Mountain Xpress 11.15.23

OUR 30TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 30 NO. 16 NOV. 15-21, 2023

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C ONTENT S

WELLNESS

FEATURE

NEWS

NEWS

FEATURES 12 VOLUNTEER REBOUND Fewer people, more hours

22 EXIT INTERVIEW Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jim Barrett reflects on 40-year career

38 MILL TOWN STRONG Celesa Willett of United Way of Haywood County discusses Canton mill closing, other challenges

50 ‘ALARMING’ CUTS Budgets for victims’ services are slashed

PAGE 6 NET GAINS When three Asheville women started AVL Hoppers last year, they wanted the organization to have an impact beyond the volleyball courts. Each season, Hoppers championship teams receive a prize in the form of a donation to a local nonprofit of their choice. In all, the nonprofit has helped distribute more than $2,000 to worthy causes.

COVER PHOTO Jason De Los Santos COVER DESIGN Olivia Urban

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LETTERS

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CARTOON: MOLTON

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CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

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NEWS

24 GREEN ROUNDUP

A&C

28 BUNCOMBE BEAT 54 ‘JUST BE A PERSON AMONG PEOPLE’ 12 Baskets Cafe’s arts programs build community

40 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 50 WELLNESS 54 ARTS & CULTURE

A&C

74 CLUBLAND 59 HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR Behind the scenes of ‘A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas’

78 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 78 CLASSIFIEDS 79 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

Expect intrusion from Gov Ops Commission

Spend TDA funds on pickleball courts and more

[Regarding “Accountability or Overreach? Local Leaders Respond to New State Investigative Powers,” Nov. 1, Xpress:] Clearly the Gov Ops Commission is going to use its new invasive powers to harass organizations and individuals that serve women’s health care, the LBGTQ community, the transgender community, minority communities, our educational institutions and anything and anyone else that the far right decides is too “woke.” Not that they know what that means.

It also will mean that all personal information held by these organizations is fair game for review and exposure for political purposes. Big government’s intrusion into our private lives used to be anathema to Republicans. Now government’s intrusion into our most personal information and actions is the Republican Party’s preferred method of operation.

— Jack Bush Asheville

[Regarding “Tourism Board Approves Over $6 million for Three Projects,” Nov. 1, Xpress:] In response to how Tourism Development Authority funds should be used, there are so many things that are needed and I believe fit the criteria. But two that have jumped to mind again and again are: 1. Build a large pickleball facility to take care of those picklers and free up tennis courts for their intended purpose.

2. Homeless housing.

And yes, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium upgrades are very important to our city.

— Maria Wise Asheville

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N Kids, young and old, use that a couple of times a day, coming and going from their bus. So it may need a face-lift!

Keep our pedestrians, young and old, safe.

Thank you, — Angie Sheets Asheville

Crosswalks need new paint for safety

Give up the ghost (garage)

City of Asheville, please give our pedestrian crosswalks a new paint job. Some crosswalks you can barely see — for instance, the one in front of the Burton Street Community Center.

Sitting by its lonesome down on the South Slope, a massive, costly, brand-spanking-new concrete structure sits empty, unused, lost, with no purpose in sight. A ghostly parking garage with no cars built on top of perfectly good office buildings now rubble, buried in red dirt surrounding the structure like a moat of the failed development it has become.

Weeds, now the only sign of life.

A few blocks away, City Council and another appointed committee fret over how to best spend either $100 million or $200 million to rehab the

Editor’s Note For our fall Nonprofit issue, we invited local nonprofit leaders to reflect on the successes and challenges of operating a 501(c)(3) in Western North Carolina. See their stories throughout this issue under the “Whatever It Takes” heading.

November is National Family Caregivers Month & Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Donate Today Serving Aging Adults and Caregivers Since 1986.

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Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, a building that anyone knows fully well is absurd. Humans expire, and buildings do, too.

Why not take the private developers of the South Slope project and the bankers and others involved in a project gone bad out of their pain?

For the City of Asheville’s gain.

The City of Asheville should buy the garage and surrounding land, probably for pennies on the dollar if it is not already in bankruptcy court, and build a new Thomas Wolfe complex on the site, a parking garage already built.

This would also solve another major problem.

Just the other week, South Slope merchants were interviewed by Channel 13 about a new, expensive, long-awaited city plan for their area.

The news reporter stood in front of Swannanoa Cleaners with the above-mentioned ghost garage hanging out in the background. Everyone interviewed said parking was the most urgent problem facing that area. Well now, how about that? The very same parking garage could be made available to the merchants behind it when the Thomas Wolfe was not in use.

Two major problems solved with one smart move.

I ask our woke City Council to wake up a solution waiting to happen.

— David Schulman Asheville Editor’s note: Schulman reports that he is a longtime former retailer in Western North Carolina and former president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. He has spent the last 20 years of his career being a redeveloper: searching for failed real estate projects to turn them into successes.

Give!Local offers great way to donate The Give!Local magazine included in the Mountain Xpress newspaper [Nov. 1] is such a great way to inform us of charities we might like to donate to during the holiday season.

The descriptions give us the background info we need in order to make our selections, and the process of giving is clear and easy to follow. I especially appreciate the opportunity to mail in a check, as opposed to the online option.

Thank you for all the energy your staff puts into preparing this pamphlet for us. I look forward to receiving it each year and to blessing others as I have been blessed.

— Lauri Bailey Asheville

Edwards needs math skills I received an email from Rep. Chuck Edwards at 6 p.m. last Friday (at this time, I should have known he was hiding something). He conveyed some good thoughts about tackling the budget and supporting Israel.

But come on, man — math! If you cut IRS enforcement and collect less from those who pay less than they should, then you will increase the deficit. Most of us pay what we owe. We don’t like the fact that $400 billion is left on the table.

Either you cannot do simple math or you think that your constituents are stupid. Either way, magical math is not the right way forward.

From an independent voter who can add and subtract.

— Mark Veith Weaverville

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Open discussions about mental health issues Robin C. Payne is the executive director of NAMI Western Carolina. The nonprofit offers no-cost mental health services.

Xpress: What roles does NAMI play in how our community handles mental health issues?

Payne: NAMI Western Carolina provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

NAMI is a national leader in providing mental health resources, information and support.

We are fortunate to serve as the affiliate for our region and serve as this resource for our community. We also serve on several mental health and crisis committees in the community and work with our partners to ensure the voices of those impacted by mental health are being heard.

One of your organization’s areas of strategic focus has been to increase program participation of marginalized communities. How are you approaching that?

Mental health challenges impact all demographics and each of these has their own culturROBIN C. PAYNE al way of addressing them. As such, we are careful not to assume we know what is best for Photo courtesy of Payne a community. Instead, we try to create opportunities for open discussions and see how we can provide the resources that are needed.

Currently, we are offering the NAMI family support groups in Spanish in partnership with UNETE in the Emma community. We seek to provide support groups and classes in locations where peers and their families are already gathering and reduce the stigma that often comes with addressing mental health challenges in communities of color.

Talk a little about NAMI’s part in crisis intervention team training for law enforcement and first responders.

NAMI provides peers and family members who speak to officers and first responders about needing specialized attention and care during a medical emergency. These members encourage officers and first responders to ask questions and approach each situation with the care and concern they would want for a loved one in the same circumstance.

What program or initiative is the most in demand, and what do participants get out of it?

We have seen a growing need for those seeking support around suicide loss. Survivors may feel guilty, ashamed or responsible in a society that often places a stigma on suicide. We offer an eight-week class where loved ones learn tools to cope with the loss in a supportive environment. Participants have formed a tightknit support and are being trained to serve as co-facilitators for new classes. X

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NEWS

Net gains

The mission of AVL Hoppers goes beyond volleyball courts

Fall

Nonprofit Feature

HOLDING THE LINE: The nonprofit AVL Hoppers operates competitive outdoor volleyball leagues, along with clinics and tournaments. Photo by Jason De Los Santos

BY JUSTIN McGUIRE jmcguire@mountainx.com Franklin Rodriguez wasn’t thinking about charitable giving when he signed up for AVL Hoppers. He just wanted to play volleyball.

“I played in some other leagues, and people were like, ‘You should play Hoppers. It’s so much fun,’” the Asheville man says. “How I got involved was just word-of-mouth.”

But Rodriguez soon found out AVL Hoppers wasn’t a typical recreational sports league. A nonprofit, the group defines its mission as using “our passion for volleyball as the catalyst for change in our community.”

Each season, the group’s championship teams receive a prize in the form of a donation to a nonprofit of their choice.

In all, AVL Hoppers has contributed more than $2,000 to such area organizations as Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Helpmate, Blue Ridge Humane Society and Open Hearts Art Center.

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“We refer to this as ‘playing it forward,’” explains Brenda Galvan, president and co-founder of AVL Hoppers.

When Rodriguez and teammate Sarah Jordan won the Hoppers’ Upper BB league in August, they were able to put the “play it forward” idea into action. They chose to earmark their $250 prize to Blue Ridge Pride.

“It was cool to be able to donate to them because it’s a cause that’s personal to us. They do so many good things for the Asheville community,” he says. “I just want to help improve the lived experiences of people in the LGBTQ+ community because there are people out there trying to restrict equality and creating barriers to health care access, reducing free-speech expression and obscuring visibility.”

Rodriguez’s experience of finding a place to play competitive volleyball while also giving back is exactly what Galvan and fellow volleyball enthusiasts Kenzie Kramer and

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Monica Rivas had in mind when they launched AVL Hoppers last summer.

“I think that it’s created a really positive community because you’re playing for something positive at the end of the day and not just additional cash in your pocket like you would get in a lot of other leagues,” Kramer says.

QUICK GROWTH AVL Hoppers runs eight-week seasons, plus playoffs, in the spring, summer and fall. Each doubles team is made up of one man and one woman, and the games are played on outdoor grass courts.

Galvan, Kramer and Rivas got to know each other through Asheville’s burgeoning volleyball scene and soon started kicking around the idea of starting an outdoor coed doubles league.

When Galvan played two seasons in a competitive league in Greenville, S.C.,

she got even more enthusiastic about the idea.

“I was like, ‘Guys, we could do this here. It would work. I think people are really looking for an opportunity to play more competitive volleyball,’” she says.

When she became pregnant and no longer wanted to make the weekly drive to Greenville, the three women launched AVL Hoppers with a series of weekly pickup games. Early results were modest, to say the least.

“It was very small,” Galvan recalls.

“We tried it a couple weeks, and at one point I told my husband, ‘This is not going to happen, people are not coming, we should just maybe forget about it.’ ” But the three women persisted, and soon so many people were showing up to the games they couldn’t accommodate them all on the four grass courts they were using at Carrier Park.

They worked with Asheville Parks & Recreation to get access to more

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614,560 given to the students, schools and employees in 2022-2023.

$

The Haywood County Schools Foundation is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to supporting educational opportunities for the students and staff of Haywood County Consolidated Schools.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Jenny Wood at 828.456.2400 ext. 2117 or email at jwood@ haywood.k12.nc.us

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

In support of the LGBTQIA+ community Amy Upham is the executive director of Blue Ridge Pride. The nonprofit works to promote equality, safety and quality of life for Western North Carolina’s LGBTQIA+ and allied communities.

Xpress: What was one of your organization’s greatest successes in 2023?

Upham: This year we hired our first full-time paid executive director.

Has Blue Ridge Pride expanded its partnerships this year? If so, who are some of the newest organizational members?

Blue Ridge Pride has greatly expanded its partnerships this year. We teamed up with 10 breweries for our Fridays With Pride monthly AMY UPHAM social, hiked with service members at Pisgah Photo courtesy of Upham National Forest, greened our festival with the help of Blue Moon Water and Clean Crew, promoted LGBTQIA+ foster care opportunities with Caring for Children, partnered with Explore Asheville and Go Local on our business alliance’s Purchase With Pride initiative, and have teamed up with Grail Moviehouse, Bill Kaelin Marketing and WNCAP to launch a regional film series beginning in December.

What have been some of the greatest challenges your organization faced this year?

Our greatest challenge by far has been the anti-trans laws passed in North Carolina. They have hit our community hard and turned time that could have been spent serving individuals to time grieving with community and fighting back against senseless and oppressive laws.

How has the community shown up to show its support for Blue Ridge?

Where might additional support be needed?

We are indebted to our community for their volunteerism (over 100 at the Pride Festival alone), our sponsors for their constant and enthusiastic support, and this year our donors who, through a new initiative — Blue Ridge Proud — are expanding our capacity to be more than just a festival.

We definitely could use additional support from major donors, as well as institutional support from funders to ensure we are showing up in the ways our community needs. We are the major local Pride organization, and as such should serve as a resource hub for the LGBTQIA+ community. X

N EWS playing fields at Montford Park and launched leagues in the fall of 2022. It took them several days to sign up about 20 teams in three classifications, Upper A, Lower A and Intermediate.

For their most recent eight-week season, which ends this month, 52 teams in four classifications competed.

Teams pay a $70 registration fee.

“Registration filled up in two minutes, which was wild to see considering how hard we were trying to get people to sign up for the first season a year ago,” Kramer says.

Galvan says the quick growth is attributable to several factors. For one, she says, the three sand courts that Highland Brewing Co. opened in 2020 have helped create a passion for outdoor volleyball in Asheville.

“Pre-pandemic, there was a very small group of people that played doubles, and not a lot of people knew how to play it,” she says. “This format is very different than sixes indoors.

When I moved here five or six years ago, you pretty much knew everyone that played volleyball if you went to play pickup on Sunday at Monford.”

AVL Hoppers appeals to more skilled players because it’s more competitive than some purely recreational leagues centered around socializing and drinking.

“We from the very beginning specifically wanted it to be competitive,” she explains. “We play

by AVP [Association of Volleyball Professionals] rules, and you have to follow them. And so, you have to come in with a mentality of ‘We’re gonna go in and play and play hard.’”

One other key factor in the popularity of AVL Hoppers is the charitable giving aspect, she says. “People do like the idea that if they do win, they get to donate to charity.”

GIVING BACK The idea of forming a nonprofit and giving to charity came up early as the founders brainstormed ways to make the organization different, Rivas says.

“We’re three women, we have our jobs, this is not for profit for us. We want to play more volleyball, get better and help other people get better as well. With that being our focus, I think we clung to that nonprofit idea.”

Galvan, Kramer and Rivas liked the idea that players would be able to donate to a cause they cared about even if they didn’t have the financial means to do so. And knowing the prize money is going to a good cause has created an extra incentive to win for the already competitive players.

“People play a little bit harder, especially toward the end as you get into the playoffs,” Rivas says. “People are already thinking about who they’re

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donating to. We’ve actually had players anonymously tell us that whoever wins, they will match the donation.”

Rodriguez agrees the AVL Hoppers prize model has helped spotlight Asheville’s nonprofit community to league players.

“Investigating where we wanted to donate has opened up my eyes to some new charities and nonprofits that I wasn’t even aware of. And then seeing where other people donate, it’s just really, really awesome. People are excited to see where that money ends up being used.”

Before each season begins, AVL Hoppers asks participants to pick their charity. The organization then confirms the charity is in good standing by using sources like Guidestar.org, Charitynavigator.org or Ashevillechamber.org.

Galvan, Kramer and Rivas encourage participants to support local causes, but they also have approved national organizations like the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Asheville-based Open Hearts Art Center received $475 from AVL Hoppers winners. The nonprofit serves community members with a variety of challenges, including developmental, mental, physical and emotional disabilities.

“Most of the collaborations that we’ve done with other nonprofits have not necessarily had a monetary goal in mind but were more so about making connections,” says Shannon Gallagher, development and communications manager for Open Hearts.

“AVL Hoppers, they’re trying to kind of do both, give a monetary donation but also build awareness and build a sense of community. The fact that they are a nonprofit giving money to help other nonprofits is pretty incredible.”

For more information about AVL Hoppers, go to avl.mx/d5f. X

Playing it Forward The following nonprofits have received donations from AVL Hoppers champions: • Alongside Families ($300) • Asheville City Schools Foundation ($75) • Brother Wolf Animal Rescue ($400) • Blue Ridge Humane Society ($150) • Blue Ridge Pride ($250) • Bounty and Soul ($150) • Helpmate ($50) • Open Hearts Art Center ($475) • The Parkinson’s Foundation ($75) Source: AVL Hoppers

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NEWS

WINTER spirit

Election results

Woodfin and Weaverville elect new leaders

issue

On December 13, Mountain Xpress will spotlight WNC’s richness and diversity in this special Winter Spirit Issue.

This issue is a celebration of seasonal joy, diversity, community, faith and spirituality, the metaphysical and transcendental, and recognizing the many cultures that make WNC so special.

It is a wonderful opportunity to promote winter holiday events, reach out to readers about your services, mission, philosophy and share contributions to our community.

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ELECTION NIGHT: Buncombe election workers process materials brought back from election precincts in Weaverville and Woodfin Nov. 7. On the right, a screen displays the progress of each chief judge as they travel from their voting location back to the elections warehouse in downtown Asheville, tracked by GPS. Photo by Greg Parlier

BY GREG PARLIER gparlier@mountainx.com As somewhat of a trial run for next year’s presidential election, elections in Woodfin and Weaverville went off without a hitch.

“Overall, the election went very smoothly,” Buncombe County Director of Elections Corinne Duncan said after the final results were submitted on election night Nov. 7.

Turnout was light as election officials incorporated two new elements into the local election process: new selection machines and ID requirements.

Less than 17% of registered voters in the towns of Weaverville and Woodfin and the Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District voted this year, compared with about 20% in 2021 for the same jurisdictions. About 5% of voters participated in 2019.

“Thank you to all the voters, the poll workers, election officials, commissioners, observers, candidates, our board members and all the county and city departments that work with us to make this happen,” Duncan said. “I’m really proud of what we do.

It takes more than a village around elections. And I’m happy to have such a supportive community.”

Voters used ExpressVote machines to mark their ballots, the first time the electronic devices have been used exclusively during early voting. Previously, the machines were

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offered to voters with vision impairments or other disabilities.

Also, per a new state law, voters were required to show photo ID at the polls this year.

Duncan said there were no issues or complaints from voters on either change.

“It’s been great to be able to run these newer things on a small scale, especially before 2024, when we expect record turnout,” she said.

Results will not become official until provisional and timely absentee-bymail ballots have been processed. Final certification will happen Nov. 17. X

Unofficial results Winners in bold.

WOODFIN MAYOR • Jim McAllister 638 (78%) • Jason Moore 174 (21%) WOODFIN TOWN COUNCIL • Johanna Young 670 • Elisabeth (Betsy) Ervin (incumbent) 667 • Ken Kahn 621 • Josh Blade 223 WEAVERVILLE TOWN COUNCIL • John Chase (incumbent) 730 • Dee Lawrence 704 • Peter McGuire 610 • Jennifer Young 476 WOODFIN SANITARY WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT TRUSTEE

SMOOTH SAILING: Despite multiple changes for the 2023 general election, Director of Elections Corinne Duncan was all smiles on election night as she said her team experienced no major issues. Photo by Greg Parlier

• Gordon Maybury (incumbent) 386 • Lauren Edgerton 378 • Larry Hopkins 344 • Sarah Gassaway (incumbent) 116 • Ivo Ballentine (incumbent) 93 (7%)

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NEWS

Volunteer rebound

Fewer people, more hours

Fall

Nonprofit Feature

REBUILDING RESOURCES: Here, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity volunteers build a 40th anniversary house earlier this year. After losing three-quarters of its volunteer staff during the pandemic, Habitat has since rebounded. In 2023, its ReStores set a record $4.3 million in gross sales. Photo courtesy of Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

BY CARMELA CARUSO carmela.caruso@yahoo.com After volunteers nearly disappeared from local nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic, agency leaders are noting a new normal: fewer volunteers are working a lot more hours, enabling them to meet growing needs.

Xpress surveyed several local nonprofits from a variety of sectors to find out how they’re meeting increased community needs with fewer resources.

HOUSING SHIFT Volunteer numbers took a major hit during COVID at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, which builds and repairs houses and works to address the affordable housing crisis. In 2019, 2,311 volunteers served Asheville Habitat, while in 2020 that 12

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number was just 592 — a 74% reduction. Similarly, the number of hours volunteered dropped 60% from just over 70,000 to under 27,000 during the same period.

“The pandemic reinforced just how critical volunteers are to Habitat’s work,” says Maddy Alewine, communications specialist. “We served about 25% to 30% fewer families in 2020 and 2021, and ReStore sales in 2020 were about a third their typical performance.”

The ReStores, whose sales help fund the organization, were forced to close for part of 2020. The stores in Asheville and Weaverville are now open five days a week instead of six before COVID, says Carrie Burgin, ReStore volunteer manager.

While Habitat’s volunteer numbers have rebounded since the 2020 drop, the total number of volunteers — 1,618 — is still down 30% compared to the 2019 numbers, and hours are down 24%. Still, Alewine

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notes that both ReStores brought in a record number of sales during the 2023 fiscal year, grossing more than $4.3 million in sales. “The success of both ReStores speaks to this community’s drive to reduce, reuse and recycle gently used items and to help fund Habitat’s building and repair programs,” said Alewine.

It’s continued to recruit volunteers through “traditional models” including VolunteerMatch, United Way, tabling events and outreach with local schools. Burgin says word of mouth has been their most effective recruiting tool. She believes volunteers feel a sense of commitment and purpose around the mission of building homes, communities and hope.

HEALTH CARE SUPPORT Four Seasons, which provides hospice and palliative care and

runs several resale stores, also saw a reduction in numbers during the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of volunteers fell 16% and hours dropped 29%.

Sue Ann Hamby, Four Seasons chief quality officer, says, “Once the COVID mandate was lifted and the pandemic was officially over, our volunteers were overwhelmingly ready to come back to the great work of helping meet the needs of patients and their loved ones, being active members of various teams within Four Seasons and serving in person once again.”

Its numbers did rebound, but as of Oct. 26, the year-to-date numbers were still falling short of 2019 levels.

While the number of volunteers is down 20%, total hours volunteered were down 12% with two months remaining to lessen the gap.

Leisl Vale, Four Seasons marketing specialist, believes fewer volunteers working more hours could be

due to people wanting to “give back as much as they possibly can” after a period of isolation. “I also think a lot of people saw the pressures health care workers are under as the pandemic unfolded,” says Vale. “Many of our volunteers who work directly with our clinical staff express that it’s important to them to take some of the burden off of those employees in any way they can, and I believe they stepped up to support our clinical staff significantly.”

Some volunteers had friends or family served by Four Seasons and felt called to give back, while others learned of the organization through social media, radio and print marketing, and area health and volunteer fairs, says Sheri Merrill, Four Seasons employee and volunteer solutions manager. The nonprofit uses a variety of incentives to keep people committed, including an annual appreciation event in April, an awards night in the fall and group activities such as movie nights.

Merrill says they also maintain “a high standard of communication,” regularly reaching out via phone, email and newsletters, and by hosting regional volunteer support meetings.

FOOD DRIVEN Like Four Seasons, MANNA FoodBank also saw a reduction in the number of volunteers, but a relatively stable number of hours served.

Its number of volunteers went down 32% from 4,379 in 2019 to 2,961 in 2022, but the total number of hours hardly changed — from 57,667 in 2019 to 55,032 in 2022 — a decrease of less than 5%.

Volunteer Manager Nicholas Ames believes the organization is seeing more consistent volunteers and a lot fewer “one-off” folks who came individually or with a group once a year. He adds that everyone in the community “is feeling some sort of pinch” from rising costs and may not have the extra time to volunteer because they’re trying to make ends meet themselves.

According to Ames, volunteers have remained critical to MANNA operations at a time when the nonprofit is feeding over 167,000 people per month — the highest numbers in its 40-year history. Without volunteers, whose hours add up to 28 full-time staff members, Ames says, “I don’t know if we would even be able to feed Asheville, let alone the other 16 counties that we are currently covering.”

For its part, Ames says MANNA does very little direct outreach and instead relies on name recognition — MANNA is a well-known orga-

OLD BUNCOMBE COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCH CENTER

COMFORT CORPS: Four Seasons volunteers make pillows for patients and their family members. The COVID-19 pandemic brought out volunteers eager to show support for health care workers. Photo courtesy of Four Seasons nization in the area — to bring in volunteers. He explains that food insecurity and poverty in the area have become much more visible in recent years, and that drives many people to volunteer.

Once on board, MANNA staff make sure volunteers feel appreciated and understand the impact of their work so they’ll keep coming back. That involves “getting to know people on a personal level, really developing relationships with our volunteers, and making sure that the warehouse environment is as fun as possible,” says Ames.

Many of MANNA’s volunteers spend their hours sorting food in a large warehouse. Ames says they play music; have an area where people can go to relax and socialize; and they recently installed a TV with a slideshow of images and quotes from

partner agencies to help bring the direct impact of their work to those working behind the scenes. The atmosphere is one that emphasizes community, both for those working together in the room and for the larger community that they serve.

Genealogical and local history collections.

Education and research support through publications, programs and electronic resources.

Tues – Sat, 10am-2pm 128 Bingham Rd, #950 828 253-1894 www.obcgs.com

OUTSIDE SUPPORT While for several nonprofits, the reduced number of volunteers stepped up to fill in the gaps, one group that Xpress spoke to saw a significant reduction in both volunteers and hours served. Conserving Carolina has 60% fewer volunteers with just 155 serving as of Nov. 3 compared to 389 in 2019. The number of

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TEAM EFFORT: Volunteers at MANNA FoodBank help the agency feed over 167,000 people per month — the highest numbers in its 40-year history. Photo courtesy of MANNA FoodBank MOUNTAINX.COM

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N EWS hours volunteered has seen an even more dramatic decrease — down to 1,540 from 7,108 — a 78% drop.

The group works to conserve and protect local trails, parks and greenways, and offers educational programs to the public. Pam Torlina, community engagement director, says that despite the numbers, she hasn’t seen a negative impact on the organization. “Our capacity to still do really great work means that those who are really interested and passionate about what we do and volunteering with us have continued and stayed with us for a long time,” says Torlina.

One such longtime volunteer, Carole Bartole, has been with Conserving Carolina since it was established in 2017, serving on the board of directors and the development committee. She says she’s stayed with the nonprofit because she believes its mission is critical and has seen firsthand how its programs impact the local community.

Bartole recalls observing a young boy at an educational event paying rapt attention and reaching out to touch a preserved bird. “You know I’ve always thought about that child after that. That could have been a turning point in his life to get him interested in nature,” says Bartole.

Like MANNA, Conserving Carolina believes part of why its numbers are down is because people who participated only once or twice a year have stopped volunteering.

Additionally, prior to the pandemic, university students from across the East Coast would choose to spend their spring break volunteering instead of going to the usual party destinations. COVID restrictions hampered the program and it has yet to rebound, according to Torlina.

VEGETABLE BRIGADE Setting itself apart from the other nonprofits Xpress surveyed, Bounty & Soul saw a substantial increase

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Protecting the French Broad River Lisa Raleigh is the executive director of RiverLink. The nonprofit promotes the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and its watershed.

Xpress: What has been your organization’s greatest achievement this year?

Raleigh: RiverLink celebrated a couple of milestones in 2023, including the completion of the Southside Community Stormwater Project, which was a collaborative effort to address water quality issues and meet the need for outdoor amenities in a marginalized community.

In addition, we activated and connected Karen Cragnolin Park’s greenway, in honor of our LISA RALEIGH extraordinary founder, providing public access Photo by Duane Raleigh as a key milestone on this parcel’s 20-year journey from brownfield to public river park.

What unique challenges has RiverLink faced this year?

Building a greenway in a former brownfield. In addition to our robust programming, we championed this $1 million-plus construction project from fundraising through its dedication earlier this fall.

