Mountain Xpress 09.27.23

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LOOMING LARGE

Black Mountain College launched a weaving program in 1934. Despite its success, art historians have largely ignored its impact and legacy. Julie J. Thomson, a Black Mountian-based independent scholar, intends to change that with her latest exhibit, “Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, and Their Students,” which opens Friday, Sept. 29 at BMC Museum + Arts Center.

COVER

by Helen M Post Modley; background design by Joan Potter Sihvonen, courtesy of BMC Museum + Arts Center

COVER

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City must hire an internal auditor

I wish to draw attention to an unsettling lapse in city governance: The internal auditor position in Asheville has been vacant for nearly three years. Audit Committee Secretary Andrew Emory and member Debbie Evenchik recently highlighted this concern during the Aug. 24 Audit Committee meeting, emphasizing the pressing need for resolution.

While City Manager Debra Campbell has assured the committee that a search for an auditor is underway, it is essential to note that this is a critical role for ensuring accountability. Campbell, who happens to be the highest-paid city employee with a $242,694 salary, downplayed the issue.

The absence of an internal auditor becomes particularly concerning when considering the city’s growing issues: rising police attrition rates, increasing crime, homelessness and last Christmas’ weeklong water outage. These problems beg the question: What other issues might lurk beneath the surface under Campbell’s watch?

The city must fill this position promptly for transparency and financial stewardship. Given the array of challenges facing Asheville, it is incumbent upon city officials to act swiftly to restore faith in local governance.

— Jim Fulton President, First Tuesday Conservatives – Asheville Arden

Asheville needs new music hall for symphony and more

[Regarding “Time for a Makeover: Artists and Promoters Point Out Shortcomings of Asheville’s Auditorium,” Sept. 13, Xpress:]

From your article (and thanks) and personal experiences of Asheville Symphony Orchestra performances at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, and with professional understanding of performance and acoustical performance facilities, and acoustics for activities such as symphony and choral performance: The TWA wasn’t, isn’t and will never be a first-class and deserving facility for ASO performances, no matter the extent of dollars and renovation.

The ASO in a new and specifically designed “shoe box” music hall would be best for ASO, other local and visiting acoustical music perfor-

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

in Business

mances, recording of performance groups, the downtown and general Asheville culture and economy. There are good locations, some able to be designed with high-market-valued real estate [surrounding it] to assist in financially supporting the cost of a new ASO, plus facility. Also, this would take a huge reduced budget burden off the TWA renovation. Why not?

I have been a national project architect for 60 years, living and with an office in Asheville for 33 years, and weary of the TWA renovation debate and no first-class successful ASO facility accomplishment.

— Crawford Murphy Asheville

A simple solution for new hotels

With the concerns about too many new hotels, here is one way we can have them without sucking the life out of downtown businesses. Change the laws/zoning/codes so that new hotels cannot have bars or restaurants.

— Thomas A. Gallo Asheville

Add a lighted Ferris wheel to downtown Asheville

I recently saw a news report that the City of Asheville was looking for suggestions for improvements to the downtown area to make it more fun and attractive.

I have one that I believe would brighten up the area and also raise funds for the city and Buncombe County. Since I live in Vegas now, every time I go outside my apartment, I see a gorgeous lighted Ferris wheel at night in the distance, and I really enjoy seeing it glitter at night. I believe the same effect could be done in Asheville, and fees to ride the wheel would provide new jobs and funds for other civic improvements. I also believe both residents and tourists would want to photograph and ride it every night it is running. By the way, I am homesick for West Asheville but am too poor to move back, but if Asheville adds a Ferris wheel downtown, I will visit to ride it.

— John Penley Las Vegas

Bike riders should stay in their lanes

On a recent Thursday, I had to make a business trip on Charlotte Street. Traffic was a little heavy in both directions. Now, I think that bicycle riding is a good all-around exercise for you.

Now, coming from my business on Charlotte Street, I had eight, maybe nine bicycle riders behind me, and traffic was slow. Now, the problem is they were behind me and in front of other vehicles, and on my right side is a new-looking bicycle lane not being used.

If the city spent all that money for you to ride your bicycles in, then use

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

them and stay off my rear bumper. Also, use the crosswalk to reverse direction instead of making a U-turn in the middle of the road at oncoming traffic. Very dangerous.

Another problem with bicycle riders is in rural areas where I live. Please show some common sense and ride one behind the other instead of side by side and blocking the road. They act like they own the road, and when you honk your horn at them, you get some nice finger gestures. Very rude and selfish of them. They need to use lanes that were installed for them in town and be more graceful/courteous on the rural roads.

— Leonard Nickerson Swannanoa  X

Standing tall

The city’s new urban forester has big plans for Asheville’s tree canopy

BY STORMS REBACK

stormsreback@gmail.com

As progressive as Asheville is, when it comes to protecting its tree canopy, it lags far behind many municipalities.

Ed Macie, who served as the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern regional urban forester for 31 years, helped cities in the South build the capacity to manage their urban tree canopies. Thanks to Macie’s efforts, as well as a robust tree ordinance, Atlanta’s tree canopy rebounded from 38% coverage in 1996 to 47.1% in 2014.

After retiring in 2016, Macie relocated from Atlanta to Asheville, where he joined its Urban Forestry Commission (then known as the Asheville Tree Commission). He was shocked to discover that Asheville’s urban forest not only had little protection but was also in sharp decline.

In October 2019, Davey Research Group presented its Urban Tree Canopy Study to City Council. According to its findings, Asheville’s tree canopy plummeted from 50.9% to 44.5% between 2008 and 2018 — a loss of 891 acres of trees. Compared with a city like New York, which only has 22% coverage, 44.5% might not sound so bad, but Macie advises concentrating on the numbers that really matter.

“What I like to draw people’s attention to is the rate of change rather than the overall total,” he says. “We lost 6.4% during the recession years, and that rate of loss has certainly increased during these more robust economic times. If we’re losing upward of 10% every decade, that’s really bad.”

In the fight to restore our planet’s ecological balance, trees are some of our most important allies. They produce the oxygen we need to breathe, they hold soil in place and reduce flooding, and they absorb harmful gases. Furthermore, according to a Forest Service study, they even reduce crime. But perhaps the most important thing trees do is reduce the impact of climate change by sequestering carbon, shading houses and streets, and lowering energy consumption and the heat island effect.

For years, the Urban Forestry Commission has presented the city with a series of goals to stop and reverse tree canopy loss through the

SEEKING SHADE: Earlier this year, the City of Asheville hired Keith Aitken as its first urban forester. Among Aitken’s many goals are to restore and increase the city’s total tree canopy coverage. Photo by Storms Reback

development of an urban forest master plan. Part of this plan has called for hiring an urban forester. After four years of lobbying for the position, the city recently hired Keith Aitken as its first urban forester.

Macie says it’s a positive development. “We’re facing a climate crisis, and one of the most cost-effective and readily available tools we have to cool our climate and mitigate some of the associated risks from climate change is trees,” he says. “Forestry’s a simple and easy way to get it right.”

‘WHAT ABOUT THE TREES?’

I met Aitken at Pack Square Park one morning in early August. The man is built like an oak tree: tall, stout and rooted in the outdoors. During our conversation, he mentioned his love of kayaking and skiing more than once.

In fact, his interest in conservation work got its start thanks to skiing. While driving up Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon on a ski trip in his early 20s, Aitken saw a sign on the door of a Forest Service office that read, “Snow Ranger.” He stopped to learn more. The ranger on duty explained that he did avalanche work every morning and skied every afternoon.

Soon thereafter, Aitken enrolled at the University of Kentucky to study forestry. A subsequent stint with the Boone-based nonprofit Appalachian Voices brought him to Western North Carolina in the late ’90s, and he and his wife, Jana , bounced around for several years before settling in Weaverville.

Over the past 20 years, Aitken has held a variety of positions. “Like everyone else in Asheville ... I was working three or four different jobs just to make ends meet.”

Some of these roles related to his degree — from 2002-06, he served as an educational ranger with the Forest Service. Other positions, such as his most recent 7 1/2-year stint as climbing wall coordinator at the Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, satisfied his passion for extreme sports but had little to do with forestry.

“When [the urban forester] job opened up, I was like, ‘Finally,’” Aitken says.

He began his new role on March 20. Despite his experience, he’s still adjusting to the position. “He doesn’t have an urban forestry background,” says Macie. “Understanding the ‘urban’ prefix in front of his title is part of his learning curve. The more he learns the better off we all are.”

One of Aitken’s main duties is serving as a liaison between the City of Asheville and the Urban Forestry Commission. “You need to have somebody inside the City of Asheville that plays the watchdog role,” Macie explains. “[Someone who] stands on your shoulders and says, ‘Wait, what about the trees?’”

HOW MUCH ARE TREES WORTH?

Unlike Mark Foster, Asheville’s city arborist, Aitken’s duties as urban forester are broader in scale. Whereas Foster, who is part of the Public Works Department, maintains all trees on city properties, Aitken is focused on the general health of the city’s tree canopy. When he does intervene on behalf of an individual tree, it’s on private property.

In September 2020, City Council passed the Tree Canopy Preservation Ordinance. As its name suggests, the ordinance requires the preservation of tree canopies. Those who do not replace the trees they remove must pay an in-lieu fee. One of Aitken’s main responsibilities is managing these fees.

As an example, he mentions the project at the former Fuddruckers on Charlotte Street, where the developers chose to clear-cut the lot and pay a $76,000 in-lieu fee so they could build condominiums. “All that money goes into a fund that goes back into that overlay district so we can use it to plant more trees in the nursery and maintain staffing,” Aitken says. “We can take that money and do good things with it.”

Steep slopes are a more contentious battleground and involve calculations to determine the percentage of permitted disturbance to a given area. Percentages are determined via Asheville’s Unified Development Ordinance’s steep

slope calculator. Based on the ordinance, homeowners in certain areas are also prohibited from removing trees without a permit.

“I have a feeling if I went up there and started handing out violations, I could fund my projects for the next 20 or 30 years,” says Aitken. “People just don’t know what they can or cannot do. We want to create a document or education program for people who move into steep slopes because I want people to come to me when they have a tree removal rather than doing it under the radar.”

Most residents Aitken has talked to who live in Zone B of the city’s steep slope ordinance have responded well, but as he observes, “Some people up there have so much money they just don’t care.”

TAGGING ALONG

To get a better sense of Aitken’s job, I tagged along with him while he visited a property in Montford, where the owner was hoping to remove two large trees. The first was a white oak that Aitken guessed was at least 120 years old and wouldn’t live much longer. It had a hollow cavity at its base and didn’t have any fine branches on it, only large dead limbs and “epicormic branches” (shoots arising from once-dormant buds beneath the bark). Such growth is a survival mechanism.

Aitken blamed the compacted soil from the gravel parking lot that led up to the base of the tree, a situation that wouldn’t be allowed under the current tree ordinance. He also pointed out that the tree had obviously never been maintained. “If an arborist would’ve gotten involved earlier, we probably could have saved this tree,” he said. “If people would maintain what they have, we could save so many more trees, and these are the trees that we want to save because they absorb the most carbon.”

Given the tree’s condition, Aitken approved its removal, which required the property owner to consult with an arborist and submit a letter to the city. The property owner would also have to plant a tree with at least a 2-inch caliper in the dying white oak’s place.

The other tree in question was also a white oak, which Aitken believed was closer to 180 years old. Like the white oak next to the parking lot, this one also had a hollow cavity at the base. That’s where the similarities ended.

“When you look up at this tree, you see a healthy full canopy,” said Aitken. “It has no dieback. This is a great tree. ... I would never sign off

on this tree being removed unless it was verified by a TRAQ [Tree Risk Assessment Qualification] certified arborist. I will stick my neck out for this tree.”

A BIG PROCESS

Aitken spent much of his initial months on the job issuing tree removal permits, but that duty has since been passed along to planners in his department. Now he focuses most of his attention on writing an urban forest management plan that will, among its many priorities, create a definition for legacy trees, ensuring that trees beyond a certain size or age are protected, even if they’re on private property.

“This document is the priority,” Aitken says. “It’s going to drive my position and trees in Asheville for the next 10 years: How many trees we can grow, and where we can grow them. We’re under a lot of pressure from utilities. For example, you cannot put a tree that might get 70 feet tall underneath a power line. You cannot put trees over a sewer line or underground utilities. You take just those two things, and it limits where we can plant trees.”

While creating the management plan, Aitken has experienced some challenges. A complete inventory of Asheville’s urban forest — including all its trees in rights of way, park trees and trees on private property — doesn’t exist. All Aitken’s current information is from the Asheville Tree Map, an online tool with data crowdsourced by people who might not have known how to properly measure trees. Aitken will need to hire a consultant to measure all of Asheville’s trees. But before he can do this, he has to figure out which trees are in the right of way, a project in and of itself.

“We’ll probably have to hire somebody to get that right of way information so we can give it to the people who are doing the inventory,” Aitken says. “It’s a big process.”

Fortunately, funding is not a concern. City Council appropriated $300,000 for the creation of the management plan as part of its 202324 budget.

Along with the current needs, Aitken says he would like to do a tree canopy study at least every five years. Advances in technology should help. “I have a feeling in three or five years we won’t even

have to pay for a canopy study,” he says. “We’ll be able to spit one out through Google.”

Believing that Asheville’s tree canopy may have been further reduced since the 2019 tree canopy study, Aitken says his goal isn’t merely to stop its decline but to increase its size. “I think we can get it up to 55%,” he tells me.

To achieve this, the city will have to start planting far more trees than it removes each year. Its partnership with Asheville GreenWorks, which strives to plant 1,000 trees a year, will certainly help. Together they maintain a tree nursery on Hardesty Lane. Many of the trees they grow there will be planted on city property and private property in South Asheville, where the tree canopy is as low as 20% or 30% in some places.

Aitken hopes to complete the management plan by the fall of 2025. He plans to include a budget in it for hiring more people so that Asheville, like most cities its size, will have an actual forestry department.

“I’m essentially a one-person show right now,” he says. X

The touchy topic of bonds

City Council likely to approve 2024 referendum

BY CHASE DAVIS

cdavis@mountainx.com

As work wraps up from $74 million in bonds that voters approved in 2016, Asheville City Council is considering putting another slate of bonds before voters next year.

What specific projects would be funded is still under discussion, but the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium probably won’t be on the list.

Tony McDowell, the city’s finance director, says a general obligation bond would be perfect to recast the venue.

“Ultimately, bonds allow you to pay for the bigger projects in your Capital Improvement Plan,” says McDowell, “We do not have enough cash in the bank to fund major projects like the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium renovation, which may cost upward to $100 million. It makes sense to issue bonds for those types of really big projects, as they are the ones that are going to benefit the community for many years to come.”

Mayor Esther Manheimer isn’t so sure. During an Aug. 21 town hall, she said Greensboro’s effort to fund a per-

forming arts center are a cautionary tale. Twice, the City of Greensboro proposed referendums for major renovations to the Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, once in 2006 and then again in 2008. Both referendums failed to get enough voter approval, ultimately leaving the project to be funded by private donations. Instead, Manheimer suggested a multipartner approach to funding the renovations, similar to what was done

Current revenue and limited obligation bonds

Currently, the City of Asheville has about $153 million of debt in revenue and limited obligation bonds. These bonds, which are often used for more immediate needs than general obligation bonds, typically are due sooner and have higher interest rates. According to Moody’s Investors Service, the city has an AA1 rating for both revenue bonds and limited obligation bonds, the second-highest rating besides AAA.

