Mountain Xpress 10.06.21

OUR 28TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 28 NO. 10 OCT 6-12, 2021

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OCT. 6-12, 2021

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C ONTENT S

FEATURES

PAGE 8

A&C

WELLNESS

FEATURE

NEWS

FOR THE BIRDS 10 CLIPPED WING Staffing woes disrupt programs at Swannanoa woman’s prison

14 Q&A WITH RUTH PITTARD “LOVE” Project director spreads positivity

Asheville is an avian hotspot due to its location on a major migratory highway. But it’s also a city of tall buildings with lots of windows, which pose a hazard that the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville is trying to mitigate.

COVER PHOTO Alan Lenk COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

18 THE ABIGAIL EFFECT Arden couple shares journey after infant loss

4 LETTERS 4 CARTOON: MOLTON 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

20 HIGH DEMAND, SHORT SUPPLY Locals explore the culinary potential of pawpaw

6 COMMENTARY 8 NEWS 11 BUNCOMBE BEAT

A&C

16 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 22 MURDER ON THE MENU Local theater companies stage horror productions

18 WELLNESS 20 ARTS & CULTURE

A&C

30 CLUBLAND 27 AROUND TOWN Bardo Arts Center’s latest show explores the sights of sounds and other cultural happenings

34 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 34 CLASSIFIEDS 35 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

Mandate vaccinations at Mission!

I am amazed, but not surprised, that Mission Hospital system is resisting policies that require its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (or otherwise require testing when staff have valid medical exemptions for immunization).

This, despite recommendations from the Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Medical Association and an impending rule from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that limits payments for health care providers that do not immunize their staff. Dr. William Hathaway, chief medical officer of the Mission/HCA system, in a recent address to the Buncombe County commissioners, is worried that such a requirement might further worsen the shortage of staff if unvaccinated workers continue to resist immunization.

Many health care systems across the country have successfully implemented a vaccine mandate despite staffing issues or have announced plans to do so, but HCA is not among those systems. While increased staffing shortages may be a legitimate concern, I suspect that cost and profits are the real motivators for this position. Enforcing a vaccine mandate is costly, but HCA seems to prioritize the desires of its stockholders to receive significant dividends over health care concerns for its staff and patients.

Most health care providers recognize the importance of vaccines to their patients, families and themselves. Many work in environments where personal protective equipment and procedures are not fully in place when they are in contact with other staff members, and many would likely avoid contact with anyone who is not fully vaccinated, much less work in close contact with them. Vaccination is the key to limiting the epidemic, but by refusing to enforce vaccine mandates, HCA is tacitly endorsing the views of those who feel that vaccines are unnecessary or dangerous.

Mission HCA needs to get its priorities straight and heed the recommendations of public health and medical experts. Bite the bullet and mandate COVID vaccines for your staff. Join the institutions that are leading in the fight against the epidemic rather than caving into shortsighted attempts at making more profit. Our region deserves a health care system that leads in the fight against COVID. — David S. Bailey Asheville 4

OCT. 6-12, 2021

C A R TO O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N

COVID-19 vaccine resistance explained For Mountain Xpress readers confused by the whys of vaccine hesitancy, may one highlight the reality of “pushback?”

Vaccine advocates are stuck with a large percentage of independent thinkers weary of the heavy hand of untrusted leadership, conflicting abuses of the scientific model and a rather remarkable reliance on mockery, anger and threats as ill-advised compliance motivators.

One finds neither compassion, confidence nor a call to action in any of the above.

To our collective peril, America’s left-minded relentlessly confuse enabling with love, vanity with conviction, authoritarianism with leadership, and spending other people’s money with progress.

COVID-19 vaccine resistance is just one piece of a broader pushback movement by the majority of Americans who value conservative prudence over liberal pretense.

Diversity of thought will remain a hinderance — in Asheville and everywhere else — for those who self-righteously confuse legitimate public safety concerns with political control issues.

— Carl Mumpower Asheville

Flaw in salary argument for Pratt & Whitney plant A clarification regarding the letter to the editor “Arguments Against Raytheon Plant Fall Flat,” [Sept. 15,

MOUNTAINX.COM

Xpress]. The letter writer states: “The average annual salary is slated to be roughly $68,000, significantly higher than the area’s current salary of $45,000.”

However, this June 29 narrative from [the Citizen Times via] A-B Tech, which is providing training to potential Pratt & Whitney employees at taxpayer expense, states: “Previously, Pratt & Whitney has said those local jobs will average $68,000 a year, but that figure includes management and engineering jobs. Floor workers at the new facility likely won’t be making that much, Kevin Kimrey, director of Economic and Workforce Development at A-B Tech, said last fall. The wages are still solid, though, and Kimrey expects machinists and other skilled floor labor to be earning salaries in the ballpark of $40,000-$50,000 range.”

Pratt & Whitney information on A-B Tech’s website, dated July 9, adds: “The greatest number of jobs will be associated with plant floor operations.”

One flaw severely damages any argument. One flaw about the salary workers can expect for putting time and effort into a job at this plant will hurt them and those who depend on them.

— Cynthia Heil Asheville

Don’t spend millions on low-barrier shelter [Regarding “Council Approves COVID Relief Spending Categories,” Sept. 22, Xpress:] Allocate $9.2 million for a low-barrier shelter? Absolutely not! It is my opinion these funds were intended to rescue existing businesses and organizations that were impacted by

the virus. Especially businesses affected by closing and/or reduced volume as a result of the guidelines: They had to lay off staff, and the financial impact of all of this went to their bottom line.

Some establishments closed and others held out, and while those that closed cannot share in this fund, the others that remained open should be given some of these funds. Some form of tiered support would need to be established.

When one looks at a cross section of the homeless population here in our city, there seem to be a lot of recent arrivals and/or transients, and others who want to live the bohemian lifestyle.

There are few of these travelers who have been affected as a result of the virus and its outcomes, for e.g., losing one’s employment or business.

Asheville has become a desirable travel destination for tourists; this includes the full range of socioeconomic levels.

The city already owns land and can establish a site for those travelers, much like a KOA campground, including parking for those who travel in automobiles and/or RVs. Establish campsites that are adequately distanced; fire pits and permanent grill sites; and multiple sites that include bathroom facilities, to include showers and sinks; and a washer/dryer.

Spending $1 million to $2 million to construct a site on city-owned property and using the rest for the rescue of existing organizations would seem to me a far better allocation of the rescue funds!

— Reuben DeJernette Asheville

Homeward Bound’s approach to homelessness shows results As a physician who focuses on addiction, HIV and hepatitis C, I have seen firsthand how a lack of stable housing can affect individual health. How it can exacerbate property disputes and negative perceptions of public safety.

How it can ultimately strain emergency medical services and local government budgets. But mostly I have seen how difficult it is for a person without this basic human right — a safe, healthy place to live — to address any other stress that we all routinely face, let alone opioid overdose risk, suicide risk, justice system involvement or personal safety. ...

For those of us fortunate enough to have a safety net, we as a community are all still impacted by the ongoing housing crisis: physically, morally and economically. So what can be done about such a dismal societal prognosis? ...

Study after study has shown that, even without any other service provisions, so much improves when a person

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN living without stable housing gets this basic resource. That is why Homeward Bound is so excited to contribute to these efforts to improve the lives of all Buncombe County residents with our Home Is Key initiative.

I recently joined the board of directors of the local nonprofit Homeward Bound, whose mission is to end homelessness through permanent housing and support. Homeward Bound has experience engaging with this work: Since 2006, we have moved more than 2,250 people into housing, and 92% have not returned to homelessness in our 12-month survey period. ...

Thanks to generous support from Asheville, Buncombe County, Dogwood Health Trust and an anonymous donor, Homeward Bound can purchase the Days Inn property on Tunnel Road.

Renovations will start soon to repurpose the hotel into permanent supportive housing for 85 of our community’s most vulnerable neighbors. Based on our successful experience at a smaller-scale version of this project at Woodfin Apartments, we will repurpose the motel property to create efficiency apartments. This will include infrastructure to facilitate on-site wraparound services for medical, mental and addiction health services, in partnership with expert community organizations.

Case management, job training, social engagement and even exercise

resources will be available on the property. The clients we will serve will be those who have struggled with chronic conditions and lack of housing, those who tend to be the hardest to reach, those who have high public service needs and costs. This will be part of a sea change in how we all approach the tragic reality of homelessness.

While this initiative will decrease chronic homelessness in Buncombe County by 40% and undoubtedly save lives by preventing overdose and other health crises, it will also generate cost savings. While the average annual cost per unhoused person for a community can be up to $50,000, the cost per person served through a project like this will be $13,000. This is no Band-Aid: 90% of our Woodfin Apartments’ clients have remained consistently housed, and emergency room visits at Mission Hospital have decreased by 50%. One of our clients who was the most arrested person in Asheville prior to engaging with us at Woodfin now has an 83% decrease in law enforcement interaction. This project will change individual lives and improve our community.

As a proud Homeward Bound board member, I know that housing is health care, and with incredible support and collaboration with Asheville, Buncombe County, anonymous donors, Dogwood Health Trust, community partners and amazing volunteers, we are evolving to

meet the needs of our most vulnerable citizens so we can all thrive with dignity and health.

— Dr. Shuchin Shukla Asheville Editor’s note: A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx.com.

Invest in climate, care, jobs and justice for NC In August, our communities were devastated by flooding from Tropical Storm Fred. The only homes many people had ever known were washed away, and many more are still recovering from severe damage. Rural communities in Cruso and Canton were hit hardest, and we still don’t have federal relief.

We live in Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s district. Right now, there’s a historic opportunity to invest $3.5 trillion in our communities by passing the Build Back Better deal. This plan would provide funding for initiatives like the Civilian Climate Corps, a jobs program to transition our economy to renewable energy and green infrastructure. But Cawthorn refuses to back it.

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is code red for humanity. Rising global temperatures will accelerate the frequency and severity of climate disasters like

Tropical Storm Fred. Rep. Cawthorn sits on the House Education & Labor Committee, which has the power to pass legislation that invests in programs like the CCC. Instead, he’s preoccupying himself with divisive political rhetoric, inciting violence and refusing to invest in climate and green jobs.

In Fred’s wake, our community is providing climate disaster aid — a job that the federal government ought to be doing. But instead, a handful of wealthy individuals, with the help of people like Rep. Cawthorn, have pitted us against each other along lines of race and class to stop us from getting what we need to thrive. Rep. Cawthorn: It’s time to either Build Back Better or get ready to be voted out.

— Chelsea White-Hoglen Clyde Editor’s note: President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster Sept. 8 for WNC counties affected by Tropical Storm Fred, allowing residents, business owners, governments and nonprofits to apply for federal aid.

Editor’s note Due to changing health recommendations related to COVID-19, readers are encouraged to check with individual businesses for the latest updates concerning upcoming events.

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

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OPINION

Overcoming obstacles

“Many of the students involved have no internet or Wi-Fi access at home.”

The Gospel According to Jerry

BY JERRY STERNBERG Somewhere in the late ’60s or early ’70s an African American gentleman named Arthur Edington expressed an interest in joining the Toastmasters Club that I was involved in. I was pleased to be one of his sponsors, and while I knew it was customary in these times that local civic clubs were white male only, I felt Toastmasters was a more accepting platform, because we practiced and offered speeches on eclectic and controversial subjects.

Because Arthur Edington was a renowned and dedicated educator and community leader, I thought he’d be welcomed with open arms.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, and as is Toastmaster protocol, we held a long and intense debate. I was shocked at the vitriolic opposition, and several of us members threated to quit the club if he were not admitted. We prevailed, and Arthur became an excellent toastmaster. He died in 2015, but his name lives on in a wonderful community institution.

The Livingston Street School, a segregated facility serving African Americans in Asheville, was closed in 1970 during the desegregation

LOVE OF LEARNING: Student Tristian Dukes, left, with teacher Bunny Shivers. Photo by Jerry Sternberg 6

OCT. 6-12, 2021

mandate and became the Livingston Street Community Center, run by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Later the name was changed to the W.C. Reid Center before finally being dedicated as the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center, to honor this very special local hero who had done so much for the African American community, especially the children.

At the invitation of another community leader, my friend Gene Bell, I had been to the building a time or two over the years to observe and enjoy some of the programs put on there by and for the children. I also learned that the center had a fully equipped carpentry shop run

by Green Opportunities, a local nonprofit. Prior to COVID, its federally funded YouthBuild program was teaching carpentry skills to students and young adults to prepare them for careers in the field. In the last few years, students in the program have helped build several houses in the Livingston Street neighborhood.

MULTIPLE APPROACHES

Mr. Kikkomon Shaw is the head chef at the Southside Kitchen, which unites local farms, activist chefs and neighborhoods that are food deserts while also training students in food preparation and culinary skills to help them find well-paying jobs.

Throughout the pandemic, the program has prepared and delivered hundreds of meals each day to people in need. It also provides meals for the new Asheville PEAK Academy charter school. Some of the produce comes from We Give a Share, a local nonprofit that’s in negotiations to assume responsibility for operating Southside Kitchen.

Another exciting local initiative is Word on the Street, which offers bilingual, arts-based programming to youths of color ages 13-19 to encourage creativity, build self-esteem and, in many cases, prepare them to be the first in their families to attend college.

Summer can be particularly difficult for students in underserved

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THE PODS ROCK: Students who participated in the PODS program are recognized at a graduation ceremony earlier this year. Photo courtesy of the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center neighborhoods. And in the summer of 2020, the Asheville City Schools, in partnership with the Asheville Housing Authority, CHOSEN (a local nonprofit) and other community organizations, created a program known as as Positive Opportunities Develop Success. PODS established in-person outposts providing computer and internet access at various sites, including the Edington Center.

This filled a desperate need, as many of the students involved have no internet or Wi-Fi access at home.

Although all of these programs are amazing, it was a graduation ceremony I attended last June that motivated me to write this piece.

The event honored about 50 students from different school districts who had completed the nine-month PODS program. Dedicated community members gave students personal instruction to supplement the remote learning curriculum provided by the teachers. I can’t imagine the challenges faced by teachers like Cassandra Wells, whose determination, energy and courage are what made this initiative work.