What is one fact about your nonprofit that might surprise readers?

RiverLink is the only conservation organization focused exclusively on the French Broad River and its tributaries. We operate three programs that include water resource management, land conservation and youth education.

In 2023, RiverLink provided river conservation education to over 5,000 young people throughout the region via in-school, after-school and summer programming — all free of charge with an emphasis on equity and access.

What is your immediate focus for 2024?

To raise awareness around the negative impacts of stormwater runoff — sediment being the No. 1 pollutant in the watershed — and inspire increased use of green infrastructure solutions. By keeping your runoff on-site and letting it return naturally to the ground, you can enjoy gorgeous landscaping amenities and greatly help improve water quality. We will be running a yearlong public service campaign, in addition to disconnecting hundreds of downspouts throughout the community. X

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SMALL BUT MIGHTY: Although Conserving Carolina’s volunteer base nearly disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s still keeping up with the work. Here, its volunteers work with EcoForesters at Norman Wilder Forest.

Photo courtesy of Conserving Carolina in the number of volunteers in 2020, and the number of hours logged has grown by about 36% since 2019.

From 2019 to 2020, Bounty & Soul’s volunteer numbers jumped from 442 to 629 — a 42% increase.

The nonprofit runs several area markets where they distribute fresh produce and offer educational programming, all at no cost to patrons. Like MANNA, it’s seen community need rise exponentially. Karla Gardner, director of community engagement, says market attendance has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic; currently it’s serving about 1,000 households every week.

Gardner believes many people got involved with Bounty & Soul in 2020 because of the increased need and awareness of food scarcity and because many were out of work and looking for opportunities to give back to the community.

While the total number of volunteers dropped after the 2020 surge, numbers are still 20% higher than they were in 2019, while hours have increased 36%. Like Four Seasons and MANNA, fewer people are volunteering more often. Though Bounty & Soul has attracted volunteers through outlets like United Way and VolunteerMatch, it also depends on word of mouth. Gardner says volunteers will have a positive experience at the market and invite friends and neighbors to join. And sometimes market participants, those who benefit from the free produce and programming, volunteer themselves.

Additionally, it’s attracted a diverse group by offering opportunities “for all ages and abilities,” family-friendly shifts, and hosting a Latino market where staff is bilingual and programming is offered in Spanish. During

the pandemic, it started a handwritten Love Notes program, designed to “spark joy and spread the love” while giving people the opportunity to contribute remotely.

Like other nonprofits, community building among volunteer staff is essential for Bounty & Soul. “People are hungry for all sorts of different things,” says Gardner. “Somebody might just be craving community connection, and that’s what fills their cup. And being there in that market environment is its own form of nourishment.” X

FRESH APPROACH: Bounty & Soul serves about 1,000 families every week, offering fresh produce. Building community and making sure patrons and volunteers feel valued and appreciated are key to its mission.

Photo courtesy of Bounty & Soul MOUNTAINX.COM

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NEWS

VIP treatment

Tourism tax money buys massages, $250 shirts and dinners costing thousands

VIDEO PROMO: Attendees of a 48-hour FAM tour praised the trip in a promotional video. Photo courtesy of Explore Asheville

BY SALLY KESTIN AN ASHEVILLE WATCHDOG REPORT bark@avlwatchdog.org It’s a sweet deal: free trips to Asheville, complimentary facials, spa treatments and massages, and dinners costing up to $4,100 at the most sought-after restaurants.

These are Buncombe’s tourism tax dollars at work, according to expenses obtained through Asheville Watchdog public records requests.

The Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau paid one digital influencer $75,000 to promote Asheville on social media, plus an all-expenses-paid trip that included fly-fishing, rafting and mountain biking excursions. Another digital influencer pocketed $20,000 plus expenses for a visit that included relaxation in a salt cave, a massage, “forest bathing” and a “sound healing session.”

Explore Asheville spent more than $88,000 on a golf tournament in July, flying three stars from the MTV real-

ity show “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” to Asheville and paying $3,591 for VIP transportation, $3,800 for personal bodyguards and amenities that included a $300 golf lesson at the Omni Grove Park Inn. For a tasting event in February, Explore Asheville spent more than $5,300 to bring French Broad Chocolates, Biltmore Chardonnay and Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn to Washington, D.C., and paid $344 to overnight a flight of cheese from Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery.

Explore Asheville hosted a private dinner in March at Neng Jr’s, the nationally acclaimed West Asheville Filipinx restaurant, for 15 — journalists, destination and public relations representatives — at a cost of $2,795. Another dinner in March at the Market Place downtown, for 16 meeting planners and three Explore Asheville staffers, cost $4,110, or $216 per person, including tip.

The tourism agency has spent thousands of dollars on gifts and merchan-

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dise in the past three years, including $250 apiece for custom denim shirts for employees and more than $6,200 on pens with an Asheville logo.

Brenda Durden, chair of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority and an Asheville hotelier, defended the expenses.

“On the surface, everyone’s going to form an opinion of, ‘Oh, that sounds extravagant,’” Durden said. “But I think in doing business in 2023, marketing efforts are not inexpensive, any less than gas or anything else that we’re all trying to figure out how to pay for these days, so I do think that it’s quite necessary, and I think that it’s not uncommon in the travel and tourism marketing realm.”

BUDGET HIGHEST IN NC Spending on marketing and promotion for cities that depend on tourism is a necessity, Durden said, especially in today’s world of travel options where any recognition can give an edge to one destination over another. What sets apart the TDA is just how much is being spent.

The TDA’s $40 million budget, of which by law two-thirds goes to promotion and one-third to capital projects that boost tourism, is the highest in North Carolina. Among counties closest to Buncombe in

visitor spending, the budget for the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau was $9.6 million in 2022-23, and for the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, $9.8 million, The Watchdog found.

The TDA considers Asheville more comparable to other, mostly larger destinations in the Southeast and provided figures showing budgets of tourism agencies in Myrtle Beach, $59 million in 2021; Nashville, $32.4 million in 2021; Charleston, S.C., $26 million in 2023; Savannah, Ga., $13.5 million in 2023; and Chattanooga, Tenn., $12.4 million in 2021.

The TDA’s budget is bigger than the municipal budgets of entire cities in Buncombe — more than double that of Black Mountain, Weaverville and the town of Woodfin.

The funding comes from the 6% occupancy tax charged to overnight visitors in Buncombe. The budget is overseen by an 11-member volunteer board whose voting members all come from tourism businesses.

The expenses highlighted by Asheville Watchdog “are very reasonable investments for any marketing organization who’s doing very diverse and innovative marketing that has multiple layers to it,” said Kathleen Mosher, a TDA board member and past chair, and vice president of communications at the Biltmore Co.

“Those all represent really best practice in 2023, best practice, innovative marketing techniques,” Mosher said, “not anything that seems excessive.”

Gathan Borden, senior vice president of marketing and communications at Destinations International, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association, said the expenses are common among destination marketing organizations but can sound alarming.

“A lot of locals don’t understand that it’s not the local tax money,” Borden said. “It is money that is being used from visitors who come into the destination.”

Durden, the TDA chair, said the expenses are “exactly what would be expected” of an agency whose mission is promoting tourism.

“If we aren’t doing our job and all we can do to bring visitors here, new visitors and return visitors, we’re not supporting our tourism industry like we should,” she said.

MORE VISITORS, MORE SPENDING Tourism has surged in Asheville largely as a result of promotion by the TDA and its staff at Explore Asheville. The more visitors who come, the more the occupancy tax generates and the more the TDA has to spend, as The Watchdog reported in the first installment of Selling Asheville.

The TDA’s budget has mushroomed in the past five years. With 42% more for tourism promotion this year compared with 2019, spending has soared on travel, amenities, marketing and staff. Salary expenses are up 50%.

TDA President and CEO Vic Isley is the second-highest-paid tourism executive among the top 10 markets in North Carolina with compensation of up to $456,000 this year. She receives a $300,000 base salary, an incentive bonus of up to $90,000 and an executive retirement contribution of $60,000 that increases $20,000 each of the next two years.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO makes more, receiving a base salary of $430,927 and a recent incentive bonus of $119,211, but the job also involves managing venues including the Charlotte Convention Center, Bojangles Coliseum and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The Buncombe TDA initially declined to provide the salaries of its other 34 positions, saying those are employees of Explore Asheville, a type of nonprofit exempt from public records. But after Buncombe County released salary information to The Watchdog in response to a public records request, the TDA did, too,

saying it had changed course “after further consideration and review.”

The second-highest-paid position behind Isley is a senior vice president at $191,000 annually. Five other executives are paid $101,000 to $140,500 each and the other staffers earn less than $100,000 with nearly half at $45,000 to $65,000, according to the TDA. RAFTING, MASSAGES, FOOD TOURS FOR INFLUENCERS The TDA is required to report expenditures to Buncombe County.

The Watchdog obtained five years of TDA budgets and three years of expenses through public records requests to the county. The TDA provided receipts and supporting documentation for expenses requested by The Watchdog.

The largest spending category is marketing with $19.5 million budgeted this year, including for paid ads, sponsorships and promotions targeting travelers in strategic markets, primarily in the Southeast and in cities with flights to Asheville. The TDA pays an ad agency $1.7 million a year, according to the budget.

The February tasting event that involved shipping Asheville-made chocolates, wine, popcorn, cheese and other products was part of a “D.C. Roadshow.” Explore Asheville participated in a “multisensory tasting event, What Does Music Taste Like?” and hosted a “paint ‘n sip” event for 20 BIPOC creators and influencers led by Jenny Pickens, an Asheville-area artist. Expenses for the events included $1,500 for a DJ, $722 for “pencil bags” and art supplies, and $419 for cocktail napkins.

Both events showcased “Asheville’s creative spirit,” one of the TDA’s “strategic imperatives.”

Two dozen meeting planners and 30 “media and industry influencers” attended the tasting event, including representatives of CNBC, Forbes, Thrillest, El Tiempo Latino and NBC Washington, said Cass Herrington, an Explore Asheville spokeswoman. The painting event was for 36 members of NOMADNESS Travel Tribe, a network of Black, indigenous, people of color travel writers and influencers that generated 123 Instagram posts and stories mentioning Asheville that reached an audience of about “63 million diverse followers,” Herrington said.

Over the past four years, the TDA has budgeted $620,000 for digital influencers, who are paid based on the size of their following to promote

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N EWS brands and products on their social media channels.

Explore Asheville paid photographer Chris Burkard, who is based in Pismo Beach, Calif., and has 3.9 million Instagram followers, $75,000 to produce social media posts that “promote Asheville’s outdoor economy,” Herrington said. Burkard’s contract called for specific types and numbers of posts aligned “with Explore Asheville messaging” but presented “in a way that is organic to Chris’ voice and style.”

The tourism agency paid expenses of more than $19,000 for Burkard and two producers to visit Asheville in May, including a business-class plane ticket, $2,437 for accommodations at the Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins, $1,005 for two days of guided fly-fishing, $440 for “canyoneering,” an adventure sport involving hiking, boulder-hopping and rappelling, $455 for a mountain bike adventure tour and $177 for a rafting trip.

In one Instagram post July 3, Burkard wrote, “Some places just make you want to be in nature all the time … as if the town is just an extension of the outdoors, there’s a trail for everyone and the community centers sports like fly-fishing, mountain bik-

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ing, and river rafting to name a few. ... Nothing like southern hospitality, incredible bbq, and good people to show us around for the week. @visitasheville #exploreasheville” Burkard published three reels and 18 stories on Instagram, reaching more than 1 million accounts, Herrington said.

Explore Asheville paid travel blogger Allison Anderson $20,000 plus expenses to promote wellness and Asheville as a winter “getaway retreat.” Costs for her January 2022 visit included a $296 dinner at Posana, $242 for a visit to the Asheville Salt Cave, $180 for candle making, $90 for a massage, $75 for “forest bathing,” $75 for a “sound healing session” and $44 for a yoga session.

Anderson, whose YouTube channel has 876,000 subscribers, blogged about her trip and recommended the experiences she received as part of her “what to do” in Asheville list.

“Asheville is the perfect place to find wellness, great food, and scenery, and I got to spend a week soaking it in thanks to Explore Asheville,” she wrote.

Anderson produced social media posts and a video that garnered

4,300 likes and 373 comments, Herrington said.

Neither Anderson nor Burkard responded to requests for comment.

Paying for promotional posts is common in the world of digital influencers, an increasingly popular form of marketing that is “pretty standard” among tourism agencies, said Borden of Destinations International.

“Destinations and brands are able to branch out into audiences that they normally can’t reach through traditional means, like TV, radio, print publications,” he said.

The amenities Explore Asheville provided to travel blogger Ashlee Major Moss of London, whose Instagram account has 159,000 followers, included a $268 personal chef experience, a $203 rooftop tour and “Red Wine & Chocolate Tour at Biltmore,” a $190 “Shoji Spa experience” with a $36 “bottle service addon” and two Visa gift cards costing $424, records show.

Explore Asheville paid $311 for local food blogger Stu Helm to take Moss and a companion on a food tour. “We got an insane amount of amazing food at 10 different stops (a typical food tour has between 6 and 8 stops!)” Helm wrote. “We had breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and dessert in about 3 1/2 hours from Baba Nahm, Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken, Huli Sue’s BBQ, The Rhu, Manicomio, White Duck Taco Shop, Sovereign Remedies, Zambra, Rhubarb, and Cultivated Cocktails.”

Moss posted TikTok videos and the “Ultimate Guide to Asheville” on her website with recommendations for many of the places she visited.

She did not respond to a request for comment.

Helm questioned the value of Explore Asheville footing the bill for Moss’ trip. “I don’t know that there’s much, to be honest,” he told The Watchdog.

The Londoner had “some pretty big numbers” for followers, Helm said. “I don’t know how I would gauge how effective that was. It’s not like they had a lot of people with English accents looking like tourists or anything after that.” $2,238 DINNER AT CURATE, PLANNERS HIT THE TOWN Another marketing target is professional travel planners who book group events. Explore Asheville’s business development budget of $2 million includes sending sales teams to travel trade shows and conventions. This year’s travel schedule lists more than 50 events, including four in November in Punta Cana,

the shirts are “team uniforms for representing our community at events, trade shows and conferences.”

• $2,000 for Billie Jean King Cup tennis tournament gift bags.

• $13,199 in gift cards for “milestone anniversaries” and for staff, journalists, models and others.

• $712 for 300 “bottles of blended oils” as giveaways at a trade show.

• $706 for 60 bags of Grind AVL coffee for an event in New York.

• $575 in “wine for client gifts.”

PAYING FOR PUBLICITY

SHIRT ON THEIR BACKS: Explore Asheville paid $250 each for custom denim shirts for staff, as shown in this recent Facebook post. Photo courtesy of Explore Asheville the Dominican Republic, Monterey, Calif., Shreveport, La., and Chicago.

Meetings and conference planners also come to Asheville on Explore Asheville’s dime for 48-hour “Familiarization” or FAM visits.

“Two full days will be dedicated to exploring Asheville as a meeting destination — at no cost to you!” a website description says.

The itinerary for a November 2022 visit included an opening reception at a rooftop bar, breakfast at the Biltmore, lunches at the Kimpton Hotel Arras and the Omni Grove Park Inn, drinks at the Foundry Hotel, and dinners at the Market Place, Posana and the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Options for afternoon activities included golf at the Grove Park Inn, a visit to the Asheville Salt Cave and walking or bike tours.

About 20 planners attend each event. “This initiative has been very successful in acquainting buyers with Asheville as a meeting destination and every meeting property in the area benefits with the overall increased exposure,” a group sales report says.

Explore Asheville has budgeted $150,000 this year for three 48-hour events. Receipts for one in August include $2,238 for an opening dinner at Curate; $1,079 for “cookbook/amenities/gift bag for opening dinner;” $2,828 for transportation; $2,070 for catering; $1,024 for an e-bike tour of the River Arts District; and $4,275 for spa appointments at the Grove Park Inn plus $350 in tips.

The $4,110 dinner at the Market Place in March, which included $1,357 for wine and liquor, was the closing event of a 48-hour FAM tour.

“As a result of hosting this event, Explore Asheville has confirmed five events that will be held in Asheville that will generate $460,200 in direct spending for local businesses and another three tentative groups that have the potential to generate $126,375 direct spending for our community,” said Herrington, the Explore Asheville spokeswoman.

FAM tours are “a standard practice of destination marketing organizations,” she said.

GIVEAWAYS: MUGS, TUMBLERS, BLENDED OILS Explore Asheville has purchased thousands of dollars in merchandise and gifts to give away in the past three years, including: • $3,500 in branded bags from ENO for “client giveaways and tradeshows.”

• $750 for branded magnets as welcome gifts.

• $4,820 in gifts for VIPs of the Southern Conference basketball championships.

• $818 for apparel and items for the 2022 U.S. Open, where Explore Asheville paid $1.3 million to be a sponsor. The expense included Asheville branded T-shirts and hats for “US Open street giveaway team.”

• $12,175 for engraved tumblers.

• $3,906 for East Fork mugs.

• $2,364 for 30 client Christmas gifts.

• $4,280 for 16 custom denim, Western-style shirts at a cost of $250 each. Herrington said

The recipients of some of that largesse include journalists. Many news outlets, including The Watchdog, have strict policies against reporters or editors accepting anything of value from a source or potential source to ensure stories are not unduly influenced.

Explore Asheville has not only pitched stories to travel journalists but paid for their stays in Asheville, including amenities such as spa treatments and meals. The agency has given journalists Visa gift cards, receipts show.

Explore Asheville makes no secret about its goal to generate buzz and publicity.

“National media brand consolidations have left editors with small staffs and little time to research stories,” a TDA annual report noted.

“Explore Asheville’s PR team leverages longstanding media relationships through a constant flow of proactive outreach. ... The team uses marketplace and networking events to pitch media one-on-one and facilitates immersive research trips for writers, photographers and influencers.”

The arrangement creates objectivity problems for the writer and trust issues for the reader, said Kelly McBride, senior vice president and chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Florida-based Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

“Travel journalism is fraught with these kinds of conflicts of interests,” McBride said. “There are very few publications that are truly willing to pay their own freight, so it’s absolutely common for travel writers to get freebies.”

Readers can evaluate the credibility of travel stories and “best of” lists, she said.

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N EWS “The ethical publications disclose what they get for free and what policies they have in place to protect their independence and credibility.

I always look for those disclosures,” McBride said. “If I don’t see them, I assume that the writer had agreed to do a story that would make the hotel or the city or the theme park happy in exchange for the free stuff.”

Borden of Destinations International said that paying travel journalists is “something that the industry honestly has struggled with over recent years. There are some journalists who do not accept gifts, and they’ll tell you upfront,” he said, but many who work for travel and trade publications are freelance journalists who “write for a multitude of publications.”

“A lot of consumers understand that it can be in some instances, a pay-to-play situation,” Borden said.

“That’s why now you’ll see destinations that will use digital influencers because ‘Yeah, I am paying for them to write the story,’ but they’ve experienced it, and now they’re going to tell you what their experience is from their own perspective, which has some trustworthiness to it.

“Yes,” Borden said, “the destination brought them in, but at least it’s upfront.” $80 MILLION IN COMMUNITY PROJECTS The promotional expenses come from the portion of the TDA’s budget requiring two-thirds of the occupancy tax collections to be spent to further travel and tourism.

The remaining one-third goes to major capital projects that “increase patronage of lodging facilities” and promote economic development. The Tourism Product Development Fund has funded about 45 community projects totaling more than $80 million, including improvements to Pack

BIG SPENDERS: The TDA’s budget has mushroomed in the past five years.

With 42% more for tourism promotion this year compared with 2019, spending has soared on travel, amenities, marketing and staff. Salary expenses are up 50%. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Square Park, Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville and Asheville Community Theater.

This year’s award of nearly $23 million over several years to upgrade McCormick Field is the largest yet and will allow year-round events at the City of Asheville-owned facility.

It also allows the Asheville Tourists, who warned they would have to leave town if the stadium was not brought up to new Major League Baseball standards, to remain in Asheville.

As a result of a change in Buncombe’s occupancy tax law last

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year, half of the one-third required for capital projects now goes into a Legacy Investment from Tourism fund for projects that also “benefit the community at large.” The TDA will have more flexibility to spend the money to include maintenance, restoration, “enhancement of natural resources or expansion of necessary infrastructure.”

MTV STARS, VIP RIDES The TDA has adopted strategies for “charting a new course for tourism aligned with broader community priorities.” They include “balancing resident and visitor needs,” encouraging tourists to respect and preserve natural resources, and attracting more diversity in travelers.

Explore Asheville sponsored the Skyview Golf Tournament, the longest-running Black-owned tournament in the U.S., held at the Asheville Municipal Golf course in July, and brought in three stars from MTV’s “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta”: hip-hop artist Lil Scrappy, rapper Yung Joc and entertainment manager Mendeecees Harris.

The tourism agency spent $88,720 on the golf tournament, including

$3,588 for flights for the stars, two talent managers and an influencer; $25,000 to the stars; $300 for a golf lesson at the Omni Grove Park Inn; and $360 for Harris’ visit to Still Point Wellness massage and saltwater flotation spa, records show.

The three celebrities agreed to play in the tournament and promote it on social media. Lil Scrappy received $8,500. A “hospitality rider” in his contract required Explore Asheville to provide him with bottles of tequila, cognac and sparkling wine, a fruit tray and chicken wings.

Yung Joc received $10,000 and stipulated that his drinks should be “ready and in assigned VIP area when artist arrives to the venue.

Artist’s security will inspect VIP area before artist arrives.”

Mendeecees Harris received $6,500. Explore Asheville agreed to provide the stars with firstclass airline tickets, security and ground transportation.

Explore Asheville also contracted with content creators Kimberly Barnes and Garrison Hayes “to produce deeper storytelling on Black history and travel to their 502K combined followers on Instagram and TikTok,” spokeswoman Herrington said. Garrison also produced a video about E.W. Pearson, the first president of the Asheville branch of the NAACP. A TDA report described the golf tournament support as “a multifaceted approach to engage and invite more diverse audiences and connect them with the community.”

Explore Asheville promoted “Skyview to a new generation resulting in significant placement in national media outlets, including Golf Digest and Black Wall Street Times,” Herrington said. “Content created before, during and after the event reached an estimated audience of 73.6M with 338K engagements.”

Staff writer John Maines contributed to this report.

Asheville Watchdog gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Lawyers for Reporters, a project of the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice providing pro bono legal assistance to local and mission-driven journalism organizations in the United States.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County.

Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prizewinning investigative reporter. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org. As a free, nonprofit, volunteer-run news team, The Watchdog’s in-depth coverage of local issues depends on support from the community. Please donate. X

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Q&A

Exit Interview

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com In 1983, fresh out of UNC School of Law in Chapel Hill, Jim Barrett arrived in Asheville for a fellowship at Pisgah Legal Services. The 5-yearold legal aid organization served six counties in Western North Carolina.

After the fellowship, Pisgah Legal offered Barrett a job. He’s been there ever since, doing stints as a community development and housing attorney before becoming executive director of Pisgah Legal in 1993.

When Barrett retires this summer, he will have put in 40 years at the nonprofit, seeing it expand to 15 programs — including immigration law, elder law and health care — and covering 18 counties. Speaking with Xpress at Pisgah Legal Services’ offices on Charlotte Street, he attributes the nonprofit’s success to a perfect alchemy: 39 staff lawyers, 250 pro bono lawyers and dozens of volunteers.

Barrett spoke with Xpress about how he has avoided burnout, his advice to young lawyers and North Carolina’s problem with “legal deserts.”

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

Looking back on your 40-year career, is there a program you are the most proud of?

Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jim Barrett reflects on 40-year career

I’m overall proud of our track record and the ability to expand to more counties. The counties that surround Buncombe, many of them don’t have very many lawyers. If they ever had more than a handful [of lawyers], they are down to a handful now, and a lot of the lawyers in those smaller counties are older. In North Carolina, we have 40-some counties that are considered “legal deserts” because they don’t have enough lawyers. [By definition, one attorney per 1,000 residents.] That’s not great for society or democracy, in my opinion.

So if we can have a couple of lawyers in Burnsville, that makes a lot of difference.

What is an issue that Pisgah Legal has focused on that some people may not be aware of?

Helping people get their driver’s licenses back. I’m told there are a million people in North Carolina who don’t have their driver’s licenses. Say you got a ticket in Eastern North Carolina when you went to the beach and you didn’t go to court because you didn’t have the $200 fine. The penalty for not appearing is they take your license away. You have to deal with the bureaucracy of DMV to get your license back. But maybe you’re caught driving without a license before you do that. And you get another fine.

LUCKY JIM: “It’s unusual that you get a job that is so fulfilling,” says Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jim Barrett, who is retiring from the nonprofit after 40 years.

“I feel grateful for that.” Photo by Jessica Wakeman How has Pisgah Legal’s focus changed over the years?

Ten years ago, we didn’t help people get health insurance in the same way we do now. And four years ago,

Fall

Nonprofit Feature

we didn’t help people with their tax returns. But we realized our clients — below $20,000 in income most of the time — don’t have to file tax returns, so they’re missing the child tax credit. They’re missing their earned income tax credit. Sometimes they’re missing the Affordable Care Act tax credit. If you don’t file tax returns, you wouldn’t know [about those opportunities].

It sounds like Pisgah Legal has had to be adaptive to whichever legal issues are facing low-income people at the moment.

We’ve had to adapt to what we could get funding for. During the Great Recession, we had funding to stop foreclosures because there were so many foreclosures. It was trendy with foundations and the government to fund things that would cause you to not lose your home. And that money went away. In the [COVID-19] pandemic, other money came available — the American Rescue Plan Act money. So that helped us until it ran out.

Pisgah Legal works with a lot of clients dealing with tough situations: survivors of domestic violence, people who are struggling to get health care, more recently Afghans who fled the country after the Taliban took control. How have you prevented burnout?

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Meeting the needs of individuals with autism Caroline Long Tindall is CEO of St. Gerard House. The nonprofit provides services to community members with autism as well as their families.

Xpress: What was the organization’s greatest success in 2023?

Long Tindall: The pandemic left every organization in dire straits for workers, and St. Gerard House was no exception. For a couple of years, we were short-staffed, which impeded our ability to help more families. After several intentional efforts to retain great staff, and recruit and train new behavior technicians, we are finally fully staffed. This allowed us to fill vacant client spots and start moving families off the waiting list for services.

What are current challenges your organization faces?

Cash flow, reimbursement rates, staff retention, increasing capacity to meet the ever-growing need, space restraints, only 24 hours in a day — a growing nonprofit is never short on challenges! I would say capacity is our greatest challenge, and the others I mentioned are interfering with growth. The number of WNC families seeking autism services continues to grow at an alarming rate. We need more resources.

What is the most rewarding part of the work you do to help individuals with autism and their families?

Our mission is to help individuals with autism and their families experience more joy and achieve meaningful life outcomes. This work CAROLINE LONG is such a blessing for us. We get to see kids talk for the first time, make friends and crack jokes for the first time. We get to see kids stop TINDALL tantruming because they have new communication tools. Families can meet others and not feel so alone on their autism journey. Young Photo courtesy of St. adults are becoming part of their community and giving back — the community is getting to know how valuable individuals with autism Gerard House are. All of our lives are enriched.

What new initiatives are planned for 2024?

We are still on a quest for a new campus to house our early behavior intervention (ages 3-7) and our day programs (ages 8-21), as well as more space for our Feed the Need (young adult) program. All of our programs have successful outcomes in line with national research and the quality and integrity of our clinical model is unmatched; we just need to reach more families. X

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Not being on the front lines [as a lawyer] after the first 10 years made it somewhat easier to avoid burnout, because I wasn’t hearing the difficult stories firsthand. On the other hand, I had to adjust to getting my job satisfaction vicariously through other people’s success and their good work.

