Mountain Xpress 12.13.2017 by Mountain Xpress

OUR 24TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 24 NO. 21 DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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C O NT E NT S OUR 24TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 24 NO. 21 DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

Asheville’s Paddle Shop

PAGE 8 GREENER PASTURES As Brother Wolf Animal Rescue goes forward with plans to move its no-kill animal rescue operation from Asheville to its new sanctuary in Leicester, some in the community question what they see as a realignment of the nonprofit’s mission. COVER PHOTO Carolyn Morrisroe COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

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NEWS GREEN

32 DROP TO DRINK Local agencies wrestle with livestock impacts on water quality

FOOD

28 BLUE HOLIDAYS Asheville churches, groups provide support for depression and grief during the holiday season

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38 WINTER IS COMING Cold weather brings challenges and opportunties for area breweries

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43 PORT OF CALL Big Sound Harbor plays its final Altamont Theatre show

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12 UNEARTHING THE PAST Smoky Mountains cemeteries embody region’s traditions

WELLNESS

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44 WRECK THE HALLS Filmmaker John Waters talks Christmas, career, criminals and more

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5 LETTERS 5 CARTOON: MOLTON 7 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 16 ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES 17 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 18 CONSCIOUS PARTY 27 GIVE!LOCAL EVENTS 28 WELLNESS 32 GREEN SCENE 35 FOOD 38 CAROLINA BEER GUY 41 SMALL BITES 43 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 48 SMART BETS 49 THEATER REVIEW 53 CLUBLAND 59 MOVIES 60 SCREEN SCENE 61 CLASSIFIEDS 62 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 63 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. STA F F PUBLISHER: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson MANAGING EDITOR: Virginia Daffron A&E EDITOR/WRITER: Alli Marshall FOOD EDITOR/WRITER: Gina Smith NEWS EDITOR/WRITER: Carolyn Morrisroe OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose WELLNESS EDITOR/WRITER: Susan Foster STAFF REPORTERS/WRITERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Virginia Daffron, Max Hunt, Carolyn Morrisroe

CARTOO N BY RAN D Y M O LT O N

Has outrage addiction taken over animal rights issue? Watching with interest the local dustup surrounding the Wild Abundance permaculture school. Thom Hartmann, Liz Warren and Bernie remind us we could use a little FDR. Instead, the rebelwithout-a-clue crowd helped usher in the RDF — Rolling Dumpster Fire that is the Trump administration. This damaged troll and his frat-boy pit bulls have unleashed a full assault on the environment, economic justice, the park system and decency in general. Add to that the recent flurry of sexual misconduct revelations, and we have an outrage generator spinning at 110 percent, approaching burnout. Has outrage addiction taken over this local animal rights issue? From what I can tell, this small NewAge-y enterprise seems fairly well-balanced and more or less on the progressive side of things. Yes, they provide animal slaughter education but as Ms. [Natalie] Bogwalker pointed out in the Mountain Xpress Nov. 29 article [“Front Lines: Animal Liberation Front vs. Wild Abundance Permaculture School”], in responding to the death threats, just down the road “there are thousands of animals raised for meat.” The local ALF officer indicated that the farm is cashing in on selling front-row tickets “to watch

them kill animals” as if the farm decided that woolly snuff porn was a good business model. Really? Once again, we see the tendency of the far left to attack the almost far left for not being pure or strident enough. Vegans attack vegetarians. Bernie bros attack card-carrying Dems. There are many strong arguments for going vegetarian or vegan, and I salute those who do. Attacking the soft target next door instead of tackling the bigger picture, however, pushes swing voters even further away from a progressive center. Is there a plan to storm the gates at Smithfield Foods? How about cobbling together a global task force to confront overpopulation? What we get is: “Hey-hey, ho-ho, fill-in-theblank has got to go.” — Larry Abbott Candler

What do Asheville’s homeless have to offer? [In regard to Asheville’s homeless population]: Whatever the reason for your situation, your fellow Asheville residents see you and consider you. We often don’t know what to think, though. It may not matter, but sometimes we share; we also want to know that your

CALENDAR EDITOR: Abigail Griffin CLUBLAND EDITORS: Abigail Griffin, Max Hunt MOVIE REVIEWERS: Scott Douglas, Francis X. Friel, Justin Souther CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Jonathan Ammons, Liisa Andreassen, Kari Barrows, Leslie Boyd, Jacqui Castle, Scott Douglas, David Floyd, Tony Kiss, Bill Kopp, Cindy Kunst, Kate Lundquist, Monroe Spivey, Lauren Stepp, Daniel Walton ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Norn Cutson, Scott Southwick, Olivia Urban MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Bryant Cooper, Niki Kordus, Ciru Muchiri, Tim Navaille, Brian Palmieri, Heather Taylor INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Bowman Kelley, DJ Taylor BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen, Lauren Andrews DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Jeff Tallman ASST. DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Denise Montgomery DISTRIBUTION: Gary Alston, Russell Badger, Frank D’Andrea, Jemima Cook Fliss, Adrian Hipps, Clyde Hipps, Jennifer Hipps, Joan Jordan, Laura Stinson, Brittney Turner-Daye, Thomas Young

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OPI N I ON

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

situation is not permanent and that there is more of you than what we see. When you stand at an exit waiting for handouts, begging for handouts with your cardboard sign, what do you think about? What is your plan? What do you have to offer? Would you be willing to trade for what you beg? Do you have poems, songs to share? Can you create a clover crown or bracelet while you wait on the ramp so that you may trade your work for money? Do you keep your spaces tidy and litterfree? Have you gathered ribbons and feathers to make something special? Do you draw well — are you willing to share your drawing? Do you need books; will you share your thoughts on what you have read? Can you dance and make us laugh? Do you laugh? Will you recite your favorite lines for us? We want to lift you — do you want to be lifted? We could use some uplift — can you lift us? People love to buy things, ideas, entertainment. We would more freely give if you “sold” us something. We realize you are not for show, but you can share, can’t you? You struggle and remain here in Asheville. What do you do? Why do you do it? Do you want to be a part of the system? Do you reject the system but ultimately still depend on it? Do you have your own system? Don’t you have any imagination? Are you ready for something else? Or are you content? Pity is sadness for one’s misfortune and keeps you in the past, but an exchange in goods and sharing of resources moves you forward. You are a part of Asheville. We want to embrace and lift you, but you must want to be lifted and embraced. We can rise together. We can be better. You can be better. This is Asheville, after all. What have you got? This paper is freely distributed, so share it with your cohorts and do something different. — Melissa Nicholson Leicester

Consider adopting a pet this holiday season After losing our cat about a year ago, we thought we would never get another pet, but after a while we realized how much we missed having one and how empty the house seemed. We went to the animal shelter recently and brought home the sweetest cat we have ever had, and we have had many. It was the best Christmas gift we could give ourselves. We had a great experience with the staff; they were very helpful in finding the right one for us and, for a reasonable adoption fee, our new cat was spayed, had her shots and was microchipped in case she gets lost. Please consider adopting a pet from Brother Wolf or the Humane Society this Christmas season. These animals really need a good home, and most shelter animals are very grateful to get one. Also, don’t forget about the ones that are a little older. They still have many good years left; they really need to be adopted and are often overlooked for the younger ones. They can make great companions for other pets and for adults, too, and are also easier than puppies and kittens for many people. We saw some great older animals there that really wanted a home. We also saw animals there like a lop-eared, really friendly rabbit and hamsters. Please give these pets a home for the holidays; they will make a wonderful gift for yourself and your family! Merry Christmas and happy holidays. — Kelli Perry and Keith McGuire Asheville

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C A RT O O N B Y B R E NT B R O W N

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NEWS

GREENER PASTURES

Brother Wolf changes location, not focus, founder says

BY CAROLYN MORRISROE cmorrisroe@mountainx.com On a warm autumn day, cows lounge in the sunshine, and pigs squabble over pumpkin pieces. They are the vanguard of creatures, both companion animals and farmed animals, that Brother Wolf Animal Rescue hopes will reside at its new sanctuary in Leicester once it’s fully up and running. Halfway through what the organization is calling its transition year, grand plans and fundraising continue at BWAR, while some in the community question what they see as a realignment of the nonprofit’s mission. DREAM ON A HILL Denise Bitz, who founded Brother Wolf 10 years ago, says the development of 82.5 acres of hillside pasture land in Leicester into an animal sanctuary is going well, although the process takes patience. “Things are slow, unfortunately,” she says. “You always want things to move quicker than they do.” Brother Wolf plans to move its nokill animal rescue operation from its building on Glendale Avenue in Asheville to the sanctuary, where it envisions dog and cat villages for adoptable and rehabilitating pets, a learning center, guest cabins, a memorial garden, hiking trails and facilities for farmed animals. Plans for the sanctuary were first announced in 2015, and in June 2017 the nonprofit said it would close its Glendale adoption center within a year and shift everything out to the Leicester property. Six months later, preparations are underway for the first building to go up at the sanctuary, a medical clinic that Bitz expects to be delivered to the property by Deltec Homes in January. Brother Wolf has been advertising for a staff veterinarian for the medical clinic, which Bitz says is a big step. “Right now we spend anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 a month on vet bills depending on the animal load that we have,” she explains. “By building our own clinic, we feel that we’re going to be able to bring most of those costs in-house and really reduce our expenses.”

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DOG DAYS: Brother Wolf Animal Rescue founder and President Denise Bitz envisions the organization’s new sanctuary in Leicester as a place where small numbers of farmed animals serve as educational resources while dogs and cats find rehabilitation and ultimately adoption. Photo courtesy of Brother Wolf While the medical clinic is the first wave of construction at the sanctuary, Bitz does not refer to the process as occurring in phases. “We’re calling this our transition year,” she says. “What we’re hoping to do is to be able to move our current operations from our adoption center out to the sanctuary by next summer.” The strategy for the move is to build as quickly as funding comes in and to focus on the facilities that will be vital to operations, such as housing for dogs and cats. “I think that we are on track and as long as things keep going at the rate that they’re going, we should be able and ready to move sometime between June and August of 2018,” Bitz says. As of early December, the sanctuary website shows 51 percent of the funding goal raised, or about $2.55 million of $5 million. Bitz says that amount reflects donations received, pledges made but not yet received, and $500,000 donated to purchase the property. “I think as we begin

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to really build out there and people are able to see it come to fruition, that there will be even more people wanting to donate,” she says. Brother Wolf has applied for some grants to help raise capital for the sanctuary, but Bitz is not counting on that source of funding. “We’re definitely hoping for grants, but we know that we’ll probably rely solely on individual and business donations,” she says. The sanctuary will allow better living conditions for animals than the “warehouse” setup at the Glendale adoption center, Bitz says. “Right now the animals that we’re seeing are the ones that need long-term rehabilitation, and they come in to the adoption center and sometimes they get worse instead of improve because of the environment,” she says. “We’re really happy that the sanctuary will give these specific animals an opportunity to rehabilitate more quickly and to do so in a much more tranquil environment.”

ADOPTION CENTER ON THE MARKET As it pivots to the sanctuary, Bitz says BWAR’s adoption center on Glendale Avenue is “very much open and running.” “We’re fully functioning; every single animal habitat is full,” she says. Bitz says Brother Wolf is still rescuing new animals and accepting intakes of pets, while trying to avoid taking in large, behaviorally challenged dogs that require long-term care. “Our intakes are pretty much the same as they’ve always been,” she says. “We’re trying to just be a little more selective about not taking sanctuary candidates until the sanctuary’s open.” The building that houses Brother Wolf ’s 9,600-square-foot adop tion center on Glendale Avenue in Asheville has been on the market for a few months, and its asking price recently dropped from $910,000 to $870,000. “We have had one official offer to purchase and we declined it

FINDING SANCTUARY: Laura Trentman feeds an apple to Little Man, one of the seven cows that reside on the Brother Wolf property, which has historically been used as pasture. Photo by Carolyn Morrisroe because it was lowball and we are not in a rush,” Bitz says. Bitz adds that this far into the transition year, the organization would only accept an offer to purchase the Glendale space if the adoption center could stay until the sanctuary is ready, “because there’s no point in us trying to find a transitional facility at this point.” OPINIONS OF DIFFERENT STRIPES Brother Wolf ’s closure of the Glendale location has not been unanimously applauded. Some were taken off guard by the decision when it was announced in June, Jenna Yarosh, owner of Patton Avenue Pet Co., told Xpress at the time. “The community, including those who worked, donated or volunteered with Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in the last few months [before the announcement], were not aware that the shelter was due to be closed and sold, and the announcement came as a shock to almost everybody involved,” she said. Rick Wilson, who was Brother Wolf board president from 2010-13, was concerned that the Glendale closure would result in mass layoffs. “From a business standpoint, it makes no sense to me to put that building on the market, close the facility down for supposedly a year, eliminate all the employees,” he told Xpress shortly after the announcement. Bitz says that depiction of the situation was incorrect. “One person was laid off in the whole organization, and it was our events director … and she was laid off because we tried doing major events here for, well, as long as we’ve been in existence, and what we’ve found is that

they don’t make a lot of money,” she says. While Bitz maintains that only one person has been laid off from Brother Wolf in recent months, she says other people have left of their own accord. “I don’t blame them; some people left just because they were worried about the transition. They have families to feed and they were afraid of being laid off,” she says, adding that those employees will largely be eligible for rehire when the sanctuary opens. Flo Klein, who resigned from her position as foster care manager for Brother Wolf in April 2017, claims a number of people providing foster care for shelter pets were dismissed earlier this year when they disagreed with the direction the nonprofit was going. During her five-year tenure as manager she only let go two foster individuals, but starting around February 2017, the organization “just started firing foster parents left and right, not even talking to me about them, just saying they don’t exemplify values of Brother Wolf,” Klein says. Bitz maintains there has been no mass firing of fosters or volunteers, but some have parted ways. “Just like staff that we outgrow, sometimes you outgrow your fosters and your volunteers, and it’s time for them to move on,” she says. After the group announced it would transition from the Glendale adoption center to the Leicester sanctuary, a number of pet rescue advocates engaged in contentious exchanges about Brother Wolf on Facebook and Reddit and in the online comments sections of stories in Xpress. Complaints and allegations surfaced on a wide range of issues, including the financial health of the organization, its com-

mitment to veganism, departures of staff and foster parents, and the process of how certain animals were or weren’t rescued. As she tries to quell what she sees as unfounded rumors about what’s happening during the transition year, Bitz says the naysayers are “a small group of disgruntled former fosters who were unhappy that we have a vegan policy now.” “They were unhappy that we are rescuing farm animals and that we don’t serve animals [as food] at any of our events,” Bitz says. “They are trying to create some drama that’s not there.” AN ‘EVERY-ANIMAL PLACE’ Brother Wolf education outreach manager Laura Trentman tells a story of a little boy who came to the sanctuary and visited the cows that live on the property. He asked, “Miss Laura, is this an every animal place?” Trentman turned that phrase into a hashtag for the sanctuary. “The point is to have ambassadors of every animal out here,” she says while giv-

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N EWS ing a tour of the Leicester property. “And I just think it’s really cool that these guys get to stay in their home.” The sanctuary will feature only a small group of representatives from each species of farmed animal — cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep and ducks — that will be used for educational purposes. “We’re not going to be in the business of doing farm animal rescue, because it’s a waste of time and money,” Bitz says. Bitz says organizations trying to raise awareness of the plight of farmed animals are better off putting their resources into education rather than fighting a losing battle of trying to rescue the “trillions” of animals that are killed each year for food. “We feel like we could meet our mission for farmed animals, which is to really get people to see that they’re really no different than the dogs and cats we share our homes with,” she says. “And we could do that with five pigs — we don’t need 500 pigs.” Already, seven cows roam the sanctuary’s highest hills, and hogs and pot-bellied pigs root around in pens closer to North Turkey Creek Road. Bitz says some of the pigs were brought in by a family that bought them from a roadside stand in order to save them from slaughter. “We get requests pretty much every week to take animals from somewhere,” Bitz says. “It just depends if their case aligns with our mission. So if a farm animal has a really good story that will help us educate people and impact the way they feel about farm animals, then we would consider taking that.” Dogs and cats will also get new digs at the sanctuary, Bitz says, including custom-designed housing for special needs dogs. “Because many dogs that will be housed at the sanctuary have severe behavior problems, they will need to be housed alone,” Bitz says. She believes the sanctuary will be able to hold about 80 canines, in contrast to the 42 that can currently be housed at the adoption center. The cat village will be set up to house close to 100 cats when fully built out, as opposed to the adoption center’s current capacity of 40-50, Bitz says. The dog village is slated to have a dog park, splash pool and dog agility course, and the property will have hiking trails where volunteers and