REVENUE BONDS

According to the city’s 2023 financial report, Asheville has two revenue bonds, which refinanced previous bonds at a lower interest rate. The first, issued in 2015 for $50 million, paid off a series of bonds issued in 2005 and 2007 dedicated to water system improvements. The second was issued in 2021 for $40 million to pay off a 2018 water

system revenue bond that funded the engineering and construction of the North Fork Dam Improvement Project. Both bonds, due in 2032, are repaid using only water customer revenue.

LIMITED OBLIGATION BONDS

Since the early 2010s, Asheville has used limited obligation bonds primarily to refinance debt on smaller infrastructure projects, such as minor road improvements and park renovations. In 2012, the city issued a $39 million limited obligation bond to renovate and improve the city building and the Harrah’s Cherokee CenterAsheville. Since then, the city has refinanced the bond several times at lower rates and added funds to update city technology, equipment and vehicles. The bonds are repaid from the city’s general fund. X

with the McCormick Field improvement project.

It has been nearly seven years since Asheville voters passed three general obligation bond referendums totaling $74 million for infrastructure. The 2016 bonds were the first sanctioned by Asheville voters since 1986. An $18 million referendum in 1999 for parks and greenways failed to pass.

ASHEVILLE’S COMPLICATED FINANCIAL HISTORY

Historically, the City of Asheville has been wary of municipal debt. As previously reported by Xpress (see “Asheville’s Bond Fears: The Legacy of a Financial Nightmare,” Oct. 20, 2016), Asheville began borrowing money so heavily in the early 1900s that by the time the Great Depression hit, the city’s debt exceeded the combined total of debt held by Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham and Raleigh. By 1932, Buncombe County’s 98,000 residents were on the hook to repay $158.8 million — $2.8 billion in today’s dollars, or over $28,000 per person. Because county and city debts were consolidated in a 1936 agreement, Asheville labored in the shadow of that entire amount. The last payment was made in 1976.

Ever since, the city has been reluctant to issue bonds. However, Manheimer says bonds are necessary to take on major infrastructure projects. “Some people say that all debt is bad, and you should just pay for everything that you can out of that year’s budget,” Manheimer says. “However, in order to make major infrastructure improvements, it is

necessary to borrow, and general obligation bonds are the cheapest way to do that.”

McDowell says many cities seek bond referendums on a regular basis.

“It is really important for any city to have bond referendums on a cycle because that is the primary way that most local governments fund their capital needs,” notes McDowell. “GO bonds have the lowest interest rate when compared to other kinds of bonds, so I think that it is very advantageous for the city to get into the routine of issuing GO bonds on a four- to eight-year cycle.”

Both Moody’s Investor Services and Standard & Poor give Asheville their highest credit rating: AAA for its general obligation bonds because of its stable financial outlook, a growing, well-diversified economy, strong financial management and healthy reserves. This means that the city can borrow money at a lower interest rate.

WHAT THE 2016 BONDS FUNDED

Despite the city’s historic hesitancy to take on more debt, the success of the 2016 bonds has led officials to consider future bond use. Since its approval, the city has funded over 40 projects, many of which are still in progress.

“This slate of projects have absolutely been a huge success,” says Jade Dundas, the city’s capital project director. “While it is ultimately up to the Council and Asheville residents to determine if we will use more bond funding in the future, I think it would be beneficial as it would allow us to tackle more of the bigger infra-

OTHER OPTIONS: During an Aug. 21 town hall, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, second from right, said that the city should look at options besides general obligation bonds for funding the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Photo by Frances O’Connor

structure projects that will benefit the community.”

The package approved by voters in 2016 was divided into three separate bonds: one for transportation, one for affordable housing and one for parks. The transportation bond, approved by 76% of voters, raised $32 million; an affordable housing bond of $25 million passed by a 71% margin; and the $17 million parks bond notched 77% approval.

To repay the bonds, City Council boosted property taxes by 3.5 cents per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value in June 2017. The bonds were issued in three phases, the first in 2020, the second in June and the third slated to be approved by Council in September, according to McDowell. “It is pretty standard practice to issue bonds in phases,” McDowell says. “Because we issued some in 2020, those bonds will be paid off in 2040. The bonds that were issued this year will be paid back in 2043.”

The bond projects also enticed additional funding from grants, private donations, state funding and other sources, bringing in a total of $85.6 million. Of this, $61.5 million has been spent or spoken for, leaving $24.1 million, most of which is earmarked for transportation projects.

Dundas says transportation projects take the longest because of protracted negotiation over acquiring rights of way, particularly for sidewalks since they are built next to people’s yards.

With several projects still in the works, Dundas encourages residents to follow their status on the capital projects dashboard on the city’s website (avl.mx/9yt). Navigate there and slide over the “bond projects” toggle at the top of the page.

Dundas says that his team works to keep it up to date, with quarterly or monthly updates. It includes the name of the project, phase, budget, the amount under contract and the amount spent. “This is a more or less complete list,” Dundas says of the dashboard. “Now if we had any remaining funds, like if we had projects that were less than what we thought, we may build another playground or two, for example.”

OTHER TYPES OF BONDS

McDowell notes that GO bonds are not the city’s only way to finance projects long term. There are two other kinds of bonds: revenue bonds and limited-obligation bonds.

“The big difference between the three is that the local government can issue limited-obligation bonds and revenue bonds without getting voter approval,” McDowell says. “The majority of our capital improvement

plan is funded by limited-obligation bonds, and that is how we are funding the city’s part of the McCormick Field project that is coming up.”

Unlike GO bonds, which have a dedicated tax to repay the loan, limited obligation bonds cap how much the city can raise taxes to repay bondholders. As such, LOBs are considered to be higher risk.

Revenue bonds are repaid from revenues generated by the project they are funding. For example, water bills can repay revenue bonds to repair the city’s water and sewer system.

“If the city was going to issue any debt for any improvements to the water system, it would be in the form of revenue debts,” McDowell says.

McDowell says that it is healthy for a city to have several ways of funding large capital improvement projects. “GO bonds are just a part of the overall CIP program, and it’s just one way of funding your capital needs,” McDowell says. “You really want a healthy mix of different bonds, money from grants, partnerships with other municipalities and organizations as well money from your operating budget.”

“It is hard to say what a city’s capacity for debt is, particularly because of the vast number of factors that can affect both the government and taxpayers,” says Nirali Patel, a lead analyst at Moody’s. “However, when looking at the city’s current debt-to-taxpayer ratio and taking its AAA credit rating into account, I would say that [Asheville] does have the capacity to take on more bonds without significantly impacting tax rates.”

While no specific dates have been mentioned, it is anticipated that the proposed 2024 bonds will come before Council for approval sometime this fall. X

Asheville’s outstanding debt by the numbers

$33,674,912: 2016 GO bonds, repaid through a 3.5-cent tax rate increase

$70,625,000: Revenue bonds, repaid through water customer revenue

$83,651,304: Limited obligation bonds, repaid through general fund

$123,627: Other indebtedness, repaid through general fund

Total Debt: $188,074,843 X

A day in the life

Protecting Buncombe children and families requires passion

BY GREG PARLIER

gparlier@mountainx.com

Most days when she leaves for work in the morning, Mary has no idea what’s in store. A teacher may find out a student hasn’t had dinner or a shower in a week. A baby could be found with a broken arm or burn marks. Even worse, a child could have died from abuse or neglect.

As a lead investigator for Buncombe County’s Child Protective Services division, Mary, a pseudonym used for safety concerns, might have to respond to any and all of these reports, and there’s no telling when she might be called.

“[Mary] does not know if she’s going to get a case today,” says Mick McGuire, social services program coordinator for Buncombe County. “There’s a high probability that she will, but we don’t know if it’s coming at 11, or 3, or if it’s coming at 4, and she might have work until 9 o’clock tonight. We just don’t know right now. And that’s pretty tricky, you know, to then plan a life around.”

Luckily, she’s passionate about children and families. She has to be.

“This is a really hard job,” says Mary. “So there has to be a desire to want to help people and to want to intervene and keep children safe and support families.”

That desire has been tested lately, as the investigations division has struggled with staffing shortages, peaking in May when 11 of the department’s 29 positions were vacant. The resulting workloads led to the entire staff “crying at their desk” in May, says Rebecca Smith , Buncombe’s social work division director.

At that point, employees had to juggle 25 cases each, more than double the state-mandated maximum of 10 cases per employee. Therefore, the department shifted staff around to help cover the caseload. Thus far, the county hasn’t faced any repercussions from the state for its large caseloads, McGuire says.

County commissioners approved money for extra pay for staff and recruiting incentives at its Aug. 15 meeting, and the department expanded the types of degrees it would accept for the positions beyond social work degrees.

The changes have helped, but six positions still sit vacant as of Sept. 6, and of the 23 investigators on staff, only 11 have more than six months of experience. Because of extensive training and a modified workload when investigators first start taking cases, it takes at least a year to fully learn the job, Smith says.

That means the 11 employees with the most experience are shouldering a large majority of the workload, Smith says, with an average of 17-20 cases each.

McGuire, who leads the recruiting effort, hopes the agency has turned a corner and applications will continue to come in.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in qualified applicants,” McGuire says. “It’s been kind of an all-handson-deck process. I hope the investigations team and staff feels that.”

LEARNING TO MEDIATE

In conversation, Mary has a calm, even-keeled demeanor and attentive presence. She is naturally a good listener. But she also carries herself with an air of confidence, and it’s clear she doesn’t get pushed

around by abusive caretakers if a child’s safety is on the line.

That self-assurance has blossomed over the 10 years she’s been doing this work, which she started when she was 23 years old.

“I feel like I’ve grown up here,” she says, referencing the Child Protective Services department. “It’s really pushed me to be able to speak up, speak my mind, push myself to have hard conversations with people and express myself in a way where people are going to listen and hear what I have to say,” she reflects.

That growth has been vital to her success as an investigator, since much of the work, despite being about children, involves conversations confronting parents and caretakers who are not always completely honest about what’s happening in their home.

“You have the evidence, you have the disclosures from the children about what’s happened. And then this person is completely denying [what you know to be true.] So, that is a hard conversation to have with someone. And sometimes people get upset,” she says.

There is a common perception that child protective services departments exist to separate children from their families and to judge parents for how they care for their children, McGuire says. That often manifests as anger when an investigator like Mary shows up at a home to investigate potential abuse or neglect.

“We absolutely understand people’s reactions and responses to us. [They can] sometimes be harsh — yelling, cursing and threatening. But we know that it comes from a place of fear. And so, I think that’s really important to teach new social workers that if a parent is reacting to you this way, it’s because of what they believe that you represent,” says Mary, who also helps train new investigators.

Child welfare workers have to absorb and witness a lot of abuse.

“Secondary trauma does exist for all practitioners who work with anything involving really horrible, horrific things,” Mary acknowledges.

As a department leader, Mary primarily investigates cases of physical abuse, sexual abuse and the most severe neglect of minors. It takes a toll.

“It’s difficult. I would say that, personally, I think what’s helped me is just, I have a really good support system in my life. You have to learn how to compartmentalize things and leave things at work, which is really hard to do. And you can’t always do it every single time. But I do have to learn how to set those boundaries and turn it off when I need to turn it off,” she says.

KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER

McGuire says the primary goal of Child Protective Services — beyond ensuring children are safe and cared for — is to keep families together.

“Our goal is to meet the family where they’re at. We want to highlight their strengths, things that they are doing well, and build off of their existing safety network because we know that child maltreatment can happen,” Mary says.

Many times, McGuire says, there is an isolated incident that prompts a report, but the child is otherwise well cared for. In those instances, an investigator will focus on the positives and then zero in on what went wrong to cause a safety concern, McGuire says.

“We’re all social workers, really focused on prevention and support first, and then when we’ve exhausted all of our resources is when we have to have ongoing nonvoluntary services.”

ON THE ROAD: Investigators in Child Protective Services spend much of their time traveling around the county responding to allegations that a child’s safety may be in danger. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County

Those services, which include temporarily removing a child until the threat to safety subsides, don’t come into play all that often, compared with the number of cases, McGuire says.

In 2022, for example, there was a finding of abuse or neglect in just 378 cases out of almost 2,300 processed, according to data provided by Smith. Another 897 were referred to voluntary services such as behavioral health providers or for mental health and substance use disorder intervention, based on the needs of the family.

Smith says about 80% of families never go beyond their initial assessment, while about 10% are referred to in-home services for ongoing therapy with a social worker. Another 10% of children deemed to be at imminent risk are referred to a team that works on a permanent housing solution for the child, including foster care.

McGuire says in that case, the department attempts to find a “permanent, caring, loving situation,” for the child, whether that be with a parent or through adoption, he says.

However, as reported by Asheville Watchdog (See page 22), an acute foster care home shortage in Buncombe County gave caseworkers no option but to have children sleep in Department of Social Services rooms at least 61 nights this year.

Limited options and a wide variety of family dynamics force caseworkers to be creative in their solutions.

“Our decisions are made solely on what’s best for children, North

Carolina general statutes and professional standards. We would never leave a child in an unsafe situation due to outside factors,” says Lillian Govus, spokesperson for Buncombe County.

“Every family is different. Every family’s upbringing is different. Every family’s trauma history is different. Every person that we work with may come from a different cultural place. And so, we just have to be supercurious,” McGuire says.

Regardless of the situation, while a child’s safety is paramount ideally, a shared agreement can be made between the social worker and family as to the best arrangement for the child’s well-being. Removal means the department has not been able to produce an alternative realistic solution for safety, McGuire says.

“We’ve worked really, really hard to try and keep children with families, because we know how traumatic it can be to remove a child from their parents,” Mary says.

CHALLENGING BUT REWARDING

To help staff members deal with the heavy, unpredictable situations they have to navigate, counseling services are provided in-house. Additionally, Smith says, the department includes at least two supervisors on decisions that involve removing a child from their home.

“Our agency has done a really good job supporting social workers; there’s a lot of resources that we have to help with what we deal with.

We have a drop-in care time where social workers can come weekly, and just talk about what they’ve experienced and get support from their peers,” Mary says.

Beyond that, the job does have somewhat flexible hours, allowing for time off if someone is dealing with a tough case, McGuire says.

McGuire says despite all its difficulties, the work is very rewarding.

“Sometimes we’re meeting people who are in a bad spot or a bad place in their life. But I just think it’s such an honor and a privilege to get to support and work with the people in our communities that sometimes just need someone to support them,” he says.

Mary credits much of her personal and professional growth to the challenges of her job, and she says she wouldn’t want to do anything else.

