enka Recreation Destination project, which includes turfing four fields and lighting three fields; a new playground that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and facility renovations and upgrades. According to a county document, the project is budgeted at over $7 million. In addition to the $4 million Tourism Product Development Fund grant, matching county funds have already been secured. “The Enka Recreation Destination is extremely popular among locals using its multiple walking areas, challenge course, sports fields and other amenities,” reads a county press release. “It also continues to boost its profile as an attractive location for regional sports tournaments that generate significant out-of-town spending for the local economy.”
— Pat Moran X
Enrollment down, achievement up at Asheville City Schools
It was a good news/bad news kind of meeting for the Asheville City Board of Education on Sept. 16.
According to a presentation from Asheville City Schools (ACS)
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman, district enrollment continues to decline, though at a slower pace than recent years. Meanwhile, overall achievement for ACS students increased by 2.5% in 2023-24, according to data released Sept. 4 by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI).
Fehrman reported that the well-documented achievement gap between Black and white students closed slightly last year. Achievement for Black students increased by 3.5%, outpacing their white peers, whose scores grew by 2%, she said.
“That is another step in the right direction. We know we still have a lot of work to do but want to highlight those successes because we’ve got to take time to recognize some of the great work happening, to keep motivating our staff to lean in and do this hard work,” Fehrman told the board.
Achievement is measured by the percentage of students meeting a proficiency level of at least 3 out of 5 on end-of-course and end-ofgrade exams.
Despite the improvement, just 17% of Black students in ACS are considered proficient, compared with 76% of their white peers. Overall, 58% of the district’s students meet the proficiency standard, according to NCDPI. According to ACS, 17% of the district’s students are Black.
ACS has faced criticism over its achievement gap between Black and white students for years and earned a worst-in-the-state designation in 2017. A 2019 report from the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis noted the district had the fifth-largest gap in the country, according to Carolina Public Press, which appears to be the most recent analysis of achievement gap data.
Fehrman reiterated an ambitious goal for closing the achievement gap.
“As we look at our work plan for this year, our goal is that every school has its students meeting or exceeding growth on our standardized measures and that we are going to bring those achievement rates up for our Black students to 50% or more,” she said.
Photo by Greg Parlier
During public comment, ACS employee Christopher Gordon commended the growth the district achieved for Black students last year but added that it was not enough.
“The challenge now is to increase and sustain the growth, because too many of our kids continue to have difficulty with these assessments. To focus on growth masks the fact that our Black students continue to underperform at all levels across all indicators,” said Gordon, who is also a member of the Community Reparations Commission.
“While I applaud our superintendent’s focus on the issue and the goal of 50% proficiency, I wonder if the presented solutions can achieve the desired result. It seems to me that a comprehensive and targeted approach needs to be implemented districtwide so that all students can reach their potential,” he added.
Much of the growth in grades three through eight can be attributed to gains in math. The district as a whole improved its scores in math in elementary and middle school by almost 6%, buoyed by large gains at Hall Fletcher Elementary, Lucy S. Herring Elementary and Asheville Middle School, according to the data. In reading, the district saw a more modest increase of about 2% across the same grades.
The state only tests science in fifth and eighth grades, and students’ scores increased by 8.4% in those grades last year.
Numbers for high school students aren’t as positive. Across all subjects, proficiency numbers decreased by 2.2% at Asheville High School and School of Inquiry and Life Sciences
at Asheville (SILSA), with the largest decreases coming in English (3.8%) and math 1 (3.5%). However, the gap between Black and white high school students did close slightly, as achievement for Black students increased from 11% to 14%, according to NCDPI.
As far as enrollment goes, Fehrman reported that ACS enrolled 56 fewer students this year — 3,840 total — than in 2023-24, according to numbers reported 10 days into the school year. Fehrman attributed at least part of the losses to the shrinking nationwide birth rate.
Much of the decrease is at the middle school level where ACS has lost more than 100 students over the last four years. One of the district’s two middle schools, Montford North Star Academy, was closed in May, leaving only Asheville Middle School to serve that population.
Between July 1 and Sept. 3, 70 students withdrew and 13 students
enrolled in AMS, putting the middle school with 34 fewer students than projected earlier this summer. Overall, the district had 606 students withdraw and 650 enroll over that period, Fehrman said.
Most of the withdrawals went to charter (93) or private (55) schools. Another 76 transferred to Buncombe County Schools. The remaining 382 left the area or chose to be homeschooled.
Public school districts closely follow enrollment numbers, as state and federal funding is directly tied to how many students attend district schools.
Opposition to private school vouchers
In a 7-0 vote, the Asheville school board passed a resolution asking the state to put a moratorium on its private school voucher program until public schools are adequately funded.
The move follows a similar resolution passed by the Buncombe County Board of Education and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in recent months as bills in the N.C. General Assembly propose allocating more funding to the program. A law last year removed income caps from the program, allowing parents who are already sending their child to a private school to apply for funding.
“Diverting taxpayer funds towards unaccountable, taxpayer-funded private school vouchers undermines the integrity and effectiveness of North Carolina’s public education system,” board member James Carter read from the resolution.
The Office of State Budget and Management estimates that Buncombe County’s two public school districts could be out a combined $5.6 million in fiscal year 2027 due to vouchers, and that was before the program was expanded.
— Greg Parlier X
PUBLIC ADVOCATES: Asheville City Board of Education members Amy Ray, left, and Jesse Warren discuss edits to the board’s resolution opposing the state’s private school voucher program. The board passed the resolution 7-0.
Preserving peppers, growing Brussels sprouts and saving squash seeds
Rains and cooler weather have finally arrived, which means our heat-loving crops are on their way out, while fall goodies are taking a sigh of relief. Send me your gardening questions at gardening@ mountainx.com, and I’ll be happy to answer them in October before we take a break until early spring.
Pepper projects
My sweet peppers and chiles took forever to get going, and now I’ve got more than I know what to do with. Any suggestions for preserving peppers?
Peppers and chiles are indeed crops that require patience. Even when you start seeds as early as February, you’ll need to wait several months to begin harvesting. But, once they get going, they’re really generous. Here are some of my favorite ways to preserve sweet peppers and spicy chiles.
Roast sweet peppers over a fire, on a gas grill or under the broiler in the oven until their skin blackens. Place them in a metal bowl covered with a pot lid or baking sheet. (This helps the skin separate from the flesh, making it easier to remove.)
Once the peppers have cooled a bit, gently peel off the skin, occasionally dipping your fingers and the peppers in a bowl of cold water. Also pull out the seeds and inner pith. The roasted pepper flesh can be bagged and frozen for later use, like adding to dips, spreads, soups or salsas. It’s best to wait until you have a significant number of peppers to do this, as it’s a bit of a project.
Both sweet peppers and spicy chiles can be pickled in vinegar and water-bath canned. Since they are low-acid foods, it’s not advisable to can peppers or chiles without the acidification of vinegar, unless you plan to pressure can and/or add citric acid. Peppers and chiles can
TO
Seeds from winter squash can be saved and planted in future gardens. But there are a few considerations to keep in mind. Photo
be pickled whole, as slices or rings, or made into tangy relish.
To make lacto-fermented hot sauce, fill a glass jar with coarsely chopped chiles plus whatever other flavorings you desire, such as sweet peppers, carrots, garlic, ginger, etc. Make a salt brine by mixing a ratio of 1 1/4 teaspoon of fine salt per 1 cup of water to make the amount needed for your jar(s). Pour the brine over the veggies and place a clean weight on top so all the veggies remain fully submerged.
There are many fancy weights and fermentation lids you can buy, or you can just use an appropriately sized rock that’s scrubbed clean or a zip-close bag filled with water. When you keep the veggies in the brine and not exposed to air, they lacto-ferment with the help of good bacteria into something yummy, rather than rotting into something yucky.
Place the jar in a pan or plastic container to catch any overflow, and let it sit at room temperature
for five to 12 days. After the helpful microbes have done their thing, you can strain out some of the brine and blend the fermented veggies into your hot sauce, adding back in more brine and/or apple cider vinegar until you reach your desired texture. For a homemade sriracha-style hot sauce, add a sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
Another simple way to preserve chiles and peppers is to create a seasoning salt. Blend the chiles with enough salt to make a paste. Spread the paste on a dehydrator tray and dry it until it’s brittle. Once the mixture is completely dry, use a blender or food processor to turn it into powder and store in a sealed container.
Fussy Brussels
Can we grow Brussels sprouts in Western North Carolina?
The short answer is yes, it’s possible to grow Brussels sprouts in our region, but I don’t personally know any home gardeners who do it regularly. This veggie requires a long season, a lot of space and fertility, and is “fussy like cauliflower,” according to one of my favorite sources for seeds and growing info, FedCo Seeds.
If you really love them and want to have an adventure growing
GOING
SEED:
courtesy of Wild Abundance
them, here are some tips: Start seeds by mid-May, either in flats or in the ground; give them plenty of water and fertility, otherwise they will likely make tiny sprouts. Pinch off the growing tip when the lower sprouts are between a half inch and three-quarters of an inch in diameter, usually in early fall — this tells the plant to put more energy into sprouts and less into green growth. Give the plants plenty of space; each one needs about 9 square feet.
Experimenting with Brussels sprouts could be a fun and potentially tasty way to use up extra garden space if you happen to have a surplus. If you have a small garden, it might not be worthwhile, and I would suggest a smaller-stature cabbage, like Early Jersey Wakefield, or a sprouting-type broccoli like Piracicaba instead of big, fussy Brussels sprouts.
Seed-saving sense
Can I plant the seeds from inside my winter squash?
Winter squash are one of the wonderful crops that we harvest at full maturity, meaning the seeds inside them are ripe. What a miraculous thing, the cycle of life! However, there are some considerations to keep in mind.
All winter squash varieties are in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, and in the genus Cucurbita . Within this genus, there are three main species: maxima , pepo and moschata . Varieties within each species can cross with one another, while varieties in different species won’t cross. Meaning, if you grow delicatas at the same time as zucchinis (both pepos ), they will most likely cross, so their seeds will grow into plants that are some combination of delicata and zucchini — probably not what you’re going for. On the other hand, if you grow delicatas
and butternuts, they are different species ( pepo and moschata , respectively), so they won’t cross with one another.
Squash flowers are pollinated by insects, like bees, that can travel long distances. So, even if you just grow one kind of squash, it’s worth paying attention to what’s growing in neighboring gardens and fields.
Another factor to consider is whether you’re growing open-pollinated or hybrid varieties. Open-pollinated varieties have been developed using traditional plant-breeding techniques. These plants will grow “true to type,” meaning they’ll be the same as their parent plants (unless they’re allowed to cross with another member of their species).
Hybrids (usually denoted by “F-1” in the variety description) have been developed with intensive inbreeding and crossing techniques. Seeds from hybrid plants will not grow true to type; they will be different from the parent plant, even if they don’t cross with another variety. Hybrid crops are not the same as genetically modified (GMO) crops, which also won’t grow true to type and, in some cases, have been manipulated so their seeds won’t grow at all. GMOs aren’t yet showing up in garden vegetables — let’s keep it that way!
If all of this is overwhelming, never fear. You can just save some seeds from a squash you harvest, plant them and see what happens. You may end up with something wonderful! However, I wouldn’t suggest depending on that crop for next year’s squash harvest unless you take these considerations to heart. For more information on seed saving, check out an oldie-but-goodie book called Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth.
— Chloe Lieberman X
SEP. 25 - OCT. 3, 2024
For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
Online-only events
More info, page 31
More info, page 32
WELLNESS
Community Yoga & Mindfulness
Free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga. Bring your own mat.
WE (9/25), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Tai Chi Chih
Move towards better health and more happiness with mindful, moving meditation that meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.
WE (9/25), 12pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Gentle Yoga for Seniors
A yoga class geared to seniors offering gentle stretching and strengthening through accessible yoga poses and modifications.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Adult Fitness for Beginners
Learn the basics of weight lifting and cardio exercises consisting of squats, hinges, pushing, and pulling.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 6pm, 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 (9/25, 10/2), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Tai Chi Fan
This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome. Fans will be provided.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 1pm, 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 (9/26, 10/3), MO (9/30), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Training w/Tre
This group body weight exercise program is designed for adults to help begin their fitness journey with a coach.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 7pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Nia Dance Fitness
A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 9:30am, TU (10/1), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Weekly Zumba Classes
Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.
TH (9/26, 10/3), TU (10/1), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain Friday Fitness
Focuses on strengthening, stretching, and aerobics every Friday.
FR (9/27), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Tai Chi for Adults
Improve your movement and flexibility with relaxation
SUNDAYS ON THE RIVER: The Olivette Riverside Pavilion continues its Sundays on the River series, an outdoor concert on the French Broad River, with The Rough & Tumble on Sunday, Sept. 29. Billed as a “thrift store folk-Americana duo,” their show kicks off at 4 p.m. Photo courtesy of The Rough & Tumble
techniques each week. Intended for participants ages 40 and over.
FR (9/27), 1:30pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Moving Meditation in the Park
Practice gentle movement to tune into your body, feel grounded and energized for your day. No experience or equipment needed.