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HAPPY AS A PIG: Rosie, a denizen of the Brother Wolf Animal Sanctuary, enjoys an afternoon pumpkin snack. Photo by Carolyn Morrisroe staff can take dogs for walks without having to transport them elsewhere. Felines will be able to bask in the sun on “catios” and hang out with human companions at a cat café, while those with acute medical problems or recovering from trauma will

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have isolated housing, according to BWAR’s sanctuary brochure. MISSION CONTROL Klein outlines her dismay with what she sees as a shift in Brother

Wolf ’s mission. “Everything is focused more on veganism than the true mission of what Brother Wolf should be,” says Klein, who would prefer a focus on dog and cat rescue only. Bitz rebuts the idea that BWAR’s intention to help dogs and cats has ever faltered. “Our mission is still very much to build and help create and sustain a no-kill community,” she says. “That’s the No. 1 reason that we’re building this sanctuary, is because our community does not have a resources for long-term rehabilitation. “There are some people out there trying to make it out like we are no longer rescuing dogs and cats and we are just a farm animal rescue, and that is so false!” Bitz says. “If anything, we’ve really amped up our dog and cat rescue,” she adds, pointing to the group’s work in rescuing and transporting hundreds of animals after hurricanes Irma and Harvey. Brother Wolf has merely extended its compassion to all animals, Bitz says. “I think that is a natural evolution that a lot of organizations that are organized to help animals should consider,” she

Program helps kids build empathy with animals Compassion, empathy, patience — many schools want to instill these values in their students, and a new program at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue aims to give them the tools to do so. The Humane Education program debuted this fall as Brother Wolf’s education outreach manager, Laura Trentman, visited three local elementary schools regularly for four weeks to teach kids compassion with the help of some furry friends. Trentman developed the curriculum, which uses the examples of animals instead of humans to demonstrate anti-bullying concepts. “I think when you teach anti-bullying in school and you teach about discrimination or any social injustice and you use people, especially with kids, there can always be a block there, how they were raised or whatever,” she says. “But when you bring animals into the mix and you use those animals as a teaching tool to teach the exact same things, their effective filter goes down. Because who doesn’t love animals?” The program features a variety of activities to engage students, such as writing exercises, art and craft projects and educational games, with guest speakers from Brother Wolf talking about their careers

and experiences. For its first series of classes, the Humane Education project worked with first- through fourth-graders at Candler Elementary School, Francine Delany New School in Asheville and Leicester Elementary School. “Using animals as a way to teach kids empathy, compassion, gratitude, patience has been so cool,” Trentman says. “And not only that, but the kids are so excited to have something new to do once a week.” Every school also made one visit to Brother Wolf’s sanctuary in Leicester, which is in development, and one visit to its adoption center in Asheville. Trentman says beyond kids having a blast petting animals, this experience shows students what it means to volunteer. “When they got to interact with the pigs, they’re doing socialization,” she says. “These pigs have never met kids before. So they were being active citizens. They were doing their part.” With the Humane Education pilot program having wrapped up in early November, Trentman plans now to gather all the data — surveys from students and teachers and feedback from lessons — then get another test run of the program going. And she says the insights gained from the schools program

will form the foundation for programming at Brother Wolf’s learning center at the sanctuary. Slated for completion next summer, the sanctuary design features housing for dogs, cats and farmed animals, as well as a learning center with a 250-seat meeting hall, commercial kitchen and classrooms. Trentman says the educational facility will give students a better opportunity for hands-on learning with companion and farmed animals. “They’re going to be able to come out here and hang out, because the kids are always like, ‘When am I going to get to pet a dog?’” she says. “They’re going to get to work with these animals and interact with these animals. Because right now at the adoption center it’s very hard to have a group of kids in there.” Trentman believes Brother Wolf’s Humane Education program builds kids’ confidence in dealing with all kinds of situations. She tells them, “Every time that you don’t feel empowered, whether it’s to stick up for an animal or stick up for a human being, look at this: You know what to do. You know how to help make the world a better place, not just for animals, not just for dogs or cats or rabbits or whatever your favorite animal is, but for people as well.” X

says. “I don’t think it’s anything outside of our mission.” Some donors to Brother Wolf have said they support its decisions. Wicked Weed Brewery donated $50,000 just prior to the announcement of the move out of the Glendale space. The brewery’s founder, Rick Guthy, told Xpress after BWAR said it would close the Glendale center that the gift had no stipulations or specific instructions. The company continues to support and applaud the work that Brother Wolf has done in the community, he said. Barb Gardner of Mills River, a former trustee of the Donald C. Jones Foundation, which donated $400,000 in matching gifts by the end of 2016, told Xpress after the closure announcement, “As far as we’re concerned, we’re very happy with all the stuff going on [with Brother Wolf].” Brother Wolf ’s IRS form 990 for 2016, filed Nov. 1 of this year, shows a marked decrease in money coming in, from $3.1 million in 2015 to $2.6 million in 2016. That revenue comes from a variety of sources, including donations, grants, fundraisers, and fees for adoption and grooming. The executive summary from Bitz explains that this dip can be attributed to the fact that the organization brought in a higherthan-usual amount of donations in 2015 as part of its capital campaign for the sanctuary. “Because of the capital campaign launch in 2015, total donations were significantly greater (16.8%) in the launch year as compared to 2016,” Bitz states on the tax form. Revenue for 2016 still remains higher than in previous years; Brother Wolf reported $2.2 million in revenue in 2014, $1.5 million in 2013, and $1.1 million in 2012, and $683,800 in 2011. Bitz says the sanctuary is “absolutely on mission” and that donations can be earmarked for a particular aspect of the group’s work. “If anybody wants to donate and they don’t like farm animals and they want to make sure their money goes to dogs because that’s all they care about, that’s great. They just send in their donation with a note that says ‘for dogs only,’” she says. “We have people that want to donate just to farm animals and don’t want it to be used for dogs and cats, so people can be very specific about their donations.” The Brother Wolf sanctuary aims to become an educational

resource to show “what it really takes to build a no-kill community,” Bitz says. “We’re trying to create a facility that will bring people from all over the world to bond with animals and to help work with our troubled dogs, scared cats and pigs that are abandoned. ... It’s going to be amazing.” Bitz acknowledges that growth and evolution can be messy, but she maintains it’s worth the effort. “I know transition is hard for peo-

ple,” she says. “But I assure you, we’ve been here for 10 years, people believe in Brother Wolf, they know we’re going to do what we say we’re going to do, and if they can help us get through this transition year, they will be so proud of what we’re creating for Asheville and for the entire country.” Additional reporting by Nicki Glasser X

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N EWS

by Lyss Hunt

alyssadecaulp@gmail.com

UNEARTHING THE PAST Each place deals with its dead differently. Historically, big cities often gathered their deceased into large cemeteries, which in the 21st century offer digital maps and databases where grave-seekers can find eternal resting places in seconds. Such technological amenities are impractical in places like the Great Smoky Mountains, however, where gravesites proliferated in nooks and crannies across a large area. A new 700-page book, Cemeteries of the Smokies, published by the Great Smoky Mountains Association, serves as an exhaustive guide to graves in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Through photographs, oral histories and scholarship, the tome also sheds light on the unique world of Appalachian burial lore and traditions. Author Gail Palmer meticulously documents gravesites, offering road and trail maps to 4,737 graves. She collects the histories of the cemeteries, the communities they served and the colorful individuals who were laid to rest. In doing so, she brings to life a culture whose physical markers are fading with time but whose stories resonate throughout the hills and hollers to this day. DEVIL IN THE DETAILS Definitive records of permanent European settlers in the region that’s now Great Smoky Mountains National Park date back to the late 1700s. Most settlements remained small, with subsistence farming as a primary mode of survival,

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ANYTHING BUT GRAVE: A new book catalogs cemeteries within the boundaries of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and sheds light on those who inhabited the Southern Appalachians through vivid stories. Image courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains Association until the logging industry came to the area in the decades after the Civil War. Using their tombstones, Palmer’s book strives to provide an accounting of the lives of these settlers, including dates of birth and death, epitaphs and

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Smoky Mountains cemeteries embody region’s traditions

familial ties for every grave listed, when available. The book also tells of the unique burial customs of the region. It was common to scrape the ground in cemeteries completely bare, so they resembled a swept dirt floor. Many burial grounds had no vegetation, just rows of mounded graves. The graves usually faced the rising sun in the east, reflecting the belief that resurrected souls will be looking in the right direction when Jesus returns. Grave markers were often simple field stones, with a larger one at the head and a smaller one at the foot of the burial plot. It wasn’t until later in the region’s history, during the 19th century, that engraved markers became commonplace. The 152 known cemeteries within the park boundaries are subdivided by region in 17 “stories” that structure the book. Each story is named for a place, such as Cataloochee or Greenbrier Cove, and tells the history of that place. Some stories of graveyards explain who donated the land and how the deeds were passed from family to family. Most established cemeteries came into existence in this way, with individuals giving an acre or two for the use until official town facilities were established for the community. LIVING BEFORE DYING Cemeteries of the Smokies continues the Appalachian tradition of telling tales of larger-than-life characters, highlighting vibrant community members. There’s Granny Pop, who spotted a panther in a tree on her way home from “visitin’ on Little

CEMETERY SCRIBE: Author Gail Palmer collects dates, locations, epitaphs and histories of graveyards scattered throughout the Smoky Mountains. Photo courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains Association Catalooch” one evening. To stave it off, she followed conventional wisdom and dropped her clothes on the trail, piece by piece, so the cougar would attack the articles of clothing rather than follow her. The teller of this story, Steve Woody, claimed that Granny Pop “came in like Lady Godiva, without a stitch.”

Or there’s Edd Connor of Oconaluftee, who, after a stroke in 1919, made a coffin of his own design from a tree he planted decades earlier as a young man. This in itself was not unusual; Palmer writes, “It was common at that time to make arrangements in advance for your funeral.” Connor took things a bit further, though, designing a white linen burial suit for himself. He recovered from the stroke but had become so fascinated by the idea of his own funeral that he held the event anyway, “so he could enjoy it and could see who would come and what they’d say.” Connor didn’t actually die until 1937. Not all the stories are full of humor and whimsy, however. Many tell of the unrelenting danger that stalked the settlers: dramatically high rates of infant mortality, logging accidents, typhoid epidemics and the Civil War. Some recount a different kind of tragedy, such as the story of the Hazel Creek community and its cemeteries. Burial records show that prior to 1860, there were only four family names in the whole area — not unusual for a place as sparsely populated as the Smokies. Things changed by the end of the century, as the logging and mining industries exploded across the Southern Appalachians. Workers flooded the area, bringing families and contributing to population growth. Then the Tennessee Valley Authority announced plans for the Fontana Dam. The dam would create a new lake, which would fill an area of more than 10,000 acres, displacing many residents. Families were forced to move, whole gravesites were disinterred and resentment sprang up toward authorities, which lingers to this day. (For more about the Hazel Creek community and the legacy of the Fontana Dam, see “Washed Up: Hazel Creek Author Daniel Pierce Details Community’s Convoluted Past,” June 14, Xpress.) Despite the lingering sadness of some of these histories, Cemeteries of the Smokies elicits the good humor ingrained in Appalachian culture and spins an entertaining yarn about dying (and living) on the frontier of the Great Smoky Mountains. X

MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

B U N C O M B E B E AT

Asheville’s new City Council takes office Asheville welcomed its most diverse City Council in history, as new and reelected Council members took the oath of office on Dec. 5 at City Hall in front of a packed chamber of family, friends and supporters. Vijay Kapoor and Sheneika Smith join Keith Young as Council members from minority communities. And for the first time, Asheville City Council is majority female, with the re-election of Gwen Wisler and Mayor Esther Manheimer adding to the ranks of women that also includes Council member Julie Mayfield. Kapoor and Sheneika Smith replace outgoing Council members Gordon Smith, who did not run for re-election, and Cecil Bothwell, who did not amass enough votes in the primary to continue. Throughout the evening’s proceedings, speakers celebrated the new diversity of Asheville’s city representation. Council member Brian Haynes welcomed the new members and acknowledged the body’s demographic shift. “It’s not yet proven if this will be a truly progressive Council, but by looking at the makeup of this Council, we certainly have seen progress, because I’m the only white male up here,” he said to applause and laughter from the audience. Manheimer, who won a landslide reelection for a second term as mayor, said Asheville saw the greatest voter turnout ever in a municipal election. “The people also elected the most diverse Council in the history of this city. And for the first time ever we have a majority woman Council,” she said, prompting cheers. Manheimer went on to say Council faces a great deal of work in addressing the issues of long-term, sustainable affordability and equity, and encouraged that work to happen through collaboration and respectful disagreement. “This means that this community must exhibit the kind of civil discourse that we are desperately needing today in our city, our state, our nation and our world. Let us lead by example,” she said. “Let’s discard destructive rhetoric and saber rattling to make our community a better place tomorrow than it was yesterday.” A TURNING POINT Kapoor, a businessman from South Asheville, garnered the most votes in the primary and general elections. He

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

NEW COUNCIL IN TOWN: New and returning Asheville City Council members were sworn into office last week. They are, back row, from left, Keith Young, Brian Haynes, Mayor Esther Manheimer and Julie Mayfield. Front row, from left, are Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, Vijay Kapoor and Sheneika Smith. Photo by Carolyn Morrisroe alluded to his Indian and Polish heritage in remarks to the audience at the swearing-in ceremony. “I was the first in my family to be born in this country and I grew up here in Asheville,” he said. “I owe so much to the city and to this country and I’m very thankful to be in a position to be able to give back and to be able to be sitting up here.” Kapoor acknowledged the broader context of political turmoil and socioeconomic challenges. “This Council takes office at a time that’s very difficult in our nation’s history. Many in Asheville are struggling, and the issues we face are incredibly complex,” he said. “These are not normal times, and I want this Council to be remembered as one that when called upon, didn’t let our community down, didn’t let our nation down, didn’t let our families down.” Sheneika Smith, an African-American Asheville native, told those in attendance that she’s seen the city’s transformation firsthand. She said as a girl, she would ride the bus downtown past boarded-

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up buildings and gangs of pigeons, and though the city is now flourishing, “a great fraction of our community is suffering, homeless, children who go to school every day who can’t focus on their learning because they are hungry.” Sheneika Smith that through her work at Green Opportunities, she’s familiar with the communities of people who are struggling. “Together we can fight for justice, because we’ve been doing it the whole time. We were born fighting, a lot of us, because we were born marginalized and some people a victim of circumstance,” she said. “We will fight for equity and fairness. … We are history makers. We going to make some things happen here.” As part of the proceedings, Council members unanimously voted in Wisler as vice mayor for another term. Wisler said she looks forward to working with the new faces on Council. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and I can’t wait to get started,” she said.