We help thousands of people every year, so that’s its own reward.

And although it’s always a struggle to get the funding to keep doing it, it’s like a giant puzzle to come up with that funding every year.

There’s some satisfaction in being able to serve more people the longer you do it.

I have also tried to pace myself and not try to work 50-60 hours a week. I now average about 45 [hours a week].

Some people flame out by working superlong hours.

Tell me more about how helping people has been its own reward.

I’ve always felt like I was called to do this [work] and committed to it, but the forces of poverty are out of your control. You’re effecting as much change as you can and trying to be as broad in the services as possible. At the same time, you’re always up against the fact that the people with the money don’t appreciate the value of what we do.

The politicians don’t understand how much money we’re saving them.

They don’t understand how much more expensive it would be if we weren’t getting people out of domestic violence, if we weren’t preventing people from being homeless, if we weren’t helping people get off

the streets by getting them disability income.

I guess I’m just stubborn. My mother calls it stubborn — I’d rather stay persistent. [laughs] Perseverant. Because in the end, I was lucky to be paid to do something that was fulfilling, whether I was a staff attorney or executive director. A lot of people don’t get that kind of job. It’s unusual that you get a job that is so fulfilling. I feel grateful for that.

So what are your plans for retirement?

I don’t have a second career in mind. … I have not been able to be active in political things since I’ve been director. I don’t have any desire to run for office, but I would like to volunteer in election work. That was one reason why I [planned to] stop working the first of August.

I like to garden, so I will look forward to doing that more effectively.

Sometimes I miss the season because I’m so busy.

What advice would you give to a young lawyer?

I had a mentor growing up, the father of a friend of mine. We were riding to a football game and he said, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And I said, “Well, I think I might want to be a lawyer.

But there’s so many lawyers. I don’t know if the world needs another lawyer.” He said, “There’s not enough good ones.”

So the advice is, if you want to be a good public servant, the law is a great place to do it. Because there’s always room for another good one. X

His life is in your hands

Gus wouldn't have stood a chance without the around-the-clock care he received at our Nursery. And he's not the only one.

More than 70% of the kittens we help each year are under a week old or severely injured or ill when they arrive!

Be his hero today.

Donations MATCHED up to $25,000 through December 31st kittenalliance.org •

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2023

specialty shops issue Publishes December 6

advertise@mountainx.com MOUNTAINX.COM

NOV. 15-21, 2023

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GREEN ROUNDUP

Section of Blue Ridge Parkway closed due to human-bear interactions After several reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear in recent weeks at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook, officials closed the Blue Ridge Parkway from milepost 367.6 near the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road until further notice. Park visitors can access the Craggy Gardens recreational area via N.C. 80 from the north; however, until the road reopens, the visitor center at milepost 364.5 will remain closed.

“When people attract bears and begin to interact with them, it can be very dangerous. We are hoping that by closing the area, it will give the chance for the bear to lose interest and leave so that no harm comes to visitors or our natural wildlife,” says Blue Ridge Parkway coordinator Leesa Brandon.

While seeing bears in this section of the parkway is not uncommon, Brandon says the number of reports they received for the recent interactions is unusual.

“Multiple reports of human and bear interactions is not common,” says Brandon. “The circumstances of this situation — a smaller bear and the high level of traffic in October at this particularly popular location — contributed to the decision to close this section of the parkway. Typically where there is a smaller, younger bear, there is also a full-grown mother bear that is protective of her cubs.”

While federal law prohibits feeding or approaching within 150 feet

of a bear, with penalties ranging from a $100 fine to six months’ imprisonment, none of the reported visitors have been cited. Brandon says they are “receiving secondhand information after the interaction, which makes it difficult to pursue visitors who may have been involved in these activities.”

Brandon encourages visitors and neighbors to keep food out of sight and follow the safety tips from BearWise, a national educational program used by the N.C. Wildlife Commission. For guidelines on how to handle black bear encounters, visit the BearWise website at avl.mx/d62.

If anyone encounters a bear while on the parkway, call parkway dispatch at 828-298-2491 or stop at a visitor center to report the encounter.

Good to know • The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources honored 72 water treatment plants for surpassing federal and state drinking water standards in 2022. The Ivy River water treatment plant in Weaverville received the “gold star” honor, which is an award for systems that have received the N.C. Area Wide Optimization Award for 10 or more consecutive years.

• The Blue Horizons Project, a program of the nonprofit Green

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL

FATHER AND SON

Home Improvement Billy & Neal Moxley

100 Edwin Place, AVL, NC 28801 | Billy: (828) 776-2391 | Neal: (828) 776-1674 24

NOV. 15-21, 2023

MOUNTAINX.COM

OFFER EXPIRES 12/31/2023

CLOSED FOR BEARS: The Craggy Gardens visitor center is closed until further notice due to an increase in human-bear interactions. Photo courtesy of the Blue Ridge Parkway Built Alliance, announced the release of its Strategic Plan for Transitioning Buncombe County to 100% Renewable Energy by 2042. The plan defines the community’s current energy use and details how Buncombe County can achieve its clean energy goals for increasing cost savings, cleaner air and water, workforce development and climate resiliency.

The full plan can be found at avl.mx/d64.

• GreenWorks is hosting its final Hard 2 Recycle cleanup event on Saturday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Locals are encouraged to bring recyclables, including electronics, books and Styrofoam, for proper disposal. More information regarding what can be recycled, as well as information for those interested in volunteering, can be found at avl.mx/d5g.

Money moves • The Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western

North Carolina awarded 10 grants totaling $285,190 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways, and increase water-quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties. More information can be found at avl.mx/d63.

• Conserving Carolina purchased 21 acres of mountain land on the north side of Lake Lure as a potential addition to Buffalo Creek Park and the site of a future trail in the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail system. This property is part of the land needed to link the Weed Patch Mountain Trail with the Youngs Mountain Trail.

• The N.C. Land and Water Fund awarded the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy $4.37 million for its Deaverview Mountain project, getting the project nearly halfway to its $8.8 million funding goal.

The funds will be used to conserve Deaverview Mountain by turning

the 343-acre mountaintop into a public park.

• The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy recently assisted the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in purchasing 67 acres in Madison County to add to the Sandy Mush Game Lands. Formerly used for farming, the tract contains open and forested areas and will provide a connection to the public game lands from the Madison County side.

• RiverLink has partnered with Darby Communications to generate momentum for RiverLink’s Reduce Rain Runoff campaign, centered around stormwater education and promoting action in the greater French Broad region to reduce stormwater and runoff pollution. The campaign was made possible through a $50,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and a $10,000 grant from Duke Energy Foundation.

WINTER spirit issue

Publishes December 13th For advertising, contact 828-251-1333 x 1 advertise@mountainx.com

— Chase Davis X MOUNTAINX.COM

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WANT THE FACTS?

Housing vouchers and assistance programs Finding affordable housing has become a formidable challenge for many Asheville residents. However, housing vouchers can bring rent down to a manageable amount.

In the latest edition of Xpress’ WTF feature – short for “Want the Facts?”

– we explore the application process and eligibility requirements for housing vouchers and other forms of housing assistance.

WHAT ARE HOUSING VOUCHERS? The Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly known as Section 8, is a federally funded program intended to help low-income individuals and families afford safe, comfortable and affordable housing. In Asheville, the program is administered by the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville. There are two types of vouch-

er assistance: project-based vouchers and tenant-based vouchers. In short, that means people can choose to live in subsidized housing, using the project-based voucher, or use the tenant voucher toward rent for an individual apartment or house that meets program requirements.

Project-based vouchers cap rent and utilities at 30% of a tenant’s income if it is under a certain amount. Any rent portion not covered is paid for by the program. With tenant-based vouchers, families earning less than half of the area median income can rent in the private market. Like the project-based vouchers, rent and utilities are capped at 30%-40% of their incomes.

ELIGIBILITY Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined by the Housing Authority, based on the total annual gross income

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and family size. Aid is limited to U.S. citizens and those with eligible immigration status. By law, the Housing Authority must provide 75% of its voucher to applicants whose incomes are less than 30% of the area median income.

In the Asheville area, the median income for a family of four is $42,500 a year, and for individuals it is less than $29,750 yearly.

HOW TO APPLY FOR A HOUSING VOUCHER • Fill out an application at the Housing Authority for the City of Asheville.

It will ask for identification documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards and photo IDs for all members of the household.

Proof of income, such as pay stubs or tax returns, is also necessary.

Additionally, applicants must provide information regarding their rental history and any outstanding debts.

• Once an application is completed, qualified applicants are placed on a waiting list according to the date and

time of their application and given local preference for which they may qualify. However, the waiting list is up to three years.

• When next in line, applicants will be scheduled for an interview with the Housing Authority to verify eligibility.

• If approved, the Housing Authority will inspect the rental unit to make sure it meets basic safety and health requirements.

Upon approval, the applicant will be issued a housing voucher. This voucher can be used to rent a suitable unit in the private market or to live in a subsidized unit, depending on the type of assistance granted.

OTHER HOUSING RESOURCES Emergency funds are available for families through Eblen Charities, a local nonprofit. It provides emergency assistance to families who are in financial crisis due to unusual circumstances. Depending on eligibility, Eblen may help pay past-due power, gas, water, rent or mortgage bills. Additionally, Elben will help cover rent deposits for those who are currently homeless or deposits for those living in a home without electricity. The programs are for those with a child in the home under age 18. More information and the application can be found at avl.mx/d2u.

Buncombe County also has a grant program for outstanding tax, mortgage or insurance bills. To be eligible, residents must have owned their primary residence for at least five years, earn less than 80% of the area median income and not have more than $60,000 in reserve. For more information, contact the Buncombe County Health and Human Services at 828-250-5500.

— Chase Davis X 26

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BUNCOMBE BEAT

Fire conditions as dangerous as 2016, Buncombe officials say

ON FIRE: The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners listens to an update on the county’s state of emergency due to dry conditions and multiple active WNC fires that are stretching resources thin. Photo by Greg Parlier Seven years to the week after the Party Rock fire roared through the mountains near Lake Lure, officials said the region is as dry and vulnerable to major burns as it was in 2016. In fact, four fires were already burning in Western North Carolina Nov. 7, and a state of emergency has been issued in Buncombe County banning all outdoor burning, including in fire pits, camp fires, tiki torches and chimineas.

Ryan Cole, emergency services assistant director for Buncombe County, told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Nov. 7 that conditions now remind him of what fueled the blaze that burned more than 7,000 acres in three weeks near the Buncombe-Henderson county line.

“In [my] opinion, we are about the same dryness as we were, if not more than in 2016,” he warned. That was also the year of devastating fires in Gatlinburg, Tenn.

That dryness, plus low atmospheric humidity, unstable wind conditions, multiple fires in the region depleting local resources and a forecast without significant rainfall projections have combined to prompt the current state of emergency.

Gov. Roy Cooper also issued a statewide state of emergency due to the fire-prone conditions Nov. 8.

A fire in DuPont State Forest was 100% contained Nov. 10, and a Jackson County fire was 95% contained going into the weekend where 28

NOV. 15-21, 2023

the region saw limited rainfall. Fires in Henderson and Cherokee counties continued to burn as of Nov. 13.

A small brush fire off Deaverview Road in Asheville sparked earlier this month but was quickly contained with limited damage.

The 2016 Party Rock fire, which was ultimately found to be started by a cigarette tossed out by a 17-yearold, caused more than 1,000 people to be evacuated from their homes in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock areas.

“We had many homes that had to be protected by going in and doing

abatement and clearing out and creating defensible spaces around those homes because they were not prepared, which took extensive time and slowed down our response,” remembered Cole.

That can be avoided this year if homeowners take some precautions now, he said.

Residents in both urban and rural settings should clear up to 100 feet from their homes of dry leaf litter, dead plant material or anything else that might be highly flammable, Cole said. Additionally, residents should

clean out their gutters because a spark can light leaves on fire and help a blaze spread, even if they are off the ground, he said.

“The most important thing that we can do is ensure that the public is able to help us protect them through preparing their homes and having them ready for wildfire,” he said.

Buncombe’s state of emergency will last until risk factors recede, which will require significant rainfall that is not in the forecast, Cole said.

Meanwhile, the N.C. Forest Service has canceled all burn permits and has an open burning ban in place for most WNC counties, including Buncombe, Haywood and Yancey.

Jails diversion program having success

BURN BAN: Ryan Cole, Buncombe’s assistant emergency services director, explains why the county may be as susceptible to a fire disaster as it was in 2016, the year of the Party Rock fire. Photo by Greg Parlier

MOUNTAINX.COM

Buncombe County is making progress toward its goal to reduce repeat bookings into the jail, Tiffany Iheanacho, director of Buncombe’s justice services department, reported to commissioners Nov. 7.

The department’s community diversion program, which received a $1.1 million grant in October from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, has seen a 39% reduction in repeat bookings within the three months after people were enrolled in the program, Iheanacho said.

Strategies included connecting participants recently released from jail who have a risk of re-incarceration based on housing, mental health or substance abuse issues to community resources. The program lines up services such as treatment at the Mountain Area Health Education Center, a cellphone, bus tickets, hygiene products or basic clothing, according to Iheanacho’s presentation.

A challenge for the program is that many people are in jail because they didn’t show up for their court proceedings. Of the jail’s 430 inmates Oct. 30, 55 — 13% — were booked because they didn’t appear in court, Iheanacho said.

Commissioner Jasmine BeachFerrara used as an example someone who is arrested for a low-level misdemeanor, is charged a fine and released, but if they miss their court date, they could get arrested again for a failure to appear in court, leading to more fines and a vicious cycle.

“I’m just trying to understand how this cycle fits into our broader community efforts to safely reduce the jail population and intervene in that cycle and break that cycle with our jail diversion program. That seems to be exactly the cycle we’re trying to break with our diversion efforts,” she said.

The department is working on lowering the amount of failures to appear via a court reminder system and a court navigator, who greets visitors in the courthouse lobby, but there’s clearly more work to do, Iheanacho acknowledged.

Commissioners praised the department’s work, but Commissioner Parker Sloan questioned whether Asheville Police Department’s recent crime sweeps conflict with the county’s goals. APD conducted at least two special operations last month arresting 111 people, mostly for low-level crimes such as panhandling and trespassing.

While Iheanacho said that anecdotally, many of those recent arrests were for crimes that didn’t require jail time, she would have to take a closer

look at the recent data to determine the impact of the sweeps.

Commissioner Martin Moore said the interventions are making progress toward reducing recidivism, but progress is disrupted at each stage because not all local agencies are working toward the same goal, costing the county more money for more interventions.

“How do we capture where that breakdown is? Do we have a city contemporary we can speak with so we’re all walking in the same direction? Because it feels like three steps forward, two steps back, and we’re going to bankroll the next three steps forward as well,” he said.

Beach-Ferrara echoed Moore’s frustrations.

“The problem that we are facing is that we have a law enforcement agency that is deploying a strategy to arrest precisely the individuals we are deploying all these strategies to try to keep out of jail for many reasons including efficient use of public resources. I think there’s an inherent tension there,” she said, referring to APD. County Manager Avril Pinder suggested commissioners take the conversation to the Justice Resources Advisory Council, a collaboration between county leadership and representatives from criminal justice and the court system to discuss how to get all jurisdictions on the same page.

Commissioner Amanda Edwards wondered what happens if the city won’t come to the table, or if they don’t agree when they get there.

“What if they’re not on board with supporting the direction of the county?

How do we continue moving forward with our goals of what we believe is best when said partners aren’t on board?”

Commissioner Al Whitesides laid his thoughts out plainly. “[The City of Asheville] continues to be the roadblock. It’s frustrating as heck.”

REAL ESTATE INVESTOR’S SUMMIT! April 20 & 21, 2024

— Greg Parlier X

Learn from Local Experts Connect & Grow your Business CREIANC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education & networking opportunities to real estate investors of all levels.

For more information, please visit creianc.org MOUNTAINX.COM

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Give thanks

NE W S

ENVIRONMENTAL BEAT

...and have fun doing it!

GIVING STARTS NOW

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French Broad River stakeholders celebrate successes, discuss its future Five years into its work connecting governments, nonprofits, business leaders and other stakeholders to maintain and improve the health of the region’s largest river, the French Broad River Partnership hosted its largest annual meeting yet at A-B Tech on Nov. 8.

More than 200 river rats, advocates, conservationists and economic stakeholders from a seven-county region filled Ferguson Auditorium to celebrate their successes and discuss ways to continue cleaning up one of the world’s oldest waterways to maximize its environmental and economic sway.

“We’ve come a long way and there’s still far to go. Today is a wonderful moment to reflect and showcase all that we have accomplished so far. It’s also an important moment that will inspire our next chapter,” said Jane Margaret Bell, chair of the

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partnership’s steering committee, in opening remarks.

Two themes ran through three panels over three hours — the ecological health of the river and its status as an economic engine.

Illustrating the latter, a 2021 economic impact study showed the river draws 6.9 million visitors to the region annually, bringing $3.8 billion to the region. The Upper French Broad watershed in North Carolina includes Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, Madison, Haywood, Yancey and Mitchell counties, home to more than 500,000 people, according to the 2020 census.

As for the condition of the river itself, a 19-mile section of the river earned a spot on the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s impaired list in 2022 due to an overabundance of bacteria, including fecal coliform bacte-

ria, found in human and animal feces. River defenders urge farmers to keep livestock out of the river, builders to devise ways to divert stormwater runoff and homeowners to seek funding to repair aging septic systems.

Water pollution In an illustration of the French Broad River’s long history with pollution, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said longtime river advocate and Xpress columnist Jerry Sternberg helped her understand how polluted the river was in the former industrial area now known as the River Arts District. From car parts to batteries, the Asheville section of the river was rife with toxic trash as recently as 10 years ago before the city began revitalization of the area, she said.

RIVER HEALTH: State Sen. Julie Mayfield describes the financial role the N.C. General Assembly can play in helping to fund programs geared toward cleaning up the French Broad River at the annual meeting of the French Broad River Partnership Nov. 8. Also pictured, from left, are Henderson County Manager John Mitchell, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. Photo by Paul King A few miles west in Haywood County, Canton has the potential to dramatically improve the health of the Pigeon River, a major tributary of the French Broad that flows through the center of town. Canton’s paper mill, Pactiv Evergreen, closed this summer after more than a century in operation, leaving the town smelling better and the river looking cleaner by all accounts.

“The Pigeon River, since the closure of the plant, has already rebounded tremendously,” said Julie Mayfield, state senator and senior policy advisor for MountainTrue.

More fish species have returned, and the water is cold and clear when it used to be dark and warm, she said, adding that the recovery came “a lot faster than anybody thought.”

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers called revitalizing his town with the Pigeon River at the forefront a “mill town moonshot.”

“We get to do something that will determine the future economically, environmentally and culturally for the whole region. We get to do that.

And we have to do it in a way that brings the very best innovation,” he said.

In one of the most touching moments of the event, Smathers recounted a story from the day the mill closed, eliminating 1,100 jobs in his small mill town.

He dropped off his 3-1/2-year-old son at preschool the morning of the closure, and as he looked out over his town, he realized the gravity of the moment from his son’s perspective.

“He will not remember the mill, he will not remember the workers, he

will not remember the odor. But he will remember and judge us on what all of us do with the moment. If we capture the moment and do something that is amazing and respectful to the world around us and the people that occupy these mountains now and the ones that are coming, he will understand we met that moment,” Smathers said to applause.

The panel turned to Mayfield for insight into what assistance advocates could get from the N.C. General Assembly.

“If you’re looking for good policy on protecting water quality, don’t look to Raleigh. That’s not generally going to be a thing you’re going to find there,” she said. Funding, however, is a different story, she added.

Mayfield said then-State Sen. Chuck Edwards helped the region secure millions in funding for everything from landslide prevention measures to dam removals to researching the sources of French Broad’s pollution.

Mayfield encouraged the crowd to seek state funding for any project related to river health.

“There’s lots of opportunities,” she said.

The tourism perspective In the third panel of the day, representatives from tourism development authorities, chambers of commerce, a whitewater rafting company, the Biltmore Co., Black Wall Street AVL and others gave their perspectives on

the role the river plays as an economic driver.

Clark Duncan, senior vice president of economic development for the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the importance of water as a natural resource for the area’s well-known brewing industry, which has an economic impact of over $1 billion annually in the Asheville metro area alone, one-third of the industry’s statewide footprint, he said.

MILL TOWN MOONSHOT: Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers acknowledged the significance of the moment his town faces in the wake of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill’s closure this summer on the Pigeon River in Canton’s core. Photo by Paul King

“Preserving and protecting that natural resource, whether it’s from the North Fork [reservoir] or the French Broad, is critically important,” he said.

Further, in Asheville, Duncan noted that the river has become the city’s “downtown” as a hub of economic development, so protecting its reputation is vital to the continued investment in Asheville’s riverfront.

Offering a view from Transylvania County, where the French Broad originates near Rosman, the Transylvania Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Clark Lovelace shared a perspective of the river as someone who grew up in Brevard in the 1980s.

Back then, recreating in the French Broad “wasn’t even an option,” Lovelace said, because of the high bacteria levels and general litter in the river.

“So when you think back to then, and then you look at it today, there’s a part of me that says, ‘We’ve come a long way,’” he said. “That said, last time I went kayaking in the French Broad River, we encountered some water buffalo that were grazing in the river, as we were coming around the bend,” he added, referring to cattle.

“I think that that reminds you that we still have a long way to go.”

Fritz Johnson, co-owner of Blue Heron Whitewater, who has been giving visitors thrills on raft trips on the Madison County sections of the river for more than 30 years, said there is a big difference to how the water looks and feels compared with the 1990s.

“It’s rare for trailers to go floating down the river in high water. Now, there are still a lot of tires, but there are a lot [fewer] tires than there used to be,” she said without a smile.

Johnson said she gets bummed when people cancel their trips because they hear about the river’s poor water quality in Asheville, something that directly affects her business.

Lisa Raleigh, executive director of RiverLink and one of the event’s moderators, said that as pressures and opportunities have changed over the years, there’s more at stake than ever for the river that has given life to the towns and livelihoods in the region.

“It is vulnerable. It is fragile,” she said. “I’m really hopeful. The world is complicated. There’s so much going on, yet today, we took half a day to just focus on the watershed from all these different perspectives.”

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— Greg Parlier X NOV. 15-21, 2023

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N EWS

REPARATIONS BEAT

Reparations commission sets up new project management plan After its project manager stepped down from most of her duties last month, the Community Reparations Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County solidified its structure and redefined the responsibilities of key leaders at its November meeting.

Vernisha Crawford, CEO of Charlotte-based Trauma Informed Institute — a professional development firm focused on trauma-informed approaches to improving workplace culture — took over meeting facilitation Nov. 6.

In her first move as facilitator, Crawford implemented a more rigid meeting process designed to allow more commission members an opportunity to speak while keeping meetings on schedule, things the 25-member commission had struggled to do at times.

She said the group was in the “storming” phase of team development, where members challenge leadership and each other.

“This is our first time we’re doing something really hard. We’ve never worked together in this large of a group.

And when you get people like us who are passionate, who want to do right by our people … this is what happens,” she said.

“My job as facilitator is to move us into the ‘norming’ phase,” she said, meaning to help group members learn how to better communicate with one another and show each other respect.

The final step is the performing phase, when group members no longer focus on each other, instead giving their full attention to the task at hand, she said.

Brenda Mills, the equity and inclusion director for the City of Asheville, and Noreal Armstrong, chief equity and human rights officer for Buncombe County, will now tag team the coordination and development of a draft reparations report, Mills said.

Sala Menaya-Merritt, who has led several of the commission’s focus groups, has taken over as lead administrator of the focus groups, including reviewing their recommendations. She also will record minutes at the regular meetings.

Christine Edwards of Charlottebased firm Civility Localized, who was project manager for the commission from November 2022 until last month, will stay on to handle contract payments and the payment of stipends to members and facilitators.

Crawford’s new facilitation style of allowing each member 1-2 minutes to comment and ask questions after each presentation — but not receive answers 32

NOV. 15-21, 2023

NEW MANAGEMENT: Vernisha Crawford, speaking, outlines her facilitation style during her first meeting leading the Community Reparations Commission of Asheville and Buncombe County Nov. 6. Photo by Greg Parlier until after the meeting via email — drew mixed feedback from commissioners.

Initially, commissioner Roy Harris seemed to praise the new process, saying that there is a perception in the community that only a few people dominate the conversation during meetings.

Later in the meeting, commissioners DeWayne McAfee, Osondu McPeters and MZ Yehudah suggested amendments, including allowing presenters to respond to questions from commissioners during the meeting and giving more time to those with constructive feedback.

Crawford said she would consider amendments to her process as long as

she could keep the two-hour meetings running on time.

Timeline extension debate After passing a resolution asking the city and county for an eight-month extension to its initial two-year timeline at its October meeting, Mills requested further justification from the commission on why the extension is needed so she could explain it to the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.

“I think you need to give them a little bit more about why you would like to extend it and what does that look like moving forward? So what are you going to do differently than you’ve been doing [already]?” she asked.

Commissioner Keith Young, who wrote the original extension resolution, pushed back on why they were being asked to provide further justification when they already have a resolution in place.

“We passed a resolution early on in this process to ask the city and the county to pay money every single year indefinitely to reparations, which currently sits at $1 million a year. We didn’t even have a written resolution [initially]. It was spoken out loud in a meeting and voted on. And nobody asked for justification on spending money indefinitely toward reparations,” Young said.

“We have a resolution now that has been drawn out and written as to why we should have an extension. I feel like that should be [enough].”

Commissioner Dee Williams, who voted against the extension in October, countered that future city and county leadership could rescind the promise of indefinite funding, and if the reparations commission doesn’t deliver programs and budgets, it won’t earn the community’s respect.

Crawford gave Young one more minute to retort.

“Do not be afraid to run off the plantation and find freedom. Do not be afraid —” Young said before Crawford cut him short for being off-topic.

Crawford said the commissioners should put suggestions and questions related to the extension resolution in the monthly post-meeting survey to be considered by facilitators and staff.

Mills said she would take the resolution as-is to City Council and the county Board of Commissioners if reparations commissioners were happy with it.

“We’ve been instructed that we will do that if this is going to be a hardship or cause any kind of angst. We will be glad to do that,” she said.

Updates on focus area recommendations CHANGING ROLES: Brenda Mills, equity and inclusion director for the City of Asheville, right, outlines expanding roles for different administrators of the Community Reparations Commission in the wake of the loss of their project manager in October. Also pictured, at left, is Noreal Armstrong, chief equity and human rights officer for Buncombe County. Photo by Greg Parlier

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Facilitators for each of the commission’s five focus areas — criminal justice, economic development, education, health and wellness, and housing — gave updates to the commission on the status of their draft recommendations.

Each focus group received input from city and county staff on its rec-

ommendations after the last monthly meeting, and some incorporated those suggestions into their drafts. Others have yet to meet after they heard from the city and county.

In economic development, facilitator Tara Brown said the group is working with the housing focus group to hash out details on how to access land that was taken during urban renewal decades ago, per recommendations from the city and county.

That group is researching other cities’ models of providing guaranteed income, like $500 a month, for certain segments of the population, Brown said. There are around 100 cities with policies such as guaranteed income or “baby bonds” — trust accounts to help build generational wealth — that they could imitate, she said.

Dionne Greenlee-Jones, facilitator of the health and wellness group, reported that they have found there are few people of color in the medical field in WNC who can help increase access to care in the Black community.

Greenlee-Jones said in conversations with state representatives, she learned there is a newly funded entity in the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services charged with looking at the lack of Black medical professionals statewide.

