Mountain Xpress 11.11.20

OUR 27TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 27 NO. 15 NOV. 11-17, 2020

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C O NT E NT S

Exec. Chef, Anthony Cerrato Consistently Voted One of WNC’s Best Chefs

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NEWS

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WELLNESS

Carryout 2020

26 HEALTH ROUNDUP St. Gerard House program earns accreditation; The Free Clinics expands in Polk County; more

GREEN

Thanksgiving

6 OH, WHAT A NIGHT Buncombe makes its choices in 2020 elections

10 OUT WITH THE OLD Charitable organizations swamped with donations

2020 has been a year like no other, but it hasn’t squelched the altruistic spirit of Western North Carolina’s people. In our special Nonprofit Issue, we explore how local groups have adapted to the current landscape and continue to make a difference, including one of the newest kids on the block, the Asheville chapter of Southeastern Guide Dogs. On the cover: Robin Greene and friend COVER PHOTO Courtesy of Robin Greene COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick 3 LETTERS 3 CARTOON: MOLTON 4 CARTOON: IRENE OLDS 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 6 NEWS

30 BIG DAM DEAL Asheville finishes $38.5M North Fork improvements

18 BUNCOMBE BEAT 20 COVID CONVERSATIONS 23 ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES 24 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 26 HEALTH ROUNDUP

FOOD

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FEATURES

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32 BANKING ON COMMUNITY WNC food banks are in it for the long haul

30 GREEN SCENE 32 FOOD 36 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 40 A&E ROUNDUP

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42 CLUBLAND 36 SOUTHSIDE SQUAD Word on the Street establishes permanent home at Edington Center

44 MOVIES 46 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 46 CLASSIFIEDS 47 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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STAFF PUBLISHER: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson MANAGING EDITOR: Virginia Daffron OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose ASSISTANT EDITOR: Daniel Walton STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Laura Hackett, Molly Horak, Daniel Walton COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Madeline Forwerck MOVIE SECTION HOSTS: Edwin Arnaudin, Bruce Steele CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Leslie Boyd, Bill Kopp, Cindy Kunst, Alli Marshall, Gina Smith, Kay West ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Urban MEMBERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR: Laura Hackett MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, David Furr, Tiffany Wagner OPERATIONS MANAGER: Able Allen INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Bowman Kelley BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen, Lauren Andrews DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Gary Alston, Tracy Houston, Henry Mitchell, Tiffany Narron, Kelley Quigley, Angelo Santa Maria, Carl & Debbie Schweiger

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. much-needed break from the Marvel Comic movies of more standard theaters. And! his clothing and craft stores were galleries of local genius in themselves.

And! Here’s to you, John! What a resource for us to have had you. You were a major reason we can sometimes proclaim, without too much dripping disdain: “Asheville is the Paris of the South.”

— Bill Branyon Asheville

Consider gay leaders and women in renaming push This may not be politically correct, but I feel I must speak up as I am becoming increasingly angry at the bandwagon Asheville leaders have jumped on. It’s a far cry from believing that “Black Lives Matter” (which I do) to renaming every street in Asheville, the Vance Monument and

The possibility for true healing

CARTO ON BY R A ND Y MOL T O N

Here’s to you, John Cram John Cram was a pretty great guy, from my experience [see “John Cram Remembered for his Numerous Contributions to Asheville,” Oct. 29, Xpress]. His gallery always provided some of the best, gloriously free shows in town, and his free wine and hors d’oeuvres were some of the best free food and spirits around.

In this way, he was the ultimate busker, offering free art from sidewalks, but a busker not wanting contributions. He let those rich enough to buy an expensive painting pay for our, and John’s, play dates. How many Blue Spiral openings was I high off John’s wine and grooving off of his cool art and cooler art-groupies?

What a gas. Or just needing a pickme-up on an uninspired early afternoon, staggering into his gallery oh so low, and emerging almost skipping and exhilarated.

Once I showed him a chapter from my book Asheville NC, Circa 2000 AD, saying I’d modify anything he found too offensive. It was about a Blue Spiral opening and a group of Asheville artists who were angry because they weren’t shown in the gallery and calling John’s stable of artists gimmicky frauds. John just sighed and said he could only show so many artists. He didn’t request any edits.

In the book, I called his gallery the Green Helix, while Asheville writer David Hopes, in his recent book Night, Sleep and the Dreams of Lovers,

has his climactic scene at the Blue Spiral, calling it the Green Cube. I bet you could write another book only consisting of other scenes written by other writers about John’s galleries and stores.

John firmly believed in the avant-garde art while keeping a solid foot in representational and classical renderings. I often got a laugh out of much of the art, and always an ooooo, and an occasional ahhhh. And partly because he was a proudly gay man himself, John ensured that everyone was welcome at his parties, routinely making them the diversity social events of that year, of almost every year, several times a year, for about 40 years.

I always envied him and Xpress publisher Jeff Fobes the most of anyone in Asheville, short of our mayors and congressional reps. In a way, John churned out two stories’ worth of stunning, original art every two or three months with each fascinating new show, and Jeff churned out an amazing book a week with each Xpress issue. Both offerings were free and perused by a large number of Asheville’s and Western North Carolina’s progressive communities — as well as the passing hordes of tourists — and both helped ensure the intellectual, artistic and political tenor of our region was on a lofty plain.

And! the free tours of John’s garden behind his Kenilworth home were additional evidence of his amazing taste. And! his Fine Arts Theatre (subsidized by Julian Price) was a

I would very much like to express my appreciation for the Mountain Xpress article concerning Chad Nesbitt and for the inclusion of the comment by Amanda S. Turbyfill [“Community Crusader or Provocateur? Chad Nesbitt’s Controversial Career in Local Politics,” Oct. 14, Xpress]. It speaks volumes to the possibility of a true healing in our emotionally challenged times.

— Patti Corozine Burnsville

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OPINION

COME SEE US TODAY!

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

possibly even the city of Asheville itself after Black people.

Sorry folks, but African Americans, who have indeed been discriminated against, are still only about 15% of the population, as are gay people, who also make up about the same percentage and who have been discriminated against for perhaps longer than people of color.

Why not rename the Vance Monument and the streets after prominent gay leaders who have supported and helped to grow Asheville into the vibrant city it is today? Or, my gosh, maybe even women, who make up a higher percentage of the population than either of those groups (maybe 50%?) and who are still being discriminated against today.

Come on, Asheville. Let’s promote equality for everyone.

— Nikki Marmo Asheville Editor’s note: A 2019 Reuters article reported that an estimated 4.5% of the U.S. population identifies as LGBT, though a 2016 Liveability.com article noted that Asheville has 83% more gay and lesbian residents than the average U.S. city, according to census figures. The Census Bureau’s 2019 estimate of Asheville’s Black population is 11.7%.

Fond memories of Cram’s legacy

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Mrs. and I bought a home in Weaverville in 2007 and lived there for 12 years. We left due to the grandparental instinct, which I guess is a

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common occurrence. We lived next door to Laurey Masterton, who, along with John Cram and Oscar Wong, were in my limited knowledge the upper tier of Asheville’s saviors. I never had the opportunity to meet John, but Laurey’s and Oscar’s high regard for him as well as his physical standing legacy speak volumes.

When we look back at the time that we were afforded, we often say that those 12 years were the best of our old home and Asheville lives. John was such a large part of our happiness.

— John and Jan Gudites Hockessin, Del. P.S. I would also take this opportunity to tell you how much I appreciated the Mountain Xpress over my time down there. “So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

Participate at local level, where change happens I love Asheville. I experience the area as going beyond the labels of conservative, liberal, Republican and Democrat, while participating in various ways in the upheaval and uncertainty that today’s crisis demands. We didn’t ask for it, but we are part of the global story that plagues our planet.

Parents, teachers and all of us have a profound moral and spiritual responsibility of educating our children. Our national way of life reflected in politics, the media, colleges, entertainment, sports and religion has changed, and we must accept the responsibility in our small part of the

We don’t know them ALL, but we owe them ALL. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR AMAZING VETERANS!

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C AR T O O N B Y I R E N E O L DS

world to participate at the local level, where change really happens.

I have witnessed recently the struggle and uncertainty of Asheville and Buncombe schoolteachers and employees. Our children and families and neighbors need support. This is one area that we locals must consider and participate in striving for positive change.

What makes you come alive?

Today? Life is not a waiting room for the younger generations and those who are working at the prime of their lives. The time is now to expand our own lives, giving meaning and purpose to a life well lived. The time to do this is now, not wait for retirement.

What you do today, in your younger years, will reflect on your later years.

This has been my discovery as I start my 25th year of retirement after 29 years in the teaching profession.

No road is an easy one! What you do today, in your younger years, will reflect on your later years. I suggest you not bind yourself to one ideology, political party or even one religion, but explore the world. Inform yourself, study, listen and act; rest and respond in whatever capacity your present life situation presents.

If you hate injustice, violence and don’t trust today’s politics, do something. Many of us can’t be activists while keeping the family or themselves secure and healthy. But we can all model good citizenship and positive virtues of kindness and understanding. We can all support each other, no matter how small and insignificant our actions may seem.

Personally, I have a sense that most of us have a longing from something deep inside of us that calls for peace and justice. Some call it the soul or the indwelling spirit that gives life meaning and purpose. Our well-being depends on the well-being of everyone. When we move across boundaries, build relationships with others, we expand our life. We can all model good citizenship and positive virtues of kindness and understanding in this most difficult of times.

Depending on your situation, choose a specific activity to do your little part to make our part of the world a bit better. I plan to follow this up with a focus on educating our children, energizing families and building communities of hope. We all can inspire and ignite our children’s imagination, and instill a love of learning which results in service to others that leads to active participation in our democracy.

— Ed Sacco Asheville

C AR T O O N B Y B R E N T B R O W N

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NEWS

Oh, what a night

Buncombe makes its choices in 2020 elections

BY XPRESS STAFF news@mountainx.com While the nation awaits continued legal wrangling and recounts in the presidential election, Buncombe County’s scores are mostly settled. Unofficial results from the N.C. State Board of Elections — which lack only provisional ballots and mail-in ballots postmarked

by Nov. 3 that will have arrived at the Buncombe County Board of Elections

by Thursday, Nov. 12 — point to clear winners in all but a couple of the races to represent county residents.

Xpress has compiled the key takeaways from each of the contests previously included in our general election voter guide. As a reminder, the county Board of Elections will not officially certify results until Friday, Nov. 13, and the state board will not issue certification until Tuesday, Nov. 24. Additional coverage from our election night live blog is available at avl.mx/8oa.

ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL

For the first time in history, Asheville’s governing body may consist entirely of women. The top three finishers in the unofficial results — Sandra Kilgore, Sage Turner and Kim Roney — are likely to join Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler and members Antanette Mosley and Sheneika Smith.

With the presumptive ouster of incumbent Keith Young, however,

MAKING IT COUNT: Officials with Buncombe County Election Services handle voting equipment after polls closed on Nov. 3. Photo by Laura Hackett Council’s racial makeup will remain unchanged as it considers topics such as the fate of the Vance Monument, funding for the Asheville Police Department and community reparations for African Americans. Kilgore would replace

GRABBING ATTENTION: Asheville City Council candidate Kim Roney, who finished third in unofficial results, used an extendable tool to hand out flyers while maintaining social distancing from voters at the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center on Election Day. Photo by Laura Hackett 6

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Young as the body’s third Black member; the remaining four members would be white.

Rich Lee finished fifth but still earned over 19,000 votes, nearly twice as many as the previous Council vote record of 10,531 set by former member Vijay Kapoor in 2017. The high turnout was likely driven by the shift to even-year elections established in a 2018 state law, a change Manheimer had requested of Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe.

“There are going to be lots of people who are feeling lost tonight. Under the system we currently have set up, it’s winner-take-all, and everyone else is left feeling like a loser,” Roney said about the results. “But I want all of our neighbors to know that I will work to bring everyone to the table together to engage around these issues. It’s not going to be an every-other-Tuesday thing; we’ll make sure the community is involved in ongoing conversations.”

BUNCOMBE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Democrats secured their hold on Buncombe County government with

victories in each of four races for the county Board of Commissioners. Robert Pressley, who represents District 3 and was not up for reelection, will be the lone Republican on the seven-member body.

Pressley did, however, lose his bid to unseat incumbent Brownie Newman as the board’s chair. Earning just over 42% of votes counted thus far, Pressley had a better showing than did sheriff candidate Shad Higgins, the last Republican to run in an opposed race for countywide office, in 2018.

Higgins took roughly 35% of ballots in a three-way contest with Democratic winner Quentin Miller and Libertarian Tracey Debruhl.

In the three district races, Democrats benefited from redrawn lines that more evenly distributed representation of Asheville’s liberal-leaning urban core.

Terri Wells defeated Glenda Weinert in District 1, incumbent Jasmine Beach-Ferrara bested fellow incumbent Anthony Penland in the contest for a double-bunked District 2 seat, and first-time candidate Parker Sloan beat incumbent Joe Belcher in District 3. As of press time, all three races had

margins of over 9,000 votes in favor of the Democrats.

Speaking with Xpress on Nov. 3, Newman said the commanding Democratic majority would allow the board to pursue policies “that represent the goals and values of the community.”

He named renewable energy, affordable housing and land use as three key areas for action.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND CONSERVATION DISTRICT BOARD Based on unofficial results, the closest race in Buncombe County is that for the Board of Education’s Owen District.

Incumbent Peggy Buchanan holds a lead of fewer than 250 votes over Linda Tatsapaugh; both are trailed substantially by Everett D. Pittillo.

Buchanan cast the deciding vote in the board’s Oct. 1 decision to resume in-person instruction for high schoolers, while Tatsapaugh emphasized the need for schools to continue remote learning options during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tatsapaugh also held the race’s fundraising lead and the backing of the Buncombe County Association of Educators.

According to state election law, recounts may be requested “if the difference between the votes for the requester and the winning candidate is less than or equal to 1% of the total votes cast in the election.” The difference between Buchanan and Tatsapaugh currently falls into that margin.

The other contested Board of Education race yielded a clear victory for Amanda Simpkins, who nearly doubled the vote total of challenger Mark Watman. And incumbent Gary Higgins will return to the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors after earning over 75% of the vote against perennial candidate and contraception advocate Alan Ditmore.

N.C. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The partisan status quo remained unchanged as the results of local races for the state Senate and House of Representatives came in.

District 48 Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, took nearly 59% of the

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NEWS vote in his contest to continue representing eastern Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania counties. His opponent, Brian Caskey of Mills River, serves as mayor pro tem of that town.

In a statement, Edwards said, “Whether you voted for me or not, it is my hope to work with you — and for you — to rebuild our economy, invest in the future of our children, protect your hard-earned money and keep our citizens safe.”

In District 49, which encompasses the western two-thirds of Buncombe County, Democrat Julie Mayfield will take the reins from outgoing Democratic Sen. Van Duyn, whose run for lieutenant governor ended with a primary loss in March. Mayfield currently serves on Asheville City Council.

Reached before all state election returns had been received on the evening of Nov. 3, Mayfield said her plans for the office would be shaped by the balance of power in the legislature,

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ON WATCH: UNCA students, from left, Aryelle Jacobsen, Demon Thomas and Maggie Schall volunteered as vote protectors through Democracy NC. Photo by Laura Hackett which some polls had predicted could shift out of Republican hands. Based on current vote counts, that doesn’t appear to have happened; Mayfield will thus function as a member of a Democratic minority as she pushes goals such as Medicaid expansion, independent redistricting and education funding.

The entirety of Buncombe County’s House delegation, all Democrats, won reelection with the following vote totals: • Rep. Susan Fisher, District 114, 58% • Rep. John Ager, District 115, 62% • Rep. Brian Turner, District 116, 62% Even as he celebrated Buncombe’s Democratic wins, however, Turner sounded a cautionary note for the future. If representation shifts from outlying areas of the county closer to the city center, as may occur on the Board of Commissioners in the future, he sees the potential for more rural residents to feel disenfranchised, leading to “grievance, resentment, disengagement.”