WORK STILL TO BE DONE Young apologized for getting emotional as he reflected that it’s been decades since two African-Americans served on Asheville City Council together. “To hear people say that our community is gone, you don’t have jobs, you don’t have homes, there’s a lot of poverty, there’s a lot of violence sometimes, and to see people think the community is dying, I want to say here today that that is not the case,” he said. “This is a new renaissance. This is a new birth.” Mayfield welcomed the new Council members and addressed her remarks to the two departing members. She recognized the contributions of Bothwell, who did not attend the ceremony, and highlighted the accomplishments of Gordon Smith on transit, food policy and affordable housing. “On each one of those issues, you moved the needle noticeably, and the city is in a fundamentally different place on each one of those issues than we were when you started,” she told him. “If I can be half as effective as you have been, I will be very happy with my tenure on Council.” Gordon Smith expressed deep gratitude for having had the opportunity to serve on City Council for two terms. He shared sentiments of support to the new Council members, gave thanks to his wife, and recognized the hard work of the press and city staff. He also offered a lighthearted take on the feedback he has received while serving on Council. “There are 90,000 people in this city, and I have heard from most of you. There were three people who called to say nice things — thank you,” he joked. On a more serious note, Gordon Smith acknowledged community members who are strong advocates for the issues that are most important to them. “I’ve worked with so many people who are really just trying to make a life, to make sure their kids are healthy and safe and getting through school and have enough food and have a good place to live,” he said. “I have run into people who were less than happy with me, and again and again what I’ve been struck with is even to step forward and express that requires so much passion and care for your community.” He thanked those who have brought their hopes, desires and needs to him and said they have helped him grow as a person over his eight years in office. The new City Council will not have long to rest on its laurels. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

— Carolyn Morrisroe X

NEWS BRIEFS

Buncombe County sets renewable energy goal Near the end of an approximately three-hour Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting on Dec. 5, about a dozen students from high schools in the county gathered around a microphone to make a point to their commissioners. They held petitions with signatures from about 1,800 high school students, college students and community members who support establishing a deadline for the county and community to operate entirely from renewable energy sources. “Every time I asked someone to sign this, they were ready to get a copy of it and take it to all of their homerooms, all of their classes, all of their clubs, all of their sports in support of this bill,” a student from the School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville told the commissioners. “There are so many young people that are so ready to see the change that we’ve all been waiting for.” Commissioners looked to establish formal goals on six issues: renewable energy, opioid abuse, affordable housing, early childhood education, justice resource support and the diversification of the community workforce. Of the six issues, renewable energy attracted the most input during the period of public comment set aside for the resolution. The issue prompted spirited responses from the commissioners. “I was sort of teetering with this,” said Commissioner Al Whitesides, “but the one that really pulled me over was my grandson, who’s a sophomore in college in Texas. … Let’s face it, [young people] are the ones who are going to inherit this mess, and the least that we can do is start cleaning it up.” Several commissioners, however, questioned the feasibility of the plan and weren’t optimistic about the timeframe established in the goals. “I brought my kids up with a saying: ‘Do you want it or do you need it?’” said Commissioner Robert

by Max Hunt | mhunt@mountainx.com MISSION RE-ENTERS BCBS NETWORK DEC. 15 Mission Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina have agreed to terms that will bring Mission back into the insurance provider’s network beginning Friday, Dec. 15. The two regional health care giants released a joint statement announcing the agreement on Dec. 5. The deal comes about two months after Mission terminated its former contract with BCBS on Oct. 5. Since then, customers with BCBS insurance have been forced to seek treatment at other regional health providers or pay out-of-network rates at Mission facilities while the two entities negotiated a new agreement. Roughly 260,000 residents in WNC are insured through BCBS. More info: avl.mx/4e7 ACA ENROLLMENT PERIOD ENDS DEC. 15 Open enrollment for insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act ends Friday, Dec. 15. Under the ACA, residents are required to purchase an insurance plan or pay a penalty. The enrollment period for ACA plans was shortened from three months to six weeks earlier this year by the Trump administration. Pisgah Legal Services, along with other ACA partners in WNC, is available to assist residents with enrollment and answer questions. To schedule an appointment with local ACA partners, residents can call 855-733-3711 or make an appointment

online at pisgahlegal.org/ free-legal-assistance/aca/. In addition, several free information and enrollment events are being held around WNC ahead of the enrollment deadline. A list of upcoming events can be found at avl.mx/4e6. ASHEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL HOSTS DEBATE ON HEALTH CARE RIGHTS Asheville High School will host a debate involving health care professionals, doctors and community members on Friday, Dec. 15, 5-7 p.m. in its auditorium. Titled “Health care: right or commodity?” the debate will explore residents’ rights to affordable health care and contemporary understandings of health care as a business and necessity. Speakers include Drs. Tim Plaut, Eric Halvorson, Stephen Buie, Robert Fields and Scott Donaldson, Carl Mumpower, Leslie Boyd, Mary Caldwell, Katherine Restrepo and Dustin McIntee. A Q&A session will follow the debate. The debate is sponsored by Asheville High/SILSA Speech & Debate Team and the Western Carolina Medical Society. It is free and open to the public. More info: avl.mx/4e8 PLANNING BOARD TO DISCUSS SUBDIVISION DEC. 18 The Buncombe County Planning Board has one item on its agenda for Monday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 a.m. in the meeting room at 30 Valley St.

Pressley. “We need 100 percent. I wish we could get there.” Commissioner Mike Fryar expressed similar concerns “We can’t get there, young people,” he said. “I wish we could.” Nevertheless, in a 4-3 vote, commissioners approved setting goals to make all county operations run on renewable

It will review a preliminary plan for a subdivision of 69 lots along and to the east of 39 and 42 Nichols Hill Drive. More info: avl.mx/4e1 or 828-250-4830 ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETS DEC. 19 Asheville’s City Council will hold its next formal meeting Tuesday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 70 Court Plaza. An agenda for the meeting will be posted online at avl.mx/3xb. There are no scheduled public hearings for the Dec. 19 meeting. CITY SEEKS INPUT ON SOUTH SLOPE The city of Asheville is undertaking a South Slope visioning process, and residents are invited to participate. The process is designed to develop a longterm vision for the area. The city is launching an online survey on Open City Hall Asheville, avl.mx/4e2. The survey looks at South Slope transportation preferences, what kind of businesses people would like to see in the area, safety and development. Residents can take part in person, as well. The South Slope visioning process will hold open office hours during which residents can drop in to share ideas and discuss perspectives at 207 Coxe Ave., every Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in December and January. More info: ashevillenc. gov/SouthSlope, email svrtunski@ashevillenc.gov or call 828-259-5560 X

energy sources by 2030 and all community operations run on renewable energy within 25 years. Fryar, Pressley and Commissioner Joe Belcher voted against the resolution. In addition to its renewable energy goals, commissioners approved the five other strategic initiatives on its list.

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

F E AT UR E S

N EWS COUNTY EMPLOYEES TO GET PROMISED PAY INCREASE County Manager Mandy Stone reported on the implementation of a 1.5 percent budget-neutral pay increase for the county’s lowest-paid employees. In 2016, the board approved a 3.5 percent pay increase, of which 2 percent went to all employees, and 1.5 percent was to be allocated at the discretion of the county manager. Former County Manager Wanda Greene was tasked by the commission with giving that 1.5 percent raise to the county’s lowest-paid employees. She distributed more than $100,000 dollars in raises: 16 percent of that money went to county employees making less than $40,000, and 84 percent went to employees making more than $40,000 a year. Employees making six-figure salaries received 28 percent of all raise dollars. (See “The 1.5 Percent,” Xpress, Sept. 13.) Greene announced her retirement in May and is currently under investigation by the FBI. “What we know is that the 1.5 [percent] went to a variety of employees,” Stone told commissioners at the Dec. 5 meeting. “Not all of them are lower-paid employees, so my intent tonight is to honor your direction and set right a past action that did not honor the intention of this board.” Stone said at the meeting that the increase would become effective for 472 employees, a group that includes such positions as administrative assistants, court security and landfill employees, on Dec. 9. Those employees will also receive a one-time payment of $500 “because we’re not able to go back retroactively, and you clearly intended this adjustment to be effective July 1,” Stone said. Commissioner Ellen Frost said the raise was the right thing to do. “In the last few months, Buncombe County employees have been, for lack of a better word, dragged through the mud,” she said. “People can drag commissioners through the mud all they want, but the employees are our backbone and they come to work tirelessly. They don’t care about political parties, and this was something that was promised to them a long, long time ago.”

— David Floyd X

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Finding Finkelstein’s Bolsheviks, Bibles and the poor man’s bank

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Harry Finkelstein, left, arrived in Asheville in 1900 on account of an unspecified illness. His son, Leo, right, was born five years later and would later take over the family business. Photo, left, courtesy of Special Collections, Appalachian State University; photo, right, courtesy of Congregation Beth HaTephila In 1998, the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian State University published Leo Finkelstein’s Asheville and The Poor Man’s Bank. The book, written by Leo Finkelstein, offers personal anecdotes of the author’s life, as well as glimpses into Asheville’s past. The book’s introduction, written by its editor, Patricia D. Beaver, provides a brief overview of Asheville’s Jewish community. In it, Beaver notes that Jewish immigrants first arrived in the region in the late 19th century. According to Beaver, most began as street peddlers. Such work, Beaver writes, “often led to the establishment of a store, and by the turn of the century, a variety of commercial establishments were opening in Asheville’s small downtown.” Asheville Pawn and Loan Office was among these businesses. Its founder, Harry Finkelstein, opened shop in 1903. But for the Lithuanian businessman, his arrival in the mountains of Western North Carolina came about only after a series of unfortunate events. In the pages of Leo Finkelstein’s Asheville, it is reported that Harry, Leo’s father, fled his hometown of Pushalot in 1872, shortly after knocking out a drunk Bolshevik who was pestering his mother. He relocated to South Africa, where he worked as a house painter in Johannesburg before falling ill from lead poisoning. After his recovery, Harry opened a restaurant. However, according to Leo: “In 1898, right before the EnglishBoer War, my father sold his restaurant for gold coins, got a money belt and went to Cape Town. He had a cousin in

Australia and a brother in Jacksonville, Florida. By a flip of a coin he came over to Jacksonville, Florida.” By 1900, Harry was struck by another, unspecified illness. His recovery led him to Asheville, where in 1903, he opened Asheville Pawn and Loan Office. One of the shop’s earliest advertisements appeared in the March 10, 1904, edition of The Asheville Citizen. It declared: “You can get loans on your diamonds, watches, and jewelry.” The following year Harry married Fannye Sherman. The couple lived in an apartment on Ashland Avenue, where in 1905, Leo, the first of the couple’s three children, was born. Just as his family was growing, so too was Harry’s business. On Aug. 5, 1906, an advertisement in The Asheville Citizen promised readers: “An Opportunity of a Lifetime at Finkelstein’s Pawn Shop.” The store was hosting a public auction, selling off “everything in the house which customers failed to redeem[.]” This included guns, ammunition, musical instruments, trunks, suitcases, handbags, tools and “a big stock of unredeemed Clothing, Shoes, Hats, etc.” By 1913, Leo began working for his father and would eventually take over the business. “When I was eight years old, I started selling newspapers,” Leo writes in his book. “I wasn’t doing very good so my father gave me a job in the pawnshop at 50 cents per week.” In 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression, Leo changed the store’s name from Asheville Pawn and Loan Office to Finkelstein’s Inc. The economic struggles of the 1930s are prominently

featured in Leo Finkelstein’s Asheville. A number of the book’s anecdotes highlight the types of loans made during the period, shedding light on the desperation felt by many in the community. In one instance, Leo writes: “Back in the Depression days of the 1930s there was a preacher who pawned his Bible every Monday morning after Sunday’s services and redeemed it on the following Friday or Saturday for the next service on Sunday. I made the original loan of $10 and advised the preacher that he could get it out at a charge of $1 anytime in 30 days or if needed, he could wait three months at no additional charge. “In checking the records I have found that he had pawned the Bible weekly on many occasions. On the next Friday morning when the came after his Bible I told him he didn’t owe anything on it, that he had paid more carrying charges than the original loan. I told him to put that $10 bill he had next to the Ten Commandments in the Bible and the next time he needed $10 to take it out and put it back in the Bible after Sunday’s service. Just don’t bring the Bible back here for a loan. He didn’t.” Leo sold the business to H.G. “June” Bassett in 1973. No longer in the Finkelstein family, the pawn shop nevertheless still operates to this day. Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X

ESTABLISHED IN 1903: Harry Finkelstein founded the Asheville Loan and Pawn Shop in 1903. By 1933, his son, Leo, changed its name to Finkelstein’s Inc. He also moved the shop, formerly at 23 Biltmore Ave., to a site on Pack Square. No longer in the family, it now operates at 21 Broadway. Photo courtesy of North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville

COMMUNITY CALENDAR DEC. 13 - 21, 2017

CALENDAR GUIDELINES For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 251-1333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 251-1333, ext. 320.

=❄ ANIMALS

❄ ASHEVILLE

OUTLETS 800 Brevard Road, shopashevilleoutlets. com • TH (12/14) & (12/21), 5-7pm - Pet photos with Santa Claus. Donations accepted for Brother Wolf. $5 photos/Free to attend.

❄ SARGE’S

ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION 828-246-9050, sargeanimals.org • Through SA (1/13) Proceeds from this holiday pet photo contest benefit Sarge's Animal Rescue Foundation. Information: sargeanimals.org. $15 per entry.

BENEFITS 6TH ANNUAL HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS FUNDRAISER (PD.) Thursday, December 21, 2017. 5pm-10pm, The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC. • Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit 5 Local Nonprofits. Admission is by donation. Join us for Santa, live music, kid's games, food/drinks, silent auction, photo booth and more! Town and Mountain Realty, 828232-2879. www. townandmountain.com/ ashevillefundraiser ASHEVILLE FIREFIGHTERS CANCER CHARITY • FR (12/15), 5-11 p.m. - Proceeds from the Asheville Firefighters Cancer Charity Event with food, beer and a silent auction benefit

the Will Willis family. Free to attend. Held at Green Man Brewery, 27 Buxton Ave.

❄ ASHEVILLE

OUTLETS 800 Brevard Road, shopashevilleoutlets. com • FR (12/15) & SA (12/16) - Donations of new toys accepted for WNC Toys for Tots. BLUE RIDGE BOOKS BENEFIT 428 Hazelwood Ave, Waynesville • WE (12/13), 10am2pm - Proceeds from sales of Ecuadorian crafts benefit libraries in the Andean Mountains of Ecuador. Free to attend.

PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA: Your four-legged furry friends have the chance to meet Santa Claus, share their wish list and have their photos taken Thursdays, Dec. 14 and 21, 5-7 p.m., at the Asheville Outlets’ food court. There is a suggested donation of $5, with proceeds supporting Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. For more information, visit shopashevilleoutlets.com.

❄ BLUE RIDGE

RINGERS HANDBELL ENSEMBLE blueridgeringers.tripod. com, blueridgeringers@ gmail.com • SU (12/17), 4pm Proceeds from this Christmas handbell concert benefit The Free Clinics. $10. Held at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church, 699 North Grove St., Hendersonville

❄ DECK THE TREES

BENEFIT 828-669-8870, themontevistahotel.net • Through SU (12/31), 10am-9pm - Proceeds from donations at “80 Years of Christmas,” hand decorated Christmas tree exhibition benefit the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry. WE (12/20), 6-8:30pm - Awarding of prizes for trees. Free. Held at Monte Vista Hotel,

308 W. State St., Black Mountain

❄ GINGERBREAD

HOUSES omnihotels.com/hotels/ asheville-grove-park • Through TH (1/4) Proceeds from parking fees from the 25th Annual Gingerbread Competition exhibition benefit local nonprofits: Children First/ Communities in Schools, United Way of AshevilleBuncombe, Meals on Wheels, Homeward Bound, Asheville Museum of Science, Asheville City Schools Foundation and The American Legion Post 70. Contact for schedule: 888-444-OMNI. Free to attend with $20 parking fee per car. Held at the Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave.