She said despite that, there is no plan to recruit Black medical professionals.

“That means then that we’re going to be partnering locally, perhaps, and meeting with other entities, the CEOs of organizations to say, this is disturbing, and how can we move forward together as a community if this isn’t happening?” she said.

Over the next few monthly meetings, Menaya-Merritt said focus groups will give longer presentations of their developing recommendations as they continue to refine them and accept feedback from the wider commission.

December will include presentations from education and economic development. Housing and economic development will present their overlapping recommendations in January, and health and wellness, criminal justice and education will do the same in February, she said.

The commission expects a preliminary update on the Cease the Harm Audit in January, with a final report scheduled for February, MenayaMerritt said. Focus group presentations will continue through the winter and into the spring, depending on the outcome of the extension resolution.

— Greg Parlier X

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Blue Ridge National Heritage Area CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF SERVING WESTERN NC! • The world’s oldest mountains • Vibrant craft artistry

‘A practice of life’ Fall The story behind Asheville’s Nonprofit Feature reputation as a bonsai destination

BY STORMS REBACK

• Rich music and dance traditions

stormsreback@gmail.com

• More than 10,000-year-old living Cherokee culture

The origins of bonsai’s ascent in Asheville can be traced to a timely gift and a courageous decision.

In 1992, George Staples of Butner donated his wife’s bonsai collection to The N.C. Arboretum, which was just a single building surrounded by forest at the time. Cora Staples was in poor health, and her small potted trees were in equally bad shape.

As generous as the gift was, it left the arboretum in a bit of a bind. It had no one on staff trained to care for bonsai. Who would look after them?

The conventional move in such a situation is to hire a professional with years of experience. Instead, John Creech, an influential board member who had co-founded the arboretum and served as its interim director from 1986-87, lobbied for Arthur Joura, at the time an assistant to the nursery manager who knew nothing about bonsai.

As strange as the choice seemed, it had a precedent. After Japan donated 53 bonsai to the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, Creech, the arboretum’s director at the time, hired Bob Drechsler to care for them. Despite starting with no bonsai experience, Drechsler went on to serve as curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, which houses the premier bonsai collection in the country, for more than 20 years and was continually applauded for his work.

“Bonsai came to me uninvited,” says Joura, who has now held the title of bonsai curator at The N.C. Arboretum for over 30 years.

“Sometimes your best move is to go with the flow and try to work with the tide and not against it.”

To get Joura up to speed, Creech arranged for him to study with Drechsler in Washington in April 1993, an experience that opened Joura’s eyes. “I saw what bonsai were supposed to look like,” he says, “and then I went home and saw what we had and could see the difference.”

An even more formative educational experience occurred the following year when Yuji Yoshimura, the son of a Japanese samurai and founder of the Bonsai Society of Greater New

Our nonprofit organization preserves, cultivates, and promotes Western North Carolina’s natural and cultural resources, including agriculture, Cherokee, craft, music, and natural heritage.

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York, invited Joura to apprentice with him at his studio in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Joura was Yoshimura’s last student before the influential bonsai master died in 1997.

“This man had the biggest impact on my bonsai thinking,” says Joura.

“He encouraged me to think for myself and question everything. At the end, he said to me, ‘Even the things I tell you, don’t believe all of it.’”

THERE IS NO TEAHOUSE American bonsai professionals inevitably get asked if they have ever studied in Japan. Having trained with Saburo Kato for a month in 1998, Joura can say yes. But while he respected Kato’s extensive knowledge, he came away from the experience ready to do bonsai his way. “The overwhelming feeling I came back with was, ‘That was amazing, but it’s never going to be like that here. That culture is not our culture.’”

The only link between the bonsai Joura cultivates at The N.C. Arboretum and the bonsai found in Japan is the word itself. When the arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden opened in 2005, Joura made sure that it didn’t look like a Japanese bonsai garden but a Southern Appalachian one. Most American bonsai collections mimic Asian ones by displaying the same species of trees found in the region: Japanese white pines and Chinese elms are some of the most popular.

But in alignment with the arboretum’s emphasis on promoting native plants, Joura features local trees such as the American hornbeam and eastern white pine.

“It goes beyond the fact that we use native plants,” he says. “It has to do with disassociating from the commonly held perception of what bonsai is supposed to be. For most people, it’s The Karate Kid and the whole Japanese mystique. We try to not have anything to do with that, which is really hard because everybody has that association. It’s so reflexive that it’s very difficult to swim against it.”

Joura recalls overhearing someone say, “Look at this beautiful teahouse,” as they walked through the Bonsai Exhibition Garden’s postand-beam pavilion.

DIFFERENT APPROACH: “The way [my bonsai] are constructed, it’s not based on what I was taught or what the books tell you to do,” says Arthur Joura, bonsai curator at The N.C. Arboretum. "It’s based on what I’ve seen in my own experience and run through the filter of my knowledge of art.” Photo by Storms Reback “There’s nothing ‘teahouse’ about it,” he says. “They came in with such a clear idea about what it’s supposed to be that they saw what they felt like they were supposed to see.”

‘THROUGH EMOTION RATHER THAN INTELLECT’ Joura’s iconoclastic take on the pursuit helped put Asheville’s bonsai community on the map, but it didn’t attain the lofty heights it currently enjoys until Felix Laughlin moved to Asheville in 2010.

As a young corporate tax lawyer in New York City, Laughlin was working around the clock in 1972 when his wife, Betty Gayle, gave him several bonsai to help take his mind off work.

“We were in this claustrophobic little apartment in Manhattan, no balcony or anything,” he says. “So, we put the trees, which were deciduous, in the refrigerator to make them go into dormancy. When we opened the door, we could see fall.”

Laughlin learned the basics from Frank Okamura, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens’ bonsai specialist, before studying with John Naka, a bonsai master and founder of the California Bonsai Society whose influence on American bonsai rivaled that of Yoshimura.

When Laughlin and Gayle moved to Washington, he brought his passion for bonsai with him. In 1982, he co-founded the National Bonsai

Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, and he served as president of the World Bonsai Friendship Federation from 2001-05.

Laughlin’s personal bonsai collection, currently ensconced in his backyard in Biltmore Forest, rivals that of most public ones. Many of them he’s cultivated himself, includ-

ing a ponderosa pine he found in the Rocky Mountains on an excursion with Dan Robinson, a firefighter from Bremerton, Wash., whom he met at a bonsai convention in New York.

“He would go out for five days in the mountains and collect, then go back to the fire station and work for 24 or 48 hours. And while he was at the fire station, he’d work on the trees,” says Laughlin. “He had his own style. He wanted everything to be rough and natural as opposed to the very refined Japanese techniques where everything’s perfect.”

Laughlin calls the ponderosa pine in his collection “a terrific example of a tree that went through hell during its lifetime.”

Joura shares Laughlin’s appreciation of that struggle. “The most compelling trees are the ones that have had the hardest lives,” he says. “People relate to how much effort it takes sometimes just to stay in the game.”

Laughlin and Joura are similar in another way as well. When asked how many trees they have in their collections, they both respond with a variation of “I don’t know.”

But when pressed, some differences between the two emerge. While Laughlin admits to keeping a notebook full of data about every bonsai he’s tended, Joura bristles at the idea

CONTINUES ON PAGE 36

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Raising awareness about pollution Hartwell Carson is the French Broad Riverkeeper with MountainTrue. The nonprofit fosters and empowers residents throughout the region to engage in community planning, policy and project advocacy, and on-the-ground projects.

What is the biggest impediment to the French Broad River’s health?

The biggest threat to the French Broad is bacteria pollution and sediment pollution. Bacteria pollution comes from animal agriculture, septic and sewer. Sediment pollution comes from agriculture runoff, construction sites and stream bank erosion. Almost every one of the issues listed has decent laws to protect our waterways, but enforcement can be spotty or nonexistent.

Tell us about your septic repair grant program — why you started it and how it helps the river.

The septic repair fund is money given by the N.C. General Assembly to provide financial aid to property owners that have failing septic systems. A failing septic can cause a big HARTWELL CARSON impact to nearby waterways, but they can be prohibitively expensive to repair, especially for Photo courtesy of low-income folks. So, a fund to provide support is critical.

MountainTrue Why should someone who doesn’t kayak be excited about the installation of the Whitewater Wave in Woodfin? Is that good for our river?

I think the Woodfin wave is the next phase for river recreation on the French Broad River, and the reason it is good for all of us, and not just kayakers, is it brings people and attention to the river. When I started this job, almost 20 years ago, very few people used the French Broad River for recreation, and therefore no one really cared when it was polluted. Now lots of people use the river every day, and there is a strong desire that we do better and protect the river, so we can finally meet the goals of the Clean Water Act to be fishable and swimmable.

What plans does MountainTrue have for 2024?

We will be conducting DNA monitoring along the river to trace what type of E. coli is polluting our streams and tracking that pollution back to the source, as well as retooling our plastic work to continue our push for a plastic-free WNC. We also look forward to seeing the $2 million in agriculture cost-share funds get implemented, so we can reduce the impact of agricultural pollution on our waterways. X

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FEA T U RE S of attaching any quantitative value, such as age or sales price, to bonsai.

“People have heard there are trees that are hundreds, even thousands, of years old, so that becomes what’s interesting to them,” Joura says. “I’d rather try to reach them through particular feelings, emotions and associations they have with trees; to connect with people through emotion rather than intellect.”

BREAKING THE RULES Joura previously studied art in New York City, and his extensive knowledge of the subject informs his view of bonsai. Traditionally, bonsai should have a front and a back, and the front is supposed to lean toward the viewer as if bowing. Joura happily ignores such rules.

“One of the things that I clash with bonsai traditionalists about is that they design bonsai as if they were two-dimensional, not three-dimensional, objects,” he says. “It’s all premised on the idea that this tree will be presented and seen from one direction only, and nobody even questions that. I’m trying to free it from being locked into some cliche, preconceived idea where everything has to fit the same mold, because that’s not how art works.”

Laughlin applauds Joura’s stance on this issue. “The Japanese have

BLAST FROM THE PAST: Arthur Joura, right, and Bob Drechsler, curator of the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, in 1993. Photo courtesy of The N.C. Arboretum specific rules – nothing can go straight down, you can’t have a bar branch – and he violates all those rules because that’s not the way nature really is.

That’s his whole raison d’etre.”

Most people enjoy Joura’s unique take on the art form. The few who don’t absolutely hate it.

Joura tells a story about a 16-year-old boy from Georgia who criticized nearly every aspect of the arboretum’s collection. A student of American bonsai master Ryan Neil,

the boy told Joura the pot that he’d selected for one of his trees was wrong. He followed that up by asking Joura a question riddled with Japanese terminology.

Joura laughs at the memory.

“Having raised children, I know the look of a 16-year-old who thinks, ‘I must be talking to the stupidest person on earth,’” he says. “That’s the look he gave me.”

On another occasion, a visiting bonsai purist harangued a volunteer

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Community support is essential Mabel Lujan is the communications manager at Asheville Humane Society. The nonprofit is dedicated to promoting the compassionate treatment of animals in WNC through education, sheltering and adoption.

Xpress: How have rising costs impacted people’s ability to care for their animals?

Lujan: Throughout the past three years, pandemic-related disruptions and economic hardships and uncertainties have made caring for pets more expensive. Throughout the pandemic, pet owners struggled to gain access to essential veterinary care such as vaccines, preventative care and spay/neuter appointments. One of the main factors for owner surrenders is concern over the price of medical care and pet food. Our community solutions department is hard at work providing vet vouchers, behavior assistance and pet supplies to ensure that folks do not have to surrender their beloved furry family member over financial concerns.

What resources are crucial for your organization’s ongoing success?

MABEL LUJAN Asheville Humane Society relies heavily on community support. From donations to foster- Photo courtesy of Asheing to suggesting us as a spot to grow your family, our caring community members provide ville Humane Society the backbone to allow us to care for as many animals as we can.

How crucial are volunteers to your organization?

Volunteers are everything. Every department in our organization utilizes volunteers. Some of the essential duties that volunteers perform are handling dogs during play group, washing dishes and laundry, tabling at events, administrative organization, building enrichment toys, providing essential enrichment activities, fostering animals — you name it. We are always thrilled when a volunteer offers a specific skill that is useful to our organization. Any handy people out there?

What fact about your organization might surprise readers?

We recently launched a brand-new center, the Community Sheltering Center, which focuses on matching clients with essential resources in real time, increasing the number of animals we are able to reunify with their families and encouraging the community to care for lost animals to create more space in the shelter for the most vulnerable animals in our community. This center is groundbreaking in the animal welfare world and will drastically expand the services we are able to offer to our community. We are thrilled. X

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about the branch of a particular red maple. Joura had allowed it to grow unusually long because it made the bonsai look like trees he’d actually observed in nature.

“The way [my bonsai] are constructed, it’s not based on what I was taught or what the books tell you to do,” he explains. “It’s based on what I’ve seen in my own experience and run through the filter of my knowledge of art. The object is to make something worth looking at, thought-provoking and meaningful.”

The bonsai purist couldn’t see beyond the rule he believed Joura had broken, calling the branch “way too long” and “wrong.”

How did Joura respond? He named the bonsai “Long Branch” and kept it the way it was.

‘AN AFFRONT TO THE ELECTRONIC AGE’ When Asheville’s Blue Ridge Bonsai Society started in the 1970s, it only had about 20 members.

Laughlin joined its board of directors soon after moving to Asheville, and since that time, the nonprofit’s membership has ballooned to more than 100 members.

He’s had a similar impact on the Bonsai Exhibition Garden at the arboretum, where he’s served on the board of directors in the past. Thanks in part to his strong ties with the World Bonsai Friendship Federation, in 2012 the WBFF named the Bonsai Exhibition Garden a resource center, a distinction given to only one other collection in the U.S. at the time.

In June, Laughlin organized the exhibit “Bonsai as a Fine Art at the Blue Spiral 1. It featured 20 works borrowed from the arboretum, members of the Blue Ridge Bonsai Society and professional bonsai artists such as Bjorn Bjornholm and Daniel Coffey. The intention was to represent bonsai not as a niche horticultural pastime but as a fine art the same way it’s been done at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum since 1934.

The exhibition wasn’t meant to replace the Carolina Bonsai Expo, the annual gathering Joura hosted at the arboretum every October for 24 years before COVID ended its run for good, but it did offer a similar experience for bonsai aficionados and professionals.

“Felix was the dynamo behind that show,” says Joura. “It wouldn’t have happened without him.”

Given their outsized roles in Asheville’s bonsai community, Joura and Laughlin see each other often.

They recently went on an excur-

FOLLOW THE LEADER: Arthur Joura offers a tour of the arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden. Photo courtesy of The N.C. Arboretum sion together to the Great Smoky Mountains to look at trees.

For Joura, it was a rare trip away from his bonsai. When he first started working with them at the arboretum, he did all the trimming, wiring and watering himself. He now has a paid assistant and four volunteers, but he still remains tethered to his trees’ care. During his career at the arboretum, he’s never been able to enjoy a vacation that’s lasted more than a few days, and that’s fine with him. “This is work that I find personally meaningful and rewarding,” he says. “I do it not as a job but as an expression of my creative energy and desire to communicate with people.”

Joura has started chronicling the demands and rewards of tending to bonsai in The Curator’s Journal, a yearlong course offering an insider’s view of his work. As much as Joura wants to appeal to those who have no experience with bonsai, he’s also quick to warn them of its perils.

“People might think they want to own one, but that’s only because they don’t understand what it takes to keep them,” he says. “You have to monitor it pretty much on a daily basis during the growing season.”

He observes that when aspiring bonsai owners find out what’s required of them it’s often enough to steer them in a different direction.

“They don’t want to do it because it’s insane: ‘I have to wait 20 years for this to look like something? What if I want to go away for a couple of weeks?’ In the current culture, those kinds of things are unacceptable.

You can’t take that long to get where you’re going. It’s an affront to the electronic age.”

Laughlin can relate to the all-encompassing nature of the pursuit.

“For me, it’s more than a hobby. It’s a practice of life. You’ve got to take care of them every day. When it rains, I’m thinking about my trees.” X

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F E AT UR E S

Mill Town strong

Fall

Nonprofit Feature

Celesa Willett of United Way of Haywood County discusses Canton mill closing, other challenges

With just two full-time employees, United Way of Haywood County has met some big community needs in recent years.

In 2021, the Waynesville-based nonprofit received more than $1 million in donations to help those affected by devastating flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Fred. United Way funneled money to groups like WNC Communities for farmers, Mountain BizWorks for small businesses and Baptists on Mission to help repair homes damaged in the flooding.

And this year, the group received money to support the Canton Mill Closure Emergency Response Project, which gives financial aid to workers and families affected by the closure of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton. More than 1,000 people lost their jobs when the mill closed in June after 115 years of operation, and

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United Way has helped some of them fill the gaps created when they lost health insurance.

“The confidence that the Town of Canton and Haywood County have placed in United Way of Haywood County to manage the funds and get the help out to the people who need it is humbling,” says Celesa Willett, executive director. “We live in this community, we care about this community, and we’re willing to do the extra work it takes to make this happen. And this is in addition to our normal activities.”

Willett spoke with Xpress about coming to the aid of out-of-work millworkers, continuing to serve the community despite funding challenges and looking to the future.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did United Way become involved in efforts to help unemployed millworkers?

We came to it because of our recently demonstrated ability to help with the flood recovery that happened in Haywood County. The county government saw that we had done an excellent job taking care of that amount of money and they said, “The reasonable thing to do is have United Way manage the money because we know they’re going to do a good job.”

And we’re making every effort to ensure that the money’s used exactly for what it’s supposed to be used for.

How is the money being used?

We received a grant from Dogwood Health Trust for $1 million and one from Haywood Health Haywood Healthcare Foundation for $110,000, and those are helping to defray the cost of COBRA insurance or other insurance that displaced workers might have enrolled in. [COBRA is a federal law that lets employees keep their group health insurance plan for a period after their job ends].

The [former] employees pay their own principals, or premiums, and then they submit the proof of payment, and we reimburse up to $500 per person in the household who was on mill insurance, through the end of the year.

We are working with Mountain Projects, a nonprofit that runs the Get Covered WNC program. They have the expertise to help people find the right policy, and so they have done the casework. They send the spreadsheet of who to pay and how much to pay to United Way. So, it is absolutely

COMMUNITY MINDED: Celesa Willett, executive director of United Way of Haywood County, has been with the organization for 33 years.

Photo courtesy of Willett a partnership that we have with them, and it’s worked out.

We have helped 164 families. Many of those families have several children in the home that the insurance coverage is affecting.

Some of them, after the first couple of months, went on to find other employment, and so we only helped them through two months. And then some have come on at the end of this and said, ’Oh, I’ve been paying my own premium. Somehow, I didn’t find out about it.’ And so, we have to go back and reimburse them from July on.

I hate that we have to do this. I’d like to have seen the mill go on for years and years and have people have good jobs. But that didn’t happen, and none of us could help it, so we just have to manage the fallout.

When the mill closed, there were a lot of needs in Canton. Why was health care insurance in particular so important?

We saw in other communities that had had a mill closure, but didn’t offer any kind of help, that people [ended up] uninsured. And when they had a medical need, they had to go to the hospital, so you either rack up a big bill for yourself or you leave it to the hospital to pay. And so, it just made sense to have people covered by health insurance, if we could at all.

Having a huge medical debt is never a good idea, especially if someone’s unemployed.

How has the community reacted to the closing of the mill, which was so important to Canton’s identity for more than a century?

We care about our neighbors, and so we’re going to do what we can to make sure everybody has what they need because next time it could be one of us

WHATEVER IT TAKES that needs help. We know that these are the people we’ve gone to school with, we go to church with, we are in clubs with. We want to take care of our own.

All of our United Way agencies have taken on more than they usually have had to, to meet needs, agencies like Mountain Projects, the Salvation Army, Haywood Christian Ministry.

In the past few years, funding streams have become smaller in a lot of ways, but we are very thankful to Dogwood Health Trust and the Haywood Healthcare Foundation and also the WNC Bridge Foundation, which gave us a grant to be able to put our office manager [Karen Cole] on from part time to full time. Because we needed that with the increased workload.

The county has gone through a rough stretch in the last two years or so, with the flooding and the mill closure. In your time with United Way, have you ever seen a period like this?

Not in a while. We’ve had the closures of Dayco Products [in Waynesville in 2015], Wellco [in Waynesville in 2009].

Through the years, we’ve lost our industry base in Haywood County, and that has affected our United Way giving because large employers are historically the ones who gave the most. But even in that decrease, we have continued to

do everything we can to promote the well-being of Hayward County citizens.

We’ve had to rely on outside funding, grant funding for these large needs. But we do have a good giving base of individuals who just give $25 or $30 and up to thousands of dollars.

And we have to be careful to give them credit also. And these are community members who see the value of what we do and are willing to give of their treasure to help us continue good work.

What are some of the day-to-day things United Way of Haywood County does outside of helping with extraordinary events like flood and mill closures?

We raise money for our 22 different agencies here in Haywood County through payroll deduction and personal gifts to our organization. A one-time gift to United Way of Haywood County supports all those different agencies.

We also do Day of Caring every year, where 350 volunteers go out to work on 30-some jobs out in the community to help elderly and disabled people.

This United Way has been in business since 1955, and I’ve been with the organization for 33 years. So, we have continuity, and we plan to be here for the future to help Haywood County.

— Justin McGuire X

Serving women and girls in WNC Julia Akers is the steering committee chair for Women for Women. The nonprofit is a women’s giving circle and an initiative of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Xpress: Tell us about the funding you generate and why it’s essential to so many in our community?

Akers: Members from across WNC donate $1,200 annually, and we pool those resources to grant $250,000-plus each year to organizations serving women and girls in the 18-county WNC region.

Women’s and girls’ issues are often underresourced.

Since our inception in 2006, we are proud to have donated more the $5 million to support women and JULIA AKERS girls in our communities.

Photo courtesy of Women How do you choose recipients? for Women We have an annual grant cycle with initial requests due in the early fall each year; funding is awarded the following spring. Our volunteer grants committee oversees our review process. You can find full details at avl.mx/d57.

What’s one program that you funded that goes unnoticed?

A recent study from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that only 1.8% of total charitable giving in the U.S. in 2020 went to women’s and girls’ organizations. Women for Women’s focus on women and girls is unique in Western North Carolina. Our vision is to empower women to take action, inspire hope and possibility, and strengthen Western North Carolina, and we are committed to continuing our focus on the important and pressing issues facing women and girls.

What is your main focus for 2024?

During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 grant cycles, we will support organizations that support women’s and girls’ economic empowerment and self-sufficiency. X

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NOV. 15-21, 2023

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

GOBBLE GOBBLE RUN: Jus’ Running hosts its annual Asheville Turkey Trot 5K and Gobble Wobble 1 Mile Fun Run near Pack Square Park on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23, with the fun run starting at 8:30 a.m., followed by the 5K. Organizers recommend signing up for the race by Tuesday, Nov. 21, but race-day registration will be available in Pack Square 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to MANNA FoodBank. Photo by Curve Theory NOV. 15 - NOV. 23, 2023 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

 Online-only events  More info, page 72-73 WELLNESS Tai Chi Fan This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome.

Fans will be provided.

WE (11/15), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Tai Chi for Balance A gentle Tai Chi exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.

WE (11/15, 22), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement Active games, physical activities, and sports for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over.

Advanced registration at avlrec.com required.

WE (11/15, 22), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

EMPYREAN ARTS

INTRO TO POLE weekly classes MONDAYS 12pm, 6pm, and 7:15pm + TUESDAYS 4:30pm + WEDNESDAYS 7:10pm + THURSDAYS 6pm + FRIDAYS 6pm

empyreanarts.org • info@empyreanarts.org 828.782.3321

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NOV. 15-21, 2023

Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance.

Free, but donations for the instructor are appreciated. For more information please call (828) 350-2058.

WE (11/15, 22), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Asheville Women's Breathwork Circle A transformative and empowering women's circle where the power of breath meets the strength and healing of sisterhood. No prior experience is necessary.

Pre-registration is required.

WE (11/15), 6pm, WellSpring Wellness Center, 960 Tunnel Rd Nia Dance Fitness A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.

TH (11/16, 23), 9:30am, TU (11/21), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Tai Chi for Beginners A class for anyone interested in Tai Chi and building balance, whole body awareness and other health benefits.

TH (11/16), MO (11/20), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Deep Rest: Yoga Nidra & Sound Bath Experience a deep state of rest and relaxation

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during an evening of breath work and the healing vibrations of crystal singing bowls.

FR (11/17), 5:30pm, Black Mountain Yoga, 116 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Morning Meditation Everyone is most welcome to join the sit; however no meditation instructions are provided.

FR (11/17), TU (11/21), 7:30am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Qigong for Health A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.

FR (11/17), TU (11/21), 9am, SA (11/18), 11am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Yoga for Everyone A free-in person yoga class for all ages and abilities. Bring your own mat, water bottle and mask.

SA (11/18), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Therapeutic Slow Flow Yoga A blend of meditation, breathing and movement. All bodies, genders and identities welcome. Bring your own mat.

SA (11/18), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103 Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class w/ Renee Trudeau Enjoy release, movement and connection with like-minded women.

SU (11/19), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard Fall Flow w/Jamie Knox Levels 1+ heat increasing flow with restorative bonds designed to warm the body, calm anxiety, and release excess heat built over the summer.

SU (11/19), 10:30am, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd Walking Meditation Reduce stress, anxiety and increase health and wellbeing. Meditation instructions provided.

SU (11/19), 11am, Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary, Montreat Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks This class is centered towards creating an affirming and inclusive space for queer and gender non-conforming individuals.

SU (11/19), 1:30pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd Barre Fusion A high energy low impact practice that shapes, sculpts, and

tones the body like a dancer. No experience necessary, open to all levels.

MO (11/20), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

American photorealism.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through Feb. 5, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Mettā Meditation In-person guided meditation focused on benevolence & loving-kindness. This event is free to attend.

Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

MO (11/20), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Flor Widmar: Verde In this work, Flor closely works with the color verde (green). There is a connection between the color and the artist that is not only a preference, but also has a rich meaning in her culture.

Gallery open Monday through Friday, 9am and Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Dec. 1.

Revolve, 821 Riverside Dr, Ste 179

Zumba Free zumba class; Registration not needed.

TU (11/21), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain Dharma & Discuss People coming together in friendship to meditate, learn and discuss the Dharma. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

TH (11/23), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

ART Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing & Painting This exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to explore a singular and still vigorous aspect of

Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson This exhibition celebrates the legacy of Lambert Wilson, a passionate collector of contemporary Native American art. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Dec. 8.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art.

A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday.

Exhibition through April 15, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Public Tour: Intersections in American Art A docent led tour of the Museum's Collection and special exhibitions. No reservations are required.

TH (11/16), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Bachelor of Fine Art Portfolio Exhibition Experience work by graduating Bachelor of Fine Arts students. This exhibition highlights their comprehensive course of study at WCU’s School of Art and Design and serves as a preface to their forthcoming careers as professional artists.

Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

Exhibition through Dec. 8.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Romare Bearden: Ways of Working This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores many of Romare Bearden's most frequently used mediums including screen-printing, lithography, hand colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday.

Exhibition through Jan. 22, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Expertise in genealogy is not required Stella Taylor is the public relations chair and a librarian at the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. The nonprofit provides genealogical education on Western North Carolina through publications, workshops, a library and research support.

Xpress: What was your organization’s greatest success in 2023?

Taylor: From a longer time frame (2020-23), STELLA TAYLOR our transition from in-person programs to virtuPhoto courtesy of the al programs has enabled us to provide education Old Buncombe County to both members and nonmembers in 29 states.