“I would say if you’re looking for a superrewarding, challenging job that is going to push you to grow, like beyond your limits, and just show you an opportunity where you can make an impact in a family’s life, whether that be very small, this would be like a career choice to at least try out,” Mary says.  X

HOME VISIT: Investigators in the Child Protective Services division often have to make house calls after a report is lodged alleging a child is being abused or neglected. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County

Coalition urges commissioners to push for plastic bag ban despite state restrictions

Following a rally of about 50 in Pack Square on Sept. 19, more than a dozen members of the Plastic-Free WNC coalition urged the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to fight for its right to ban single-use plastic bags with a countywide ordinance.

The group had to change its message abruptly as state legislators added language to the state budget that bars counties from regulating plastic bags.

“It’s a cynical and shameful ploy to deny you the ability to serve your constituents. It’s anti-democratic, and I look forward to working together with you to reject this encroachment on our rights to protect our health and the health of our mountains, rivers and streams,” Karim Olaechea , deputy director of strategy and communications for MountainTrue, told commissioners during public comment.

The $30 billion state budget, which the General Assembly passed Sept. 22 without Gov. Roy Cooper ’s signature, now includes the following: “No county may adopt an ordinance, resolution, regulation or rule to restrict, tax, charge a fee, prohibit or otherwise regulate the use, disposition or sale of an auxiliary container.” Auxiliary containers are defined as “a bag, cup, package, container, bottle, device or other packaging.”

State Sen. Julie Mayfield , former MountainTrue co-director who has advocated for a single-use plastic bag ban, said the way GOP legislators snuck the language into law through the budget is disappointing.

“I won’t lie; this is an unfortunate setback, but it does not mean that we’re going away on our advocacy around plastic production,” Mayfield told Xpress Sept. 20.

Plastic-Free WNC, which consists of several local environmental groups, has been leading efforts to pass an ordinance in both the county and City of Asheville for years, Olaechea said. This year, a city survey of Asheville residents found more than 80% supported a ban. The towns of Woodfin and Black Mountain passed resolutions supporting a countywide ban in recent months, leading to the environmental coalition speaking to commissioners Sept. 19.

In other news

For the first time since 2017, commissioners voted unanimously to increase requirements for businesses to get economic development incentives for bringing jobs to the county.

At the low end, businesses can get a $500 incentive for every job they bring that pays between $28.70 and $35.74 hourly, up from $20.93 to $26.92 for the lowest incentive. The previous amounts were based on average wages in Buncombe County; the new scale is based on area median income.

Wages are what people make at a given job, while income includes other sources, like second jobs or Social Security benefits, said Tim Love , director of economic development and government relations for Buncombe County.

Commissioner Amanda Edwards said she would rather use local area median income as a benchmark because that is what is used when determining what constitutes affordable housing for real estate developers looking for their own county incentives.

One of them, tour guide Sarah Ray , dressed up as a French Broad mermaid for the occasion.

“I love sharing [Asheville] as a tour guide so much. But when there are plastic bags caught in the trees and blowing through the streets and stuck on the base of the fringe of our river, it’s embarrassing. It’s also sad and it’s frightening that so many of our treasured plants and animals and even ourselves are unwittingly consuming plastics just

by drinking water and breathing air,” she told commissioners.

Ani Johnson , a senior at Asheville High School, said: “For the sake of our future, please take action. I know that there are barriers as we’ve talked about earlier, but please, for the sake of our future, take action to stop this. Our future doesn’t have the time to wait.”

Commissioners did not respond directly to the public commenters.

In the 2025 strategic plan, Love said the county’s goal is to have county incentives match statewide area median income, which is slightly higher than Buncombe’s, according to Love’s presentation.

Additionally, employers can get $1,000 per employee if they pay more than a living wage and participate in Inclusive Hiring Partners or an equivalent workforce program such as NCWorks, Love said. Employers previously qualified for $500 per employee if they met those standards.

Commission Chair Brownie Newman said the county should consider requiring companies to pay their entire workforce a living wage to get county incentives.

Commissioner Al Whitesides said if a company pays 50% of its workforce below a living wage, they shouldn’t earn an incentive.

“You’re talking about people who will be struggling to live. We need to make sure that we have companies coming in who make it so that everybody can afford to live,” he said.

Love said staff would look into requiring a percentage of a company’s workforce to make a living wage in an upcoming second phase of economic development incentive updates.

BAG MONSTER: A member of the Plastic-Free WNC coalition shows off a suit of plastic litter at a rally in Pack Square before advocating for a plastic bag ban during the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 19.

Photo by Greg Parlier

RIVER MERMAID: Sarah Ray, dressed as the French Broad mermaid, asked commissioners to fight for their right to ban single-use plastic bags at the Sept. 19 meeting. Photo by Greg Parlier

BCTDA annual meeting hosts speaker on economy’s future

Despite a 30-minute evacuation due to smoke from caterers, the annual meeting of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority on Sept. 19 was deemed a huge success by BCTDA President and CEO of Explore Asheville Vic Isley. More than 250 business owners, entrepreneurs and community leaders gathered at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts.

The event featured Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis. He also is co-founder of CityLab and the Creative Class Group, which works with companies and governments worldwide.

During his speech, Florida noted the unique opportunity that Asheville faces as the world shifts to a new economy.

“Since the pandemic, the world has developed an economy based not on our physical labor and materials, but on our human talent, our human gifts, our knowledge, our mental capacities,

our creativity, and I think you exemplify that here in Asheville,” said Florida.

Unlike other cities, Asheville has the ideal combination of natural features such as mountains, hiking trails and views and urban amenities like restaurants, nightlife and breweries, he noted.

“Since COVID, it has become clear that creative and talented people want to go places that have a mix of natural and urban amenities,” Florida said. “Tourism is your front door in many different ways. How many people come here and decide to stay? How many people come here and like it and decide to move their business?”

But while Asheville can continue to grow, Florida said, it faces a few challenges, including the perception of safety downtown and urban vagrancy.

“I think the pandemic has created a kind of urban disorder, whether through mental illness, vagrancy or homelessness,” Florida said. “While it is very mild here compared to metropolises such as New York City, you have

to address it early, or it just metastasizes. Make sure with the community that you keep your downtown safe and clean.”

Another major concern that Asheville needs to address is housing affordability, Florida said. Other cities similar to Asheville, such as his client Bentonville, Ark., did not address housing affordability and now struggle to grow and develop. “[Bentonville leaders] laughed when I told them a few years ago that they would face a housing crisis, and now they are calling me back asking me to do a housing affordability study next month,” Florida said.

“If you become a destination that attracts talent, your housing prices are going to go up, and you need to prepare for the coming crisis of housing affordability,” Florida said. “I heard you already find yourself with a high cost of living for the region. You’ve already got to think long and hard about affordable housing for young people.”

Bacoate honored for community service

The TDA also recognized U.S. Army veteran and community activist Matthew Bacoate Jr. with the William A.V. Cecil Leadership Award for his dedication to Asheville. The award, created in 1989 as a tribute to William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, honors the leadership, creativity and dedication of people who support Asheville’s tourism sector.

Bacoate was a driving force behind Asheville’s integration during the Civil Rights Movement. For over six decades, he has organized the Skyview Golf Tournament at the Asheville Municipal Golf Course, the longest-running Black-owned and operated professional tournament in the country.

Known for striking up conversations with anyone he ran into, Bacoate often gives out silver dollars to people who smile and outwardly show kindness and respect. As a nod to this special gesture, each attendee of the meeting was given a silver dollar in his honor as they exited the theater.

— Chase Davis X

RECOGNIZING LOCAL SUPPORTERS: Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority President and Explore Asheville CEO Vic Isley recognized U.S. Army veteran and community activist Matthew Bacoate Jr. with the William A.V. Cecil Leadership Award for his service and dedication to Asheville.

Photo by Chase Davis

Cool evenings and brisk mornings are heralding the coming fall. Soon we’ll be gazing in wonder at the display of colors that the forest puts on before those glorious trees settle down for their winter rest. Your gardens may be making a transition, too, from summer fruits to fall and winter greens, or into a state of renewal beneath mulch or cover crop. Don’t forget to send in any questions that come up to gardening@mountainx. com, and I’ll get them answered in next month’s feature, which will be the last of this calendar year.

Not too late to plant

I’ve just moved into a new place. Is it too late to plant a fall garden now?

Now is a great time to plant several crops that will ripen as the weather cools. You’ve missed the boat on some longer-lived cool weather favorites, like broccoli, cabbage, carrots and beets, but there are greens and roots galore that still have plenty of time to grow. Some suggestions are: arugula, winter lettuces (be sure you choose cold-weather varieties, many of which have “winter” in their names), turnips for greens, mustard greens, kale, cilantro, tatsoi, bok choy, spinach and radishes of all kinds.

Most of these veggies will be fine as the temperatures dip below freezing but will benefit from covering once it gets really cold. There are two main factors that limit gardening in the fall and winter: temperature and amount of sunlight. Not only do days get cooler during these seasons, but the number of hours of sunshine goes down, too. Plants grow in response to both of these influences (plus water and soil nutrients, of course). So, even if we’re in for a milder winter, crops still won’t grow much after the daily sunlight goes below about 11 hours. For us, that means most of November through January. So, the key is to get things in soon, so that they have time to grow while the sun is still shining, and the soil is still warm.

Two other crops deserve special mention. They are garlic and Austrian winter peas. Garlic is unique because it’s ideal to plant in the fall, even later than now. I’ve planted it as late as late October or even into November with great results. Since it’s sprouting from a clove instead of a seed, it’s got quite a bit of its own energy to draw from for initial growing. Plus, garlic doesn’t need any covering whatsoever, even if temperatures get down to the single

digits. It’s happy to overwinter and will grow rapidly in the late winter and early spring, for a midsummer harvest next year.

Austrian winter peas (also known as field peas) are technically a cover crop, but their greens are delicious and can be harvested and eaten as pea shoots in the early spring. They feed the soil by fixing nitrogen, are an easy cover crop to manage and are full of flavor and nutrition during a time when little else has gotten going in the springtime.

Speaking of cover crops, planting them is another way to love your new garden during this time of year. Even if you don’t get in a bunch of veggies for yourself to eat, you can feed and protect the soil by planting these beneficial “green manures” that you’ll cut and potentially till in next spring. Austrian winter peas are just one option; others include rapeseed, tillage radish, winter rye (which takes some technique to remove in the spring) and some kinds of clover. If you choose a winter cover crop mix from one of our local garden stores, they’ll likely have a blend of these. It can be exciting to get a garden growing right away in a new spot, and it’s also always a great idea to begin by nourishing the soil, which cover crops do beautifully.

The secret to celery

I grew celery for the first time this year, and it took forever … plus it was tougher and more bitter than any celery I’ve ever had. How can I

grow celery that’s like what I buy at the store?

Celery is fascinating to me because it’s such a common vegetable, yet many gardeners don’t choose to grow it. The long growing season has something to do with this choice. As this reader noticed, celery takes a long time to grow and mature — up to 140 days. That means that space in the garden will be taken up for the entire growing season to yield several bunches of celery. You’ve got to really like celery or have a lot of garden space to make this worthwhile. In addition to time, celery requires both high fertility (nitrogen in particular), as well as frequent watering. Without these factors, celery won’t grow very well, particularly at the end of the season as it’s maturing. Low water and fertility can cause toughness and bitterness in the stalks and are probably the culprits for those qualities in the celery this reader grew.

If you’re a celery enthusiast and feel really committed to the crop, you can plant it in really rich soil, keep it evenly moist throughout the season and feed it several times throughout the growing season by side-dressing or fertigating. These tactics can lead to celery that’s more like what you’re used to. Since this takes a lot of inputs and care, I prefer to grow a leafy cousin of stalk celery called “cutting celery” or “smallage.” This herby crop can be chopped up and added to soups, stews, salad dressings and marinades to impart a celery flavor. It’s much easier to grow than stalk celery, though it also thrives in high-moisture and high-fertility soils. The flavor of

It’s not too late to sow a few fall crops

GARDEN BLANKET: Austrian winter peas and tillage radish emerge as winter crop cover. Photo courtesy of Wild Abundance

cutting celery is stronger than stalk celery, so a little goes a long way. Therefore, it doesn’t need to take up quite so much space in your garden. The downside of cutting celery is that it’s not suitable for dipping or ants on a log. This doesn’t bother me so much because I find other crunchy-snacky veggies like salad turnips, cucumbers and even carrots easier to grow than stalk celery.

Cook elderberries before eating

Are wild elderberries edible?

It’s the time of year when elderberry bushes, both wild and cultivated, droop with the weight of deep purple berry clusters. The American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) can be found along streambeds and at the edges of forests from Venezuela to

Canada, and it’s what we’ve got here in our mountains. When ripe, the berries are edible but need to be cooked first. Eating raw berries can cause nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea. So, I repeat: edible, yes, but only after they’ve been cooked.

My favorite way to prepare elderberries is as a syrup to mix with warm water and drink during the winter to boost immunity and fight sickness. You can find a recipe and more on elderberries in a blog post I wrote about them for Wild Abundance: Elderberry Syrup Recipe, Plus Edler Botany and Lore. Other folks like to make pies or jams, which I’m sure are also delightful. Since elderberries are pretty easy to identify, they’re a good foraging crop for beginners, but do make sure you’ve got a proper identification before eating any.

— Chloe Lieberman

X

WINTER WARRIOR: Garlic can be planted late into the fall for a midsummer harvest next year. Photo courtesy of Wild Abundance

COOK FIRST: Elderberries can be eaten, but only after they’ve been cooked. Photo courtesy of Wild Abundance

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

SEPT.

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

 Online-only events

 Feature, page 24-25

 More info, page 30

 More info, page 33

WELLNESS

Therapeutic Recreation

Adult Morning Movement

Active games, physical activities, and sports for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over. Advanced registration at avlrec.com required.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Tai Chi for Balance

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

WE (9/27, 10/4), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

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

WE (9/27, 10/4), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Tai Chi Fan

This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome.

Fans will be provided.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Nia Dance Fitness

A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.

TH (9/28, 10/5), 9:30am,

TU (10/3), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Tai Chi for Beginners

A class for anyone interested in Tai Chi and building balance as well as body awareness.

WE (9/28, 10/5), MO (10/2), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Yoga In the Solarium

Flow through gentle Vinyasa and center yourself to the effects of sound bathing. All experience levels welcome.

TH (9/28), 6:30pm, The Restoration Hotel Asheville, 68 Patton Ave

Zumba Free zumba class.

TH (9/28), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Morning Meditation

Everyone is welcome to join the sit; however no meditation instructions are provided.

FR (9/29), 7:30am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Routines for Healthful Sleep

Sleep is essential to living a healthy life. Learn easy ways to achieve the best night’s sleep.

FR (9/29), 10am, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Free Meditation

All are welcome to this one-hour silent meditation practice.

SA (9/30), 10am, Ganesh Place, 594 Ray Hill Rd, Mills River

Yoga in the Park

All-levels welcomed, but bring your own props and mat. Pre-register at avl.mx/9n6.

SA (9/30), SU (10/1), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Therapeutic Slow Flow

Yoga

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

SA (9/30), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103

Sunday Walking

Meditation

Walking slowly and mindfully has been shown to slow your heart rate and reduce stress.