❄ LEAF

INTERNATIONAL 828-686-8742, theleaf.org/ leaf-international

• TU (12/19), 7pm Proceeds from the Lisa Zahiya"Winter Dance Spectacular," featuring bellydance, Indian, hip-hop, Irish and fusion performances by students and professionals benefit LEAF Community Arts. $17/$15 advance/$20 VIP/$5 children. Held at Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 828-2733332, floodgallery.org/ • THURSDAYS, 11am-5pm - "Jelly at the Flood," coworking event to meet up with like-minded people to exchange help, ideas and advice. Free to attend. G&W INVESTMENT CLUB klcount@aol.com

• 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 11:45am - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Black Forest Restaurant, 2155 Hendersonville Road, Arden

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS AWAKENING OF HUMANITY (PD.) The old order is dying. People calling for change, demanding social and environmental justice. UFOs, Crop Circles. Signs, Miracles. The Masters of Wisdom entering the world. A dawning realization we are one humanity. Learn what is behind these extraordinary events and how we all can be part of the planetary transition into a bright future. • Saturday, December 16: Asheville Friends Meeting. 227 Edgewood Rd. 2pm.

Free talk and video presentation. 828-398-0609. CLASS AT VILLAGERS (PD.) • The Magic of Botanical Distilling with Ash Sierra of Ritual Botanica: Sunday, December 17. 6-8pm. $30-45, includes an herbal goodie valued at $15. Registration/information: www.forvillagers.com EMPYREAN ARTS CLASSES (PD.) Beginning Aerial Arts on Sundays 2:15pm, Mondays 6:30pm, Tuesdays 1:00pm. Beginning Pole on Sundays 3:30pm, Mondays 5:15pm, Thursdays 8:00pm. Learn more about us at EmpyreanArts.org. 828.782.3321 FOURTH WAY SCHOOL (PD.) • Know Thyself - Wisdom Through Action, a Fourth Way School in the tradition

MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

C O N S C I O U S PA R T Y by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com

Hex Dance Party

UNIFIED: Seven organizers, the Party FOUL Drag Circus and a handful of DJs have helped Hex dance parties raise funds and awareness for community organizations that aid marginalized groups. The latest event takes place Dec. 16 at The Mothlight and benefits The Steady Collective. Photo courtesy of Hex

First Presbyterian Church Asheville 828-253-1431 on Church Street fpcasheville.org Every Sunday: Worship 8:45 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Childcare begins 8:45 a.m.

Christmas Eve Worship Services Sunday, Dec. 24 ✦ 11:00 a.m. Lessons & Carols Worship Service, Sanctuary ✦ 5:00 p.m. Family Worship with Candlelight, Sanctuary ✦ (9:00 p.m. Prelude Music), 9:30 p.m. Candlelight Communion, Sanctuary

We are a vibrant, historic downtown congregation that welcomes all people– join us in mission! 18

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHAT: A dance party to benefit The Steady Collective WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 16, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. WHERE: The Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road WHY: Back in April, seven intrepid organizers held the first Hex dance party at The Mothlight. The goal was to bring people together in a safe and inclusive space while supporting and highlighting the work of community organizations that aid marginalized groups. Occurring every other month since then, all of the events have reached capacity and raised $1,000 to 2,000 each for Our VOICE, the Tranzmission Prison Project and Justice For All People, a branch of Pisgah Legal Services that helps undocumented victims of domestic violence. “They’re all organizations that even a smallish donation of one to two thousand dollars makes a huge difference,” says Evan Cohen, one of the Hex organizers. All proceeds from the Saturday, Dec. 16, event go to The Steady Collective, a harm reduction organization dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of people who use drugs through empowerment and respectful collaboration. “They’re a non judgmental group that helps get clean needles and Narcan kits

to people who need them,” Cohen says. “It felt like a really relevant and pressing thing to raise money for because they approached us as specifically needing funding right now.” In tandem with benefiting underserved populations, the Hex organizers aim to highlight artists of color, women, queer folks and others whose voices aren’t often brought to the front as its performers and DJs. For the latest event, Party FOUL Drag Circus will have an hourlong show before the dance party and Sarah M. Chappell will do tarot readings. DJ Mallinali, DJ Honey and DJ Ganymede will then take over, offering an eclectic mix of hip-hop, house and cumbia. As with past Hex parties, designated volunteers will be watching out for attendees, ensuring that everyone can feel confident about having fun in a safe, welcoming environment. Looking ahead, Hex events will continue at the same frequency in 2018 at The Mothlight. Cohen says she and her fellow organizers have “big dreams of becoming a permanent part of the community” and are hoping to grow in many different ways, possibly with some sort of Hex Festival. Hex takes place 8 p.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16, at The Mothlight. $5 donation. www.themothlight.com X

C OMMU N IT Y CA L EN D AR

of Gurdjieff & Ouspensky teaching practical application of the Work. 720.218.9812 wisdomthroughaction. com HOLISTIC FINANCIAL PLANNING (PD.) January 8-9, 2018, 9:00am-5:00pm Burnsville Town Center, 6 South Main Street, Burnsville, NC 28714. Learn how to make financial decisions that support farm & family values and build profit on your farm. PURPLE CRAYON COMMUNITY ART STUDIO (PD.) Studio and classroom rentals. Open House: 2nd Saturday of Month, 2-4pm. Upcoming workshops: • Let’s Make a T-Shirt Quilt!, 1/6; • Creating Children’s Picture Books, 1/20-1/21; Visualize Your Way to a More Satisfying Life, 1/27 (Free). www.purplecrayonavl. com

by Abigail Griffin

VILLAGERS...(PD.) ...is an Urban Homestead Supply store offering quality tools, supplies and classes to support healthy lifestyle activities like gardening, food preservation, cooking, herbalism, and more. 278 Haywood Road. www.forvillagers. com ASHEVILLE ASPERGER'S ADULTS AND TEENS UNITED meetup.com/ aspergersadultsunited/, wncaspergersunited@ gmail.com • 3rd SATURDAYS, 4-7:30pm - Gaming group and potluck. Free/Bring a dish and games to share. Held at The Autism Society, 306 Summit St. ASHEVILLE CHESS CLUB 828-779-0319, vincentvanjoe@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm - Sets provided. All ages and skill levels welcome. Beginners lessons available. Free. Held at North Asheville Recreation

Center, 37 E. Larchmont Road BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • MO (12/18), 10am "Itch to Stitch," knitting and needlework group for all skill levels. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville CITY OF ASHEVILLE 828-251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • WE (12/13), 6:30-8pm - "Greenway Warmer: A Celebration of Progress and Future Greenways," presentation and refreshments. Free. Held at 200 College St., 1st Floor meeting room

❄ ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE 828-687-7759, aeu.org • SU (12/17), 2-3:30pm - "Winter Festival,” presentation by Joy McConnell followed by a pot-luck meal. Free/Bring a potluck dish to share.

Held at Asheville Friends Meetinghouse, 227 Edgewood Road HENDERSON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville, 828-6974725 • 3rd TUESDAYS, 2-4pm - Apple Users Support Group. Free.

Happy Holidays from Greg Mayer and the Technicians at One Click Fix

info@oneclickavl.com 828-318-8558 oneclickavl.com Shop Hours: 9-5 M-F 438 Montford Ave. Asheville, NC 28801

HOMINY VALLEY RECREATION PARK 25 Twin Lakes Drive, Candler, 828-242-8998, hvrpsports.com • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - Hominy Valley board meeting. Free. LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 828774-3000, facebook.com/ Leicester.Community. Center • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - The Leicester History Gathering, general meeting. Free.

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

COM M U N I TY CA LEN DA R

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50 S. French Broad Ave., 828-255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • WE (12/13), 5:30-7pm & MO (12/18), noon1:30pm - "Budgeting and Debt Class." Registration required. Free.. • TU (12/19), 5:30pm "Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it." Registration required. Free.

❄ SENIOR

OPPORTUNITY CENTER 36 Grove St., Asheville • MO (12/18), 1:303:30pm - "Holiday Gift Making," sugar scrubs workshop. Registration required. $5. VETERANS FOR PEACE 828-490-1872, VFP099.org • 3rd TUESDAYS, 6:30 - 8:00PM - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Center for Art & Spirit at St. George, 1 School Road

❄ WNC PHYSICIANS

FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY wncpsr.org • TH (12/14), 5-8pm Celebration of the season gathering and presentation with dinner at 6pm. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. • 3rd FRIDAYS, noon2pm - Monthly meeting. BYO lunch. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. FOURTH WAY SCHOOL Know Thyself - Wisdom Through Action, a Fourth Way School in the tradition of Gurdjieff & Ouspensky teaching practical application of the Work. 720.218.9812 wisdomthroughaction. com

DANCE CHRISTMAS COUNTRY DANCE PARTY (PD.) Friday, December 15, 7-10:30pm, Asheville Ballroom. Dance lesson 7-8 with Richard and Sue Cicchetti. Dancing 8-10:30. Dance/Lesson $15, Dance only $10. Contact: 828-333-0715, naturalrichard@mac.com www.DanceForLife.net

DANCE WORKSHOPS • DECEMBER 18 & 20 (PD.) Register for 1 or both. Triple-Two, Monday, December 18, 7-8:30. • Nightclub-Two, Wednesday, December 20, 7-8:30. Instructors Richard and Sue Cicchetti. Asheville Ballroom. • $20 for 1, $35 for 2. Contact: 828-333-0715, naturalrichard@mac.com • Pay at the door or register online: www.DanceForLife.net DO YOU WANT TO DANCE? (PD.) Ballroom, Country and Social Dance Instructions, Dance Workshops and Social Dance Events in Asheville. Certified instructor. Contact Richard for information: 828-333-0715, naturalrichard@mac.com • www.DanceForLife.net EXPERIENCE ECSTATIC DANCE! (PD.) Dance waves hosted by Asheville Movement Collective. Fun and personal/community transformation. • Fridays, 7pm, Terpsicorps Studios, 1501 Patton Avenue. • Sundays, 8:30am and 10:30am, JCC, 236 Charlotte Street. Sliding scale fee. Information: ashevillemovementcollective.org STUDIO ZAHIYA, DOWNTOWN DANCE CLASSES (PD.) Monday 12pm Barre Wkt 5pm Bellydance Drills 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 6pm Bellydance Special Topics 7pm Tribal Fusion Bellydance 8pm Lyrical 8pm Sassy Jazz • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4pm Kids Creative Movement 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 2 8pm Advanced Bellydance • Wednesday 5pm Hip Hop Wkt 6pm Bhangra Series 7pm Tap 1 8pm Tap 2 • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 4pm Kids Hip Hop 5pm Teens Hip Hop 6pm Bellydance Drills 7pm Hip Hop Choreography 8pm West Coast Swing • Friday 9am Hip Hop Wkt • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45 Buti Yoga Wkt • $14 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $8. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue.

by Abigail Griffin

www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595 OLD FARMER'S BALL oldfarmersball.com • THURSDAYS, 8-11pm - Old Farmers Ball, contra dance. $7/$6 members/$1 Warren Wilson Community. Held in Bryson Gym Held at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa SOUTHERN LIGHTS SQUARE AND ROUND DANCE CLUB 828-697-7732, southernlights.org • SA (12/16), 5pm Annual meeting and dinner for club members. No advanced dance. Plus and rounds at 7:30pm. Free. Held at Whitmire Activity Center, 310 Lily Pond Road, Hendersonville

ECO Some events from this section may be found in the Give!Local calendar on p. 27 FARM DREAMS (PD.) February 3, 2018, 10:00am - 4:00pm - Lenoir Rhyne 36 Montford Ave, Asheville, NC Farm Dreams a great entry-level workshop to attend if you are in the exploratory stages of starting a farm and seeking practical information on sustainable farming. ASHEVILLE GREEN DRINKS ashevillegreendrinks.com • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 6pm - Informal networking focused on the science of sustainability. Free to attend. Held at The BLOCK off biltmore, 39 South Market St. ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS 828-254-1776, ashevillegreenworks.org • SA (12/16), 11am-noon - West Asheville historic district cleanup volunteer event. Free. Meet at Second Gear, 444 Haywood Road BREVARD COLLEGE 1 Brevard College Drive Brevard, 828-883-8292, brevard.edu • WE (12/20), 6:30-8pm - Lady Slipper Speaker Series: Presentation by The Collider's Executive

Director Megan Robinson regarding Asheville as 'Climate City.' Free. GREEN GRANNIES avl.mx/0gm • 3rd SATURDAYS, 4pm - Sing-a-long for the climate. Information: singfortheclimate.com Free. Held at Pritchard Park, 4 College St. THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE 39 South Market St., 828254-9277, theblockoffbiltmore.com • SU (12/17), 5-7pm - "Bonobos at the BLOCK!" Presentation by Bonobo Conservation Initiative founder, Sally Jewell Coxe. Free to attend.

FARM & GARDEN ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS 828-254-1776, ashevillegreenworks.org • SA (12/16), 1-2pm Composting workshop. Free to attend. Held at Whole Foods Market, 4 S. Tunnel Road LIVING GREEN ASHEVILLE meetup.com/LivingGreen-Asheville-Meetup/ • WE (12/13), 6:30pm - New Living Green & Urban Homesteading Group meeting and connection. Free to attend. Held at GreenLife, 70 Merrimon Ave. POLK COUNTY FRIENDS OF AGRICULTURE BREAKFAST polkcountyfarms.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8am - Monthly breakfast with presentations regarding agriculture. Admission by donation. Held at Green Creek Community Center, 25 Shields Road, Green Creek

FOOD & BEER ASHEVILLE VEGAN SOCIETY meetup.com/ The-Asheville-VeganSociety/ • 1st TUESDAYS & Third SATURDAYS, 10am Social meeting. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

DOWNTOWN WELCOME TABLE haywoodstreet.org/ 2010/07/ the-welcome-table/ • SUNDAYS, 4:30pm Community meal. Free. Held at Haywood Street Congregation, 297 Haywood St. FAIRVIEW WELCOME TABLE fairviewwelcometable. com • THURSDAYS, 11:30am1pm - Community lunch. Admission by donation. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old US Highway 74, Fairview LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 828774-3000, facebook.com/ Leicester.Community. Center • 3rd TUESDAYS, 2:30-3:30pm - Manna FoodBank distribution, including local produce. Free. • WEDNESDAYS, 11:30am-1pm - Welcome Table meal. Free.

FESTIVALS

❄ BIG IVY

COMMUNITY CENTER 540 Dillingham Road, Barnardsville, 828-6263438 • TH (12/14), 7pm Community Christmas party with refreshments and Santa Claus. Free.

❄ GROVE ARCADE 1 Page Ave. • SUNDAYS through (12/17), 1-5pm Photographs with Santa Claus. Free to attend.

❄ HISTORIC JOHNSON FARM

3346 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, 828-891-6585, historicjohnsonfarm.org • FR (12/15) & SA (12/16), 4-7pm - ”Christmas Fun at Historic Johnson Farm” twilight tours with holiday activities for all ages. Free to attend/$1 per activity.

❄ LAKE JULIAN

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 828-684-0376, david.blynt@ buncombecounty.org • Through TH (12/23), 6-9pm - Drive through holiday light festival. $10 per passenger vehicle/$20 for vans, motor coaches and buses/Discount for tickets purchased in advance. Held at Lake Julian Park, 406 Overlook Road, Ext. Arden

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BLUE RIDGE REPUBLICAN WOMEN’S CLUB facebook.com/BRRWC • 2nd THURSDAYS, 6pm - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Gondolier Restaurant, 1360 Tunnel Road.

❄ BUNCOMBE

COUNTY REPUBLICAN WOMEN'S CLUB 828-243-6590 • TH (12/14), 1-3pm - Christmas luncheon

with keynote presentation by Anglican Priest Father William Martin. Register for location: dalderfer2567@charter. net. Free to attend/Food prices vary.