SA (9/28), 8am, 1 South 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 (9/28), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Sound Bath Sound Healing
Imagine the soothing tones of Tibetan singing bowls washing over you, calming your mind, and rejuvenating your spirit. This event is open to all levels.
SA (9/28), SU (9/29), 11am,mSomatic Sounds, 12 1/2 Wall St
Yoga in the Park Yoga class alongside the French Broad River, based on Hatha and Vinyasa traditions and led by certified yoga instructors. All levels welcome.
SA (9/28), SU(9/29), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd
Barn Yoga w/Mary Beth
Mary Beth teaches gentle and vinyasa flow for all levels. Variations encouraged, feel free to bring blocks, blankets or straps.
SU (9/29), 9am, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview
Sunday Morning Meditation Group Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.
SU (9/29), 10am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Strength & Exercise Workout at your own pace in a fun atmosphere in this weekly class for active adults working on overall fitness and strength.
MO (9/30), 9:30am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Chair Volleyball
Enjoy a light workout while improving hand-eye coordination and having lots of fun. Advance registration required for transportation as space is limited.
MO (9/30), 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.
MO (9/30), 10:30am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Mindful Movements
Yoga
Laura Towell will weave breath and movements together to create a playful exploration of body and mind. Bring your own mat or use one of ours.
MO (9/30), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Qigong for Health
A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy
within the body, mind and spirit.
FR (9/27), TU (10/1), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Power Hour Chair
Exercise
Build power through fun, upbeat, and gentle chair exercises each Tuesday.
TU (10/1), 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 (10/1), noon, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Qigong
Weekly class focuses on a gentle form of exercise composed of movement, posture, breathing, and meditation used to promote health and spirituality.
TU (10/1), 1:15pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement
Wednesday mornings are all about active
bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.
SA (9/28), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd
Wild Souls Authentic Movement
An expressive movement class designed to help you get unstuck, enjoy cardio movement, boost immune health, dissolve anxiety and celebrate community.
SU (9/29), 9:30am, Dunn’s Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard WNC Prostate Support Group
All men, family members, partners and supporters are welcome to attend no matter their current situation with prostate cancer.
TU (10/1), 6:30pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St Innerdance: Altered States of Consciousness w/Soundscapes & Energy Work
games, physical activities, and sports adapted to accommodate all skill levels.
WE (10/2), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson 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.
A transformative and empowering women’s circle where the power of our breath meets the strength and healing of sisterhood.
FR (9/27), 6pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd
Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group
A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression,
A healing journey into altered states of consciousness as we flow through brain wave states with soundscapes and energy work.
WE (10/2), 6pm, The Horse Shoe Farm, 155 Horse Shoe Farm Rd, Hendersonville
DANCE
Intro to Line Dance
A true beginners course for those who are new to line dance taught by Liz Atkinson. WE (9/25, 10/2), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd Zumba Gold
A weekly interval-style dance fitness party that combines low- and high-intensity moves. WE (9/25, 10/2), noon, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Ballroom Dance Learn the basics of ballroom dancing with this drop-in class that works on two different dances each week. WE (9/25, 10/2), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Zumba Gold
A fun dance exercise that concentrates on cardio, flexibility,
strength, and balance for older adults.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
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 (9/25, 10/2), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd
Tap Dance: Intermediate
Twice-weekly class for students who have taken beginner tap at Harvest House or elsewhere. Students provide their own tap shoes.
Beginners and advanced dancers welcomed at Rueda de Casino, a circle of couples dancing Cuban salsa figures.
SU (9/29), 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 (9/30), noon, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Monday Night Contra Dance
The welcoming atmosphere makes it a perfect evening for beginners and seasoned contra dancers. No partner required and no experience needed for the beginners lesson.
MO (9/30), 8:15pm, The Center for Art and Spirit at St George’s Episcopal Church, 1 School Rd
Tap Dance: Advanced Fun and active twice-weekly class for advanced students. Students provide their own tap shoes.
TU (10/1), TH (10/3), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
West Coast Swing
Learn fundamentals that make West Coast Swing so unique in a four-week session. No partner necessary.
TU (10/1), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Swing Asheville Weekly swing dancing lessons with a live dance social afterwards.
TU (10/1), 7pm, Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Rd
Line Dancing
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 (10/3), noon, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
ART
At the Table
This exhibition features numerous 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
Ginny Ruffner: Reforestation of the Imagination
This exhibition explores an imaginative landscape of plant forms that come to life when activated with augmented reality.
Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Jan. 20, 2025.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Constance Ensner: Withheld
In this exhibition, Constance explores painted and collaged works that delve into the inner world of emotions, and her potent memories of a childhood disrupted.
Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through Oct. 27. Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
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
Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier
Bill Viola’s Moving Stillness: Mount Rainier is an immersive experience that explores the ideas of death and regeneration in nature. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Jan. 20, 2025.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
James Henkel: Cynosure Opening Reception
Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present their third solo exhibition of photographer James Henkel with a Reception for the Artist.
FR (9/27), 6pm, Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd
Kaleidosope: An Exploration of Color & Shapes
This exhibit provides visual stimulation through pattern recognition and color, inspiring artists to explore the world of shapes and colors. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am and Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through Oct. 27. Haywood County Arts Council, 86 NMain St, Waynesville
James Henkel: Cynosure
Exploring new interpretations of still life photography, Henkel’s images subvert accepted ideas of classical floral art arrangements from both Eastern and Western stylistic perspectives. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Nov. 9.
Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd
Into The Future
This exhibition features a science-fiction themed local artist showcase. You'll be able to browse art from Joshua Tripoli, Levy, Amy Kalyn Sims, Jeremy Horton and Matthew Stuart Decker. Gallery open Monday through Sunday, noon. Exhibition through Oct. 6.
Push Skate Shop & Gallery, 25 Patton Ave
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
Daily Craft Demonstrations
Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths. Open daily, 10am. Demonstrations run through Dec. 31. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy
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
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 (10/2), 5:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Monet & Merlot
Paint and sip with local artists Kim Agrenta. To book your spot, give us a call: 828-460-8465 or stop by in person.
WE (10/2), 6pm, Peri Social House, 406 W State St, Black Mountain
COMMUNITY MUSIC
Men in Harmony: Open Singing Jam
Men’s a capella ensemble hosts an open jam session to scout for new talented members as well as share an evening of music. For more information contact Jim Gordon at (828) 545-2262.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 6:45pm, St. Matthias Church, 1 Dundee St
Lenny Pettinelli
Live light dinner music with local pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, and producer who’s worked on all sides of the music industry.
TH (9/26), 6pm, Gemelli by Strada Italiano, 70 Westgate Parkway
Michael Reno Harrell
An award winning songwriter, published author, nationally known storyteller and visual artist.
TH (9/26), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Dances in Natures For Flute & Harp
This program leans toward modern lyrical from Leonard Bernstein to South Carolina waltz-composer
Andrew Levin and mystical Alan Hovhaness with a common thread weaving throughout.
See p32
FR (9/27), 7pm, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Yala Cultural Tour
An in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Yala Cultural Tour includes drumming, dancing, and stories from Ivory Coast.
SA (9/28), noon, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
Billy Jonas Band: Welcome Autumn Family Concert
Bring the family, and welcome Autumn with the musical excellence of Billy Jonas, that aims to inspire, entertain, and move people literally and figuratively.
SU (9/29), 2:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Dances in Nature For Flute & Harp
This program leans toward modern lyrical from Leonard
Bernstein to South Carolina waltz-composer
Andrew Levin and mystical Alan Hovhaness with a common thread weaving throughout.
SU (9/29), 3pm, First Presbyterian Churc
Mark's House Jam & Sunday Potluck
Bring a potluck dish to share with an a community of local musicians from around the globe. Please note that this isn't an open mic.
SU (9/29), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr
Sundays on the River Series: The Rough & Tumble
An outdoor concert on the French Broad River with The Rough & Tumble bringing their folk and Americana tunes this week.
SU (9/29), 4pm, Olivette Riverside Community and Farm, 1069 Olivette Rd
Music to Your Ears
Discussion Series: Grateful Dead
Spiro Nicolopolous joins Bill Kopp to discuss the Grateful Dead albums American Beauty and Working Man's Dead, and to play a few tunes for us
as well.
WE (10/2), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr Classic Southern Folktales w/Becky & Pat Stone
Listen to beloved storyteller, actor, and Chautauqua scholar Becky Stone and her husband Pat for a fun evening of music and storytelling with distinctively southern roots.
TH (10/3), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Access to Capital
Whether you’re a startup or interested in growing your business, this workshop is here to guide you through the process to secure a business loan. Visit avl.mx/e5n to register for the class.
TH (9/26), 5pm, Online
Cooking Budget-Friendly Meals
Learn to cook easy, delicious and nutritious meals on a budget.
TH (9/26), 5:30pm, North Carolina
Cooperative Extension-Madison County Center, 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall Political Magic Workshop
A one-hour class that will provide attendees with some ideas and magical techniques for supporting a fair and free election to help ensure every vote is counted and prevent election interference.
TH (9/26), 6pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd Tarot w/Cats
This 1-hour workshop will be held in the cat lounge, and will include a brief history of the tarot, and how to incorporate a one- and three-card pull for daily guidance.
FR (9/27), 5:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd Gardening for Birds w/Sarah Coury
This class will help you develop a rich and diverse bird-friendly garden through every season. You’ll learn about birds’ favorite native plant species and other habitat features.
SA (9/28), 10am, Asheville Botanical Garden, 151 WT Weaver Blvd.
GIVENS HIGHLAND FARMS
1-on-1 Pottery Lessons
Private lessons offering individuals 30 minute classes. Walk-ins will be welcome, schedule permitting.
SA (9/28), SU (9/29), 11am, Odyssey Clayworks, 236 Clingman Ave
Emotional Resolution: Revealing Your True Nature
Learn how to use Emotional Resolution, or EmRes, to fully experience your challenging emotional patterns or behaviors through sensations and resolve them permanently.
MO (9/30), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Clay Studio
Learn sculpting techniques from Jim Kransberger. Firing of pieces is included, but clay is not. Advance registration required.
TU (10/1), 9am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Crafting & Cooking
A variety of cooking and crafts, available at two different times. Advance registration required.
TU (10/1), 10am, free, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
Community Narcan Training
This informative training will cover, how to use naloxone, an introduction into harm reduction and more.
TU (10/1), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Keys to Being Loan Ready
Learn the key things you need to know and prepare before you seek a loan for your small business. Register for the course at avl.mx/e5p.
TU (10/1), noon, Online
Fly Fishing 101: Introduction to Fly Fishing
Participants learn different methods and techniques, basic gear needed to get started, how to cast with a fly rod, places to fish in the area, and North Carolina rules and regulations. All gear provided.
TU (10/1), 5pm,mAsheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
Fly Fishing Skills: Knots & Rigging
Learn the important skills needed to catch trout on your own with a focus on knots and setting up (rigging) rods to set you up for success. All gear provided.
WE (10/2), 10am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
LITERARY
Meter & Melody: Poetry Night
Poetry night at the Loft, every last Wednesday of the month.
WE (9/25), 8pm, Static Age Loft, 116 N Lexington Ave
Skeletons in the Closet: Queer Horror Book Club
This queer horror book club will explore queerness from the magic to the truly macabre. This month the cub will be reading Tiffany Morris' visceral swamp horror, Green Fuse Burning
SA (9/28), 11am, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd
Clement Goldberg: New Mistakes
Author Clement Goldberg reads from their novel, New Mistakes, a witty, queer romp full of sex, cats and UFOs.
SA (9/28), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd
Author Readings in Weaverville
Readings will consist of fiction excerpts, poetry and memoir by group members and other writers. Asheville area poets are expected to participate as well.
SU (9/29), 7pm, Lake Louise Community Center, Weaverville, Weaverville
Poetry Critique Night
Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and listen. Signups to share will open 15 minutes prior to the start.
TU (10/1), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain
Pen to Paper Writing Group
Share stories of your life with others on the first and third Wednesday of each month. WE (10/2), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
THEATER & FILM
TheaterWorksUSA Presents: Charlotte’s Web
A creative spin on a classic tale, now with added bluegrass. Students will learn the true meaning of friendship in this treasured story of selfless love. WE (9/25), 10am and noon, Wortham Center For The Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
Karen Morgan Laugh out loud with season-opening standup Karen Morgan, who proudly hails from an era when rocks were pets, carpets were shag and bicycle seats were bananas.
TH (9/26), 7pm, Wortham Center For The Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
Encore Screening & Discussion of Genius
A brief introduction and historical background of the film and then a presentation of the movie Genius. Reserve your spot at kayla.seay@dncr. nc.gov. FR (9/27), 5:30pm, Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 N Market St
Dan Goggin Presents: Sister Robert Anne's Cabaret Class
Sister Robert Anne is a one-woman play in Goggin's line of Nunsense show, interspersed with humorous stories and audience interaction.
FR (9/27), SA (9/28), 7pm, SU (9/29), 2pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain
The Sound of Music
The inspirational story follows an ebullient postulant who serves as governess to the seven children of the imperious Captain von Trapp, bringing music and joy to the household.