The fix, Turner believes, could be decoupling the district lines that set representation on the county board from those that determine state legislative posts. “I think there is value in having geographical representation, in addition to ideological representation,” Turner said.

over 54% of the total as of press time.

That disparity was most pronounced In rural Graham County, where Cawthorn earned over 77% of the vote. Libertarian DeBruhl and the Green Party’s Tamara Zwinak each received less than 2% of the votes cast across the district.

Davis conceded the race on election night by thanking voters and volunteers. “The voters have spoken, and while I’m disappointed, I respect their decision,” he said.

Cawthorn, meanwhile, celebrated his victory with a three-word tweet: “Cry more, lib.” X

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 11

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Arguably the election’s most glittering local prize, the congressional seat formerly held by Republican Mark Meadows (now the White House Chief of Staff) went to 25-year-old Republican Madison Cawthorn of Henderson County.

Although Cawthorn’s Democratic opponent, Moe Davis, dominated District 11’s population center of Buncombe County with over 58% of the vote, the Republican ran up large margins in ever other county and held

TEAM GOP: Madison Cawthorn, center, poses with campaign volunteers on Election Day at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden. Photo

by Molly Horak

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NEWS

Out with the old Charitable organizations swamped with donations

TOO MUCH, TOO FAST: The Blue Ridge Humane Society briefly resumed accepting donations in June; in October, the leadership team decided to pause all donations until after the holiday season. Volunteer Thomas Peck worked this summer to process incoming items. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Humane Society

BY MOLLY HORAK mhorak@mountainx.com When Angela Prodrick decided to resume accepting donations for the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s thrift store at the end of June, she had an inkling that donation levels might be high. After all, statewide lockdowns were just beginning to lift, and Prodrick, the nonprofit’s executive director, suspected that many of the store’s longtime patrons had dedicated part of their time in quarantine to spring cleaning.

But once the floodgates opened, staff and volunteers soon found themselves drowning in donations, communications manager Laura Rice explains. Devoted donors brought in box after box of secondhand items they’d saved to give to the thrift store, which raises money to support the Henderson County animal shelter.

An avalanche of clothes, furniture and trinkets piled up as volunteers scrambled to keep up.

It quickly became too much of a good thing, says Rice. On Oct. 23, the organization made a highly unusual call, halting all incoming donations until after the holiday season.

“We were inundated,” Prodrick recalls.

“Thrift store donations are one area where people think they can assist the organization with something that’s easy to do, but we really needed to press pause and pull the plug for a few months.”

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Other area nonprofits are seeing a similar trend, even if they haven’t stopped accepting donations. “Everyone has been so, so generous, but we really have gotten a crazy amount of stuff brought in to our store,” reports Skip Wade, director of retail operations for the WNC Bridge Foundation.

BY THE TRUCKLOAD

Long before COVID-19 arrived, decluttering and downsizing had become a growing trend thanks to the influence of organizational guru Marie Kondo, Goodwill spokesperson Jaymie Eichorn notes. As more folks are stuck at home, says Eichorn, the nonprofit’s regional vice president of marketing and communications, they’re tackling home improvement projects and purging living spaces of unwanted items.

In the months since the pandemic began, Goodwill stores across Western North Carolina saw the biggest influx of donations in March and April, when shutdowns were still in place, says Kurt Durnal, who oversees Goodwill retail stores in Asheville, Weaverville and Franklin. The total number of donations dropped slightly as people returned to work, he explains, but the average size is still much larger than usual.

“Thankfully, people were caring enough to do something good with their items instead of throwing them away,” says

“We really needed to press pause and pull the plug for a few months.”

— Angela Prodrick, Blue Ridge Humane Society Durnal. Proceeds from Goodwill thrift store sales fund job training programs for individuals struggling to get on their feet.

And with some 357,000 North Carolina residents out of work as of September, the nonprofit’s mission is more important than ever, stresses Eichorn.

Staff at the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore tell a similar story.

Curbside pickups and in-store drop-offs have generated a “really good, high volume” of donations, says Ariane Kjellquist, the nonprofit’s communications director.

Sales are up too. A national appliance shortage means more people are looking for refrigerators and microwaves, she says; doors, windows and cabinet sets are also in demand as people undertake home remodeling projects.

“These items are getting donated, but they don’t sit long,” she explains. “We think it’s because people need these kinds of building supplies, and whether they can’t get them somewhere else or they’re looking for something less expen-

sive than buying new, they’re turning to the ReStore.”

VOLUNTEER SHORTAGE, SPACE CRUNCH

The WNC Bridge Foundation’s thrift stores, which raise money for local health and wellness nonprofits, typically rely on volunteers to sort through donations, clean and price items that can be sold, and restock the shelves, says Wade. But many of the stores’ loyal volunteers are senior citizens, and most are staying away for fear of contracting COVID-19. To pick up the slack, he says, staff members now spend a few hours a day frantically trying to keep up with the relentless flow of incoming items.

COVID-19 primarily spreads through respiratory droplets; transmission by touching a contaminated surface is less likely but still possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So Wade isn’t taking

any chances. All donated items must sit, untouched, for 72 hours. “It’s filling up our warehouse space very quickly,” he reveals.

Unlike some other nonprofits, Habitat’s ReStore has ample space in its warehouse to hold donations until they can be processed by a small team of core volunteers, says Kjellquist. Beginning in August, volunteers were invited to come in when the store was closed to shield them from contact with shoppers; social distancing restrictions limit how many people can be working in the store or warehouse at any given time. As of Oct. 28, total volunteer hours had come up to roughly 50% of normal capacity.

Meanwhile, over at the Blue Ridge Humane Society, the combination of building capacity constraints and the need for more workspace per volunteer is severely limiting how many items get processed, says Rice. “The bottleneck isn’t that people aren’t buying,” she points out.

“It’s getting donated items to the floor.”

One silver lining? There’s no better time to go thrift shopping, notes Eichorn.

“We have all of this inventory from all of these donations, and there are great deals to be found at all of our stores,” she says with a laugh. X

ALL HANDS ON DECK: An Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore employee works to process donations and bring items to the store floor.

Per COVID-19 guidelines, volunteer capacity is only at 50%, leaving staff members to fill in the gaps. Photo courtesy of the Asheville ReStore

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Since 2001, Green Built Alliance has been committed to advancing sustainability in the built environment through community education, measurable standards and regional action. Together, we can make the places where we live and work healthier for us and the environment .

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NEWS

After the hashtags fade Local nonprofits stand firm in the fight for racial justice

BY THOMAS CALDER tcalder@mountainx.com For many local nonprofits that advocate for racial justice, the May 25 killing of George Floyd marked the start of a new phase. The Racial Justice Coalition, for example, experienced a spike in donations amid the summer protests; the Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective has found new opportunities to forge partnerships to further its work, including one with the state Department of Health and Human Services.

But local groups’ dedication to advancing their respective goals didn’t begin with Floyd’s death. Over at YWCA Asheville, eliminating racism “has been part of our mission for the last 113 years,” notes Catalina Slater, the organization’s director of marketing and communications.

What continues to shift, though, is the community’s response to comprehensive issues such as systemic racism and implicit bias. “The conversation for us hasn’t changed,” says Umoja founder Michael Hayes. “It’s just more people are listening now.”

And that evolving understanding, local nonprofit leaders report, is transforming the way both individuals and foundations support such efforts.

TEACHING VS. YELLING

These days, many residents economically impacted by COVID-19 are contributing to racial justice by helping to expand awareness, rather than by making donations, says Jefferson Ellison, the YMI Cultural Center’s publicist. He tips his hat to “the advocates on the ground who spend a lot of their time educating people online” about issues like white supremacy.

“We’re teaching people instead of just yelling at them,” Ellison observes.

For her part, Slater points to in-house initiatives such as the YWCA’s 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge. Launched in August, the online series gave more than 700 participants specific daily tasks designed to enhance their understanding of systemic racism and race-related violence. Although the series ended in September, the materials it used are still available online.

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MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER: Since 1907, the Asheville YWCA has worked to empower women and eliminate racism in Western North Carolina. Pictured, from left, Getting Ahead coordinator Jennifer Tracy and Colleen Burnet of the Mountain Child Advocacy Center, a partner agency. Photo courtesy of YWCA Asheville Meanwhile, Rob Thomas, the Racial Justice Coalition’s community liaison, reports that in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s death, more than 1,300 new volunteers signed up to help the nonprofit promote increased police accountability and policy changes. The tasks these volunteers perform include conducting outreach, creating materials for the group’s social justice campaigns and providing tech support to the organization.

During the pandemic, he continues, one of the greatest challenges is finding ways to develop rapport with so many new members. “It’s very hard to cultivate those relationships through Zoom, but we do it the best way that we can.”

EXPANDING GRANT ACCESS

Enthusiasm alone, though, is not enough to keep financially stretched nonprofits afloat. Fortunately, within the last six months, new grants have emerged that are specifically tied to racial justice and equity work. And in response to the summer’s racial reckoning, corporations and foundations alike are beginning to reconsider their approaches to giving.

“White supremacy is rooted in control,” Ellison explains. “I think people are realizing that it’s very difficult to

be an advocate or an ally if you do not give people the agency and autonomy to do their work.”

As a result, a number of foundations have simplified the application process for racial justice and equity initiatives. In September, the Dogwood Health Trust allocated $1 million for Racial Equity Community Grants, offering up to $25,000 to historically underfunded organizations whose primary purpose is serving Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. The grants are one facet of a $5.5 million strategy to promote racial equity in the 18 WNC counties the trust serves.

Organizations that applied for the grants say the process was surprisingly easy.

In an email exchange with Xpress, Dogwood’s Equity Team said that was no accident. “We recognize that many of the organizations we seek to reach ... have either a very small or volunteer staff,” the email stated. “They may not have the time or capacity to respond to a lengthy application requiring complex data or research.

Such a process would represent a barrier to an already understaffed organization — the very organizations in need of assistance.”

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NEWS

WALK THE WALK: Rob Thomas, the Racial Justice Coalition’s community liaison, says his organization is in the midst of a 90-day Walk the Walk campaign. Surveys are underway within communities of color to gauge residents’ views on housing, economic mobility, education, the justice system and reparations. Photo by Tony Shivers/Still Smiling Photography For grassroots groups like Umoja, that understanding is huge, says Hayes. In the past, grant applications often included qualifying questions about what he calls “the letters behind your name. They’d ask, ‘Are you a Ph.D? Do you hold some kind of master’s degree?’ Well, I don’t have either. But that’s not going to stop me from doing the work.”

Umoja is one of 205 local nonprofits to apply for the new Dogwood grants; awards will be announced in December.

This overall shift in approach is a major win for local advocacy groups, says Coryn Harris, the YWCA’s chief advancement officer. For many years, she points out, “We have been having the conversation with foundations and corporate-giving programs about this unfunded advocacy and racial justice work. We know that programs alone can’t solve the problems that we see: There have to be structural changes, and that work is often unfunded. So it’s a welcome change.”

Still, Harris contends that more could be done. Topping her wish list is an increase in mandatory giving.

Currently, Section 4942 of the IRS code requires private foundations to distribute 5% of the fair market value of their assets each year.

If that figure were upped to 10%, she points out, “We could pump billions of dollars into the economy and toward the folks who are doing the front-line work — at no cost to the government.”

THE WORK GOES ON

For now, however, local nonprofits remain optimistic and proud of the community’s sustained focus on racial issues.

“We cannot stop our work,” Slater maintains, “because our work doesn’t stop. And it’s going to take more than conversations: It’s going to take

“We cannot stop our work, because our work doesn’t stop.”

— Catalina Slater, YWCA Asheville action, it’s going to take participation, it’s going to take collaboration.”

It will also take commitment, stresses Ellison. The YMI, he says, is working to create partnerships with community members and local businesses. “We want people who are invested in the work,” he declares.

“Not people who are looking to sponsor an event series so they can get the ad or a tax write-off, but people who are genuinely interested in supporting the Black community of Asheville and in supporting and upholding Black history.”

Furthermore, notes Adwaters, that work will require ongoing financial support. “We are still in need of donations,” she says. “And speaking from a leadership and planning perspective, it’s always better if we know that we can rely on ongoing support and not the one-over. But both are important.”

Additionally, says Thomas, advocates must continue to educate themselves and others about the issues.

They must also understand where

they can be most effective in creating change. “There are some things people of color have to take the lead on, such as leading other people of color,” he explains. “And there are some things that we need our white allies to do as well, such as taking down these systems that their ancestors created, and explaining things like institutional, structural and systemic racism to their family and friends.

“And that’s a tricky situation,” continues Thomas. “You don’t want to push too hard and alienate somebody, but sometimes a tough conversation is required — followed up by a whole lot of facts to show somebody the truth of something.”

Above all, though, what’s required of both the nonprofits themselves and the communities they serve are perseverance and focus. Because while the spotlight on any particular movement will inevitably dim, says Harris, “We’ll still be here doing the work even when the hashtags fade.” X

FLEXIBLE FUNDING

Besides simplifying the application process and streamlining requirements, foundations have also eased restrictions on how grant money can be spent.

Natasha Adwaters, executive director of Children First/Communities in Schools, says several funders have allowed the nonprofit to reallocate funds in order to address needs outside the grants’ original intent.

“I do think people are being more flexible in this time of COVID and racial unrest, because we don’t know what the future is going to hold,” she notes. Her organization provides resources and support for elementary school-age children in Buncombe County.

GREATER FLEXIBILITY: Natasha Adwaters, executive director of Children First/Communities in Schools, says that in response to COVID-19 and racial unrest, foundations have become more flexible about how grant money can be spent. Photo courtesy of Children First/Communities in Schools MOUNTAINX.COM

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NEWS

Pillars of community Regional businesses share success with nonprofits

BY ABLE ALLEN aallen@mountainx.com Snazzy new Amazon trucks have appeared on Asheville streets. A new Amazon delivery station gleams alongside Airport Road south of the city. And money from Amazon charitable giving programs is making its way into the region. Local nonprofits report receiving between tens and hundreds of dollars in recent years from AmazonSmile Foundation.

“As a part of Amazon’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which it operates,” says Ashley Lansdale, a spokesperson for Amazon Logistics, the company’s Mills River employees “donated pet toys and food [of approximately $500 value] to the Asheville Humane Society. Additionally, associates from the delivery station volunteered their time to

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care for animals and provided a [$1,000] donation to the no-kill shelter.”

The global company has promoted such contributions, and many customers navigate to smile.amazon.com, where the AmazonSmile program contributes 0.5% of eligible purchases to a nonprofit of the buyer’s choice. Since the giving tool launched in 2013, the AmazonSmile Foundation has donated more than $215 million globally, millions of which have gone to North Carolina nonprofits, according to company spokespeople.

While the local nonprofits that received a portion of that money undoubtedly welcomed it, Amazon’s charity looks less impressive when considered in the context of its broader balance sheet.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company’s annual revenue reached $280 billion in 2019; AmazonSmile’s total giving over seven years thus represents just under 0.0008% of Amazon’s revenue for one year. While the $215 million figure

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does not include wishlist fulfillment and other donations Amazon may make independently of AmazonSmile, the company does not make those totals public.

(Asheville Humane Society notes that, due to COVID-19, Amazon employees have not yet undertaken any volunteering but hope to in the future. The local delivery station opened in September.)

In terms of local impact, Amazon doesn’t come within a country mile of the support long provided by regional businesses such as Ingles Markets, Mast General Store and Wicked Weed Brewing. Similarly, the generosity of many smaller businesses is proportionally enormous.

For many WNC nonprofits, business support and partnerships comprise a significant part of their budgets. And while Asheville has a comparatively large number of nonprofits per capita, area businesses rise to the need. A shopper can’t walk around Asheville without tripping

over businesses that wear their support of local causes proudly. Mountain Xpress asked some of the sponsors of this year’s Give!Local campaign about their history partnering with nonprofits, as well as some Give!Local nonprofits about how they rely on corporate relationships.

PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT Over the last decade, Weavervile’s Blue Mountain Pizza has donated more than $250,000 to local nonprofits. Owner Matt Danford says that on every third Thursday, he and his staff choose a locally run nonprofit to receive 10% of that day’s revenue. An additional donation box in the restaurant encourages patrons to give to the selected organization, with Blue Mountain Pizza matching the proceeds.