Genealogical Society In 2023, average program attendance was 120, compared to 25-30 persons attending in-person programs in 2019. As a result, membership in our society was sustained during the pandemic, and research requests increased, continuing this year.

What is the biggest hindrance to the work you do?

Lack of volunteers. We are a completely volunteer organization with no paid staff. Many projects that would benefit researchers are waiting. Our organization is growing, and a small group of volunteers manages the many tasks involved in operating a genealogy research center and a bookstore.

Expertise in genealogy is not a requirement for volunteering.

What is something about your nonprofit that might surprise readers to know?

Our research materials are not limited to Buncombe County or Western North Carolina. Our collection covers the areas from which settlers came to our state and areas to which some families moved — the historic paths of immigration and emigration — the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and on westward.

What projects do you have planned for 2024?

Our society promotes the publication of family history books, especially about Western N.C. families, as well as local history books. Upcoming books are the letters of prominent Asheville families, including John Kennedy Coleman; the Jeremiah Green Family (settlers of Hominy Valley); and a series of books by Marshall Styles on pioneering families of Yancey County. Other projects ahead: add more genealogical and local history materials to our website and improve researchers’ access to donated family history collections. X

WINTER spirit issue

2023

specialty shops issue Publishes December 6

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Accepting New Patients Every new patient receives a FREE Sonicare Toothbrush For every new patient exam, we donate $5 to one of the following non-profits: Asheville Humane Society, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, and Asheville Latin Americans Achieving Success (ALAS).

Accepting most insurances. Affordable membership plans available for those without insurance.

Publishes December 13th For advertising, contact 828-251-1333 x 1 • advertise@mountainx.com

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MAKER TO MARKET We are a fair trade nonprofit offering a storefront for artisans in developing countries worldwide. We represent up to 30-40 countries in-store and work on long-term solutions for these artisan groups.

We ensure their financial security by paying them 50% upfront before crafting and 50% before shipping.

Your purchases support Artisans and their families around the world

ASHEVILLE 10 College St. 828-254-8374

20% OFF ANY ONE ITEM

ARTISANS PAID IN FULL. OFFER VALID IN ASHEVILLE STORE ONLY from November 15 - December 31, 2023. Discount applied at checkout.

Not valid on past purchases, sale items, consumables, gift cards, or with other discounts.

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COM M U N I TY CA LEN DA R Janice Geller: InHer Visions This exhibition revolves around the processes Janice Geller uses to create her paintings after exploring vivid dreams, inner meditations, authentic movement, active imagination, inner body states or the sumptuous allure of nature. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition through Dec. 3.

Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St Behind the Mask: Cherokee Mask Makers & Their Legacy Tour In honor of Native American Heritage Month, curator Anna Fariello will offer gallery walkthroughs of the exhibition at 11am and at 1 pm. Reservations are not necessary but are appreciated as space is limited.

SA (11/18), 11am, Allison-Deaver House, 2753 Asheville Hwy Pisgah Forest In the Flow: The Art of Safi Martin Martin involves pouring acrylic paints directly on the canvas, which conveys a celebration of

flow, both in art and in life. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am and Sunday, 1 pm.

Exhibition through Jan. 7.

Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Rd, Black Mountain Daily Craft Demonstrations Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public.

SU (11/19), 10am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy Fabric Printing Class w/ FernQueen In this class, you will learn through every step of the print making process, and teach you the basics of stamping onto fabric.

SU (11/19), 4pm, Ginger’s Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr American Art in the Atomic Age: 1940–1960 This exhibition features works created during the 1940s–1960s. Much of the art during this time expressed the uncertainty of the era, often relying on automatism

and biomorphic forms.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday.

Exhibition through April 29, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Paint & Sip Party Channel your creative energy onto a canvas while you sip on wine in the sun-lit Solarium. Find inspiration in the panoramic city and mountain views then take home a personal masterpiece to cherish forever.

SU (11/19), 2pm, The Restoration Hotel Asheville, 68 Patton Ave Weaving at Black Mountain College: Anni Albers, Trude Guermonprez & Their Students The first exhibition devoted to textile practices at Black Mountain College.

Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am.

Exhibition through Jan. 6, 2024.

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St Creating Textures: Focus Gallery Exhibition This exhibition features the work of five Guild members: Michael Hatch, Valerie Berlage, Joseph

Rhodes, Barry Rhodes, and Joanna Warren. Each artist will display their own respectable arts and crafts during this exhibition. Open daily, 10 am. Exhibition through Feb., 2024.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy Vessels of Merriment This invitational exhibition will feature handcrafted drinking vessels by 15 studio potters from around the country. Viewers will have the opportunity to browse ceramic mugs, goblets, whiskey cups, wine cups, tumblers and more. Gallery open Monday through Sunday, 10am. Exhibition through Dec. 31.

Grovewood Gallery, 111 Grovewood Rd

COMMUNITY MUSIC The Songwriter Sessions w/Peter Berglund, Mare Carmody & Nikki Talley An evening of original songs in a natural acoustic listening room.

This week features John Longbottom, Lillie Syracuse and Chris

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Addressing racism and justice Aaron Snook is the co-founder and curator of America Myth Center. The nonprofit works to curate stories that spark difficult conversations within the community.

What are some of the myths that your organization is actively working to dispel?

Snook: Myth is a tricky word, and we embrace its seemingly contradictory definitions. On the one hand, myths are false narratives like the Lost Cause and the American Dream; on the other, they are powerful stories that can provide catharsis for a community. At the AMC, we aim to create new powerful myths aimed at AARON SNOOK dispelling the old deceitful myths Photo by Simone Snook How has your work with the Vance Birthplace been effective in addressing your mission?

Both collaborations with the Vance Birthplace and the Mountain History and Culture Group have been the purest representations of the work we want to do, existing in the intersection of art and activism. Our An Appalachian Christmas Carol and Leah & the Rabbit bring stories into our community that spark a necessary conversation around our country’s relationship to racism and justice.

What has been your AMC’s greatest success in 2023?

Leah & the Rabbit was a puppet show written and directed by Mikayla Wilson that tells the stories of Brer Rabbit through the eyes of Leah, who was enslaved by the Vance family. In 2023, Leah & the Rabbit played at the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Asheville Amadeus Festival and then in a Buncombe County tour produced by the AMC that took the show to four libraries and back to where it began at the Vance Birthplace for Juneteenth.

What is one new goal you’re excited to address in 2024?

We are producing a puppet show that takes the classic story of The Three Little Pigs and uses it to illuminate the history of redlining and urban renewal in Asheville. In support of the organizing efforts around reparations in Asheville, we see this as a vital story to bring to our community. X

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Wilhelm.

WE (11/15), 7pm, The Brandy Bar, 504 7th Ave E, Hendersonville Asheville FM Live Music Sessions A night of live music every third Wednesday of the month.

WE (11/15), 9pm, The Getaway River Bar, 790 Riverside Dr Thursday Night Live: Monique Pinelli & Ivan Seng An evening of live music in the Museum’s Windgate Foundation Atrium featuring Monique Pinelli on violin and Ivan Seng on piano.

TH (11/16), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square History Comes Alive: Music of the Valley Downtown Black Mountain Tour A musical journey through the history of the Swannanoa Valley with songs and tall tales of how the Valley was settled. See p73 FR (11/17), 6pm, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain Buncombe Turnpike Their sets are made up of primarily hand crafted original songs, but the band also plays a variety of other heartfelt tunes ranging from traditional

and contemporary bluegrass.

FR (11/17), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Pianist Brian Turner Playing solo piano favorites in the Great Hall.

FR (11/17), 7pm, The Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave Sandra Wright Shen & Steinway Artist Internationally known classical pianist presents selections from the great composers. A freewill offering will benefit the North Buncombe Music Scholarship.

FR (11/17), 7pm, First Baptist Church of Weaverville, 63 N Main St, Weaverville Asheville Symphony Presents Masterworks 3: American Portraits Bryan Terrell Clark joins the Asheville Symphony as narrator and vocalist on Copland's Lincoln Portrait, plus Asheville Symphony's debut of newly-commissioned Cold Mountain Suite by Jennifer Higdon.

SA (11/18), 2pm and 8pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra: Strings Attached II This string-only concert

will focus on dance and will be centered around Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings.

SA (11/18), 3pm, Hendersonville High School, 1 Bearcat Blvd., Hendersonville Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass A free program of brilliant works from brass, organ and tympan that features variety of musical styles.

SU (11/19), 3pm, Trinity Presbyterian Church, 17 Shawnee Trail Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet Weekly Sunday pot luck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. It's a family friendly community day so bring a dish to share.

SU (11/19), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr Western Carolina Writers This show will be a stellar display of wonderful local songwriters such as Amanda Platt, Morgan Geer of Drunken Prayer, Laura Blackley, Kate Thomas of Dirty French Broads and more.

SU (11/19), 6pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Reuter Center Singers Seasoned seniors that study and perform classical, popular, show tunes and other favorites. Membership fees apply.

MO (11/20), 6:15pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

Supporting Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Providing Services in Buncombe County and the Surrounding Areas with these programs:

Local Live Series: Jay Brown & The Dirty French Broads A bi-weekly local live series featuring a variety of talented local musicians. This week welcomes The Dirty French Broad.

MO (11/20), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

ADVOCACY & LIAISON

ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS (Crisis Intervention)

EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT

FASD AWARENESS PROGRAM

Open Folk A songwriters showcase where the audience is required to stay silent while six songwriters play three original songs each. Donations are accepted.

TU (11/21), 7pm, Funkatorium, 147 Coxe Ave

HEALTH & WELLNESS (Healthy Living)

OPERATION SANTA

SOCIAL ENRICHMENT

SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS

Ariella An evening of soulful melodies and musical delight with captivating lyrics.

WE (11/22), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd, Asheville

WINGS FOR ALL

P.O. Box 1365, Asheville, NC 28802 • 50 S. French Broad Ave., Ste. 246 (828) 253-1255 • linda@arcofbc.org • arcofbuncombecounty.org

Let’s take the next giant leap together!

From humble but proud beginnings, raising just $37,000 for 30 nonprofits in 2015, Give!Local has grown each year, raising more than a quarter million dollars in 2022 for 48 amazing organizations. With your help, we hope to keep the momentum going in 2023.

The collective work that these organizations provide supports our youth, grants access to health services to those in need, heals and houses animals, protects our natural splendor, connects those who feel alone, delivers justice to the most vulnerable and helps our neighbors and friends in countless other ways.

This year, Mountain Xpress and First Bank are covering credit-card fees so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofits.

growth How high can we go? $300,000

1,221,288 All time total $

$225,000

givelocalguide.org

$300,000+ $263,350

$233,564

$150,000

?

$141,879

$75,000

$108,210

$112,371

2017

2018

$60,986 $36,989

2015

DONATE NOW AT

$263,939

2016

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2020

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2022

2023

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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Trusting that God’s grace embraces and desires covenant with all people,

Grace Covenant seeks to be an inclusive and hospitable place of spiritual growth.

All persons are welcomed into this

fellowship and membership regardless of age, sexual orientation, ethnic, racial, or gender identity, economic position, residency status, or political affiliation.

We trust that God is always at work transforming each life and our life together, helping us to better follow Christ’s example of love and courageous welcome.

A More Light congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a Supporting Sanctuary Church in Western North Carolina

Join us for worship on Sundays at 10:00 AM in-person in the sanctuary or online on our Youtube channel, “GCPC Video.”

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church 789 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28804

828.254.3274 | www.gcpcusa.org

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

LITERARY Backpackers' Guide to the Globe: Book Release This visually intrepid guidebook combines practical advice, personal narratives, and awe-inspiring bucket-lists tailored for adventurous women, particularly solo female backpackers. See p72 WE (11/15), 5:30pm, Modern Muse Gallery, 191 Lyman St, Ste 110 Joke Writing Workshop Hosted by Disclaimer Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring 90 seconds of material that isn’t working.

WE (11/15, 22), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave Wilma Dykeman Book Discussions Book discussion of Lige of the Black Walnut Tree: Growing Up Black in Southern Appalachia.

WE (11/15), 7pm, W Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Rd An Evening w/Eric "Sleepy" Floyd Wiley Cash will join NBA All Star Eric "Sleepy" Floyd in conversation as part of the Common Word Community Read.

This is a set of lectures and discussions centered around a shared text with the goal of engaging a collective educational experience.

TH (11/16), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd Asheville Storyslam: Give & Take Prepare a five minute story about the push and pull, an eye for an eye, a quid pro quo. The art of compromise-or lack thereof. Finding balance or disrupting the system.

TH (11/16), 7:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave Poetry Open Mic Hendo A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night. 18+ TH (11/16, 23), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave E, Hendersonville Banned Books Read-In Support students, authors, educators, librarians, etc. in a celebration of the freedom to read, emphasizing the value and beauty of banned and challenged books.

SA (11/18), 10am, Trinity Presbyterian, 900 Blythe St, Hendersonville Gail Nostestine: The Adventures of Molly and Grainne Author, Gail Notestine, will be signing her Children's Mystery series starring Molly and Grainne.

SA (11/18), 1pm, Blue Ridge Books, 428 Hazelwood Ave, Waynesville Ryan Gray: Twilight in York An author book signing of Ryan Gray's new book, Twilight in York: Volume

One. SA (11/18), 2pm, Sassafras on Sutton, 108 Sutton Ave, Black Mountain Dr. Benjamin Gilmer Presents: The Other Dr. Gilmer Family physician Dr. Benjamin Gilmer will present his book, The Other Dr Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice.

SA (11/18), 3pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva Tellabration: Asheville Storytelling Circle This event will feature Michael Reno Harrell and Asheville Storytelling circle members. New members and guests are welcome to attend and tell a story.

SU (11/19), 2pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy Poetry Night You can rhyme or not, tell a story, sing a song, or even get something off your chest in a creative way. Advance registration at avlerec.com required.

TU (11/21), 5:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Poetry Night Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and listen.

Signups to share will open 15 minutes prior to the start.

TU (11/21), 6pm, Oak and Grist Distilling Co., 1556 Grovestone Rd, Black Mountain Punch Bucket Lit: Reading Series w/Annie Woodford & Sebastian Matthews Featuring a conversation with Annie Woodford, author of Bootleg (Groundhog Poetry Press 2019) and Where You Come From Is Gone.

Sebastian Matthews, writer, collagist and host for Jazz Hybrid will also be in attendance.

TU (11/21), 6:30pm, rEvolve Buy+Sell+Trade, 697 Haywood Rd

THEATER & FILM Free Movie Night: Blood Rage Concodered one of the Real Slashers of the 80s. This hidden gem is perfect for fans of Friday the 13th and Pieces.

WE (11/15), 8pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd Nacho Mama's Comedy Improv Show: It Might Get a Little Cheesy TheatreUNCA’s debut improv troupe will continue a night of laughter and silliness with a series of short-form improv games informed by audience suggestions.

TH (11/16), FR (11/17), 7pm, Belk Theatre, 1 University Heights Dancing with Death: The Last Great Adventure A mix of moving dramas, a lively animated film, and thought-provoking documentaries. Following each film, an expert will lead a

discussion on legacy, the spiritual side of death, alternative ways to die, preparedness, facing fear and finding courage.

FR (11/17), 2pm, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St Mean Girls Jr. A high-energy, family-friendly musical that reimagines the drama, humor, and teenage struggles of North Shore High School in a fresh and exciting way while still including all your favorite characters and moments from the original movie.

FR (11/17), SA (11/18), 7:30pm, SU (11/19), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Mountainfilm on Tour: Asheville Muddy Sneakers presents a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and inspiring documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, Colorado.

SA (11/18), 5pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St Robbie Robertson's Last Waltz A 1978 concert film by Martin Scorsese that documents he band’s last concert at Bill Graham’s historical San Francisco concert hall, Winterland.

WE (11/22), 8pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS Treks Hiking Club for Adults 50 & Over A low-impact hiking club offering leisurely-paced hikes for active adults.

No hiking experience is required, but the hike covers over three miles on uneven terrain.

WE (11/15), 9:30am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd Free E-Bike Rental A free one hour bike adventure to experience Asheville's historic River Arts District, French Broad River Greenway, local breweries, restaurants and more.

WE (11/15, 22), 10am, Ace Bikes, 342 Depot St Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement Active games, physical activities, and sports for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over.

Advanced registration at avlrec.com required.

WE (11/15, 22), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave Eightfold Path Study Group A group will gather to study the Eightfold Path Program. Kris Kramer will host the group as a fellow participant and student.

WE (11/15, 22), 3pm, Black Mountain, Honeycutt St, Black Mountain

Intro To Coffee Cupping In this immersive and interactive class you'll learn the fundamentals of coffee cupping, the professional practice used by coffee experts to evaluate and appreciate coffee beans.

WE (11/15), 3pm, HatchWorks, 45 S French Broad Ave Aerial Silks Foundations Learn how to properly ascend, descend, and create stunning shapes on the silks while emphasizing safety and proper form. Participants of all ages and all abilities are welcome.

WE (11/15, 22), 4pm and 5:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave Change Your Palate Cooking Demo This free food demonstration is open to everyone but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/ or their caretakers. Our featured host is Change Your Palate's very own Shaniqua Simuel.

WE (11/15), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave Oasis Study on Dietrich Bonhoeffe Two-week introduction to the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German Lutheran Theologian who stood against Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.

WE (11/15), 6pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville Community Choice Enjoy family activities including puzzles, board games, arts and crafts, and more. Kids ages 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

WE (11/15), 6:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Dollar Décor DIY Enjoy new crafts made from simple items you have at home or can be found at dollar stores.

Advance registration at avlrec.com required.

WE (11/15), 7pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Access to Capital Learn why businesses borrow money, what lenders are looking for when reviewing your application, and the importance of having cash flow projections.

Register at avl.mx/d5a.

TH (11/16), noon, Online Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see if it’s a good fit for you.

TH (11/16), MO (11/20), TU (11/21), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Personal Response to Homelessness: How to Partner with Local Agencies & Take Action An informative learning

Serving the region’s homeless animals Leah Craig Chumbley is the executive director of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. The nonprofit works across county lines with the goal of saving the greatest number of animal lives possible through its programs and initiatives.

Xpress: How has the work you do at Brother Wolf changed you?

Craig Chumbley: Working at Brother Wolf LEAH CRAIG CHUMBLEY has shown me the importance of building a Photo courtesy of Brother strong foundation of core values and weaving Wolf Animal Rescue those core values into all you do. Our core values at Brother Wolf are care, collaboration, accountability and adaptability. We strongly believe in these values, and they are woven into what we do every day at Brother Wolf to support the lives of companion animals and the people who love them.

Standing strongly in who we are and how we can best impact the world brings others who are aligned with our work and approach to our door so that together we can make a bigger impact for the animals we all love. Seeing this in action is phenomenal — people who are aligned under a common cause can accomplish so much good. It has made me spend time thinking about what my personal core values are and then making changes in my life so that I’m living in alignment with my values and therefore bringing my best self to serve the world in the ways I’m called to do so.

How much does your nonprofit depend on volunteers?

It’s thanks to the 600-plus volunteers at Brother Wolf that we’re able to forever change so many animals’ lives. In 2022, Brother Wolf made 1,579 foster home placements. Our foster program relies entirely on the dedicated volunteer foster homes that make it possible for us to care for far more animals than we would otherwise be able to. About 70% of animals at Brother Wolf spend time in a foster home. We are blessed to be in this community where there are so many kindhearted people who are ready to help in any way in order to save a homeless animal’s life.

What was the greatest challenge your nonprofit faced in 2023?

Just like the human population, we’re seeing illnesses go through the animal population in a more intense way. Brother Wolf had to care for many very sick dogs and cats in 2023. With antibiotic resistance building against the diseases we’ve seen in shelters for the past several decades, we’ve had to work with skilled veterinarians to find ways to combat these diseases. Brother Wolf specifically works to help animals that are in rural, underfunded shelters in our region that are faced with making euthanasia decisions due to time and space constraints. When you’re helping animals in these situations, you’re taking in many animals with an unknown or minimal vaccination history.

We’re so grateful to our community who has stepped up in big ways to help our animals pull through these challenging illnesses.

What new initiative has you excited for 2024?

We’re all so excited to see the Brother Wolf doggie play yard get a big overhaul in early 2024. A generous donor is sponsoring this project that includes all-new turf grass for our dogs, which will be a big upgrade in addition to the shade structure that was recently added. Over the past few years, we’ve systematically worked on key facility improvements at Brother Wolf that specifically enhance the day-to-day experience for the animals we care for and enable us to help more animals. Play groups with dogs in our play yard is a time for them to experience pure joy and freedom. We’re all so excited about this facility upgrade that will bring even greater happiness to the dogs we serve. X

depend on the Xpress to give me Why I “Ia different side of the story from TV support and the other local newspapers.”

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C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR series focused on homelessness in our community. Learn more about the causes, responses, and actions that surround the homelessness issue in Asheville and the region.

TH (11/16), 6pm, N Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave Dharam & Discuss: Emily Horn Teaching A dharma talk and an opportunity to ask Emily West Horn questions afterwards. The topic for this talk will be, The Nature of Awakening.

TH (11/16), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Swing Dance Lesson & Dance Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday.

TH (11/16), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd BMC Campus Tours Tours will cover the historic lower campus buildings including The Dining Hall, Lodges, The Quiet House, and The Studies Building as well as the iconic and recently conserved frescos painted by Jean Charlot and BMC students in the summer of 1944.

FR (11/17), 10am, Camp Rockmont, 375 Lake Eden Rd, Black Mountain

Murder Mystery Night: Murder at the Masquerade A Masquerade-themed Murder Mystery party, where you’ll be assigned a specific character to play before the event so that you can plan your costume. RSVP is necessary.

FR (11/17), 7:30pm, Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr SCORE: Financial Planning for Starting a Business Learn how to construct an opening balance sheet, profit & loss statement and sources & uses of cash statement for a start up or ongoing businesss. SA (11/18), 9am, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler Families & Politics Family relationships can be casualties of a toxic political environment.

Preserve important family bonds while staying true to your values.

SA (11/18), 10am, E Asheville Public Library, 3 Avon Rd Bingo Small prizes awarded to winners of each game.

SA (11/18), 1pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

How to Turn Poison into a Meal: Movement LEB w/Coco Villa A three-part movement class conducted in follow-along style and guided improvisation.

Instruction is inspired

by Caribbean dance styles, dance fitness, and somatic movement practices.

SU (11/19), 11am, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101 Ethical Culture at the Parliment of the World's Religions This presentation will be led by Anne Klaeysen and will help understand and appreciate the many forms that religion can take.

SU (11/19), 2:30pm, Ethical Humanist Society, 227 Edgewood Rd Moving Through Grief: Restorative Yoga & Grief Circle A gathering meant to help ground and hold you as you navigate the many, and oftentimes mixed, emotions that are inevitable with loss.

SU (11/19), 6:30pm, Black Mountain Yoga, 116 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Sunday Reset Breathwork Reset your mind, body and spirit with your breath. Heal, transform and activate your life for greater joy and happiness. Register at avl.mx/d69.

SU (11/19), 7pm, Online Black Men Monday A local group that has stepped up in the community to advocate for and mentor students through academic intervention.

MO (11/20), 7pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave World Tavern Poker Night A free to play poker night every Monday.

MO (11/20), 7pm, The Getaway River Bar, 790 Riverside Dr Intro to Senior Games Sports Each week will cover a different sport. This is for people trying a new sport for the 2024 Asheville-Buncombe senior games.

TU (11/21), 10am, W Asheville Park, 11 Vermont Ave Therapeutic Recreation Adult Crafting & Cooking A variety of cooking and crafts for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over each week.

This week will focus on crafting a thankful tree.

TU (11/21), 10am, Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd IBN Biz Lunch: Arden A free independent business networking meeting that consists of a discussion of future networking opportunities in the area, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment and more. Free and open to the public.

TU (11/21), 11:30am, Wild Wing Cafe South, 65 Long Shoals Rd, Arden

LOCAL MARKETS RAD Farmers Market Winter Season Browse 30+ local vendors all winter long with fresh produce, pastured meats, baked goods, honey, and more.

Safely accessible by bike or foot on the greenway, plus free public parking along Riverside Drive.

WE (11/15, 22), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Weaverville Tailgate Market A selection of fresh, locally grown produce,

grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, fire cider, coffee, pickles, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, and garden and landscaping plants. Open year round.

WE (11/15, 22), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville North Asheville Tailgate Market The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors offer fresh Appalachian grown produce, meats, cheeses and eggs - with a variety of baked goods, value added foods, and unique craft items. Weekly through Dec. 16.

SA (11/18), 8am, 3300 University Heights Asheville City Market Local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Weekly through Dec. 17.

SA (11/18), 9am, 52 N Market St Holiday Harvest Second-annual Holiday Harvest Festival with plenty of activities,

vendors, live music and more.

SA (11/18), 9am, Black Mountain Tailgate Market, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Open Hearts Art Center: Holiday Art Market A selection of original artwork, ornaments, ugly holiday sweaters, ceramics, jewelry and more.

Each purchase supports differently-abled artists in Buncombe County, with 50% of proceeds from each sale going directly back to the artist.

SA (11/18), 1pm, Open Hearts Art Center, 217 Coxe Ave Night Markets Discover handcrafted wonders, artisanal delights, and treasures at this market that celebrates community and small businesses.

SA (11/18), 5pm, The Railyard Black Mountain, 141 Richardson Ave, Black Mountain WNC Farmers Market High quality fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey, and other farm

fresh items. Open daily 8am, year-round.

WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd Asheville Punk Flea The punk flea is back with crafts, records, vintage and more for you to browse.

SU (11/19), noon, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd Asheville Night Market Explore dozens of vendors, enjoy drinks and food as well.

SU (11/19), 6pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd MANNA FoodBank Mobile Market This market is free and open to anyone who needs support with groceries. Walk or drive through in just minutes.

WE (11/22), 11am, Fernihurst Mansion, 16 Fernihurst Dr, A-B Tech

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS National Philanthropy Day A special day to recognize and pay tribute to the great contributions that philanthropy – and those active in the philanthropic community

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Becoming a nonprofit

Donate your car.

Change a life.

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

Your donated car can open the doors to independence, increased income, and higher education for a hardworking member of our community. Vehicles of all types and conditions are welcomed and appreciated!

The donation is tax-deductible. The process is simple.

The impact is real.

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Lyric Antio is the market director of the RAD Farmers Market, which was recently incorporated as a nonprofit.

Xpress: What inspired RAD Farmers Market to apply to become a nonprofit?

Antio: We saw the value in nonprofit status on several levels, including giving the market a more expansive and meaningful role in the community.

Part of our mission statement is increasing food access in Buncombe County, and the nonprofit status has opened new doors to creatively achieve that mission.

How has the change helped your market reach LYRIC ANTIO new goals?

Photo courtesy of Antio Gaining 501(c)(3) nonprofit status has opened the market to new funding sources that we didn’t have access to before while connecting us to the community in new ways. For example, we were able to partner with our neighbors at Second Gear as their nonprofit of the month for July. The market received 1% of sales from that month and we hosted a pop-up minimarket at the store. These additional funding sources paired with developing a clear mission statement has enabled us to offer more free, fun educational activities at the market.

What were the challenges associated with filing for the status?

As a long-running community market with over 30 vendors, there were many perspectives to include while we were incorporating. Assembling a board, writing bylaws, etc., all take time and intention to effectively serve the community, and we are grateful for all the input we received that informed the process.

What advice would you give to other farmers markets looking to do something similar?