FR (9/27), 7:30pm, SA (9/28), SU (9/29), 2:30pm, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St
The Mousetrap
A suspenseful mystery set in a remote and snowbound English Manor, where a group of strangers must unravel a murder all while knowing one of them is the killer.
FR (9/27), SA (9/28), 7:30pm, SU (9/29), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville
Death Comes To Play
On a dark, stormy night, in a remote location, the celebration of a 75-year-old’s birthday is upended by the arrival of a mysterious, uninvited guest who turns out to be.. Fun?
TH (10/3), 7:30pm, Bebe Theater, Asheville, North Carolina
MEETINGS & PROGRAMS
IBN Biz Lunch: West Asheville
All are invited to attend and promote their business, products, and services, and meet new referral contacts. Bring a big stack of business cards and flyers and invite your business contacts to attend.
WE (9/25), 11:30am, Gemelli by Strada Italiano, 70 Westgate Parkway
ACNC & The Racial Coalition: Lunch & Learn
In this month’s Lunch and Learn series we will discuss the impact focus area of education and the recommendations from the Community Repara-
tions Commission.
WE (9/25), 12:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Family Open Gym Weekly time in the gym reserved for all ages to shoot hoops and play other active games as a family.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 6pm,
Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Adult Archery Archers learn basics of archery such as range safety and proper shooting using techniques according to USA Archery’s Explore Archery Program.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 10am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
NSA-WNC Meeting
Professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills and knowledge.
The meeting will consist of 1 minute introductions by every guest, a discussion of future networking opportunities in the area, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment and more.
TH (9/26), 11:30am, The Village Porch, 51 North Merrimon Ave, Ste 113 Making Medicine Queer
Two local healthcare professionals will present their insights on both conventional and holistic approaches to healthcare.
The Foxy Chef: A Night of Vegan Cooking Chefs will take us on a culinary journey, explaining health benefits of nature's herbs and spices. This class is open for anyone and everyone.
Shoot some hoops or play a pick up game with friends. No pre-registration required.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Empowerment Collective Presents: Therese Gopaul-Robinson & Emsée Dorf
An in-person upscale networking and speaking series that highlights the remarkable stories of women
who have defied odds, shattered glass ceilings, and triumphed in their personal and professional lives.
TH (9/26), 6pm, Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery and Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr
Lifestyle Choices
A monthly group for 14 to 19 year-old men to engage in open discussion regarding behaviors and community involvement.
TH (9/26), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Dharma Talk w/John Orr
John will give Dharma talk and lead discussion on various topics related to meditation and Buddhist teachings.
TH (9/26), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Shiloh Community
Clean Up & Fish Fry
In partnership with Team Us, APR spreads out in the neighborhood to clean, repair, and improve public spaces.
SA (9/28), 8:30am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Walk Through History:
Thomas Chapel
An engaging discussion on the rich history and ongoing restoration of Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church with the Thomas Chapel Board of Directors.
SA (9/28), 10am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 West State St, Black Mountain
Adult Community Volleyball
Enjoy open play volleyball! No pre-registration required.
SA (9/28), 11:30am, TU (10/1), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Nerd Nite: Boss-Stravaganza
A monthly event featuring fun-yet-informative presentations across a variety of subjects. Asheville was chosen to be the destination of the 2024 Nerd Nite Boss retreat.
SA (9/28), 7pm, The River Arts District Brewing Co., 13 Mystery 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 (9/28), 10:30am, MO (9/30), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Sunday Celebration
A Sunday celebration for the spiritual community.
SU (9/29), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Coloring w/Cats: Teens & Adults
Set time for yourself and cuddle with the panthers, meet other cat-lovers, and color a beautiful picture of a cat from our adult coloring books.
SU (9/29), 2pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd Forest Therapy
Learn how to slow down, unwind, and rediscover connections to nature. All you need is yourself, proper footwear, and time to relax in the woods. Space is limited, advance registration required.
MO (9/30), 10am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek 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 (9/30), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
IBN Biz Lunch: East Asheville
The meeting will consist of introductions by every guest, a discussion of future networking opportunities in the area, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment and more.
TU (10/1), 11:30am, Suwana Asian Cuisine, 45 Tunnel Rd
Veterans Creative Retreat
Free art class for Veterans to create beautiful, handmade journals and fill them with watercolor paintings, charcoal sketches, mixed-media collage, and more.
TU (10/1), 11:30am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Kung Fu: Baguazhang
It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.
TU (10/1), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Therapeutic Recreation Hiking
All hikes are between 1-2.5 miles with variable terrain. Transportation provided to site. Advance registration required.
TH (10/3), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
IBN Biz Lunch: Hendersonville
Incredible business networking opportunity, where you can meet other business people and entrepreneurs like yourself.
TH (10/3), 11:30am, Thai Spice, 220 South King St, Hendersonville 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.
Relational Mindfulness w/Deborah Eden Tull It teaches 9 timeless principles for awakening through the beautiful, dynamic, and complex field of human relationship.
TH (10/3), 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 (9/25, 10/2), 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 (9/25, 10/2), 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 (9/26), 6:30pm, Lookout Brewing Co., 103 S Ridgeway Ave, Black Mountain
Game Night
Get together to laugh, joke and have fun with other community members while playing your favorite games.
Snacks and beverages will be available for a small cost.
FR (9/27), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Weekly Sunday Scrabble!
Weekly scrabble play where you’ll be paired with players of your skill level. All scrabble gear provided.
SU (9/29), 1:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Bid Whist
Make bids, call trumps, and win tricks. Every Saturday for fun competition with the community.
MO (9/30), 5:30pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Ultimate Bid Whist and Spades
Bring a partner or come solo for a fun evening of competitive bid whist and spades every Tuesday.
TU (10/1), 6pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS
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 (9/25), 5pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
Toddler Takeover Fun-themed days for children ages 1 to 5. This weeks features superheroes at Carrier Park.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 10:30pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd
Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see if it’s a good fit for you.
TH (9/26, 10/30), MO (9/30), TU (10/1), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Youth Fall Ultimate This is catered to all ability levels and all genders. Intended for 2nd to 9th grade athletes.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 3:45pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd
Let’s Wrestle Young wrestlers will learn fundamentals of wrestling and experienced wrestlers build skills and improve technique.
TH (9/26, 10/3), 4:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Toddler & Me Time Out
This open gym time allows toddlers and caregivers to make memories and new friends through structures and unstructured activities.
FR (9/27), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Kids Night Out
Leave the kids behind to enjoy goofy games, crafts, and science projects. Advance registration is required, but kids ages 5-12 are welcomed.
FR (9/27), 5pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Community Youth Open Basketball Time reserved in the gym for youth to learn teamwork and form authentic connections
through play.
SA (9/28), 11am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Coloring w/Cats: Kiddie Edition
Release your inner child by coloring with us in the cat lounge while you relieve stress and anxiety.
SA (9/28), 1:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Parks & REC-cess
A recreation experience for kids and teens who are homeschooled with a variety of activities. Advance registration required.
WE (10/2), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
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 (9/25, 10/2), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville
RAD Farmers Market
Providing year-round access to fresh local foods from over 30 local vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, pastured meats, cheeses, raw honey, and more.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr
Leicester Farmers Market
A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats and crafts, every Wednesday.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester
Weaverville Tailgate Market
A selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants. Open year round.
WE (9/25, 10/2), 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 (9/26, 10/3), 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 (9/27), 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 (9/27), 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 (9/28), 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 (9/28), 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 (9/28), 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 (9/28), 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 (9/29), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd
Show & Tell Sunday Market
A monthly Sunday market celebrating and supporting local and indie craft, design, and vintage. The market features housewares, decor, art, jewelry, ceramics, apparel, vintage clothes and more.
SU (9/29), noon, 75 Coxe Ave
West Asheville Tailgate Market
Featuring an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, and fish to locally made specialty items such as natural beauty products, herbal medicine and locally made art and crafts. Every Tuesday through November 26.
TU (10/1), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd
FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
WNCCHS 30th Anniversary Community Health Fair
A free, family-friendly event for staff, patients, community partners, and the general public that will offer health screenings, health education, entertainment, food vendors, exhibitors, and fun activities.
WE (9/25), 4pm, A-B Tech Campus, Parking Lot A7, 71 Fernihurst Dr
Cocktails & Champions of Conservation
Third annual Champions of Conservation celebrates the leaders and innovators in sustainability whose groundbreaking work and environmental projects are making waves across the globe.
WE (9/25), 6pm,Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview
Wild Night for Wildlife Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a Candler-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, is excited to announce its 10th Anniversary Celebration, A Wild Night for Wildlife: Ten Years of Saving Wild Lives and Counting.
TH (9/26), 6:30pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10
Unity Fest: Healing the Divide & Celebrating our Common Values
Enjoy a coming together in the Sacred Mountain Waters, where regardless of political beliefs the goal is to dance, celebrate and cultivate the values we share. Come for the day or camp on the land for all or part of the weekend.
FR (9/27), SA (9/28), SU (9/29), 3pm, Sacred Mountain Waters, 2932 Big Laurel Rd, Marshall M.A.G.M.A. Land of Sky Gem Show
An Asheville gem show that will have over 35 vendors with everything from affordable treasures to the finest gems, minerals & jewelry in the Southeast.
FR (9/27), SA (9/28),
9am, SU (9/29), 10am, Land of Sky Shrine Club, 39 Spring Cove Rd, Swannanoa Asheville Goombay Festival
The Goombay Festival celebrates the richness and diversity of the African diaspora and Asheville’s African American community. The YMI Cultural Center will showcase Black culture, art, entertainment and feature special food. See p32
FR (9/27), SA (9/28), SU (9/29), noon, Pack Square Park, 1 S Pack Square park
Asheville Greek Festival
An annual festival celebrating Greek culture with traditional food, dancing, live music, community and more. See p31 FR (9/27), SA (9/28), 11am, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 227 Cumberalnd Ave
Chalk the Walk 2024 Participants can compete to win cash prizes in 4 different categories: elementary (ages 5-11), teen (ages 12-18), adult (over 18), and family or small group (no more than 5 members).
SA (9/28), 9am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Happy Fall Y’all Embrace the autumn vibes at the 1st Happy Fall Y'all Art and Farmers Market. Enter their pumpkin carving contest for a chance to win 'vendor bucks' redeemable at any booth. Enjoy live music, food, adult beverages, and more.
SA (9/28), 10am, A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Rd
National Hunting & Fishing Day
Family activities include interactive demonstrations, archery, falconry presentation, food trucks, giveaways, a wide variety of vendors, and live demonstrations from the HCC Lumberjack team.
SA (9/28), 10am, Haywood Community College, 185 Freedlander Dr, Clyde
National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day is a Fee-Free Day, one of only five days a year when entrance fees are waived at national parks and other public lands.
SA (9/28), 10am, The Cradle of Forestry, 11250 Pisgah Hwy, Pisgah Forest
Wicked Weed Pridetoberfest
Enjoy live music, face painting, vendors and more, while supporting the Campaign for
Enjoy a fantastic filled day with crispy beers, delicious food and live music. This day will also feature a special new 2024 ceramic stein release.
SA (9/28), 11am, Hillman Ave, 25 Sweeten Creek Rd
4th Annual Vegan Fair
This event offers a day filled with vibrant local vegan vendors, delicious plant-based food trucks, live music and eco-friendly products. Visitors can enjoy craft beers while learning about sustainable living.
SA (9/28), 1pm, Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd
Lake Monster Parade
A costume parade around Lake Tomahawk that goes in search of the elusive Lake Monster. This event is free and open to all. See p32
SA (9/28), 2pm, Lake Tomahawk, Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain FrondFest 2024
An epic annual community event that brings together local businesses, music, educators and families to celebrate FernLeaf. Attendees can enjoy face painting, temporary tattoos, live music from a DJ, food and more.
SA (9/28), 3pm, FernLeaf Community Charter School, 58 Howard Gap Rd, Fletcher
The 2024 Haunted Farm
Prepare to scream as you try to survive your way through the award-winning thrills and chills of The Haunted Farm.
SA (9/28), 7pm, The Haunted Farm, 624 Townsend Rd, Hendersonville
Asheville Drive Electric 2024
The Blue Ridge EV Club's 11th annual National Drive Electric event lets you see and ride in a variety of EVs and learn the ins and outs from owners, enthusiasts and rookies alike.
SU (9/29), noon, Tanger Outlets Asheville, 800 Brevard Rd
Women To The Front Music Festival
A music festival dedicated to celebrating women, Trans-women, and those who identify as non-binary. The goal is to be a spotlight for these musicians, songwriters, sound engineers, and other music industry professionals. See p32
SU (9/29), 1pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr
Carnivale Macabre: Cults, Cryptid & Conspiracy?
A night of burlesque, comedy, magic, live music, Freakshow acts, and solving the world’s greatest mysteries.
TH (10/3), 8pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING
MANNA FoodBank Mobile Market
All markets are free and open to anyone who needs support with groceries. Walk through in just minutes.