It’s a hyperlocal program. To get the word out, the pizza shop runs an ad on the front page of the Weaverville Tribune, letting the community know which charity has been chosen that month. One of the most frequent beneficiaries has been a senior dining program run under the auspices of the Council on Aging of Buncombe County at Weaverville First Baptist Church.

LEND A HAND: As at similar shelters across the country, Amazon employees plan to donate their time to care for animals at the Asheville Humane Society. Photo courtesy of Amazon Blue Mountain’s model of donating a percentage of its proceeds is common across WNC. MANNA FoodBank has several such agreements with local businesses, says corporate engagement manager Olivia Onderlinde. Through MANNA’s Hops for Hunger, breweries around town donate portions of beer sales; hotels participating in MANNA’s Sweet Dreams, Full Plates donate a portion of their revenues; and area real estate agents donate to MANNA in lieu of closing gifts traditionally given to clients through Closing on Hunger.

MountainTrue’s Andy Bowers sees potential in a similar strategy for his organization, noting that the work of Watauga Riverkeeper Andy Hill already receives significant support from businesses that donate a portion of their revenues to the cause. But Bowers, MountainTrue’s development director, cautions that COVID-19 has clouded the outlook for generating funds from business partners, since many companies — especially restaurants — have weathered extended closures in 2020.

TOO IN-KIND

Pauline Heyne, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s director of philanthropy, generally hopes to see about 10% of her organization’s budget coming from business sponsorships and donations. Other nonprofits reported similar budget targets, although there is significant variation.

But not all corporate giving is based on money. Often the fit between business resources and nonprofit needs are hand in glove — or foot in sock, as the case may be.

Partnerships with Hanes and Bombas Socks provided 8,500 pairs of socks, valued in excess of $60,000, to Homeward Bound of WNC’s clients during the 2019-20 fiscal year. Madeline Wadley, Homeward Bound’s business engagement specialist, says the majority of the nonprofit’s corporate support comes from in-kind donations.

For example, Ashley Home Stores donated nearly $20,000 in mattresses to the nonprofit through a program tied to the furniture seller’s retail mattress revenue. And businesses across the region host critical clothing drives each fall to shore up Homeward Bound’s supplies for winter.

MANNA FoodBank also regularly benefits from in-kind partnerships, and not just the expected food donations from area groceries. Thermo Fisher Scientific, a lab equipment manufacturer, donates unsold refrigeration units to MANNA, allowing the nonprofit to store and distribute more perishable products.

SYMPATICO Wicked Weed and Mast General Store both started small and have expanded to become WNC household names. Both companies also started giving back to the community early on and have incorporated a reputation for charity into their brand identities.

Ryan Robinson, Mast General Store’s community relations program manager, says nonprofit engagement is a big component of his company’s marketing strategy, including an annual $10,000 partnership with SAHC. And Rachel Dudasik, Wicked Weed’s community engagement coordinator, says philanthropy helps reinforce the company’s brand.

Through the brewery’s partnerships in the areas of people, environment and arts, which have donated around $1.6 million to Southeast nonprofits since 2012, Dudasik says Wicked Weed is reinforcing the story of its founders’ core values. The Guthy family — among the founders of Wicked Weed — has long been committed to meeting human needs in the community, she says.

Likewise, arts are a foundational component of the company’s identity, as evidenced by its in-house label design and fabrication shops for company projects.

Wicked Weed’s longtime commitment to environmental protection acknowledges the role of the region’s clean water and other natural resources in the brewery’s success, Dudasik concludes.

Similarly, Robinson says Mast’s giving grew out of the legacy of the company’s first general store in rural Valle Crucis.

“When someone in a small community had a house burn down or a spouse pass away or somebody in need, there was always a collection jar or some sort of call to action at the general store,” he explains. “We try to embody that in our business.”

Sometimes the benefits of marketing work both ways. Wicked Weed’s Appalachia IPA has raised $40,000 for the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in its first two years on the market, but it’s also helped the land conservation nonprofit build awareness with new audiences.

The organization’s For Love of Beer and Mountains partnership with Highland Brewing Co. brings a similar brand-boosting benefit, says Heyne.

“When somebody is making a beer and putting your name on it, the exposure you get from that is priceless,” she adds. X

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17

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Buncombe proposes $27M subsidy for Pratt & Whitney Buncombe County’s political and business elites gathered at the Grove Park Inn on Oct. 22 to crow over what they called the region’s biggest-ever economic coup: a $650 million investment by aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in a new manufacturing facility to be located on undeveloped forestland alongside the French Broad River near Biltmore Park.

It wasn’t until a Board of Commissioners briefing on Nov. 5, however, that Buncombe officials revealed the potential price of their success. Under the terms of a proposed economic development incentive agreement, county taxpayers would subsidize Pratt & Whitney — a division of military contractor Raytheon Technologies, a Fortune 50 company with revenues of over $77 billion last fiscal year under the leadership of CEO Gregory Hayes, whose total compensation was $21.5 million in 2019 — to the tune of $27 million.

The deal will not be finalized until the board’s next meeting at 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 17. The commissioners will vote on whether to approve the incentive following a public hearing, which will likely be held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tim Love, Buncombe County’s director of intergovernmental relations, explained that the incentive would be paid in annual installments over at least 10 years. The money would also be tied to the company’s fulfillment of promised targets regarding jobs, capital investment and average wages. Pratt & Whitney has agreed to create 800 jobs with an average annual wage of $68,000,

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THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: A proposed economic development incentive for Pratt & Whitney, a division of defense contractor Raytheon Technologies, would cost Buncombe County taxpayers $27 million. Photo courtesy of Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County more than double the county’s per capita income as of 2018.

The amount of the incentive, added board Chair Brownie Newman, was designed to be revenue-neutral for the county. Pratt & Whitney is expected to pay roughly $2.5 million annually in property taxes on its facility’s equipment, as well as excise taxes on the value of the 100acre site that it will receive for $1 from Biltmore Farms. The county’s incentive is estimated at $2.6 million per year.

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Love stressed that, while the county won’t see a net property tax gain from Pratt & Whitney over the period of the incentive, local residents would immediately benefit from over 1,000 temporary construction jobs created to build the facility. And, once fully operational, the plant is expected to have an area payroll impact of $74 million per year, some of which would be spent in the local economy.

“There’s going to be benefits when we talk about corporate philanthropy, hiring practices, competitiveness in our region,” Love added.

“We think there are a lot of indirect benefits that are important to note that we’re not going to quantify for you today.”

If approved, the county’s incentive to Pratt & Whitney would be its largest to date by $8 million, exceeding a $19 million total subsidy to Canadian auto parts maker Linamar.

The county’s largest economic development deal with a local company has been a roughly $3 million subsidy to Black Mountain-based Ingles Markets arranged in 2010.

— Daniel Walton X

where children love to learn

Now accepting applications for Fall 2021 middle school Call to schedule a tour!

Nov 20th parent info sessions 9am: Virtual session 10am: In-person tour and session RSVP: info@thelearningcommunity.org

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828.686.3080

NOV. 11-17, 2020

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COVID CONVERSATIONS

Good boy!

Challenges of training service dogs amid a pandemic

FIRST CLASS: Robin Greene picked up Beau the Labrador retriever at a Rutherfordton airstrip earlier this fall. Volunteer pilot Leon Mimms, left, flew the puppy up from Savannah, Ga. Photo by Ed Greene

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If you’ve ever raised a puppy, you’re familiar with the daily struggles — they pee everywhere and chew on everything. Now imagine raising a puppy that will go on to be a service dog, responsible for protecting the wellbeing and quality of life for people with disabilities or those coping with trauma. Volunteers take on the task of instilling good house manners and basic obedience skills, while making sure to expose the dogs to a wide variety of people and situations during the first year of life.

For service trainers like Robin Greene, COVID-19 has limited many of the social aspects that go into the work.

In normal times, Greene explains, service dogs in training visit fire stations, farms with livestock, nursing homes and parks to experience new sights, smells, sounds and, most importantly, people.

“You can’t do that now,” she says.

“So you have to make the best of every opportunity you have.”

For the last seven years, Greene has volunteered with Southeastern Guide Dogs, a Florida-based nonprofit with over 3,200 guide and service teams.

Until recently, her work was focused in Houston, where she and her husband previously lived.

But in March, the couple relocated to Asheville, just weeks before Gov. Roy

Cooper issued a statewide safer-athome mandate. Around the same time, Southeastern Guide Dogs temporarily closed operations due to the pandemic.

As a result, Greene was without a puppy for over six months.

“The house was way too quiet,” she says.

Finally in October, she welcomed Beau, a 9-week-old Labrador retriever. Meanwhile, she also helped Southeastern Guide Dogs launch its Asheville chapter. Greene serves as the area coordinator and currently works with three regionally based volunteers.

Trips to the post office and grocery store have become standard for Greene and Beau, as have occasional visits to retail shops. In all cases, Greene emphasizes, she wears a mask and keeps a safe social distance from other people.

Like the pooches she trains, Greene predicts she and fellow residents might need time to readjust to everyday life once social restrictions are fully lifted.

“I think we’re all going to have to reacclimate to being out in the public again,” she says.

But for now, Beau keeps Greene fairly busy. “Having the puppy gives me a focus,” she says. “Puppy raising has become my way of life.”

— Thomas Calder X

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

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ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

FEA T U RE S

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

‘On the map’ In the summer of 1923, community leaders were eager to launch a five-year advertising campaign to promote Western North Carolina to tourists and industries alike. The initiative resulted in the formation of a nonprofit creatively named Western North Carolina Inc. To fulfill its goal, the organization said it would need to raise $25,000 (or roughly $380,525 in today’s currency) per year through subscriptions.

On June 3, The Sunday Citizen reported that Col. Joseph Hyde Pratt would lead the project. Having served as the director of the N.C. Geological and Economic Survey since 1905, Pratt was “a man peculiarly fitted through years of experience and intimacy with Western North Carolina to pilot such a coordinating force with discretion, wisdom and efficiency,” the paper wrote.

Throughout the remainder of the year, the newspaper continued to promote the initiative.

On Sept. 14, 1923, The Asheville Citizen declared: “Western North Carolina, Inc., will mean more smokestacks in the 25 mountain counties of the association. It will mean common counsel and action as never before between the farmer and the townsman. It will mean, eventually, ten tourists in these mountains for each one here this season. It will mean better markets for local produce and therefore more bank accounts for the farmer, the dairyman, the poultry fancier. It will, therefore, augment the buying power of all Western North Carolina; and enlarged buying power means a higher standard of living, a more

Local nonprofit promotes Western North Carolina to the world, 1923-25

desirable life for every individual in every group of Western North Carolina’s population.”

Despite these claims, the general public did not respond with great enthusiasm. Fundraising was slow to take off, leading city officials and merchants alike to add their voices to the sale’s pitch.

In a written appeal to city residents, published in The Asheville Citizen on Sept. 18, 1923, Mayor John H. Cathey wrote, “If you subscribe liberally today you will not regret it.”

In the same day’s paper, an editorial reminded readers that the Asheville Merchants Association supported Western North Carolina Inc. The group, the paper asserted, “is not composed of men given to chasing rainbows and will-o’-the-wisps.”

By mid-October, with community buy-in still lagging, The Asheville Citizen’s editorial section delivered a harsher appeal to its readers. In an Oct. 12 piece, the paper wrote, “Though a plan of action may be carefully conceived and based upon the soundest reasoning, it is worthless unless it is supported by the determination and labor of men, individually and collectively.”

That same month, advertisements began appearing in the paper encouraging residents to support the new initiative. “Without enthusiasm the progress of putting this section into the minds and hearts of the world, will wear leaden feet,” one ad read.

Quoting the philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, the pitch continued: “Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is the triumph of enthusiasm.”

By November, Western North Carolina Inc. received the boost it needed when Edith Vanderbilt, wife of the late George Washington Vanderbilt, signed on as the nonprofit’s vice president.

“Mrs. Vanderbilt is invariably a volunteer for victory,” the paper declared on Nov. 18, 1923. The value of her participation, the article continued, “is incalculable. It puts at once an additional stamp of worth and solidity upon the new organization.”

With money on hand, 1924 marked the official start of the nonprofit’s operation. The organization’s purpose, The Asheville Citizen reminded readers on Jan. 6, was “to put this section on the map.” The group’s leaders, the article continued, “desire to make [Western North Carolina] not only nationally, but internationally famous.”

Throughout 1924, Pratt remained busy traveling to promote the area as well as hosting a number of visiting groups. A summary of the organization’s first-year efforts, published on Feb. 22, 1925, in The Sunday Citizen, reported that the nonprofit had distributed over 24,000 pieces of literature advertising the region and had hosted 598 office conferences.

The intense workload appeared to burn Pratt out. By March 1925, due to reported health concerns, he resigned.

Rather than continue the nonprofit, the group’s board decided to merge Western North Carolina Inc. with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce.

In a March 19, 1925, editorial, The Asheville Citizen praised the “inestimable value” Pratt brought to the organization. “The merger with

LEADER OF THE PACK: Before taking charge of the newly formed nonprofit, Western North Carolina Inc., in 1923, Col. Joseph Hyde Pratt served as the director of the N.C. Geological and Economic Survey for nearly 20 years. Photo courtesy of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wilson Library, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives the Chamber of Commerce,” the paper continued, “should bring new strength into the execution of plans already well mapped out.”

Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR NOV. 11-20, 2020 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar.

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

137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

In-Person Events = Shaded All other events are virtual

ART Yadkin Arts Exhibit Opening Reception: PIERS With needle print artist Caitlin Cary.

TH (11/12), 5pm, Free, fb.com/yadkinarts

River Arts District Fall Stroll Open studios, special events and demonstrations.

SA (11/14), 10am, Free, Depot St/Roberts St

Our VOICE: 19th Annual Survivors Art Show Opening Featuring live performance art and discussion.

TH (11/12), 6:30pm, Free, ourvoicenc.org/art

Connections: Every Picture Tells a Story Discussion led by master docent Doris Potash at Asheville Art Museum.

WE (11/18), 1pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8oh

Slow Art Friday: Works on Paper Discussion led by touring docents Hank Bovee and Joey Gigliotti at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (11/13), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8nv

Slow Art Friday: We Gather Together Discussion led by touring docent Kay Dunn at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (11/20), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8oi

MUSIC Thursday Night Live: Jeremy Loeb French and Chinese piano performance.

TH (11/12), Included with admission, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Blue Ridge Orchestra Music Trivia Night Proceeds benefit the orchestra.

SA (11/14), 7:30pm, $10, avl.mx/8ok Pack Library: Jazz by Request Featuring pianist Michael Jefry Stevens.

WE (11/18), 5:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8os Calidore String Quartet Presented by Asheville Chamber Music Series.

FR (11/20), 7:30pm, Free, avl.mx/8on

LITERARY Malaprop's Author Discussion Catherine Newman presents How to Be a Person.

WE (11/11), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ns Stay Home & Write(rs) Group Community writing session with Firestorm.

WE (11/11), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/83c Malaprop's: Risky Behavior Featuring contributors to Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing Y.A. TH (11/12), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8nt Leicester Library: NaNoWriMo Write-in Group writing session.

FR (11/13), 4pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8op WCU: The Josefina Niggli Latinx Speaker Series Featuring poet Roy G. Guzman.

FR (11/13), 4pm, Free, avl.mx/8p1 Perspectives - John Cage: A Mycological Foray A conversation with Laura Kuhn of Atelier Éditions, hosted by Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center.

WE (11/18), 1pm, avl.mx/8oL YMI: Black Experience Book Club My Mother was a

Freedom Fighter by Aja Monet.

TH (11/19), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ot

Young Professionals of Henderson County Networking social.

TU (11/17), 5:30pm, Dry Falls Brewing, 425 Kanuga Rd, Hendersonville

THEATER & FILM

Western Women's Business Center Annual Conference Women at the Table Now: panel discussions, breakouts, creative sessions and interactive activities.

WE (11/18), 9am, $15, avl.mx/8oc

Black Mountain College Museum: TAYO Light and sound activation screening and conversation with filmmaker Grace Villamil.