KIDS

❄ BLACK MOUNTAIN

CENTER FOR THE ARTS 225 W. State St., Black Mountain, 828-669-0930, blackmountainarts.org • SU (12/17), 2pm - "A Child’s Christmas in Wales," with James Navé. Admission by donation. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 4-5pm - "After School Art Adventures," guided art making for school age children with the Asheville Art Museum. Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester • WE (12/13), 4pm Afterschool art club for

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COM M U N I TY CA LEN DA R

school aged kids to make art with the Asheville Art Museum. Free. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester • WE (12/13), 4pm "Intro to Ornithology," class for ages 5 to 13. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • MONDAYS, 10:30am - "Mother Goose Time," storytime for 4-18 month olds. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • MONDAYS, 10:30am - Spanish story time for children of all ages. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • SA (12/19), 4pm Sign up to read with Olivia the Therapy Dog. Registration: 828250-6482. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 828-255-8115 • SATURDAYS 10:30am & 11:30am - Weekly drop-in Spanish classes for kids. Class for 3-5 year olds at 10:30am. Class for 6-10 year olds at 11:30am. $10. A portion of proceeds benefit the Buncombe Partnership for Children. FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 828-687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free.

❄ HANDS ON! A

CHILDREN'S GALLERY 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville, 828-6978333 • TU (12/13), 4-5pm - “Mad Scientist on Wheels,” activities for children. Registration required: 828-890-1850. Free. Held at Mills River Library, 124 Town Center Drive Suite 1. Mills River • TH (12/14), 11am-noon - "Blue Ridge Humane Day," animal activities with an animal visitor. Admission fees apply. Come visit a special ani-

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

mal from the Blue Ridge Humane Society. • TH (12/14), 2-5pm "Elves’ Workshop! Ginger Bread Houses!" Activities for children. Admission fees apply. • TU (12/19), 11am- "Mad Scientist Lab," activities for children to make Christmas tree slime. Admission fees apply. • TH (12/21), 2-5pm "Elves’ Workshop," ornament making activities. Admission fees apply.

❄ HENDERSONVILLE

VISITOR CENTER 201 S. Main St., Hendersonville • TU (12/19) through SU (12/24), 2-6pm Photographs with Santa Claus. Free/Bring your own camera.

❄ LAKE JAMES STATE

PARK 6883 N.C. Highway 126 Nebo, 828-584-7728 • SU (12/17), 10am - "Animal Track Ornaments," ranger class about animal tracks including ornament making activity. Registration required: 828-584-7728. Free.

MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 828-2546734, malaprops.com • WEDNESDAYS, 10am - Miss Malaprop's Story Time for ages 3-9. Free to attend.

❄ PUBLIC EVENTS AT

WCU 828-227-7397, bardoartscenter.edu • FR (12/15), 9am & 11am - Winter Fables, a holiday-themed literature program for grades pre-K through 5. Registration required. $3. Held at The WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive

❄ SALUDA HISTORIC

DEPOT 32 W. Main St., Saluda, facebook.com/ savesaludadepot/ • FR (12/15), 6pm "PJs, Popcorn & Polar Express," event with refreshments and holiday readings for children. Pajamas are welcome. Free.

by Abigail Griffin

OUTDOORS CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK (PD.) Enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Lure, trails for all levels of hikers, an Animal Discovery Den and 404foot waterfall. Plan your adventure at chimneyrockpark.com LAKE JAMES STATE PARK 6883 N.C. Highway 126 Nebo, 828-584-7728 • SA (12/16), 11am Ranger guided plant hike. Free. PISGAH CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED pisgahchaptertu.org/ New-Meetinginformation.html • 2nd THURSDAYS, 7pm - General meeting and presentations. Free to attend. Held at Ecusta Brewery, 36 E Main St., Brevard

PARENTING YOUTH OUTRIGHT 866-881-3721, youthoutright.org • 3rd SATURDAYS, 11am - Middle school discussion group. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

PUBLIC LECTURES BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • TH (12/14), 5:30-7pm - Lecture on the life and career of writer Zora Neale Hurston by Dr. Sharon Jones of Wright State University. Free. Held at West Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Road THE COLLIDER 1 Haywood St., Suite 401, 1828, thecollider.org/ • FR (12/15), 5:30pm - Fall Science Pub: "Muscadines – A Southern Treasure," reception and presentation by Chuck Blethen, owner of the Mountain Grape School. Free.

SENIORS ASHEVILLE NEW FRIENDS ashevillenewfriends.org • TU (12/19), 1pm - 2.5 mile, group hike at Warren Wilson College. Free. Carpool from the Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway HENDERSON COUNTY LIBRARY 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville, 828-6974725, henderson.lib.nc.us • TH (12/14), 2pm - "Senior Scams," presentation by the Better Business Bureau of Asheville and WNC. Free. JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF WNC, INC. 828-253-2900 • TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS, 11am2pm - The Asheville Elder Club Group Respite program for individuals with memory challenges and people of all faiths. Registration required. $30 2 Doctors Park, Suite E • WEDNESDAYS, 11am2pm - The Hendersonville Elder Club Individuals with memory challenges and people of all faiths. Registration required. $30. Held at Agudas Israel Congregation, 505 Glasgow Lane Hendersonville SENIOR OPPORTUNITY CENTER 36 Grove St. • TUESDAYS, 2-3pm "Senior Beat," drumming, dance fitness class. For standing or seated participants. $3.

SPIRITUALITY ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION® TECHNIQUE • FREE INTRODUCTORY TALK (PD.) The authentic TM® technique, rooted in the ancient yoga tradition—for settling mind and body and accessing hidden inner reserves of energy, peace and happiness. Learn how TM® is different from mindfulness, watching your breath, common mantra meditation and everything else. Evidence-based: The

only meditation technique recommended for heart health by the American Heart Association. NIHsponsored research shows deep revitalizing rest, reduced stress and anxiety, improved brain functioning and heightened well-being. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-254-4350. TM.org or MeditationAsheville.org

ASHEVILLE INSIGHT MEDITATION (PD.) Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation. Learn how to get a Mindfulness Meditation practice started. 1st & 3rd Mondays. 7pm – 8:30. Asheville Insight Meditation, 175 Weaverville Road, Suite H, ASHEVILLE, NC, (828) 808-4444, ashevillemeditation.com.

ASTRO-COUNSELING (PD.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Readings also available. Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 258-3229.

FAMILY MEDITATION (PD.) Children and adult(s) practice mindfulness meditation, discuss principles, and engage in fun games. The 3rd Saturday monthly. 10:30am – 11:30. Asheville Insight Meditation, 175 Weaverville Road, Asheville, 828-808-4444, ashevillemeditation.com.

OPEN HEART MEDITATION (PD.) Now at 70 Woodfin Place, Suite 212.

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

COM M U N I TY CA LEN DA R

by Abigail Griffin

BLUE RIDGE RINGERS BENEFIT CONCERT: The Blue Ridge Ringers are hosting a holiday handbell concert on Sunday, Dec. 17, at 4 p.m. at the Hendersonville Presbyterian Church to benefit The Free Clinics. The Free Clinics work with volunteers and partners to help ensure the accessibility of quality health care for uninsured and low-income clients in Henderson and Polk counties. The concert, which has a suggested donation of $10, features familiar secular and seasonal music, including pieces with flute and piano. For more information about the concert, call call 828-551-0761, or for more information about The Free Clinics, visit thefreeclinics.org. Photo courtesy of the Blue Ridge Ringers (p. 17)

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SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTER (PD.) Thursdays, 7-8:30pm and Sundays, 10-noon • Meditation and community. By donation. 60 N. Merrimon Ave., #113, (828) 200-5120. asheville.shambhala.org

❄ BLUE RIDGE SPIRIT

CUUPS 978-500-2639 • SU (12/17), 5pm - Winter Solstice and Yule celebration for all ages and genders. Food donations accepted for a local food pantry. Free/Bring a potluck dish to share. Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place CENTER FOR ART & SPIRIT AT ST. GEORGE 1 School Road, 828-2580211 • 3rd SATURDAYS, 7:309:30pm - "Dances of Universal Peace," spiritual group dances that blend chanting, live music and movement. No experience

necessary. Admission by donation.

❄ CHANUKAH LIVE 828-505-0746, chabadasheville.org • SU (12/17), 11am Chanukah Live 2017, community-wide Hanukkah party featuring unlimited bowling, Jewish music, traditional food, Menorah lighting and activities for all ages. Registration: chabadasheville.org/ chanukahlive. $8/Free for children under two. Held at Star Lanes, 491 Kenilworth Road

❄ FIRST BAPTIST

CHURCH OF ASHEVILLE 5 Oak St., 828-252-4781, fbca.net • TH (12/14) through SU (12/17) - "O Come Let Us Adore Him: Christmas Nativity Sets from Around the World" exhibition of over 100 nativity sets. See website for full schedule: ashevillenativity.org. Free.

❄ GRACE LUTHERAN

CHURCH 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville, 828-693-

4890, gracelutherannc.com • WE (12/13), 6pm Advent service. Register for post-service meal: 828693-4890. Free. GREAT TREE ZEN TEMPLE 679 Lower Flat Creek Alexander, 828-645-2085, greattreetemple.org • 3rd SATURDAYS, 4-5:30pm - Women’s zen practice circle with meditation, discussion, study, creative expression and building community. Admission by donation.

• SU (12/17), 11am Traditional Moravian Lovefeast and candle service. Free.

❄ MOTHER GROVE GODDESS TEMPLE mothergrove.org/ • WE (12/20), 7pm - "A Rose in Winter," Solstice celebration. Free/ Food pantry donations accepted. Held at All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St. SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTER

KAIROS WEST COMMUNITY CENTER 604 Haywood Road, 828-367-6360, kairoswest. wordpress.com • 3rd SUNDAYS, 11am12:30pm - Introduction to Buddhism meeting. Sponsored by Soka Gakkai International - Asheville. Free.

60 N Merrimon Ave.,

❄ MILLS RIVER

com/

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 10 Presbyterian Church Road, Mills River, 828-891-7101

#113, 828-200-5120, asheville.shambhala.org • 3rd SUNDAYS, 10am6pm - Full day of meditation practice (Nyinthun). Admission by donation URBAN DHARMA 828-225-6422, udharmanc. • THURSDAYS, 7:30-9pm Open Sangha night. Free. Held at Urban Dharma, 77 Walnut St.

Asheville is our home & we are committed to providing wholesome baked goods using vintage recipes and quality ingredients. Locally Owned, Sourced & Operated Special Holiday Orders: Breads, Pies, Cakes & Desserts Catering for Corporate & Social Gatherings Fresh Bread on Fridays & Saturdays Wedding Cakes & Desserts Breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays

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(828) 785-1930 www.northstarbakehouse.com Monday – Friday 7am – 6pm

EXTENDED HOURS: Saturday 8am – 6pm Sunday 8am – 3pm MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

C O MM UNI TY CA LEN DA R

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD

One of Western North Carolina’s only suppliers of Martin Guitars

(828) 299-3000 Mon.–Fri. 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat. 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

800 Fairview Rd (at River Ridge Marketplace)

BLUE RIDGE BOOKS 428 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville • FR (12/15), 4pm - Pigeon Center Multicultural Development Center presents the book, Lift Every Voice! African American History in Haywood County: Volume 1 — Honoring Our Elders. Free to attend. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (12/13), noon Stranger pen pals club. Sign up to receive a letter, sign someone else up to receive a letter and write a letter to a stranger. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • TU (12/19), 7pm Fairview Book Club: A Sand County Almanac, and Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold. Free. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview

FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 828-255-8115 • 3rd THURSDAYS, 6:30pm - Queer Women's Book Club. Free to attend. FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 828-687-1218, library.hendersoncountync. org • 2nd THURSDAYS, 10:30am - Book Club. Free. • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1:30pm - Writers' Guild. Free.

❄ HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS 174 Broadway, habitatbrewing.com • WE (12/13), 7pm "WORD!" Spoken word series featuring Michael Reno Harrell with the theme "Home For The Holidays." $20/$18 advance.

NEW DIMENSIONS TOASTMASTERS 828-329-4190 • THURSDAYS, noon1pm - General meeting. Information: 828-329-4190. Free to attend. Held at

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

by Abigail Griffin

828.767.5293

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, 33 Meadow Road NORTH CAROLINA WRITERS' NETWORK ncwriters.org • Through TU (1/30) Submissions accepted for the 2018 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize. See website for full guidelines. SWANNANOA VALLEY MUSEUM 223 W State St., Black Mountain, 828-669-9566, history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org • FR (12/15), 11:30am - Appalachian History Book Club: Every Leaf a Mirror: A Jim Wayne Miller Reader, by Jim Wayne Miller. Free. THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE 39 South Market St., 828254-9277, theblockoffbiltmore.com • MO (12/18), 7:30pm Asheville Poetry Series, readings by local poets. Free to attend.

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com

SPORTS BUNCOMBE COUNTY RECREATION SERVICES buncombecounty.org/ Governing/Depts/Parks/ • Through TU (1/16) Open registration for winter adult league dodgeball. Registration: dodgeball.buncomberecreation.org. $35.

VOLUNTEERING Some events from this section may be found in the Give!Local calendar on p. 27 TUTOR ADULTS IN NEED WITH THE LITERACY COUNCIL (PD.) Spend two hours a week helping an immigrant who wants to learn English or a native English-speaking adult who wants to learn to read. Visit our website or call us to sign up for volunteer orientation. 828-254-3442. volunteers@litcouncil. com. www.litcouncil.com

❄ IRENE WORTHAM CENTER 916 West Chapel Road • MONDAY through FRIDAY until (12/15) Volunteers need to to assist with wrapping gifts for sponsored children and adults. Registration: jbryant@iwcnc.org or 828.777.7395.

❄ BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (12/20), 4-5pm "Bags of Thanks," make candy bags for Meals on Wheels. Bring donations of bags and candy. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. DISABILITY PARTNERS ASHEVILLE OFFICE 108 New Leicester Highway, 828-298-1977, disabilitypartners.org • Through WE (12/20) Donations of computers accepted. JOURNEYMEN ASHEVILLE 828-230-7353, JourneymenAsheville.org,

Make your list, check it twice!

JourneymenAsheville@ gmail.com • FR (12/15), 3 PM Volunteer enrollment and information session for male mentors ages 25-45 for weekly mentoring opportunities to model authenticity, accountability and foster emotional intelligence and leadership for adolescent boys. Registration required. Free.

❄ N.C. ARBORETUM WINTER LIGHTS 828-665-2492, ncwinterlights.com • Through (12/31) Volunteers needed to help with ticketing, wayfinding, crafts, model train, fire pits and more. Complete three shifts and receive two free tickets to the light festival. Registration: ncarboretum.org/volunteer. Held at N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way For more volunteering opportunities contact mountainx.com/ volunteering

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Give!Local fundraising tops $80,000

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With just over two weeks left in this year’s giving campaign, Give!Local has surpassed both previous years’ final totals. Direct contributions now exceed $68,000; adding in $12,000 in matching grants, this year’s total giving now exceeds $80,000. Geographically, the east side of Buncombe is generating the most funds, with East Asheville and Swannanoa producing more than a third of the funds raised thus far. Demonstrating Give!Local’s local focus, 94 percent of the funds raised to date are coming from Buncombe County donors. The map on this page gives a detailed look at the funding by area. More than half of Give!Local’s 37 participating nonprofit organizations have raised over $1,000 thus far. Small donors, the 200 people who have given less than $250, constitute the bulk of Give!Local’s participants. Many of these people may not be able to get IRS tax credits for their donations, but Give!Local rewards their generosity with a voucher book filled with freebies and discounts from area merchants. The 50+ people who gave more than $250 will be mailed a coupon book plus additional gift certificates and vouchers from local businesses. The Give!Local platform will be open until Dec. 31 at midnight. Visit givelocalguide.org

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Give!Local nonprofit events Dec. 13-21 This week the Community Calendar is highlighting events that are sponsored by nonprofits that are participating in the Give!Local campaign. The campaign is raising money for 30 worthy local nonprofits that make a big difference where we live. These events are wonderful examples of some of the great work that these nonprofits do within our communities!