PASSING THE TORCH

I was visiting one of the classrooms when a 12-year-old student came in and spoke with the teacher. She asked him to perform several computer tasks, including setting up an electronic display for a program she was planning. She introduced me to Tristian, who was very shy at being confronted by an old white dude, but we discussed computers and I gathered that he was the information technology guy for the entire school.

Later in the day I saw him working with another teacher and asked if he was going to be a computer expert when he grew up. I was surprised when he took his teacher’s hand, looked up at her and said, “No, I want to be just like her. I want to be a teacher.”

Under the leadership of Shaunda Jackson, the Housing Authority’s director of resident services, this huge, immaculate building has once again become a safe place for children and community residents. This definitely couldn’t happen without the efforts of Cecelia Fisher, the Southside site manager; Karolina Hopkins, who manages the Family Self-Sufficiency Program; Bobby Head, who takes care of all the building maintenance and repairs; as well as other paid staff and an amazing number of truly caring and dedicated volunteers. Many of them grew up in the neighborhood and were very vocal about wanting to give back and make it a better place for the current generation.

Hopefully, all the dedication, caring, support and love nurtured by the Arthur Edington Center will help these wonderful youngsters survive the racism, crime, drugs and poverty that they encounter almost daily and go on to become professionals, businesspeople and/or social and community workers. And who knows?

Maybe in a few decades there will be a building dedicated to another outstanding local educator: professor Tristian Dukes.

Asheville native Jerry Sternberg, a longtime observer of the local scene, can be reached at gospeljerry@aol.com. X

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

7

NEWS

For the birds

Avian lovers committed to making Asheville bird-friendly

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com On an upper floor of Zeis Hall on the UNC Asheville campus is a small room containing many birds.

None of these birds are alive. Each one is dead, preserved through taxidermy and stacked side by side in a Tupperware container.

The room, smelling faintly of formaldehyde, is a biological specimen laboratory. The collection is being preserved by Paulina Jones, a senior studying environmental management and policy. Each bird in her assemblage — an American redstart, a hermit thrush, a yellow-rumped warbler — is the victim of a window strike on the UNCA campus.

People sometimes see birds attacking their own reflections in windows.

But birds also collide with windows in midflight due to confusion. At night, birds can see indoor light sources but can’t tell that they’re behind windows. And during the day, transparent glass means birds can see through to vegetation on the other side; mirrorlike reflectivity on windows can lead birds to see trees or clouds on the glass itself and attempt to fly toward them.

Bird strikes are a problem anywhere buildings exist. But Asheville happens to be an avian hot spot due to its location on a major migratory highway for birds heading to and from Central and South America called the Atlantic Flyway.

Western North Carolina is a prime bird-watching location for locals and tourists, and travel guides tout spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary in North Asheville.

BIRD BRAINS: Paulina Jones, left, and Sarah Branagan, right, are committed to ending bird strikes on the University of North Carolina Asheville campus and beyond. Photo by Jessica Wakeman While some of WNC’s bird species reside here year-round, most of the area’s feathered friends are just passing through. Three-fourths of bird species migrate, and the region’s heavy vegetation makes it a palatable spot to stop, explains Tom Tribble, former president of the Blue Ridge Audubon Chapter, which maintains the Beaver Lake sanctuary.

Yet Asheville’s tall buildings and their many floors of windows can

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make the area particularly deadly to these avian tourists. To prevent strikes from occurring on the birds’ migratory journey, the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville — a team of bird lovers from the UNCA Audubon chapter (including Jones), the Blue Ridge Audubon chapter and other groups — asked Asheville City Council on Aug. 24 to consider a “lights out” program for city-owned buildings in downtown.

BETTER IN THE DARK

Many lights-out initiatives are voluntary. For example, Georgia Audubon encourages citizens and business owners to turn off lights at night during the spring and fall migration every year. In New York City, the annual 9/11 tribute — two shafts of blue light rising into the sky — is temporarily shut off for 20 minutes at a time so birds attracted by the beams can disperse.

The Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville, by contrast, wants a formal policy here. “Our request for a lightsout initiative is that all city-owned buildings turn off nonessential —

not necessary for safety or work — indoor lighting from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.,” says Sarah Branagan, a member of the coalition and president of the UNCA Audubon Asheville chapter.

“While this program could be voluntary in practice, we are specifically looking for the adoption of a new policy to require this for cityowned buildings.”

Speaking to Council on Aug. 24, Branagan — who became passionate about eliminating bird strikes after witnessing a juvenile veery, a type of thrush, hit a window on campus — suggested that city-owned buildings turn off unnecessary lights during the fall and spring migration seasons.

She also suggested redirecting certain upward-facing lights downward so as not to disorient birds.

“I’m especially hopeful about the lights-out program because that would not only save the city money but help out the birds as they’re either coming through or living here all the time,” says Branagan. “It’s a win-win.”

In a statement to Xpress, Mayor Esther Manheimer says she supports further consideration of a lights-out initiative. “I am glad to see strong advocacy around sustaining migratory bird populations,” she says. “The city could review whether there are any nonessential nighttime lights in and around municipal buildings that are not already shut off at night to support this effort, as well as encourage businesses and community members to do the same.”

Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville is not the first group to raise local awareness of bird strikes.

In fall 2019, the National Audubon Society partnered with Global Bird Rescue, a project of Fatal Light Awareness Program Canada, on an informal count of dead or injured birds in downtown Asheville during a migratory period. According to Susan Richardson, an at-large board member for Blue Ridge Audubon, the team found three dead birds and zero injured birds in downtown Asheville during a one-week period in October.

GROUND TRUTHING

More rigorous data presented by the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville at the Council meeting, however, suggested that local bird strikes are much deadlier than the previous count suggested. Jones from UNCA offered the results of her senior project, which studied strikes specifically on the school’s campus.

She visited eight buildings, five days a week, during three time frames (fall 2000, winter 2021 and

spring 2021). She selected buildings with a large glass-to-wall ratio, including corners made out of glass, and heavy surrounding vegetation.

Walking the perimeters of those buildings, Jones collected bird carcasses found within 6 feet of their walls. She also collected piles of feathers within that perimeter; more than half of the carcasses had been found first by crows, squirrels and opossums. She counted 146 fatal bird collisions during her study, with the most lethal locations being the southand east-facing walls of Founders Hall, a seven-story residence hall.

Jones identified over two dozen species among the strike victims; migratory birds were particularly susceptible due to their busy flight schedules. Swainson’s thrush, which migrates at night, accounted for the largest number killed at 29 individuals. The American robin and Tennessee warbler represented 12 and eight bird strikes, respectively. Birds like the downy woodpecker, mourning dove, blue jay and ruby-throated hummingbird were also killed.

Jones says that ornithologists estimate only 1-in-8 birds die immediately upon impact, while others die later

STRIKE VICTIMS: These birds have all been killed from flying into windows on the University of North Carolina Asheville campus. Photo courtesy of Jones from internal injuries. Therefore, she projects that over 1,000 bird-strike deaths actually occurred on campus during her count.

Bird strikes are not always fatal.

Some individuals are stunned from smacking into windows and

later recover. But strikes do kill an immense number of birds: A 2014 study in the journal The Condor estimated between 100 million and 1 billion birds die from striking buildings — primarily in windows — in the U.S. each year.

WINDOWS ON THE WORLD

Beyond the lights-out proposal, the Coalition for a Bird-Friendly Asheville also suggested that Council adopt bird-safe window treatments, such as decals or films, to make windows more visible to birds. These treatments often come in dotted patterns, in which circles are placed about 4 inches apart to help birds interpret windows as flat surfaces.

Ultraviolet window decals or paint are another way to warn birds about impending glass, as birds see a wider range of colors in the UV spectrum than do humans.

The coalition supports the use of window decals but understands the associated expense may not garner the city’s support. The lights-out proposal may be the best opportunity to keep more birds where they belong: in the air, not on the ground.

Council seemed receptive to the idea, coalition members say. “They are eager to meet with us again once we’ve been able to hammer out these specifics about energy savings,” says Jones. “That was really what they were focusing on and the angle we all feel would be the best to ... have them adopt a lights-out ordinance.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

9

NEWS

Clipped wing

Staffing woes disrupt programs at Swannanoa woman’s prison

BY LARRY GRIFFIN lawrencegriffin5@gmail.com The sight of a couch almost brought Sybriea Lundy to tears.

It was a little thing, she says. But the homey piece of furniture she saw on her transfer to the Western Correctional Center for Women (formerly the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women), Lundy continues, marked a night-and-day difference from her experience over nearly five years spent at the N.C. Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, which she said had been a “very bleak” time.

“I kept waiting for the guards to be mean to me, but they look you in the eye and have a kind and encouraging word, and that was very different from what I experienced previously,” she says of WCCW. “The entire vibe was different. They actually wanted to help you. The prevailing feeling was that they cared and wanted you to be successful.”

She’d finally become eligible to transfer to WCCW in 2015, with hopes to transition back into society through the prison’s mentorship and work-release programs. After her conviction for drug trafficking in 2010, she says, she wanted to turn her life around. Lundy was released in 2016 and credits the Vera Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education program she participated in while at the prison for helping her build a better life since. She now works as a lending services associate at the Asheville-based nonprofit Mountain BizWorks.

CLOSED QUARTERS: The temporary shuttering of a wing at the Western Correctional Center for Women (formerly the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women) shook up assignments for 64 inmates, introducing potential challenges to their rehabilitation. Photo courtesy of the N.C. Department of Public Safety Her experience has led Lundy to think about recidivism and the reasons other people continue to commit crimes after leaving prison.

A primary cause, she believes, is that inmates often lack access to rehabilitation programs like the ones she experienced while incarcerated at WCCW. “You’re locked away in this place for so long and you don’t do anything for yourself,” she says of other prisons. “You don’t wash your own clothes; you don’t cook your own food. You have no say over anything you do. Then they just throw you back out into the world and expect you to be able to swim.”

But now, Lundy is concerned that other women may not get the same opportunities she received. A staffing shortage across North Carolina’s prisons led to the temporary closing of a wing at WCCW in late August and the relocation of several dozen prisoners and staff. While the wing has since been reopened and staff returned to work, it’s unclear if or when the inmates who were transferred out will return.

DOWN IN THE COUNT

As a result of the WCCW wing closure, 25 staff members were transferred to Craggy Correctional Institution, a minimum- and medium-security unit for men located in Woodfin, according to a press release from the N.C. Department of Public Safety. Sixty-four inmates from the 10

OCT. 6-12, 2021

es when the temporary shutdown started. He said two transferees have since been returned to WCCW to continue their courses at the college; other courses have been suspended in response to the pandemic or other reasons.

DPS has been holding hiring events across the state that have touted on-the-spot job offers for those who pass a background check.

Meanwhile, a forthcoming state budget could include up to $1,000 in COVID-19 bonus pay for workers in adult correction and juvenile justice and make a path for employees to move up in the ranks.

MOUNTAINX.COM

closed unit were transferred to other women’s prisons.

“We have consolidated operations and staffing at 30 prisons in the state as a result of chronic staffing shortages at all 55 of our facilities,” said Todd Ishee, the state’s commissioner of prisons, in the press release.

The relocations, according to Ishee, were designed to improve ratios of guards to inmates elsewhere to boost prison safety. He noted that the state prison staff vacancy rate was 23.5% as of August; the functional vacancy rate, including filled positions in which an employee is not working due to illness, COVID-19 exposure, family emergency or other issue, sat at 33.64%. Ishee said the staffing issues “predate the pandemic, but COVID-19 hasn’t helped matters.”

Brad Deen, a DPS spokesperson, said in an email to Xpress that work and basic educational programs are available in all 55 state prisons. He acknowledged that vocational and postsecondary offerings vary depending on each facility and its local partnerships but said that inmates transferred from WCCW would have access to “comparable” programs elsewhere. He added that no WCCW inmates on work-release or in academic classes were transferred, nor were kitchen workers and grounds/ cleaning crews.

“It is unfortunate that some former Swannanoa offenders are temporarily unable to complete courses,” he said, adding that those in the Human Resources Development curriculum at A-B Tech were between cours-

PROGRESS PAUSED

As of Sept. 17, Cari Barcas, a board member with the nonprofit Ministry of Hope, reported that prison staff had been returned to WCCW and that the facility was again accepting new inmates, with 13 women transferred from Anson Correctional Center on Sept. 20. The nonprofit works with WCCW to offer religious, educational, vocational and transitional services, as well as domestic violence and grief counseling, to help women reenter society after their prison terms are done.

But Barcas said it remains to be seen whether the women transferred out will return. And according to Lauronda Morrow, Ministry of Hope’s board chair, the closing of the WCCW wing could set back the prisoners’ progress. Some were sent to medium-security facilities with stricter rules, she says, while inmates and staff participating in a drug treatment program were dispersed across the prison system.

A WCCW employee, who insisted on anonymity because she wasn’t authorized to speak to the press, says the prison’s more relaxed atmosphere compared to the Raleigh facility is key to rehabilitation. Going back to Raleigh was the main concern of several of the transferred inmates, she says.

“There’s talk that they can access transitional services there, too, but it’s comparing apples and oranges,” the employee says. “At Swannanoa, [the inmates] can prepare mentally and emotionally, and learn to be a good neighbor. That’s what happens at Swannanoa.

“They’re in prison for something they did, but they are survivors of trauma in one way or another,” she continues. “We had one woman who was a survivor of domestic violence.

She got triggered when she was screamed at. And when you go to Raleigh, you get screamed at, and it’s a downward spiral from there.” X

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Where some people see a parking lot, others see the potential for affordable housing.

The latter perspective is what some members of Asheville City Council had in mind Sept. 28 as they approved new zoning rules that will loosen building requirements for large commercial developments if property owners add residential units.

Council members voted 4-2 to approve an update to the definition of the Urban Place Zoning district in the city’s Unified Development Ordinance. Sandra Kilgore and Antanette Mosley opposed the amendment, while Mayor Esther Manheimer recused herself due to the retainment of her employer, The Van Winkle Law Firm, by property owners impacted by the change.