WE (11/11), 8am, Free, avl.mx/8oo Bardo Arts Center at WCU: Reggae Boyz Documentary screening and Q&A with director Till Schauder.

SU (11/15), 4pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8d9 Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park Outdoor variety show.

Bring your own chair.

TU (11/17), 7pm, $12$15, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY Managing Risks in Your Food & Beverage Business tenBiz webinar.

WE (11/11), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8o2 Employment Law 101 Mountain BizWorks webinar.

WE (11/11), 2pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ox Asheville Development Happenings Happy Hour Networking for builders, developers and architects.

WE (11/11), 3:30pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave Deep Dive Lab: Small Business Accounting Western Women's Business Center webinar with Alicia Sisk-Morris.

TH (11/12), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8o1 CoThinkk: Interrupting the Now, Reimagining the Future Awards ceremony with keynote talks and live music.

SA (11/14), 6pm, Free, avl.mx/8of Outdoor Business Expo Vendor fair for local entrepreneurs.

SU (11/15), 12pm, Creative Hub Studios, 124 College St

EMPOWERING THE LEADER IN EACH BOY

Journeymen supports adolescent boys on their paths to becoming men of integrity. Our cost-free program is now enrolling young men 12-17.

Mentees participate in bi-weekly mentoring groups and a semi-annual Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend facilitated by men in the community.

journeymenasheville@gmail.com (706) 949-3202

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

Incredible Towns Business Network General meeting.

WE (11/18), 11am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/7g8 Association of Fundraising Professionals: National Philanthropy Day Celebration and awards ceremony.

WE (11/18), 11:30am, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8ow Craft Your Commerce: Leveraging Instagram to Drive Sales Mountain BizWorks webinar presented by Liz Kantner.

WE (11/18), 2pm, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8m5 Asheville Chamber: Business Before Hours Networking event.

TH (11/19), 9am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8og Craft Your Commerce: Digitizing Your Business Mountain BizWorks webinar by Jeremiah Robinson.

FR (11/20), 10am, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8oy

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Black Mountain Salutes: Veterans Day Roll Call Recognition ceremony.

WE (11/11), 2pm, Black Mountain Town Square Swannanoa Valley Museum: Crisis in Catawba Territory Webinar on Catawba Indian women’s interactions with men, 1789-1828.

MO (11/16), 6:30pm, $10, avl.mx/8L0 Mountain Housing Opportunities: East Haven Homecoming Celebration of affordable housing efforts with virtual tours and a raffle.

WE (11/18), 3pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8oj Justice Matters Tour Behind the scenes at Pisgah Legal.

TH (11/19), 12pm, Registration required, avl.mx/7ur Spanish Conversation Group For adult language learners.

TH (11/19), 5pm, Free, avl.mx/7c6

Asheville Transgender Day of Remembrance Hosted by Tranzmission.

FR (11/20), 6pm, Free, avl.mx/8od Asheville Friends of Astrology Monthly meeting.

FR (11/20), 7pm, fb.com/ ashevilleastrology

ECO & OUTDOORS Hemlock Restoration Initiative Hike Educational hike and volunteer treatment day.

Register: 828-252-4783.

WE (11/11), 10am, Free, DuPont State Forest, 3045 Sky Valley Rd, Hendersonville Managing Woods & Fields for Wildlife ForestHer NC webinar.

TH (11/12), 1pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8nl MountainTrue: Hendersonville Green Drinks Presentation by riverkeeper Hartwell Carson.

TH (11/12), 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8p0 MountainTrue: Elk Knob Hike Four-mile hike led by ecologist Bob Gale.

Register: avl.mx/8oz.

FR (11/13), 10am, $15, Elk Knob State Park: The Summit Trail Head, Todd Asheville GreenWorks: Hard 2 Recycle List of accepted items: avl.mx/8p2.

SA (11/14), 10am-2pm, TC Roberson High School, 16 Miami Circle, Arden Backyard Composting Workshop Hosted by Asheville GreenWorks.

TU (11/17), 12pm and 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ou

FOOD & BEER Supper Club Three-course dinner with beer and wine pairings

by Oklawaha Brewing and Advintage Wines.

WE (11/11), 6pm, $50, The Poe House, 105 First Ave, Hendersonville Fairview Welcome Table Community lunch.

TH (11/12), 11:30am, Admission by donation, Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old US Hwy 74, Fairview Manna Food Distribution Free grocery items for neighbors in need.

MO (11/16), 2:30pm, Free, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester MANNA FoodBank Express Free grocery items for neighbors in need.

TU (11/17), 1pm, Sharing House, 164 Duckworth Ave, Brevard

MARKETS & FAIRS RAD Farmers Market Produce, breads, meats and more.

WE (11/11), 3pm, pleb urban winery, 289 Lyman St Black Mountain Tailgate Market Locally-grown food and handmade goods.

SA (11/14), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Enka-Candler Holiday Tailgate Market Crafts, body products, food and more from local artisans.

SA (11/14), 11am, Free, A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Rd, Candler Junk-O-Rama Flea Market Vintage and antique vendors.

SU (11/15), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

CIVICS & ACTIVISM Firestorm: Educating & Parenting for Liberation Featuring a panel of activist educators.

FR (11/13), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/8nr Buncombe Parks, Greenways & Recreation Advisory Board General meeting.

MO (11/16), 6pm, avl.mx/8oq Vance Monument Task Force Public input meeting.

TH (11/19), 5pm, avl.mx/85h Silent Vigil for Immigration Reform Hosted by Progressive Alliance of Henderson County.

FR (11/20), 4pm, Henderson County Courthouse, 200 N Grove St, Hendersonville

KIDS Drive-through Fall Fun Day Cookies, apple juice and take-and-make fall crafts.

SA (11/14), 2-4pm, Free, Historic Johnson Farm, 3346 Haywood Rd, Hendersonville Jackson County Public Library: Imagination Walk Intro video plus printable outdoor adventure guide.

TU (11/17), 10am, Free, avl.mx/88n Miss Malaprop's Storytime Ages 3-9.

WE (11/18), 10am, Free, avl.mx/73b

WELLNESS Adult Eating Disorder Support Group Hosted by Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders.

WE (11/11), 6pm,

Registration required, Free, avl.mx/82e Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free educational material, naloxone, syringes and supplies.

TU (11/17), 2pm, Firestorm Bookstore Co-op, 610 Haywood Rd Homeplace Running Club Led by Raelin Reynolds.

WE (11/18), 6pm, Free, Homeplace Beer, 6 South Main St, Burnsville Council on Aging: Introduction to Medicare How to avoid penalties and save money.

TH (11/19), 2pm, Registration required, Free, coabc.org Recovery Support Meeting Hosted by First Contact Ministries.

TH (11/19), 6:30pm, Free, avl.mx/7ko

SPIRITUALITY Spiritual Care during COVID-19 Small group session with Pastor Ken. WE (11/11), 3pm, Registration required, Free, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6 Ave W, Hendersonville Jewish Power Hour Hosted by Rabbi Susskind.

TH (11/12), 6pm, Free, chabadasheville.org/zoom Buddhism in the South: From Anger to Compassion Led by Kelsang Jangchen of KMC SC. FR (11/13), 7pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8mp Baha'i Devotional: Are There Spiritual Solutions to Stress?

Devotional with prayers and music.

WE (11/18), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8om

VOLUNTEERING MountainTrue Island Park Work Session Invasive plant identification and management.

Register for location: avl.mx/8ov.

WE (11/11), 9am, Tuckesegee Literacy Council of Buncombe County: Volunteer Orientation Meeting Information on ESOL and adult and youth literacy programs.

TH (11/12), 10am, Registration required, litcouncil.com American Red Cross Blood Drive Free COVID-19 antibody tests for all donors.

Appointments: redcrossblood.org/give.

FR (11/20), 10am, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

Give for the giving,

but get local goodies Last week marked the launch of Give!Local 2020, and we have liftoff!

More than 100 donors have already helped push the total impact (with matches) to the inaugural 2015 total raised of $37,679. That means we expect to be handing out rewards to more individual donors than ever before. In 2015, we distributed 223 voucher books, and last year we gave away nearly 400.

This year, the first 500 donors of $25 or more to Give!Local will receive a vouchVoucher Book er book packed with coupons for free goods Voucher Book and services from local stores. Here are great offers you’ll find in the regular voucher book:

2020 2021

2020 2021

• Free dessert with your meal from Copper Crown • Kiddie scoop of ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream • Franny’s Grammy (hemp flower) or a CBD chocolate bar from Franny’s Farmacy • Two-topping slice of pizza from Barley’s Taproom • Order of chips and salsa from The Cantina @ Historic Biltmore Village • Free bookmark or pen from Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe • Pint glass from Oklawaha Brewing Co. in Hendersonville • $10 off any purchase of $50 or more at Mast General Store • Cup of coffee from Zuma Coffee in Marshall • One-topping personal pizza from Grata Pizzeria • Pint glass from Upcountry Brewing Co. in Brevard • Cup of coffee with any purchase from Baked Pie Co. • BOGO espresso drinks from High Five Coffee • Cheese slice from Mellow Mushroom • Order of bean or queso dip with your meal at Chupacabra Latin Cafe • Classified ad from Mountain Xpress With a gift of $400 or more, you’ll get even more rewards that fit in an envelope, and donors of $1,500 or more will get a whole basket of goodies.

Go to givelocalguide.org to learn more and to donate. Know of a nonprofit that might like to be considered for the 2021 Give!Local campaign? Please direct them to the application form at avl.mx/8p4.

MOUNTAINX.COM

NOV. 11-17, 2020

25

HEALTH ROUNDUP

by Molly Horak | mhorak@mountainx.com

St. Gerard House program earns accreditation VETERAN’S DAY SALE 20% OFF * entire purchase for all Veterans 11/11 - 11/15/2020 *with VIC (Veteran’s Identification Card)

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

If a program that integrates art therapy, sustainable gardening and culinary skills training for teens and young adults on the autism spectrum seems like an initiative worth growing, the internationally recognized Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilties agrees.

The independent, nonprofit body has awarded the St. Gerard House in Hendersonville a three-year CARF accreditation to expand its Feed the Need Program.

The nonprofit St. Gerard House has provided clinical therapy services for people with autism for a decade and is the only comprehensive applied behavior analysis center in Western North Carolina. In addition to the Feed the Need pre-vocational skills program, the organization offers The Grotto, a year-round educational and therapeutic program for children with autism, and Connect, a weekly afterschool social group and summer camp for children and their families. For more information, visit avl.mx/8ob or call 828-693-4223.

The Free Clinics expands into Polk County office On Thursday, Nov. 12, The Free Clinics will officially welcome clients to its new Columbus office. The COVID19 pandemic thwarted plans for a celebration when staff moved into the new space in April, and coronavirus safety restrictions meant that patients had to wait a bit longer to visit the new location. A rescheduled, socially distanced ribbon-cutting is planned for 4:30 p.m.

“We believe that this new TFC office will enable greater visibility of our services and ensure greater access to critical care for our Polk County neighbors in need,” says Executive Director Judith Long in a statement.

While there are no health care providers working on-site, clients without insurance and an annual income below 200% of the federal poverty level can receive case management, specialty referrals and prescription assistance.

To learn more about services, call the Polk County office at 828-722-1200.

Volunteers are also needed to help greet visitors and answer phones; for more

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IN THE KITCHEN: A Feed the Need staffer and participant take a break from preparing watermelon. The skills training program offered by Hendersonville’s St. Gerard House just received a three-year CARF accreditation. Photo courtesy of St. Gerard House information, contact Sarah Friedell at volunteer@thefreeclinics.org.

Tranzmission hosts online remembrance vigil In a year marked by death, loss and grief, local nonprofit Tranzmission will honor the 21st International Transgender Day of Remembrance with a virtual vigil at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. Staff and volunteers plan to read the names of those lost to transphobic violence over the past year; peer support and resources will be on hand.

The annual event was first held in 1999 to memorialize the death of Massachusetts transgender woman Rita Hester and has since grown into an international event to “draw attention to anti-transgender violence and the disproportionate impact on

transgender women of color,” event organizer Brynn Estelle said in a statement.

So far, 2020 is the deadliest year on record for transgender and nonbinary people. In the United States, there have been over 30 confirmed homicides, including Monika Diamond, a 34-year-old Black transgender woman from Charlotte who was killed in March.

To RSVP, visit the Facebook event page or email info@tranzmission. org with the subject line “TDoR 2020 rsvp.” A Zoom link will be sent the day of the event.

New and noteworthy

• U .S. Navy veteran and Hendersonville resident Carrissa Lynn is launching a nonprofit to help women leaving the military transition back to civilian life. Her

A PERSONAL CAUSE: Robin Boylan, team captain of BB’s Buddies, raised nearly $12,600 during the Asheville Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Boylan walks in memory of his wife, Barbara. Photo courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association project, The Homestead NC, will consist of a 12-week program for female veterans; Lynn also plans to open a community center where veterans can safely gather and share their experiences. Fundraising will begin in December, according to a press release, and the community center is tentatively set to open in the spring.

• Western Carolina Rescue Ministries’ Week of Thankfulness is back to spread some much-needed love this Thanksgiving. Themed events will take place 4:30-5:30 p.m. MondayFriday, Nov. 23-27 for clients staying at the facility or accessing grab-andgo meals. Participants will receive a different giveaway each night, including blankets, foot-care kits and sweet treats.

• T he Asheville Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Oct. 10 looked very different this year, but mass gathering limits didn’t stop participants from raising more than $80,000 to support the Alzheimer’s Association.

Instead of walking together, 248 participants on 70 teams walked

Why I support Xpress:

in small groups on trails and in neighborhoods.

• Jewish Family Services of Western North Carolina announced in October that its mental health counseling program will be rebranded as Healing Solutions Counseling. With the tagline “hope and healing for all,” the name change seeks to emphasize that the organization offers mental health care for people of all faiths and backgrounds, not just those who identify as Jewish, explains Jessica Whitehill, executive director.

• Four Seasons’ Compass Program will distribute Butterflies of Hope during the month of November to raise awareness of childhood grief.

To request a butterfly to display in a home or business, contact info@ fourseasonscfl.org.

Faces and places

• Nursing assistant Sherry Kasten is the 2020 recipient of MemoryCare’s

CONTINUES ON PAGE 28

“Local news is so important for the community. I want to make sure it keeps happening for me, my neighbors, my students, and all.”

– Sandra Pyeatt Join Sandra and become a member at SupportMountainX.com MOUNTAINX.COM

NOV. 11-17, 2020

27

W ELL NESS visually impaired, has served on the advisory board for nine years.

• Daniel Carey is the Henderson County Council on Aging’s new development director. He comes to Hendersonville from Savannah, Ga., where he worked with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic Savannah Foundation.

• N.C. Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will headline the 2020 Our VOICE Survivor Art Show. Virtual opening night is Thursday, Nov. 12; register to attend at avl.mx/8o9.

‘CRUSHED IT’: Mission Health hospitals collected 129 pounds of expired and unused opioid prescriptions during an October takeback event. Photo courtesy of Mission Health Georgia Crump Certified Nursing Assistant Award. Kasten, who works at the N.C. State Veterans Home in Black Mountain, was selected for her “patience of steel, heart of gold, knowledge, dependability, work ethic and dedication to the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

veterans she serves,” according to a press release.

• IFB Solutions, a local nonprofit that provides employment and training services for people who are blind or visually impaired, has named Russ Stinehour chair of its Asheville advisory board. Stinehour, who is

MOUNTAINX.COM

Hospital happenings

• A new partnership between the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority will help members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians receive Medicaid benefits.

The EBCI Tribal Option, with a focus on primary and preventive care, will manage health care for roughly 4,000 people in Cherokee, Swain, Jackson, Graham and Haywood counties starting July 1.

• Mission Health hospitals collected 129 pounds of opioid medications during its second Crush the Crisis opioid takeback event on Oct. 24.

The system’s flagship Asheville location collected 62 pounds of unused or expired prescription medication, while Transylvania Regional Hospital reported nearly 40 pounds in collections.