WE (9/25), 11am, Fernihurst Mansion, 16 Fernihurst Dr, A-B Tech
Dine w/Divas: True Colors Drag Show
Step into the vibrant world of True Colors in honor of Blue Ridge Pride Weekend. Also, indulge in a delicious meal catered by Biscuit Head, with proceeds going to Bearded Lady Productions 501(c)3. TH (9/26), 7pm, Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top, 2A Huntsman Place
Westival
Participate in this fundraiser aimed to celebrate West Asheville food and community. Attendees will be able to sample from over 10 West Asheville-based food businesses. There will also be a a DJ, play in a raffle, and other activities. See p31 SA (9/28), 4pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd Limestone Gumption Fundraiser
An evening of top professional entertainment, side-splitting laughter, free delicious hand-crafted food, and a cash bar. MO (9/30), 6pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave
Karen Cragnolin Park Volunteer Day RiverLink will provide all necessary tools and equipment. Closed-toed shoes are required and pants are recommended. Bring a water bottle and gardening gloves. WE (10/2), 10am, Karen Cragnolin Park, 190 Amboy Rd Under the Stars: AMOS' 10th Annual Fundraiser
The Asheville Museum of Science invites you to join us for a stellar evening of science, dinner, dancing, and premier music and silent auction.
TH (10/3), 6pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10
Food for thought
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
jmcguire@mountainx.com
Hungry kids can’t learn. That’s one thing Heather Smith has learned in nearly a decade as a teacher.
“I truly believe that they have a hard time focusing if they’re worried about when their next meal is coming or if they don’t have energy,” says Smith, an eighth-grade math teacher at Waynesville Middle School. “Math is already a hard subject to focus on, but imagine being hungry during my class.”
So Smith was excited when all schools in Haywood County started participating in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program last school year. Under CEP, the district makes free breakfasts and lunches available to all students, regardless of family income. The federal government reimburses districts for much of the meal costs.
of free meal programs for students
“This is my 25th year in school nutrition, and this is something that we’ve been lobbying for and fighting for ever since I came into the program,” says Alison Francis, director of nutrition for Haywood County Schools.
Several other local systems started participating districtwide in the CEP last school year, including Buncombe, Madison, Polk and Transylvania counties. Schools in Henderson and Jackson counties offer the program at some schools. The Asheville City Schools district does not participate.
According to nutrition officials from the school districts, 75% of Haywood County students participated in the free lunch program at least once last year, while 37% participated in the free breakfast program; in Buncombe County, the numbers were 73% for lunch and 53% for breakfast.
BALANCED MEALS
School district officials cite many reasons for embracing the CEP program, including its emphasis on nutritious food.
“We have fresh fruits and vegetables for the students every day,” Francis says. “The majority of kids don’t have really healthy options that they’re bringing from home.”
Under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, participating students must be offered at least four food items for breakfast and five for lunch. They are required to choose at least three for each meal, one of which must be a fruit or vegetable.
Meal options also include meats, meat alternatives, grains and 1% milk.
“I’m able to provide a well-balanced meal,” says Lisa Payne, Buncombe County’s school nutrition director. “It supports them learning, it supports better behavior. I think it’s the foundation for everything they need to be able to learn.”
She admits not every kid is happy about having to take a fruit or vegetable — they are kids, after all. “But we find that once they take it, they usually eat it because they don’t really want to waste it. So we’re able to teach them the benefits [of healthy food], and they may even really enjoy it.”
She adds, “The cheesy broccoli is amazing.”
The free meals also must meet USDA guidelines on fat, saturated fat, sugar, sodium and other nutritional standards.
In addition to offering the free meals, the schools sell à la carte snack items and other food.
“If they want just a chicken sandwich, or just a milk, or just something else to supplement the lunch that they brought from home, they would have to pay for that,” Francis explains.
NO MORE DEBT
In addition to the nutritional benefits, the free lunches also help relieve the financial burden on families that previously had to pay for lunches. That’s especially true of students whose families fall just short of qualifying for federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), says Alecia Sanders of School Meals for All NC. The coalition of groups is trying to secure funding for every district in the state to offer free lunch and breakfast to every student.
“One in five students in North Carolina are going hungry or are food insecure,” says Sanders, “and 28% of those are not eligible for these programs, so there is a huge gap. Often they’re going hungry or they’re charging to their accounts and are racking up meal debt.”
Even families that aren’t food insecure welcome the free meals, officials say.
Before last year, for example, Haywood County charged $3.50 for elementary school lunches and $3.75 for middle and high school lunches. “If you’ve got multiple kids, it adds up
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? Lisa Payne, Buncombe County’s school nutrition director, talks to students during lunch at Weaverville Primary School. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Schools
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. I'm now in remission and have felt blessed to be here except for so much pain. My feet and hands were constantly burning – a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg is falling asleep," shares Barbara of Biltmore Forest.
Barbara was suffering from Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN. While chemo kills cancer cells, it also causes much bodily damage. Nerves, especially those far from the brain, are among the first to be harmed. 30-40% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy experience peripheral neuropathy.
"Standing all day was not just a challenge, and it caused me physical agony. Keeping up with my busy schedule – forget about it. I couldn't even go for walks in my neighborhood."
Barbara, like so many others, was prescribed Gabapentin help with the pain and told there was nothing anyone could do. In Doctors’ words, 'there is no treatment for neuropathy.'
Then Barbara found Dr. Autum Kirgan, DACM, C.SMA, L.Ac of South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness. By blending the time–tested science of acupuncture with more modern medical technology, Dr. Kirgan has designed a natural solution for peripheral neuropathy.
"Acupuncture is incredible at restoring blood flow and stimulating damaged nerves, preventing them from dying off," says Dr. Kirgan. "We take our treatments a step further by integrating FSM Therapy which targets specific nerves in the body using microcurrent. FSM Therapy is like watering a plant. This treatment will stimulate the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with proper nutrients to heal and repair.
After only four weeks of treatment, Barbara is already seeing incredible improvement. "I've taken the handicap placard off my rearview mirror and I am finally back to walking my neighborhood. I can't wait to see how I feel at the end of my program! I used to think that this pain was just the price I had to pay for still being alive. Dr. Kirgan has really given me hope for a better life!"
The number of treatments needed to allow nerves to recover fully will vary from person to person and can only be estimated after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation. If you or someone you love suffers from peripheral neuropathy (of any origin), call 828-575-5904 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kirgan and her South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness team. They are waiting for your call.
quick over five days a week,” Francis says. “This takes a little bit of the burden off of their wallets.”
WHAT DISTRICTS ARE ELIGIBLE?
Under USDA rules, school districts are eligible to participate in the CEP if 25% of enrolled students meet certain criteria. The federal government refers to that figure as the identified student percentage (ISP). Before October 2023, the ISP threshold was 40% for a district that wanted to participate.
Criteria that make students eligible include participation in federal programs like SNAP and TANF, participation in a Head Start program, homelessness, and status as runaway, foster or migrant child.
This year, Haywood County’s ISP is 54.68%, while Buncombe’s is 42.92%.
While the lowered ISP threshold makes more districts eligible, it hasn’t had a huge impact on the number who participate, says Sanders. That’s because reimbursement from the federal government is determined by the ISP; the lower the number, the less cost is reimbursed, and districts have to make up the difference. Some simply can’t afford it.
To determine how much reimbursement a district gets, the government multiplies the ISP by 1.6, she explains. So, for example, if a district has an ISP of 25%, only 40% of that would be reimbursed, which means the school nutrition program would still be responsible for most of the other 60%.
As a result, most districts that participate tend to have an ISP near or above 50%, she says.
Haywood County’s ISP means that 87% of meals will be reimbursed at the full rate this year, Francis says. The sale of à la carte items will help pay for much of the rest of the cost.
But while the lower threshold didn’t have that much of an impact in North Carolina, another decision by the USDA did. Starting in 2022, the department allowed the state to add Medicaid to the list of programs that count toward a district’s ISP.
“We saw a huge increase in districts that were participating in CEP due to that,” Sanders says.
ELIMINATING STRESS
Waynesville Middle School teacher Smith is not in the classroom this year. As the 2024-25 North Carolina Teacher of the Year, she is spending the school year advocating for causes that are important to teachers, including school nutrition.
Through the Carolina Hunger Initiative, one of the sponsors of her award, Smith made a connection with School Meals for All NC. She joined the coalition’s Champions program and, in May, represented teachers at a coalition-led town hall at Western Carolina University.
The free meals program has been a success at Waynesville Middle, she says.
“Middle school is one of those places where kids don’t want to draw negative attention towards themselves,” Smith says. “When they’re all on this level playing field, all our kids feel safe and feel like they can go get that meal without putting their family in danger of being in debt.”
She recalls the school’s cafeteria staff delivering free breakfasts to her classroom before students took a three-hour end-of-term standardized test last school year.
“They came to school on time on those testing days because they knew they were going to be seated, relaxed, and eating a breakfast before they took a very stressful test,” she says. “That was just so powerful to me.” X
ARTS & CULTURE
Fated collaboration
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
earnaudin@mountainx.com
Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre’s Shiver in the Pines feels like a destiny fulfilled.
Set to debut Friday-Saturday, Oct. 18-19, at Diana Wortham Theatre, the musical dance production began germinating a few years ago when local singer-songwriter and guitarist Tyler Ramsey started bringing his daughter to the New Studio of Dance, ACDT’s official school, for lessons. But its true roots date to at least 1996, when he traveled to France with ACDT co-founders Susan and Giles Collard, providing instrumental accompaniment for their dance pieces.
“They were a big part of my life, and then it kind of moved away from them,” Ramsey says.
Or, in Susan’s words, “All of a sudden, Tyler became famous.”
Indeed, Ramsey joined revered indie rockers Band of Horses in 2007 on guitar and backing vocals, and their record Infinite Arms was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards. After a decade of recording and touring with the group, he turned his attention to solo projects and has released multiple lauded LPs. But he never forgot the years he worked with the Collards.
“I started seeing them again and remembering how special they are — what amazing people they are and how incredible it is to be around that kind of creative energy,” Ramsey says. “I was getting ready to go to bed one night and was lying there thinking, ‘It would be really cool to do something with them — put a piece together or something.’”
Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre and Tyler Ramsey join forces
The next day, Ramsey was dropping his daughter off at the New Studio of Dance for her class when Giles approached him with, of all things, an offer to collaborate. Ramsey mentioned he’d just been thinking the same thing and immediately accepted.
Deciding what that project might look like, however, took a little more time. After contemplating various options, inspiration struck Ramsey as he was reminded of reading Manly Wade Wellman’s 1963 short story collection Who Fears the Devil? a few
years prior. The fantasy and horror tales center on Silver John, aka John the Balladeer, and his adventures traversing Madison County, learning songs on his silver-strung guitar.
“He’ll be walking down a mountain into a valley and come to this supernatural creature. And he has to help out the people that live in the mountains. A lot of times he’ll defeat the creature through music or with his guitar,” Ramsey says. “It’s a wild, tall fantasy — like those paperbacks that you could get back in the ’60s and ’70s.”
Though not well-versed in fantasy literature, the Collards saw plentiful potential in adapting Wellman’s stories through dance. The tales particularly resonated with Giles, who once lived in Buncombe County on the Rutherford County border, where deep woods loomed nearby.
“You walk in the forest and you hear things, and you think somebody’s following you and you turn around — and there’s nothing,” Giles says. “So, I could relate to some of these creatures that Wellman developed into supernatural beings.”
FOREST FOLK: Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre’s Shiver in the Pines blends mountain traditions into a creative mix of dance, costumes, sets and live music. Pictured are Diana Cabrera, left, and Giles Collard. Photo by Jenbenmedia
INTO THE WOODS
The three artists began working in earnest on Shiver in the Pines in May 2023 with Susan directing, Giles designing and creating the sets, and Ramsey composing the music.
To help familiarize themselves with Wellman’s literary world, all of the dancers were given copies of the five stories featured in the show. Not wanting to use a narrator, Susan found creative workarounds to visually present the text and allowed improvisation between Ramsey and the dancers to help build a structure for the show, leaving room for additional inspirations.
“When I’m creating choreography from these stories, instead of using a defined storyline, I use imagery and colors and work in that way,” she says. “The very first piece is all about heaviness and fear and shadows that you feel while you’re walking in the woods. And the whispers that you hear with the wind going through the trees. I wanted to have that feeling in this scene of happiness against fear.”
Ramsey says he’s primarily playing instrumental music in the show and specifically not trying to incorporate traditional mountain music or ballads.
“And some of it’s improvised,” he adds. “There’s a base for what we’re doing, but I’m really interacting with the dancers and playing off of them quite a bit.”
Giles says Silver John is described in the stories as “a guitarist/singer who’s taller than average” — a perfect description of the vertically gifted Ramsey. Though the musician originally didn’t picture himself as the production’s main character, the Collards envisioned him onstage the entire time and convinced him to take on that role.
Ramsey notes that over the past year, he’s been trying to push himself artistically by intentionally putting
himself in uncomfortable creative situations. And the intimidation factor of being relied upon to “get things right the whole show” has proved immensely rewarding.