According to a staff report, the new zoning district will encourage more mixed-use development and walkability in areas currently dominated by big-box stores, such as Walmart and Ingles, and their associated parking lots. Housing would be required for commercial projects of more than 20,000 square feet on sites over 5 acres and zoned in the new district; developers could build taller structures by right if they include affordable housing. The strategy was developed in accordance with Asheville’s 2018 Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan, which encourages growth near transit lines, walkability, affordable housing and better connectivity between areas where people live and work.

After voting to create the new zoning rules, Council voted to rezone a total of 122 acres into Urban Place Zoning, including the current site of the Innsbruck Mall on Tunnel Road and the shopping center on Bleachery Boulevard in East Asheville. That vote fell along the same lines as the first decision, with Council members Kilgore and Mosely opposed and Manheimer recused.

“We know that growth is coming.

I don’t know that anybody can live in Asheville in recent years and not feel that we’re growing fast and that there’s a lot of pressure to build and grow,” said Council member Sage Turner in support of the new zoning.

“And if we don’t plan for where that makes sense and where those nodes

IN THE ZONE: Urban Place Zoning encourages growth near transit lines, affordable housing and better connectivity between areas where people live and work. Illustration courtesy of the city of Asheville are and where we can fit it, I think we’re going to end up continuing to see it pop up everywhere, kind of like Crossroads or the Bluffs.

“We have an affordable housing crisis in this community. The bottom line is that we need more affordable housing and there are limited places in the city of Asheville where we can build it,” added Vicki Meath, executive director of Just Economics.

“We need you to continue to fight for affordable housing using every tool available. “ But the zoning ordinance also drew criticism from property rights advocates and lawyers representing some business owners whose properties are located in the newly rezoned areas.

Wyatt Stevens, a commercial litigation attorney representing Ingles (which will have two branches impacted by the new zoning) said before the vote that the housing requirements did not consider issues such as existing infrastructure, including water, sewer and stormwater, that could restrict new structures on the rezoned properties.

“Although city staff has been working on this for three years, it’s not ready to be applied to any properties in our city,” Stevens said. “These are laudable goals, but they have to take into account the character of the land and the practical realities of private property owners redeveloping these sites with their own money and without any help from the city.”

“I’m not aware of it being done in the entire state of North Carolina, and I’ve been a land use lawyer for 30 years,” added Craig Justus, who questioned the legality of the zoning rules. Justice said he also represents Ingles, among other property owners impacted by the change. “There’s never, to my knowledge, an ordinance in the entire state that mandates what the city is mandating.”

Kilgore suggested that the new zoning would create multiple property rights lawsuits for the city, while Mosely raised concern about its impact on the East End neighborhood, a historically Black community near the Innsbruck Mall.

She pointed to the staff report, which notes that redevelopment of

— Brooke Randle X

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Business pushes back as Council OKs Urban Place Zoning

the Urban Place Zoning properties could increase neighboring property values over time, and argued that the result would be gentrification.

“I’ve had personal conversations with some folks who live there,” Mosley said. “I grew up in that neighborhood, so there are concerns.”

“It’s important to think about displacement,” city planner Vaidila Satvika responded. “At the same time, whenever we have opportunities to influence development patterns, let’s make sure that we do so in a way that guides it in a direction that is supportive to those most vulnerable.”

Council member Turner also noted that the business owners will still have the option of coming before Council for conditional zoning if they find the new rules incompatible with their plans.

“We can always adjust things. We can always amend. We can always revisit if we find that these regulations put on these particular parcels are too much for that developer,” Turner said. “We have to make a move on this. It’s time.”

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NEWS

BUNCOMBE BEAT

APD announces policy changes in wake of 2020 protests Over a year since the Asheville Police Department’s response to spring 2020’s racial justice demonstrations — including the destruction of a protester medic station — drew national headlines, the consequences for policing in the city continue to play out. During a Sept. 28 meeting of Asheville City Council’s Public Safety Committee, Chief David Zack announced the implementation of departmental policy changes recommended by an after-action report from the protests.

The report, requested by Council in July 2020, was released in March and details how the APD handled the demonstrations that occurred May 29 through June 6, 2020, after the murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd by a white police officer. The document outlined 11 recommendations and 17 action items for APD to address.

ON THE STREET: Asheville residents marched onto Interstate 240 during protests for racial justice on May 31, 2020, and proceeded to the Jeff Bowen Bridge, where they were tear-gassed by the Asheville Police Department.

Photo by Nick Levine The policy changes Zack presented included mandating that body-worn cameras be in use throughout protest events; designating a resource manager to coordinate with supporting agencies, such as the National Guard and Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office; and developing standard procedures for communications among the city, media and community.

Zack also said that heavy police presence during the demonstrations may have “incited the emotions of many protesters.” He said that “when practical, APD will employ a ‘softer’ approach” to large-scale events by reducing the number of officers, using concrete or plastic barriers and forgoing the deployment of SWAT or riot control units unless necessary.

In response to criticism over its actions at the protester medic station, the APD’s policy now states that officers “will not destroy personal or abandoned property unless it poses an immediate danger to officers” or the public. Zack said that disciplinary action had been taken against officers who participated in the destruction of property, but he did not disclose who those officers were or what punishments had been administered, citing state privacy requirements.

And while the report found that the decision to use tear gas against

12

OCT. 6-12, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

protesters on May 31 at the Jeff Bowen Bridge was “both within agency policy and best practices,” it noted that officers violated departmental crowd control operations and chemical munitions policies during that action. Zack said APD will now give clear and consistent warnings before those munitions are used.

APD also loosened a requirement for the Asheville Fire Department to be present before tear gas is used for crowd control; the new policy states that the AFD must only be notified prior to use.

Council member Kim Roney said she felt that the department was “moving in the wrong direction” with its chemical munitions policies and questioned whether the APD should be allowed to use tear gas for crowd control at all. Roney asked that Zach present the changes before the full Council so that members could specifically discuss the use of those munitions.

“I think where the department is now is, actually this is the less aggressive — whether you accept that or not — way to deal with the situation,” responded City Manager Debra Campbell. “We assure you that we’re going to practice the best practice and going to be very selective in its use and going to continue to follow [Federal Emergency Management Agency] guidelines and state guidelines. ” City Attorney Brad Branham also noted that Council is limited by the city’s charter in terms of regulating what tools the Police Department can use and how officers can use them. He said that those decisions are designated to the city manager, rather than Council.

“Can we clarify on the public record that we are creating policies that chemical munitions can be deployed against people of all ages and abilities in the city of Asheville?”

Roney replied. “We deployed chemical munitions on children, elders and people of different abilities, and the policies in front of us now ensure that that can be used again.”

“APD uses chemical munitions to protect themselves, property and private citizens. That is not a contained deployment. That’s why warnings are given for persons to leave. If people do not heed that warning, I don’t know what to tell you,” said Zack. “APD has to have the ability to respond. And if there’s some persons in the crowd who are elderly, of course that’s unfortunate. We don’t want to see that happen.”

— Brooke Randle X

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

13

FEA T U RE S

Q&A with Ruth Pittard of the ‘LOVE’ project On Wednesdays for the last three years, a few friends stand silently on the busiest corner in Black Mountain holding signs that say “LOVE.” They aren’t affiliated with any religion or political organization. They simply want to contribute positive energy into the world.

Ruth Pittard is the creator of the weekly ritual. Born in Newton, she spent her career as a high school English teacher, and she held a variety of roles at Davidson College. When Pittard retired, she sold her belongings and wandered for a decade, volunteering and bartering housing. Now she lives in Black Mountain, where she is building a small, solar, net-zero house Xpress spoke with Pittard about her inspiration for the “LOVE” project, her guidance on conflict resolution and how activism in her youth influences her today.

This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity.

What inspired you to spend your Wednesdays standing on a street corner with a sign that says “LOVE”?

I’ve been an activist my whole life.

I was born in the ’60s, and that’s what you did. If you wanted the world to be a better place, you protested against the fact it wasn’t.

About the time I was 30, I began being “for” things rather than against them. I’d be for voting rights, rather than against discrimination, and that was a pretty profound shift in my life.

Three years ago, I read an editorial

SPREAD THE LOVE: Laura Staley, left, Larry Pearlman, center, and Ruth Pittard pound the pavement in Black Mountain. Photo courtesy of Pittard about someone who became so passionate about what was happening to children and families at the borders that she protested for the first time, in the same location the LOVE group now stands. It was a beautiful editorial and called me to look at what I would “be for” in that instance. And so I spent a whole week thinking about that.

I’m 75 this year, so I can look back over my life and see how it all fits together. One of the glorious things about being older is seeing patterns in how you’ve behaved. So I thought about my life and realized, it’s all about love. Love is what I am so passionate for

Boo!

Did we scare you? Okay, now you scare us!

Perhaps your historical Montford home is haunted.

Or maybe you’ve come across a deranged clown while hiking.

Whatever the scenario, we want to hear about the scariest thing you’ve ever experienced in WNC.

If you’ve got a great true tale, send it to trose@mountainx.com by Friday, Oct. 8, and we’ll consider it for publication in our final October issue. Aim for 300 words or less, and be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We can’t wait to read about your strange encounters!

that I would stand in the middle of town and proclaim it.

What does love mean to you?

Love to me is a practice. It’s questioning all that you do through the lens of how compassionate, empathetic, constructive or positive you can be.

There are mounds of adjectives that go with it, but the closest is kindness.

I work at Chifferobe Home and Garden, and we have a bunch of stickers that are “Southernisms.” One of them is “Don’t be ugly,” which is the one that everybody comes in saying, “Oh yeah, my mother said that!”

There’s an old saying that goes, “To be loved is to be seen, heard and valued.”

For me, if you have those three things they add up to love.

What do you mean when you say that choosing love as an operating system isn’t casual or easy?

It’s not all about kittens and Hallmark cards, because if you ask yourself deep questions before you act, it’s hard. Being able to look at the black

and white and land somewhere in the gray is, by no means, casual.

There was a time when I was in a group that chose love as an operating agreement. The motto was, “As we go, love.” Well, we ran into a huge problem, where one person in the group disrespected another publicly and everyone got angry and demanded a resignation.

I got to be the person to say, “Wait a minute! All of us agreed to operate from a loving system.”

It took three days to come to a solution where neither person felt shortchanged or disrespected and both people felt heard, seen and valued. It ended with public apologies from both parties, and the process involved some of the most intimate storytelling I’ve ever been a part of. It also caused a lot of laughter, because that’s always been one of my tools.

I worked with students for 30 years and I have a beautiful magic wand made of driftwood. I keep it near so when people get angry, I bop them on the head, which brings everybody back to the idea that this is serious, but none of us are going to die from it.

What will die are old thought processes and old ways of reacting.

Operating from love opens us up to magic, to something new and different.

Where do you see the ‘LOVE’ project going in the future?

It doesn’t have to go anywhere; it can be just that! What I do hear from people is that they think about it and actually understand the message.

Even if just for the two minutes that they come through the intersection, it changes their day. It makes them smile and think about what the word “love” means for themselves.

You know the adage “Think before you speak”? Well, mine is “Think love before you speak.” If I can do that, and if that message can get out there for others, then that’s change.

— Johanna Hagarty X

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15

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OCT. 6-14, 2021

Mountain Lake Workshop series.

WE (10/6, 13), TH (10/7, 14), FR (10/8), SA (10/9), SU (10/10), MO (10/11), 11am-6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square

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.

Preservation Through Art: Exhibition 3rd Opening Featuring artwork depicting Mountain Island, the French Broad, Old Mill at Reems Creek, Team on the French Broad WE (10/13), 6pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St

Online Events = Shaded WELLNESS Yoga and the 12 Steps of Recovery The Y12SR model addresses addiction as a physical, mental and spiritual disease.

WE (10/6, 13), 8:309:45am, Free, Asheville Yoga Center, 211 Liberty St Yoga in the Park Outdoor yoga group meets every Saturday and Sunday.

SA (10/9), SU (10/10), 1:30pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd Hip Hop Fitness Weekly lead-and-follow dance fitness class.

SU (10/10), 10am, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

Ben's Friends A local meeting of the national support group for people in the hospitality industry struggling with addiction.

MO (10/11), 10am, Free, AB Tech Culinary Arts & Hospitality School, 30 Tech Dr Rise and Flow Outdoor Yoga Weekly event.

TU (10/12), 9am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Bend and Brew Restorative Yoga Weekly 45-minute class

by Burning Sage Yoga.

TU (10/12), 4pm, $5-15, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free naloxone, syringes and educational material on harm reduction.

ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS

ROAD TO FREEDOM: NC Stage Company will present Breach of Peace, a oneman play written and performed by Mike Wiley, Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 6-9 and Oct. 13-16, at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays, Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. The show is based on accounts by participants in the 1961 Freedom Rides and others involved in the civil rights movement. Photo by Chris Charles for Creative Silence TU (10/12), 2pm, Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Rd Outdoor Dancing w/ Vivie Weekly event.

TU (10/12), 6pm, $12, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd

Quest4Life 5Rhythms Waves Class Weekly instructional classes based on Gabrielle Roth's work.

Masks are required.

No dance experience necessary.

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TU (10/12), 7pm, $12-22, Terpsicorps Academy, 1501 Patton Ave

ART Artists Q&A: Preservation Through Art: Along the French Broad Artists will share tales of what it took to find and recreate vantage points from over 150 years ago.

WE (10/6), 6-8pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St Unearthing Our Forgotten Past Exhibit exploring the Spanish occupation of Fort San Juan and the native people who lived in the Joara area.

Sponsored by the Western NC Historical Association.

TH (10/7, 14), FR (10/8), SA (10/9), 10:30am, Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Rd Together/Apart: A year of pent up creativity unleashed A multimedia premiere focusing on inclusion of all sizes, races, ages, and genders.

Interpretations about the divide of social distancing and its impact captured in photo.