• AdventHealth Hendersonville, home of the region’s only behavioral health unit solely for women, has received $50,000 in grants to expand its services. Grant funding will cover 12 new inpatient rooms for women experiencing depression, grief, trauma and addiction.

• A collaboration between Mission Health and Sarah Cannon, HCA Healthcare’s cancer institute, will expand services for the region’s cancer patients. In addition to the $3.7 million renovation of Mission’s surgical oncology clinic, Mission Health staff will be able to access Sarah Cannon’s network of research and treatment options. X

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MOUNTAINX.COM

NOV. 11-17, 2020

29

GREEN SCENE

Big dam deal

Asheville finishes $38.5M North Fork improvements

BY DANIEL WALTON dwalton@mountainx.com Imagine it’s hurricane season 2021.

A tropical storm five times wetter than Zeta, which lashed Asheville with at least 3 inches of rain over 48 hours in October, is barreling down on the mountains.

Residents throughout Western North Carolina are bringing plants inside, putting away lawn furniture, canceling plans.

What will Leslie Carreiro, who oversees the city of Asheville’s water production and its North Fork Dam in Swannanoa, need to do with such a storm on its way?

“Have a cup of tea,” she says.

Carreiro’s confidence is driven by a $38.5 million, three-year construction project, slated for completion later in November, that brings the North Fork Dam up to North Carolina state standards for safety. The work marks the largest renovation of the dam and its accompanying North Fork Reservoir since the facility’s opening in 1955.

As previously reported by Xpress (see “It’s about dam time,” Sept. 7, 2016), city employees have hitherto managed the water level in the reservoir during big rain events by opening three 18-foot gates in the dam. That practice kept the dam from failing but may have contributed to flooding of the Swannanoa River, which impacts Biltmore Village and other communities.

Instead of manual gates, the dam’s new design uses fixed concrete weirs, over which water flows when the reservoir’s level gets too high. A 4-foot concrete wall around its edge will give the reservoir more capacity to absorb precipitation, while a series of eight fusegates — massive structures built to tip over

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

BUILT TO SPILL: The eight fusegates installed at Asheville’s North Fork Dam are designed to automatically release water under extreme rain conditions, protecting the dam from failure. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville in flood conditions — will automatically regulate flow into the dam’s spillway under extreme rain.

“I’ll probably have a few less gray hairs and a lot less stress,” Carreiro says.

“Thankfully, there’s not a lot we have to do now.”

CARRYING WATER

The North Fork facility provides 70% of Asheville’s water needs, an average of more than 14 million gallons per day.

Even that prodigious demand, however, can’t keep up with the supply provided by some big precipitation events.

Such events are becoming increasingly common due to the effects of climate

MOUNTAINX.COM

change. According to the N.C. Climate Science Report, an independent review of climate impacts commissioned by the state Department of Environmental Quality, heavy rains from hurricanes and severe thunderstorms will be both stronger and more frequent over the coming decades.

And Carreiro says she’s already noticed a significant change in the region’s weather, with differences becoming more apparent in the last three years. “Before, if we were to get 3 inches of rain, it was over five days, and it was this long slog. Everyone would get kind of grumpy towards the end of the week,” she recalls. “The way I would describe it now is flashiness: You get all this water and then you get nothing.”

Early in planning for the renovations, Carreiro says, Asheville joined a Tennessee Valley Authority study looking at future probable maximum precipitation for the region, which allowed the city to take climate impacts into account.

The final design is projected to handle up to 28.4 inches of rain in 24 hours — an event expected to occur, on average, once in 50,000 years.

Ironically, flashy precipitation may have proved more of a challenge to the dam during construction. The project was originally scheduled for completion in late 2019 at a maximum cost of $35 million, but excessive rain in 2018 and early 2020 caused contractors to lose 239 days of work and drove up expenses.

“Especially when you’re moving a lot of earth, when it gets too saturated, you just have to wait until it dries out,” Carreiro says. The project displaced over 368,000 cubic yards of soil and rock, enough to fill the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool over 11 times.

MADE TO LAST

In addition to providing a buffer for climate change, the renovations will help the dam withstand seismic activity, such as the 5.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Sparta in August. While those events are relatively rare in WNC, Carreiro says, they can damage a dam’s integrity, and the original 1955 design didn’t take seismic threats into consideration.

Much of the earth excavated for the new spillway was used to buttress the downstream slope of the dam, Carreiro explains, “just to make sure that we were prepared.” The city also installed automated monitoring equipment to measure vibrations and updated its emergency plans to check for damage after seismic events.

David Melton, the city’s director of water resources, says the overarching philosophy for the renovation was to automate resilience. “Removing that human element also is removing the chance for mistakes,” he explains. Overtime expenses for active management of extreme weather are also expected to decrease.

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL Despite this automation, no reduction in staff will take place in the Water Resources Department. Instead, Carreiro says employees will be freed up to focus on improvements to the 22,000-acre watershed surrounding the reservoir, a forested valley owned by the city and off-limits to both the public and media.

Asheville, with the help of the N.C. Forest Service, has previously conducted prescribed burns on the property to boost forest health and reduce the chances of severe wildfire. Carreiro also points to a 2014 partnership with Forest Stewards, a nonprofit affiliated with Western Carolina University, that cataloged the watershed’s flora and fauna to inform conservation.

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CAPITAL IDEAS

City staff will now be able to spend more time planning for the next round of capital improvements to the water system. But first, they’ll need to figure out how to pay for it.

In June, Asheville agreed to a legal settlement that discontinued its monthly capital fee for up to five years, a move projected to cost the city as much as $37 million. Melton says the water department continues to work with Charlottebased Raftelis Financial Consultants on a new rate model to make up the revenue, with a proposal expected by the end of year.

Melton continues that capital spending is relatively low right now because many projects are in the design phase.

For the current fiscal year, Asheville has budgeted only $4.92 million on water capital outlay, down from $11.86 million in fiscal 2019-20; in fiscal year 2021-22, Melton adds, the city expects to spend $13 million.

However, it’s unclear how much cash Asheville currently has on hand to support the water system. City officials did not provide details about the water capital fund balance in response to repeat-

We’ll keep

LONG WAY DOWN: Crews work on the new spillway at the North Fork Dam. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville ed records requests, both in June and October. Melton did indicate that, without additional revenue, projects would begin to be delayed starting in 2023.

While nothing on the scale of the North Fork project is anticipated in the coming years, Carriero and Melton both say that improvements are necessary throughout the system. The city still needs a permanent plan to dispose of water treatment sludge, customer meters must be upgraded, and up to 15 miles of pipe are scheduled for replacement each year.

But for now, Carriero is celebrating the end of a long haul at the dam. “I’ll be popping some sparkling something when it’s done,” she says. “Apple juice or champagne, I haven’t decided.” X

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

31

FOOD

Banking on community

WNC food banks are in it for the long haul

BY KAY WEST

organization was able to eventually reinstitute much of its health and wellness programming on a virtual platform, including yoga, cooking and gardening workshops, with Zumba classes resuming at distanced outdoor locations in late summer. Videos posted to the organization’s Facebook page offer tips on how to prepare and store the contents of the food boxes distributed each week.

kwest@mountainx.com It’s been nearly eight months since COVID-19 threw millions out of their jobs and onto unemployment, closed schools and businesses, and wreaked havoc on the national food supply chain.

And throughout that previously unthinkable stretch of time, agencies in Western North Carolina devoted to addressing food insecurity have persevered to meet the community’s ongoing need in an ever-shifting landscape.

The directors of three food relief agencies Xpress spoke with in May — MANNA FoodBank, Beacon of Hope in Marshall and Bounty & Soul in Black Mountain — say that six months later, their organizations continue to face unprecedented challenges in navigating unpredictable sourcing of food, funding, resources and volunteers.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve been doing this since March,” says Ali Casparian, founder and director of Bounty & Soul.

“We are so in the day-to-day of it, that it seems like yesterday, and it seems like forever. It’s a weird concept of time.”

GROWING NEED

All three organizations report that the numbers of people seeking assistance took an immediate leap when the state began its quarantine measures last spring, and they just keep growing. Bounty & Soul went from serving about 850 people a week pre-pandemic to 2,300 by May and is currently providing food to about 2,500 clients weekly.

Jessi Koontz, director of Beacon of Hope, says her organization had been consistently serving about 1,200 families a month since June (up from 682

2020

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

VEGGIE TRAILS: Produce-bedecked Bounty & Soul staff and volunteers — and team puppy Romeo — celebrated the delivery of their new refrigerated truck Big Peppa in October. Photo courtesy Bounty & Soul in February), but in October, 78 new families signed up for food assistance.

“I think things are settling down for some families who may be getting back into the workforce, but others are facing other challenges as this wears on,” says Koontz.

MANNA FoodBank CEO Hannah Randall says she’s concerned about the number of people showing up at MANNA’s 250 partner agencies who need food on a monthly basis. “In July, we were 60% above pre-pandemic levels, and in August we were 50% above, so I thought, maybe this means we are plateauing or seeing a decrease,” she says. “But in September, it jumped up to 73%.”

Checking with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Randall found that while the unemployment rate is going down nationally, North Carolina saw an increase in September. Meanwhile, Koontz notes, the federal unemployment subsidy of $600 per week expired July 31, and the onset of cold weather is set to bust household budgets with rising utility costs.

“We want to help people save on food so that money can go to heating oil, winter clothing and doctor visits if needed,” she says.

While the food supply chain and national distribution situations are not as chaotic as they were back in March, says Randall, they remain challenging.

And with food donations down and need up, MANNA is being forced to purchase food at unprecedented levels. “We can do that thanks to the generosity of our community and funds from the CARES Act,” she says, pointing to grants MANNA

MOUNTAINX.COM

has received from local foundations like WNC Bridge Foundation, Pisgah Health Foundation and Dogwood Health Trust, as well as private family foundations.

Koontz notes that while food donations from regular sources like Aldi, Publix and Walmart dropped dramatically at the beginning of the crisis, that has since changed, and Beacon of Hope is now doing pickups from these companies seven days a week. “The stuff we get from retail grocers is meat, produce, bread and other bakery items,” she explains. “We can offer weekly produce boxes now and double the amount of meat, which are the costlier items, so that’s huge for our clients.”

Beacon of Hope clients also benefited this summer from donations of plant starts from organizations, businesses and even home gardeners. And, Koontz adds, they always look forward to venison that’s donated annually from the Backyard Bow Pro nonprofit.

Casparian says Bounty & Soul has been able to stick to its mission of providing free, fresh, healthy food to the community thanks to donations from partners like No Evil Foods, Roots Hummus, Annie’s Bakery and MANNA along with rescued food from grocers and purchases from local farmers and growers. “We made a commitment this year to help the economy and put money back into the local food system,” she says. “We raised money and wrote grants to pay farmers.”

In October, Bounty & Soul celebrated the delivery of a new refrigerated food truck, Big Peppa, thanks to a sizable grant from Pisgah Health Foundation.

And Casparian is heartened that the

WINTER IS COMING

Although much progress has been made at all three agencies in managing the crisis, winter is coming, and worries abound. “The thing that concerns me is all CARES Act funding ends at the end of the year, and no other relief package has passed Congress,” Randall says.

Casparian is anxious about accessing fresh produce for clients from late fall to early spring and uneasy about her staff and volunteers standing in the cold twice a week through the winter to facilitate Bounty & Soul’s drive-thru pickup events in the old Black Mountain Bi-Lo parking lot. “I am hoping the property owner will allow us access to the inside foyer where carts are usually kept,” she says.

Staff well-being is top of mind for all three directors, who are acutely aware of the potential for physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. “This has been a marathon and a sprint every single day since March,” says Randall. She gives staff members a paid “relief day” once a month and, after consulting with operations, has decided to close the week of Thanksgiving.

Randall’s decision has inspired Casparian and Koontz to do the same: Bounty & Soul will close Thanksgiving week, and Beacon of Hope will be closed Thanksgiving Day through Dec. 2. “We have been going at this 24/7 and need to unplug before we burn out,” says Casparian. “It has been gratifying to see other people in the community step up to cover us so we can take off.”

Going forward, Koontz says she takes to heart the support Beacon of Hope has received from the community it serves.

“Everyone is doing the best they can,” she says. “We have one client who at the end of every month very cheerfully says, ‘Well, we survived another month!’

That’s a big deal, to get through another day, another week, another month. We celebrate the little victories and hold our breath with hope the good fortune we have will continue.” X

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LEADERS OF THE PACK: Food Lion employees suited up in October to restock four local food pantries. Photo courtesy of Food Lion Grocery stores have long partnered with organizations on the front lines of fighting hunger. Now, with winter approaching and the coronavirus pandemic heightening food insecurity, some grocers are stepping up their giving to help meet the increasing need.

Through its Food Lion Feeds program, the North Carolina-based Food Lion grocery chain has donated more than 500 million meals to individuals and families since 2014. The company’s efforts assist 30 Feeding America partner food banks throughout the organization’s Southeast and Mid-Atlantic service area, including MANNA FoodBank, which serves agencies in 16 Western North Carolina counties.

In response to growing need, Food Lion recently committed additional resources to aid WNC food pantries, according to Kelly Powell, the company’s external communications specialist. In October, employees gathered products from store warehouses to restock pantries in Cullowhee, Cherokee, Nebo and Asheville.

In November, Food Lion will donate much-needed shelving to MANNA for its warehouse facilities and $20,000 in gift cards for the MANNA Packs for Kids program, which provides packs of food to over 5,000 WNC schoolchildren every Friday throughout the school year.

MANNA FoodBank has also enjoyed a 30-year partnership with Ingles Markets, headquartered in Asheville.

“Ingles has been our No. 1 food donor all of those years and is a really significant partner to us in the work of ending hunger in WNC,” says MANNA CEO Hannah Randall. “We operate a reclaim center for them where we get over 3 million pounds of food a year.

They donate bread and bakery items to us and provide funds.”

The annual Ingles Giving Tree, which for 27 years kicked off the holiday season with the construction of a giant tree of food in the Asheville Mall atrium, and a simultaneous food drive for MANNA are being reconceived for 2020 due to COVID-19. This year, Ingles will provide a financial contribution of $25,000, and between Nov. 23 and Jan. 3, Ingles shoppers in all WNC stores can buy laminated ornaments for $5 or $10 to represent the donation of 20 or 40 meals, respectively.

The ornaments will be hung throughout the holiday season on a live tree outdoors at Asheville Outlets mall. And as she does every year, Laura Ingle will light the tree the Monday evening before Thanksgiving, Nov. 23.

For details, visit mannafoodbank.org.

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Eight months ago, local marketing professional Catherine Campbell launched Asheville Strong as an online directory for purchasing gift cards to support locally owned businesses during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the organization has published a digital cookbook (Asheville at Home), created a microgrant relief fund for local small businesses (Asheville Strong Fund) and completed the steps necessary to operate as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.

Asheville Strong’s newest initiative, Feed Our City, takes its concept from Restaurants for the People, a COVID-response program launched in mid-May by Spanish chef and humanitarian José Andrés through his World Central Kitchen nonprofit. The goal of both efforts is to help independent restaurants by paying them to feed people in need.

Cúrate co-owner and executive chef Katie Button joined Restaurants for the People when it was created, and soon she and her staff were cooking 1,500 meals a week, including 600 for Haywood Street Congregation’s Downtown Welcome Table. Cúrate was still closed at the time, and the initiative allowed her to rehire some employees, Button told Xpress for a story in June.

“We saw an opportunity for Asheville Strong to participate with WCK as a volunteer hub, or we could create a similar locally focused program to keep as many dollars in the community as possible,” says Campbell. “We decided to go local.”

Cúrate opted to shift its efforts to join Asheville Strong’s new local project, and Feed Our City was launched in late October with the delivery of 600 meals from La Bodega by Cúrate to the Downtown Welcome Table.

“It was a seamless transition,” says program coordinator Brandon Amico.

“There was no need to reinvent the wheel. We just needed to follow these proven, effective models that accomplish two goals at once: feeding people in need in our community and helping independent local restaurants stay in business.”