My advice for all farmers markets is to legitimize the structure of your organization and find what is sustainable for your context. Many markets operate with no business structure, which can leave you vulnerable. Take yourself seriously. Farmers markets are vital infrastructure in the movement of relocalizing our food systems, and we must ensure they are built on strong foundations. X

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR – make to our lives, communities and world.

WE (11/15), 11:30am, Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin St Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book & Oasis Spaces in North Carolina A traveling exhibit about sites important to, and personal memories about, African American travel using The Negro Motorist Green Book during the Jim Crow era of legal segregation.

WE (11/15), TH (11/16), FR (11/17), 9:30am, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St AAUW Honors Our Veterans This program will honor three women who have served our country. They will share their stories: what attracted them to service in the military, their experience, transition to civilian life and their passions now.

TH (11/16), 11:30am, The Art Space, 2021 Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville BAC's 14th Annual Handmade Holiday Market This event features high-quality, handmade gifts created by students, staff, and alums. Items for sale include artwork, candles, ceramics, wearable accessories, woodwork, and other handmade crafts.

TH (11/16), noon, WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Holiday Bazaar Browse for unique holiday gifts while supporting local crafts and artisans. There will be hot drinks and music while you mingle with the community.

FR (11/17), 3pm, Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave, Waynesville Repticon Asheville Reptiles & Exotic Animals Expo This family-oriented, fun-filled events offer guests the opportunity

to learn about the less common reptiles and exotic animals that are not normally seen in local pet stores.

SA (11/18), 9am, WNC Agricultural Center, 761 Boylston Hwy, Fletcher

and experimental artists.

This event will support Revolve Gallery, as well as the Aston Park Defendants.

SA (11/18), 5pm, Revolve, 821 Riverside Dr, Ste 179

The Snozzberries Psychedelic Circus w/ Kendal Street Co. This concert is an immersive audiovisual experience, featuring performers, interactive art exhibits, and more fun surprises. See p72 FR (11/17), 9am, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Venardos Circus A Broadway-style, animal-free circus with assortment of aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, hand balancers, comedic jokesters and more.

The circus has multiple dates and times, visit avl.mx/d46 for the show's full schedule.

WE (11/15), TH (11/16), FR (11/17),7pm, SA (11/18), SU (11/19), 2pm, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

Asheville Holiday Parade The pub will open early for the Asheville Holiday Parade that will run through Patton Ave. Stop in to warm up with a tasty breakfast biscuit & a toasty toddy or hot chocolate.

SA (11/18), 10am, Jack Of The Wood Pub, 95 Patton Ave Holiday Market A Christmas extravaganza market featuring 150 vendors, crafts, small businesses, photo booth, pictures with Santa and more.

SA (11/18), 10am, WNC Agricultural Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd Asheville Holiday Parade & Onesie One Miler Get dressed up in your holiday best and join a run through Downtown Asheville. Onesies encouraged but not required. The Parade itself with have 60 plus parade entries following the theme of Snow Globe. See p72-73 SA (11/18), 11am, Downtown Asheville, Biltmore Ave/College St Meet Santa After the Holiday Parade take pictures with the jolly old man himself.

SA (11/18), 2pm, The Restoration Hotel Asheville, 68 Patton Ave Outlaw Sound Festival A one day festival spanning multiple generations with an emphasis on electronic

National Gingerbread House Competition A highly-anticipated competition to kickoff to the holiday season.

Individuals and baking teams of all skill levels and ages are invited to participate.

MO (11/20), The Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave 23rd Annual Asheville Turkey Trot & Gobble Wobble 1 Mile Portions of the proceeds will be donated to MANNA Food Bank.

Race day registration available in Pack Square starting at 7am until 8:30am. Visit avl.mx/d65 for all race related info.

TH (11/23), 9:15am, Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, Thanksgiving Day Dinner Bring a dish to share and celebrate the holiday with new people. Please sign up at the Grace lobby or call (828) 6934890 to sign up and note how many are coming with you. Register before Nov. 19.

TH (11/23), 1pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville Friendsgiving Potluck & Karaoke Bring a dish, bring your friends, karaoke starts

9pm with Franco Nino.

TH (11/23), 6pm, Shakey's, 38 N French Broad Ave

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING River Cane Work Days Focusing on removing Kudzu from river cane stands along the Wilma Dykeman Greenway in the River Arts District.

No experience needed.

Please sign up at avl.mx/d26.

TH (11/16), 10am, River Cane, 8 River Arts Pl Warming Shelter & Sanctuary In addition to a warm, welcoming space to share a meal with neighbors, Saturday Sanctuary offers restrooms, phone charging, videos, popcorn and a safe place to rest.

SA (11/18), 11am, First Presbyterian Church Asheville, 40 Church St 5th Annual Stop The Pain Concert A bluegrass-gospel concert raising awareness of suicide and bullying as well as funds with numerous raffles. It's a free concert but a donation to help the charity is accepted.

SA (11/18), 2pm, Liberty Baptist Church, 875 Monte Vista Rd, Candler Mutual Aid Care Clinic Offering peer-counseling, body work and massage, acupuncture, herbal support, to-go food and more.

SU (11/19), 1:30pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101 With A Little Help From My Friends: Benefit Concert A benefit concert for music brother Joshua Cavinde featuring Florenica & the Feeling, Women to the Front Blues Band, Jake Cavinder, David Earl Tomlinson and Andrew Scotchie.

SU (11/19), 6pm, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd

Ways to stop human trafficking in WNC Amanda Gopal is the executive director of The Hundred Movement. The nonprofit works with survivors of sex trafficking through specialized counseling, support and educational services.

Xpress: What are the biggest misconceptions about human trafficking issues in WNC? Gopal: One of the biggest misconceptions about human trafficking is that it doesn’t happen here. It absolutely does. Both kids and adults are being trafficked right here in WNC. Hollywood would have you believe that victims are kidnapped and sold into trafficking rings in other countries, which does happen; but AMANDA GOPAL that scenario is far more rare than people Photo courtesy of The being trafficked by family members, intimate Hundred Movement partners or acquaintances in their own homes or communities.

How do you address those issues and prepare messaging to correct these misconceptions?

The Hundred Movement offers training and informational events to help educate our community on what human trafficking actually looks like in our area. We are also very intentional about information that we put out, making sure to avoid sensationalized images that perpetuate stereotypes or misconceptions about who the victims and perpetrators are.

What is one way an interested community member could contribute to your nonprofit’s mission?

Visiting our website is a great place to start. We want to connect people to our mission through various means and our “Join the Movement” page shows several ways to get involved. Community members can volunteer in the office, offer expertise or services to survivors, join our prayer team or contribute financially. (Learn more at avl.mx/d59.)

What was your greatest accomplishment this year?

This year we’ve been able to significantly expand our strategic partnerships and offer our free counseling and case management services to more survivors of trafficking. So far in 2023, we’ve served 21 survivors and provided over 300 hours of specialized, trauma-informed care and support. X

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Watch us grow and bloom.

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WELLNESS

‘Alarming’ cuts

Budgets for victims’ services are slashed

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com For six years, Kelly, a former resident of Asheville, endured physical assaults from her partner with increasing frequency.

The violence worsened after giving birth, and she feared for their child’s safety, too. In 2017, Kelly tried to leave the relationship, and the violence escalated. “Basically every night he was assaulting me,” she explains. “The last injury was a ruptured eardrum and contusions on my face and head where he had beat me. I ended up going to the hospital to make sure I didn’t have any permanent damage.” She had bruises on her neck from strangulation.

(Xpress is referring to Kelly by her nickname to protect her and her child’s privacy.)

A Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office deputy accompanied Kelly to Mission Hospital following that assault. Health care providers collected evidence of her external wounds and performed an MRI scan on her head to assess potential brain injuries.

The BCSO officer performed another crucial role: He referred Kelly to Helpmate, a domestic violence nonprofit, which explained her options regarding a civil order of protection, or restraining order.

Helpmate referred her to Pisgah Legal Services, a legal aid organization that assists low-income clients.

Pisgah Legal represented Kelly for three years while the child’s father fought her for custody.

Helpmate assigned Kelly a court advocate to accompany her to criminal court proceedings for the assaults, as well as repeated violations of the restraining order she obtained. Kelly estimates she faced her abuser dozens of times in court over six years.

Prior to each appearance, Helpmate allowed her to wait inside its office at Buncombe County Courthouse. “That way you don’t have to be in a hallway with your abuser, who is also there waiting for a court appearance,” she explains. The court advocate accompanied her to every criminal proceeding “to provide a human shield in the courtroom,” she says. That companionship “made the court experience so much easier than it would have been.”

As a low-income worker in the service industry at the time, Kelly says the free legal representation she received from Pisgah Legal and free services from Helpmate enabled her to leave safely with her child. Today they live out-of-state and her child is thriving, she says.

Survivors like Kelly demonstrate the best-case scenario for support as

Fall

Nonprofit Feature

LEADING IN TRYING TIMES: Buncombe County Justice Services Director Tiffany Iheanacho, left, and Helpmate Executive Director April Burgess-Johnson, right, need funding to continue providing core services for victims of violence at their respective nonprofits. Photos courtesy of Buncombe County and Burgess-Johnson they emerge from a violent environment. But the Buncombe Countybased nonprofits that assisted her and many others now face deep cuts to their funding, which will likely impact the infrastructure and core services these organizations provide.

As a survivor of domestic violence, Kelly calls these cuts “alarming.” She knows what might have happened if she didn’t have their assistance. “Legal costs are a huge barrier to women leaving their abusive partners,” she says.

DEPLETED FUNDS Helpmate’s annual budget is approximately $3.5 million, and in 2021-22, about one-third of that budget — $1.12 million — came from the Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, says Helpmate Executive Director April Burgess-Johnson.

VOCA funds are generated from the prosecution of white-collar crimes,

which are placed in a Crime Victims Fund. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, the fund includes “federal criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, federal courts and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”

The DOJ administers the funds to each state, and in North Carolina, those funds are disbursed by the Governor’s Crime Commission. Nonprofits apply to the GCC for VOCA funds in January, find out in the summer if they are approved and begin receiving funding in October.

Burgess-Johnson calls VOCA funds “by a long stretch our largest source of funding.” That has been true since 2017, which is when penalties from deferred prosecution agreements no longer went toward the Crime Victims Fund, causing the fund amount to dwindle.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 52

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Mountain Xpress presents

The insider’s guide What to do and where to find it!

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What Would You Do Without Neuropathy Pain Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. I'm now in remission and have felt blessed to be here except for so much pain. My feet and hands were constantly burning – a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg is falling asleep," shares Barbara of Biltmore Forest.

Barbara was suffering from Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN. While chemo kills cancer cells, it also causes much bodily damage. Nerves, especially those far from the brain, are among the first to be harmed. 30-40% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy experience peripheral neuropathy.

"Standing all day was not just a challenge, and it caused me physical agony. Keeping up with my busy schedule – forget about it. I couldn't even go for walks in my neighborhood."

Barbara, like so many others, was prescribed Gabapentin help with the pain and told there was nothing anyone could do. In Doctors’ words, 'there is no treatment for neuropathy.'

Then Barbara found Dr. Autum Kirgan, DACM, C.SMA, L.Ac of South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness. By blending the time–tested science of acupuncture with more modern medical technology, Dr. Kirgan has designed a natural solution for peripheral neuropathy.

"Acupuncture is incredible at restoring blood flow and stimulating damaged nerves, preventing them from dying off," says Dr. Kirgan. "We take our treatments a step further by integrating FSM Therapy which targets specific nerves in the body using microcurrent. FSM Therapy is like watering a plant. This treatment will stimulate the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with proper nutrients to heal and repair.

After only four weeks of treatment, Barbara is already seeing incredible improvement. "I've taken the handicap placard off my rearview mirror and I am finally back to walking my neighborhood. I can't wait to see how I feel at the end of my program! I used to think that this pain was just the price I had to pay for still being alive. Dr. Kirgan has really given me hope for a better life!"

The number of treatments needed to allow nerves to recover fully will vary from person to person and can only be estimated after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation. If you or someone you love suffers from peripheral neuropathy (of any origin), call 828-575-5904 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kirgan and her South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness team.

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WELLN ESS

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In 2023, Helpmate’s VOCA fund allocation decreased 64% from the year before to $407,000. The nonprofit filled the gap with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, but that isn’t a long-term fix as ARPA funds are disappearing, too. (According to the Government Finance Officers Association, ARPA funds must be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.) In 2021, Congress passed a law to stabilize the Crime Victims Fund. Called the VOCA fix, it directs fines and penalties from deferred prosecution agreements back to the fund. But it won’t replenish the funding gaps as quickly as needed, as those funds will take time to accrue.

This is the predicament in which Helpmate finds itself alongside Pisgah Legal Services; OUR Voice, which serves survivors of sexual violence; The Mediation Center, which provides conflict resolution services; and the Family Justice Center, which provides victims’ services.

Nonprofits often operate nimbly and depend on multiple funding sources that are not guaranteed year after year. Yet in the 30 years that Burgess-Johnson has worked in survivor services, she says she’s never seen so many nonprofit budgets impacted so catastrophically.

“We need the public to be aware of this,” says Pisgah Legal Services Executive Director Jim Barrett.

“We need County Commissioners to be aware of it all over Western North Carolina.”

His organization anticipates funding for its programs serving survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence to plummet from $1.5 million in fiscal year 2022 to $400,000 in 2024.

“It took a long time to build this infrastructure [which] depends a lot on this federal grant source,” Barrett says. “And we don’t want to lose this infrastructure.”

SERVICES ON THE LINE The funding cuts are expected to hit the Buncombe County Family Justice Center’s core services. The FJC is a centralized location for community partners serving survivors of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual violence. Upon arrival at the FJC, a survivor is paired with a specialist who coordinates assistance to navigate criminal and civil legal systems, medical exams, evidence collection or whatever else is required.

FJC received $1.4 million in VOCA funding, which comes in two-year grants, in 2015, 2017 and 2019. In 2021, the VOCA funding for FJC was cut to $874,000. “And this year we weren’t even offered the ability to apply,” says

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Buncombe County Justice Services Director Tiffany Iheanacho. The Governor’s Crime Commission didn’t prioritize “multicollaborative centers” like FJC this funding cycle, she says.

VOCA funds at FJC support two intake specialists, a case manager and a counselor through Helpmate; a child care provider through the YWCA; an attorney and legal assistant through Pisgah Legal Services attorney; and a counselor and court advocate through Our VOICE. Buncombe County stepped up to fund those positions through next June. But “after that is uncertain,” says Iheanacho. “We do not have a committed funding source for this program.”

The funding cuts mean the program might have to eliminate two of its four intake specialists. Iheanacho also anticipates “collateral consequences” impacting services. For example, VOCA funding supports childcare at the FJC. But if the childcare budget is reduced or eliminated, that may affect a parent’s ability to access services, like forensic medical exams or counseling sessions.

UNCERTAIN FUTURE The more services that are offered for survivors of domestic violence, the more that they are used, say local experts. In fiscal year 2023, the FCJ saw 567 new intakes compared with 417 in fiscal year 2017. Iheanacho notes that these clients saw two or more agencies on their first visits.

Decreased VOCA funding could be devastating to nonprofits serving survivors at smaller counties in Western North Carolina. This funding might have been so integral to their budgets that the organizations “might not be able to operate” any longer, Burgess-Johnson warns.

Each nonprofit that spoke with Xpress says they’re looking toward philanthropy to meet their budgeting needs.

Additionally, Iheanacho says the Buncombe County Justice Services department, which operates FJC, seeks to utilize existing funding to make up the gaps. “But it is a large gap to fill,” she says.

Iheanacho worries that decreased services for survivors of violence will ripple outward. Interpersonal violence, she explains, doesn’t exist in a silo: There are other financial, legal, medical, educational and emotional consequences that stem from it.

“Violence in the home begets violence in the community,” Iheanacho says. “It agitates mental health and substance use issues. It disrupts housing and displaces people — all these issues we’re seeing across our community.” X

Tohi

The Mission

The mission of the Center for Native Health is the reduction of health disparities for Native communities through engagement in the preservation and respectful application of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS).

• Education and Consulting • Cultural Preservation and Application — Birthing & Doula Programs, Annual Medicine Walk • Community Based Partnerships • Training and Mentorship — Medical Careers & Technology Pathways (MedCaT) As a 501(c)3 your contributions are tax deductible and will contribute directly to CNH’s work to integrate community-based knowledge into all facets of Native health care and education and to promote individual, family and community wellness for Indigenous peoples.

www.CenterForNativeHealth.org For more information, visit instagram

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ARTS & CULTURE

‘Just be a person among people’ 12 Baskets Café’s arts programs build community Fall

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

Nonprofit

earnaudin@mountainx.com Walk into 12 Baskets Café or mosey over to its side garden, and it’s clear that something special is happening.

“If you were to go get food resources anywhere else, you’d probably go stand in line, get your box and get out of there as soon as possible,” says Tom Scheve, the nonprofit’s program coordinator. “Whereas this place, people will come in, not even get food and just hang out — which is awesome. And volunteers will come and not volunteer but just be a person among people.”

Established in 2016 by Shannon Spencer as the food resource arm of Asheville Poverty Initiative, 12 Baskets provides free to-go meals and grocery items on Tuesdays and Fridays (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) and serves free sit-down meals Mondays and Thursdays (11 a.m.-1 p.m.). Volunteers use 100% rescued food from local restaurants and food service industry partners.

“The food’s critical, but it’s all these shared meals and shared time together that provides this platform for community to be built,” Scheve says. “So, the stickier we can make it with different events so that people are just coming, [the better].”

Helping deepen that sense of community and belonging over the past few years are a handful of arts programs, each of which arose in organic ways. Xpress spoke with a few of the creative leaders behind these endeavors to learn about what drew them to 12 Baskets and the differences these experiences have had on participants and the artists themselves.

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Feature

STAIRWAY TO CREATIVITY: From left, Jenn Murphy, Leslee Johnson, Ethan Schultz and Shelly Baker have been instrumental in bringing arts programming to 12 Baskets Café. Photo by Edwin Arnaudin GARDEN PARTY Jen Murphy has been volunteering at 12 Baskets since 2018. After partaking in a meal shortly after the café opened, she felt deeply touched

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by how simple yet profound the concept was and by how welcome everyone made her feel.

“I wanted to contribute, so I began by making flower arrangements for the tables,” Murphy says. “As I got to

know the people there, I looked for more ways to help.”

While sitting in the 12 Baskets garden one day, she was struck by the idea that paving stones — which she’d begun working with three years prior as part of her growing interest in mosaics — would be a good way to invite artistic collaboration as well as enhance the garden’s beauty. Murphy applied for a grant from Burners Without Borders and was awarded funds to support the undertaking in April.

“I named the project ‘The Garden of Mutuality,’” she says. “It was a three-week process involving café guests, neighbors and friends dropping into the garden and contributing by adding colorful glass pieces to the stones.”

Roughly 40 people worked on 15 paving stones, which were then built into a staircase leading from the garden up to Haywood Road. In addition to adding more pockets of color to the outdoor space, Murphy notes that the project gave the collaborators a stronger sense of ownership for the place where they spend so much time.

“There is something magical about sitting and making stuff together,” she says. “I see more pride of place in the garden — people saying, ‘It’s our garden.’”

THE CHEESE ALLIANCE The strong feeling of community also proved inspirational for Leslee Johnson. The lecturer in English and humanities and director of the Prison Education Program at

PUMPKINHEAD & FRIENDS: Masks created in Ethan Schultz’s class at 12 Baskets Café were a big hit at the Oct. 31 West Asheville Tailgate Market. Photo courtesy of 12 Baskets Café UNC Asheville regularly came to 12 Baskets in 2022 to share meals. While getting to know those around her, she discovered that they had much in common.

“People would ask me what I do, and I’d say, ‘I’m a writer and I teach writing.’ And their response would be, ‘Oh, I’m a writer, too,’” Johnson says. “It just seemed natural to bring that to the table — kind of literally and metaphorically. Creating something together is as nourishing as sharing a meal.”

On Fridays after the pantry closes, all interested parties are invited to stay for Johnson’s informal writing group, which is now known as The Cheese Alliance. She or other facilitators bring a new prompt each week and, after a timed writing session, participants may read their creations aloud.

“People come for different reasons but, at bottom, to share their voice and to share their work,” Johnson says. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we do take our words seriously, and the process of creating them and giving them to each other.”

Over the past year, The Cheese Alliance has amassed enough poems and stories for Johnson to start seeking a means of getting them published.

The group also did a reading at Story Parlor in August, and plans are in the works for more such public events.

’WE ALL COME FOR SOMETHING’ Additional personal connections to 12 Baskets have propelled other arts leaders to offer their services for the nonprofit’s programming.

“I get groceries and meals there regularly, and it’s helped my family get through lean times,” Murphy

RAINBOW CONNECTION: "The Garden of Mutuality” saw roughly 40 people work on 15 paving stones for the 12 Baskets Café garden.

Photo courtesy of 12 Baskets Café

says. “The lines between servers and eaters, volunteers and guests are blurry. It really is mutual aid — everyone is a giver and a receiver.”

Food was what originally brought local artist and educator Ethan Schultz to 12 Baskets as a customer.

He says he was “loosely volunteering” for a few years and then became more seriously involved by starting a chess club. Soon, Shelly Baker, 12 Baskets’ administrative and communications coordinator, suggested that he incorporate his arts background however he saw fit.

Since the summer, Schultz has been leading a Thursday art group in the garden. Most recently, they painted giant masks made out of cardboard that Schultz cut at local makers spaces into food shapes such as eggplant, broccoli, sardines and even a birthday cake. The creations were then sold at the West Asheville Tailgate Market on Halloween.

Proceeds went directly back to 12 Baskets to help with weekly services and future arts projects.

Though painter Shirley Bavonese doesn’t run an art class at 12 Baskets, the West Asheville resident was intrigued by what she’d read about 12 Baskets and started volunteering on-site. There, she was impressed by

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AR T S & C UL TU R E the community and the lack of division between those helping out and people who use the café’s services.

“There was no line of demarcation,” Bavonese says. “And I really like what Shannon — the originator of this — said, which is, ‘We all need something.

We all come for something.’”

In turn, Bavonese felt inspired to paint a series of nine portraits, featuring both 12 Baskets regulars and volunteers. The paintings are now prominently displayed on the café’s left-side wall and have inspired those who use 12 Baskets’ services.

“They’re planning to do more art to hang up on the walls inside, which was definitely started by [Shirley],” Baker says. “They were like, ‘We can do this? OK, let’s do this.’ There just has to be somebody to start it.”

BE THE CHANGE

Meet and make new friends, enjoy outdoor activities of your choosing, and give back to our beautiful mountains and community.

Volunteer activities include regularly scheduled and one-time outdoor workdays within Buncombe County.

The projects may include: - planting and maintaining flower gardens - campground and picnic area maintenance - graffiti remediation - litter pick up - other activities as requested For more information, email ashevillevolunteers@friendsbrp.org or visit blueridgefriends.org

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One concept at the core of 12 Baskets and the Asheville Poverty Initiative overall is the theme of abundance. Among the nonprofit’s guiding principles is “deconstructing the prevailing cultural belief of scarcity” and recognizing “how much abundance already exists and that there is more than enough to go around.”

While Johnson, Bavonese, Murphy and Schultz have all given back to their community and continue to do so through their art, they don’t believe that it’s an obligation all artists should feel. Instead, they find the personal calling that motivates them as indi-

COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT: Volunteer Shirley Bavonese felt inspired to paint nine portraits of 12 Baskets Café regulars and her fellow volunteers. Photo courtesy of 12 Baskets Café viduals far more important — and if others experience a similar pull, they should act on it.

For Schultz, he does not see his efforts as altruistic. In fact, he considers his contributions to 12 Basket as somewhat selfish — but in a way, that’s more sustainable on a holistic level.

“I just want to see what I want to exist for my own benefit,” he says. “It doesn’t feel like it’s for them — it’s for me. All the [12 Baskets] groups that are going on, I feel somewhat attached to, and I benefit from it as much as anyone else.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/70u. X

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins Sonya Jones is the executive director of Caja Solidaria. The nonprofit works to ensure that everyone has access to food in Henderson and Transylvania counties.

Xpress: You became a nonprofit in 2022. What led to that decision?

Jones: We went from a mutual aid buying club to a nonprofit in 2022 to fill a gap in our community. A new program was coming available that allowed health insurance to pay healthy food service providers to provide food to people living with chronic health conditions. We wanted to make sure that Henderson County residents were being served by a Henderson County organization.

What have been the biggest challenges associated with becoming a nonprofit?

We provide a service that brings mobile markets with fresh fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins and whole grains directly to people’s homes. Our biggest challenge has been that people really love this service. We’ve been growing so rapidly that we went from zero to 200 households over the past year and a half. Our staff has grown from one person to 11 people. We had to get a commercial space recently. Every day we are learning to fly while building the airplane.

SONYA JONES Tell us about your super food boxes and why this initiative is so important to Photo by Allison Joyce your organization.

Super food boxes are what we call our mobile and pickup market experiences. The box is what people have after they’ve selected their fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins for about two meals per day per week. We love this program because we really like to trust that household members are in the best position to know what their families need for food. And we like to bring the best, highest-quality, mostly local, mostly organic foods to our members.

What new initiatives do you have planned for 2024?

We are really excited to start adding in some different classes and entrepreneurship opportunities in 2024. We have some very talented food processors among our membership. And we would love to be purchasing things like bread, tortillas and other value-added products from them to include in our markets. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

THEATER

Holiday spectacular

Behind the scenes of ‘A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas’ Fall

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

Nonprofit

earnaudin@mountainx.com

Feature

New York City has the annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, and The Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker dazzles audiences each December in the nation’s capital. But for the past six years, Western North Carolina residents haven’t had to leave the area to experience a top-tier holiday extravaganza.

A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas, which debuted in 2017, features a wealth of singing, dancing, music and comedy to help ring in the season. And as impressive as these performances are, it’s the nonprofit theater’s behind-the-scenes efforts to launch each year’s production that makes the annual event that much more stunning.

CHANGING SEASONS This year’s edition features 31 collective performances running Friday, Nov. 24-Thursday, Dec. 21.

Helming the show for the first time is Ethan Andersen, FRP’s resident music director. He takes over for creator Matthew Glover, who moved to Spartanburg in August.

Andersen, who has been involved in the holiday production since its inception, says he’s up to the challenge.

“In years prior, we did a [holiday] musical or concert offering. And then we’d done a few years of a really great version of A Christmas Carol,” Andersen says. “In 2017, we were wanting to create a holiday tradition — not only for us here but really for the town of Flat Rock and the town of Hendersonville.”

At the time, Glover took the lead on the project and recruited an ensemble of FRP veteran performers. He also partnered with Pat’s School of Dance in Hendersonville to feature its youth hoofers and incorporated the FRP chorus, a volunteer group of vocalists from the community. While those three elements have remained staples, everything else each year is subject to change, including the cast.

“The idea being every year would feel similar in structure and in terms of what the audience could expect, but every year is different in terms of who we’re bringing down, what talent, what songs — even the energy of the show,” Andersen says. “It’s

RAZZLE DAZZLE: Members of the 2022 edition of A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas deliver holiday cheer. The seventh annual production returns Nov. 24. Photo by Treadshots evolved over the years into something that we now have a structure to, and we know what works and what doesn’t.”

Though some productions have a decidedly traditional tone and stick to classic carols and seasonal tunes, Anderson says his debut at the helm will feature more contemporary songs and be slightly sillier than most years. Helping him behind the scenes is Producing Artistic Director Lisa K. Bryant and choreographer Lauren Rogers Hopkins, as well as the theater’s crew.

“This year is especially exciting as I’m kind of taking the reins and creating the show and molding it,” he says. “I have a lot of experience being a part of it, but now it’s sort of something I can guide.”