SA (10/9), 9am-6pm, MO (10/11), 10am-6pm, TU (10/12), 10am-7pm, ananda hair studio, 22 Broadway A Dance of Images and Words: The Nancy Graves/Pedro Cuperman Tango Portfolio Exhibition presents Graves’s eight prints alongside the portfolio frontispiece and a page of Cuperman’s text to immerse visitors in the collaborative dance of the tango.

WE (10/6, 13), TH (10/7, 14), FR (10/8), SA (10/9), SU (10/10), MO (10/11), 11am-6pm Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Contemporary Clay Virtual Forum: Reclaiming Ground In conjunction with the WCU Fine Art Museum exhibition, Contemporary Clay 2021, this lecture is presented by the WCU Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center and the School of Art and Design. Register in advance. Via Zoom.

WE (10/6), 12-3:30pm, Registration required, avl.mx/ah5 Contemporary Clay: Talk and Reception Artist talk and reception in celebration of exhibit.

TH (10/7), 5pm, WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee Art of Emil Holzhauer A selection of work by noted German-American artist, and one-time Asheville resident, Emil Holzhauer (1887-1986).

FR (10/8), 12am, BlackBird Frame & Art, 365 Merrimon Ave Kenilworth Artists Association Studio Tour Free, self-guided studio tour. Map with studio locations can be found at multiple locations, including the Asheville Visitors Center and Malaprops.

SA (10/9), SU (10/10) 10am, Free, Kenilworth neighborhood Rural Avant-Garde: The Mountain Lake Experience Showcases a selection of collaborative creative works that emerged from nearly four decades of the

Midweek Market Weekly vintage arts and crafts market.

WE (10/6), 4pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd Asheville Art in the Park Market for professional artists featuring glass, ceramics, wood, jewelry and metal.

SA (10/9), 10am, Pack Square Park, 22 S Pack Sq Jackson Arts Market Weekly event every Saturday through Dec. 18.

SA (10/9), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva, Sylva Ooh La La Curiosity Market Showcasing the work of more than a dozen local artists.

SA (10/9), 10am, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

COMMUNITY MUSIC Autumn at the Opry Showcasing various musical styles, including bluegrass, honky-tonk, tin pan alley, pop standards, blues and rock.

SA (10/9), 2pm, $35-60, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Hwy 225, Flat Rock Pan Harmonia Porch Concert Featuring Barbara Weiss, harpsichord, Amy Brucksch, guitar, and Frances Demoretcky, synth melodica, playing everything from from Baroque to bossa nova.

SA (10/9), 4pm, Registration required, Location provided upon reservation, Asheville

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Miss Malaprop's Storytime Recommended for ages 3-9.

WE (10/6), 10am, Registration required, avl.mx/7b9

Hybrid Event: Ed Southern presents Fight Songs, in conversation w/ Scott Bunn and Tom Chalmers The authors discuss Southern's new book.

In-person and online.

WE (10/6), 7pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Malaprop's Book Club Jay Jacoby leads a discussion of Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

WE (10/6), 7pm, avl.mx/9s5 Author Renee Kumor Book Signing & Discussion Kumor will read excerpts from her new titles from The River Bend Chronicles.

TH (10/7), 5:30pm, Free, The Brandy Bar, 504 7th Ave E, Hendersonville Margot Rossi presents To Be Like Water The author discusses her new book. .

TH (10/7), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/ahi Malaprop's Crime and Politics Book Club A discussion of The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld by Ravi Somaiya.

TH (10/7), 7pm, avl.mx/ahj Author signing w/John Railey The author will sign his book true-crime book The Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks.

SA (10/9), 1pm, Blue Ridge Books, 428 Hazelwood Ave, Waynesville Malaprop's Mystery Book Club Participants will discuss The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.

MO (10/11), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/7jn Beth Gilstrap presents Deadheading and Other Stories in conversation with Steph Post The authors discuss Gilstrap's book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

TU (10/12), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/aj6 Virtual Story Time with Maya Myers and Hyewon Yum, author and illustrator of Not Little The authors present their new children's book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

WE (10/13), 10am, avl.mx/aj7 Discussion Bound Book Club Participants in monthly event will discuss Composition in Retrospect by John Cage.

WE (10/13), 12pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square

Hybrid Event: Jen Fawkes presents Tales the Devil Told Me, in conversation with Heather Newton The authors discuss Fawkes' new book.

In-person and online.

WE (10/13), 6pm, Registration required, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St An Evening of Joy w/Weaverville Storytellers Oral storytelling featuring Chuck Fink, Catherine Yael Serota, Kathy Gordon and Jill Totman.

TH (10/14), 6pm, Lake Louise Community Center, Weaverville Hybrid Event: Peter Zheutlin presents Spin The author discusses his book. In-person and online.

TH (10/14), 6pm, Registration required, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St

THEATER Breach of Peace: Stories of the Freedom Riders Written and performed by Mike Wiley based on true accounts of surviving participants of the Freedom Rides and others.

WE (10/6, 13), TH (10/7, 14), FR (10/8), SA (10/9), SU (10/10), 7:30pm, $25, NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln Pericles by William Shakespeake A Montford Park Players Production.

FR (10/8), 7:30pm, Free, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter One-woman show about the life Linda Lee Thomas, who was married to Cole Porter for 35 years.

FR (10/8), SA (10/9), 7pm, SU (10/10), 2pm, $25, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St, Black Mountain Don Flemons Branded The American Songster, Flemons has a repertoire that covers over 100 years of early American popular music.

SU (10/10), 7:30pm, NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln

Seeing Sound: A Musical Journey of Water and Light An original multimedia production that synthesizes live music across genres into colorful light.

TH (10/14), FR (10/15), 7:30pm, $5 $20, WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Asheville Garden Club Field Trip to Bountiful Cities Car pooling available.

Please RSVP. WE (10/6), 9:30am, All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St Now is the Time to Protect the French Broad Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper of MountainTrue, and Marshall Taylor, civil engineer, will talk about threats to the river.

TH (10/7), 7pm, Free, Registration required, avl.mx/ahv Fall Peaks Hiking Series Free hiking series will follow the peak fall colors through its different stages based on elevation.

Sponsored by Black Mountain Recreation and Parks.. Call (828) 669-2052.

FR (10/8), Registration required, Hawkbill Rock Fly Fishing School Ages 12 and older.

Call (828)877-4423.

FR (10/8), 9am, Registration required, DuPont State Recreational Forest, Entrance, 1400 Staton Rd, Cedar Mountain Aurora Studio & Gallery's Fun on Friday Arts/fundraising activity. To register, text Lori Greenberg at (828)35-1038.

Suggested donation.

FR (10/8), 2:30pm, $20, The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave Peregrines of the Parkway Fridays at the Folk Art Center features dive into the world of one of the largest, most powerful and fastest falcon species.

FR (10/8), 6:30pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

Baha'i Sunday Devotional Virtual gathering with readings, music, prayers, and conversation. All are welcome.

A Zoom link will be sent in advance to those who register.

SU (10/10), 10am, avl.mx/a9m Better Together Discussion Group Group's goal is "to empower a racial awakening through building relationships and deepening our understanding of our true connection."

SU (10/10), 12:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way Social Contract Bridge Group For more info, contact Stefano 727-481-8103.

MO (10/11), 12:30pm, Free, Senior Opportunity Center, 36 Grove St WNC Career Expo Participating employers are hiring for hundreds of available jobs, and most will be interviewing or hiring candidates on the spot. Sponsored by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Mountain Area Workforce Development Board TU (10/12), 11am, WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd Baha'i Devotional: Climate Change A Zoom link will be sent in advance to those who register.

TU (10/12), 7pm, Free, Registration required, avl.mx/ajq Eco-Grief Circles Seven-week online session will explore grief and sorrow, anxiety and fear, guilt and shame, anger and despair. Sponsored by the Creation Care Alliance.

WE (10/6, 13), 12pm, avl.mx/aey Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle Class explains how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County’s website or call the Council on Aging at 828-277-8288.

WE (10/13), 2pm, avl.mx/9hz

The Marion Mill Massacre in Memory The Western Historical Association kick off a month of programming centered on labor and mill history in WNC. TH (10/14), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/ajr Testify, Beyond Space Film screening and talk with director Marie Cochran.

TH (10/14), 7:30pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

FOOD & BEER RAD Farmers Market Weekly year-round market.

WE (10/6, 13), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Flat Rock Farmers Market TH (10/7, 14), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville Hendersonville Farmers Market Weekly farmers market.

SA (10/9), 8am, Historic Hendersonville Train Depot, 650 Maple St

FESTIVALS Pumpkin Fest Family-friendly event with lighted carved pumpkin displays on a short walking trail, local musicians, food trucks, games, storytelling, face painting and more.

Fridays and Saturdays until Oct. 30.

FR(10/8), SA (10/9), 6pm, Silvermont Park, East Main St, Brevard Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Annual fair featuring artisans with contemporary and traditional work in clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media and jewelry.

TH (10/14), 10am, Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

17

WELLNESS

The Abigail effect Arden couple share journey after infant loss

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Abigail Mary Elizabeth Crawford’s life started sometime in the weeks before Oct. 4, 2020.

That was the date her mother, Jenna Crawford, giddily leapt on top of her sleeping father, Garry Wynn, holding a positive pregnancy test at 5:30 a.m. Wynn remembers Oct. 4 as “an unbelievably magic day.”

The couple sailed ahead through milestones as the pregnancy progressed. They wrote a birth plan.

Friends, family and co-workers threw them baby showers. They watched Abigail’s heart flutter on an ultrasound. She’d kick her mom’s belly when she heard her dad’s voice.

“She looked great; her heartbeat was great every time,” Crawford says.

Abigail’s life ended sometime in late May or early June, during her 38th or 39th week of gestation. A few weeks prior, Crawford and Wynn learned she had scarcely grown in the previous weeks. Crawford remembers hearing that her consistently healthy blood pressure had gone up; she awoke one May night in her Arden home with a “blinding headache.”

Crawford does not know if either of these symptoms were related to Abigail’s death. She never distinctly felt her daughter stop moving.

But Abigail suddenly felt “really heavy-feeling” in utero.

“The one thing that echoes like a billiard table in my brain is I said, ‘She feels like concrete,’” Crawford recalls. An ultrasound during the routine checkup for her 39th week revealed Abigail didn’t have a heartbeat.

Stillbirth is a fetal death that occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy; prior to that date, a death in utero is called a miscarriage. In 2017, North Carolina had a stillbirth rate of 6.6 per 1,000 pregnancies, according to the Star Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to research on and support for pregnancy loss. That’s slightly higher than the nationwide stillbirth rate of 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births.

All prospective parents know stillbirth is a possibility; umbilical cord accidents and infections are among the most common causes.

But Crawford and Wynn say they never received more detailed infor18

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ABIGAIL’S PARENTS: Jenna Crawford and Garry Wynn, holding their daughter Abigail, want society to talk more openly about stillbirth. Photo by Jessica Wakeman mation about stillbirth during pregnancy care, which contributed to their shock. “Never once during the videos does it talk about this might happen,” Wynn says. “Everything’s always rosy.”

The medical establishment rarely discusses the possibility of infant loss with prospective parents, says Katherine Hyde-Hensley, an Asheville psychotherapist and perinatal loss doula who lost a child in 2005. Prenatal care warns about pregnancy risk factors such as smoking or stress, she says, but many parents feel kept in the dark about stillbirths.

Ultimately, Abigail’s cause of death does not matter, her parents tell Xpress, sitting side by side on a couch in their home. Abigail’s remains rest inside a wooden box on the coffee table next to a pink T-shirt of Abby Cadabby from “Sesame Street.” “We still don’t know what happened. We don’t need to know; we don’t want to know,” says Crawford. “It doesn’t serve any purpose.”

PRESERVING MEMORIES

Parents have options after a child dies, Hyde-Hesley says. Families need to know they can take their baby home; many want to take handprints and footprints or take photographs together. She’d like to see

more widespread use of death doulas — family advocates who specialize in helping navigate death — for grieving parents after stillbirth.

Following the ultrasound that confirmed Abigail’s death, Crawford’s OB-GYN informed the couple that they could go home and wait for labor to begin. They opted to go directly to Mission Hospital for a cesarean section the next morning.

At 8:58 a.m. June 3, Crawford delivered Abigail at 5 pounds, 15 ounces and 20 inches long.

Mission’s labor and delivery staff placed a placard depicting a leaf with a teardrop outside their hospital room. The signage — materials the hospital uses from Resolve Through Sharing bereavement training — indicates the situation inside the room may be sensitive, says Mary Cascio, director of the Mother-Baby Unit at Mission Hospital.

The couple also used a cooling bassinet called a “Cuddle Cot,” which allowed them to spend all of June 3 with Abigail. The device “allows parents more time to say goodbye, up to two to three days,” explains Cascio.

Without one, she says, “Babies must be taken within a few hours of birth.”

(Mission’s Cuddle Cot was donated by the family of James Julian Ashe, a Candler child who died at 5 months old in 2017, as part of the U.S. Cuddle Cot Campaign Initiative.)

Commemorate your “They treated her like a living child, which was gorgeous,” says Crawford.

“They did fingerprints, footprints, weight and measurements. They let us wash her and dress her. They had a little cap for her; they had a little bear for her.”

Says Cascio, “We always take care to preserve memories for the family.”

Families can receive donated blankets, hats, gowns and other mementos for spending time with their child after a death. She notes that when a grieving family has older children, a Certified Child Life Specialist can guide their care during this time.

Families benefit from “tangible items” to make memories with their infant, says Hyde-Hensley. “They validate that this baby was alive and born and part of the family,” she explains.

Amid the somber mood, Crawford and Wynn packed a life’s worth of celebration into one day. A nurse who had recently celebrated a birthday gave the couple a cupcake, so they sang “Happy Birthday” to Abigail. A volunteer from Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, which provides free family portraits for grieving families, took photographs of Abigail in a colorful onesie; Crawford’s dad took 300 photos as well.

Close to 11 p.m., Abigail’s parents said goodbye. She was placed in a pretty box, provided by Mission from Resolve Through Sharing. Crawford and Wynn wrote their daughter a letter; each then cut their hair and braided it together for the cremation.