Three additional restaurants and meal recipients have been selected and will be announced as the agreements are finalized. Restaurants are paid an amount per meal to cover food and

PICKUP LINE: Brandon Amico, left, program coordinator of Asheville Strong’s Feed Our City program, helps a Western Carolina Rescue Ministries volunteer unload 600 meals prepared

by La Bodega by Cúrate. Photo from Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, courtesy of Asheville Strong packaging costs, labor and some overhead; seed money for the program was provided by a private foundation, and a matching campaign begins this month with the goal of securing $350,000 to cover six months.

Once committed, participating restaurants are directed to Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project program director Molly Nicholie, who helps identify local farm partners to work with.

“This pandemic has really shined a light on what happens when national supply and transport systems break down,” Amico points out. “Building strong and resilient local connections benefits and strengthens our community, now and for the long run.”

For more on Feed Our City, visit avl.mx/8o6.

— Kay West X

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Southside Squad

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Word on the Street establishes permanent home at Edington Center

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Four years after its inception in a second-floor room overlooking the Southside Community Garden at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center, Word on the Street/La Voz de les Jovenes found itself in a familiar setting.

Though the arts-based after-school program, intended to center the leadership and creativity of Black and Brown youths ages 13-19, had always operated in the former African American Livingston Street School, its participants were forced to share space with other groups. That all changed in July when the most impactful initiative of local nonprofit Asheville Writers in the Schools & Community established a dedicated space in the very room where it started, plus a kitchen and new office areas for executive director

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THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: Word on the Street “Squad” members Temo Cruz, left, and Keitra Black-Warfield are gaining significant life skills through the arts-centric program. Photo by Edwin Arnaudin Sekou Coleman and program coordinator Laura Padilla just down the hall.

Following the creation of the nonprofit in 2011, WOTS/VDLJ initially began as an online magazine. Coleman says that while program members — known as The Squad — honor and respect certain aspects of that original goal, the end product isn’t as meaningful for young people as it once was. Now, information is far more immediate, and rather than the magazine being the nonprofit’s primary outcome, results are geared to instilling hope and belonging in young people.

“We do a lot of work with the arts, but I don’t know that arts is the expected outcome for participants,” Coleman says.

“It’s more the concept of developing a way into the world and seeing themselves connected to their community as well as the bigger picture and bigger struggle.

We give them tools to follow a bigger path, which can look like a lot of things.”

The Squad develops these skills through various projects. Recent efforts include the creation of a mural in the Squad room with local artist Jenny Pickens, one of the three lead artists on the Black Lives Matter mural in Pack Square. The work is composed of individual reflective pieces based on five questions raised by 35-year-old queer, Black, Chicago-based activist Charlene Carruthers: Who am I? Who are my people? What do we want? What are we building? Are we ready to win?

Coleman’s favorite project of 2020 is Leyendas Mexicanas (Mexican Legends),

a video collaboration with Ashevillebased puppeteer Edwin Salas. For it, three Latinx Squad members researched El Charro Negro, representing the dark side of human nature; La Llorona, the weeping woman who threatens children’s lives; and kidnapping monster El Cucuy, whom the students — and Salas, who created puppets for the project — equated to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Work on Leyendas Mexicanas began before COVID-19 interrupted regular operations, but the determination shown by program youths on this and other undertakings greatly impressed Coleman and Padilla.

“Prior to the pandemic, Squad members would work on projects here. Then we stopped meeting, so they couldn’t do that and had to think how they had to change the project,” says Coleman, noting the influx of emergency and unsolicited funds in the spring that allowed the afterschool program to purchase Chromebooks for every student and ensure connectivity. “We saw all of them adapt to the new environment, they got their projects done, and then we had a showcase in early June to show off the projects. It was a remarkable display of resiliency.”

The Squad will look to sustain these efforts on Saturday, Nov. 21, when it launches El Arte de la Abundancia (The Art of Abundance), a reimagining of its annual fundraising campaign. The twoweek digital event features a virtual tour of the new space; an exhibit of visual

art by Squad members and local artists who are Black, Indigenous and people of color; special recorded performances

by The Squad and Asheville-area BIPOC musicians; plus an online auction. The goal is to raise $20,000 for WOTS/VDLJ

by Saturday, Dec. 5.

Among the youths who will benefit from these community gifts are Keitra Black-Warfield, 15, an Asheville native who spent her early years in the Southside neighborhood before moving to West Asheville and then the Emma/ Leicester area, and Mexico native Temo Cruz, 16, who’s been in Asheville for nearly a decade and currently resides in Emma. Both joined the program when they were 13 — Black-Warfield to pursue her interest in painting and drawing, and Cruz to explore website and graphic design, as well as photography and videography — and believe that they’ve gained considerable skills in the past few years.

“I feel like I’ve learned a lot about my patience,” Black-Warfield says. “I have to be so into [a project] for me to want to get it done.”

In addition to the opportunity to “get out of the house more,” Cruz has seen his comfort level increase with everyday interactions, largely through The Squad’s

video journalism efforts like the neighborhood history project Southside Stories.

“It’s helped me come out of my shell a little bit, in terms of conversation and also when it comes to getting stuff done.

It’s taught me a lot about accountability and not being afraid to start something,” he says. “With interviewing, when I first started here, asking people questions made me really nervous. But over time, it became more routine.”

Squad projects have also helped each teen foster a stronger connection to the Southside community, allowing BlackWarfield to delve deeper into a history she’s heard about throughout her life and giving Cruz what he calls “an experience of mixing communities,” through which he’s made friendships across cultures.

And though neither student envisions a career in the arts — Black-Warfield wants to be a cosmetologist and Cruz is currently undecided — both are confident that their time on The Squad will have a lasting impact, just as it as for those who’ve graduated from the program.

“Even if I don’t want to pursue something in photography or graphic design, I think this will be a good way for me to stand out from other people,” Cruz says. “It’s an experience that not a lot of people get.” artedelaabundancia.org X

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

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A& E

Shoestring sustainability Asheville Cat Weirdos, Girls Rock Asheville adapt to funding gaps

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With significant attention being paid to pandemic-related restaurant and venue closings, it’s easy for small, grassroots and donation-dependent organizations to fall by the wayside during discussions about COVID-19’s impact.

Like for-profit businesses, community groups and nonprofits that rely on in-person fundraising and live events to pay the bills and continue services have found ways of adapting their efforts to online platforms, but nonetheless find themselves struggling with some hard truths. Perhaps unsurprisingly, two area groups have found that with decreased opportunities to safely raise money in traditional face-to-face settings comes a significant decrease in overall contributions.

Asheville Cat Weirdos — which focuses on “pet retention,” the concept of helping people keep and properly care for the animals they already have over the more familiar animal adoption advocacy — has been helping cat owners with pet food, medication and veterinary bills since 2016. With future fundraising plans and events on hold, ACW has been forced to cut portions of its pantry service — most notably its distribution of flea medicine — but has been able to retain most other facets of the organization through online promotions like “$5 Friday.”

“We put a cute picture out, and we say ‘It’s Friday, donate $5,’” says ACW President Veronica Coit. “That’s it — and it gets a good amount.” These small, individual donations are key to sustaining services while overall donation levels are down during the pandemic.

The all-volunteer group has remained positive and active due in no small part

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SUSTAINED NOTES: Girls Rock Asheville was unable to hold its annual summer camp for girls, nonbinary and trans people in 2020 but is taking steps to ensure a return in 2021. Photo by Kristin Shelly to the support — financial and otherwise — it gets from its more than 13,000 members.

“A lot of our funds came from direct donations, but we had a lot of events,” Coit says. “They always brought in a lot of money. People bought the merch and made donations while they were there.”

Traditionally, Coit partners with local bars and restaurants to offer discounts or “pint nights” to help bring in funds.

“There would be a drink special we’d

get a cut of, or there would be a special beer with a special glass. There was always something,” she says. “Now people aren’t really leaving their houses.”

While ACW has so far been able to scrape by with the help of its large, dedicated community, Girls Rock Asheville was forced to cancel its one-week summer camp and annual showcase altogether — the sum of which constitutes a large chunk of its funding.

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“We’re all about empowerment through music and team building among girls, nonbinary and trans people,” says Girls Rock Asheville founder and board member Erin Kinard. “Campers ages 8-16 will form a band, choose an instrument, learn the basics of that instrument, write a song with their band, attend workshops — [including] Activism 101 and Music Her-Story — and perform at the end of the week.”

She continues, “As a nonprofit, we’re working on a really small scale. We usually have several camp sponsors that help make camp happen for us. Then we have fundraising campaigns with smaller donations like Giving Tuesday that helps get us up to the starting line of camp. But the showcase is really our big push.”

Kinard and her GRAVL colleagues haven’t attempted any fundraising since the pandemic’s onset but are hoping that their Giving Tuesday event — held online the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and meant as a charitable alternative to Black Friday and Cyber Monday — along with the continued contributions of their regular sponsors will ensure that their 2021 camp will proceed with as much normalcy as permitted by whatever recommended safety policies are in place at the time.

In the meantime, GRAVL has a slate of online offerings planned for winter break that will operate on either a donation or sliding-scale basis. “We already had a list of accepted campers for camp this summer, so we had to take that list and be like, ‘Well, what could we give them?’” Kinard says. “We’re looking at having a set of workshops for our campers and our camper families, and a series for the larger community of people who are interested in our mission.” However, these workshops are not meant as a replacement for traditional fundraising, but rather as a way to keep campers and their families involved and active in the community while everyone navigates an uncertain future.

Despite diminished funds, the leaders of ACW and GRAVL remain hopeful about their respective futures. Both groups have vowed to continue with their stated missions regardless of donation levels, while conceding that the size and scope of available services may change as time goes on. Whether scaling back will be due to a lack of funds or to COVID-related restrictions remains to be seen, but optimism is high, and with the relative ease of online content creation and connection, neither group sees themselves going anywhere anytime soon.

Learn more at ashevillecatweirdos.org and girlsrockasheville.org

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A&E ROUNDUP

by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com

2020 GUIDE

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Our VOICE’s Survivor Art Show goes virtual

2020-2021

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ASHEVILLE’ F AV O R I T E S S PEOP LE, PLAC ES, GOO DS & SERV ICES

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Making the lives of nonbinary & transgender individuals safer, healthier & happier through education, advocacy & support.

Our VOICE’s 19th annual Survivor Art Show goes virtual for 2020, beginning with an opening night event on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 6:30 p.m., via Crowdcast and Facebook Live. The evening includes performance art pieces and a reading by North Carolina poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green. The exhibition of work from Our VOICE clients and others in the community who have been affected by sexual violence offers an opportunity to share their stories, which event organizers say can be an important step in the healing process. The show will remain posted through Thursday, Dec. 31, and will then be archived on Our VOICE’s website. Free to attend. ourvoicenc.org/art

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Ursine giving

The 18th annual Bearfootin’ Bear Auction raised $84,109 for Friends of Downtown Hendersonville and other local nonprofits — up $26,700 from the 2019 total and $36,900 from 2018. Each of the 20 painted bear sculptures brought in at least $2,000, and the highest bid was $9,000 for Thea, benefiting United Way of Henderson County. Three of the bears sold at the Buy Now price of $7,500, and a total of 72 bidders placed more than 220 bids throughout the auction period.

“We are overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude,” says Jamie Carpenter, Hendersonville’s downtown manager. “It’s clear that the Bearfootin’ Bears are as beloved as ever, and we’re taking away a new perspective from the virtual version of this event for next year.” downtownhendersonville.org

Community space

Different Wrld — a Black-, queerand femme-owned production collective that strives to connect the Asheville community by creating intentional spaces and installations — is pushing to open in early 2021 in the former Mothlight music venue space on Haywood Road. The community hub has multiple aspects: The space will

provide open access to creative equipment, including computers, cameras and video gear, as well as host immersive art installations and music experiences. A retail store, Filipinx restaurant, coffee shop and bar will provide sustenance and serve as a safe space for community gathering and discussion.

The organization is seeking contributions from the community in order to provide open access to individuals without financial means. Interested parties can make one-time donations or become supporting partners.

Each $25 monthly gift creates access for one person in the community. differentwrld.com

Documented

Asheville-area filmmakers are staying busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rod Murphy made Crop to Campus, a short film for Hanesbrands about three N.C. State University students who trace the path of a cotton T-shirt. The journey begins in North Carolina cotton fields and then moves to a yarn-spinning facility in Tennessee. Manufacturing plants in El Salvador create the garments, which then travel back to a printing facility in the Carolinas before ending up in the hands of members of an N.C. State sorority. The film is available to view in seven short chapters online. croptocampus.com Paul Bonesteel’s Muni, an hourlong documentary about the history of the Asheville Municipal Golf Course, debuted Oct. 27 on the Golf Channel.

The film is described as “a love letter to the game of golf, told by the African American caddies-turned-players who, despite Jim Crow laws and the lasting effects of racism, built a rich and vibrant golf culture on a historic municipal course.” It may be viewed in full at callawaygolf.com/muni.

Book looks

Canton-based author Emily Dobberstein’s The Courage to Go: A

MDTMT "Where our father's hand shapes tomorrow's man."

SQUAD STYLE: “AOC” by Lily Lovingood is one of the creations in Our VOICE’s 19th annual Survivor Art Show. The event is being offered digitally this year, beginning with an opening night on Thursday, Nov. 12. Photo courtesy of Our VOICE Memoir of the Seven Thousand Miles That Healed Me was released on Nov. 10. The adventure memoir chronicles the author’s 2015 road trip across the United States, which she undertook after experiencing a string of difficulties. “I believe that not only will it bring some light and adventure to readers in the midst of the difficult year we have all experienced in 2020, but it also brings up timely conversations about change, grief, healing, critiquing institutions of power and reimagining the way things have always been done, which 2020 has also been filled with,” Dobberstein says. emilydobberstein.com Monsters Love to Dance, Gertonbased children’s author and illustrator Kim Jones’ third book of 2020, was published Oct. 3. The 28-page work captures its titular concept and comes with a playful warning from the author: “This colorful storybook may cause spontaneous joyful dancing.” bluegatedesign.com

New month, new exhibits Blue Spiral 1 opened five new shows on Nov. 6. Mark Making (main gallery) features painting, sculpture and ceramics that explore the many nuances of mark making (e.g., carving in wood) as an artistic practice; Bill Killebrew — Bear Hollow with Sculptures by Victor Chiarizia and Ted Lott (lower-level gallery) includes paintings, blown-glass

vessels and architectural sculptures; Landscapes and Dreamscapes: New Work by Julyan Davis and Brad Sells (showcase gallery) combines Southern landscapes with surreal, narrative paintings and abstract, undulating wood sculptures; Kreh Mellick (small-format gallery) spotlights the eponymous artist’s hand-cut and collaged prints; and Form to Table — Ceramics Invitational (conference gallery) is composed of contemporary functional and sculptural pieces from local and nationally recognized ceramicists. bluespiral1.com The Haywood County Arts Council opened It’s a Small, Small Work on Nov. 6. The exhibit features roughly 190 individual creations — priced “to demonstrate that original artwork can be affordable” — by 36 artists, and will run through Saturday, Jan. 9.

HaywoodArts.org 22 London is hosting High Anxiety through Sunday, Nov. 22. The exhibition of work by 21 contemporary international artists examines “our unstable times through a multiplicity of artistic positions and voices,” exploring such themes as “identity, race, forced migration, politics, technology, pandemics and corporate culture.” 22london.org The Mark Bettis Studio & Gallery opens Affirmation and Renewal: Connecting With Nature, a solo exhibition of paintings and sculpture by David Sheldon, on Saturday, Nov. 14.

It will be on display through Saturday, Nov. 28. markbettisgallery.com X

Operating at full capacity with Covid safety measures as our highest priority Partners with Asheville City Schools Foundation to offer summer school programs.

Members were paid $10 per hour for 10 hours per week to attend classes.

Partners with A’ville Housing Authority & Asheville City Schools to offer learning pods.

Monday through Friday, 10-14 youths can participate in virtual learning & academics.