SU (10/1), 10am, Walk

Jones Wildlife Sanctuary, Montreat

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

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

SU (10/1), 1:30pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Breathe & Bloom: Breathwork for Inner Beauty

Rachele Scevola will guide you through a transformational breathwork

WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S: The Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter will host a Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Sept. 30. Check-in starts at 9 a.m. at Hendersonville’s historic courthouse and aims to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association

session to help tap into your inner beauty.

SU (10/1), 6pm, The Restoration Hotel Asheville, 68 Patton Ave

Barre Fusion

A high energy low impact practice that shapes, sculpts, and tones the body like a dancer. No experience necessary, open to all levels.

MO (10/2), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Free Zumba

Focusing on health and fitness with a fun hour of dance fitness. All fitness levels are welcome.

MO (10/2), 11:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Metta Meditation

In-person guided meditation focused on benevolence & loving-kindness. This event is free to attend. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

MO (10/2), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Qigong for Health

A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.

FR (9/29), TU (10/3), 9am, SA (9/30), 11am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Mary Magdalene

Connect and commune with the essence of Magdalene's sacred mysteries for healing, personal transformation and self mastery. Register at avl.mx/d1i.

TU (10/3), 5pm, Online

Zumba

Free zumba class; Registration not needed.

TH (9/28), TU (10/3), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Dharma & Discuss

People coming together in friendship to meditate, learn and discuss the Dharma. Beginners and

experienced practitioners are welcome.

TH (10/5), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Seeds of Spirit

A weekly meditation and healing circle. Register at avl.mx/cya.

TH (10/5), 7pm, Online

ART

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson

This exhibition celebrates the legacy of Lambert Wilson, a passionate collector of contemporary Native American art. Over 140 works on view tell the story of the relationships he built and the impact that he made by dedicating himself to this remarkable collection. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Dec. 8. WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

The Wool & The Wood

Featuring needle-felted wool landscapes by Jaana Mattson and fine furniture by Scott Kestel. Gallery open Monday through Sunday, 10am. Exhibition through Oct. 29.

Grovewood Gallery, 111 Grovewood Rd

Onicas Gaddis: Homage to Miss Sarah

A collection of works by Onicas Gaddis dedicated to his first mentor and friend, Sarah Carlisle Towery. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through

Sept. 29. Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Juried Fiber Exhibition: Small Expressions Opening Reception

An opening reception for Small Expressions, a national juried fiber exhibition that will be on display at the Mary Conwell Gallery located in the Sycamore building on HCC's campus. TH (9/28), 4pm, Haywood Community College, 185 Freedlander Dr, Clyde

Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting

Reflecting on the history of American Realism one can see the endless variety of approaches artists choose to record their world. This exhibition continues this thread, offering viewers an opportunity to explore a singular and still vigorous aspect of American painting. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through Feb. 5, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Romare Bearden: Ways of Working

This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores many of Romare Bearden's most frequently used mediums including screen-printing, lithography, hand colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Jan. 22, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees

An immersive art installation that engages with concepts related to an imagined major event, species survival and adaptation.

ty, or a reflection of social ideologies and divisions.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 22.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Surrender: Embrace Ginger Huebner’s new solo show represents a leaning into–an embracing of–the surrender of control of what is to come. The works are structured by edges and pathways of the natural world that act as touch points for her layers of color using the medium of chalk pastel. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition through Oct. 29.

Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St

Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez & Their Students

collaboration with Beer City Comic Con. SU (10/1), 5pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr Reuter Center Singers

Seasoned seniors that study and perform classical, popular, show tunes and other favorites. MO (10/2), 6:15pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

Local Live Series: Jay Brown

A bi-weekly local live series featuring a variety of talented local musicians. MO (10/2), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

TH (9/28, 10/5), FR (9/29), SA (9/30), 5pm, Center for Craft, 67 Broadway St

Surrender: Embrace

Opening Reception

Ginger Huebner’s new solo show represents a leaning into–an embracing of–the surrender of control of what is to come. The works are structured by edges and pathways of the natural world that act as touch points for her layers of color using the medium of chalk pastel.

FR (9/29), 5pm, Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St

Eden Revisited: Opening Reception

A solo exhibition of lush, botanical paintings by popular artist Laine Bachman featuring real and imaginary creatures and goddess-like women with a deep connection to the natural world.

SA (9/30), 5pm, Bender Gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave

Western North Carolina

Glass: Selections from the Collection Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through April 15, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Public Tour: Intersections in American Art

A docent led tour of the Museum's Collection and special exhibitions. No reservations are required.

SU (10/1), 2pm, Asheville

Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

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

This exhibition explores the many identities of food in daily life: whether a source of pleasure, a reason for gathering, a mass-produced commodi-

The first exhibition devoted to textile practices at Black Mountain College.

Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Jan. 6, 2024. See p24-25 Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Laine Bachman: Eden

Revisited Exhibition

A solo exhibition of lush, botanical paintings by popular artist Laine Bachman featuring real and imaginary creatures and goddess-like women with a deep connection to the natural world. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition through Oct. 30. Bender Gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave

COMMUNITY MUSIC

Outdoor Live Jazz Concert

A live jazz series featuring host, pianist, and composer, Michael Jefry Stevens. This program is free to attend and no registration is required.

TH (9/28), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Goddess Rap w/Luciya

Luciya will perform Goddess Rap, her original lyrics honoring the Divine Feminine and Universal Flow. Reservations required. Location sent upon receipt of contact info.

SA (9/30), 7pm, Porch

Concert

Mark's House Jam and Beggar's Banquet Weekly Sunday pot luck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. It's a family friendly community day so bring a dish to share.

SU (10/1), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside

Dr

Music to Your Ears Discussion Series: Led Zeppelin's House of the Holy Bill Kopp, author and music journalist is joined by Christopher Everett and will discuss Led Zeppelin's album and play recordings from it. WE (10/4), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

YAIMA

An immersion of deeply revitalizing organic rhythms, warm soothing vocals, and heartened lyricism from a Cascadian Folktronic duo hailing from Seattle, WA. WE (10/4), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Brenda McMorrow & Paloma Devi

An evening of heart opening, inspiring and healing music. Guest musicians Jahidi, Scott Sheerin, and Chris Rosser, Paloma and Brenda will each share a set.

TH (10/5), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

LITERARY

Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food & People Guest speaker, Erica Abrams Locklear, discuses her new book Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People.

WE (9/27), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Wired for Dating Book Club

Discuss neurobiology and attachment styles in love relationships, and apply the lyrics of secure love songs in dating.

WE (9/27), 6pm, W Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Rd

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring 90 seconds of material that isn't working.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Star Wars: Celebrating a Galaxy of Music

The Asheville Symphony is proud to present a Star Wars themed program in

The Black Angels: Maria Smilios w/Sarah Patten Author Maria Smilios  sits down with Sarah Patten in-conversation to talk

about her book The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis. There will be a Q&A portion followed by a book signing.

TH (9/28), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St

Poetry Open Mic Hendo

A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night.18+

TH (9/28, 10/5), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave E, Hendersonville

Painting from the Palette of Love: The Mystical Poetry of Kabir

Thomas Rain Crowe will be reading from his new book of poetry, SA (9/30), 1pm, Blue Ridge Books, 428 Hazelwood Ave, Waynesville

Jaki Shelton Green

The Friends of the Black Mountain Library present a free reading and conversation with NC poet Jaki Shelton Green.

TU (10/3), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St, Black Mountain

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 (10/3), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Juniper Bends Reading

Series

Quarterly reading series with three readers and a musical guest. Featuring Jasmin Pittman Morrell, Brit Washburn, Carolina Siliceo Perez and more.

TH (10/5), 6pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave

THEATER

& FILM

D.W Gregory: Radium Girls

Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth and the commercialization of science.

FR (9/29), SA (9/30),

SU (10/1), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 West State St, Black Mountain

The Tempest

An audience favorite for its comedy, romance, and some fun stage trickery to showcase a massive shipwreck and some supernatural goings on.

FR (9/29), SA (9/30), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

Bocafloja & DJ Manu

Karu

Bocafloja presents his documentary Bravado Magenta followed by a Q&A and musical performance. After party to follow with DJ Manu Karu.

SA (9/30), 7pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave

Pippin

With a score by Stephen Schwartz and a dazzling circus-inspired production, Pippin is an audience-pleasing theatrical spectacle that explores themes of love, war, and the meaning of life.

FR (9/29), SA (9/30), 7:30pm, SU (10/1), 2:30pm, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St

A Deeper South: An Evening of Films From the Road

Veteran road-tripper and Asheville resident Pete Candler will present a series of short films from the American South that beautifully and hauntingly capture the contradictions of the region.

MO (10/2), 6:30pm, Grail Moviehouse, 17 Foundy St

Toy Box Theater, Jake Budenz & Bad Ties

An evening of wild theatrics, puppetry, comedy and America's favorite cartoon witch.

WE (10/4), 8pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

Ben & Angela

A young couple follow the twisty, sometimes hilarious, road of marriage from first infatuation through the kinks and

perils and triumphs of the long haul.

TH (10/5), 7:30pm, BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Alexander Technique Workshop

This workshop is a safe space to share questions, experiences and to explore together how to cultivate a sense of wellbeing while refining your artistry. All levels and abilities are welcome. Register at avl.mx/d0z.

WE (9/27), 11:30am, Asheville Music School, 10 Ridgelawn Rd

AVL's Racial Justice Coalition Lunch n' Learn

Discussing reparations and the history of black Asheville. Housing, health and wellness along with community building and education will be a few of the topics at this event.

WE (9/27), 12:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Community Choice

Enjoy family activities including puzzles, board games, arts and crafts, and more. Kids ages 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 6:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Beginners Aerial Silks

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

WE (9/27, 10/4), 4pm, 5:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave

E-Commerce: Building

Your Online Store w/ Wordpress & Woo Commerce

Learn how to build a website that can handle E-commerce, taking payments, calculating shipping and tax and managing subscriptions. Register at avl.mx/d18.

WE (9/27), 3pm, Online Eightfold Path Study Group

A group will gather to study the Eightfold Path

Program. Kris Kramer will host the group as a fellow participant and student.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 3pm, Black Mountain, Honeycutt St, Black Mountain Bikes 'N Brews

A weekly group ride that takes in the views of Black Mountain and Old Fort and concludes at the WNC Outdoor Collective with your favorite beer or kombucha.

WE (9/27), 5:30pm, WNC Outdoor Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain

Free E-Bike Rental

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

WE (9/27, 10/4), 10am, Ace Bikes, 342 Depot St Homemade Health & Wellness Series w/Ashley English

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

WE (9/27), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Intro to Ballroom Dance

Explore the world of Latin and Ballroom dancing with such styles as swing, salsa, foxtrot, rumba, merengue, and more.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 6pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Midweek Showdown: Game Night

A game night extravaganza with live game show challenges for teams of five or less, as well as board games and pinball galore. Each week brings fresh challenges.

WE (9/27), 7pm, Dssolvr, 63 N Lexington Ave

Swing Dance Lessons

A dance series class focused on the Lindy Hop.

WE (9/27), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St Spanish Club Spanish speakers of all ages and levels are welcome to join together

for conversation to practice the language in a group setting.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

The Artist's Way Workshop

A guided walk through Julie Cameron's world renown self-help book for professional artists, parttime creators, or anyone looking to discover and unblock their creative process.

WE (9/27, 10/4), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

The Overlook Live w/ Matt Peiken

Local Asheville podcast hosts its first live recording event.

WE (9/27), 7pm, Tina McGuire Theatre, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

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 (9/28, 10/5), MO (10/2), TU (10/3), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Environmental Sustainability Symposium

The objectives of this event are educating, engaging and activating the community to work individually and cooperatively toward the common goal of a healthier Asheville urban ecosystem.

TH (9/28), 5:30pm, Asheville Fire & Police Department, 100 Court Plaza

In-Person Teacher: Emily West Horn

A certified mindfulness teacher, authorized to teach meditation by Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Society. Attendance is free.

TH (9/28), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Relationship Marketing

In this class, you will review how transactional dialogue creates a barrier to trust and long-term customer relationships. Free with registration.

FR (9/29), 9am, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

American Red Cross Mobile Blood Drive

Asheville Outlets is teaming with the American Red Cross to host a mobile blood drive.Donors are asked to register in advance by visiting RedCrossBlood. org/give.

FR (9/29), 11am, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

Ferguson Family Night

Featuring a family night of activities such as face painting, art display, games, story time, kid's activities and crafts and more. Free and open to the community.

FR (9/29), 4:30pm, Ferguson Family YMCA, 31 Westridge Market Place, Candler

Change Your Palate

Cooking Demo

This free food demonstration is open to everyone but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/ or their caretakers. Our featured host is Change Your Palate's very own Shaniqua Simuel.

FR (9/29), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Teen Cuisine Learn how to make delicious and easy meals from breakfast to desserts. This class is intended for teens ages 13 to 18.

FR (9/29), 6pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Montreat to Mount Mitchell Hike

This is a small group hike for experienced hikers with a limit of 15 participants. All hikers must be pre-approved.

SA (9/30), 8:15am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain

Beyond Land Acknowledgement: Toward Reparations & Healing

Featuring 9 local Native presenters, musicians, and artists who will explore the history, culture, and future of our Indigenous neighbors and building relationships with them. Registration required.

SA (9/30), 9am, UNCA, 1 University Heights

Introduction to Fly Fishing Participants learn about basic gear, how to cast a fly rod, where to go, and rules and regulations for fishing in North Carolina. All gear provided, but advance registration at avlrec.com is required.

SA (9/30), WE (10/4), 9am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd

Sales Fundamentals

In this class, you will learn an ethical, relationship-based, model of sales. Learn the many ways sales help your business survive and grow. Begin creating your own, personalized, sales process that goes from first contact with a prospect to completed sale with a customer.

SA (9/30), 9am, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

The James Vester Miller Historic Walking Trail: 2023 Church Exhibit

An opportunity to step inside and explore four historic black churches on the JVM Walking Trail. This event allows community members of all ages to learn the history of these churches. Each month will feature a different church through December with Mt. Zion church kicking off the series.

SA (9/30), noon, Multiple Locations, Citywide AVL Fall Clothing Swap

Part social gathering, part fashion, part fundraiser. Come to mingle and find a new favorite outfit. Proceeds will be donated to Asheville's Planned Parenthood and Mountain Area Abortion Doula Collective.

SA (9/30), 1pm, Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer

Garden & Distribution Center, 284 Lyman St

Mentoring Workshop: How to Join the Southern Highland Craft Guild

Learn what it takes to join our organization of fine craftsman, and prepare for your application.

Existing Guild Members will take you step-by-step to prepare you for the jury process.

SA (9/30), 1pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Therapeutic Recreation Tennis Lessons

Learn tennis basics and practice skills on the court in this four-week course designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities who are ages 8 and over. For more information, please call 828-232-4529.

SA (9/30), 1pm, The Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave

Fall Headshot Pop-Up Studio

This event is perfect for anyone looking to update their websites and profiles.

SA (9/30), 2pm, Noble Cider Downtown, 49 Rankin Ave

From Introspection to Celebration

Exploration of conditioning connection with and creation of more coherent identity.

SU (10/1), 10am, Center for Conscious Living and Dying, 83 Sanctuary Rd, Swannanoa

Weekly Sunday Scrabble Club Tournament-style scrabble. All levels of play.