SUPPORT GROUPS MEMORY LOSS CAREGIVERS network@memorycare.org • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1-3pm – Held at Pisgah Valley Retirement Community, 95 Holcombe Cove Road, Candler • 3rd TUESDAYS 1-3pm – Held at New Hope Presbyterian

Church, 3070 Sweeten Creek Road MY DADDY TAUGHT ME THAT mydaddytaughtmethat.org • MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - Men’s discussion group. Free. Held at My Daddy Taught Me That Meeting Place, 16-A Pisgah View Apartments

• Ongoing drop-in group for female identified survivors of sexual violence.

ECO MOUNTAINTRUE 828-258-8737, mountaintrue.org • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Environmental issues and actions

OUR VOICE

meeting. Free.

35 Woodfin St., 828252-0562, ourvoicenc.org

Held at Wedge Foundation, 5 Foundy St.

VOLUNTEERING BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave. Ste. #213., 828253-1470, bbbswnc. org • TH (12/14), noon Information session for those interested in volunteering to share their interests twice a month with a young person from a single-parent home or to mentor one-hour a week in elementary schools and after-school sites. Free.

100% of your

donations go to the nonproﬁts

HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP 828-252-7489 • 1st & 3rd TUESDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Sponsored by WNCAP. Held at All Souls Counseling Center, 35 Arlington St. HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC 218 Patton Ave., 828-258-1695,

homewardboundwnc. org • THURSDAYS, 11am - “Welcome Home Tour,” tours to find out how Homeward Bound is working to end homelessness and how the public can help. Registration required: tours@ homewardboundwnc. org. Free.

Handmade, Upcycled Lit Grill Shelf Find on Bourbon Street

26 Glendale Ave 828.505.1108 Mon-Sat 10a - 7p Sun 10a - 5p facebook.com/TheRegenerationStation

MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

WELLNESS

BLUE HOLIDAYS

Asheville churches, groups provide support for depression and grief during the holiday season

BY JACQUI CASTLE jacquicastle@gmail.com “Much of the season from Thanksgiving through the new year is filled with family and celebration, and it’s also filled with hurt and grief,” says the Rev. Sara Wilcox of Land of the Sky United Church of Christ. Wilcox explains that — though the holiday season is meant to be joyful — for some, the holidays can be the most trying and raw time of the year. “It can be the first holiday since the death of someone really important. It could be complicated family dynamics that make holiday meals painful. It could be the general challenge of it being merry and bright for someone with chronic depression, where lifting themselves from the fog of everyday into the tinsel and the light seems impossible.” In recognition of these issues, Land of the Sky UCC will hold a Blue Christmas service on Thursday, Dec. 21, for those who are grieving or depressed during the holiday season. “On the shortest day of the year, when the length of darkness is greater than the amount of light, we hold this service to honor the truth that in the next day, there is more light,” says Wilcox. The goal is to provide the community with “an opportunity to gather in a space that is less holly and jolly and more contemplative and provides space for grief and the emotions that often are felt by various people during the holiday season.” The Blue Christmas service lasts about an hour and involves music, a short reception and candle lighting. This year marks the eighth Blue Christmas service. “We’re people with expectations and hopes, and in that reality comes disappointment,” says Wilcox, pointing out that it is natural to experience emotions other than joy during the holidays. “We’re people who love deeply, and that reality means people experience loss and grieve deeply, too. And we’re people who seek the promise of a new day, and we believe there is not a better place to do that than in community, where we can know each other’s stories, where we can share each other’s burdens, and we can live more lightly in the world, knowing we’re never alone.” The concept of sharing and supporting each other through the grieving

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

NOT A HALLMARK CARD: “We think we have to live up to some expectation of everything being happy. And the reason that everything gets all emotionally jumbled is because room is not made for grief to be at the table,” says Sheridan Hill, pictured here in the Community Supported Grieving space. Photo by Candace Freeland process is what inspired local grief doula Sheridan Hill to start Community Supported Grieving — a grief and loss circle that meets monthly and is open to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. Referring to grief around the holidays, Hill says, “We think we have to live up to some expectation of everything being happy. And the reason that everything gets all emotionally jumbled is because room is not made for grief to be at the table.” Hill lost a parent to gun violence when she was a teenager, and in 2013, her youngest daughter died in a vehicle accident. Hill has experienced firsthand the role that grief can play this time of year and is committed to supporting others who are grieving. “It’s the expectation of the Hallmark card, and the beautiful table where

MOUNTAINX.COM

everyone is laughing and happy, and everyone belongs at the table and nobody is upset,” says Hill. “Room needs to be made at the table at all of the community gatherings and family meals; room needs to be made for that person who is having a difficult feeling.” Community Supported Grieving circles, which take place on the second Tuesday of every month, incorporate song, creative discussion and ritual. In addition to the regular monthly gatherings, Hill will facilitate a special event on Wednesday, Dec. 27, for folks to gather to share ideas and discuss the future of Community Supported Grieving. “What we’re doing in December is we are going to have a special meeting after Christmas, and it’s just going to be a roundtable on ‘How do we create community supported grieving?’” says Hill.

“I’ve been working for several years with the question, ‘How do we bring grief out of the closet and how do we acknowledge that we live in a grief-phobic culture?’ What’s the medicine that we’ll all create together for addressing the grief-phobic culture?” Wilcox and Hill are not the only locals creating a welcoming space for grief during the holidays. Corey Brown, licensed professional counselor at Transformational Counseling, and Cindy Shealy, licensed clinical social worker at Crossing Point Counseling, will hold a ceremonial gathering called The Art of Grief on Saturday, Dec. 16. “The Art of Grief is focused on creating a safe, community space to welcome and share our grief. Grief can be a gateway to wholeness, joy, reverence and connection, but too often grief is

not fully experienced — [it is] stuck, feared, ignored or felt in isolation,” says Shealy. “This experience is a nonreligious opportunity to come together, share our experiences, engage in creativity and witness each other’s pain and transformation. There is no specific type of loss required to participate. Grief touches all of us, whether it is in the form of losing a loved one, loss of a home, losses of the world around us — including species extinction, loss of habitat, pollution or grief connected with our ancestors.” The Art of Grief is inspired by the works of Francis Weller, a psychotherapist and author who is well-known for his work on the communal nature of grief. Shealy explains that an environment of support is especially vital during the holidays. “The holidays are a painful reminder of what we have lost. There are visual, visceral reminders all around us of this loss,” says Shealy. “On top of that, there is a societal expectation that one is cheerful, joyful and happy during this time. Unfortunately, that expectation doesn’t allow for the sadness, sorrow and despair that many of us feel during this time of year.” Sealy suggests allowing the opportunity to say no to commitments, set boundaries and create new traditions if old ones no longer feel right. For those who would benefit from additional support and may be struggling with addiction over the holidays, Jubilee! Community Church will hold a donation-based wellness workshop, Staying Strong and Sober Over the Holidays, on Sunday, Dec. 17. “The holidays are like a minefield of temptation and stress,” says Jane Stanchich, local nutritionist and head of the wellness program at Jubilee!. “Stress about money, stress with family and stress with old memories of holiday disasters or family conflicts. Many people feel isolated or depressed.” Jane Stanchich will team up with husband Lino Stanchich, a fellow nutritionist, and Damon Dickinson, a certified addiction-recovery coach, to discuss tips for staying on the right path during the holidays. “The holidays have a lot of unhealthy foods involved — a lot of sugar and a lot of alcohol. When we overdo these, we can become depressed. Both sugar and alcohol have been related to depression,” says Jane. Jane recommends going to places that have a positive energy, staying hydrated and having an exit strategy in mind. “In our workshop, we teach how to plan ahead if you’re going to a party and how to pick healthy foods out of the buffet line so that we’re nourished. Food nourishes not only

our body but our mind. Eating a lot of whole, healthy foods gives us greater stability and we feel more confident; we feel more nourished.” X

MORE INFO WHAT Blue Christmas service WHERE Land of the Sky United Church of Christ 15 Overbrook Place Asheville WHEN Thursday, Dec. 21, 6:30 p.m. COST Free WHAT Community Supported Grieving WHERE Contact Sheridan Hill for location: info@realifestories.com WHEN Second Tuesday of every month, 6 p.m.; and roundtable meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 6 p.m. COST Free. Visit griefcircle.net for more information.

Authentic Chinese Medical Treatment for Injury & Illness

WHAT The Art of Grief WHERE Coalesce 223 E. Chestnut St. Suite 6 Asheville WHEN Saturday, Dec. 16, noon-3:30 p.m. COST $50. RSVP at crossingpointcounseling.com WHAT Staying Strong and Sober Over the Holidays WHERE Jubilee! Community Church in Garden Room 46 Wall St. Asheville WHEN Sunday, Dec. 17, 2-4 p.m. COST Donation. RSVP to damondickinson@gmail.com

Acupuncture Chinese Herbal Prescription

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THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE at the Alternative Clinic

• Pregnancy Massages by DONA trained Doula • Sports & Deep Tissue massage for aches & pains • Deep Qi work to rebalance & reset energy flow • Relaxation & anti-stress massages to feel your best $45 for 30 minute/$75 for 60 minute massage – we are a tip free establishment walk in, call or schedule online: 828-424-7415 www.alternativeclinic.org MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

WEL L NESS CA L E N DA R

WELLNESS SHOJI SPA & LODGE • 7 DAYS A WEEK (PD.) Private Japanese-style outdoor hot tubs, cold plunge, sauna and lodging. 8 minutes from town. Bring a friend to escape and renew! Best massages in Asheville! 828-299-0999. www.shojiretreats.com

THE MEDITATION CENTER

❄ JUBILEE! COMMUNITY CHURCH

894 E. Main St., Sylva, 828-356-1105, meditate-wnc.org • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - "Inner Guidance from an Open Heart," class with meditation and discussion. $10.

46 Wall St. • SU (12/17), 2-4pm "Staying Strong & Sober Over the Holidays," event with nutritionists, wellness coaches and authors. Registration: damondickinson@gmail. com. Admission by donation.

URBAN DHARMA 77 Walnut St., 828-2256422, udharmanc.com/

• TUESDAYS, 7:30-8:30pm - Guided, non-religious sitting and walking meditation. Admission by donation. WESTERN CAROLINA MEDICAL SOCIETY 894 E. Main St., Sylva, 828-356-1105, meditate-wnc.org • FR (12/15), 5-7pm Community debate on healthcare sponsored

by Asheville High SILSA debate team: “Right or Commodity?”Panel includes: Leslie Boyd, Dr. Tim Plaut, Dr. Eric Halverson, Dr. Steve Buie, Dr. Rob Fields, Dr. Scott Donaldson, Dr. Carl Mumpower, Mary Caldwell, Katherine Restrepo and Dustin McIntee. Free. Held at

Asheville High School, 419 McDowell St.

SUPPORT GROUPS Some events from this section may be found in the Give!Local calendar on p. 27

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ADULT CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS & DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILIES adultchildren.org • Visit mountainx.com/ support for full listings. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS • For a full list of meetings in WNC, call 2548539 or aancmco.org ANXIETY SUPPORT GROUP 828-231-2198, bjsmucker@gmail.com • 1st & 3rd THURSDAYS, 7-8:30pm - Learning and sharing in a caring setting about dealing with one's own anxiety. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave. ASHEVILLE WOMEN FOR SOBRIETY 215-536-8026, womenforsobriety.org • THURSDAYS, 6:308pm – Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave. ASPERGER'S TEENS UNITED facebook.com/groups/ AspergersTeensUnited • For teens (13-19) and their parents. Meets every 3 weeks. Contact for details. BRAINSTORMER’S COLLECTIVE 828-254-0507, puffer61@gmail.com • 3rd THURSDAYS, 6-7:30pm - For brain injury survivors and supporters. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 604 Haywood Road BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP 828-213-2508 • 3rd THURSDAYS, 5:30pm - For breast cancer survivors, husbands, children and friends. Held at SECU Cancer Center, 21 Hospital Drive CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT 828-989-1555, deb.casaccia@gmail. com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6 pm – Held in a private home. CODEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS 828-242-7127

• FRIDAYS, 5:30pm - Held at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S. Haywood, Waynesville • SATURDAYS, 11:15am – Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. • TUESDAYS 7:30pm - Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 22B New Leicester Highway DEBTORS ANONYMOUS debtorsanonymous. org • MONDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR SUPPORT ALLIANCE 828-367-7660, depressionbipolarasheville.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7-9pm & SATURDAYS, 4-6pm – Held at 1316C Parkwood Road DIABETES SUPPORT 828-213-4700, laura.tolle@msj.org • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 3:30pm - In room 3-B. Held at Mission Health, 509 Biltmore Ave. EATING DISORDERS ANONYMOUS 561-706-3185, eatingdisordersanonymous.org • FRIDAYS, 4:30pm - Eating disorder support group. Held at 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave # G4 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF ASHEVILLE 5 Oak St., 828-2524781, fbca.net • 3rd THURSDAYS, 6:30-8pm - Support group for families of children and adults with autism to meet, share and learn about autism. Childcare provided with registration: aupham@ autismsociety-nc. org. Meet in classrooms 221 and 222. FOOD ADDICTS ANONYMOUS 828-423-6191 828-242-2173 • SATURDAYS, 11amHeld at Asheville

Magical Offerings 12-Step Recovery Club, 22B New Leicester Highway FOUR SEASONS COMPASSION FOR LIFE 828-233-0948, fourseasonscfl.org • THURSDAYS, 12:30pm - Grief support group. Held at SECU Hospice House, 272 Maple St., Franklin • TUESDAYS, 3:304:30pm - Grief support group. Held at Four Seasons - Checkpoint, 373 Biltmore Ave. GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS 828-483-6175 • Held at Biltmore United Methodist Church, 378 Hendersonville Road GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville, 828-693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Seeds of Hope chronic condition support group. Registration required: 828-693-4890 ex. 304. GRIEF PROCESSING SUPPORT GROUP 828-452-5039, haymed.org/locations/ the-homestead • 3rd THURSDAYS, 4-5:30pm - Bereavement education and support group. Held at Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care, 127 Sunset Ridge Road, Clyde LIFE LIMITING ILLNESS SUPPORT GROUP 386-801-2606 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8pm - For adults managing the challenges of life limiting illnesses. Held at Secrets of a Duchess, 1439 Merrimon Ave. LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN 828-776-4809 • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm - Hosted by American Chronic Pain Association. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA, NC CHAPTER 877-849-8271, lupusnc.org

• 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm - Lupus support group for those living with lupus, their family and caregivers. Held at All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St. MEN DOING ALLY duncan2729@yahoo. com • 2nd THURSDAYS, 7pm - Support group for men. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road MINDFULNESS AND 12 STEP RECOVERY avl12step@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7:308:45pm - Mindfulness meditation practice and 12 step program. Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 22B New Leicester Highway MOUNTAIN MAMAS PEER SUPPORT GROUP facebook.com/ mountainmamasgroup • 3rd SATURDAYS, 11am-1pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Hendersonville, 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville NARANON nar-anon.org • WEDNESDAYS, 12:30pm - For relatives and friends concerned about the addiction or drug problem of a loved one. Held at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, 204 6th Ave. W., Hendersonville • MONDAYS, 7pm - For relatives and friends concerned about the addiction or drug problem of a loved one. Held at West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Road NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS 828-505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com • 3rd TUESDAYS, 6pm - For family members and caregivers of those with mental illness. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave. • 3rd TUESDAYS, 6pm - Connection group for individuals dealing with mental illness. Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave.