Currently focused on job training & skill building programs for 45 of its youth members Future goals include procuring our own building to provide more programming, resources & space

Now accepting new participants

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Extracurriculars being offered on the weekends

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41

CLUBLAND

Online Event= q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11

THURSDAY, NOV. 12

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

LAZY HIKER BREWING Open Jam, 5pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Billy Mac & Friends (rock, soul), 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm

TRISKELION BREWERY InterActive TriskaTrivia, 7pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Magnetic Theatre: The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge, 7:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ The Hot Club of Asheville (jazz), 5pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Christie Lenee (folk, pop), 7pm RABBIT RABBIT Slice of Life Rooftop Comedy, 7pm TRISKELION BREWERY Jason's Technicolor Cabaret: Music & Comedy, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8:30pm, avl.mx/76w

ISIS MUSIC HALL q Le Vent du Nord (Quebecois-Celtic folk), 8pm

THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 9pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 8pm

PICKING AND GRINNING: “I would love a six-piece band, but it is humbling to do everything yourself,” says fingerstyle guitarist Christie Lenée. Known for her use of two-hand tapping and slapping paired with classic picking techniques, the singer-songwriter layers catchy folk-pop hooks with Old World harmonic textures. She will perform at Isis Music Hall 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. $15. avl.mx/8p5. Photo courtesy of the artist BEN’S TUNE UP Comedy Open Mic w/ Baby George, 9pm

FRIDAY, NOV. 13 SALVAGE STATION Saxsquash Saxual Healing Tour, 5pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Jonathan Calhoun (rock), 6pm THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Brother Smith (country, funk), 6pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Big Ivy Project (acoustic duo), 6pm

24 BUXTON AVE • 210 HAYWOOD RD

U R B A N O R C H A R D CI D E R . C O M

MAGGIE VALLEY FESTIVAL GROUNDS The Grey Eagle: Drive-in Show w/ Keller Williams (bluegrass, jazz), 6pm FLEETWOOD’S Outdoor Show w/ Kangarot, Sinnersoid & Mordaga (dark techno), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Bill & the Belles (vintage roots), 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD Chelsea Lovitt & Boys (bluegrass, rock), 7:30pm BEN’S TUNE UP DJ Kilby Spinning Vinyl, 10pm

SATURDAY, NOV. 14

After 7 years we are now offering 4 packs of select ciders Masks & Social Distancing Required 42

NOV. 11-17, 2020

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SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Mark Bumgarner (soul, rock), 4pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm

SALVAGE STATION Empire Strikes Brass, 7pm THE ODDITORIUM Outdoor Show w/ Blood on the Harp (Appalachian gothic), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Trial by Fire (Journey tribute), 8pm WILD WING CAFE Karaoke Night, 9:30pm

SUNDAY, NOV. 15 HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 2pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Old Sap (Appalachian, bluegrass), 2pm TURGUA BREWING CO. Mr Jimmy (blues), 4pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia, 5pm 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam, 6pm, avl.mx/7mn TRISKELION BREWERY JC & the Boomerang Band (Irish trad, folk), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Anya Hinkle & Duncan Wickel (Americana, bluegrass), 7pm THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band (country), 7:30pm

MONDAY, NOV. 16

THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Oliver Padgett (solo acoustic), 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE Samara Jade Album Release Show (patio), 5pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL Highbeams (folk, rock), 7pm

RABBIT RABBIT Outdoor Movie: Fantastic Mr. Fox, 6pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Old Time Jam w/ Banjo Mitch McConnell, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Night, 7pm, avl.mx/7qz

TUESDAY, NOV. 17 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia Tuesday, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18 SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Zack Meadows Writers Showcase, 5pm THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Indigo de Souza (garage pop), 8:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm SALVAGE STATION G. Love & Special Sauce (alternative, hip-hop), 6pm TRISKELION BREWERY InterActive TriskaTrivia, 7pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Magnetic Theatre: The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge, 7:30pm

THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 9pm

THURSDAY, NOV. 19 LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Open Jam, 5pm GHOST TOWN IN THE SKY The Grey Eagle: Drive-in Show w/ St. Paul & the Broken Bones (rock, soul), 6pm THE ORANGE PEEL Stephen Lynch, 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Kid Billy (solo multi-instrumentalist), 6:30pm WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS An Evening with George Winston, 6:30pm ISIS MUSIC HALL The Lazybirds (Americana, roots), 7pm RABBIT RABBIT Slice of Life Rooftop Comedy, 7pm THE GREY EAGLE The Pack A.D. (garage rock, psychedelic), 7pm TRISKELION BREWERY Jason's Technicolor Cabaret: Music & Comedy, 7pm

RABBIT RABBIT Slice of Life Rooftop Comedy, 7:30pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8:30pm, avl.mx/76w

BEN’S TUNE UP Comedy Open Mic w/ Baby George, 9pm

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

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MOVIE REVIEWS THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTOR

Hosted by the Asheville Movie Guys EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com HHHHH

Anthonye Smith

= MAX RATING

H PICK OF THE WEEK H

Wolfwalkers HHHH DIRECTORS: Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart PLAYERS: The voices of Honor Kneafsey, Sean Bean, Eve Whittaker ANIMATED/ADVENTURE RATED PG Irish artist and filmmaker Tomm Moore is two-for-two in getting Academy Award nominations for his previous animated feature films, The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). He’ll likely earn another nod for Wolfwalkers.

Like his other movies, Wolfwalkers is visually sumptuous and narratively mythological, taking elements of Irish folk tales and weaving them into an original fable set in a storybook past outside of actual history. This time, the heroine is young Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey), the daughter of an English huntsman (Sean Bean) who was brought to an Irish village to rid its forest of wolves.

When Robyn ventures into the woods, she meets Mebh (Eve Whittaker), a girl her age who’s a wolfwalker — a person with a magical connection to the animal pack.

Moore’s signature style is distinct: Hand-drawn characters appear intentionally flat, as though book illustrations had come to life, and the backgrounds in Robyn’s village are designed to resemble medieval woodblock prints, with overlapping layers in place of perspective. The woods, by contrast, are rich with color, depth and movement. Moore’s direction — 44

BRUCE STEELE bcsteele@gmail.com

NOV. 11-17, 2020

co-credited this time around to concept artist Ross Stewart — emphasizes artistic flourishes, although his determination to give Robyn fully realized surroundings sometimes bogs down the early going (a subplot about local bullies goes nowhere, for example).

But this is no Studio Laika mishmash. Moore is a better storyteller than that, and the tale he’s relating soon becomes clear and captivating.

Very small children may be a bit confused or frightened, but school-age kids should love Wolfwalkers, particularly the thrills in its second half.

Meanwhile, adults will admire the vivid and original artistry and smile at the satisfying finale.

Starts Nov. 13 at Carolina Cinemark REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

City Hall S DIRECTOR: Frederick Wiseman DOCUMENTARY NOT RATED After a brief visit to a Boston city government call center, the documentary City Hall rushes directly to its sweet spot — an extended PowerPoint budget presentation. Over the next 4 1/2 hours (you read that right), veteran filmmaker Frederick Wiseman lingers through dozens of such meetings, hearings, community forums, speeches and random encounters with Boston city workers. The doc was shot from October 2018 into early 2019 and

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portrays countless aspects of municipal government.

It is indeed a massive document, but whether it’s a documentary is open to question. Not a single person is identified. You’ll eventually figure out that the earnest, likable guy who keeps reappearing is Mayor Marty Walsh, but not one committee, speaker or event is named or put into context. There’s no narration, no original interviews and no follow-up for any of the myriad issues raised. Real estate montages of random Boston buildings — with an emphasis on dilapidated homes and quirky small businesses, apropos of nothing — separate the extended visits to boardrooms and cramped offices.

Numerous city residents are seen at hearings — again, unidentified — but only a few are actually permitted to share snippets of their lives. A couple of characters unspool stories about why they shouldn’t pay parking tickets, some dog owners appear in a pointless drop-by at an animal shelter and one sad retiree explains his apartment’s rat infestation to a city worker (job unknown). That’s about it.

Mostly, City Hall is 275 minutes of talk, talk, talk, talk, talk — a lot of it in impenetrable bureaucrat-speak or empty public relations mode. If the idea was to relate how dull the grind of city governance can be, it’s well done.

But there’s no sense of a filmmaker’s point of view, no thread of narrative and little actual information. It’s like being stuck in an endless Zoom meeting to which you wish you had not been invited.

REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

The Climb HHHS DIRECTOR: Michael Angelo Covino PLAYERS: Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin, Gayle Rankin, George Wendt COMEDY/DRAMA RATED R In the Woody Allen tradition, director/co-writer Michael Angelo Covino also stars in his feature film debut, and he’s not the most likable fellow in the movie. That would be “Kyle,” played by co-writer Kyle Marvin, a sweet, hapless guy who’s stuck with Covino’s Mike as his best friend. The

movie begins with the titular mountain bike ride, during which Mike confesses his affair with Kyle’s fiancée. It is, one might say, all downhill from there.

The Climb is an audacious work, as Covino not only asks audiences to have sympathy for his noxious character but also to have patience with his determination to shoot every scene in one long, unedited take (with a few clever cheats). It’s an impressive feat in early scenes: the bike climb, a hospital visit, a graveside funeral. As the movie goes on, however, the gimmick can be distracting, especially a holiday gathering that’s filmed largely from outside the house, through windows.

The purpose of long-take scenes is to put viewers more firmly within the time and space of the film (think 1917), and to give weight to human interactions that build intensity without interruption (think Rope). If viewers spend more time watching the camera choreography than the characters (think Birdman), the director is arguably just showing off.

In The Climb, Covino wrestles himself to a draw: After a clumsily staged New Year’s Eve fracas, he calms things down and lets his characters breathe.

A terrific wedding sequence is followed by several warm, appealing codas.

The movie’s theme — how a toxic friendship can be both destructive and inescapable — comes through strongly, and the performances gel. Gayle Rankin (Netflix’s “GLOW,” HBO’s “Perry Mason”) is solid as Kyle’s oft-exasperated girlfriend.

Conscious of his own pretentiousness, Covino also throws in some comic musical breaks, played directly to the camera — a clear wink of self-awareness to the audience. Even so, this is a comedy that will inspire more chuckles of mild recognition than out-and-out laughs. It is, in the end, worth “the climb,” but it’s not always easy going.

Starts Nov. 13 at AMC River Hills 10 REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

Madre H DIRECTOR: Rodrigo Sorogoyen PLAYERS: Marta Nieto, Jules Porier FOREIGN FILM/DRAMA/

THRILLER NOT RATED Who knew suspense could be so mundane? Such is the case with Madre, an unconventional drama from Spanish writer/director Rodrigo Sorogoyen (The Realm) that’s full of heartbreaking calamity, grief and a search for closure — seemingly at any cost — yet bizarrely yields only apathy.

Set on the French coast near Spain, the film is a tragedy in every sense of the word. As with Sorogoyen’s Oscar-nominated short by the same name on which it’s based, the film begins with single mom Elena (Marta Nieto) receiving a shocking call from her young son Ivan, who reveals he’s stranded on a beach with his father, who brought him there but is nowhere in sight. Distraught as any mother would be, Elena tries in vain to contact the authorities, then attempts to take matters into her own hands despite having no clue where her son may be.

But minus information regarding how Ivan wound up in these circumstances, viewer investment remains limited.

Following an egregiously long shot of a coastline, Madre flashes forward 10 years and finds Elena working as the manager of a seaside dive bar

frequented by seasonal residents, most of whom are wealthy vacation-home owners. Having never resolved the disappearance of her son on a criminal or emotional level, she befriends a forlorn teen named Jean (Jules Porier) who’s on vacation with his family — and, in her eyes, resembles Ivan.

Thus begins a connection between two damaged souls — a sure formula for disaster. Even against the wishes of her love interest, Joseba (Alex Brendenmuhl), Elena continually steals time with Jean, defying his parents’ wishes in the process. Inevitably doomed, their rendezvous culminate in an alarming act that proves her to be more demented than grief-stricken, climaxing in an act that can be seen from miles away.

It’s an unusual story, and Nieto is consistently superb, yet Madre still leaves plenty to be desired. Sorogoyen is so focused on Elena that he fails to develop the supporting cast — one of many failures that, combined with the success of his lauded short film, suggests that perhaps he should have left well enough alone.

REVIEWED BY ANTHONYE SMITH RIVBL3P@GMAIL.COM

Maybe Next Year

AVAILABLE VIA FINEARTSTHEATRE.COM (FA) GRAILMOVIEHOUSE.COM (GM)

HHHS DIRECTOR: Kyle Thrash DOCUMENTARY NOT RATED Every once in a while, documentary filmmakers are so shockingly good at being in the right place at the right time that one wonders if they had a crystal ball or a tricked-out DeLorean.

In Maybe Next Year, director Kyle Thrash had the foresight and/or good fortune to chronicle a handful of diehard Philadelphia Eagles supporters during the team’s 2017 season. What started as an exploration of fandom — specifically one of sports’ most passionate yet demonized groups — became something even more fascinating when the NFL East squad experienced unprecedented challenges and success.

Read the full review at ashevillemovies.com Available to rent via Amazon Video, iTunes and other streaming services REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

Aggie (NR) HHHH (GM) Belly of the Beast (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) Citizens of the World (NR) HHHS (GM) City Hall (NR) S (GM) Coming Home Again (NR) HHHHS (GM) Desert One (NR) HHHH (FA) The Donut King (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) Dosed (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) Driven to Abstraction (PG) HHS(FA) F11 and Be There (NR) HHHH (FA) Fantastic Fungi (NR) HHHH (FA) Flannery (NR) HHHH (FA) Herb Alpert Is... (NR) HHS (FA) Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (NR) HHHHH (FA, GM) John Lewis: Good Trouble (PG) HHHH (FA) The Keeper (NR) HHS (FA) Madre (NR) H (GM) Major Arcana (NR) HHHS (FA) Martin Eden (NR) HHH (FA) Meeting the Beatles in India (NR) HHS (FA) Oliver Sacks: His Own Life (NR) HHHH (GM) Out Stealing Horses (NR) HHHHS (FA) RBG (NR) HHHH (FA) The Tobacconist (NR) HHHS (FA) We Are Many (NR) HH (FA) White Riot (NR) HHHHS (GM)

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Love can’t always do work,” wrote novelist Iris Murdoch. “Sometimes it just has to look into the darkness.” From what I can tell, you’ve been doing that recently: looking into the darkness for love’s sake. That’s a good thing!

You have been the beneficiary of the blessings that come through the contemplation of mysteries and enigmas. You’ve been recalibrating your capacity to feel love and tenderness in the midst of uncertainty. I suspect that it will soon be time to shift course, however. You’re almost ready to engage in the intimate work that has been made possible by your time looking into the darkness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Barbara Kingsolver says, “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.” That’s always valuable advice, but it’ll be especially useful to keep in mind during the coming weeks. You’re probably going to feel more pressure than usual to tell others what they wish you would tell them; you may experience some guilt or worry about being different from their expectations of you. Here’s the good news: I’m pretty certain you can be true to yourself without seeming like a jerk to anyone or damaging your long-term interests. So you might as well say and do exactly what’s real and genuine.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks,” wrote playwright Tennessee Williams. I think that’s a poetic but accurate description of the feat you’ve been working on lately, Gemini. You’re gently smashing through stony obstructions. You’ve been calling on your irrepressible will to enjoy life as you have outsmarted the rugged, jagged difficulties.

You’re relying on beauty and love to power your efforts to escape a seemingly no-win situation.

Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian rapper Vince Staples says, “I feel like it’s impossible to be completely yourself.” Why? Because ideally we’re always outgrowing who we have become; we’re moving beyond the successes we have already achieved. There is no final, whole, ideal “self” to inhabit and express — only more and more of our selfness to create. Staples suggests we’d get bored if we reached a mythical point where we had figured out exactly who we are and embodied it with utter purity. We always have a mandate to transform into a new version of our mystery.

Sounds like fun! Everything I just said, Cancerian, is an empowering meditation for you right now.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I am my own sanctuary and I can be reborn as many times as I choose throughout my life.” Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga said that, and now I offer it to you to use as your motto. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s a fabulous time to be your own sanctuary. I invite you to rebirth yourself at least twice between now and the end of November.