“There are scenes where I’m moving across the stage or things like that,” Ramsey says. “I’m taking that on as kind of a cool challenge of doing something that’s completely out of my realm. I’m not dancing or anything, but I am visibly seen, so that’s been a new thing for me as well.”
LIVING LEGENDS
The performances of Shiver in the Pines coincide with ACDT’s 45th anniversary. Based out of downtown’s Bebe Theatre, the Collards are as sharp as ever and continue to find inspiration through travel and engaging with artists in other countries.
After an extended period of visiting France every other year, they started making regular trips to Cuba circa 2000 and have recently shifted their focus to Mexico. Susan finds that the art coming out of Latin America is “innovative, experimental, exciting,” while art from Europe is “fairly traditional but exquisitely done.” And when she and Giles find foreign artists they connect with particularly well, they do what they can to bring them to Asheville.
“Lots of times we’ll have residencies here for a month of an artist from a different culture,” Susan says. “It’s not just [experiencing culture in Asheville] but everywhere, integrating everything that you can see, feel, smell and taste into what fits, what you need. Because there’s a lot of it. It’s amazing, the art out there.”
In awe of the Collards’ creative fire, Ramsey has made it a priority to use his name recognition to help elevate them as artists who he feels are making a significant difference in the community — and have made a difference for generations of
dancers, some of whom have gone on to become professionals in the field themselves.
“I’m hoping that the audience that comes out to these shows is not only a mix of what [ACDT] normally would have, but also people that would come to see me play,” Ramsey says. “I want to help shine a light on these really amazing people. And not just Susan and Giles, but the dancers that give so much of their passion into something that’s just for love of the art.”
WHAT Shiver in the Pines
WHERE Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave., worthamarts.org
WHEN Friday-Saturday, Oct. 18-19, 7:30 p.m. $20-$50
‘Break on through’
Council member Sage Turner talks West Asheville, live music and her quest for reelection
BY THOMAS CALDER
tcalder@mountainx.com
The afternoon sun is blazing when I meet Asheville City Council member Sage Turner in front of the giant mural of Dolly Parton and RuPaul on Haywood Road in West Asheville. Fortunately, Turner is holding two cans of LaCroix sparkling water that are beading with sweat. She presents one to me, and I accept. Popping the tab, I let her know she is my final interview for Xpress’ limited series, “On the Record.”
Like fellow Council member Kim Roney, Turner was first elected in 2020 and is seeking reelection. And similar to my previous five sessions for “On the Record,” I’ve convened with Turner to listen to an album of her choosing and discuss her connection to the local arts scene.
Unlike previous interviews, we are not stationary. Instead, Turner has invited me to walk the neighborhood she’s called home for the past 25 years as she plays The Doors’ self-titled 1967 debut album on her phone.
The opening track — “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” — begins with its iconic driving ride cymbal and rim-click combo before the rest of the band joins in, and Jim Morrison declares, “You know the day destroys the night/night divides the day.”
As a child growing up in Charlotte, Turner first heard the album on a visit with her cousin Daren Dortin in Cincinnati. “I remember picking up the vinyl and being like, ’Boy, what is this?’” As soon as the needle began circling the record’s grooves, she continues, Dortin jumped behind his drum kit and played along. “It was the first time I remember just recognizing that music is inspiring, cool and hypnotic.”
WEST ASHEVILLE’S EVOLUTION
Turner and I head east along Haywood Road, and I soon learn her connection to the local arts scene is primarily through her love of music and swing dance. Most Friday nights, she says, you can find her cutting loose at either Cork & Keg Bar in downtown Asheville or Eda’s Hide-aWay in Weaverville.
But long before she purchased a pair of dancing shoes, she hosted open jam nights at her West Asheville home. “Friends from all over town would come sometimes and camp out, and we played music on my big deck for hours into the night,” she says.
Over the past two decades, the Council member has witnessed her neighborhood’s growth as it has morphed from a couple of dining options along Haywood Road into a bustling strip of coffeehouses, restaurants, tattoo parlors, bars and retail shops. Oh, and murals.
“We’re covered in artistic murals,” she says, pointing out the giant fox on the side of Haywood Country Club.
West Asheville’s music venue options, however, aren’t as robust as they once were, she continues. The Mothlight’s closure in 2020 and Isis Music Hall’s decision to shutter in 2023 come up. “Maybe that’s just the natural flow of business,” she says. “You know — not everybody’s going to make it [last] for 30 years.”
But the city’s overall music scene, she continues, is thriving. She points to the recent success of the second annual AVLFest — a multivenue, multiday celebration in early August that featured hundreds of musicians and DJs performing across Asheville. “That’s pretty impressive,” Turner says.
ON BUSKERS AND MIDDLE HOUSING
Midway through our walk down Haywood Road, a riding lawn mower encourages us to turn right onto State Street. Somehow we’re already on the album’s final track, ironically titled “The End.” The detour eventually leads us to Hudson Street and Sevan Court.
“This is one of my favorite housing developments,” Turner says, pointing to a parcel of land with several identical homes as well as a larger row of apartments. “It’s called a cottage court.”
This type of development includes a cluster of small, detached, single-family residences constructed to specific standards and arranged around a common open space, creating a higher density of properties than traditional zoning permits.
JUMPING FOR JOY: Xpress wraps up its final “On the Record” interview with Asheville City Council member Sage Turner, who is running for reelection. Unlike the other five subjects in the limited series, Turner opted to walk and talk (and jump), meandering through West Asheville on a recent afternoon. Photo by Thomas Calder
Not surprisingly, the cottage court leads the conversation toward Asheville’s housing crisis. While the issue impacts community members across the board, Turner says, “I’ve heard for years now that the artist community can’t afford to live where it works. We’ve seen it with the loss of buskers in downtown.”
Turner says she’s paying attention to what other communities are doing to address housing challenges, pointing to parts of California and Texas as examples. She also notes that in 2019, she met with Artspace, a Raleigh-based nonprofit real estate organization that develops, owns and operates affordable housing and workspaces for creative entrepreneurs.
Unfortunately, the meeting occurred right before the COVID-19 pandemic, which stalled all progress after the initial discussion.
The pandemic similarly disrupted plans for updates to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. In January 2020, Xpress reported on the city’s proposed $100 million makeover for the location. Priorities swiftly shifted amid masking and social distancing mandates. Within the last two years, Council has approved just over $1.6 million in upgrades and repairs to the site, including a $205,000 contract to fix the site’s HVAC system.
Today, Turner says, the community debate remains how best to approach the auditorium — is it a matter of maintenance or relocation? “That
successes during Turner’s time on Council. She says the accomplishment she’s proudest of, as it relates to the arts, is the plan to upgrade McCormick Field. On Aug. 28, the city held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $38.5 million renovation project.
To offset costs — about $500,000 a year in debt services — Turner says the city plans to host live shows at the stadium as well as family experiences during the offseason. “Some new arts are coming in there,” she says. “And that’s a big deal.”
Our conversation, much like the path we wound up taking on our walk through West Asheville, meanders. I learn, for example, that Turner was recently in Kentucky visiting Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. The reception was terrible, and she needed to phone in for a city meeting.
“So I climbed and sat in a tree,” she says. “It was quite funny.”
I also learn that in her free time, she likes to restore houseboats — “from electrical to flooring and fiberglassing.” And that she’s been involved in volunteer work and has served on dozens of boards and committees for over two decades.
“You feel good about it,” she says of her service. “You’re helping people, you’re meeting people, you’re doing something good, you’re investing in your community. Some people like to go to bars and stuff. I go to volunteer things.”
conversation has been had five to 10 times over the decades,” she says. “Everything’s so tight right now, and with all the issues in the city, I don’t know that that’s near the top just yet.”
JUMP FOR JOY
Despite some setbacks brought on by the pandemic, there have been
Our walk ends where it began — in front of Dolly and RuPaul. I tell Turner that this is one of my daughter’s favorite murals. Turner offers to pose in front of the design for the article. I place my LaCroix on the sidewalk and start snapping away. I begin on the other side of the street before I gradually make my way closer to her. And then, unprompted, Turner jumps, soaring between the Queen of Nashville and Queen of Drag. X
WITH CAYLA CLARK
BY CAYLA CLARK
caylaclark73@gmail.com
Happy spooky season, you witchy little weirdos! The leaves are turning (though I suspect my oak is battling something serious), Earth Fare has put out the pumpkins, and the temperatures have plummeted to a breezy, climate-crisis-y 72 degrees. Let the haunting commence!
I know it might be a tad early to dust off the cobwebs and deck out the lawn with tombstones, but honestly, I can’t help myself. Are you really going to shame me for a little premature celebration? Seems a bit uncouth, if you ask me. But whether you’re ready or not, I’m thrilled to usher in the scariest season with the help of three frightfully funny humans — and dare I say it, friends.
First up, we have Roman Fraden, a local stand-up comedian with a heart of ghoul-d and a killer bit about kids peeing in pools (relatable, right?). Next, there’s Melissa Hahn, the mastermind behind Modelface Comedy, Asheville’s most prolific stand-up comedy production company. If you haven’t been to one of her shows, you’re truly missing out on some spine-tingling chortles. And last, but certainly not least, I’m thrilled to introduce David Gwaltney — a local photographer, musician, and all-around funny guy who’s always got a trick (or treat) up his inevitably plaid sleeve.
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Cayla: In addition to the commencement of spooky season, late September marks the highly anticipated transformation of leaves from dull, uninspiring green to the vibrant, breathtaking hues of brown. And don’t get me wrong — it’s a sight to behold. Truly, it is. But let’s be honest, Leaf Lookers need to find a less invasive/more interesting hobby. If you ask me, Asheville should embrace a new type of visitor: Construction Peepers. Imagine people flocking to witness the ceaseless widening of highways and the perpetual building of bridges, reveling in the endless traffic jams as workers in neon vests drill holes into the earth and take potentially life-ending bathroom breaks in middle-of-the-road porta johns. Now that’s a spectacle! What’s one thing you think tourists should flock to see?
Roman: This one is tough because I’m such a fan of leaves changing color — yes, enough with the endless monochromatic green — and I’m even more so a fan of the endless rivers of hot, strong-armed construction bros doing what they were built to do: lift, twist, point, bend over, wipe their faces, make eye contact, follow you into the bathroom, well … OK, oops, nevermind … enough on that. Since those two top attractions are now spoken for, I can only turn to the final and most obvious sight for tourists to flock to Asheville to witness. And that is … themselves!
Cayla: Oh, so like a tourist season, but LITERALLY a tourist season? It’s so meta. I’m confused.
Roman: Don’t hurt yourself. Having lived in many different places, I can confidently say there’s nowhere quite like Asheville. Where else can you kick back in a shoe-free teahouse, sip your faux mock-matcha-cap-less-cappuccino and watch parades of drunk bachelorettes in matching neon wigs and cowboy hats? All you have to do is shift your gaze across the street to witness mobs of unintelligible bachelors, all oddly synchronized in Hawaiian shirts and “Last Vagina Forever” hats, swirling
Forget the fall leaves, we’re scoping out WNC’s construction crews
FALL HAS ARRIVED: Leaf season is here, but Cayla Clark, top left, and her latest cohort of local comedians aren’t interested in the sea of orange, yellow and red foliage. No, they’ve got other ideas for what tourists and residents alike should flock to see. Also pictured, clockwise from top right, Melissa Hahn, Roman Fraden and David Gwaltney. Photo of Clark by Donne Rex Bishop; all other photos courtesy of the comedians
around you in a kaleidoscope of drum circle soundscapes and incensehazed street spectacle — something you won’t find replicated anywhere else in the world.
Oops, you just bumped into a poly-influenced, fortunetelling, live pan-flute-playing tarot reader who quickly reassures you about all those pesky, real-world worries like “rent, contraception and your unborn future kid’s college tuition.” And just like that — poof! — you can forget about it all and disappear back into your faux-a-ccino mandala iced almond vanilla inverted tea leaf notte, taking in the spectacle of other
“adventure warriors” like yourself, living their very best life for one week ... right here in Asheville. David: Mmm ... nothing warms the soul quite like a faux-a-ccino. However, my pick is the upcoming Autumn Olympics, which is always a fun time for the family. Cold Plunge Apple Bobbing, Speedrun Corn Mazes and Blindfold Pumpkin Carving, of course, are crowd favorites. But I’m personally a fan of Mental Gymnastics. Comprising six events, competitors attempt to avoid going to therapy and accepting responsibility at all costs: (getting wasted at) The Vault, Crystal Collecting, TikTok
Pseudo-Psychology, Microdosing Ayahuasca (or really any drug that’s not an antidepressant) and Personal Accountability in Retrograde. Yours truly will be competing in the Pot Calling the Kettle Black for Team AVL.
Melissa: I live for the Autumn Olympics. Last year I won bronze in the Patchouli Endurance Test. I actually stayed in the middle of a late-night drum circle for 17 minutes before gagging.
David: That’s incredible. Congratulations.
Melissa: Thank you. When it comes to tourists, my vote goes to bird-watching. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found real joy in the simple act of watching birds — from the native species I can see from my porch to the fall migration of swifts. But the most exciting new development? The large cranes that have taken over downtown! You can spot them on every street. Colorful and loud, they not only attract tourists but also signal the arrival of future overpriced condos, giving visitors the chance to make their favorite vacation last forever.