A nurse waited with Abigail until she was collected by Groce Funeral Home in Asheville, which offered their services at no cost.

The couple left the hospital the next day — Crawford’s 36th birthday — and returned home. Although Abigail’s nursery is still set up with her crib, bookcase and a dragon-shaped rocking horse, the family removed all other baby accoutrements from their house and donated perishables.

A WAY FORWARD

Following the death of an infant, parents need more than the standard follow-up appointment with an OB-GYN, says Hyde-Hensley.

Postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are more common after stillbirth and can affect either parent, so resources like psychotherapy and grief support groups are particularly important.

“We were pretty much not left alone for about two weeks straight, because we were pretty much destined to want to kill ourselves,” says Crawford about her and Wynn’s

return home. “I saw no reason to keep living.”

She hasn’t received a diagnosis for a mental health condition but describes experiencing profound anxiety, numbness and sadness. She and Wynn sought out Hyde-Hensley as a therapist and attend online support groups for bereaved parents through the Star Legacy Foundation.

Families experience complex grief after the loss of a child, and the phases of grief, “while they’re like seasons, they don’t flow in an order,” says Hyde-Hensley. Suicidal ideation comes from a place of “wanting to be at peace with your child, even if that was to mean to not being here on Earth,” she explains. In Asheville, the Perinatal Emotional Health Network of WNC, a collaboration among health providers, partners with Postpartum Support International to screen mothers who are at risk of postpartum depression or a mood disorder.

Wynn describes a frustration at how many perinatal grief resources focus on the birth parent. “You’re not the patient, so dads are forgotten about,” Wynn says. The pressure for men not to show sadness was also difficult for him; he recalls other men telling him that he needed to be “strong.”

While Crawford was able to get prescriptions for antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication in the hospital, Wynn says he did not see a general practitioner for mental health care support until three weeks after Abigail’s death.

“The nonbirthing parent … is often overlooked because they didn’t carry the child and feel the child,” says Hyde-Hensley. “They grieve twice: They grieve for their partner and they grieve their own lack of connection in the pregnancy.” (Support groups do exist for nonbirthing parents, typically called “fathers’ support groups”; she points to the nonprofit Return to Zero: Hope for resources.)

The couple are adamant that there is no healing from their loss, only moving forward. “I remember one day the clouds parted enough where I could finally breathe a little bit and I said, ‘OK, I need to start figuring out a way to exist in the world again,’” says Crawford. She and her mother sewed a 6 pound pillow in purple fabric — Abigail’s color — to cuddle.

“It’s always ‘before Abigail’ and ‘now’ — there’s never going to be an ‘after Abigail,’ but there’s now ‘with Abigail,’” Crawford says. “You don’t move on, but you find a way to move forward.” X

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OCT. 6-12, 2021

19

ARTS & CULTURE

High demand, short supply Locals explore the culinary potential of pawpaw

BY JONATHAN POSTON wjonpost@gmail.com A traditional folk song starts like this: “Where, oh where, is pretty little Susie?”

The answer, of course, is that little Susie may be found “way down yonder in the pawpaw patch, pickin’ up pawpaws, puttin’ ’em in her pockets.”

In modern times, many people have forgotten about the pawpaw.

The large, yellowish-green fruit, although native to the Eastern United States, is hard to come across. Pawpaws can’t be found in stores because of their ultrashort shelf life — a couple days at room temperature, about a week in the refrigerator — so they’re usually harvested by hand from patches in the wild.

And people who do know about a pawpaw patch tend to keep it a secret. I once stumbled upon a big grove of pawpaw trees, and within minutes a woman appeared on a four-wheeler and claimed them as hers, the star ingredient in pies she makes for her family every fall. She said I could have a few, then, broke out singing the old song: “Pickin’ up pawpaws…”

The fruit is an oddity, but in a city with an unofficial tagline of “Keep Asheville Weird,” it’s perhaps natural that some are drawn to working with pawpaws. A number of local businesses are making pawpaw products to give more people a taste of this indigenous American delight.

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OCT. 6-12, 2021

HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW: Pawpaws, a native fruit with custard texture and mellow, mango-banana flavor, can’t be found in stores due to its ultrashort shelf life. Photo by Sarah Wickers, courtesy of Well Seasoned Table

EDIBLE ENDEAVORS

Justin Holt, a member of the Nutty Buddy Collective, calls pawpaws a “strange fruit to encounter in the mountains of North Carolina.” That’s because a pawpaw looks similar to the tropical bulk of a mango and tastes like one, too, combined with mellow, custard-textured banana. “I like the flavor a lot. I can eat a lot of pawpaws, more pawpaws than most,” he says.

Holt’s business, which aims to bring native fruits and nuts to Westen North Carolina tables, seeks to restore a bit of the pawpaw’s former popularity — he notes that President Thomas Jefferson even grew the fruit in the garden of his Monticello plantation in Virginia. The collective is growing a patch of about a dozen pawpaw trees right now, with the daydream of turning the fruit into commercial products. He says puddings, pie and ice cream are all delectable uses.

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And as part of its locally sourced lineup, Candler-based Well Seasoned Table crafts a seasonal pawpaw-infused sugar, which this year was released Sept. 17. The unique product has drawn national attention, recently earning a nod on Taste of the South magazine’s 2021 Taste 50 list.

Katie McDonald, the company’s general manager, says the sugar uses about 30-40 pounds of pawpaws per season. These usually come from local patches, but because many are bare this year (potentially because of a late frost) Well Seasoned Table is relying on a Virginia-based friend to supply the rare fruit.

“The season on pawpaws is short, so we only source what we need for one large batch. We release it in the fall each year, as a special taste of the area/season,” McDonald notes. “We also do a good bit of social media posting/marketing so people know when we put our sugar out.”

PAWPAW POTABLES

Co-owners Amie Fields and Lyndon Smith of the Botanist and Barrel, a cidery and winemaker with a tasting room at 32 Broadway in Asheville, use every bit of pawpaw fruit they can get their hands on. They work with local foragers — as well as Wynn Dinnsen, a one-man-show farmer who has a pawpaw orchard in a supersecret Chatham County location.

Smith believes that Dinnsen’s orchard may be the only commercial pawpaw farm in the South, and the product is in high demand. “It took us five years to build the relationship,” he says. “This poor guy gets harassed all the time, it’s that bad.”

While Smith initially declined to disclose Botanist and Barrel’s source, Dinnsen’s 250-tree orchard is the only pawpaw farm featured on the N.C. Cooperative Extension website, and the farmer confirmed that he provides pawpaws to the cidery in an email to Xpress. Dinnsen noted that he has removed his address from his own website and prefers to deal with large repeat buyers, such as Durham’s Fullsteam Brewery and Fair Game Beverage Co. in Pittsboro.

This year, Fields and Smith hope to source up to 600 pounds of pawpaws, going so far as to send their own employees to help Dinnsen pick them.

Harvesting is not easy because pawpaws don’t ripen all at once, so getting that much fruit may take a few trips of picking 100 pounds at a time.

On making pawpaw cider, Smith says, “We need to let things age and mellow.” A batch made two years ago, for example, hung around for up to 18 months before bottling. “If it’s released earlier, when it’s really young, it comes out sweeter, a custardy candy mango flavor, whereas the aged pawpaw cider has a tart, sour flavor with a residual sweetness that gives texture to the cider,” Fields explains.

With the season’s pawpaw haul, Botanist and Barrel plans to brew up to 700 gallons of cider, which will be spread across three varieties: pawpaw jasmine, which includes jasmine tea and develops a passion fruit flavor; pawpaw ginger vanilla, with baking spice that Smith says “tricks your mind into balancing the tartness” of the pawpaw; and a regular pawpaw cider with apples.

“Pawpaw has a cult following. There is such interest in that fruit, and in general, native fruit that has been forgotten,” Smith says. While Botanist and Barrel has sold the last of its available pawpaw ciders this fall, the next batch of pawpaw jasmine is expected to be released summer 2022.

“It’s my favorite cider that we make,” Fields adds. X

CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 130 year anniversary celebration to be held on Sunday, October 17 at 3:00 PM. EVERYONE INVITED!!!

WE’VE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | 44 CIRCLE STREET | ASHEVILLE, NC 28801 Our celebration will include Asheville’s own character / actor / professional storyteller— Becky Stone, in character as historical liberator, Harriet Tubman.

Free of charge event — donations appreciated.

Masks required and social distancing will be observed MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

21

ARTS & CU L T U R E

THEATER

Murder on the menu Local theater companies stage horror productions

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com October is upon us and, with it, the rapid approach of Halloween.

While people adorn their homes with spooky decorations, work on costumes and queue up favorite scary movies, area theater companies have been hard at work preparing eerie shows to celebrate the season.

Taking a break from cauldron-stirring duties, Xpress spoke with the directors of four such productions to learn about what horror-minded audiences can look forward to this month, as well as the significance of telling such fictional tales at a time when the very real COVID-19 pandemic sets a high bar for terror.

KNIVES OUT: The cast of Bloodbath: Victoria’s Secret brings an original slasher tale to The Magnetic Theatre stage throughout October. Photo courtesy of The Magnetic Theatre

MASTERS OF GORE

For nearly two months, local playwright and director Jamieson Ridenhour watched a different slasher film each night as research for his latest production, Bloodbath: Victoria’s Secret.

Though no stranger to writing psychological and otherworldly tales, gore was new territory. “I do a lot of supernatural stuff, but I’d never done a slasher,” Ridenhour explains. “I thought it would be a good challenge to try and do one live onstage.”

Debuting Friday, Oct. 15, at The Magnetic Theatre, Bloodbath tells the story of a former low-budget horror “scream queen” who hosts a New Year’s Eve party. Also in attendance are several people from the actress’s past. Soon thereafter, bodies start hitting the floor.

“One of the most fun things about writing it was getting to create this fake filmography for this fake actress and make up ’80s slasher films that I wish I could have seen,” Ridenhour says.

While audiences at The Magnetic will have to use their imaginations regarding those fictional titles, they’ll be treated to a visceral experience onstage. Helping Ridenhour realize his vision is Nicki LaRue, who trained at Tom Savini’s Special Make-up Effects Program at Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pa. There, she learned 22

OCT. 6-12, 2021

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from the pioneer who brought realistic gore to such horror classics as Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th.

“What I wanted to do was to not do the theater fakes where somebody falls behind the couch and you raise the knife and then they come out all bloody or whatever,” Ridenhour says.

“If we kill somebody, we’re going to kill them onstage. You’re going to see it happen, and it needs to look real.”

The writer/director notes that the incorporation of LaRue’s skills is one bright spot to emerge from the pandemic. Bloodbath was originally to premiere in 2020, but statewide indoor capacity restrictions prompted The Magnetic to temporarily close.

In the interim, the show’s costume designer moved away, and LaRue was hired in that role. While chatting with Ridenhour, LaRue mentioned her time at Savini’s school and was quickly promoted to handle the production’s makeup effects. Together with their cast and crew, Ridenhour hopes to add to his reputation as a strong advocate for horror and a proponent for genre stories as a positive force.

“The darkness of the world doesn’t go away if you turn away from it, and I think one thing that horror does is it teaches us how to face it and overcome it,” he says. “And there’s a lot of research showing that people who watch horror movies are actually more empathetic and better adjusted to deal with negative things in the world.”

The Magnetic Theatre is at 375 Depot St. Bloodbath: Victoria’s Secret runs Friday, Oct. 15-Saturday, Oct. 30, with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/ai4

EVIL IN LONDON

Home to the popular, long-running outdoor drama Unto These Hills, Cherokee’s Mountainside Theatre plays host to another classic tale this month with Dracula: The Failings of Men. The show comes courtesy of Atlanta-based Havoc Movement Co. Co-founder Jake Guinn established Havoc in 2018 as a way to spotlight the stunt and circus-level movement work that wasn’t being featured in Atlanta. He and his colleagues also began producing original work to fill the void for these talented but underserved performers.

“There are some highly skilled individuals out here who never get an opportunity to do a narratively focused piece,” he says. “So we started creating those opportunities.”

The latest such work is Dracula: The Failings of Men, inspired by Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel.

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OFF WITH YOUR HEAD

Humor also defines the production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at Burnsville’s Parkway Playhouse.

Director Daniel Moore describes the show as “100% a farce” of the Washington Irving 1820 story and a “pantomime comedy” similar to something that Chicago’s revered The Second City might enact.

Written by John Heimbuch and created in collaboration with Jon Ferguson at Minneapolis’ Walking Shadow Theatre Company, the play features what Moore calls “a very open script” that encourages those who perform it to make it their own via revisions and improvisation. Such guidance resonated with the director, who has no interest in rehashing a familiar story that’s been told the same way numerous times.

“I was excited when I read it to see that the story’s really not explained.

We just get to experience Ichabod’s time in Sleepy Hollow with all of these

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Movement is likewise essential to Montford Park Players’ take on Living Dead in Denmark and a key factor in Deanna Braine Smith being tapped to direct the show.

The company’s production manager of staff fight choreographer, Braine Smith says she never had directorial ambitions. But the various elements of playwright Qui Nguyen’s zombie-infused remix of Hamlet convinced her otherwise.

“I proposed the show because I selfishly wanted to choreograph it, and I thought it would be a good fit for our theater. It’s very Shakespeareinfluenced, but it’s got the nice twist of having some really strong female leads,” she says. “When it came time to choose a director, our selection committee nominated me. And since half of it is fight stuff, I figured I could kind of cheat my way into directing my first show.”

Plentiful rehearsal time is being devoted to the production’s battle sequences, as several cast members are

comedy — and it kind of just pushes them in that direction without anyone having to be the catalyst for that.”

Though The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is the most purely comedic of the four local October productions, offering a particular brand of escapism, Moore is keenly aware of the power and dangers of staging a legitimate horror show during the pandemic. Well-versed in the genre’s metaphorical potential, he sees great promise in telling scary stories during these dark days, as long as the subject matter avoids getting overly specific.

“It may not be the best time to do a plague play, but when you can take that plague or whatever it is and transform it or personify it into a killer or a headless ghost or something else, you get to breathe that sigh of relief, like, ‘OK, well, this is absurd.