What’s the first step you’ll take to get started?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The National Football League is a giant socialist enterprise. It earns billions of dollars of revenue and shares it equally with each of its 32 teams. So the team in Green Bay, Wis., population 105,000, receives the same payout as the team in Chicago, population 2.7 million. I advocate a comparable approach for you in the coming weeks.

Just for now, distribute your blessings and attention and favors as evenly as possible, showing no favoritism toward a particular child or friend or pet or loved one or influence. Be an impartial observer as well. Try to restrain biases and preferential treatment as you act with even-handed fair-mindedness.

Don’t worry: You can eventually go back to being a subjective partisan if you want. For the foreseeable future, your well-being requires cordial neutrality.

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NOV. 11-17, 2020

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Who is to decide between ’Let it be’ and ’Force it’?” asked Libran author Katherine Mansfield. I mention this because you’re now hanging out in the limbo zone between “Let it be” and “Force it.” But very soon — I’m sure you’ll have a clear intuition about when — you’ll figure out how to make a decisive move that synthesizes the two. You will find a way to include elements of both “Let it be” and “Force it.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I hold a beast, an angel and a madman in me,” wrote Scorpio poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953) in a letter to a friend.

That sounds like a lot of energy to manage! And he didn’t always do a good job at it — although he did at times tap into his primal wellspring to create some interesting poetry. I’m going to use Thomas’ words in your horoscope, because I think that in the coming weeks you can be a subtle, refined and mature blend of a beast, angel and madperson. Be your wisest wild self, dear Scorpio!

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Activist and author Rebecca Solnit writes, “The grounds of my hope have always been that history is wilder than our imagination of it and that the unexpected shows up far more regularly than we ever dream.” In my astrological estimation, her grounds for hope should also be yours in the coming weeks. The future is more wide-open than you might think. The apparent limitations of the past are at least temporarily suspended and irrelevant. Your fate is purged of some of your old conditioning and the inertia of tradition.

I encourage you to make a break for freedom.

Head in the direction of the Beautiful Unknown.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn’t stand straight, but tilts at an angle. Why? The soil it was built on is soft on one side. So the marble-and-limestone structure began to tip even before it was finished. That’s the weird news. The good news is that the tower has remained standing for more than eight centuries — and has stayed intact even though four major earthquakes have rolled through the area. Why? A research team of engineers determined it’s because of the soft foundation soil, which prevents the tower from resonating violently with the temblors. So the very factor that makes it odd is what keeps it strong.

Is there a comparable phenomenon in your life? I believe there is. Now is a good time to acknowledge this blessing — and enhance your use of it.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Even if you tend to pay more attention to what’s going wrong than what’s going right, I ask you to change your attitude for the next three weeks. Even if you believe that cynicism is an intelligent perspective and a positive attitude is a wasteful indulgence, I encourage you to suspend those beliefs. As an experiment — and in accordance with astrological potentials — I invite you to adopt the words of activist Helen Keller as your keynote: “Every optimist moves along with progress and hastens it, while every pessimist would keep the world at a standstill. The consequence of pessimism in the life of a nation is the same as in the life of the individual.

Pessimism kills the instinct that urges people to struggle against poverty, ignorance and crime, and dries up all the fountains of joy in the world.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Researchers in the UK found that 62% of the adult population brags that they’ve read classic books that they have not in fact read. Why? Mostly to impress others.

George Orwell’s 1984 is the top-rated book for fake claims, followed by Tolstoy’s War and Peace, James Joyce’s Ulysses and the Bible. I hope you won’t engage in anything like that type of behavior during the weeks ahead. In my opinion, it’s even more crucial than usual for you to be honest and authentic about who you are and what you do.

Lying about it might seem to be to your advantage in the short run, but I guarantee it won’t be.

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SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES COMMERCIAL GLASS GLAZIER Wholesale Glass and Mirror Co. Job Description: strong knowledge of commercial glass installation. Must have a minimum of 5 years glass experience. Hours and Travel: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, does require some weekend & night work on a very limited basis. Job Duties: installation of storefront, curtain wall, IG replacement, mirror installation, tabletops and display cases. In addition, the candidate will need the skills (and backbone) to install heavy glass items. Job Type: Fulltime Pay: DOE per hour Benefits: Competitive pay, health benefits, 401K and paid vacation. TO APPLY: Email Resume: WGMAVL@gmail. com In Person: 419 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806.

PACKAGING ADMINISTRATOR - BURIAL BEER CO. You are responsible for the administration components of the Packaging Department. Ensure timeline and production deadlines are met. Work with Art Coordinator to ensure packaging labels are ordered on time.

RESIDENTIAL GLASS GLAZIER/ INSTALLER Wholesale Glass and Mirror Co. is seeking a glazier with strong knowledge of residential glass installation. minimum of 5 years glass experience. Hours & Travel: Monday-Friday 8:00AM to 5:00PM, does require some weekend & night work on a very limited basis. Job Duties: IG replacement in residential windows, mirror installation, shower door installation, and fitting glass for tabletops and display cases. In addition, the candidate will need the skills (and backbone) to install heavy glass items. Job Type: Full-time Pay: DOE Benefits: Competitive pay, health benefits, 401K and paid vacation.

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SEWING MACHINE OPERATOR Job duties include accurate, consistent, and precise sewing skills, as well as, a working knowledge of commercial sewing machines.

Please contact JJ at 828-458-1097 or email your resume to kiluph1@ gmail.com.

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Job Qualifications: Computer literate with data entry skills, excellent verbal communication, math skills, documentation skills, operate basic office equipment & adding machine, multi-task, and work in a fast pace environment.

Full-Time Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-5:00PM Benefits: Health Insurance, Vacation Pay and 401K. PAY DOE To Apply: Email resume to: Wholesaleglass@419haywoodrd.com or in person 419 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806.

RESTAURANT/ FOOD SERVICE MANAGER AT FORESTRY CAMP BAR & RESTAURANT The Service Manager oversees all FOH staff including recruiting, orientation, training, scheduling, etc. The ideal candidate will be able to help develop operational, marketing and business plans with the board of directors.

TAPROOM LINE CHEF AT FORESTRY CAMP BAR & RESTAURANT The Line Chef will be responsible for food prep and menu execution, maintaining a clean and organized workspace, kitchen equipment maintenance, receiving and stocking vendor deliveries.

Ideal candidate is passionate about working with local purveyors, utilizing seasonal ingredients, has commitment to quality.

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY WHOLESALE DRIVER FOR BURIAL BEER CO. Driver will pick up/drop off items while on assigned routes/time schedules. Candidate is responsible for customer satisfaction and safe and timely transport of items. Must ensure that items are complete, packed correctly, and safely delivered to correct customer.

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Time to file is limited. Call Now! 844-896-8216 (AAN CAN) NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, HAYWOOD COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Carlo Gambino, dated July 20, 2018, recorded on July 26, 2018 in Book RB 956, Page 575 of the Haywood County Public Registry conveying certain real property in Haywood County to Unisource Title Company,

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ACROSS 1 “___ a rough night”: Macbeth Trustee, for the benefit of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., as nominee for Sovereign Lending Group Incorporated. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on November 16, 2020 at 1:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Haywood County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING LOT 9-B, SECTION “D” (D-PRIME), OF HORSESHOE COVE SUBDIVISION A PER SURVEY AND PLAT OF WESTERN CAROLINA LAND SURVEYING, DATED NOVEMBER 17, 1989, AND RECORDED IN MAP CABINET C, SLOT 647, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. SUBJECT TO AND INCLUDING THOSE RIGHTSOF-WAY OR EASEMENTS FOR STREETS, ROADS, WATERLINES, SEWER LINES AND UTILITIES SHOWN ON SAID PLATS OR EXISTING ON THE PREMISES OF SAID SUBDIVISION. THE ABOVE LOT IS SUBJECT TO THOSE RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS SET FORTH IN AN INSTRUMENT RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 401, PAGE 661, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 402 Creekside Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751; Parcel #: 7697-11-8309 A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, payable to Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, PLLC, will be required at

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5 Miss on TV 10 Falafel bread 14 Black-tie affair, maybe the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.30, if the highest bidder at the sale, resale, or any upset bidder fails to comply with its bid upon the tender of a deed for the real property, or after a bona fide attempt to tender such a deed, the clerk of superior court may, upon motion, enter an order authorizing a resale of the real property. The defaulting bidder at any sale or resale or any defaulting upset bidder is liable for the bid made, and in case a resale is had because of such default, shall remain liable to the extent that the final sale price is less than the bid plus all the costs of any resale.

Any deposit or compliance bond made by the defaulting bidder shall secure payment of the amount, if any, for which the defaulting bidder remains liable under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.30. Third party purchasers must pay the excise tax and THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to any and all superior liens, including taxes and special assessments. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Carlo Gambino. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.29, in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may,

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15 ___ Jackson Jr., “Straight Outta Compton” star after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. The notice shall also state that upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination [N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.16(b)(2)].

Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Cape Fear Trustee Services, LLC, Substitute Trustee ___________________ _______________, Attorney Aaron Seagroves, NCSB No. 50979 W. Harris, NCSB No. 48633 5550 77 Center Drive, Suite 100 Charlotte, NC 28217 PHONE: 980-201-3840 File No.: 19-44580 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, RUTHERFORD COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Foy W. Gibson and Linda D. Gibson, dated August

edited by Will Shortz 16 God whose name is an apt anagram of “rose” 17 “___ pass” 18 Schemes 19 Sign on for another tour 20 Kind of position 22 Beast of burden 23 Bands at weddings 24 Was a passenger 25 To the ___ degree 26 “Ugh!” 27 Cpl. or sgt.

28 Something to take and “make it better,” in the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” 31 Duke’s N.C.A.A. div.

33 Cockpit measurement: Abbr.

34 Architect Frank 35 Beats by ___ (audio brand) 36 Hide ___ hair 37 Not awarded by accident, say 39 London lav 40 Honda division 42 Invasive plant?

20, 2009, recorded on August 20, 2009 in Book 1053, Page 293 of the Rutherford County Public Registry conveying certain real property in Rutherford County to MTNBK, LTD, Trustee, for the benefit of Carolina First Bank. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on November 16, 2020 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Rutherford County, North Carolina, to wit: Tract One: Situate, lying and being in Rutherfordton Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being the same and identical property described in Deed recorded in Deed Book 398, Page 409, Rutherford County Registry, and being described according to said Deed as follows: Situate, lying and being in the Town of Spindale, Rutherfordton Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and BEGINNING on an iron pin, said iron pin lying on the East side of Courtland Street and being the Southwestern corner of Lot Number Forty-One (41) and the Northwestern corner of Lot Number Forty-Two (42) as shown on a plat thereof recorded in Plat Book 2 at Page 90, Rutherford County Registry, from said BEGINNING point; thence North 5 deg. East 22 feet to an iron pin in the margin of Courtland Street; thence South 85 deg. E. 150 feet to an iron pin; thence South 5 deg. West 22 feet to an iron pin; thence North 85 deg.

West 150 feet to the point and place of BEGINNING, containing

No. 1007 43 Celebrity gossip show with an exclamation point in its title 45 Falls (over) 47 Car mentioned in the Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” 48 Bluish hue 50 Place to count sheep?

51 Cry while doing a stunt … or a hint to 2-, 7- and 12-Down 56 California’s ___ Woods 57 “Good job!,” south of the border 58 Classic Monopoly token 60 Item on a hotel pillow 61 Match 62 Simplicity 63 Requests 64 Attempts in basketball and target practice 65 Put away

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1 “The freakin’ weekend is here!” .076 acres more or less. Courses and distances above given all according to map and survey by Clyde C. Sorrells, R.L.S., in June, 1978. Also herein conveyed is all of Lot Number Forty-Two (42) as the same is shown on a plat thereof said plat being recorded in Plat Book 2 at Page 90, Rutherford County Registry, reference to which plat is hereby made for a more full and complete description. Tract Two: Situate, lying and being in Rutherfordton Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, and being the same and identical property described in Deed recorded in Deed Book 415, Page 07, Rutherford County Registry, and being described according to said Deed as follows: Situate in the Town of Spindale, North Carolina, adjoining the lands of Hugh J. Moore and wife on the North, other lands of S.K. Yelton and wife on the East, the lands of James B. Rollins on the South and other lands of Foy Winston Gibson and wife on the West; and being a part of a parcel of land which was conveyed to S.K. Yelton and wife, Alda E. Yelton, by Mrs. J.H. Burwell, by deed dated March 9, 1971, and of record in Deed Book 332 at Page 342 in the office of the Register of Deeds of Rutherford County, North Carolina; and BEGINNING on an iron pin which is the southwestern corner of an 0.44 acre parcel conveyed by S.K. Yelton and wife, to Hugh J. Moore and wife, by deed of record in Deed Book 414 at Page 524, said iron pin also being the northeastern corner of the lands of Foy Winston Gibson and wife; and runs thence with the line of said conveyance to Hugh J. Moore and wife, South 74 deg 02 minutes East 54.18 feet to an iron pin at a hickory; thence South 13 deg 3 min 30 sec West 113.26 feet to an iron pin; thence North 82 deg 53 min West 44.57 feet to an iron pin, Gibson's southeastern corner; thence with the line of Foy Winston Gibson and wife, North 8

puzzle by Ross Trudeau 2 Something the ancient Egyptians used for keeping time 3 “Regrettably, that’s the case” 4 Leaves for dinner?

5 Soda 6 Caribbean natives, e.g.

7 Vessel found drifting without a crew 8 1995 gangster comedy with John Travolta and Rene Russo 9 “___ queen!” (“Fabulous!”)

10 Jeopardy 11 Woman in a Sherlock Holmes story 12 Audience unlikely to applaud 13 Snakes in hieroglyphics 21 French article 23 The Notorious ___ (late jurist’s nickname) 27 Mom’s mom 29 It’s “only a number” to the young at heart

30 Dec. 31 celebration 32 Biz biggies 37 Rami with a Best Actor Oscar 38 Actress Messing of “Will & Grace” 41 “Says who?” and others 44 Fools 46 Some Carnaval dances 47 Some Chevrolet S.U.V.s

deg 25 min 30 sec East 121.02 feet, passing an iron pin at 99.69 feet, to the BEGINNING, containing 0.13 acres, more or less. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 405 Courtland Street, Spindale, NC 28160 n/k/a 197 Courtland Street, Spindale, NC 28160; Parcel #: 1210702 A cash deposit (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, payable to Bell Carrington Price & Gregg, PLLC, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.30, if the highest bidder at the sale, resale, or any upset bidder fails to comply with its bid upon the tender of a deed for the real property, or after a bona fide attempt to tender such a deed, the clerk of superior court may, upon motion, enter an order authorizing a resale of the real property. The defaulting bidder at any sale or resale or any defaulting upset bidder is liable for the bid made, and in case a resale is had because of such default, shall remain liable to the extent that the final sale price is less than the bid plus all the costs of any resale.

Any deposit or compliance bond made by the defaulting bidder shall secure payment of the amount, if any, for which the defaulting bidder remains liable under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.30. Third party purchasers must pay the excise tax and THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made

subject to any and all superior liens, including taxes and special assessments. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are the Heirs of Foy W. Gibson. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.29, in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination.

The notice shall also state that upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination [N.C. Gen. Stat. § 45-21.16(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the

49 “It is to ___” 50 Actress Lisa 51 San ___ Obispo, Calif.

52 It comes out of a pen, either with or without its first letter 53 ___ Wolfe, armchair detective 54 “Curses!”

55 Meh 56 U.F.C. sport 59 Unopened, say

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deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Cape Fear Trustee Services, LLC, Substitute Trustee ______________________ ____________, Attorney D. Max Sims, NCSB No. 54080 5550 77 Center Drive, Suite 100 Charlotte, NC 28217 PHONE: 980-201-3840 File No.: 19-44467

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS BUNCOMBE COUNTY BEEKEEPERS VIRTUAL 2020 BEE SCHOOL BCBC will be hosting our 2020 bee school on line with 3- 2 hour sessions and a follow up session. We are starting on Tuesday Nov. 17th and Dec 1st and 8th, with a followup in early January. Please check out our website wncbees.org or our facebook page wncbees for all the details and schedule.

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