Who hasn’t spent hours, maybe even days or weeks, watching these majestic “birds” hard at work, building their projects? Just building new hotels directly on top of other hotels.
Cayla: When I went to Lowe’s earlier this month and saw 18-foot animatronic skeleton pirates rocking out on guitars and drum sets, a wave of childish delight surged through me like a very nerdy potion bubbling in a witch’s cauldron. “Oh, God yes,” I thought, tears in my eyes. “They’re here.” I live for themed consumerism: over-the-top yard decorations, the unmistakably basic scent of pumpkin spice candles, slutty little cop costumes. What’s your favorite part of Halloween in Asheville?
Roman: Wow, you really nailed it there. I’m at a loss for words. Those are exactly the things I love about the approaching season. Crisp air. Spooky front yards. Pumpkin-scented everything. Witches. Hot cocoa. Sweaters and pants. Ripping off someone’s sweater and pants in a lust-filled frenzy, pausing only to throw more logs into the fireplace. Candy corn. Rustling leaves crackling at my feet as I walk home reliving the lust-filled frenzy in my mind over and over again. Spiked eggnog. Putting up holiday lights. Shopping for gifts. Oh no, forgetting to buy a gift for someone. Making travel plans. Canceling those travel plans. Now my whole family is
coming HERE this year for the holidays?!? Why do I feel stressed? I still don’t know what I’m doing for New Year’s Eve. Why didn’t that person ever text me back? Did the lust-filled frenzy mean NOTHING? My house is FREEZING! I can’t; it’s too much. Is this what “cabin fever” is?? Please, no more. Please. I can’t wait for summer.
David: It meant something to me, Roman.
Roman: Just … text me back.
David: Ew, who are you? Get away from me. ... To me, spooky season is just a pumpkin-spiced amuse-bouche to the year’s cuffing season. Because, frankly, that’s the most terrifying season of the year. Netflix and chill with a marathon of elevated horror films, all the while determining if this person you might commit yourself to for the season is worthy of giving and receiving scraps of emotional intimacy. If they are emotionally available or their apartment lacks central heat and air, swipe left and try again, all in order to avoid staring into the infinite void of human existence and unprocessed childhood traumas.
Cayla: Oh my God, you guys, you’re bumming me out.
David: Wait, what were we talking about? Spooky season? Oh! Well, I guess if you already are partnered, Vermont Avenue on Halloween is pretty cool.
Melissa: As a Libra, I am all about fall. Give me pumpkin-spiced anything and a cozy sweater, and I am at peace. Call me basic if you want, but I am too busy walking my dog (a threelegged pit bull because I am a hero) with my latte and headphones on, pretending I’m in a Hallmark movie. Just breathing in the crisp air and twirling in the leaves.
Cayla: Speaking of Halloween traditions, I’m switching things up for the trick-or-treaters this year. Last year, I went full “classic Asheville” and handed out affirmation cards from my favorite deck, Palo Santo sticks and a curated selection of crystals — rose quartz, black obsidian, tourmaline, you name it. My thought process? “These little heathens could use some spiritual guidance.” And really, what better way is there to ward off evil spirits than with a bunch of woo-woo bulls**t I impulsebought on Amazon? Unfortunately, many of the kids mistook the crystals for candy (idiots) and ended up breaking their teeth, while others, clearly unimpressed, hurled the crystals through my windows, screaming, “THIS ISN’T CANDY!” So, this year, I’m keeping it simple and handing out rat poison.* What do you usually give to trick-or-treaters?
Roman: There’s too much mixed messaging.
They tell you, “Don’t take candy from strangers.” Then it’s, “Now go beg for candy from strangers.”
“You can do anything you want in life,” vs. “You won’t make a living doing art.”
“Sugar is bad, don’t eat it,” vs. “Let’s get you a big bag, go fill it with sugar!”
“Jesus loves you,” vs. “You better not be masturbating.”
What are we really doing here?
Melissa: I think Roman might be having a real-time existential crisis/ menty-b. You OK, bud?
Roman: YES. I’m just saying, mixed messages are worse for kids than a bag of expired Kit Kat bars. I’m a grown man, and I can’t even reconcile some of these conflicting life principles. Let’s take candy out of the equation — Halloween needs a full rebrand.
Wait, what was the question again? Oh, “What do I give trickor-treaters?” Nothing. They need to learn life’s most valuable lessons as early as possible, and that’s really the best “candy" I can offer them. So, what do I do? I turn off my lights, lock my doors and head down the street to the annual swinger party, where I can celebrate in whatever way brings me the most joy at the moment.
Look, we’re all on our own journey. Don’t come to my house asking for things. If you have something for me, just leave it at my door, and I’ll get it when I get it. But never, ever show up unannounced — those people are the worst. There’s a life lesson for you, kiddos.
Life is wonderful. Candy is lame. You’re welcome. Happy Halloween!
David: Like Roman, I prefer to give out the cold indifference of a home with no lights on. Who do these kids think I am? George Vanderbilt? I live in Asheville and work for a nonprofit. I’m not exactly rolling in the Snickers bars over here. (If you would like to see me roll around in Snickers, please subscribe to my OnlyFans.)
Cayla: It’s nutty, it’s creamy and it’ll satisfy your sweet tooth in ways you never thought possible.
David: Go away, Cayla. If anything, these kids should pay me. I’m a pioneer. I selflessly drive this 2012 Prius around town, and in doing so I single-handedly solved climate change, ensuring they don’t grow up in an Asheville swallowed up by the Atlantic Ocean. I’m posting sensible gun control memes on my Instagram story. Gun violence: solved. I’m complaining about the
direction Asheville is going on my Facebook, because we all know that is how things get changed. Gentrification: obliterated. Don’t thank me later, kids. Thank me now. You can send payments via Venmo to @PotKettleBlack.
Melissa: I just Venmoed you, David. Thank you for keeping the Atlantic at bay. Much like everyone else, I am often a lights-off/no-candy house because I always have to work. Are you even a true Asheville local if you don’t have a food service or entertainment job that keeps you busy on all holidays? I have one last October night to milk these tourists for all their cash before we send them back to Florida or Ohio or New Jersey for the winter.
I’ll leave a bowl of candy on the front step along with some Modelface Comedy stickers because you have to stay on brand. My Halloween treat is a few more Instagram follows.
*Best Medicine host Cayla Clark has no true intention of poisoning any child or adult this Halloween season. (It’s just humor, folks — relax!) X
Magical Offerings
What’s new in food
Noodle Hole opens in Marshall
Ryan Martin’s obsession with handpulled noodles became public knowledge on May 23, 2020, via the launch of his Instagram page, @noodle.hole. With his first post, he announced that he had figured out how to consistently pull noodles. Four years later, on Aug. 29, he and his wife, Hallee Hirsh — co-owners of Hole Doughnuts in West Asheville — opened Noodle Hole in downtown Marshall. The newest business to take residence in the historic Main Street building serves made-toorder doughnuts in the morning, and after an afternoon break, reopens to serve bowls of noodles and broth in the evening.
Martin’s noodle love was sparked by a meal about eight years ago at a Uyghur restaurant in California. “They pulled one long noodle and then served it to the table with a pair of scissors so you could cut the noodle yourself and share it with the people you were with,” he says.
He was so fascinated that he found videos of people pulling noodles and intently studied the methods, trying to work out dough consistency, recipes and methods. Martin enlisted Hirsh, who speaks Mandarin, to translate the names of the products.
“Eventually, I figured it out, but my family can only eat so many noodles,” he says. (He and Hirsh have two
children.) They started doing Noodle Nights at Hole in 2022. The pop-ups were announced on Instagram, and the first 50 people to send him a message were in; typically, all 50 seats would be gone in less than five minutes.
The couple saw an opportunity to invest in Marshall, where they live.
“We always wanted to do something closer to home, but we didn’t want to do another Hole,” Martin explains.
“We wanted to offer more than just sugar and carbs, so now we do savory carbs, too.”
After rehabilitating the space — 10 stools at a counter overlooking the open kitchen and two more at another counter — Ryan and Hirsh created a unique business model to suit their needs. “There is a pretty set expectation for Hole’s hours of operation,” says Martin. “We wanted to create a business here that works for us instead of us working for it.”
Noodle Hole posts the hours for each week on Mondays in its Instagram bio and on a handwritten sign on the front door — they typically operate Wednesday-Saturday. Doughnut service starts at either 9 or 10 a.m., offering two flavors (one of which is gluten-free).
Hand-pulled, cooked-to-order noodles — one with a beef and pork broth,
NOODLING AROUND: Ryan Martin spent years mastering the craft of handpulled noodles before opening Noodle Hole in Marshall with his wife, Hallee Hirsh. Photo courtesy of Noodle Hole
the other vegan, and a gluten-free rice noodle — begin at 5:30 or 6 p.m. Noodles are not available for takeout.
“They are best when eaten immediately,” Martin asserts. “We could make more money doing takeout, I’m sure, but I’m the only one who can pull the noodles, and I don’t want to be a noodle machine. The entire experience of watching it happen and eating it right there is extremely important to me. Kids really love to watch it.”
Noodle Hole sources locally, including from The Chop Shop, Dry Ridge Farm and Hickory Nut Gap Farm for proteins and other farms for produce. Madison County residents receive a discount. There is no tipping, and everyone who orders a bowl of noodles gets a free doughnut.
Martin intends to expand the menu once he settles in. “I just love the craft of it, taking a lot of care and keeping it simple. It’s like a magic trick every time. ”
Noodle Hole is at 133 S. Main St., Marshall. For more information, visit Noodle Hole on Instagram at avl.mx/e5f.
A novel new bar
Seven years after opening Little Jumbo in Montford — named to Garden & Gun magazine’s 2021 list of Best Cocktail Bars in the South — partners Jay Sanders, Lucia Gray and Chall Gray opened Character Study, a bibliophile’s dream gathering spot, on Sept. 12 at 797 Haywood Road in West Asheville.
After assuming the lease five months ago on the shotgun space in the century-old building, the partners first stripped the black paint left on the walls and windows by the most recent tenant, Alley Cat Social Club. Then they quickly created a swanky yet
comfortable lounge with shelves filled with books from nearby Bagatelle Books. Seating includes two solo spots — a cushy chair with an ottoman plus a small, single desk. There are also carrels (intimate, library-style cubicle desks), a large gathering space with sofas and chairs, forest green Naugahyde-upholstered booths, a bar fronted by teal Naugahyde stools and a small patio out back.
“I don’t believe in forcing a concept into a space, so when we got in here, the concept kind of revealed itself,” Chall explains. “I really love books and years ago worked in used and rare bookstores. When I design a bar, I try to incorporate elements I haven’t seen in other places. The solo spots are one of those things, and the carrels.”
The drolly illustrated pages of the menu feature whimsically named cocktails, including the Devil’s Dictionary and Loud Sweater Martini, four snifters priced by the ounce and a quartet of thoughtfully crafted spirit-free drinks.
“Little Jumbo is often described as ‘Montford’s living room,’” says Chall. “Lucia and I have lived in West Asheville for 18 years, and we’re excited to bring that vibe to our neighborhood.”
Character Study is at 797 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/e5g.
Asheville Dispensary at Marquee
When Jimmy Gallagher , founder/owner of West Asheville’s Asheville Dispensary, met Marquee Asheville founder/owner Robert Nicholas , the two entrepreneurs recognized an opportunity to meet each other’s needs.
“Jimmy wanted to expand in Asheville and saw there wasn’t a single tea shop and only one coffee shop in the River Arts District,” says AD head of bar and beverage Nikki Eldred . “Robert really wanted to enhance the experience of visiting Marquee with getting that scent of fresh coffee when you walk in and the opportunity to stroll the space with a healthy beverage in hand.”
The new Asheville Dispensary and Elixir, Coffee & Tea Bar opened just inside the entrance to Marquee the last week of August. Modeled after the original, the dispensary offers cannabis products, CBD, cannabigerol (CBG), edibles, topicals, tinctures and an herbal apothecary. The bar features specialty coffees, traditional Chinese tea service, herbal teas and elixirs, sipping cacao, boba tea, and sweet and savory baked goods from The West End. The Marquee’s spacious new bar and a drink lounge provide tables and seating.
Asheville Dispensary’s new location is inside Marquee at 36 Foundy St. Hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. daily avl.mx/e5m.
MOM cooks dinner
Since opening its brick-and-mortar shop on Merrimon Avenue in March 2020, Mother Ocean Seafood Market (fondly called MOM by fans) has grown the crowd of followers that first discovered it at local tailgate markets. Since then, founder Sam Kosik has offered lunch to go and for delivery in addition to fresh seafood. Now, in response to sad faces from customers who arrive after the kitchen closes at 4 p.m., Kosik and partner Chris Dexter are adding two days of dinner service.
New chef Aubry Webb (aka Chef Hunter ) will continue cooking po’boys, lobster rolls, fish tacos,
tuna melts and baskets of aquatic goodness — including peel-and-eat shrimp and fish and chips — until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Once Webb settles in, he intends to add specials sourced from MOM’s cases that will draw on his Mississippi and Creole roots. Limited indoor and outdoor seating is available.