This will never happen to me. This is fun,’” he says. “I think it really just depends on the line you’re straddling as to what’s the catalyst of the fear.”

Parkway Playhouse is at 202 Green Mountain Drive, Burnsville. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow runs Saturday, Oct. 9-Saturday, Oct. 23, with performances Friday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/aiq. X

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TO BE (AND NOT TO BE)

absurd characters,” Moore says. “And I won’t give too much away, but we’re not even certain if these characters are really there or if we’re trapped in this sort of dreamlike place outside of time.”

A longtime genre fan, Moore worked his way through the entire horror section at the video rental store his mother managed when he was a teen. While that background is evident in the play’s production design, he emphasizes that it’s merely a springboard for the material’s humor.

“There’s a lot of darkness, some fog and some classic horror movie stinger sounds,” Moore says. “Everything but the words are going to be pretty spooky. Once you hear what they’re saying, you’ll lose that.”

The Parkway Playhouse cast has remained masked during rehearsals, and opening night will be the first time the actors will see each other’s faces onstage — all of which Moore feels has enhanced the production’s comedic elements.

“With this being such a big, overthe-top, melodramatic performance, it’s really forced the actors to not rely on their face and, to a degree, their voice,” he says. “And so it really incorporates the body — the physical

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new to performing fight scenes. These bloody showdowns take place within a post-apocalyptic landscape, Braine Smith explains, but one that includes certain Shakespearean elements.

“It’s a whole bunch of anachronism,” she says. “The goal is to make Montford look like a wasteland, so it’s very Borderlands, very ‘[The] Walking Dead’ and also pulling in some of that traditional Hamlet, Denmarkian vibe.”

While rehearsing and performing outdoors has helped alleviate the risk of transmitting COVID-19 among the cast and crew, the Montford Park Players have remained vigilant throughout, and Braine Smith has noticed a greater sense of camaraderie and ownership of the production as a result. She notes that her collaborators are thrilled to “sling swords around” and “get covered in blood and gore,” and hopes that the material’s craziness can help attendees forget about their daily woes for a couple of hours.

“Things are so stressful right now — we just want something positive,” Braine Smith says. “The show has a lot of humor and gives you that aspect, while also showing that things could always be worse. People could be trying to eat your brain, so it gives you that step back and escape to be like, ‘OK, I can deal with this. No one’s trying to murder me.’”

Montford Park Players perform at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St. Living Dead in Denmark runs Friday, Oct. 15-Sunday, Oct. 31, with performances Friday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/9al

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that really define the company,” Guinn says. “High action, impressive circus work — these are the kinds of things that can be used as motivations for the narratives in the piece.”

Originally scheduled for a fall 2020 run, the yearlong, pandemic-induced delay allowed Havoc’s writing team to go through 22 revisions of its script before landing on the version they felt wholly confident about. The final draft has attendees walking along with Ada Van Helsing as she battles the forces of evil in 1897 London.

“The audience follows the storyline from place to place. And as you move deeper into the theater, the story dives deeper into its darkness and gets scarier and meaner,” Guinn says. “It starts in this very light, bright place and then moves down through the theater, into the real depths of this monster story.”

Though this telling of Dracula amplifies the bloody and scary aspects of the source material, Guinn stresses that it’s a story about triumphing over monsters, which he feels are the types of tales that need to be told in 2021.

“We all feel attacked right now,” he says. “We all feel like we’re in this very dark place and that we’re fighting against something, and seeing a hero overcome that gives us a good example and a good role model for maybe how we can tackle things ourselves.”

Mountainside Theatre is at 688 Drama Road, Cherokee. Dracula: The Failings of Men continues through Sunday, Oct. 31, with performances Thursday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/ai3

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OCT. 6-12, 2021

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food

Sugar & Snow Gelato opens on Riverside Drive Eight years after Amy Pickett first introduced her Sugar & Snow pushcart to Asheville tailgate market guests, the Johnson & Wales University graduate and lifelong gelato enthusiast celebrates the opening of Sugar & Snow Gelato inside Second Gear’s new location at 99 Riverside Drive.

“When Second Gear moved from West Asheville to this building, they had an idea of having an ice cream shop or coffee shop inside the store,” Pickett says. “A friend of mine is friends with them, and the connection was made.”

With Pickett, Second Gear got it all — gelato, coffee shop and a café with baked goods and sandwiches, including vegan options.

For those unfamiliar with the Italian frozen treat, Pickett explains that the main difference between gelato and ice cream is that the former has more milk than cream, which means less fat, and when churned, less air whipped into it.

“The result is a creamy, dense texture where the flavors come through more,” she says. “In strawberry gelato, for example, you will really taste the strawberry because the gelato is not quite as cold, and there is less fat coating your tastebuds.”

Strawberry is one of the 50-plus recipes in Sugar & Snow’s repertoire; nondairy gelato is also available, as is sorbet, which contains no dairy.

Though flavors will rotate, guests can always find mint chip and chocolate gelato, as well as raspberry sorbet.

The current seasonal scoop available is pumpkin cheesecake. Guests can purchase gelato and sorbet by the cone or cup.

“A few years ago, we started doing wholesale by the pint and gallon to local restaurants and specialty stores, but the overreaching vision was getting awesome gelato in the hands of more people,” says Pickett. “We’ll still take the cart to events and weddings, but I’m really excited to have a home.”

Sugar & Snow Gelato is open Thursday-Monday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. To learn more, visit avl.mx/ai9.

Mac attack

When the name of a restaurant is Daddy Mac’s Down Home Dive, customers might expect to find that cheesy Southern staple on the menu.

And they will when Daddy Mac’s opens later this month. In fact, they’ll find three versions to choose from: the classic cheddar mac, the burnt ends mac and the Frito pie mac.

But owner Dave McFarland wants to clarify that his new restaurant, located in the former Wild Wings spot

TOMAHAWK RIBEYE N ow a t WNC Fa rm e rs M a rke t!

THE SCOOP: Amy Pickett, owner of Sugar & Snow Gelato, scoops up a cone for one of the first customers in her new shop. Photo by Amy Haynes Photography on the edge of downtown, is named for his paternal grandfather, Charles McFarland, whom Dave called Daddy Mac. A wall-painting of a vintage green Cadillac convertible inside the eatery also honors Charles.

“That was Daddy Mac’s Cadillac; he drove it every Sunday,” recalls McFarland. “That back seat was a great place for a little kid to sleep.”

There was little time for sleep this year as McFarland prepared to open the Asheville location and an additional location in Knoxville, Tenn. While the business’s name is a tribute to his grandfather, the menu as a whole honors all four of McFarland’s grandparents, who taught the Western North Carolina native to cook. McFarland says he spent months fine-tuning family recipes and developing new dishes with the assistance of consulting chef Scott Linquist.

Pickles and pickle brine show up repeatedly on the menu, from sandwich toppings to the restaurant’s Bloody Mary mix.

“My maternal grandparents made all kinds of pickles every year, and I loved the sweet ones best,” says McFarland.

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“But I also like a little heat, so our house pickles are sweet and spicy.

“Growing up here in Asheville,” he continues, “I’m glad to have the opportunity to do something special in my hometown that pays tributes to my roots.”

Daddy Mac’s Down Home Dive is at 161 Biltmore Ave. For hours and menu, visit avl.mx/aia.

Bee happy

Kristin and Matt Sawaya had no experience in the hospitality industry when they opened The Scarlet Bee restaurant on Merrimon Avenue three years ago. They did have recipes from Matt’s Lebanese grandmother, and he says the cozy café had just started to become profitable when COVID hit.

They kept going with takeout but had to pivot once more when their lease wasn’t renewed.

After selling their Asheville home to finance their latest venture, the couple moved to Burnsville and purchased a food truck. With longtime employee Jessica Vanhorn on board as a partner, The Scarlet Bee recently relaunched, dividing its mobile services between Asheville’s New Origin Brewing, Burnsville’s Homeplace Brewing and Spruce Pine’s Mayland Community College, with plans to add more locations.

“We can’t afford to buy a building, so the food truck is great for now, and we actually saw quite a few of our restaurant customers at New Origin, so that was encouraging,” Matt says.

Old regulars may have come back for the signature chickpea sliders, which Matt reports are really popular in Asheville but a dud at Homeplace Brewing. “No one ordered them in

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AR T S & C UL T U R E

Visit stradaasheville.com for reservations

ROOFTOP BRUNCH 10am-2pm • Sat. & Sun.

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Burnsville,” he says with a laugh.

“But the steak kebabs went over great.” So did the universally popular chicken shawarma. The menu has been downsized for the truck, but Matt says he plans to add specials in the future.

Visit avl.mx/aic for The Scarlett Bee food truck’s menu and schedule.

Bee best

Audrey Meadows says that as she was trying to name the food truck she was having built out for her first business venture, she kept hearing variations of a mantra from friends navigating pandemic-related challenges: “Be more. Do more. Dare more.”

“People were really trying to figure out their personal direction,” she says.

B More Eatery will fire up the grill and open its order window in the first week of October, outside Dalton Distillery on Biltmore Avenue.

Along with the mantra, “B More also references our location on Biltmore,” Meadows says.

Menu highlights include the breakfast corndog (maple sausage in Kodiak pancake batter) and the breakfast sandwich constructed of two Kodiak

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Cakes, folded egg and cheese with bacon, ham or sausage.

“I’ve had lots of different jobs in hospitality, but I’ve always loved to cook best,” continues Meadows.

“Making good food is my favorite form of expression.”

B More Eatery is at 251 Biltmore Ave. For the complete menu, visit avl.mx/aid.

The big dig

Through the growing season, Yancey County’s community garden Dig In and sister garden Seeds of Hope at First Baptist Church grow and harvest food that supplements food purchased from local farmers via a partnership with Tractor food hub. Packed by Dig In staff and volunteers, the fresh food is distributed weekly through Harvest Share events to more than 200 families.

To celebrate another successful season of sharing food and caring for one another, the annual Dig In! Empty Bowls fundraising event will take place Friday, Oct. 8, 4-7 p.m. at the Burnsville Town Square.

Due to health concerns related to COVID-19, tables will not be set for a

community supper. But attendees can participate in a care art project and select their handmade bowl created by regional potters. There will also be a community bake sale with homemade breads and desserts.

For more information about the event, visit avl.mx/aie.

Pile up

Pours from over 50 breweries, food from Forestry Camp chefs, live music and presentations on topics related to beer, music and other creativity industries are on the agenda for Burnpile Harvest Fest 2021, presented by Burial Beer Co. at Burial Forestry Camp on Saturday, Oct. 9, noon-6 p.m.

Proof of vaccination (or an alternate as noted on the event site COVID-19 protocol page) will be required; pets are not permitted.

Three tiers of tickets are offered: VIP ($125), general admission ($65) and concert-goer ($40).

Burial Forestry Camp is at 10 Shady Oak Drive. For a list of breweries and performers and to purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/aif.

— Kay West X

ROUNDUP

Around Town

Bardo Arts Center’s latest show explores the sights of sounds What does sound look like?

That’s the question Scott Ashley hopes to answer with his latest project for Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center.

“Light, sound and water all express themselves through wave patterns, so I set out to see if there was a way to translate the wave patterns of sound into those of water and light,” says Ashley, the Bardo Arts Center’s technical director.

The result is Seeing Sound: A Musical Journey of Water and Light, which opens the center’s fall season Thursday-Friday, Oct. 14-15, at 7:30 p.m.

The multimedia show will synthesize live music played by more than 60 musicians into light. Each musical note will create a unique color that will then be registered by an LED that shines its light into water, allowing the rippling reflections of color to project into the space. The music was composed by Russian pianist Alexander Scriabin.

“After you get a chance to see the music for the first time, it feels as though it makes sense at a level that has been there all along,” Ashley says of the immersive experience.

“Even at our early stages, the results of seeing the character and personality of music are beautiful and deeply satisfying.”

Seeing Sound is a collaboration of the different departments in WCU’s Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, along with members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and area musicians. Zay Jarrett, a senior in the

stage and screen school, is the sound engineer for the program.

The Bardo Arts Center is at 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee. Tickets run $5-$20. To buy tickets or for more information, go to avl.mx/ahx.

Pumpkins o’plenty If you want to get into the Halloween spirit, plan a trip to Transylvania (County).

After a year off due to COVID-19, Pumpkin Fest returns to Silvermont Park and Mansion in Brevard. The celebration begins Friday, Oct. 8, and continues every Friday and Saturday through the month, 6-9 p.m. (with an earlier 5 p.m. start time on Saturday, Oct. 30).

Visitors to the annual event will see lighted, carved pumpkins in 19 scenes along a half-mile trail.

Among the displays will be Pirates Cove, Butterfly Garden, Ghost Circle Dance and, new this year, The White Squirrel Circus, designed by Jeanne Hunter.

Many of the scenes originated with Stingy Jack’s Pumpkin Patch, a commercial Halloween event run for years in the county by Alisha Swicegood and family. When the family decided not to continue the pumpkin patch, they donated their materials to the county, which in turn gave them to Friends of Silvermont.

The group launched Pumpkin Fest in 2015 to raise money and showcase the historic 8-acre property.

Food, live music and a chance to visit the 104-year-old mansion are

LET THERE BE LIGHT: High-caliber LED stage lights recently procured by the Bardo Arts Center made the new Seeing Sound show possible. Photo courtesy of Seeing Sound: A Musical Journey of Water and Light also on the agenda each night during the festival. Kids activities, such as face painting, costume photo op and games, will be available as well.

“We are really getting a very enthusiastic response from the community about the return of Pumpkin Fest in terms of many new volunteers stepping forward to help us put on this event so we can keep it affordable for families,” says Pinkie Byrd, volunteer coordinator. Admission is $5 per person.

For more information, go to avl.mx/ahz.

The Kenilworth Artists Association Studio Tour returns with 14 stops in Asheville’s historic Kenilworth neighborhood Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 9-10, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Participants in the free, self-guided tour will get a chance to visit the studios and homes of artists.