SU (10/1), 12:15pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Birding by Ear

A four week course introducing the wonderful world of birding. Participants have two instructional sessions with an emphasis on birding by ear followed by two

very stressful situation’

County struggles to find foster homes for kids, many of whom have mental health needs

BY ANDREW R. JONES

Editor’s note: This is an abridged version of Asheville Watchdog’ s Sept. 19 article, “Children sleep in Buncombe offices, Mission emergency room due to foster home shortage.” For the full story, visit avlwatchdog. org.

The shortage of Buncombe County foster homes is so acute that many youths, some struggling with complex mental health issues, must sleep, sometimes for multiple nights, in county offices, meeting spaces, therapeutic rooms and even Mission Hospital’s emergency department.

Children have slept in Department of Social Services rooms at least 61 nights this year, according to data the department submits weekly to the state. But Buncombe started recording the data only in mid-February and lacked numbers for all weeks through August, so the amount is likely higher, according to Rebecca Smith , Buncombe’s social work services division director and foster care and adoptions program administrator.

In a single week in February, three children slept in county-owned spaces, according to the data. One child had to stay in offices every night during another week that month.

These stays have been so common that in September 2022, Buncombe converted a room it leases into a bedroom. The space, located next to visitation, therapy and family rooms, offers two beds that can be used if the overnighters are siblings. If two

unrelated children are using DSS offices overnight, only one can use the bedroom, Smith said, meaning the other child has to sleep in another room.

“It’s really an emergency, because when a kid comes in at 9 o’clock at night, all these other agencies are closed, no one’s picking up their phone, and what we don’t want to have is them literally sleep on the couch in this building,” said Amy Huntsman, Buncombe County DSS licensing supervisor, referring to the Family Justice Center in downtown Asheville.

Across North Carolina, a lack of foster homes, brought on by a dearth of interest and the COVID19 pandemic, plagues the social services system. Foster care home availability dropped by more than 18% from the 2019-23 fiscal years, from 7,144 to 5,849, according to data provided to Asheville Watchdog by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Before that bedroom was created, children were spending the night at the Buncombe County Family Justice Center and sometimes with social workers at local hotels. That’s no longer necessary, and children haven’t slept at the Justice Center in a year, with one exception, Smith said.

Besides providing space for overnighters in DSS offices, staff said, the county buys clothes and other necessities for them and keeps a refrigerator and pantry stocked. The room has a private bathroom for showers. Children receive 24-hour supervision, with one or two staff members overseeing each child. Buncombe takes them to the doctor and dentist for checkups.

“We’re really fortunate to have this spot, but the unfortunate part about it is that it’s not helping that kid at all,” Huntsman said of the bedroom. “They’re having differ-

ent social workers come in all day long to check on them, watch them, supervise them, take them to get something to eat. It just takes this time of trauma and flux and just compounds it for these children. It’s not great by any means, but it does happen.”

That bedroom had been occupied less frequently recently, Huntsman said in late August.

“It was a very stressful situation,” Smith said of the time before the spare bedroom. “We’re not set up to house children in the office. It was a reaction to a failure in our system, if I’m being honest, related to mental health placements.”

REASONS BEHIND THE DECLINE

The reason children are sleeping on couches and pull-out beds comes down to a deficit in foster homes, especially those capable of tackling mental health needs, according to social work staff members and local foster care agencies The Watchdog interviewed.

“There are two big reasons for the decline in the number of foster parents in North Carolina,” said Hannah Jones, an NCDHHS spokeswoman. First, not enough new North Carolina parents are applying to foster, Jones said.

Second, the COVID-19 pandemic stalled new foster home licenses, Jones said.

Not only are local DSS offices having to board children overnight, but they also have to place children farther from their county when an available placement is located, Jones said.

“This is something that is a statewide discussion,” said Cindy Davis-West, CEO of Eliada Homes, which trains foster parents and just opened four respite beds — temporary housing for children who can’t get immediate placement in foster care homes.

Children sometimes spend nights in Mission Hospital’s emergency department, too.

“I think one of the big factors is just an increase in mental health needs,” said Dr. Richard Zenn , chief medical officer and executive vice president of Vaya Health.

Vaya is one of the state’s six behavioral health management organizations that coordinate men-

‘A

TEMPORARY SHELTER: The Buncombe County Family Justice Center, 35 Woodfin St., is where children were sleeping at one point before the county converted a room it leases into a bedroom. Photo by Starr Sariego

tal health services for N.C. Medicaid Direct beneficiaries. Its staff works with Buncombe DSS daily to find placement for children.

Mission has beds for psychiatric patients, Zenn said, but those are often full as well, which is why children end up in the pediatric section of the emergency department.

“The Mission teams stabilize the acute psychiatric needs of these patients when they arrive at the ER,” said Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell . “However, our additional behavioral health beds at Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center are for those who meet the criteria for acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

“For those youth that do not meet that criteria, our ER social workers partner closely with Vaya Health, DSS and other organizations to find long-term homes for these children to transition as soon as they are available. We frequently care for patients where emergency medicine is not the appropriate setting, and we hope the future [North Carolina] Medicaid expansion will allow for more options available.”

Lindell did not respond to questions about how many children stayed in Mission’s emergency department in 2023 or how long they stayed.

A NEED FOR ’STRONG, COMMITTED’ FOSTER FAMILIES

“There are hundreds of children in care, but not nearly enough homes,” Buncombe County’s Social Work Services website says. “This means that many children are placed in

group homes, away from their siblings or sent out of the county, far away from everyone and everything they know. We need strong, committed foster families to provide safe, nurturing homes for the children in our community.”

Nadine Robinson’s home is one of those.

Robinson, 52, and her husband Steve , 53, have three biological children, one adopted daughter and were fostering four children in their home as of Sept. 18. Since the couple became licensed in 2016, she said, they have had more than 40 children live there.

The Robinsons’ first placements were a 3-year-old and an 18-monthold whose mother had placed her children in a foster home because she had stage 4 lymphoma. Months later the Robinsons took their first long-term placement, a 4-day-old from Burke County who stayed with the Robinsons for 19 months.

The ebb and flow of lives through her home has not been easy, however. When the Burke County baby left, Robinson said, “It was like having a death. I was grieving and I said, ‘I’m done. I just need a break.’”

She put her home on a do-notcall list.

But she got a call. A child she’d had through Buncombe DSS needed a place. Thirty minutes later, she agreed to take the boy for a short while.

It wasn’t the last time she would agree to take a child when she felt she didn’t have the emotional strength, still reeling from losing the last one.

At 1 o’clock one 2018 morning, she drove to DSS to pick up a 21-monthold girl for the weekend. Today that girl is the Robinsons’ adopted daughter.

Robinson rarely has a conversation without mentioning the importance of working in foster care, she said.

“There are so many children, and everyone has basically the same fears,” Robinson said. “You’re afraid of what you’re inviting into your home, you’re afraid you’re not going to be a good enough parent, and sometimes all these children need are for you to be there. You don’t need to be good enough. You just need to be present.”

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/ donate. X

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

HER ALL: Nadine Robinson says she commits to each child 100% while he or she is in her care. Photo by Starr Sariego

Looming large

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

Rodney Dangerfield is famous for his catchphrase “I don’t get no respect.” But individuals previously involved with the weaving program at the former Black Mountain College could have uttered the same line with comparable justification.

Celebrated textile artist and printmaker Anni Albers started the BMC weaving program in 1934, and it lasted until the school closed in 1957. However, for various reasons, art historians have long ignored the medium, including previous scholarship and exhibitions about BMC.

“Textiles have always had an in-between place, I would say, when it comes to art museums,” says Julie J. Thomson , a Black Mountain-based independent scholar and curator. “Some art museums don’t have textile departments or a textile curator. So, unfortunately, I think the subject’s been neglected because it does fall between art and craft — but it is also both art and craft, and design.”

On Friday, Sept. 29, a new exhibit, “Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez, and Their Students,” opens at BMC Museum + Arts Centers, in downtown Asheville. Co-curated by Thomson and her Boston-based colleague, Michael Beggs, the project seeks to elevate this largely hidden side of the school’s history.

‘WHAT ARE THEY DOING?’

The seed for “Weaving at Black Mountain College” was planted while Thomson was curating

Weaving exhibition celebrates long-ignored history at Black Mountain College

textile design with Anni Albers, then went on to study architecture. And that the legacy of Guermonprez, who eventually started a weaving program at the California College of Arts and Crafts (now known as the California College of the Arts), can be seen through the creations of Rauschenberg and her other pupils. This network of influence makes it all the more confounding that the impact of BMC’s weaving history has remained hidden for so long.

“Both Michael and I think that the gendered nature of weaving has led to the oversight of delving into this,” Thomson says. “But the fascinating thing is that, at Black Mountain College, weaving and textile design was studied and even taught by both men and women. [The school] was not paying attention to that previous gendering of weaving.”

WEAVING RENAISSANCE

The co-curators spent four years working on the exhibit and its accompanying book by the same name. The exhibit features over 100 textiles and what Thomson calls “material studies,” including rare, archival photographs.

“We’re showing weavings and textiles that have never been seen since the Black Mountain College days,” Thomson says. “John Cage’s graduation portfolio is one of those.”

the 2017 exhibition “Begin to See: The Photographers of Black Mountain College.”

“Seeing photographs of people weaving at Black Mountain College just made me really wonder, ‘What are they doing?’ And, ‘How does a person weave?’” Thomson recalls.

As she delved further into the topic and saw the potential for an exhibition, it became clear that she’d need a fellow scholar well-versed in the history of Albers. Beggs was her top choice. A fellow independent scholar and curator who worked at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, Beggs has written extensively about the Alberses and BMC, resulting in three books over the past decade.

“Michael has studied design and architecture,” Thomson says. “And I’m trained as an art historian, but I’m also always pursuing how artists become the artists they become.”

As she and Beggs began their research, they soon discovered that

over 10% of all BMC students took a weaving or textile design class. Learning that these courses were a far more significant part of the art and design curriculum than previously thought led to a wealth of new scholarship regarding well-known BMC alums.

The enrollment discovery, Thomson explains, “allows us to look at some of the most famous Black Mountain College artists from a new medium than we have.”

As an example, she points to painter and graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg, who she and Beggs discovered, studied under Trude Guermonprez . “[Rauschenberg] actually took a textile design class and goes on to design so many dance costumes as well as works with fabric in them,” Thomson says. “Some of those are artworks, and some of them are backdrops for dancing.”

Thomson adds that a number of male students studied weaving and

The exhibit and book also feature work and writing by contemporary artists, including Kay Sekimachi , Jen Bervin , Porfirio Gutiérrez, Susie Taylor and Bana Haffar. And a few weeks after the exhibit opens, UNC Asheville will host the 14th Annual ReVIEWING Black Mountain College conference, Friday, Oct. 13-Sunday, Oct. 15. This year’s theme is “Material + Structure.”

Beggs and Thomson will speak at the conference. And the keynote address will feature Brenda Danilowitz , an art historian and chief curator at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation, in conversation with Erica Warren, editor of Craft Quarterly. Danilowitz and Warren also have essays in the book.

“It’s a great opportunity to hear the scholarship from people who have written in our book and to ask more questions,” Thomson says. “Any of these [weaving] students could be researched further. The people who taught weaving at Black

SPINNING YARN: Anni Albers weaves at Black Mountain College. The influential instructor and her work at BMC is a focal point of a new exhibition at the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center. Photo by Helen M Post Modley

Mountain College could also be researched further. So, Michael and I see this as the beginning, hopefully, of opening a new path into studying the weavers and textile designers at Black Mountain College.”

Additional speakers include family members of BMC weavers, and Thomson is particularly excited to have numerous younger scholars presenting.

“There’s also just the cross-pollination of being together for a few days, eating lunch together like they did at Black Mountain College,” she says of the upcoming gathering. “New connections or new ideas or new thoughts come out of the conference.”

Tying it all together is the personal artistic growth that the co-curators have experienced: Amid their research, both have learned

to weave. Beggs picked up the craft during his five years at the Albers Foundation, and Thomson has taken classes at the Craft Center at N.C. State University, the John C. Campbell Folk School and with Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists in Hendersonville. She’s since acquired a loom and has continued practicing on it even as work for the exhibit and book wrapped up.

“Unless you weave, it’s a little mysterious. So, we thought that understanding the medium also allowed us to talk about it with much more depth and greater detail than art historians have talked about it previously,” Thomson says. “I’ve been learning to weave as part of my research process, but I really discovered I love weaving.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/d0g. X

CLASS IN SESSION: Black Mountain College students weave with backstrap looms. Photo courtesy of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

WITH MORGAN

BY MORGAN MARIE

We’ve made it, dear readers, to the end of a long and winding road. No, I’m not talking about Interstate 26 but rather my time in Western North Carolina. After a decade in the 828, I’ve decided to say farewell.

But fear not, dear MedHeads, “Best Medicine” will go on. This latest column, however, will be my last — and one that has been surprisingly difficult to write. As a Pisces moon, I’m feeling incredibly sentimental. That’s why I called up my more practical friends — Eric Brown, Nora Tramm and Peter Lundblad — to help me sort through all this.

Longtime readers may recall that these three local comics were the column’s debut guests. It’s great to have them rejoin me for one last hoorah before I bid readers adieu.

Morgan Marie: While Xpress Managing Editor Thomas Calder thought my suggestion of a “Survivor”-style competition to determine my successor was a bit “too much,” I still think I should have some say in the matter. Preferably, I would avoid the human route and go straight to Sasquatch. Who else could fill my shoes? Plus, who better a successor than one completely off the grid? Offline and immune to comments, Bigfoot wouldn’t be afraid to offer tough takes on the latest local news. But I digress, who do you all think should take over “Best Medicine?”

Farewell to the original MedHead

to say, no one person could fill her shoes. So perhaps we should combine two of the other most ubiquitous names I’ve seen plastered all around our fair city. That’s right, let’s track down Asheville’s most prolific tagger, DADBOD, and whoever’s been hanging those “LOVE” signs on every utility pole. We can team them up and give them the platform they both so clearly crave.

Marie: As my time in WNC draws to a close, I’m reflecting on what I’ll miss the most and the least about life in Asheville. If you were in my shoes, what do you suppose your answers would be?

Lundblad: If I were to move elsewhere, it would be the housing crisis I’d miss the most. I wouldn’t know what to do with the 75% of my paycheck that’s currently going to rent. And what would my mother do if I stopped begging for money? How would she adjust to life with a millennial child who could support himself? Can one even imagine?

Oh, and 12 Bones. I’d miss 12 Bones.

Brown: I’ve lived here my entire life. My mom’s side of the family was here before the Revolutionary War. I guess you could say my family has the mountains in their blood. Or we were too poor to move. But I like to think it’s the former.

Lundblad: It’s obvious to me that “Best Medicine” should be passed along to an actual doctor. I’m not entirely sure whether it needs to be a medical doctor or not. I guess any Ph.D.-level candidate would do. Or really anyone with any level of education at all. I’ll even take street smarts. Basically, a person who is vaguely aware of how to type is fine. The editing staff are good at Xpress. So really … anyone that can use punctuation correctly; will. likely! do a decent … job? at this. Right!