OVERCOMERS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 828-665-9499 • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm - Held at First Christian Church of Candler, 470 Enka Lake Road, Candler OVERCOMERS RECOVERY SUPPORT GROUP rchovey@sos-mission.org • MONDAYS, 6pm - Christian 12-step program. Held at SOS Anglican Mission, 1944 Hendersonville Road OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS • Regional number: 2771975. Visit mountainx. com/support for full listings. RECOVERING COUPLES ANONYMOUS recovering-couples.org • MONDAYS 6pm - For couples where at least one member is recovering from addiction. Held at Foster Seventh Day Adventists Church, 375 Hendersonville Road

REFUGE RECOVERY 828-225-6422, refugerecovery.org • WEDNESDAYS 5:30pm - Held at Heartwood Refuge and Retreat Center, 159 Osceola Road, Hendersonville • FRIDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 6-7:30pm Held at Urban Dharma, 77 Walnut St. • TUESDAYS, 7:30pm & SATURDAYS, 6pm - Held at Asheville Insight Meditation, 175 Weaverville Road, Woodfin • THURSDAYS, 7:30pm - Held at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, 370 N Louisiana Ave. SANON 828-258-5117 • 12-step program for those affected by someone else's sexual behavior. Contact 828258-5117 for a full list of meetings. SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS saa-recovery.org/ Meetings/UnitedStates

• SUNDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St. • MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS & FRIDAYS, 6pm - Held at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 789 Merrimon Ave. SMART RECOVERY 828-407-0460 • THURSDAYS, 6pm - Held at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Ave. • FRIDAYS,2pm - Held at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, 370 N Louisiana Ave. • TUESDAYS, 6-7pm - Held at Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County, 24 Varsity St., Brevard SUNRISE PEER SUPPORT VOLUNTEER SERVICES facebook.com/ Sunriseinasheville • TUESDAYS through THURSDAYS, 1-3pm Peer support services for mental health, substance abuse and wellness. Held at Kairos West

Community Center, 604 Haywood Road SUPPORTIVE PARENTS OF TRANSKIDS spotasheville@gmail.com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - For parents to discuss the joys, transitions and challenges of parenting a transkid. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. T.H.E. CENTER FOR DISORDERED EATING 50 S. French Broad Ave. #250 • 1st and 3rd Mondays, 5:30-6:30pm – Family Support Group. • WEDNESDAYS, 6-7pm – Adult support group, ages 18+. TRAUMA STEWARDSHIP MEETUP duncan2729@yahoo.com • 2nd THURSDAYS, 2-7:30pm - Self-care for helpers, advocates, healers, activists and empaths. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

12/15: Ask A Witch! Mother Grove Fundraiser w/ Desperate House Witches hosted by Byron Ballard 5pm, Donations 12/16: Scrying with Angie 12-6pm Open Reiki Share w/ Blue Ridge Reiki & Healing Arts 3-6pm, Donations 12/17: NEW MOON in Sagittarius Healing for Empaths w/ Renewed Spirit 3-5pm, $20 Cash 12/18: Asheville NOW Uterati Salon, Holiday Edition 7-9pm, Donations

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

Putting the Bunk back in Buncombe!

GREEN SCENE

DROP TO DRINK

presents

The

Local agencies wrestle with livestock impacts on water quality

Lite Issue

Asheville’s post-holiday recovery tool

Coming Jan. 3

2018

Wellness Issues Publish Jan. 31 & Feb 7

advertise@ mountainx.com

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

WHAT’S IN YOUR WATER? An official meets with a hog farmer to review his animal waste management system. Photo courtesy of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

BY DANIEL WALTON danielwwalton@live.com Something was obviously wrong with the water below Tap Root Dairy in Fletcher. In late 2012, the stretch of the French Broad River flowing past the operation appeared a sickly brown slurry, an unsettling reminder of the days when locals called the river “too thick to drink and too thin to plow.” Lab testing by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources confirmed what the naked eye might have suspected: A fecal coliform level of 99,000 parts per million, over 120 times the acceptable threshold, meant the dairy had released 11,000 gallons of cattle waste into the waterway. Based on this evidence, Tap Root owner William “Billy” Franklin Johnston was found guilty on one count of violating the Clean Water Act. The dairy was fined $80,000 and placed on a four-year probationary term with a comprehensive environmental compliance plan, while Johnston was fined $15,000 and sen-

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tenced to six months of home detention and four years of probation. Advocates for clean water in North Carolina often focus on the eastern part of the state, which hosts one of the world’s highest concentration of hogs. The concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, that house these animals hold can hold thousands of pigs each, with each hog producing roughly 10 times the fecal waste of a human, according to Mark Sobsey of the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill. But French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson emphasizes that Western North Carolina and its smaller farms are not immune from the water quality issues related to animal agriculture. “Unfortunately, what we’ve found is that like in any industry, if smaller producers don’t manage their operations correctly, they still have a pretty substantial impact,” he says. Carson and Gray Jernigan, Green riverkeeper and southern regional director of MountainTrue, highlighted these concerns in a presentation attended by roughly 20 people at Sanctuary Brewing

Co. in Hendersonville on Nov. 20, in partnership with Asheville Vegan Outreach. FROM THE BLACK LAGOON Jernigan explains that even the moderately sized dairy farms found in the mountains handle their waste through a process similar to that of large hog CAFOs. Manure is washed out from animal pens and funneled into a man-made pit known as a lagoon, where the solids settle to the bottom for processing by bacteria that break down many of their organic compounds. The liquids rise to the top, where they can be pumped through industrial sprinklers onto nearby crop fields as a fertilizer. Although this approach is standard practice for livestock operations, Jernigan argues that lagoons often fail to meet their environmental goals. “They’re operating under what is essentially a legal fiction, that they’re nondischarge operations,” he says. “In reality, those fields [where waste is sprayed] are heavily ditched so that they drain. That waste easily runs off

into nearby waterways, so they’re very much discharging fecal bacteria, E. coli and nutrient-laden wastewater.” Carson claims that while existing regulations do forbid this type of runoff, lack of enforcement remains a major obstacle to protecting water quality. “There just aren’t enough eyes on these producers to make sure waste management is done correctly,” he says. A state spokeswoman, however, disputes that claim. The state’s regulatory program is “robust,” says Bridget Munger, public information officer for the Water Resources Division of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, previously known as DENR. The division is responsible for monitoring violations of environmental regulations. “Staff in the regions work with farm owners to ensure they are aware of their permit requirements and conditions, as well as preventative measures to avoid incidents such as a lagoon breach or a spill due to heavy rainfall,” Munger says. “The division is always looking for ways to improve our programs and welcomes feedback from citizens, environmental groups and the regulated community.” The N.C. General Assembly cut the budget for the DEQ by nearly $2 million earlier this year, eliminating more than 16 jobs throughout the agency. Munger clarifies that none of these lost positions came from the Water Resources Division. However, the state’s allocation for the Clean Water Management Trust Fund was also cut by 18 percent compared with 2016 levels. In response, North Carolina’s riverkeeper organizations have moved to complement the work of government agencies. “Because we have a lot of volunteer help, groups like ours have started taking that watchdog and monitoring role to find the egregious polluters out there,” says Carson. “As we find issues, we can use the DEQ to follow up and push for improvements on the farm or write a violation, if that’s the best course of action.”

Since MountainTrue established the French Broad Riverkeeper in 2001, Carson says, the organization has found issues at roughly nine of the 14 facilities in the river’s watershed with pollution control permits from the DEQ. From October 2016 through September 2017, DEQ data list seven violations at permitted facilities overseen by the Asheville regional office, resulting in 11 notices of violation and one civil penalty of $303. Carson adds that, while most of the region’s smaller, nonpermitted animal operations pose few water quality concerns, even minor problems such as a few cattle defecating in a stream can add up over time. TREATMENT TRIAGE Farmers usually recognize the importance of water quality, says soil conservationist Anthony Dowdle of the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District. The economic realities of agriculture, however, can reduce the priority of maintaining conservation measures. “If you and I both have beef cattle, and only you go to the trouble of fencing them out of your stream, we’re still both going to get a very similar price at market,” he offers as an illustration. “The difference is that you’re going to have more money in them than I will.” To reduce that financial disincentive, SWCD manages a cost-share program that reimburses farmers with 75 percent of installation expenses for improvements. Dowdle says that while interest in the voluntary program is high — roughly 40 applicants are currently on his waiting list — the current state allocation of $83,244 for water quality projects is insufficient to meet the demand. “I’ll probably get 10 or 12 of them funded this year,” he says. “The cost to do these projects has gone up, but our funding

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G REEN S CEN E has not kept pace with those increases over the last few years.” Prioritization of those funds falls to the SWCD’s board of supervisors, two of which are appointed by the state Soil and Water Conservation Commission and three of which are elected by Buncombe County voters. The local makeup of the board helps the SWCD make more nuanced decisions than might be determined based on livestock operation size alone. Farms on watersheds with existing quality issues receive higher priority, as do operations hit by damaging weather events. Dowdle notes that good water quality practices can have economic advantages to compensate for their costs. Remote watering systems, for example, can encourage cattle to avoid drinking from vulnerable streams while nudging them to move around a pasture. That rotational grazing increases forage production and reduces costs for additional feed. Even given these benefits, the pressures of global competition can make conservation a hard sell for farmers who miss out on cost-share funds. “A lot of countries don’t have the regulations that we have here in the U.S. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but they

WATCHDOG OF THE RIVER: French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson recently gave a talk in Hendersonville about the impact of agricultural operations on the health of the region’s waterways. Photo courtesy of Carson have an economic cost that’s not always built into the system,” Dowdle says. “I had a farmer tell me one time that

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farming was managed neglect: You had to get up every morning and figure out what you weren’t going to do that day.” CHANGING TIDES Focusing on agriculture as a contributor to water quality problems could risk ignoring emerging issues in Western North Carolina, suggests Maria Wise, watershed coordinator with the nonprofit Mills River Partnership. “We don’t have that much rural area left — we’re losing farmland at a shocking rate, and we’re starting to see bigger problems with residential areas and development,” she says. Wise explains that her biggest concern is preventing sediment from entering streams and rivers. She says that farmers, while often financially limited, are “certainly aware when things aren’t going right, and they want to fix problems.” In contrast, many developers lack the long-standing history with the land that farmers possess. “More often than not, the best management practices they’re supposed to install at construction sites for runoff prevention are rarely up to par,” Wise says. Bradley Johnston, co-owner of the Tap Root property hit with a water quality violation in 2012, agrees with Wise’s warning. “If people are truly concerned about water quality, which they should be, they need to look at things other than animal agriculture,” he says. Johnston points to a 7 million gallon sewage leak from the Metropolitan Sewerage District

treatment plant in Woodfin in 2013, as well as contamination resulting from flooding in areas like Biltmore Village as issues associated with human, rather than animal, waste. Johnston’s family closed the dairy operation in 2016 but still farms corn on the property; the land is currently on the market. “Once that land is sold, that 350 acres of green space won’t be there,” he says. “The green space that people like to see around us, that they want to preserve and keep, is almost all owned by agriculture.” THE LONG VIEW Regardless of current issues, environmental progress since the middle of the 20th century gives cause for hope regarding water quality, says Mitch Woodward, area specialized agent for watersheds and water quality at N.C. Cooperative Extension. “For me growing up, there was a focus on production in agriculture — there was never any discussion about pollution because there was money to be made,” he says. “People are aware now, and I definitely see more of a focus on sustainability.” Like Wise and Johnston, Woodward offers a reminder that any development, not just animal agriculture, comes with water quality concerns. “We can have famers pointing to the cities and cities pointing at the farmers, and where does that get us?” he says. “Human activity in all its forms is causing this. Everybody likes clean water, and we’re all involved.” X

FOOD

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COUNT YOUR CHICKENS: Foothills Meats owner Casey McKissick, left, sources his chickens from Melissa George, right, of Mountainside Family Farms in Swannanoa. George is able to process her poultry right on the farm, so her business was unaffected by the closure of the Foothills Pilot Plant. Unfortunately, many other local farmers did not have the infrastructure for that option. Photo by Brendan Hunt

BY DANIEL WALTON danielwwalton@live.com The chickens at Highlands Family Farm in Connelly Springs, about an hour to the northeast of Asheville, appear to be exactly where they should. A healthy assortment of plump white bodies peppers the rolling pasture, their scarlet combs complementary to the green grass underfoot. Pecking and scratching in a ceaseless search for seeds and bugs, these birds have ample opportunity to express what sustainable agriculture guru Joel Salatin calls the “chicken-ness of the chicken.” At any other time of year, farmer Daniel Wall would agree with that idyllic assessment of his operation. Speaking on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, however, he explains that those happy

birds should have been somewhere else entirely: the freezers and dinner plates of his customers. “I’ve got 200 chickens still walking around that should’ve been processed three weeks ago, and I’m trying to find something to do with them,” he says. The birds gained their unplanned reprieve due to the closing of Marion’s Foothills Pilot Plant, the area’s only U.S. Department of Agriculture-inspected small poultry processing facility. Amanda Carter of Cool Hand Meats, the for-profit business that managed operations at Foothills for the nonprofit Independent Specialty Agriculture Marketing and Production Association, shuttered the plant in late October due to a lack of capital — just as Wall and other clients had planned to start harvesting for the holidays.

Without Foothill’s services, producers across the region were forced to improvise alternative approaches as they filled orders for Thanksgiving turkeys and other poultry products. Although the farming community stepped up to this year’s challenge, the closing raises great uncertainty about the future of pastured poultry in Western North Carolina.

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Wall’s experience after the Foothills closing illustrates the fragility of the region’s pastured poultry supply chain. “When Amanda told me that she was closing, my first response was, ‘Oh no, what are we going to do?’” he remembers. Wall had presold over 300 turkeys to area retailers Food Matters Market and Mother Earth Produce, and to honor

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those contracts, he had to find another processing option with less than a month to spare. The next-closest turkey processor Wall found was in South Carolina, three hours away, and it had no openings for additional orders until after Christmas. A facility in Bowling Green, Ky. — six hours away — did have excess capacity, but to move all of his birds in one haul, Wall would have needed to modify his cattle trailer into a triple-decker turkey transport, likely exceeding its weight limit. “It would’ve easily cost me an extra $1,500 in travel, not to mention the cost of those modifications; it really wasn’t an option,” he says. With commercial processors out of the question, Wall considered killing his birds on the farm. The USDA allows small producers to slaughter and process up to 1,000 birds per year on their own premises, as long as those birds are sold only within state limits. However, Highlands Family Farm hadn’t invested in its own processing equipment, which Wall estimates as a $7,000 cost, not including a building in which to house it. Thankfully, Wall was able to use a mobile processing unit from Appalachian State University’s Sustainable Farming Resource Program, which set him back just $50 for a three-day rental. “They were a lifesaver — without them, we would’ve been in trouble,” he says. Wall rose at 5 a.m. on the Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving to warm up the scalder, the hot water bath that loosens feathers for plucking, and by 7 a.m., he was killing birds. “My wife and I, my business partner and his wife, my kids and their kids, my parents and two or three other people were there all day,” says Wall. “Even with at least 10 people there all the time, we barely ended up getting all of our turkeys killed and only about 60 of our chickens.” THE WEAKEST LINK The lack of processing options for small poultry producers in the region boils down to economics, explains Molly Nicholie, Local Food campaign program director with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. “These plants operate on really tight margins,” she says. “The amount of overhead is very high, and when you’ve got farms that only need to butcher a few hundred chickens, it’s hard to make the numbers work.” In comparison, the processors that service industrial agribusinesses such as Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods and Butterball cover the costs of machinery and upkeep through massive volumes. For example, the Prestage Foods opera-