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MOVIE LISTINGS

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“Seeing where the art is made and where the artist lives is a very personal aspect to our tour,” says Lisa Murphy, a mixed-use artist whose home studio will be part of the tour.

“You can see what is all around them acting as inspiration.”

Some of the participating artists have free-standing studio buildings on their property, while others have designated studios inside their homes, Murphy notes. In some

Bruce Steele’s and Edwin Arnaudin’s latest critiques of new films available to view in local theaters and via popular streaming services include: THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK: This feature-length prequel to “The Sopranos” deftly explores the events that shaped young Tony Soprano. The all-star ensemble playing familiar characters is terrific, but a gritty Leslie Odom Jr. steals the show.

Grade: B-plus. Rated R VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE: Who better than Andy Serkis (aka Gollum/Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings) to direct this entertaining multiple personality action/comedy sequel?

Grade: B. Rated PG-13

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies MOUNTAINX.COM

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A R TS & CU LTU R E cases, an artist’s workspace extends throughout the entire house.

And some of the homes include shared spaces where artists show their work together. Murphy, for instance, displays her own paintings in her home and hosts Marianne Soufas, a neighbor who uses Murphy’s patio for her pottery and artwork.

The neighborhood is situated between Biltmore Village and downtown Asheville.

“Kenilworth as a neighborhood is so diverse and also a historically rich community — it really is an interesting backdrop in itself,” Murphy says. “Workers brought here to work on the Biltmore Estate settled here as seen in the wide variety of architecture and homes. I’d say visitors really get a slice of Asheville life on this tour.”

For more information and to see a map of the tour, go to avl.mx/ai6.

heville M Joinforththee Anesxt Movie DisocuvsiseioGn!uys The evening includes a brief introduction by the Asheville Movie Guys, Bruce C. Steele and Edwin Arnaudin of AshevilleMovies.com, as well as a lively discussion with the audience after the credits.

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Mon., 10/11, 7:20 pm • Fine Arts Theatre 36 Biltmore Ave., Asheville

Do you want an email reminder prior to each Asheville Movie Guys night?

Send an email with ‘Asheville Movie Guys’ in the subject line to ashevillemovies@gmail.com.

Xpress readers who say “Makeup” at the box office receive a discounted ticket price of $9 per person.

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Eliada reimagines fall event The severe flooding that hit the area in August washed out Eliada’s annual corn maze. That’s bad news for the nonprofit agency; the October attraction is its largest fundraiser each year.

But rather than, umm, shucking the whole corn maze thing, Eliada has reimagined this year’s event as a fall festival, running Fridays, 3-7 p.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sundays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. through Oct. 31.

The festival includes an extended tractor hayride, a spider web climber, tube slides, corn cannons, a straw-bale maze, an inflatable castle and face painting.

Eliada is at 2 Compton Drive. For more information or to purchase $10 tickets for the festival, go to avl.mx/aii.

Harpies, Hybrids and Hidden Worlds Bender Gallery is presenting Harpies, Hybrids, and Hidden Worlds, a solo exhibition of paintings by Columbus, Ohio artist Laine Bachman through Sunday, Oct. 31. The gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave., is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. MondaysSaturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.

“Inspired by myths, folklore and nature, Bachman infuses the colorful worlds she creates with lush foliage, archetypal imagery, underlying themes, exotic fauna and meticulous detail,” according to a press release from the gallery.

Bachman counts French artist Henri Rousseau, Mexican surrealist Frida Kahlo and American visual artist Andrew Wyeth among her influences.

For more information, visit avl.mx/aih.

It’s all in the wrist The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts has introduced a wristband that will allow people to bypass vaccination check lines at the venue.

The “Ready for Live Performances!” wristbands are available at the box office or during shows to anyone who shows a proof-of-vaccination vaccination card. The wristbands can then be shown to attendants to gain quick access to performances.

The Wortham Center is at 18 Biltmore Ave. The box office is open Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and one hour prior to all performances. For more information, go to avl.mx/ain.

— Justin McGuire X

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CLUBLAND

k

The featured icon indicates which venues or artists require proof of vaccination for upcoming shows. Due to the evolving nature of the matter, the list may not be comprehensive.

Before heading out, please check with all venues for complete information on any vaccine or negative COVID-19 requirements.

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

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 12 BONES BREWERY Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Karaoke, 9pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Queer Comedy Party w/ Matthew Englishk 7pm • Aquanet Goth Nightk 9 p.m.

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 12am CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm DOUBLE CROWN Western Wednesdays w/ Julia Sandersk 8pm GREEN MAN BREWERY Green Man Trivia, 7pm HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (Americana, singer-songwriter), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night (dance), 6pm RENDEVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 7pm

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SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/ The Well Drinkers, 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Witches & Waifus 3 (DJ's, dance), 8pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Miss Tess (blues, country, jazz), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Open Mic w/Lincoln, 8pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Underwear Comedy Partyk 7pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke (karaoke), 6pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Twisted Pine (acoustic, Americana, bluegrass), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm

TURNING BLACK MOUNTAIN BLUE: Award-winning electric blues guitarist Bob Margolin headlines the Black Mountain Blues Festival at Silverados, Saturday, Oct. 9, starting at 2 p.m. The outdoor, all-ages show also will feature performances by Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats, Roots & Dore, Hurricane Bob Travers, the Marsha Morgan Band and seven other artists. Photo courtesy of Margolin OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Wesley Ganey (rock), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Alien Music Club w/ Reggie Headen (jazz, funk, blues, rock), 6pm RENDEVOUS Gin Mill Pickers (folk, blues, Americana), 6:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SILVERADOS Vintage (classic rock), 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Blake Hornsby (psych folk), 7:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic, 6pm THE 2ND ACT Seth Brand (acoustic), 6:30pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective (jazz, acoustic), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE • The Two Tracks (Americana)k 5pm • Lucero w/Morgan Wade (Southern rock, punk, counry)k 9pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WAGBAR Open Mic Night, 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/ Mattick Frick, 6pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Liam Bailey and Two Bird Stone w/Sarah Siskind (pop, folk), 7:30pm

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8 185 KING STREET The Travelin' Kine (Americana), 8pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Latin Dance Night, 9pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Tall Tall Trees w/JD Pinkus (alt rock), 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Everybody Free Dance Party, 10pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy (blues), 7:30pm BEN'S TUNE UP DJ Kilby Spinning Vinyl (throwback dance party), 10pm BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing (acoustic duo), 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Roots and Dore (roots), 3pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Planefolk (singer-songwriter), 5pm CORK & KEG The Old Chevrolette Set (country)k 8pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Tricia Ann Band (classic rock, country), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Drunken Prayer, The Menders (Americana), 8pm

GUIDON BREWING Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Amy Steinberg (singer-songwriter, comedy), 7pm • Jonathan Byrd and The Pickup Cowboys (Americana), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Franklin's Kite (rock), 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Abbey Elmore Band (indie, pop), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Urban Soil (roots), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Natti Love Joys (reggae), 6pm SAWYER SPRINGS VINEYARD Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 2:30pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Marceline's Menagerie Spooky Drag Show, 8pm ST. PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS IN FLAT ROCK Friday Night Jams w/ Wiregrass (bluegrass), 6pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Jimmy Landry Birthday Bash, w/Chris Rosser and Rebecca Newton (folk), 8pm WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Commodore Fox (rock, dance), 8:30pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9 185 KING STREET Brevard College Homecoming Party w/My Favorite Accident (‘70s, ‘80s), 11pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy w/ StaciLou Askewk 7pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Kyle Corbett (acoustic), 6:30pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Clyde Canton Band (honky tonk, rock, bluegrass), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Wreckno w/Ravenscoon, Whom? & Vera Fox (dance, eletronica), 9pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Sandy Hearrault (classical, violin), 6pm

BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Eric Congdon (acoustic), 2pm

THE 2ND ACT 3 Shades of Gray ('60s, '70s), 6pm

BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Roots and Dore (roots), 2pm

THE DUGOUT The Loudes (punk, folk, rock), 8pm

GETAWAY RIVER BAR Chaotic Comedy (improv, sketch, stand-up), 8pm

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Hot Club of Asheville (jazz), 8pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Daniel Shearin (singer-songwriter), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE • Jimbo Mathus (jazz, blues, country)k 6pm • Dan Deacon (electronic) k 9pm

DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Twisted Trail (classic rock, country), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Floral Hygienists, Serotina (indie, folk), 8pm GUIDON BREWING Kimmi Bitter (country, rock), 7pm

NOW OPEN! HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER Cody Jinks w/Randy Rogers Band, Ward Davis (outlaw country), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Side Pony (Americana), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Saturday Old-Time Jam (musical collaboration), 2pm JIMMY'S ON THE RIVER Lucky James (Americana), 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. The Maggie Valley Band (Americana), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST ALR Trio (blues, rock), 6pm

BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Eric Congdon (singer-songwriter), 2pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Sissy Sunday Drag Show, 9pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Krave Amiko (indie, electronic, folk), 3pm HOME GROUND COFFEE BAR & DELI Bluegrass Brunch Shindig w/Supper Break, 11:30am

SALVAGE STATION Moon Taxi (indie, jam), 6:30pm

RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia w/Allie & Alex, 5:30pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Burnt Reputation (acoustic rock), 5pm

THE DUGOUT Ricky Gunter Band (country), 8pm

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Daniel Shearin (acoustic), 6pm

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Jazz Soul Trio, 8pm

THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Frim Fram (pop, standards), 3pm

TRISKELION BREWING CO. • Baggage Brothers (acoustic duo), 2:30pm • 28 Pages (rock), 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Andy Buckner (country), 8pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/ the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Sunday Dance Party w/DJ RexxStep, 10pm

SILVERADOS Monday Bike Night w/ Contagious (rock), 6pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy and Friends (blues), 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Kevin Smith (Americana), 6pm

185 KING STREET Jon Weisberger w/ Carley Arrowood, Daniel Thrailkill, the Foreign Landers (Americana), 6pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Turntable Tuesday, 10pm GREEN MAN BREWERY Old Time Jam, 5pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Grass at the Club (bluegrass), 8pm

BEER • WINE • CIDER • SPRITZ • ART HOPPYTREES.COM • 7 FLORIDA AVE WEAVERVILLE, NC 28787

THE GREY EAGLE • Brunch of Jokers (comedy)k 12pm • Hearts Gone South (classic country, honky tonk)k 5pm • Tim O'Brien Band (bluegrass)k 8pm THE GROCERY Gin Mill Pickers (folk, blues, Americana), 5pm THE MAGNETIC THEATRE Blaire Postman Struggling Chartist (one-person show, comedy)k 7:30pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bruce Lang (guitar, vocals), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason Whitaker (acoustic), 3pm

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11

ASHEVILLE CLUB Vaden Landers (country blues, honky tonk), 3pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB Freshen Up (comedy, open mic), 7pm

BEN'S TUNE UP Good Vibes Sunday (reggae), 6pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Musicians in the Round (open mic), 6pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Dark City Kings (rock), 2pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Trivia Night, 6pm

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12

ST. PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS IN FLAT ROCK Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 2:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Mr. Jimmy (blues), 3pm

THE ORANGE PEEL TAUK (prog rock)k 8:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE Lovely World w/Jeff Santiago y Los Gatos (rock)k 8pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Aquanet: Goth Night, 9pm

SALVAGE STATION Dirty Logic: A Tribute To Steely Dan, 7pm

THE BURGER BAR Karaoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE The Krektones (surf rock) k 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. House of SYNth (synthesizer music), 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN John Doyle (Celtic), 7:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Hustle Souls (soul), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Sunday Jazz Brunch, 1pm • The Mid Majors (Americana), 5pm

SUNNY POINT CAFE Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Daikaiju (surf punk) vs. Harriers of Discord (reverb), 7pm

OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm

PILOT COVE AMPHITHEATER 2nd Saturdays Live w/ Screaming J's, American Circus, Teso McDonald (jam, rock)k 7pm

SILVERADOS Black Mountain Blues Festival, 2pm

HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Cheers to Chess!, 5pm

HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic Night, 7:15pm

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CLU B LA N D MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Team Trivia Tuesday, 6pm

CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute), 6pm SILVERADOS 4th annual Backpack Slam Jam, 6pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Fantømex, Okapi, Factual Brains (indie punk, hard core), 7pm SMOKY PARK SUPPER CLUB Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park, 7pm THE GREY EAGLE Thelma and The Sleaze (rock)k 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Colony House (indie rock) k 8pm WAGBAR Tuesday Night Trivia, 7pm

ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Torres w/Sarah Jaffee (alt rock)k 8:30pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Karaoke, 9pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy w/ Nathan Owensk 7pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Songwriter Series w/Matt Smith, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm

OCT. 6-12, 2021

HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm

WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm

12 BONES BREWERY Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

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GREEN MAN BREWERY Green Man Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night (dance), 6pm RENDEVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 7pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/ The Well Drinkers, 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Desolation w/DJ Echo (industrial, dark wave), 9pm

THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Barrett Davis Band (roots), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Open Mic w/Lincoln, 8pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Christine Havrilla and Gypsy Fuzz (roots, folk, rock), 7:30pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Ketch Secor and Molly Tuttle (acoustic, Americana), 7pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke (karaoke), 6pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Darren Nicholson Band (bluegrass), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm

OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Josh Dunkin and Human Ladder (acoustic, rock), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Time Sawyer (folk rock), 6pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Hunter Begley & Eric Ledford (Americana), 6:30pm RABBIT RABBIT Mt. Joy, Trampled By Turtles (indie rock), 6:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Supatight w/King Garbage (funk, soul), 6pm SILVERADOS Jason Passmore (country rock), 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Azure Wolf w/ Rhinestone Pickup Truck (alt rock), 7pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic, 6pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective (jazz, acoustic), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE The Scatterlings (Americana)k 5pm3 THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm THE ODDITORIUM Monte Luna, Temptress, Rocky Mtn Roller, Night Beers (psychedelic, metal), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WAGBAR Open Mic Night, 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/ Adi the Monk, 6pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

OCT. 6-12, 2021

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blogger AnaSophia was asked, “What do you find attractive in a person?” I’ll reproduce her reply, because it’s a good time to think about what your answer would be. I’m not implying you should be looking for a new lover. I’m interested in inspiring you to ruminate about what alliances you should cultivate during the coming months. Here’s what AnaSophia finds attractive: “strong desire but not neediness, passionate sensitivity, effortlessness, authenticity, innocence of perception, sense of humor, vulnerability and honesty, embodying one’s subtleties and embracing one’s paradoxes, acting unconditionally and from the heart.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus author Roberto Bolaño confessed, “Sometimes I want greatness, sometimes just its shadow.”