Mother Ocean Seafood Market is at 640 Merrimon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/ba9.
Go West(ival)
Westival, a new event showcasing West Asheville food and raising funds for 12 Baskets Caf é and the Ashville Poverty Initiative, debuts Saturday, Sept. 28, at Archetype Brewing
From 4-8 p.m., Westival attendees can sample food from Gan Shan West, Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack, The Hop Ice Cream, Jargon, Sunny Point Caf é , Pizza Mind, Taco Billy, West Village Market & Deli, French Broad Pantry, The West End, Food Experience, Botiwalla and Deep Time Coffee. Archetype will sell beer and other beverages.
Tickets for the food tasting are $35 per person. The festival also features a DJ, information tables, activities and raffle tickets for goodie-filled baskets with entertainment, art, wellness and gardening themes.
Archetype Brewing is at 265 Haywood Road. For more information and event or raffle tickets, visit avl.mx/e4j.
Greek life
The Asheville Greek Festival has been one of Asheville’s most popular annual cultural events since 1986, offering a weekend of food, music, dance, demonstrations and vendors. Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church hosts this year’s festival Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27-28, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. A one-day pass is $4; two days is $6.
Holy Trinity is at 227 Cumberland Ave. For more information and tickets, visit avl.mx/e5h.
Beer, bourbon and barbecue fundraiser
The 11th annual Taste of the Vineyard Boots and Bourbon fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Henderson County will take place at Point Lookout Vineyards on Thursday, Oct. 3.
The evening features a barbecue dinner, cash bar serving craft beer and wines by Point Lookout Vineyards, silent auction and live music by Marley’s Chain. Admission is $75 per person. Specialty bourbon tastings are available at an additional cost. Event registration closes at 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30.
Point Lookout Vineyard is at 408 Appleola Road, Hendersonville. For more information and tickets, visit avl.mx/e5j.
Around Town Pan Harmonia celebrates 25
For its 25th season, Ashevillebased chamber music company Pan Harmonia is playing the hits.
“It’s worth a retrospective look back at a body of work that’s pretty substantial,” co-founder Kate Steinbeck says of the company’s history. “Some of the repertoires we’re repeating, and I have some colleagues coming back — people who have left Asheville.”
The group’s silver anniversary season kicks off Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m., at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, and Sunday, Sept. 29, 3 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville. The program, titled “Dances in Nature,” features Steinbeck on flute and Jessica Schaeffer on harp. The selections spotlight work by Leonard Bernstein, Alan Hovhaness and Carl Nielsen, plus compositions inspired by ocean creatures, waltzes, boleros and salsa.
MOVIE REVIEWS
THE SUBSTANCE: French writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s Hollywood satire pushes boundaries with disturbing body horror imagery. Grade: A-minus — Edwin Arnaudin
years
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pan Harmonia stopped selling tickets and shifted to donation-based performances. According to Steinbeck, the change has enhanced the company’s goal to connect with as many people across the community as possible — which includes bringing its chamber music to prisons and homeless shelters through the company’s Shining Light Project.
Steinbeck sees Pan Harmonia as an alternative to the bulk of local music options, which she describes as “a party thing,” with alcohol and audience members talking. At her group’s performances, she says people “deliberately come into a space and listen,” and in turn experience the vibe of music on a cellular level. She’s also intentional in labeling the programs “acoustic music” instead of “classical,” because the latter can sound limiting to some people.
“Chamber music is broader than a lot of people think,” she says. “A jazz trio is chamber music. A Celtic group is chamber music. Sometimes people get hung up a little bit on the wording of stuff like this, but it’s actually something they know.”
Reflecting on the past quarter century, Steinbeck credits co-founder Liz Austin with helping get Pan Harmonia off the ground in 2000, back when it was called Keowee Chamber Music. And she says it probably wouldn’t have endured without support from the N.C. Arts Council.
Looking forward, Steinbeck says the newly hired Schaeffer’s work as program coordinator sets the company up nicely for the future, as it looks to engage with the next generation of acoustic musicians.
Black Mountain Presbyterian Church is at 117 Montreat Road, Black Mountain. First Presbyterian Church of Asheville is at 40 Church St. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e5b.
WTF Festival rocks Salvage Station
The Women to the Front (WTF) music festival will return to Salvage Station on Sunday, Sept. 29, 12:30 p.m.-midnight, with a lineup of over 50 local female artists. The event will also include a range of vendors featuring women-owned businesses, women-owned food trucks and nonprofits that support women.
Festival co-founder Melissa McKinney curated the lineup, which
CHAMBER SOUNDS: Kate Steinbeck, left, and Jessica Schaeffer kick off Pan Harmonia’s 25th season on Friday, Sept. 27. Photo by John Warner
spotlights such performers as Queen Bee and the Honey Lovers, Ménage, the Hope Griffin Trio, Ovadya, the Maggie Valley Band and Kathryn O’Shea. The WTF Funk Project, composed of a rotating cast of women, will headline this year’s event with Whitney Mongé, Emily Musolino, Rebekah Todd, Rachel Waterhouse, McKinney, Polly Panic and more.
“It was so difficult to curate this lineup,” McKinney says. “We have so many talented women in our area, and I wish we had the space to include them all. It would take at least a week, which is why we formed WTF Week, which will take place in March 2025 during Women’s History Month. [But] my criteria was to pretty much gather a bunch of badass women and put them all on one stage on the same day.”
She also sought to showcase a diverse soundscape with lots of different instrumentation, resulting in a collection of funk, pop, rock, blues, jazz, neo-soul, punk and country music artists.
“Lots of people are surprised when I tell them it is all women in the bands — like women can just sing or something,” McKinney says. “That’s just one of the many stereotypes we are working towards changing. I also wanted to showcase women who are working full time in the music industry.”
The co-founder hopes that WTF will put some new artists on attendees’ radar and that all involved will leave Salvage Station “with a renewed sense of wonder at the incredible amount of talent and heart coming from the musicians in this area who are women.”
“And I hope that local venue owners will continue — or start — to prioritize having women on their lineups regularly,” she says.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 on the day of the show and $15 for students.
Salvage Station is at 468 Riverside Drive. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e5e.
Welcome back, Goombay!
One of Asheville’s signature events, the Goombay Festival, will return to downtown Friday through Sunday, Sept. 27-29. Established in 1982 to celebrate the diversity and richness of the African diaspora and the city’s African American community, the annual party embraces the theme “Back to Our Roots” for its 2024 edition.
This free, family-friendly event will showcase Black culture, art, food and entertainment at Pack Square Park. Goombay’s host, the YMI Cultural Center, will also celebrate its grand reopening before the festivities on Thursday, Sept. 26.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/aar.
Lake Monster Parade returns for fourth year
The Lake Monster Parade invites families to gather at Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2 p.m., in their favorite aquatic-themed costumes.
Founded by Jeannie Regan in 2021 as a means of providing inexpensive, socially distanced fun for area children and their families, the free event has steadily grown each year. Brass Your Heart marching band will lead the parade, Street Creature Puppet Collective will bring some of its imaginative creations, and the namesake floating monster is promised to be bigger and better than ever.
“This year’s monster will have three heads,” Regan says. “Last year’s monster capsized into the lake, but we think we have figured out the design flaws.”
Lake Tomahawk is at 401 Laurel Circle Drive, Black Mountain. To learn more, visit avl.mx/a0a.
Local mentalist at Story Parlor
On Friday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m., Jonathan Pritchard and his Asheville Mind Reading Show will return to the intimate West Asheville venue Story Parlor.
The Asheville-based mentalist’s 15-year career has taken him from
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by Dana M Ir win
Las Vegas to performing overseas for U.S. troops. This local show combines mind-reading demonstrations with comedy and a positive message.
“The Asheville Mind Reading Show is more than just entertainment,” says Pritchard in a press release.
“It’s an interactive experience that leaves audiences feeling uplifted and inspired. I’m thrilled to share this performance with my community.”
General admission tickets are $40. VIP tickets are $50 and include premium seating and a copy of Pritchard’s book, Think Like A Mind Reader
Story Parlor is at 227 Haywood Road. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e57.
Campbell Folk School’s fall festival is back
The John C. Campbell Folk School’s 48th annual fall festival returns to Brasstown, Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 5-6, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The yearly celebration of Appalachian culture and heritage features all-day demonstrations of fiber arts, woodworking, blacksmithing and other crafts. There will also be traditional roots music and dance performances throughout the weekend.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for ages 12-17, $10 for seniors and veterans, and free for children 12 and younger. Singleday and flex passes are available.
The John C. Campbell Folk School is at 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e58.
New exhibit at Black Mountain College Museum
Much has been written about Black Mountain College since it officially closed in 1957. But until now, the campus’s farm has only received minimal attention.
That all changes with The Farm at Black Mountain College exhibition, which opens Friday, Sept. 27, at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in downtown Asheville and runs through Saturday, Jan. 11. Curated by David Silver and Bruce Johansen, the historical exhibition primarily spotlights students, women and farmers, and explores the importance of collaboration and what happens when the bonds of communal living unravel.
Augmenting this research is an accompanying book by Silver and an opening reception and keynote lecture by the author on Friday, Oct. 25, in conjunction with BMCM+AC’s annual ReVIEWING BMC confer-
ence. The thematic focus of this year’s ReVIEWING BMC is “Living with the Land.”
The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center is at 120 College St. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e59.
Virtual concert series returns
Since June 2020, Asheville-based radio broadcaster Bruce Swan has
been co-producing the virtual concert series Music My Mother Would Not Like. The concerts were intended to help performing musicians find work during the COVID-19 pandemic while venues were shuttered, as well as to connect fans with their favorite artists and provide both sides with new opportunities.
“There are lots of music lovers in Asheville that are unable or unwilling to drive at night or … work on weekends and cannot get out to
shows,” Swan says. “The series is the perfect combination of lots of important things.”
Four years and 173 concerts later, Music My Mother Would Not Like returns on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and has shows booked into spring 2025. Tickets range from $10-$65, and the performances feature artists from around the world. Links to shows are provided with ticket purchase. To learn more, visit avl.mx/e5a.
— Edwin Arnaudin X
CLUBLAND
COSMIC BLUEGRASS: On Saturday, Sept. 28, Savannah, Ga.-based band Swamptooth brings its psychedelic bluegrass to Jack of the Wood Pub, starting at 9 p.m. Expect an evening of high-energy, relentless jamgrass with a cosmic twang. Photo courtesy of Swamptooth
For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.
FRENCH BROAD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
12 BONES BREWERY
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO.
Trivia Trivia!, 6:30pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm
EULOGY
The Barons w/ Between Two Trees (indie-rock), 8pm
FLEETWOOD'S PSK Karaoke, 9pm
RIVER BREWERY
Saylor Brothers & Friends (jamgrass), 6pm
IMPERIÁL
DJ Otto Maddox (soul, funk), 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD
PUB
Old Time Jam, 5pm
LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA
Everybody But You Bro Open Mic, 6pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO.
Bluegrass Jam w/ Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Luminous Creatures (Phish tribute), 10pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm
SLY GROG LOUNGE
Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 6pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm
STATIC AGE RECORDS
The Crybabies, Jessie & The Jinx & Jojo Harnish (country, alt-indie), 9pm
THE GREY EAGLE
Kelli Baker Band (rock, folk, blues), 8pm
THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.
Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm THE ODD
Trashy Annie & Fifty Year Flood (rock'n'roll, country, blues), 8pm
STATIC AGE RECORDS Joyer, Dish, State Park Ranger & Shining Abyss (indie, bedroom-pop, altjazz), 8:30pm THE GREY EAGLE M. Ward w/Folk Bitch Trio (folk, blues, Americana), 8pm
Mother Mother w/ Winnetka Bowling League (indie-rock), 8pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN
Jody Carroll (blues, folks, roots), 7:30pm
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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here comes the Hating and Mating Season. I want to help you minimize the “hating” part and maximize the “mating” part, so I will offer useful suggestions. 1. To the degree that you can, dissolve grudges and declare amnesty for intimate allies who have bugged you. 2. Ask your partners to help you manage your fears; do the same for them. 3. Propose to your collaborators that you come up with partial solutions to complicated dilemmas. 4. Do a ritual in which you and a beloved cohort praise each other for five minutes. 5. Let go of wishes that your companions would be more like how you want them to be.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many fairy tales tell of protagonists who are assigned seemingly impossible missions. Perhaps they must carry water in a sieve or find “fire wrapped in paper” or sort a heap of wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas and lentils into five separate piles. Invariably, the star of the story succeeds, usually because they exploit some loophole, get unexpected help or find a solution simply because they didn’t realize the task was supposedly impossible. I bring this up, Taurus, because I suspect you will soon be like one of those fairy-tale champions. Here’s a tip: They often get unexpected help because they have previously displayed kindness toward strangers or low-status characters. Their unselfishness attracts acts of grace into their lives.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are in a phase with great potential for complex, unforeseen fun. To celebrate, I’m offering descriptions of your possible superpowers. 1. The best haggler ever. 2. Smoother of wrinkles and closer of gaps. 3. Laugher in overly solemn moments. 4. Unpredictability expert. 5. Resourceful summoner of allies. 6. Crafty truth-teller who sometimes bends the truth to enrich sterile facts. 7. Riddle wrestler and conundrum connoisseur. 8. Lubricant for those who are stuck. 9. Creative destroyer of useless nonsense. 10. Master of good trickery. 11. Healer of unrecognized and unacknowledged illnesses.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Tanzanite is a rare blue and violet gemstone that is available in just one place on earth: a five-square-mile region of Tanzania. It was discovered in 1967 and mined intensively for a few years. Geologists believed it was all tapped out. But in 2020, a self-employed digger named Saniniu Lazier located two huge new pieces of tanzanite worth $3.4 million. Later, he uncovered another chunk valued at $2 million. I see you as having resemblances to Saniniu Lazier in the coming weeks. In my visions of your destiny, you will tap into resources that others have not been able to unearth. Or you will find treasure that has been invisible to everyone else.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Marathon foot races are regularly held worldwide. Their official length is 26.2 miles. Even fast runners with great stamina can’t finish in less than two hours. There’s a downside to engaging in this herculean effort: Runners lose up to 6% of their brain volume during a race, and their valuable gray matter isn’t fully reconstituted for eight months. Now here’s my radical prophecy for you, Leo. Unless you run in a marathon sometime soon, your brain may gain in volume during the coming weeks. At the very least, your intelligence will be operating at peak levels. It will be a good time to make key decisions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Is there a greater waste of land than golf courses? They are typically over 150 acres in size and require huge amounts of water to maintain. Their construction may destroy precious wetlands, and their vast tracts of grass are doused with chemical pesticides. Yet there are only 67 million golfers in the world. Less than one percent of the population plays the sport. Let’s use the metaphor of the golf course as we analyze your life. Are there equivalents of this questionable use of resources and space?
Now is a favorable time to downsize irrelevant, misused, and unproductive elements. Re-evaluate how you use your space and resources.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): On the morning of January 27, 1970, Libran songwriter John Lennon woke up with an idea for a new song. He spent an hour perfecting the lyrics and composing the music on a piano. Then he phoned his producer and several musicians, including George Harrison, and arranged for them to meet him at a recording studio later that day. By February 6, the song “Instant Karma” was playing on the radio. It soon sold over a million copies. Was it the fastest time ever for a song to go from a seed idea to a successful release? Probably. I envision a similar process in your life, Libra. You are in a prime position to manifest your good ideas quickly, efficiently, and effectively.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You have passed the test of the First Threshold. Congratulations, Scorpio! Give yourself a kiss. Fling yourself a compliment. Then begin your preparations for the riddles you will encounter at the Second Threshold. To succeed, you must be extra tender and ingenious. You can do it! There will be one more challenge, as well: the Third Threshold. I’m confident you will glide through that trial not just unscathed but also healed. Here’s a tip from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “Those who do not expect the unexpected will not find it.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What development are you so ready for that you’re almost too ready? What transformation have you been preparing for so earnestly that you’re on the verge of being overprepared? What lesson are you so ripe and eager to learn that you may be anxiously interfering with its full arrival? If any of the situations I just described are applicable to you, Sagittarius, I have good news. There will be no further postponements. The time has finally arrived to embrace what you have been anticipating.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn screenwriter and TV producer Shonda Rhimes has had a spectacular career. Her company Shondaland has produced 11 prime-time TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton She’s in the Television Hall of Fame, is one of the wealthiest women in America, and has won a Golden Globe award. As you enter into a phase when your ambitions are likely to shine extra brightly, I offer you two of her quotes. 1. “I realized a simple truth: that success, fame, and having all my dreams come true would not fix or improve me. It wasn’t an instant potion for personal growth.” 2. “Happiness comes from living as your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I have performed in many poetry readings. Some have been in libraries, auditoriums, cafes and bookstores, but others have been in unexpected places: a laundromat, a bus station, a Walmart, a grocery store and an alley behind a thrift store. Both types of locations have been enjoyable. But the latter kind often brings the most raucous and engaging audiences, which I love. According to my analysis, you might generate luck and fun for yourself in the coming weeks by experimenting with non-typical scenarios — akin to me declaiming an epic poem on a street corner or parking lot. Brainstorm about doing what you do best in novel situations.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I have two related oracles for you. 1. During the unfoldment of your mysterious destiny, you have had several homecomings that have moved you and galvanized you beyond what you imagined possible. Are you ready for another homecoming that’s as moving and galvanizing as those that have come before? 2. During your long life, you have gathered amazing wisdom by dealing with your pain. Are you now prepared to gather a fresh batch of wisdom by dealing with pleasure and joy?
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RENTALS
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
APARTMENT FOR RENT
1st floor, 1 bed 1 bath East of Asheville. Owner shares laundry room. $1050/month plus $100 for utilities. Includes Wi-Fi, electric, heat, air, water, and trash. In safe, private neighborhood. 828-545-0043
HOMES FOR RENT
COZY CABIN FOR RENT 1 bed
1 bath, furnished.. 10 minutes to downtown. Country setting. $1500/month. Includes some electric. (828) 380-6095
VACATION RENTALS
VACANT HOME FOR RENT ON EDISTO ISLAND Lovely new home (sleeps 6) on Edisto Island for rent. Home is one mile from Edisto Beach State Park Boat landing where you can launch canoes, kayaks, or motor boats (park pass provided). Plenty of parking on property. 843-209-0041 jenniepsmith21@ gmail.com
EMPLOYMENT
GENERAL
UNITED WAY IS HIRING: VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT
MANAGER If you love building relationships, can manage multiple projects at once, enjoy working in a team environment, and are skilled at using computers to manage your work, United Way wants to hear from you. We're hiring for a Volunteer Engagement Manager! This Position is responsible for the management and implementation of various volunteer engagement projects that support United Way goals and the recruitment of volunteers for United for Youth and community school strategy partners. For more information and to apply: unitedwayabc.org/ employment-opportunities
UNITED WAY IS SEEKING A RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
MANAGER If you are a skilled fundraiser, love working in a team environment, are an effective relationship builder with public speaking experience, and have a passion for equity-centered philanthropy, then United Way is where you want to be. The Resource Development Manager is part of the Resource Development team and works closely with donors, other departments, and volunteers while holding true to United Way's long-term strategic vision. For more information, and to apply: unitedwayabc.org/ employment-opportunities
SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES
LOOKING
would build a house on my land. We split the cost of materials to build and split the profits when sold. emiliemhsoto@gmail.com
HUMAN SERVICES
BLUE RIDGE TREKS - MENTAL
HEALTH THERAPIST Blue Ridge Treks is seeking a full-time mental health therapist. The therapist will provide outpatient mental health services to 20-25 clients per week. Afternoon/early evening availability required. Email resume to blueridgetreks@ gmail.com
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NEWS REPORTER WANTED
Work for a local company that has covered the local scene for 30 years! Mountain Xpress is seeking an experienced reporter to join our team. You should have the chops to cover a wide range of local issues, including the environment, wellness and health care, community activism, education, public safety, criminal justice and more. You must be able to craft stories that convey important, timely information and empower readers to take part in meaningful civic dialogue and effect change at the local level. Qualified applicants will have experience in news-writing, have social-media skills, write efficiently and enjoy a fast-paced news-gathering environment. Must have knowledge of Asheville and WNC, be community-minded, have a keen sense of fairness with respect for differing points of view and be committed to Xpress’ mission of community-based journalism. Flexible availability required to cover occasional after-hours meetings and weekend events. This is a full-time position. Send cover letter, resume and clips/ links to xpressjob@mountainx. com HOME IMPROVEMENT
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. $35 an hour. Carl (828) 551-6000 electricblustudio@gmail.com
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Donate it to Patriotic Hearts. Fast free pick up. All 50 States. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans find work or start their own business. Call 24/7: 1-855402-7631. (AAN CAN)
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Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energy efficient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & FREE quote today. 1-877248-9944. (AAN CAN)
PAYING TOP CA$H FOR MEN'S SPORT WATCHES
Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 1-855-402-7109 (AAN CAN)
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! 1-833-2371199. (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: 1-866-4728309. (AAN CAN)
TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 1-855-402-7208. (AAN CAN)
UNCLAIMED / RECEIVED FIREARMS The following is a list of unclaimed firearms currently in the possession of the Asheville Police Department: COM/BRO, DAVIS INDUSTRIES, P-32, .32; BLK, SPRINGFIELD, SA XD, 9MM; BLK/GRY, RUGER REVOLVER, LCR, .38; BLK/TAN, GLOCK, 42, .380; BLK, TAURUS, PT738, .380; BLK, TAURUS, .357 MAGNUM, .357; BLK, GLOCK, 26, 9MM; BLK, TAURUS, G2C, 9MM; BLK, GLOCK, 36, .45; UNK, LLAMA, PARABELLUM, 9MM; UNK, HERITAGE, ROUGH, .22; BLK, SMITH & WESSON M&P, M&P 15-22, UNK; UNK, GSS-SHOTGUN, STEVENS 94H, SINGLE; UNK, GSP 12 GA SHOTGUN, MAVERICK 88, 12GA; BLUE, STEVENS, STEVENS 320, 12 GA; GLD/BLK, S&W PISTOL, S&W, .22; BLK, GLOCK, 43, 9MM; BLK, HI POINT RIFLE, HIPOINT, 9MM; BLK, REMINGTON, 870, 12 GA; BLK, GLOCK, 43, 9MM; UNK, S&W PISTOL, M&P 9 SHIELD EZ, 9MM; SIL/BLK, S&W PISTOL, SD, 9MM; BLK, GLOCK, 22, .40; BLK, KEL TEC, P3AT, .380; BLK/ SIL, GEORGIA, VT PA-63, 9MM; BLK, HI-POINT, S&W, .40; BLK, RUGER REVOLVER, LCR, .38; BRO, TAURUS, G2C, 9MM; BLK, SMITH & WESSON, S&W, .380; SIL, RAVEN, MP-25, .25; BLK, HI-POINT, C9, 9MM; SIL/BRO, SENTINEL, MKI, .22; BLK, SMITH & WESSON, S&W, .40; BLK/SIL, HI-POINT, CF380, .380; SIL/BLK, AMT, BACKUP, 9MM; BLK,
SMITH & WESSON, SHIELD, 9MM; SIL/BLK, JENNINGS, J22, .22; BLK/SIL, SMITH & WESSON, 9 SHIELD, 9MM; BLK, EAA REVOLVER, .357 MAG, .357; BLK, EAA REVOLVER, EA/R, 38. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property must contact the Asheville Police Department within 30 days from the date of this publication. Any items not claimed within 30 days will be disposed of in accordance with all applicable laws. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section at 828-232-4576
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: 1-888290-2264. (AAN CAN)
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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
MOTHERWORTHY - A CIRCLE FOR GROWTH-MINDED MOTHERS MEANT FOR MORE
Do you adore your kids but feel your life force being drained by modern motherhood? Join us for MotherWorthy and transform your life from the inside out! avl.mx/e5u
SING FOR JOY AND CONNECTION! ~HARK COMMUNITY CHOIR~ Do you like to sing? Even if you only sing alone in the shower, this is the group for you! We teach all the songs by ear, never perform, (phew!) and sing accessible songs that are multi-part and groovy. Group sizes range from 40-80, and the harmonies are gorgeous!
Our 8-week season begins September 29th, and then we meet Sundays 5-7 @ the Asheville JCC, and Wednesdays, 7-9 @ Homewood Castle. More info and register at WeRingLikeBells. com
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
edited by Joel Fagliano
ACROSS
1 Use a loofah
6 Biodiverse underwater ecosystem
10 Something in the air
13 Cinnabon enticements
15 ___ mater
16 “So ___ heard!”
17 Gathering for lathering?
19 Be a thorn in the side of
20 Weapon for Viking warriors
21 Feed, as a fire
22 Distrusting
24 Assistant who’s always being questioned
25 Cheek
26 Jewels for fools?
32 Puerto ___
33 What houses resemble from an airplane
34 Toy found in King Tut’s tomb
35 Universal donor’s blood type, for short
36 Events at which you try not to lose track?
38 The Floor Is ___ (kids’ makebelieve game)
39 Browser subwindow
40 Japanese noodle
41 Ancestral tales, often
42 Fryer piled higher?
46 Wolverine and others
47 Like wafers
48 Gold coin of old Europe
50 Apt setting for a French kiss
52 Wrath
55 Outfit inspiration for a Swiftie
56 Cup to drink up?
59 Interact with a Magic 8 Ball, say 60 Not out 61 What some credit cards offer rewards points for 62 Issa of Hollywood
Time machine entry 64 Music, informally
1 Fleetwood Mac song with Stevie Nicks on piano 2 Heart 3 Post-shower wear 4 Actress Thurman
5 Hardly a heartening harbinger
6 Unlikely thing off of which to buy haute couture
7 She: Fr.
8 Bird that can run up to 30 m.p.h.
9 Workspaces with 3-D printers and laser cutters, informally