Brown: While Bigfoot is certainly an interesting idea as a successor to this column, it’s simply not possible. Unfortunately, Bigfoot isn’t real. Everyone knows Bigfoot was a robot created by aliens to protect them from the Six Million Dollar Man. I watched this whole two-part documentary on NBC about it. Plus, the Six Million Dollar Man ripped RoboBigfoot’s arm off, so I bet he would have a hard time typing after that.

My recommendation for replacement? I’ve got just the right candidate, and I’ve got 6 million reasons why you should pick him. That’s right, it’s Steve Austin, the Six

Million Dollar Man. Let me just do a quick Google search here to see if he’s still around, and ... oh, damn — turns out everything I previously described wasn’t real. It was part of a TV show I saw in reruns as a child. Well ... I guess a fictional character is not going to work as host.

Maybe we can get “Stone Cold” Steve Austin instead. He’s definitely real, and I bet he’d be great at it.

Tramm: Seems like I’ve seen Morgan’s name all over town: on the cover of the Mountain Xpress, on the fliers for practically every local comedy showcase, on the back of my eyelids when I blink. All of which is

I think the thing I would miss the most here is the community I’ve become a part of. I like the misfits and oddballs this town seems to gather. Asheville is like a magnet for weird people. The kind of people who don’t think chickens can truly be free range unless they’re allowed to come into the house to watch TV. That community is probably what’s kept me here all these years. That, or I’m too poor to move.

I’ll tell you one thing I wouldn’t miss if I left, though. All of I-26. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I’m here to tell you the road to hell is I-26. Particularly the stretch where it meets I-40 to

DEJA VU: After a year hosting “Best Medicine,” local comic Morgan Marie, top left, is saying goodbye. She is rejoined by the column’s original three guests, starting top right, clockwise: Eric Brown, Nora Tramm and Peter Lundblad. Photos by Cindy Kunst

Upcoming local theater highlights

If you’re a fan of local theater, Western North Carolina offers plenty of options. Below are some highlights of productions hitting various stages across the region.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Here’s a first: The Magnetic Theatre’s The Splatter Play, which runs Friday, Oct. 6-Saturday, Oct. 21, involves so much fake blood sprayed in various directions that attendees will either need to bring their own ponchos or purchase one at the box office — seriously. Katie Jones, the theater’s co-artistic director, refers to the horror/ comedy as “a punny, outrageous good time,” and one of the few spooky season productions to feature puppets.

“This is a show that is going to be an experience,” adds playwright Abby Auman. “The idea is for you to step away with a genuine lifetime memory that is worth telling at dinner parties. And let me tell you, everyone at the dinner party is going to think you’re very cool.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/d0h.

RABBIT HOLE HORROR

More eerie fun awaits under the open sky in the world premiere of Wonderland Legacies: Alice’s Adventures in Murderland, produced by Montford Park Players at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, Friday, Oct. 6-Saturday, Oct. 28. Playwright Will Storrs’ adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s source material finds Alice Liddle attempting to save her native Wonderland after returning home and finding it transformed into a violent, unrecognizable wasteland.

“Alice’s Adventures in Murderland is a dark and twisted tale full of neon lights, sporadic romances and witticisms that cut deeper than any blade,” Storrs says.

No poncho necessary (except in the event of rain).

For more information, visit avl.mx/9mj.

A MEL BROOKS COMEDY CLASSIC

Following in the footsteps of The Producers, Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein continues the tradition of the writer/director’s beloved comedies making their way to the world of musical theater. The hilarious tale of Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”) trying like hell not to repeat the mistakes of his Transylvanian grandfather, Victor,

SPOOKY SELECTIONS: Xpress takes a look at upcoming local theater productions. Photo by iStock

heads to Hendersonville Theatre for shows running Friday, Oct. 13-Sunday, Oct. 29.

“Young Frankenstein appeals to people not only for the madcap slapstick and dad-worthy puns but also for the ability to take B-movie horror character stereotypes and make us love them instead of dismissing them,” says director Elizabeth DeVault. “It gives the mad scientist a weirdly charming sense of heart.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/d0i.

WOMEN IN HARMONY AT HART

Not in the mood for anything resembling horror? Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville is here to serve with Good Ol’ Girls, which opened Sept. 22 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 8. Director Shelia Sumpter describes the musical as “a tapestry woven with the stories, laughter, tears and triumphs of women who have navigated the complex landscapes of life with grace, wit and determination.” Set against the backdrop of a tightknit Southern community, the show is, according to Sumpter, a celebration of female friendships that defy time, distance and adversity.

“Good Ol’ Girls is more than a performance — it’s an invitation to be part of an extended family where you’ll laugh, cry and ultimately leave with your heart fuller and your spirit uplifted,” she says. “Join us as we celebrate the enduring bonds of sisterhood, the magic of Southern traditions and the wisdom that can only be gained through a life well-lived.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/d0j.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

Airport Road. I hear that the Spanish Inquisition designed that interchange but decided it was too cruel to build.

Tramm: I’ve actually run this experiment before, as I left for about a decade. The serious answer is that I missed the mountains and didn’t miss the employment/housing situation. But since this is a joke column, my answer to both the most- and least-missed was the whack jobs who show up in the letters to the editor section of every local periodical. It’s like if someone actually printed and sold copies of that time when the edgy guy from your freshman psych class got into a three-monthlong flame war with your ultrareligious uncle under one of your 2008 Facebook status updates. They don’t make ’em like that in the big city, let me tell you.

Marie: I was initially writing this response in BattleCat Coffee Bar and feeling overly sentimental when I ran into friend, comedian and February “Best Medicine” contributor Moira Goree. As an area native, I asked what she would miss the most. She said summer thunderstorms and rain, when one side of the mountain is dark and gray and the other is bright sunshine. Then we went on to roast the local comedy scene.

That’s what I’ll miss most. Not just the weather and the roasting, but those moments of running into friends in coffee shops on any given Monday. It’s what makes Asheville feel like a small town. You find friends and exes on every corner and everywhere in between. This small-town vibe is coincidentally the thing I won’t miss about living in Asheville, as well. It will be nice to go someplace where coffee shop locals don’t know the full extent of my dating history … yet.

Marie: Many areas have unique dialects and mannerisms, cultural signifiers that reflect someone is from an area. You’re all WNC natives. What are dead giveaways that someone is from here?

Lundblad: I am a unicorn. I am the “from Asheville” who didn’t move away in his 20s. I am the mountain that didn’t blow away. I am the river still polluted. I am the ground that holds up the new hotel. I am where the line cooks leave their cigarette butts. I am a poet of bunkum and Buncombe alike. What was the question? Sorry, I’m from here and I’m easily distracted by overly flowery ideas.

Brown: I think the easiest way is to look for what I call the “South Slope

Stare.” If you ever see anyone who has a look on their face like they’re having a good time downtown, but also they’re a little over it, that’s the South Slope Stare. It looks a little like a half smile with a bit of impatience and just a dash of quiet desperation. A sort of look in the eyes that seems to say, “Yeah, I know they have a stout at this brewery made out of recycled deadstock clothes. I had one for breakfast this morning. Now put your drink order in and get out of my way.”

Now that’s not to say locals don’t have fun; we just don’t have as much fun as Marjorie and Glen Stumpwater from Horse Tragedy, Ariz., who think “Asheville is just so cute, but they’re a little liberal for our tastes.” Having to navigate street festivals and bars full of the Marjorie and Glen Stumpwaters of the world is how you get the South Slope Stare. (For the record, I made up the names Marjorie and Glen Stumpwater, but if by some chance there is a couple by such a name and they’re reading this, I’m sure you’re probably fine people. Now finish this column and stop clogging up the sidewalk.)

Tramm: I am legally and morally obligated to clarify that my family moved here when I was 6 months old, and thus I cannot claim “true local” status. That being said, I can tell you that everyone who attends Asheville High School eventually gets their upper chakras blasted wide open by the convergence of strange energies in the main building’s central rotunda — you didn’t think that spire was just for show, did you? — and gains the ability to see into the astral plane. So, you can easily identify someone who went to school in town by waving to them (or flipping them off if you prefer) with your spiritual aura and watching to see if they react.

Marie: I came to Asheville an astrology cynic, ignorant to Mercury and retrogrades. I’m now leaving a proud Pisces moon with a Leo sun/rising and the owner of several tarot decks. Tarot and astrology are seemingly woven into the fabric of WNC, after a certain amount of time here you eventually acquire a basic knowledge through osmosis. Spirituality is high on account that these ancient mountains are haunted. (Along with Bigfoot I also believe in ghosts.) Therefore, it’s understandable that despite my best efforts and Christian upbringing, I eventually succumbed to the occult.

I think Western Carolina singles are especially susceptible since Asheville dating is based almost exclusively on the compatibility of birth charts.

What’s new in food

Asheville food scene gets Lucky

Longtime locals who fondly remember West Asheville’s Lucky Otter restaurant — which closed in 2017 after owner Roland Knoll passed away — may be feeling lucky again. Former General Manager Jonas Cole and his business partners Casey Cole and Peggy Pinter, also former employees, are opening a food truck in homage to the beloved eatery. Lucky’s Asheville Food will start serving on Thursday, Sept. 28, 3-8 p.m., at the River Arts District’s Wedge Brewing Co.

A grand opening event will follow on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29 and 30, 5-9 p.m., at Haiku I Do in Biltmore Village. The celebration will include live music from Joshua Carpenter and Julie Odell on Friday, with DJ Shortstop spinning tunes on Saturday.

The partners are also opening Lucky’s Asheville Food stand at Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville, available at certain events. Lucky’s will be the only locally run permanent vendor in the center.

The menu for both the food truck and the food stand is “Lucky Otterinspired,” says Cole. Appetizers of chips, salsas and dips, a vegetarian chili and soup of the day, and wraps and bowls “from around the world” will make up the core of the menu, with daily free housemade hot sauces. Ingredients will be locally sourced as much as possible, a concept that was important to Knoll and remains a priority for Lucky Asheville Food’s team.

“He was a great guy and cared as well as gave a lot to the community,” says Pinter of Knoll. “It’s really cool to be able to carry on his inspiration.

“And this also happens to be the Year of the Rabbit, and Lucky the rabbit is our mascot.”

Wedge Brewing Co. is at 37 Paynes Way, Haiku I Do is at 26 Sweeten Creek Road and Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville is at 87 Haywood St. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0s.

A new brewpub for Weaverville

On Sept. 13, Weaverville’s Salt Face Mule Brewing Co. opened and joined the ranks of the growing brewery scene in Asheville’s outlying areas. The family-friendly brewpub features lagers and ales, as well as a menu of “Appalachian pub grub” and activities including a 36-hole miniature golf course and a remote-controlled car track.

The pub, which is part of the Twisted Laurel Restaurant Group, got its name from managing member Anthony Randolph ’s longtime friend from Yancey County, Sam Jones

“He has a saying for just about any occasion, but our all-time favorite was when he was thirsty,” says Randolph in a press release. “On a sweltering hot day, somewhere along the way, we would almost always hear him say, “I’m thirstier than a salt-faced mule.’ When he said it, we would always laugh, and after hearing it numerous times, we told him that we would use that saying somehow one day.”

Over 30 years later, Randolph is able to honor his word.

The brewpub opens at 11 a.m. daily.

Salt Face Mule Brewing Co. is at 450 Weaverville Highway, Weaverville. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0n.

Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival

From Friday, Sept. 29-Sunday, Oct. 1, North Asheville’s Pop Bubble Tea will give a nod to one of China’s biggest holidays, the MidAutumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake or Moon Festival.

In celebration, the beverage counter will offer a free housemade cheese cap — a creamy, cheesy and slightly salty topping — in a moon and rabbit pattern for every bubble tea ordered. In addition, two beverages will return for the fall season: pumpkin spice milk tea made with Taiwanese black tea leaf, pumpkin spice, whole or oat milk, pure pumpkin puree and choice of topping; and pumpkin spice chai milk tea made with the same black tea, local AppalaChai!, pumpkin spice, whole or oat milk and choice of topping.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held annually on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar and is traditionally celebrated with family reunions, mooncakes, parades and lanterns.

“To honor Asian culture is one of Pop’s core values,” says co-owner Eva Peterson, who is originally from Hong Kong. “We really want to let people enjoy the authentic drinks, but also learn more about the Asian community.”

Pop Bubble Tea is at 640 Merrimon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/bk5.

Eating clean in South Asheville

South Asheville’s Clean Eatz celebrated its grand reopening under new ownership on Sept. 25. The health food restaurant franchise, which specializes in chef-inspired, nutritionist-approved meals, now offers the option of a dine-in experience, as well as weekly meal plans, grab-and-go options and catering.

The new owner and operator, Neal Gartrell , is an Army veteran

FEELING LUCKY: Partners, starting left, Jonas Cole, Casey Cole and Peggy Pinter are opening Lucky’s American Food truck at the end of the month. Photo courtesy of Jonas Cole

who has worked with Clean Eatz for seven years and owns four other locations. Since taking over ownership, Gattrell has provided healthy lunches for local students on Tuesdays, as well as established partnerships with area gyms.

“Clean Eatz offers every customer who steps through its doors the promise: ‘We Change Livez,’” says Gartrell in a press release. “I want to make sure people have access to healthy food that fuels their bodies with the vitamins and nutrients that can be hard to find on their own.”

Clean Eatz is at 1950 Hendersonville Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0t.

Fundraiser for Meher with Chef Meherwan

Chef Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani Asheville will host a buffet dinner to raise money for the Meher Archive Collective, at Land of the Sky United Church of Christ on Friday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m.

The James Beard Award winner and “Chief Chaiwalla” of Chai Pani Restaurant Group will talk

about his journey into the culinary arts and about his recent experience creating a luncheon for Vice President Kamala Harris and the Indian prime minister in Washington, D.C. It was the first completely vegetarian official meal served by the State Department.

The Meher Archive Collective is a center that preserves the records of Indian spiritual master Meher Baba . Funds are being raised to restore the property at 53 Red Oak School Road, Weaverille, which includes a 1928 school building.

Tickets are $50, and a cash bar will also be available.

Land of the Sky United Church of Christ is at 15 Overbrook Place. For more information, visit avl.mx/xmasjbp.

Cocktails in a can

The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co. will release a line of ready-to-drink canned cocktails, Friend of the Devil, at a celebration on Friday, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m. The event will include live music, small bites and two cocktails featuring

Carolina-made spirits: Carolina Mule and Vodka Lemonade.

The lemonade is made with Charleston’s Nippitaty Botanica Vodka, organic lemons, organic cane sugar and honey, and is 7.6% ABV. The mule is made with Asheville Vodka by Cultivated Cocktails, Devil’s Foot’s Fuego Ginger Beer, organic limes, organic sugar and honey, and is 8% ABV.

“We started Devil’s Foot with the goal of creating a nonalcoholic craft beverage that we could be really proud of — something you’d want to drink right alongside the craft beers we’ve come to know and love as Asheville-based brewers,” says Jacob Baumann , vice president, lead designer and co-founder of Devil’s Foot and Friend of the Devil, in a press release. “We’ve worked with local bars and restaurants to use our ginger beer and lemonade as the base of their cocktails on tap for years now, and it’s time to share the love.”