I appreciate his honesty. I think what he says is true about most of us. Is there anyone who is always ready for the heavy responsibility of pursuing greatness? Doubtful. To be great, we must periodically go through phases when we recharge our energy and take a break from being nobly ambitious.

What about you, dear Taurus? If I’m reading the omens correctly, you will benefit from a phase of reinvention and reinvigoration.

During the next three weeks, you’ll be wise to hang out in the shadows of greatness.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having,” wrote religious writer C. S. Lewis.

That advice is 10 times more important right now than it usually is. For the sake of your body’s and soul’s health, you need to indulge in sprees of playful amusement and blithe delight and tension-relieving merriment. And all that good stuff will work its most potent magic if it stimulates pleasures that are unique to you — and not necessarily in line with others’ tastes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “It is one thing to learn about the past,” wrote Cancerian journalist Kenneth Auchincloss. “It is another to wallow in it.” That’s stellar advice for you to incorporate in the coming weeks. After studying your astrological omens, I’m enthusiastic about you exploring the old days and old ways.

I’m hoping that you will discover new clues you’ve overlooked before and that this further information will inspire you to re-envision your life story. But as you conduct your explorations, it’s also crucial to avoid getting bogged down in sludgy emotions like regret or resentment. Be inspired by your history, not demoralized by it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Would you like to deepen and strengthen your capacity to concentrate? Cosmic rhythms will conspire in your favor if you work on this valuable skill in the coming weeks. You’ll be able to make more progress than would normally be possible.

Here’s pertinent advice from author Harriet Griffey: “Whenever you feel like quitting, just do five more — five more minutes, five more exercises, five more pages — which will extend your focus.” Here’s another tip: Whenever you feel your concentration flagging, remember what it is you love about the task you’re doing.

Ruminate about its benefits for you and others.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What’s your favorite feeling? Here’s Virgo poet Mary Szybist’s answer to that question: hunger. She’s not speaking about the longing for food, but rather the longing for everything precious, interesting and meaningful. She adores the mood of “not yet,” the experience of moving toward the desired thing. What would be your response to the question, Virgo? I’m guessing you may at times share Szybist’s perspective.

But given the current astrological omens, your favorite feeling right now may be utter satisfaction — the gratifying sensation of getting what you’ve hungered for. I say, trust that intuition.

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OCT. 6-12, 2021

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the English language, the words “naked” and “nude” have different connotations. Art critic Kenneth Clark noted that “naked” people depicted in painting and sculpture are “deprived of clothes,” and embarrassed as a result. Being “nude,” on the other hand, has “no uncomfortable overtone,” but indicates “a balanced, prosperous, and confident body.” I bring this to your attention because I believe you would benefit from experiencing extra nudity and no nakedness in the days ahead. If you choose to take on this assignment, please use it to upgrade your respect and reverence for your beauty. PS: Now is also a favorable time to express your core truths without inhibition or apology. I urge you to be your pure self in all of your glory.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Anne Sexton wrote, “One has to get their own animal out of their own cage and not look for either an animal keeper or an unlocker.” That’s always expert advice, but it will be extra vital for you to heed in the coming weeks. The gorgeous semi-wild creature within you needs more room to run, more sights to see, more adventures to seek. For that to happen, it needs to spend more time outside of its cage. And you’re the best person to make sure that happens.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) could be a marvelous friend. If someone he cared for was depressed or feeling lost, he would invite them to sit in his presence as he improvised music on the piano. There were no words, no advice — only emotionally stirring melodies. “He said everything to me,” one friend said about his gift. “And finally gave me consolation.” I invite you to draw inspiration from his example, Sagittarius. You’re at the peak of your powers to provide solace, comfort and healing to allies who need such nurturing.

Do it in whatever way is also a blessing for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): At age 23, Capricorn-born Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764) became French King Louis XV’s favorite mistress. She was not born into aristocracy, but she wielded her Capricornian flair with supreme effectiveness. Ultimately, she achieved a noble title as well as high prestige and status in the French court. As is true for evolved Capricorns, her elevated role was well-deserved, not the result of vulgar social-climbing. She was a patron of architecture, porcelain artwork and France’s top intellectuals. She ingratiated herself to the King’s wife, the Queen, and served as an honored assistant. I propose we make her your role model for the next four weeks. May she inspire you to seek a boost in your importance and clout that’s accomplished with full integrity.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The bad news is that artist Debbie Wagner was diagnosed with two brain tumors in 2002. The good news is that surgery not only enabled her to survive, but enhanced her visual acuity. The great news is that on most days since 2005, she has painted a new image of the sunrise. I invite you to dream up a ritual to celebrate your own victory over adversity, Aquarius. Is there a generous gesture or creative act you could do on a semi-regular basis to thank life for providing you with the help and power you needed?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): A self-described “anarchist witch” named Lars writes on his Tumblr blog, “I am a ghost from the 1750s, and my life is currently in the hands of a group of suburban 13-year-olds using a Ouija board to ask me if Josh from homeroom has a crush on them.” He’s implying that a powerful supernatural character like himself is being summoned to do tasks that are not worthy of him. He wishes his divinatory talents were better used. Are there any resemblances between you and him, Pisces? Do you ever feel as if you’re not living up to your promise? That your gifts are not being fully employed? If so, I’m pleased to predict that you could fix this problem in the coming weeks and months. You will have extra energy and savvy to activate your full potential.

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REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com EMPLOYMENT GENERAL PART TIME EVENING POSITIONS AVAILABLE NOW Asheville and Arden area: Sunday-Thursday starting at 7pm or 8pm depending on location/10-15 hours per week. Collect trash bags within a local apartment community. Pickup truck or trailer required for most locations.

Earn up to $800/month! If interested, please contact Kristy @ (828) 301-3570. https://valet.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/Career_Site/ job/AshevilleNC/Part-Time-Night-Trash-Collector--Truck-Required_R0016666 SEAMSTRESSES/SEWERS WORK FROM HOME FOR LOCAL MEDICAL SCRUBS COMPANY Work remotely with flexible, part-time/ full -time hours. Must be experienced in sewing most types of clothing and have your own serger and regular sewing machine. Contact info@largesizescrubs.com. www.largesizescrubs.com

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY HIRING DELIVERY DRIVERS FULL AND PART TIME Come drive for Team Summit! We deliver Amazon packages to customers from West Asheville to Waynesville that guarantee a smile. If you are customer service obsessed, a positive force, and love to drive we want you on our team. Starting pay is $16.50 per hour with bonus opportunities and as our team grows there will be advancement opportunities.

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PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT A B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position HR Data Management Technician For more details and to apply: https:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5798 JCC IS SEARCHING FOR A CHILDCARE OPERATIONS COORDINATOR This management position oversees the personnel and financial

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PAINT-A-ROOM PAINTING COMPANY On average to paint a 12’x15' wall only, $495 includes labor and materials using a lifetime warranty one coat quality paint, call 828273-3556.

JCC IS SEARCHING FOR A PRESCHOOL TEACHER This full-time teaching position offers scholarships for Early Childhood Education credentials. To apply, send your resume to tiffany@ jcc-asheville.org

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HIRING?

LEGAL NOTICE OF PETITION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION COUNTY OF RUTHERFORD 21 JA 073 In Re: J.Z.T. DOB: 11/27/2004 NOTICE OF PETITION MINOR CHILD. FOR ADJUDICATION & DISPOSITION ON ALLEGATIONS OF NEGLECT & DEPENDENCY To: Delores M. Twitty TAKE NOTICE that pleadings seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action.

The nature of the allegations are NEGLECT AND DEPENDENCY ON THE MINOR CHILD: J.Z.T. (Date of Birth: 11/27/2004) 1. WRITTEN RESPONSE: a written response must be filed within 40 days after service of the Petition and Notice October 6, 2021 which is November 16, 2021 be ADJUDICATED A NEGLECTED AND DEPENDENT JUVENILE as alleged in the petition. A copy of the response must be served on the Rutherford County Department of Social Services or that agency’s lawyer. 2.

REPRESENTATION: you have a right to be represented by an attorney. Any attorney previously appointed to represent you in this case will continue to represent you unless the court has allowed or allows that attorney to withdraw. If you are not represented by an attorney, you may contact the Rutherford County Clerk of Superior Court immediately at (828) 288-6137 or visit the Clerk’s Office and request a court-appointed attorney. 3.

HEARING: notification of the date, time and place of the hearing will be mailed to you by the Clerk of Superior Court after you file a response or 40 days from the date of service if no response is filed. If no response is filed the Court may determine whether your child is a neglected and/or dependent juvenile as alleged in the Petition. 4. PURPOSE OF HEARING: the purpose of the hearing is to determine whether your child is a

neglected juvenile as alleged in the Petition and any Disposition concerning the juvenile.

5. ATTENDANCE: You have a right to attend all hearings concerning your child. This the 6th day of October, 2021.

Joshua Howell, Petitioner’s Attorney State Bar No. 44477 PO Box 242 389 Fairground Road Spindale, North Carolina 28160 Telephone: (828) 287-6199 Facsimile: (828) 287-1202 NOTICE TO CREDITORS RE: THE ESTATE OF CHARLOTTE JEAN BEACHBOARD Notice to creditors, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of Charlotte Jean Beachboard, aka Jean C. Beachboard, deceased late of Buncombe County, North Carolina. The undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned a the address below. This will run six consecutive weeks. If indebted by the mentioned deceased all debts need to be sent to Patricia Ann Beachboard, Executor of the Estate. Please mail all claims owned by Charlotte Jean Beachboard with marked debt and account numbers.

If debts are owed they will be accepted by Patricia Ann Beachboard at 89 Winston Avenue, Asheville, NC 28803.

This is an address change that is current from 25 Harmony Lane, Asheville, NC 28803 (old address). Please be sure and use attention: Patricia Ann Beachboard. Written this day, August 23, 2021.

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THE N EW Y OR K TI M ES C ROSSWORD P UZ Z LE ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS A COURSE IN MIRACLES A truly loving, open study group.

Meets second and fourth Mondays 6:30 pm on Zoom.

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1-855-554-4616 (AAN CAN) DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Your donation helps fund the search for missing children.

Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation – Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN) DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Your donation helps fund the search for missing children.

Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles

& RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation – Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN) NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department: electronic equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous items. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim. Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828-2324576. NOTICE OF DISPOSITION The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous. All items will be disposed of 30 days from date of posting. Items to be auctioned will be displayed on www.propertyroom.com.

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edited by Will Shortz | No. 0901 MIND, BODY, SPIRIT COUNSELING SERVICES

LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE TO CREDITORS: THE ESTATE OF DORETHA LEWIS KEELING Notice to creditors, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of Doretha Lewis Keeling, deceased, late of Buncombe County, North Carolina. The undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address below. This will run thirteen consecutive weeks. If indebted by the mentioned deceased all debts need to be sent to Enid Thompson, Executor of the Estate. Please mail all claims owned by Doretha Lewis Keeling with marked debt and account numbers. If debts are owed they will be accepted by Enid Thompson at 955 East Knox Road, Unit 126, Chandler, AZ 85225. Written this day, September 24, 2021.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS PIANO LESSONS PIANO LESSONS now available for children and adults. Over 35 years experience. (828) 407-9552 Please see www. pianobill.com for more information.

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ACROSS 1 Fire proof?

4 Midsection section, informally 7 Bad break 14 Pop singer known for performing in a faceobscuring wig 15 Sch. whose campus contains Washington Square Park 16 Core 17 “Lookout” signal, in brief 18 “Come now, it’ll be OK” 20 Carmichael who composed “Heart and Soul” 22 Letter after pi 23 Wallet items 24 Body feature for roughly 90% of people 25 McKellen who played Gandalf 26 Online help page, for short 28 Young newt 29 Health class subj.

30 Slip past 33 Anybody home?

35 This, in Spanish 36 Farm cry 37 Put numbers on the board 38 “Wowza!”

39 Nickname for the Miami Dolphins, with “the” 40 Certain recyclable 41 U.K. honour 42 ___ Stardust, alter ego of David Bowie 43 Rose GrangerWeasley, to Harry Potter 44 Word on either side of “à” 45 Rose of rock 46 Bench with a back 47 Main ingredient in the Japanese dish tamagoyaki 48 Requirements 51 Easy ___ 53 Onetime Russian space station

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1 Japan’s largest beer brand 2 Nurse, as a beer 3 They can rate up to 350,000 on the Scoville scale 4 “Nevertheless … look at our current situation” 5 Party invite inits.

6 Grass-roots group focused on addressing climate change

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55 1948 western starring Bob Hope as “Painless” Potter 58 Sign 59 Budget carrier from 1993 to 2014 60 Message often written in large letters 61 Suffix with Gator 62 Actress Angela of “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” 63 Weed 64 The “S” of iOS: Abbr.

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7 Difficult to understand 8 G.I. entertainers 9 The Spartans of the N.C.A.A. 10 Letters on the “3” button 11 Performer known as the “King of Latin Pop” 12 Performed very well on 13 “I’m game” 19 Exclamation upon seeing this puzzle 21 Priceless keepsakes?

26 Mo. during which the N.B.A. All-Star Game is usually played

27 Good as new 31 “Shoot!”

32 Website with much customdesigned jewelry 33 Channel owned

by Disney 34 Dark purple fruit 42 Most out there 49 Hunky-dory 50 Comedian Wanda 51 Open ___ (plan to pay later) 52 Like the majority of Iraqis and Bahrainis 56 Pull-up muscle, for short 57 Soft murmur

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