WE’VE GOT HOW MANY DAYS? Andersen began planning for A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas in the not quite winter wonderland of August.

“We have to determine the set list.

We have to determine the flow of the show. It’s much more than just picking songs — like, we can’t have four ballads back to back,” he says. “And then also it’s a draft one of that — we have to wait and see who can do the

show because we want to cater to their talents.”

Among the choices made for 2023 were picking a new tune where tap dancer Maddie Franke could again show off her skills, plus songs that highlight the pop-friendly vocals of Gabriella Gomez, a former apprentice making her Christmas show debut. Music also needs to be ready for Pat’s School of Dance so that they can choreograph a handful of routines and practice throughout their fall semester.

Throughout the production, Andersen plays piano on stage with Paul Babelay (drums/percussion) — who also makes the most of a vibraphone solo each year — and Ryan Guerra (guitar/bass). While that jazz combo works for smaller numbers, more epic selections incorporate strings and horns, and it’s up to Andersen to work up orchestrations and hire additional musicians.

On top of that, he met with tech collaborators in mid-October to start planning lighting and projections, and also started working with the chorus around that time. Behind the scenes, the costume department is hard at work, crafting a range of designs.

“It really won’t come together until we start rehearsing about a week and a half before it opens — which is

sort of insane,” Andersen says. “It’s a lot to squeeze into 10 days right before Thanksgiving.”

He adds that any more lead time would interfere with FRP’s other productions. But the tight schedule has never impeded the final results.

“It always works,” Andersen says.

“And it’s always a fun time — there’s the Christmas energy; there’s just the energy of it being the final show of the season and everyone knowing each other in the cast. It’s a camaraderie that we’re all just putting the show on and getting it on its feet.”

And it’s not just Christmas selections that will be performed.

Andersen is excited to feature a Hanukkah song to honor the area’s numerous Jewish members, and what he calls “an around-the-world medley to capture other holiday songs and traditions.” With these inclusive efforts, Andersen and his colleagues hope to make A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas appeal to as much of the community as possible and build on its already revered reputation.

“Ultimately, we want it to be a show that people in this area can know is coming, they can plan for it — and perhaps it’s a family tradition that they can all come to during the holidays,” he says.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/d5e. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD

Traditional or nontraditional?

Professional and amateur chefs share their Thanksgiving Day go-to recipes

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce • ¼ teaspoon sugar • Salt to taste Instructions: Wash haricot verts; if using green beans or long beans trim the tough ends and cut long beans in thirds.

Pat dry haricot verts before cooking.

Heat ¼ cup of oil in a wok over medium-high heat and shallow-fry the green beans in two batches. Once they appear wrinkled and slightly scorched, they are ready to remove from the wok. When the green beans are nicely blistered, remove remaining oil except for 1 tablespoon. Turn heat down to low and add ginger, garlic, dried chilies, preserved mustard greens and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir fry for one minute, until fragrant. Turn the heat back up to high, add haricot verts. After three minutes add Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sugar.

Toss or flip to incorporate it all.

Season with salt to taste.

BY ANDY HALL ahall@mountainx.com What’s your go-to Thanksgiving dish? Does it lean traditional, or do you venture beyond what most would consider holiday fare?

When I was a child growing up in Mount Airy, my grandmother Hattie Hall would gather chestnuts from her neighbor’s yard and roast them in the wood-burning stove to use for her dressing. I’ll never forget the popping noises they made, which my cousins told me were worms bursting inside the chestnut. (They were not.)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Xpress reached out to local residents — both professional and amateur chefs — for their favorite recipes and the stories behind them.

BRING ON THE GREEN BEANS Chef J Chong grew up in Toronto but spent most of her adult life in Mississippi and Louisiana before moving to Asheville in 2016. For holidays, she enjoys incorporating her Chinese-Canadian background into dishes, including Sichuan green beans.

“This dish is most commonly made during Lunar New Year celebrations, but because green beans are an easy cultural crossover dish, I love to serve it at Thanksgiving and other holiday feasts‚” she says. “I have witnessed a wide variety of food traditions, and my food is a unique expression of my experiences. I’m not a traditional holiday person. I like my vegetables to be clean and fresh tasting with

DRESS IT UP

HOLD THE PIE: Joseph McElroy’s family, which settled in the Haywood County area around 200 years ago, enjoys pineapple upside-down cake on holidays.

Photo courtesy of McElroy

The Enka-Candler Tailgate Market would like to thank all of our vendors and shoppers for a memorable 2023 market season.

We look forward to seeing you all again in 2024!

Contact Us: EnkaCandlerTailgateMarket@gmail.com 60

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a bite, while still showcasing their cross-cultural versatility.”

Sichuan green beans Ingredients: • 1 pound haricot verts (you can substitute with green beans or Asian long beans) • ¼ cup canola oil • 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 3 tablespoons of preserved mustard greens (sui mi ya cai) • 3 dried red chilies, deseeded and chopped • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (you can substitute with sherry)

Local musician Jenny Bradley is a mother of two and a music instructor. When her career initially took her to New York City, Bradley didn’t leave her upstate South Carolina roots behind. Now in Asheville, she still keeps her grandmother’s recipes close by.

“When I first moved to NYC, I’d call my grandma Doris Bradley every Thanksgiving and ask her to remind me how to make her delicious dressing,” she says. “My New York friends who are used to stuffing loved this Southern dressing. It’s an ’eyeball’ recipe, so it always turns out a little different. But it’s perfect every time, whether it slices like moist cornbread or dollops out like dressing. I make this just before dinner is served.”

Doris and Jenny Bradley’s Thanksgiving dressing Ingredients: • Two-day-old cornbread • Two-day-old buttermilk biscuits • Hot turkey drippings • Hen fat (or chicken stock) • 1 1/2 sticks of butter • Celery stalk, finely chopped • Vidalia onion, finely chopped • Dried sage • Fresh sage to garnish

• 2-3 small onions per person • 1 cup of milk • 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour • 1/2 stick (or more) of butter • Pinch of sugar (optional) • Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Peel the onions and boil slowly to maintain layers until tender (don’t overcook), set aside. In a separate pan combine milk, butter, flour, salt and pepper. Add the optional pinch of sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent sauce from scorching. Continue cooking until sauce thickens. Then carefully add onions, gently stirring to coat onions. Add additional salt and pepper if desired.

Jenny Bradley. Photo by Jon Holloway • 2 eggs • Salt and pepper Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large glass casserole dish.

Crumble several buttermilk biscuits and more cornbread than biscuits in large mixing bowl until fine. Add salt and pepper. In a large cast iron skillet, melt 1/2 a stick of butter or more and saute celery and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Add eggs to bread mixture and stir. Add celery and onions and stir. Add large amount of turkey drippings until bread mixture is somewhat soupy.

If more liquid is needed, use chicken stock. Once the mixture is a thick soupy texture, add dried sage to taste and stir again. Pour the mixture into the buttered casserole dish. Drizzle half a stick of melted butter over the top. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Broil for three minutes to crisp the top. Garnish with one leaf of fresh sage in the center.

Ducky’s amazing mashed rutabagas Ingredients: • 3 small or 2 large rutabagas • 5 slices of bacon • Water • Salt and pepper • Pinch of sugar Instructions: Peel and chop rutabagas into small cubes. In a large saucepan, fry bacon until drippings form. Add two cups of water and boil five minutes.

Add rutabagas and additional water, just enough to cover rutabagas.

Chef J Chong. Photo by Andy Hall Boil an additional five to 10 minutes until tender. Drain broth and sit aside. Do not discard. Remove bacon and mash rutabagas leaving some lumps. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Crisp bacon in the microwave, crumble and use for garnish (optional).

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PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS Marie “Ducky” Molton’s family goes back several generations in Western North Carolina. A mother of six — and grandmother and great-grandmother to many more — Molton has fed her family with the following Thanksgiving side dishes for over 70 years. The recipes have been passed down through family members and were taught to Molton by her mother.

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ARTS & CU L T U R E DEEP ROOTS AND A SWEET ENDING Joseph McElroy and his wife, Simone, own the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. McElroy’s family has lived in the Smoky Mountains for nearly two centuries. He says he has woven the threads of his heritage into the fabric of HomeCraft, the motel’s on-site restaurant, and its bar, the Speakeasy.

“The motel stands as a vibrant intersection of past and present, where family legacy and culinary traditions come together to create unforgettable experiences,” he says.

“Here, guests are treated to dishes that tell a story — a story of resilience, love and the power of food to preserve memories and foster connections.”

One of the recipes that takes center stage during the McElroys holiday gatherings is the cast iron pineapple upside-down cake. “This dessert is not just a treat — it’s a living memory of my grandmother and aunts, who would prepare it with love and care for Thanksgiving celebrations,” he says. “The use of a cast iron skillet pays homage to the traditional cooking methods

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has strong culinary influences in many dishes as well — on the family table, as well as the restaurant’s menu.

Marie “Ducky” Molton. Photo courtesy of Molton

Sautéed hominy Ingredients: • 2 cups canned hominy, drained • 2 tablespoons butter • 1/2 onion, finely chopped • 1/2 bell pepper, diced • Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and bell pepper, saute until softened. Stir in the hominy, cooking until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

of the Scots Irish settlers in the Appalachians, grounding the dish in the history of the region and the McElroy family.”

The culinary journey doesn’t end there. Sautéed hominy, a dish rooted in both Native American and African American culinary traditions, is also part of the McElroy family holiday spread. This simple dish is a nod to McElroy’s late wife, Donna’s, African American roots.

Simone’s Trinidadian background

Cast iron pineapple upsidedown cake Ingredients: • 1/2 cup unsalted butter • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 20-ounce can of sliced pineapple, drained and juice preserved • Maraschino cherries • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened • 1 cup granulated sugar • 2 large eggs

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• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/2 cup whole milk • 1/4 cup preserved pineapple juice Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until well combined and spread evenly across the skillet. Arrange the pineapple slices in a single layer over the brown sugar mixture, placing a maraschino cherry in the center of each slice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla extract. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and pineapple juice, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour the batter over the pineapple slices in the skillet, spreading evenly. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the skillet for 10 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. X

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A R TS & CU LTU R E

ARTS

Mixed media

Leaders share triumphs and frustrations at State of the Arts Brunch

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Onstage at The Orange Peel, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer had just delivered an update on the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium when the power went out.

According to venue co-owner Liz Tallent, a short circuit in a cable caused the building’s circuit breaker to flip, which led to a brief power disruption, cloaking attendees at the Oct. 30 ArtsAVL’s State of the Arts Brunch in darkness. Power was restored within 10 minutes, and the program continued. But it was ironic timing for the latest information on Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, which has been closed since July 5 due to a failed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

Before the outage, Manheimer compared the auditorium’s importance to Asheville with that of Greensboro’s Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts, the Durham Performing Arts Center and the Peace Center in Greenville, S.C..

“Those are the single largest investments those cities are making — and with good reason,” she said. “A city is people and experiences. And so, how do you make a city one of the best places to be in the world? You make sure that people are having an enriched life and having an opportunity to have the greatest quality experiences.”

ArtsAVL promoted the mayor’s update as a key point of the State of the Arts Brunch. Before the interruption, Manheimer shared that Asheville City Council had narrowed down the venue’s renovation plans from five to two options. She did not elaborate on the “improved raked floor arrangement” plan but said that the more costly “patron-driven” route “would bring significant renovation to the front-ofhouse space, creating an acoustically sound concert hall which can accommodate a wide array of programming.”

She added that it “would reshape the interior of the facility, resulting in a new venue within the existing structure.”

Manheimer also noted that City Council will be “looking at what the possibilities are in making this a reality” but that it wouldn’t be possible without “very strong partnerships.” That urgency echoed findings that ArtsAVL 64

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Executive Director Katie Cornell shared in her opening remarks.

“The longer-term closure of Thomas Wolfe [Auditorium], even with it reopening at limited capacity, is estimated to result in a loss of over $20 million for our economy this year,” Cornell said. “ArtsAVL is supportive of this renovation, and we will lend our support as we’re able.”

She also announced the launch of a cost-of-living study to help retain young, up-and-coming creatives and artists of color whom she says are leaving the area and even the state. ArtsAVL plans to share the study’s findings in May with an accompanying town hall event.

POST-PANDEMIC PROGRESS Though Cornell’s presentation wasn’t all gloom and doom, it depicted a local creative sector still rebounding from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared data from the 2023 Buncombe County Creative Economy Snapshot and the national Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 report. Several aspects of the reports drew applause, such as 61% of ArtsAVL’s 2023 fiscal year grants going toward underserved communities and 34% awarded to artists of color or organizations led by people of color.

But certain details intentionally gave attendees pause. Perhaps most troubling was the current state budget provision prohibiting tier-three counties with a population over 250,000 from receiving Grassroots Arts Program grant funding. Buncombe is one of just five counties in North Carolina to be excluded, which will result in a reduction in the number and size of Grassroots grant awards ArtsAVL is able to offer in its 2024-25 funding cycle.

“The argument for this provision is that the arts in these five counties don’t need more arts support because they’re doing so well,” Cornell said.

“But as I just showed you with our Creative Economy Snapshot and our EP6 data, this is far from the truth.”

While she noted that the provision can’t be removed or adjusted this year, Cornell said ArtsAVL has “high hopes for next year” and recognized the support in these efforts from Sen. Julie Mayfield, who attended The Orange Peel event.

In addition to support from city and state government officials,

HONOR BOUND: From left, ArtsAVL Executive Director Katie Cornell and Blue Spiral 1 director/co-owner Michael Manes present the John Cram Arts Leadership Award to Brian and Gail McCarthy at the State of the Arts Brunch. Photo

by Emmanuel Figaro the arts also have an ally in Terri Wells, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners vice chair. After identifying herself as “an arts lover,” Wells highlighted the county’s $130,000 in annual funding for block grant funds, managed by ArtsAVL,

as well as arts programming throughout the county’s services, especially at public libraries.

“And I hope you all have enjoyed the beautiful murals that have been created around town,” Wells said, referring to the county’s Creative

Equity Mural Project. Completed works include Durham-based Gabriel Eng-Goetz’s “Rebuild” on the register of deeds office and local artist Leslie Reynalte-Llanco’s “Eros un Orgullo Latino/You Are Latin Pride” mural behind the county tax office

on Hilliard Avenue. Asheville-based artist Jared Wheatley’s upcoming work on the College Street parking deck will, in Wells’ words, honor “the ancestral stewards of this land.”

The State of the Arts Brunch concluded with Michael Manes, director and co-owner of Blue Spiral 1, presenting Gail and Brian McCarthy with this year’s John Cram Arts Leadership Award (aka the “Crammy”). The founders of Highwater Clays and Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts moved to Asheville in 1979 and, in 1995, were integral in establishing the River Arts District and the RAD Studio Stroll.

Manes noted that both Highwater and Odyssey have been incubators for fledgling artists and those new to Asheville and that the McCarthys also started a resident artist program that nurtured people from all over the country. He added that the McCarthys’ “vision for supporting artists” made them deserving recipients of an award named for Cram, who passed away in 2020 after over 50 years of elevating Asheville’s arts scene.

Gail noted that the award was humbling for her and Brian and acknowledged that numerous people have also been responsible for the city’s thriving arts community.

“Sometimes, collaborations grow organically as people follow their own paths and reach out to help others along the way,” she said.

“Opportunities in Asheville have provided many artists with the home to make their dreams a reality. So, continue to take flight and soar.” X

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

The benefits of talking to local farmers Molly Nicholie is the executive director of Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.

The nonprofit links local farmers to markets and supporters and helps build healthy communities through connections to local food.

Xpress: Describe the feeling you get when you have a meaningful interaction with an area farmer whose products you enjoy? What does it mean to understand exactly where your tomatoes come from?

Food is often a mundane part of our day to day, but being able to have a personal interaction or friendship with the farmer makes MOLLY NICHOLIE it personal. It leads to a lot more gratitude or Photo courtesy of ASAP appreciation for the food we eat and how our community is knit together.

What was the greatest challenge ASAP faced in 2023 and why?

Like many organizations and businesses, ASAP faced challenges around staff transition and capacity, both internally and across partnerships.

Onboarding new staff and building relationships takes time and thoughtfulness. From farmer support agencies to early childhood educators, everyone is dealing with challenges and reduced bandwidth. The good news is that we have a very solid and committed team so we can focus on evolving opportunities to collaborate and continue our impactful work across the region.

How would you pitch a farmers market to someone who has never been?

Many first-time market shoppers can find the experience overwhelming or intimidating, so I would offer the suggestion of walking around the market first to get a sense of what’s available and make a plan for what you want to buy. Then lead with curiosity and talk to farmers — ask questions about how they like to cook or prepare foods. If prices aren’t posted, ask. And bring a friend. You can get a treat together and catch up, in addition to trying something new and getting some of your shopping done.

What new initiatives does ASAP have planned for 2024?

I’m excited to head into 2024 with ASAP’s continued core resources and programming for farmers, buyers, educators and community, while also expanding popular initiatives like our Farm Fresh Produce Prescription and Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables. X

2023

specialty shops issue Publishes December 6

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

HISTORY

Telling the full story

Anne Chesky on the opening of the Asheville Museum of History Fall

BY ANDY HALL

Nonprofit

ahall@mountainx.com The Asheville Museum of History opened on Oct. 26. Located inside the Smith-McDowell House and established by the WNC Historical Association, the new museum offers an in-depth and inclusive look at the region’s history, including voices and perspectives that have historically been marginalized or ignored.

On opening day, Xpress sat down with Executive Director Anne Chesky in her office on the second floor of the restored mansion. Built around 1840, the home was originally a summer retreat for the James Smith family and operated as one of the family’s two plantations.

Chesky grew up in Asheville and earned her master’s degree in Appalachian studies at Appalachian State University, as well as a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Georgia. She says the area’s history pulled her back home, and she is excited to share what she and Trevor Freeman, public program director, have created at the Smith-McDowell House.

Xpress: Did you always have a passion for history?

Oh, no [laughing]. I actually graduated from UNC Asheville with an environmental studies degree. ... But I found my love for history when I was doing Appalachian studies. My final project was collecting the history of my home community in an attempt to get people talking about conservation. After I collected that history, I fell in love with finding out what happened in the past and how that applies to what and where we are today.

What are you most excited about sharing with visitors to the Asheville Museum of History?

That we represent the history of all of Western North Carolina and that we’re here in Asheville. ... A formal history museum is something that we haven’t really had in this area.

We’ve been working on this project since I got here in January 2020.

COVID gave us a little extra time to think about where we wanted to go and how we wanted to serve the community.

I’m really excited about the fact, too, that now we have a place here in town for people to bring things

Feature

SHARING ALL STORIES: Anne Chesky says it’s important that all people who shaped WNC’s history are represented at the Asheville Museum of History.

Photo by Andy Hall they’d like to donate, such as objects and artifacts that they’d like to have preserved that can teach people and really help us visualize our past.

And while we will serve visitors to the area, we also want to serve people who have been here a long time — as well as the newer people who are making this their home.

Why is a history museum important to the area?

In Western North Carolina, we have one state museum — the Mountain Gateway Museum [in Old Fort.]

When [the Smith-McDowell House was] a house museum, we were preserving things that fit within the time period of the house. And now, we’re really expanding our collection policy and what we collect so that we’re representative of all of Western North Carolina and all the different

communities and people that have shaped us.

We are a space people can contemplate how our history affects our lives today, and we are going to create programming to go along with that.

Tell us a little more about the special programming you are creating.

A lot of our programming for the last few years has been online, which has actually been really great because we’ve been able to reach people who wouldn’t be able to come into Asheville. Trevor also does a lot of hikes and tours, like the cemetery series that’s been really popular.

And now we’re transitioning into programming for all of Western North Carolina — we represent 23 counties.

In the main area, the informative kiosks slide into the alcoves beside

the fireplace so that we can use that room for lectures and programs. It’s a multipurpose space that we will be able to use for programming as we gear up for 2024.

Do you think there’s an area of the museum that might surprise visitors the most about the history of Asheville?

I feel like I discover new stuff all the time. The timeline [display], which Trevor mostly put together, will probably be the place that visitors can easily learn more. It gives you these little snippets of things throughout our history that hopefully pique visitors’ interests. Some of the exhibits have QR codes where you can access more information.

Also, because we represent all of Western North Carolina, we are learning more about areas beyond Asheville that we might not be as familiar with.

You are passionate about including all history. How are you making the museum accessible to everyone?

We are a nonprofit, we do have a minimum admission charge. It’s $5 for adults and $2 for children.

Every week we have Western North Carolina Wednesdays, when anyone from Western North Carolina [can enter for] free. A-B Tech students always [get in for] free, and students and the military pay 50% [of admission.] We also do community-funded tickets for our programs.

It’s very important that the museum is accessible to anyone. We don’t want people to come here and then leave because they can’t afford to come in.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

One thing that I really like that we’ve done is an exhibit on the house.

This had been a house museum for 40 years and certainly represented the people who owned the house. What we’ve done with our house exhibit, which is pretty small, is that we’ve worked to represent all the people that were here on the grounds.

Of course, that includes the owners, but also the people who were enslaved here and who were servants here, as well as the Native Americans who were here thousands of years ago. We’ve shown how all those stories are intertwined.

We’ll be sharing that information in the future on guided behind-thescenes tours of the house. It’s a nod to our past where we still are representing the history in a way that speaks to everyone who was here.

It’s a traumatic history and has to be done with sensitivity.

The Asheville Museum of History is at 283 Victoria Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/cxn. X

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ARTS & CU L T U R E

IN PHOTOS

LEAF Global Arts Festival brings fire and stilt walkers The 51st LEAF Global Arts Festival took place in late October at Lake Eden Retreat in Black Mountain. This year’s festival theme was “Legends of the Americas” and featured indigenous stories. Other highlights included traditional barn dancing lessons, a giant puppet parade, fire dancing and art and food vendors.

All photos by Murryn Payne.

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ARTS & CU L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food A Southern eatery in North Asheville The Local Pizza Joint, which opened only a stone’s throw from Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. earlier this spring, closed in September.

But the husband-and-husband team, Chris and Jasper Ieronimo, have not given up on the location. Instead, the couple has shifted its focus to Southern cuisine with the recent launch of Deep South Kitchen.

The full-service restaurant is an homage to Jasper’s Mississippi Delta heritage, with many of the offerings inspired by his grandmother’s dishes. “What I’m cooking in this restaurant is what I cook at home,” he says. “These are my personal recipes.”

The menu features Southern fare such as chicken fried steak, collard greens, fried okra, peach cobbler and “real good sweet tea,” says Jasper. The Ieronimos plan to expand the menu in the near future, including adding breakfast this month.

“It’s been day and night from pizza,” says Jasper. “We are affordable and just plain, old Mississippi cooking. We’ve had so much support and we’ll keep serving food as long as folks are coming through the door.”

The restaurant is open TuesdaySaturday, 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., and Sunday, noon-6 p.m.

Deep South Kitchen is at 707 Merrimon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5h.

Warren Wilson opens farm school store Earlier this month, Warren Wilson College Farm opened a new retail

student-run farm produces sustainable, pasture-raised beef, pork and lamb.

Warren Wilson College Farm and General Store are at 157 South Lane, Swannanoa. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5i.

Bun Intended’s new menu

SOUTHERN CUISINE: Co-owners Chris and Jasper Ieronimo, right, opened Deep South Kitchen on Merrimon Avenue last month. The couple makes dishes based on Jasper’s family recipes. Photo courtesy of the Ieronimos and community space selling meats, fresh vegetables, crafts and products made by students, including forest and herbal products.

The Farm School General Store will be open every Saturday, 10 a.m.-

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2 p.m. It will also offer community opportunities such as workshops, lectures and demonstrations.

The name honors Warren Wilson’s roots as the Asheville Farm School, which opened in 1894. The 300-acre,

Thai street food counter Bun Intended has rolled out a new menu reflecting the chef’s heritage.

Co-founder and head chef Erica Glaubitz, also known as “Chef Shorty,” has created a menu that delves into her family’s flavor traditions from the Isaan region of Thailand, as well as popular Thai street food, according to a press release. “We don’t do pad thai and noodle dishes like most Thai restaurants; rather, we focus on the things you would find from the local sources in the villages my family comes from.”

New menu items include the grilled pork plate, or moo ping, and 24-hour-brined fried chicken, or gai tod. Local favorites crispy tofu, rotating Thai curries and homemade buns remain on the menu.

Bun Intended is in the S&W Market, at 56 Patton Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5n.

Seasonal hours Eight markets in Buncombe County will offer extended seasonal hours or special holiday dates in November and December. These markets will feature seasonal produce, meats, cheeses, eggs and

bread, as well as handmade goods from local artists.

• Asheville City Market, 52 N. Market St., Saturdays through Dec. 16, 9 a.m.-noon.

• Black Mountain Tailgate Market, 130 Montreat Road, Saturdays through Nov. 18, 9 a.m.-noon.

• East Asheville Tailgate Market, 954 Tunnel Road, Fridays through Nov. 17, 3-6 p.m.

• North Asheville Tailgate Market, 3300 University Heights, Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon through Nov. 18; then 10 a.m.-1 p.m. from Nov. 25-Dec. 16.

• River Arts District Farmers Market, 350 Riverside Drive, Wednesdays through Dec. 20, 3-5:30 p.m.

• Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Wednesdays through Dec. 13, 3-6 p.m.

• West Asheville Tailgate Market, 718 Haywood Road, Tuesdays, 3:30-6:30 p.m. through Nov. 21; then 3:30-5:30 p.m. Nov. 28-Dec.19.

• WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Road, daily, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Asheville City Market, River Arts District Farmers Market, North Asheville Tailgate Market and Weaverville Tailgate Market will reopen early in 2024 for the winter season. The WNC Farmers Market is open year-round.

For more information, visit avl.mx/d5o.

Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday, noon-6 p.m., through Valentine’s Day. Special events throughout the winter season include a mini-pop-up with other local brands at a Maker Meet & Greet on Saturday, Nov. 18; samples of popcorn at the Biltmore Park tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 2; and a popcorn garland-making event at the shop on Sunday, Dec. 3. Later in December, the pop-up will host Santa Claus for photo ops with customers and their dogs.

Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn’s holiday pop-up shop is at 8 Town Square Blvd., Suite 140. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5l.

The Munch Box opens in Brevard

Sustainable burger restaurant Farm Burger is putting local produce at the forefront of its menu with new seasonal dishes.

The new Superfood Salad features fresh mango, pickled onion and feta on top of local kale and black rice, with honey-ginger dressing. The Farm Salad features local lettuces and arugula topped with cucumber, radishes, ricotta salata and green goddess dressing.

Both salads are tossed with ingredients supplied by regional partners Humble Hearts Farm, West Georgia Farmers Cooperative, Tucker’s Farm, Love Is Love Cooperative Farm and others.

“We find great joy in partnering with local farmers,” says George Frangos, co-founder, in a press release. “The relationships we’ve fostered with local farms across the Southeast make it possible to serve fresh, seasonal ingredients.”

Farm Burger is at 10 Patton Ave. and 1831 Hendersonville Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5p.

The Munch Box, a restaurant and cannabis infusion bar, opened in Brevard at the end of October.

The menu features classic deli sandwiches with playful names such as High on Rye, for the Reuben, and Toasty J, for the peanut butter and strawberry jelly with honey and sliced bananas on brulee bread.

Beverages include mocktails infused with cannabis, infused or noninfused energy drinks and regular sodas, coffee and water.

The Munch Box is at 100 E. Main St., Brevard. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5m.

Holiday popcorn pop-up Earlier this month, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn opened a holiday pop-up shop in Biltmore Park. The shop will be open

Mobile cafe opens The Coddiwompler Cafe, a new mobile cafe serving Western North Carolina, can now be found at various venues throughout the area. It can also be rented for special events.