The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co. is at 131 Sweeten Creek Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0o.

— Andy Hall  X

Around Town

Making things happen at Rare Bird Farm

When husband and wife Mitchell Davis and Farrah Hoffmire came from Charleston, S.C., to look at properties in the area, they felt a special connection to a 63-acre slice of holler in Madison County. The seller, Tom Hare, said he “knew they were the ones just by looking at them and listening to what they were talking about.” Three years later, they’ve restored the historic farm and transformed it into a community cultural events space.

Davis and Hoffmire run the farm, located on Tug Fork Creek off New Leicester Highway, 2 miles from the township of Trust, with their business partners Edwin Self and Benjamin Gibbins. It’s also home to rescue goats, pigs, chickens, a dog and a cat named Wesa (Cherokee for cat). Having received their first special events permit from Madison County, they plan to hold small concerts and educational workshops, with the next show performed by Americana artist Tyler Ramsey on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 6 p.m.

The former owner, Hare, wasn’t looking for just anybody to take over the homestead. When the couple first came to look at it, he “pulled up on a four-wheeler — no shirt on, big beard,” says Davis. “He said, ‘I live next door. You wanna ride to the top of the mountain?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, this guy’s been scaring people away from here for

years. I can get along with this guy.’ And it was true — both things — and perfect,” Davis laughs.

The property’s name, Rare Bird Farm, comes from an original musical that Hoffmire wrote and was producing with HEART, an organization she founded, when COVID hit. “It was about a community of creative misfits looking for meaning in life and finding it in being together and living a creative life,” says Davis. “We adopted it because it seemed to fit what we were doing [here].” Hoffmire is planning a theater camp with HEART for adults with special needs, slated for summer 2024.

The ivory-billed woodpecker on the logo is inspired by author Tom Robbins, whose novels make up a prominent portion of the property’s library, named after Robbins. It also houses a framed letter from Robbins to Davis and Hoffmire, which he wrote after the couple sent him some art and made him aware of his influence on the farm.

The farm is home to the four partners, and they have built spaces for artists and guests to relax, spend the night and “feel at home” as well, says Davis. The Tug Fork Barn, an old tobacco barn that can accommodate 75 seats, has a view up the mountain behind the stage. There’s also an 1800s chestnut barn they are refurbishing into a

BACK TO THE GARDEN: Rare Bird Farm co-owner Mitchell Davis, featured here wearing a hat, shows off the property’s 1800s chestnut wood barn, which is being refurbished into a farm shop and community pottery studio. The property’s previous owner, Tom Hare, is also pictured. Photo by Andy Hall

farm shop and community pottery space. Self is making the walls out of “dust-crete,” made from sawdust scraps and shavings. The back of the barn serves as a classroom and faces the medicinal garden, which is surrounded by apple, persimmon, pear and pawpaw trees.

“So, this could be like the Foxfire stories,” says Davis, referencing the library’s collection of the legendary Appalachian heritage books. “Tom got to learn the wisdom from whom he got the land, and now is teaching us the ways and and passing it on. And we hope to do the same.”

Rare Bird Farm is at 91 Duckett Top Tower Road, Hot Springs. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0q.

Ashevillean graffiti

Longtime Asheville resident Krista Stearns says she created her company, Mountain Mural Tours, earlier this year to share the cultural experiences of the city she watched turn into a “tourist town.” She has now added a walking tour of the River Arts District’s graffiti to the mural tours she leads there and downtown.

“I wanted to create a healthy tourist experience that celebrates what is unique about Asheville, its art and what local artist residents contribute to our city,” says Stearns. “I’m superexcited, but it’s a completely different tour ... so I’ve spent the last few months learning about graffiti as an art, as well as meeting and talking with the artists.”

The tour, which starts at the entrance of Marquee Asheville, winds around the various old warehouses of Foundy Street. Stearns talks about the history of the district, as well as the stories behind the art and the artists.

A former co-owner of West End Bakery, Stearns remembers the days when city officials were providing cans of paint to business owners to cover up graffiti. Now the city seems to have embraced the American art form, she says. She has also watched the RAD transform from a place she says you wouldn’t visit to a haven for artists.

“All these businesses pride themselves on the fact that they took over this abandoned business district and tried to make it lively and fun.”

Marquee Asheville is at 36 Foundy St. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0r.

Pride Festival returns

The Blue Ridge Pride Festival will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept.

30, with its annual welcoming procession from South French Broad and Patton avenues to Pack Square Park. The celebration will continue in the park until 7 p.m.

With a theme of “Advocate!,” this year’s event will feature over 200 vendors, 12 musical acts, including the Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus, and over 10 drag performers. The festival’s mainstage emcees will be Divine the Bearded Lady and Jasmine Beach-Ferrara , executive director of the Campaign for Southern Equality and welcoming procession marshal. She is also a member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

New this year, the League of Women Voters will run a voter registration drive. Festival organizers have also banned the sale of one-use plastics and are requiring food vendors to use compostable plates and cups. Advocacy vendors, which have been reduced to allow more accessibility for mobility devices, will be located near Market Street. All but a few are local LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations. “We’ve said goodbye to carnival fare and corporate Pride merch that needs to be brought in from cities or states away, in favor of highlighting local nonprofits, businesses and artisans,” organizers say in a press release.

Local soul singer Whitney Mongé and local soul and blues band Mama and The Ruckus will headline. Other live acts include Latin folk/pop band M A R and the Marmeladies, Charlotte-based rock band Big the Cat, bluegrass locals Laura Blackley and the Wildflowers, and queer Tennessee country band Dani Rae Clark and The Let Downs.

For more information, visit avl.mx/d0w.

MOVIE REVIEWS

Poet laureate visits WNC

Jaki Shelton Green , North Carolina’s poet laureate, will give a free reading and book signing at the Black Mountain Library on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6-7 p.m.

Green, a writer from the Piedmont, was appointed poet laureate by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2018. The first African American and third woman to hold this honor for North Carolina, Green has won numerous literary awards including two N.C. Emerging Artist Grants, the N.C. Writers’ Network Blumenthal Award and an induction into the N.C. Literary Hall of Fame in 2014. She is the author of eight poetry collections and a professor of documentary poetry at Duke University, as well as the founder of SistaWRITE, an organization that provides writing retreats for women writers around the world.

Seating will be available on a firstcome, first-served basis.

The Black Mountain Library is at 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/d0x.

— Andy Hall

Magical Offerings

October Stone: Shiva Lingam

October Herb: Astragalus

9/29: FULL MOON

Reader: Krysta 12-7pm Full Moon Circle 5:30pm

10/2: Reader: Jessica 12-5pm

Ascendent: Our Cosmic Persona Astrology 5:30-7:30pm

10/7: Reader: Edward 12-6pm

Turkey Tail Broom Making Class 1-2:30pm

10/9: Mercury: Exploring Our Mindset 5:30-7:30pm

10/10: Reader: Byron 1-5pm Mediumship Class 5:30-7:30pm

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL: This slow-burn French thriller about a homeless daughter reuniting with her wealthy father rewards viewers’ patience. Grade: B-plus — Edwin Arnaudin

CLUBLAND

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

PULP

Slice of Life Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

Mama & The Ruckus (blues, soul), 6:30pm

ROADMASTER STAGE HWY. 10

Phil Lomac & Shake

the Dust (indie folk rock, Americana), 8pm

SALVAGE STATION

Oteil & Friends w/ Midnight North (funk, rock, blues), 6pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Stand Up Comedy for Your Health, 8pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

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

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Brad Heller & The Fustics (rock), 5pm

BLUEGRASS PLUS: On Friday, Sept. 29, The Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars bring their high-energy sound to Jack of the Wood Pub. The show starts at 8 p.m. with the group blending traditional bluegrass with newgrass and jamgrass styles. Photo by Steven Hall

For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

27 CLUB Plaid Overdrive, Bellizia & Choir of Babble (prog-rock), 8:30pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Christine Havrilla (folk, punk, rock), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

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

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Well Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

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

RABBIT RABBIT

Maggie Rogers (alt-indie, pop, folk), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES Trivia Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Turkey Buzzards (Americana, folk, country), 5:30pm

• Banditos & The Pink Stones (rock, garage, country), 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

The Happy Fits w/ Windser & Hot Freaks (indie, rock), 7pm

THE RAILYARD

BLACK MOUNTAIN

Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB

Sock Hop w/DJ Hi-Fly, 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The Tallboys (rock, reggae), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Lindsay Lou w/The Greenliners (folk, bluegrass, Americana), 7:30pm

BATTERY PARK

BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Ryan Furstenberg (indie, folk), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Vaden Landers Trio (country, swing), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

The Loudes (punk, funk, rock'n'roll), 7pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Chris Jamison (Americana, folk), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Anne Coombs & Jenny

Bradley (jazz, swing, rock), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Parler Organ Trio (jazz, funk), 8pm

• Noah Gundersen w/ Casey Dubie (indie, folk), 8pm

THE ODD Goodbyes are Garbage (cabaret), 8pm

THE RAILYARD

BLACK MOUNTAIN Dark City Kings (indie, bluegrass), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR

COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Abby Posner w/ Amanda Neill & The Blue Roses (folk, pop, electronic), 7:30pm

WICKED WEED BREWING

The Hillclimbers (Appalachian, bluegrass), 6pm

WRONG WAY RIVER

LODGE & CABINS

Ashevillians Comedy Showcase, 7pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

27 CLUB Weight Shift, Death Nebula & Sick Beyond (doom, metal), 9pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

• Live Music Sessions, 7:30pm

• Venus House Party (dark house), 10pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues w/Abby Posner, 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

LITZ & Hustle Souls (soul, funk, electronica), 9pm

BEN'S TUNE UP

EK Balam (reggaeton, hip-hop), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Syrrup (jazz, soul, and blues), 6pm

BOTANIST & BARREL

TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP

Erika Lewis w/Liliana

Hudgens (Americana, indie-folk), 6:30pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba: Dauood Naimyar, 7pm

CORK & KEG

The Gypsy Swingers (jazz, blues), 8pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Steef, Dot Come

Bubble & Splash

Blade (experimental, electronic, punk), 9pm

FBO HOMINY CREEK

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 6pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

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

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE LOUNGE

Modelface Comedy

Presents: JORTS, 9:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Drag Music Bingo w/

Divine the Bearded Lady, 7:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Honky-Tonk Fridays w/Jackson Grimm, 4pm

• Charlotte Bluegrass

All-Stars (bluegrass, newgrass), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

NOBLE CIDER & MEAD TAPROOM

AND PRODUCTION

FACILITY

Crisp Comedy w/ Shelley Gruenberg, 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Abbey Elmore Band (indie-rock, pop), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Barefuzz (rock, psych), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Florencia & The

Feeling (pop, funk, latin), 6pm

• Black Sea Beat Society (Balkan, Turkish, folk), 9pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Silent Disco: Superhero Comic Con Party, 8pm

SALVAGE STATION

Mo Lowda & The Humble (indie, rock), 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Adrianne Blanks & the Oracles (jazz, rock), 9pm

THE DRAFTSMAN BAR + LOUNGE

Boots & Babes Ladies Night, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Chris Pureka (folk, Americana, indierock), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Mamma & The Ruckus (blues, funk), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Half Alive w/Thomas

Headon (indie-rock, pop), 7:30pm

THE RAD BREW CO.

Kate Bryant (roots), 6pm

THE RAILYARD

BLACK MOUNTAIN

Ashley Heath (blues, Americana), 7pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

27 CLUB

Here Lies Wes (metal), 9pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Live Music Sessions, 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Vince Junior Band (blues, Appalachian soul), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Mark Farina, Divine

Thud, & Ramin (electronic, jazz), 9pm

BATTERY PARK

BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm

BEN'S TUNE UP

Jaze Uries (house, electronic), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

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

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Muddy Guthrie & Friends (Americana, rock, blues), 7pm

CORK & KEG

3 Cool Cats (rock'n'roll), 8pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Bre Kennedy w/Jess

Nolan (indie, pop), 8pm

FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON

Comedy Hypnosis w/ Jon Dee, 8pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Frances Eliza (jazz, indie-folk, pop), 4pm

GREAT WILD NOWHERE

Indelible Sauce & The South French Broads (multiple genres), 8pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Brown Mountain

Lightning Bugs (Appalachian, folk), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Nobody's Darling

String Band, 4pm

• Hurt & Skip (blues), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Arnold Hill (alt-rock), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

The Orange Constant (rock), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Mighty Mystic w/ Brian Hill & Kendra Warren (reggae), 4pm

• In Flight (prog-rock, jazz), 9pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Phuncle Sam (Dead Tribute Band), 6pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Lazybirds (blues, jazz, Americana), 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Lo Wolf & Friends (acoustic), 8pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING

Greg Candle w/Paul McIntire (country, old-blues), 6pm

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke, 9pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

PLUTO (dance party), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Keturah

Allgood (Americana, soul), 6pm

• Somewhat Petty (Tom Petty tribute), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Flashback Band (80's rock), 6pm

THE ODD Party Foul Drag: Saturday Night Tease, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL TV Girl w/Neggy Gemmy (pop, indie, electronic), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Hot Brown Smackdown (bluegrass, rock, jazz), 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE

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

WHITE HORSE

BLACK MOUNTAIN Zain Sharif (comedy), 8pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1

CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE Comedy at Catawba: Ginny Hogan, 6:30pm

ELLA ASHEVILLE

Comic-Con Drag

Brunch, 12pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

The Lads (rock, blues, roots), 4pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

• Mike Hollon (funk, blues, Americana), 6pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6:30pm

S & W MARKET

Mr Jimmy (blues), 1pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

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

THE GREY EAGLE

• Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers

w/Rebirth Brass Band (jazz, funk, rock), 5pm

• Emo Night Karaoke, 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Tuxedo Junction (country, rock, folk), 2pm

PL Ē B URBAN WINERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2

DSSOLVR

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Best Ever Karaoke w/ KJ Cheryl, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

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

NOBLE CIDER & MEAD DOWNTOWN

Freshen Up Comedy Showcase, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Downtown, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/ The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Kat Hasty w/Harper O'Neill (country), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

The Grateful Family

Band Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Tash Sultana (psychrock, soul, R&B), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Songwriters Night, 7pm

SILVERADOS

Dark City Comedy Night, 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Weekly Open Jam hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday

Late Night Trivia, 9:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

The National Parks w/ Zach Seabaugh (folk, pop, indie-rock), 8pm

THE ODD

Open Mic Comedy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE

BLACK MOUNTAIN

White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER

4

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

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

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam w/

The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Well Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

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

SHILOH & GAINES

Trivia Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Shawn James w/ Christian Lopez (folk, blues, R&B), 8pm

THE ODD

Noctomb, Nganga & Urocyon (doom, metal), 8pm

THE OUTPOST

The Last Revel (folk, old-time, indie-rock), 7pm

WHITE HORSE

BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The MGB's (acoustic), 7:30pm

BATTERY PARK

BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

The Blushin' Roulettes (folk), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew

Matulich, 7:30pm

LONESOME STATION

OLD FORT

Zachary Warren

Briggs, Andrew Victor & Allysen Callery (folk), 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

HAFLA: A Belly Dance Party, 8pm

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

The Well Drinkers (Americana, bluegrass), 6:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

The Brothers Comatose (Americana, country, bluegrass), 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

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

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Shinyribs (blues, R&B, country), 8pm

THE ODD Friendship Commanders, The Jesus Casino & Shadowcloak (post-metal, psych), 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Slice of Life Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

THE OUTPOST

The Copper Children (psych-gospel), 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

WRONG WAY

CAMPGROUND

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you have ever contemplated launching a career as a spy, the coming months will be a favorable time to do so. Likewise if you have considered getting trained as a detective, investigative journalist, scientific researcher, or private eye. Your affinity for getting to the bottom of the truth will be at a peak, and so will your discerning curiosity. You will be able to dig up secrets no one else has discovered. You will have an extraordinary knack for homing in on the heart of every matter. Start now to make maximum use of your superpowers!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus comedian Kevin James confesses, “I discovered I scream the same way whether I’m about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.” Many of us could make a similar admission. The good news, Taurus, is that your anxieties in the coming weeks will be the “piece of seaweed” variety, not the great white shark. Go ahead and scream if you need to—hey, we all need to unleash a boisterous yelp or howl now and then—but then relax.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Here are famous people with whom I have had personal connections: actor Marisa Tomei, rockstar Courtney Love, filmmaker Miranda July, playwright David Mamet, actor William Macy, philosopher Robert Anton Wilson, rockstar Paul Kantor, rock impresario Bill Graham, and author Clare Cavanagh. What? You never heard of Clare Cavanagh? She is the brilliant and renowned translator of Nobel Prize Laureate poet Wisława Szymborska and the authorized biographer of Nobel Prize Laureate author Czesław Miłosz. As much as I appreciate the other celebrities I named, I am most enamored of Cavanagh’s work. As a Gemini, she expresses your sign’s highest potential: the ability to wield beautiful language to communicate soulful truths. I suggest you make her your inspirational role model for now. It’s time to dazzle and persuade and entertain and beguile with your words.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I cheer you on when you identify what you want. I exult when you devise smart plans to seek what you want, and I celebrate when you go off in high spirits to obtain and enjoy what you want. I am gleeful when you aggressively create the life you envision for yourself, and I do everything in my power to help you manifest it. But now and then, like now, I share Cancerian author Franz Kafka’s perspective. He said this: “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice. It will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Let’s talk about changing your mind. In some quarters, that’s seen as weak, even embarrassing. But I regard it as a noble necessity, and I recommend you consider it in the near future. Here are four guiding thoughts. 1. “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” —George Bernard Shaw. 2. “Only the strongest people have the pluck to change their minds, and say so, if they see they have been wrong in their ideas.” —Enid Blyton. 3. “Sometimes, being true to yourself means changing your mind. Self changes, and you follow.” —Vera Nazarian. 4. “The willingness to change one’s mind in the light of new evidence is a sign of rationality, not weakness.” –Stuart Sutherland.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “The soul moves in circles,” psychologist James Hillman told us. “Hence our lives are not moving straight ahead; instead, hovering, wavering, returning, renewing, repeating.” In recent months, Virgo, your soul’s destiny has been intensely characterized by swerves and swoops. And I believe the rollicking motion will continue for many months. Is that bad or good? Mostly good—especially if you welcome its poetry and beauty. The more you learn to love the spiral dance, the more delightful the dance will be.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Have you been sensing a phantom itch that’s impossible to scratch? Are you feeling less like your real self lately and more like an AI version of yourself? Has your heart been experiencing a prickly tickle? If so, I advise you not to worry. These phenomena have a different meaning from the implications you may fear. I suspect they are signs you will soon undertake the equivalent of what snakes do: molting their skins to make way for a fresh layer. This is a good thing! Afterward, you will feel fresh and new.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to legend, fifth-century Pope Leo I convinced the conquering army of Attila the Hun to refrain from launching a full-scale invasion of Italy. There may have been other reasons in addition to Leo’s persuasiveness. For example, some evidence suggests Attila’s troops were superstitious because a previous marauder died soon after attacking Rome. But historians agree that Pope Leo was a potent leader whose words carried great authority. You, Sagittarius, won’t need to be quite as fervently compelling as the ancient Pope in the coming weeks. But you will have an enhanced ability to influence and entice people. I hope you use your powers for good!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Singer-songwriter

Joan Baez has the longevity and endurance typical of many Capricorns. Her last album in 2018 was released 59 years after her career began. An article in The New Yorker describes her style as “elegant and fierce, defiant and maternal.” It also noted that though she is mostly retired from music, she is “making poignant and unpredictable art,” creating weird, hilarious line drawings with her non-dominant hand. I propose we make Baez your inspirational role model. May she inspire you to be elegant and fierce, bold and compassionate, as you deepen and refine your excellence in the work you’ve been tenaciously plying for a long time. For extra credit, add some unexpected new flair to your game.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author and activist Mary Frances Berry has won numerous awards for her service on behalf of racial justice. One accomplishment: She was instrumental in raising global awareness of South Africa’s apartheid system, helping to end its gross injustice. “The time when you need to do something,” she writes, “is when no one else is willing to do it, when people are saying it can’t be done.” You are now in a phase when that motto will serve you well, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I invite you to spend quality time gazing into the darkness. I mean that literally and figuratively. Get started by turning off the lights at night and staring, with your eyes open, into the space in front of you. After a while, you may see flashes of light. While these might be your optical nerves trying to fill in the blanks, they could also be bright spirit messages arriving from out of the void. Something similar could happen on a metaphorical level, too. As you explore parts of your psyche and your life that are opaque and unknown, you will be visited by luminous revelations.

20% Adult Superstore Raising Fall Temperatures since 1998

Open

EMPLOYMENT SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES

in WNC and the Upstate SC. Jobs may require overtime and occasional out of town travel. Go to our website, imocoinc.net/employment, to fill out an application or come see us at 111 Guaranteed Way, Fletcher, NC 28732. (828) 684-2000 imocoinc.net/employment/

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE

main office in Asheville, NC. This is not a remote position.

Duties and responsibilities include: 1) Maintaining the General Ledger in QuickBooks 2) Bank reconciliation

IMOCO INC. IN FLETCHER, NORTH CAROLINA IS HIRING! IMOCO Inc. IS HIRING. We are looking for experienced Millwrights workers, HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Technicians, Welders, along with CDL Drivers to perform industrial projects

PART-TIME ACCOUNTANT POSITION RH Perry & Associates is an executive search firm serving the recruiting needs of colleges and universities nationally. We are seeking well-qualified individuals for a part-time Accountant on an independent contractor basis. The anticipated schedule is for 7-10 hours per week in the

3) Recording of financial transactions 4) Accounts Payable & Accounts Receivable 5) Payroll processing 6) Expense tracking 7) Client invoicing 8) Regulatory compliance 9) Tax documentation preparation. Experience and qualifications sought for the position include: 1) Associate degree or Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or business administration, with an advanced degree in accounting or a related field preferred. The CPA is not required, but would be an added plus. 2) Excellent analytical, decision-making and problem-solving skills 3)

Be detail-oriented, organized and self-motivated 4) Have a work history of progressively increased responsibilities 5) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with non-finance 6) Ability to maintain confidentiality and high ethical standards 7) Proficiency with Excel, Word, Adobe required 8) Strong skills and proficiency with QuickBooks are required. Interested parties are invited to submit a resume, cover letter, and relevant certifications or training received to carrie@rhperry.com Screening for the position will begin immediately, and references will be checked for the successful candidate prior to hire. Compensation will be on an hourly basis and commensurate with experience.

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY

DRIVER WANTED Part-time

Driver needed for personal driving purpose; must be committed and must have a valid state driver's license; pay is $680 per week; shifts are for two hours each day, two days each week. Email for more information. Email wowwhunn@gmail.com to apply.

HUMAN SERVICES

WORKING WHEELS SEEKS

A FULL-TIME PROGRAM COORDINATOR Working Wheels seeks a Program Coordinator - detail-oriented, excellent communicator, committed to the cause.

35-40 hrs/wk; $20.10/hr + benefits; Submit cover letter and resume to info@ workingwheelswnc.org. No phone inquiries, please. www. workingwheelswnc.org

WORKING WHEELS SEEKS

AN ADMINISTRATIVE

SPECIALIST Working Wheels seeks an Administrative Specialist - detail-oriented and committed to the cause. 40-50 hours per month; $20.10/hr; Submit cover letter and resume to info@ workingwheelswnc.org. No phone inquiries, please. www. workingwheelswnc.org

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT

ASHEVILLE POVERTY INITIATIVE/12 BASKETS SEEKS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Asheville Poverty Initiative/12

Baskets seeks an experienced Executive Director to lead the organization and build on its mission of building community and promoting economic justice. API works to dismantle stereotypes, reduce fear, and empower hope through telling stories across socio-economic differences. www.ashevillepovertyinitiative.org/employment ashevillepovertyinitiative. org/employment

ARTS/MEDIA CHURCH ACCOMPANIST

WANTED First Baptist Church of Burnsville is seeking to fill the part-time position of "Pianist". Send resume to fbcburnsville@gmail.com

Call 828-682-2288 for more info. Website - fbcburnsville. com

SERVICES

ART/WRITING

PORTRAITS OF HOUSE & HOME Original pen/ ink/watercolor paintings by Asheville artist Michael Havelin. A treasured gift for new or old homes, weddings, anniversary, birthday, etc. 828-712-5570 michaelhavelin.com havelin@yahoo.com

AUDIO/VIDEO

DISH TV SPECIAL $64.99 for 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23.

1-866-566-1815. (AAN CAN)

HOME IMPROVEMENT

FLOORING

FLOORING INSTALLATION

Serving Asheville and surrounding areas. Over 16 years in the industry. I’ve worked all around for many years and have many references. Please give a shout! 8283886666 Rjgfloors83@gmail.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

$10K+ IN DEBT? BE DEBT FREE IN 24-48 MONTHS! Be debt free in 24-48 months. Pay nothing to enroll. Call National Debt Relief at 844-977-3935

ATTENTION OXYGEN

THERAPY USERS Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 866-8590894. (AAN CAN)

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Appeal! If you're 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help get you approved! No money out of pocket! Call 1-877-707-5707

(AAN CAN)

GOT AN UNWANTED CAR?

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: 844-875-6782. (AAN CAN)

PUBLIC SALE OF VEHICLE

To satisfy a lien for 2011 Mercedes Benz against Jerrell Tito Bowman and Capital One Auto Finance for $5,085.00. To satisfy a lien for 2016 Jeep against Sandra Bertram and Carvana LLC for $5405.00. Auto Safe Towing Inc., 474 ½ N. Louisiana Ave., Asheville NC 28806. 828-2361131

SENIOR LIVING My Caring Plan’s local advisors have helped thousands of families with unique needs find senior living. Can you afford 2k a month in rent? We can help for free! Call 866-386-9005

(AAN CAN)

SPEEDY SATELLITE INTERNET Shop w/ A Viasat Expert for Speedy Satellite Internet. New Customer Deals In Your Area. Nationwide Service. New Service For 2023. 855822-5911

TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 877-589-0747. (AAN CAN)

UNCLAIMED / RECEIVED FIREARMS The following is a list of Unclaimed / Received firearms currently

in possession of the Asheville Police Department: BLK/ SIL JIMENEZ JA NINE-CA

9MM, BLK/SIL S&W 37-1 38, BLK XDM 45 GRN/PNK, SIG SAUER MOSQUITO 22, BLK FEDARM FRX 12GA, BLK SAVAGE ARMS STEVENS

12GA, BLK/BRN TAURUS G3

9MM, BLK/BRN SPRINGFIELD

MIL-SPEC 45, BLK/BRN TAURUS PT22 22, BLK MIL-SPEC

1911 45, BLK RUGER LCP

38, BLK BERETTA 9MM, BLK RUGER LCP II 22, BLK/WHT SPRINGFIELD XD 40, BLK BERETTA 22, BLK GLOCK 17

9MM, BLK S&W BODYGUARD

38, CHR JENNINGS J-22 22, BLK/BRN ULTRA-HI 2200

22, BLK GLOCK 23 40, GRY

1911 A1 45, BLK/SIL RUGER P89DC 9MM, BLK GLOCK 23 40, BLK/BRN SIG SAUER P365 9MM. 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 & Evidence Section at 828232-4576.

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT COUNSELING SERVICES

ASTRO-COUNSELING

Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services. Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 258-3229

ACROSS

1 Ballpark quartet

6 Reacts to something gross

10 Greek god that sounds like 66-Across

14 Roll with the punches

15 Chess piece with the secondhighest value

16 Mardi Gras follower

17 Salad dressing with chopped liver

20 CPR pro

21 M&M’s color replaced by blue

22 New kid on the block

23 “You betcha!”

27 They might be pitched by the Rockies

28 Sandwich with wild rice

31 “Why, what an ___ am I!”: Hamlet

32 Logicians’ creations

33 Actress De La Garza of “FBI”

35 Vessel for violets

36 “The Bare Necessities” bear

38 Stud alternative

42 “Get Out” director Jordan

44 Find a new purpose for

45 End of a twoplayer Harlem Globetrotters play

48 Desserts with split peas

51 “Top Chef” airer

53 Underlings forced to do unpleasant work

Donate your car. Change a life.

Do you have an extra car that needs a new home?

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54 Word before job or track

56 One channel that airs “NCAA March Madness,” with “TV”

57 Sort of 60 Egg dish with a lemon turnover

64 ___ code

65 Timbuktu’s home

66 Zodiac sign that sounds like

10-Across

67 Where one needs GPS to find The Gap?

68 Opposite of sans

69 Some overly long Facebook posts

DOWN

1 ___ Didrikson Zaharias, Olympic track-and-field gold medalist who went on to win 10 L.P.G.A. major championships

2 First lady’s husband

3 Square snack items

4 Binge-watching units, for short

5 Ones with chiseled jawlines, often

6 W.N.B.A. star Brittney

7 D.C. “Squad” member

8 End of a White House address

9 Injure, as a knee

10 Naproxen brand

11 Saskatchewan’s capital

12 Puts on the books

13 Changing it converts “convert” from a verb to a noun

18 Jacobs of fashion

19 Off one’s game

24 Get into hot water?

25 Shanghainese, e.g.

26 Capital that was once part of Denmark

28 “The Challenge” network

29 60 minuti

30 Chinese path

34 “Hello” singer

36 Source of some wax

37 “Ah, so it goes”

39 Adds insult to injury

40 Drunk-skunk connector

41 Governor Moore of Maryland

43 Lyric poem

44 Alternative to high-octane

45 Mentor of Anakin and Luke

46 Cantankerous

47 Makes the grade

49 Source of a scandalous comment

50 “But wait — there’s ___!”

52 The “V” in C.V.

55 Bombeck who said “Onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time”

58 Editor’s “my bad,” maybe 59 Gas company with toy trucks

61 Sat ___ (GPS in the U.K.)

62 Bullfight cheer

63 Important stretch