The nonalcoholic seasonal menu features coffee, custom-blended tea drinks and mocktails that can be enhanced with add-ons such as medicinal mushroom powder.

“Coddiwomple” is British slang meaning to travel in a purposeful manner to a vague destination.

For more information and the cafe’s schedule, visit avl.mx/d5j.

New menu items

— Andy Hall X MOUNTAINX.COM

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ROUNDUP

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Around Town A psychedelic circus comes to town Asheville psychedelic rock band The Snozzberries will throw its third annual Psychedelic Circus on Friday, Nov. 17, at 9 p.m., at Asheville Music Hall. Virginiabased rock band Kendall Street Company will open the show, which will feature interactive art exhibits and “other surprises.”

“Who doesn’t like a circus?” says Ethan Heller, Snozzberries guitarist and vocalist. “We wanted to host an event that blends the childlike wonder of going to the circus, with all of its magic and weirdness, with the feeling of going to your first music festival all over again.”

Past shows have included live painters, fuzzy art exhibits and flow performers. Last year, over 500 balloons were stuck to the walls and ceilings and then blown into the crowd. Heller says this year, the band is working with Joey Times Productions to create a circuslike atmosphere with artists, dancers and liquid light projection.

Heller says he and the band are excited about the new music they’ve been working on. “Some of the new tracks are very heavy and proggy, bordering on thrash metal, some are super fusion-y à la Frank Zappa and Herbie Hancock, and some just have a killer vibe to dance to. We’ll be playing three or four brand new original songs, as well as some fun new covers.”

The band has been touring the Southeast and Midwest this year, including playing at an old jazz club formerly owned by Al Capone in Chicago. But they are looking

forward to performing on their home turf.

“Playing a hometown show here is the best feeling,” says Heller. “This town has been incredibly supportive of our oddball misfit rock band, and we couldn’t be more excited to throw another hometown rager!”

Asheville Music Hall is at 31 Patton Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5v.

A call to adventure for female backpackers Solo travelers Kim Heiter and Natasha Weinstein will launch their new guidebook, Backpackers’ Guide to the Globe, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 5:30 p.m., at Modern Muse Gallery.

Combining practical advice and personal narratives, the book is geared toward women, particularly solo female backpackers.

The authors have both traveled extensively in over 60 countries over 20 years. Heiter is a resident of Asheville.

“As solo female travelers, we felt the need to create a resource specifically for women that not only covers the logistics of backpacking but also encourages and empowers them to embark on their own adventures,” they say in a press release.

The event will include a meet and greet with the authors and light snacks with beer and wine.

Modern Muse Gallery is at 191 Lyman St. For more information, visit avl.mx/d5w.

Individual dancers also won awards: Sammy Locklear, National Champion, Contemporary Male Solo; Keyshawn Sanders, Grand Champion, Choreographed Solo; Samuel Evans, second place, Traditional Male Solo; Halea Baker, second place, Traditional Female Solo. Lauren Freeman and Rachel Sealy placed in the All-American Team, and Philip Starck, parent of team member Christina Starck, was recognized as ACHF Dad of the Year.

The Bailey Mountain Cloggers are led by managing director Danielle Buice Plimpton and assistant director Dallas Moffat.

The Bailey Mountain Cloggers were organized in 1974, influenced by the Bailey Mountain Square Dance Team, which began performing in 1950. Bailey Mountain is a mountain adjacent to the college campus.

For more information, visit avl.mx/d5z.

CIRCUS ACT: The Snozzberries will host the third annual Psychedelic Circus at Asheville Music Hall on Friday, Nov. 17. Photo courtesy of Ethan Heller

Holiday Parade steps off Nov. 18 The Asheville Holiday Parade will be back for its 77th year on Saturday, Nov. 18. From 11 a.m.1 p.m. downtown, more than 60 parade entries will follow the theme of “Snow Globe.”

Before the parade, Kick It Events will host the first Onesie One Miler, a family-friendly race in which runners dress in their holiday best, with onesies being especially encouraged.

The race starts at 10:30 a.m. and will follow a route through downtown.

The parade itself will kick off with the Grand Marshal Float, honoring Asheville’s volunteers. Rosie Palmisano and Yvonne Cook-Riley are representing this year, with 35-plus years of service. Cook-Riley says she is “humbled by the prospect” of being grand marshal but insists it’s not about her work. “It’s been all about community ... it’s being part of Asheville, which I am very proud of.”

The parade will also exhibit a veterans float, as well as marching bands, classic cars and community organizations. The grand finale will be a float featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus. Following the parade, attendees can take advantage of a photo op with Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Restoration Hotel, 2-4 p.m.

For more information, visit avl.mx/d5x.

History comes alive Swannanoa Valley Museum is hosting a musical journey through the history of the Swannanoa Valley on Friday, Nov. 17, 6-8 p.m.

Tours will share tales and songs about how the valley was settled, the work of convict laborers, and the experience at McDibb’s, a local music venue of the past.

Each tour lasts approximately one and a half hours, with tours departing every 30 minutes. Tours will depart from the history museum starting at 6 p.m. The last tour will depart at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for museum members and $25 for nonmembers.

The Swannanoa Valley Museum is at 223 W. State St., Black Mountain.

For tickets and more information, visit http://avl.mx/d4z.

Appalachian musical collaboration Seasoned Appalachian musicians collaborated with a select group of emerging regional artists for a new album, Fine Tuned: Volume One. The 10-track album was just released by nonprofit Blue Ridge Music’s initiative, Fine Tuned, representing a long tradition of such collaboration and mentorship in Western North Carolina.

“One of the hallmarks of traditional Appalachian music is this idea of it being an oral tradition passed from one generation to the next,” says Fine Tuned mentor Sav Sankaran, a vocalist and bass player for bluegrass band Unspoken Tradition, in a press release. “In some ways, this is a 21st-century version of that. To be able to impart some of the knowledge and experi-

ence I’ve gained as a professional musician to someone who’s just starting out is a really worthwhile experience for me.”

The album was produced by Josh Goforth, mixed by Goforth and Chris Rosser, and mastered by Rosser. It is currently available as a vinyl LP. For more information, visit avl.mx/d60.

— Andy Hall X

MOVIE REVIEWS THE KILLER: Director David Fincher adds to his already impressive filmography with this darkly funny hitman thriller.

Grade: A-minus — Edwin Arnaudin

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com ashevillemovies.substack.com

ASHEVILLE-AREA

EATS & DRINKS 2023 GUIDE

NEW

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Clogging champions The Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Mars Hill University’s dancing team, won its 31st national championship last month at the America’s Clogging Hall of Fame National Championships in Sevierville, Tenn.

The team won the title for the 8-Couple Southern Appalachian Hoedown in the Young Adult Team category. In all, they won eight grand championships and scored first place in 10 team dances and second place in three team dances.

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FRIENDSGIVING SHOW: On Saturday, Nov. 18, Laurel Canyon East brings its trademark folk-rock sound to One World West, starting at 4 p.m. The show promises the best of the Laurel Canyon sound from the ’60s and ’70s, as well as a chance to give thanks and celebrate friendship. Photo courtesy of Paul Quick For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WINTER spirit issue

SHAKEY'S Sexy Tunes w/Ek Balam & Mad Mike, 10pm

THE VILLAGE PUB Muddy Guthrie (rock, Americana), 6pm

SHILOH & GAINES Trivia Night, 7pm

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm

THE GREY EAGLE Tab Benoit (soul, swamp-blues), 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock, pop), 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Grace Potter w/Eddie 9V (rock, country, blues), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Psych Night, 9pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Bluegrass Jam w/The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

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SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR The MGB's (acoustic), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Brujeria (metal), 7pm CROW & QUILL Firecracker Jazz Band, 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Search & Destroy Karaoke, 9pm

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HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA Modelface Comedy Presents: Mike Albanese, 7:30pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Vaden Landers (country), 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Kid Billy (Americana, blues, indie-folk), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING Melissa & McKinney (blues, soul, funk), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Five Door Sedan & Krave Amiko (indierock, pop), 8pm OUTSIDER BREWING Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

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SHAKEY'S • Comedy Showcase, 8pm • Karaoke, 9pm SHILOH & GAINES Karaoke Night, 8pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm THE ODD Challenger Deep, The Welcoming & Father Figures (rock), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Depths of Wikipedia Live, 8pm THE OUTPOST Carter Lybrand (country), 7pm THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Stetson's Stink Bug Bourbon Band (country, Americana), 5pm THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Marshgrass Mamas & Admiral Radio (Americana, folk), 7:30pm

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17 27 CLUB Part of This, Rich Nelson Band & John Allen Keck (alt-indie, rock), 8pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 8pm BOTANIST & BARREL TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP Chris Jamison (Americana, folk), 6:30pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS The Paper Crowns (Americana, Roots), 3pm CATAWBA BREWING COMPANY SOUTH SLOPE ASHEVILLE • Comedy at Catawba: Gilbert Lawand, 7pm • ATLiens: Comedy Showcase, 9pm CORK & KEG Vaden Landers Band (folk, blues, Appalachian), 8pm DIFFERENT WRLD The Slaps w/Merce Lemon (alt-indie, rock), 8pm EULOGY Mount Eerie w/ Daughter of Swords (indie-folk), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Faerie Ring, Auralayer & Shadow Cloak (rock, metal), 8pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Mile Farris & The Fortunate Few (soul, roots, gospel), 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Honky-Tonk Fridays w/Jackson Grimm, 4pm • The Old Chevrolette Set (country, honkytonk), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Greg Candle (blues, country), 6:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Circuit Breakers (rock'n'roll), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Savants of Soul (Southern-soul), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING Dan Signor (multiple genres), 8pm

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ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Brock, Lanzetti & Ogawa Trio (ambient-folk, jazz, experimental), 8pm SALVAGE STATION Mama & The Ruckus w/Hustle Souls (blues, soul), 8pm SHAKEY'S • Big Blue Jams Band (multiple genres), 9pm • Friday Late Nights w/ DJ Ek Balam, 12am SHILOH & GAINES Drip A Silver (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm SOVEREIGN KAVA My Magnificent Nemesis (pro-rock), 9pm THE BUZZ Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 6pm THE GREY EAGLE • Patio: George Shingleton (bluegrass, country, Appalachian), 5:30pm • The Resonant Rogues (Appalachian, folk), 8pm THE ODD Bold Burlesque, 9pm THE ORANGE PEEL Sold Out: Shane Smith & The Saints (country), 8pm THE RAD BREW CO. The Two Fontaines (rock), 7pm THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Ashley Heath (Americana, blues), 7pm PLĒB URBAN WINERY Standup Comedy, 7pm

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 27 CLUB Cold Choir, Noizsrnz, Bruschetta Delorean, Bonnie & the Mere Mortals (darkwave, Americana, shoegaze), 9pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY 80's MAXimum Overdrive, 10pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR John Keck & Above Ground (rock, alternative, Americana), 7:30pm

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PISGAH BREWING COMPANY

ASHEVILLE MASONIC TEMPLE Mason Jennings w/ Silvie (indie-pop, popfolk), 7:30pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Jody Carroll (Americana, folk, blues), 6pm

PISGAH BREWING CO. Bobby Miller & Friends (Americana, psychrock), 1:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Ryan Montbleau Band & Brooks Forsyth (blues, folk, Americana), 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Lord Nelson (rock, Americana), 6pm

SALVAGE STATION The Get Right Band & Of Good Nature w/ Lua Flora (indie-rock, psych-rock), 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Nobody's Darling String Band, 4pm • Angela Perley (alt-country, rock, Americana), 9pm

SHAKEY'S Trash Talk Queer Dance Party & Drag Show, 10pm

BEARS SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Backyard BBQ w/ DJ Audio, 7pm BOLD ROCK ASHEVILLE Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 7pm

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CORK & KEG The Old Chevrolette Set (country), 8pm CROW & QUILL Doc Docherty (magic), 8pm DIFFERENT WRLD Served by Sev Drag Brunch, 1pm DISTRICT 42 Michael Libramento (jazz), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Cam Girl, Acid Jo, The Daddy Sisters, Franks & Deans (punk, rock), 9pm FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON Comedy Hypnosis w/ Jon Dee, 8pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE Karaoke Night, 9pm NOBLE CIDER & MEAD DOWNTOWN Crisp Comedy Downtown, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Abbey Elmore Band (indie-rock, pop), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Baked Shrimp (funk, rock), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Laurel Canyon East (folk, rock), 4pm • The Late Shifters (Southern-rock, Appalachian, Americana), 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES Karma Dogs (rock), 9pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Muskrat Flats w/Willow Room (Americana, bluegrass), 9pm THE BURGER BAR Best Worst Karaoke, 9pm THE GREY EAGLE Victoria Victoria w/ Charlie Hunter (soulpop), 8pm THE ODD Party Foul Drag: Saturday Night Tease, 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL • Sold Out: Ashley Gavin (comedy), 7pm • Ashley Gavin (comedy), 9:30pm THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Cuberow (soulful-indie, funk, Americana), 7pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Asheville AV Club, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Pinkish Floyd (Pink Floyd tribute), 8pm

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Goatwh*re, Withered, Spiter & All Hell (metal, rock'n'roll), 7pm ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. The Hometown Show, 6:30pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Parker’s Back (swing, jazz), 3pm CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE ASHEVILLE Comedy at Catawba: Jeremy Alder, 6:30pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Rich Nelson Band (rock), 2pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm • Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Todd Cecil (folk), 4pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm PISGAH BREWING CO. Pisgah Sunday Jam, 1:30pm S & W MARKET Mr Jimmy (blues), 1pm SHAKEY'S It's Trivial w/Divine, 4pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachia, soul, Americana), 7pm THE GREY EAGLE Burlesque Brunch, 12pm THE ORANGE PEEL LSDREAM w/Zingara & Super Future (dance, experimental, electronic), 8pm THE RESTORATION HOTEL ASHEVILLE • Brunch & Live Music w/Lyric, 10:30am • Karaoke Nights, 8pm PLĒB URBAN WINERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 27 CLUB Karaoke Monday, 10pm DSSOLVR Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm DIFFERENT WRLD Work Wife & Lavender Blue (indie-rock), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Best Ever Karaoke, 8pm

HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic w/ Taylor Martin & Special Guests, 7:15pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Downtown, 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/ The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm THE ORANGE PEEL Alexandra Kay w/ Haley Mae Campbell (country), 7:30pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. The Paper Crowns (Americana, roots), 6pm

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21 ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Trivia: Are You Smarter Than a Drag Queen?, 8pm • Karaoke w/Ganymede, 9pm FLEETWOOD'S Spooky Tuesdays: All Vinyl DJs, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Takeover Tuesday w/DJ Molly Parti, 5:30pm SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday, 9pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. • FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm • Freeway Jubilee (rock, blues, funk), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm SHAKEY'S Sexy Tunes w/Ek Balam & Mad Mike, 10pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES Songwriters Night, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

SILVERADOS Dark City Comedy Night, 8pm

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23

SOVEREIGN KAVA Weekly Open Jam hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm FLEETWOOD'S Psych Night, 9pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Karaoke w/Banjo Mitch, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Bluegrass Jam w/The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm

THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

SHILOH & GAINES Karaoke Night, 8pm

SUN: Aaron “Woody” Wood & Friends 7pm MON: Ping-Pong Tournament 7pm TUE: Open Jam w/ house band the Lactones 8pm WED: Poetry Open Mic AVL 8:30pm/8pm signup

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F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): In accordance with astrological omens, I would love you to experiment with blending the sacred and mundane. Bring your deep self into the daily routine and imbue ordinary rhythms with tender care. Here are a few fun rituals to get you in the groove: 1. Say prayers or chant ecstatic poems while you’re shopping. 2. Build a shrine in a parking lot. 3. Stir up an inspired epiphany while doing housework. 4. If you find yourself in a confusing or awkward situation, dance like a holy person to conjure a blessing. 5. Commune with the Divine Creator during crazy-good sex.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I’ve met many people who feel their love lives are jinxed. Often, they believe this nonsense because a creepy fortune-teller declared they will forever be denied a satisfying intimate relationship. I hate that! Any astrologer who delivers such crippling bewitchments should be outed as a charlatan.

The good news for you, Taurus, is that you are in a grace period for all matters regarding romance, intimacy, and togetherness. If you have ever worried there is a curse, obstruction, or bad habit inhibiting your love life, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to free yourself from it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini comedian Drew Carey says, “If I didn’t run from my fears, I wouldn’t get any exercise at all.” Let’s discuss his approach in relation to you. After analyzing the astrological omens, I believe that as 2023 draws to a close and 2024 unfolds, you will feel less and less motivated to run from your fears.

In part, that’s because you will face them with more courage and poise; they won’t have the same power over you. In addition, I suspect your fears will become objectively less scary. They will be less likely to come to pass. More and more, your fine mind will see how they trick you into imagining they’re more threatening than they truly are. Congratulations in advance, Gemini!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I would love to see you intensify your devotion to your masterpiece—however you understand “masterpiece.”

It could be a work of art or an innovation in your job or business. It could be a new baby, an adopted pet, a redefinition of what family means or an invigorated community. Might even be a beautiful alliance or enhanced connection with the divine or a refinement of the best gift you give the world. Life will conspire to help you in unexpected ways during the coming months if you rededicate yourself to this treasure.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Dear Sun, our one and only star: We love you and appreciate you! It’s amazing that you consume five million tons of yourself every second to generate the colossal energy you send in our direction. Thank you, beloved Sun! Is it OK with you if we think of you as a god? You are a superpowered genius of nourishment! And by the way, do you know who adores you the best? I’ll tell you: the Leo people here on Earth. They comprehend your grandeur and majesty better than anyone else.

Would you consider giving them extra rewards in the coming weeks? They need and deserve a massive delivery of your bounty. Please fill them up with even more charisma, personal magnetism, vitality, and generosity of spirit than usual. I promise they will use it wisely.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo musician and actor Shirley Manson has a message for you. She testifies, “I say embrace the total geek in yourself and just enjoy it. Life is too short to be cool.” This will be especially helpful and inspirational counsel for you in the coming months, dear Virgo. The wish to appear chic or trendy or hip should be so far down on your list of priorities that it drops off the list entirely. Your assignment is to be passionately devoted to your deepest truths, unique desires, and imaginative experiments.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you’re given a choice to advocate for either a dull, mediocre

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truth or a beautiful, invigorating truth, give your love to the latter. If you wonder whether you should ask a polite question that engenders harmony or a provocative question that pries loose agendas that have been half hidden, opt for the latter. If you feel nostalgic about an old tradition that stirs up little passion or fresh insight, let it go. Instead, dream up a new tradition that moves you emotionally and excites your mind.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Icelandic singer Björk is a triple Scorpio, with sun, moon and ascendant in your sign. Neptune is there, too, giving her even more Scorpionic intensity.

It’s not surprising that she describes her daily practice like this: “I have to re-create the universe every morning when I wake up and kill it in the evening.” In another quote, she places greater emphasis on the rebirth: “To wake up in the morning and actually find the day exciting is the biggest victory you can have.” In accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to exalt and celebrate the post-resurrection aspects of your life’s work. It’s time for you to shine and sparkle and shimmer and bedazzle.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I prophesy that what has been lost will be found. What was last may not catapult all the way into the first spot, but it might—and will at least be close to the first. Here are more zingers for you as you move into the climactic stages of the Season of Turnarounds and Switcheroos: A difficult test will boost your intelligence; a rut will be disrupted, freeing you to find a smooth new groove; an unsettling twist will ultimately bring you delightful support. To get the best out of the upcoming challenges, Sagittarius, welcome them as opportunities to expand your understanding of how the world works.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Many cultures throughout history have staged rites of passage to mark the transformation from childhood to puberty. In ancient Greece, for example, kids formally relinquished their toys, symbolizing the intention to move into a new phase of their destinies. In accordance with astrological omens, I want to tweak this custom for your use, Capricorn. I propose that you embrace your second childhood. Fantasize about how you might refurbish your innocence, curiosity, playfulness, and spontaneous joy. Then select an object that embodies a burdensome or unpleasant aspect of adulthood. Discard it.

Find an object that signifies the fresh young spirit you’d like to awaken within you. Kiss it, sing to it, and keep it in a prominent place.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): For advice about money, I talk with a banker who sometimes analyzes financial trends using Tarot cards. To keep abreast of politics on the ground level, I consult with a courtesan who has a Ph.D. in political science and cultivates intimate relations with governmental leaders. For guidance about rowdy ethics and etiquette, I seek input from an activist singer in an all-women punk band. How about you, Aquarius? Now is a favorable time to take an inventory of your posse of teachers, helpers, and counselors. Make sure it’s serving you well and providing maximum inspiration and support. Hot tip: It may be time to add a new facilitator or two to your entourage.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Now and then, you glide through a phase I describe as Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion. During these grace periods, fate has a reduced role in shaping your destiny. Your past doesn’t have its typical power to limit you or entrance you. According to my astrological analysis, you are now enjoying such a chapter. That’s why I predict that an infertile status quo will soon crumble. A boring, inflexible rule will become irrelevant. These and other breakthrough developments will give you extra leeway to innovate and invent. You will have a big, bright emptiness to work and play around in.

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Nationwide service. New service for 2023. 855-822-5911.

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

877-589-0747. (AAN CAN) UNCLAIMED / RECEIVED FIREARMS The following is a list of Unclaimed / Received firearms currently in possession of the Asheville Police Department. SIL/BLK, SCCY, 9MM; BRN/BLK, H&R, 12GA; SIL/ BLK, BERSA, 38; BLK, STAR, GC, 9MM; BLK, RUGER, REVOLVER, 38; BLK, RUGER, LCP 38; BLK, DIAMONDBACK, DB380, 38; BRN/BLK, S&W, SPECIAL, 38; SIL/BLK, TAURUS, MAGNUM, 357; BLK/GRN, REMINGTON, 870 EXPRESS, 12GA; BLK, COLT, 380, 38; BLK, CZ, P-09, 9MM; BLK, GLOCK, 43, 9MM; BRN/BLK, TRISTAR, PUMP, 12GA; BLK, HI-POINT, 45; S&W, BACK-UP, 40; US REVOLVER; DAVIS IND, D-32, 32; ESSEX, 12GA; BLK,

RUGER, LC9S, 9MM; BLK/BRN, TAURUS, 85, 38; BLK, GLOCK, 30S, 45; KIMBER, MICRO CDP, 38; BLK, TAURUS, REVOLVER, 357; BLK, S&W, M&P 2.0, 40: SIL/BLK, RUGER, P89, 9MM; BLD/BRN, HY HUNTER INC, DETECTIVE, 22; BLK, TAURUS, TX, 22; BLK/BRN, COLT, NEW AGENT, 45. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property must contact the Asheville Police Department within 30 days from the date of this publication. Any items not claimed within 30 days will be disposed of in accordance with all applicable laws. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property & Evidence Section at 828232-4576 .

WAIVER OF SERVICE Waiver of service.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS LOVE TO SING! LEARN A CAPPELLA SINGING FOR FEMALE VOICES WITH A LOCAL CHORUS Song O’ Sky Chorus rehearses Tuesday Nights - 7:00 p.m. St. John's Episcopal Church. Come share a love for singing A Cappella barbershop-style harmony and in a culture of belonging.

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT NATURAL ALTERNATIVES

FOOD & SUPPLEMENT TESTING! LIVE BLOOD CELL WORK! HEALTH COACHING! Heal & detox your body, feel better, more energy, lose weight, strengthen your immune system & much more!

Healing & vitality is possible! I can help! Call now! 828-7792293 Natureinhealth@gmail. com Natureofhealth.net

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Place your ad here and get a FREE online posting Contact us today! advertise@mountainx.com

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1 Propped open, say 5 People of northern Scandinavia 9 Ballerina’s support

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14 Output of the Rolling Stones, appropriately 16 Real tear-jerker?

17 Bit of pork, but not in a congressional bill 18 Confident gait

19 Pen name 20 Gets old, say 22 Socialize 23 Forever and a day 24 Airline once acquired by Carl Icahn

61

edited by Will Shortz 26 Stuff it!

29 Something that’s red-hot in the kitchen?

33 Upon 34 Shut up 36 Saloon sip 38 Great divide 40 Garlic, in Guadalajara 41 Slyly derisive 43 Personal quirk 44 Emanates (from) 47 Hot spot for a chef 48 Scaredy-cat 50 Stick in a salad?

52 Mai ___ 53 Nut once used as an ingredient in Coke 54 “Whatevs” 56 “Oh, settle down …”

59 N.Y.C.’s ___ Cortlandt Park 62 “Stranger Things” kid 64 What pales in comparison to other carbs?

No. 1011

66 Fitting way to invest in Campbell’s 67 Paramedic, perhaps 68 Test of patience 69 Risked a ticket, say 70 Three feet

DOWN 1 Many an Omani or Iraqi 2 Musical Mitchell 3 Current choice 4 One of the Big Five film studios of Hollywood’s golden age 5 Romantic hopefuls 6 Narnia lion 7 George Eliot’s “The ___ on the Floss” 8 Beverage that can cause brain freeze 9 Logan Airport code 10 Marvel role for Paul Rudd 11 Nickname for Rihanna

puzzle by Miranda Kany 12 Fat/flour mixture 13 Suffix with differ 15 Le Louvre, e.g.

21 Eye affliction 23 Yummly, SideChef and Food Monster 25 Does rite by one’s partner?

26 Treaty 27 Guiding principle 28 Cook in simmering liquid 29 Cuisine with [circled letters], whose ingredients are the answers to the italicized clues 30 Ancient Egyptians referred to it as the “plant of immortality” because of its ability to survive without soil 31 Green 32 Respected figure 35 Adroitness 37 Itsy 39 Sheet mineral

42 City where 29-Down food is popular, informally 45 Largest human organ 46 Moved (over) 49 New York home of Cornell University 51 Cary of “The Princess Bride” 53 Part of a place setting 54 Smartphone button

55 Environmental sci.

57 “Wise” ones 58 Beat into a froth, as cream 59 “___ Las Vegas” 60 Laptop brand 61 Wonk 62 Alternative to mushrooms 63 Place for pie, idiomatically 65 Word after alpha, beta or gamma

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

A S T E R S W B A A C M E H A M C H E R P A W N E E A S P T A/I L E O T I O S E P E C P A/I C K I N G L A/I S T N E I N A I L A S S E T Y A R N P O T O A H U D I G S E L A/I T E C O D I C I L P R A/I N C E S H A U L D K N Y T I T H E T I L P L E D C A R P E S O L E A S T L E A/I B A/I L L S O F F A/I R E R E O P A R T I V A R C S K E G A M O E B A M I K E S P Y L E S S E N P E S T

Let’s take the next giant leap together!

From humble but proud beginnings, raising just $37,000 for 30 nonprofits in 2015, Give!Local has grown each year, raising more than a quarter million dollars in 2022 for 48 amazing organizations. With your help, we hope to keep the momentum going in 2023.

The collective work that these organizations provide supports our youth, grants access to health services to those in need, heals and houses animals, protects our natural splendor, connects those who feel alone, delivers justice to the most vulnerable and helps our neighbors and friends in countless other ways.

This year, Mountain Xpress and First Bank are covering credit-card fees so 100% of your donation goes directly to the nonprofits.

growth How high can we go? $300,000

1,221,288 All time total $

$225,000

givelocalguide.org

$300,000+ $263,350

$233,564

$150,000

?

$141,879

$75,000

$108,210

$112,371

2017

2018

$60,986 $36,989

2015

DONATE NOW AT

$263,939

2016

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

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NOV. 15-21, 2023

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NOV. 15-21, 2023

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