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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tion in St. Pauls, N.C., processes up to 10 million turkeys each year, according to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Carter estimates that the Foothills Pilot Plant processed roughly 60,000 animals in total, including chickens, turkeys, ducks and rabbits, in 2016. Labor also poses an issue for small poultry processors. Although the Foothills plant attempted to address that concern by partnering with the Marion Minimum Security Prison Unit for workrelease and transitional work programs, turnover remained high. “It’s a cruddy job that no one wants to do, and it’s really hard to pay people a good wage,” says Nicholie. “If you’re constantly having to retrain people and getting wear on equipment due to new employees, it’s even more difficult to keep a plant afloat.” Casey McKissick, owner and general manager of Foothills Meats (no business relationship with Foothills Pilot Plant), adds that one-size-fits-all regulations on meat processors can have disproportionate impacts on small operations. “If a new rule costs a plant $20,000 a year to comply with, and you’re running 20,000 units a year, it costs you an extra dollar per unit,” he says. “If you’re running 20 million units a year, it costs you nearly nothing — it always comes back to scale.” PRICE IS RIGHT? Nicholie emphasizes that small-scale production makes more economic sense when customers consider the true costs of poultry. “When you see a cheap price on chicken at the grocery store, you don’t necessarily see all ways that price is affecting animals, the environment and workers on the industrial side,” she says. “Having more transparency in the food system is an important piece of the market.” The labeling of supermarket birds can confuse consumer perceptions of pasture-raised value, argues McKissick. “A lot of times people think that certified organic means the poultry was raised outdoors, which is not the case,” he explains. “It’s been fed certified organic grain feedstuffs, but it can have very similar living conditions to a commodity bird.” The claim of “no hormones administered” can also be misleading, given that federal guidelines have long prohibited the use of hormones in poultry production. A former farmer, McKissick notes that poultry is one of the riskier products for producers to grow. “Turkey poults usually cost a farmer $12 apiece, it takes nine months to grow them out, and the loss rate is pretty substantial,” he

explains. Compared to beef and pork, it’s also more difficult to process poultry into value-added products that yield more money for the same meat. Taken together, these factors mean that pasture-raised producers must charge a higher price than many consumers are willing to pay. “There’s a sweet little family up in Swannanoa Valley that brings me their chickens — I know how they’re raised, and they’re the best chickens that money can buy,” says McKissick. “But they’re going to cost you $5.25 a pound, and when chicken that looks the same and has a pretty label on it costs $1.89 a pound, it’s just a tough sell.” FOWL FUTURE The N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services responded to the Foothills Pilot Plant closing by allowing small poultry producers to process other farmers’ birds. “That opened up more options for folks who didn’t have the facilities or know-how to process on their own farms,” says Nicholie. “Farmers really stepped up and tried to help each other out however they could.”

However, the exemption is set to expire at the end of the year. While the state is exploring partnerships to get the Foothills plant back online, according to department public information officer Heather Overton, no concrete arrangements had emerged by press time. This uncertainty means that growers such as Wall and Highlands Family Farm are reconsidering their poultry plans for 2018. “Next year, if another processor doesn’t become available, I’ll have no choice but to scale back or just quit doing poultry,” Wall says. “Of all the things we raise on our farm, we make the highest profit out of our turkeys, so it will really put a dent in our bottom line not to have that income.” Wall remains hopeful that someone will find a way to put the Foothills plant back in business, not only for his own operation, but also for his customers. “I think people deserve the right to buy poultry that they know where it comes from and not buy it from large-scale commercial plants if they don’t want to,” he says. “Not having processing in place really hurts their ability to do that.” X

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

CAROLINA BEER GUY by Tony Kiss | avlbeerguy@gmail.com

Winter is coming The arrival of cold weather, followed by snow and ice, is a doubleedged sword for Western North Carolina breweries. While the release of popular seasonal beers, such as Highland Brewing Co.’s Cold Mountain Winter Ale and Wedge Brewing Co.’s Vadim Bora Russian Imperial Stout, attract sizable crowds, the dip in temperatures generally means slower businesses at area taprooms. Outdoor spaces like patios, decks and rooftops become less used or even shut down for winter, though some breweries have winterized outdoor components or have added significant indoor capacity to keep tasting room crowds comfortable. Others turn to live music or game nights to help bring in customers, but both longtime brewery owners and those new to the scene realize that winter in the mountains can be tough on their bottom line. “Business has always declined in the winter to some degree,” says Wedge owner Tim Schaller. “The first few years, people toughed it out.” Steps were then taken to make the front deck of the brewery more hospitable. “We started with those mushroomstyle heaters that have gas tanks. But then they would go out, and I’d see someone out there with a BIC lighter trying to start them. And I thought, ‘OK, this is a little scary.’ So we modified and got the overhead heaters and the plastic curtains. It does make a difference [in business]. With the indoor spaces like at Highland and Hi-Wire [Brewing] and Catawba [Brewing Co.], why would you go outside and freeze? That was one of the reasons we opened the new space.”

COLD COMFORT: Although Archetype Brewing does rely on some outdoor patio space, coowner Brad Casanova, right, pictured with co-owner Steve Anan, doesn’t anticipate that winter weather will negatively impact the business. Regular trivia, live music and programming for kids will continue to draw locals. “We feel like we’re suited for winter because we’re more of a community-based brewery. We don’t rely on tourism,” says Casanova. Photo by Cindy Kunst Debuting earlier this year, the Wedge at Foundation location has stayed busy hosting private parties as well as the general beer-drinking crowd. Schaller says he will sometimes plow a snowfall in the parking area outside the original Wedge. “Snow melts pretty quick here,” he says. “We’ve had people crosscountry ski in here.”

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Cold weather brings challenges and opportunities to area breweries

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He will adjust employee staffing in colder weather. “Sometimes you have to cut back,” he says. Highland has already closed its rooftop space for the winter and moved all entertainment — namely live music four nights a week — to its indoor tasting room. “The whole city feels [the effects of winter on business],” says Highland President Leah Wong Ashburn. “We’ve got this great indoor space that can fit 500-600 people in the tasting room.” She adds that private events and “things that we just want to do” help draw crowds, as do post-Cold Mountain beer releases. On Friday, Dec. 15, Highland rolls out a new canned brew, Missing Pieces, a New England Double IPA, which will be sold exclusively at the brewery. In Burnsville, Homeplace Beer Co. founder John Silver will experience his first winter as a business owner. The potential impact of winter has been on his mind for months. “It’s all I have thought about since [I opened] last spring,” Silver says. But he has discovered that about

80-90 percent of his business is local, and he’s hoping that those customers will keep coming through cold or snowy months. Homeplace, which does not have outdoor seating, also offers events such as trivia nights, live music and regular nonprofit nights. “We partner with a local nonprofit charity organization and donate 10 percent of our gross sales for that day to the group,” Silver says. “That brings in lot of people from the community. Our goal is to keep our calendar stacked with events to keep people coming out even when it’s cold.” Archetype Brewing in West Asheville will also face its first winter. Co-owner Brad Casanova will continue offering events like trivia and live music at the brewery. “And we have programming for kids, too, so parents can hang out,” he says. “We feel like we’re suited for winter because we’re more of a community-based brewery. We don’t rely on tourism.” Archetype has both front and back patios, which Casanova says will remain open for customers who bring dogs or want to smoke. He also has plans this winter to construct a rooftop space at the brewery. Hillman Beer on Sweeten Creek Road opened in April, and though coowner and brewer Brad Hillman is preparing for the business’s first winter, he’s uncertain what the season will mean for the brewery. “We’ve been asking ourselves that question,” he says. “We have a full menu of food at the Rise Above Deli, we have trivia and live music, and we are enclosing our front area with plastic to keep the doors open.” For its second winter of operation, Currahee Brewing in Franklin is keeping its outdoor space warm with a fire pit, says brewer Taylor Yates. Winter “is something we watch very closely,” he says, noting that the brewery draws from both nearby Georgia and Western North Carolina. “We have live music, which is acoustic generally, that we call the Fireside Sessions,” he says. “And we increase the one-off [beers]. Our solution to the winter decline is to work a little harder with creativity and innovation of events.” X

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

FOOD

by Jarrett Van Meter

jarrettvanmeter@gmail.com

ROOM FOR DESSERT

Asheville eateries feature unique sweet endings BREAD AND MILK

Dessert may be something of an afterthought when considering Asheville’s overall culinary landscape, but many would argue that no dining experience should conclude without a sweet resolution. The blend of creativity and tradition that helped give birth to some of the South’s finest kitchens has also produced some memorable Asheville desserts. Now-defunct stalwarts like Margie’s Battery Park Café (home of the MileHigh Pie) and Picnics Restaurant and Bake Shop (where it was rumored there was a pound of butter in every pie) have given way to other popular treats. NUTS FOR COCONUT Executive chef Michael Reppert has been at The Blackbird for five years and has seen several variations of the restaurant’s well-known coconut cake. But he believes it wasn’t until the hiring of pastry chef Doug Cooper two years ago that the recipe was finally perfected. “I believe dessert is a very important part of the meal — it satisfies people at the end. And with Doug’s talents, the creativeness of some of the stuff he comes up with, some of our desserts have had massive success,” says Reppert. “Dessert is my passion,” Cooper adds. “I’m always looking to invent new things and have fun playing with it.” The coconut cake came about when The Blackbird belonged to former owners Bobby Buggia and Roz Taubman, and is the only dessert on the current menu that preceded Cooper’s tenure. New owners Jesson and Cristina Gil gave him the freedom to tinker with the recipe. “I kind of added a fluff to it,” explains Cooper, who worked in a cake shop for three years before his arrival at The Blackbird. “It was more of a pound cake before, which is denser and was causing it to dry out. I switched it to more of a sponge cake, which is fluffier.” Also, just last month, he took the cake from three layers to a towering four layers of vanilla sponge cake, all separated by coconut custard. The outside is veiled in cream cheese icing and fresh coconut. The massive pieces could double as edible doorstops. “As our owner says, it’s our Big Mac,” Cooper jokes.

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

SWEET TALK: The Blackbird’s coconut cake has been a fixture at the restaurant for years, but it has recently undergone a makeover at the hands of pastry chef Doug Cooper. In addition to tweaking the recipe to boost moistness and fluff, he has recently added a fourth layer to the already towering confection. Photo by Lynne Harty HUMMINGBIRDS AND ROYALTY Much as the coconut cake preceded Cooper at The Blackbird, the popularity of the hummingbird and king cakes at Short Street Cakes predates Olga Jimenez’s ownership of the small West Asheville bake shop. The bakery’s founder, Jodi Rhoden, has always been fascinated by Southern cakes and their stories. Rhoden started baking New Orleans Mardi Gras king cakes in 2010, when she created them for Mystic Mountain Krewe’s 12th Night Celebration. The cakes consist of a sweetened yeast dough with a flavored cream cheese and praline fillings, topped with white glaze and colored sugar sparkles. They are a staple at Short Street Cakes’ annual combination community Mardi Gras party and anniversary celebration. Hummingbird cakes are believed to have originated in Jamaica before being introduced to the United States in the late 1970s. Jimenez describes the confection as having elements of spice cake, car-

MOUNTAINX.COM

rot cake and fruitcake. “It has bananas, strawberries, pineapples and pecans,” she says. “It’s a really moist cake and definitely one of the favorites.” Jimenez was a baker in the shop for three years under Rhoden before taking over ownership two years ago, and she still regularly works in the kitchen. Some aspects of the operation have changed, but the hummingbird and king cake recipes have remained the same. Hummingbird cakes are available throughout the year and are especially popular around Easter and the winter holidays. The king cakes are made only from February to March in celebration of Mardi Gras. Jimenez estimates the shop churns out more than 100 king cakes every Mardi Gras. Short Street Cakes asks for 48 hours’ notice for orders. Hummingbird cupcakes are usually available in the store’s display case for walk-in customers.

Pastry chef Leon Perez has a knack for making cakes that come from even farther south than the Carolinas. He’s been baking at Tienda Los Nenes for roughly 10 years, and his pastel de tres leches (three-milk cake) and concha (Mexican sweet bread) have become under-the-radar sensations. Originally from Hidalgo, Mexico, Perez learned the recipes while working as a baker in Mexico City before coming to the United States. It didn’t take long for word to spread that Perez was rolling out fresh, authentic Mexican desserts in an unassuming West Asheville strip mall. Today, Tienda Los Nenes receives 50-60 orders each week for tres leches cakes for occasions ranging from weddings to graduations to quinceaneras (traditional 15th birthday celebrations for girls). As the name suggests, the cake is made with three types of milk: condensed, evaporated and whole. Filling options are strawberry, pineapple, coconut, pecan or peach. Flan, a caramel custard dessert, is another commonly ordered item at the shop, which is also a Latin American grocery with butcher and delicatessen counters. CHEERS TO DOUGHNUTS Beer may not be everyone’s idea of dessert, but Burial Brewing’s Skillet Breakfast Stout is where Asheville’s craft brewing industry meets its artisan food scene with a sugary twist. The beer is made from nine barley malts, oats, milk and molasses sugars and freshly roasted Counter Culture Coffee beans and is “full of flavors of rich cocoa, smooth caramel, dark fruits and an abundance of diverse coffee aroma,” says Erin Jones, Burial’s head of marketing. The twist is the Vortex Doughnuts doughnut holes that ornament every glass, making Skillet the perfect nightcap to conclude a day of brewery tours and an apt Beer City dessert. Skillet has been popular since it was released as one of the brewery’s original offerings when it opened in 2013, and it has been a mainstay ever since. The Blackbird is at 47 Biltmore Ave. Short Street Cakes is at 225 Haywood Road. Tienda Los Nenes is at 1341 Parkwood Road. Burial Beer Co. is at 40 Collier Ave. X

SMALL BITES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

S&W Artisanal set to debut pleted in 1929, and it operated as the S&W Cafeteria until 1974. Since the cafeteria closed, Connor notes, the building “has been kind of a revolving door of different things,” including a catering business and an event space. What makes the S&W’s latest rendition unique and special is its connection to the past. Brothers Douglas and Kenneth Ellington, great-nephews of the building’s architect, are among the business partners who make up the ownership group. “We all have vested interest in seeing this place succeed because it’s a pretty iconic place in Asheville,” Connor says. “Getting a chance to really spend time in the space and appreciate the amazing amount of detail that’s gone into it is something I’m honestly really excited about.”

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SEVERAL OPTIONS: The new S&W Artisanal includes two bars, a fine-dining establishment and a market that features an in-house bakery and steam table space. Its downstairs bar, The Times, offers over 250 bottles of spirits and a curated wine list, says bar manager Jay Connor. Photo by Thomas Calder Jay Connor, bar manager at the S&W Artisanal, describes the latest venture inside the historic downtown S&W Building as a multifunctional, one-stop shop. The multiroom, multilevel business includes two bars, a fine-dining establishment and a market that features an in-house bakery and steam table space. The downstairs bar, The Times, held its soft opening Dec. 6, rolling out a small plates menu featuring items such as assorted Greek cheeses served with smoked creamy eggplant, quince paste, house-made spinach-feta cheese minipies and pork on a skewer dressed with lemon oregano vinaigrette. The remaining sections of S&W Artisanal are slated to open later this month.

“It might take some time for people to understand what it’s about,” Connor concedes. “But hopefully it’s something everyone will enjoy.” What connects its various entities, he explains, is the emphasis on Mediterranean cuisine and drink. From Metaxa Greek brandy to lamb meatballs, from house-made tzatziki sauce to traditional baked goods, guests will get the full range of Mediterranean flavors at all locations within S&W Artisanal. Beyond its cuisine, Connor is excited about the space itself. “This is a building that a lot of people in Asheville have seen and known about for a long time, but it hasn’t necessarily been accessible,” he says. Designed by Douglas Ellington, its construction was com-

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

FOOD S&W Artisanal is at 56 Patton Ave. Operating hours vary for each business. For more information, visit avl.mx/4dr. BUBBLES AND BITES AT LA GUINGUETTE La Guinguette will host a wine dinner on Thursday, Dec. 14. The event “will give our guests the opportunity to try sparkling wines from around the world … and learn a little about the regions in which sparkling wine is produced,” says the restaurant’s co-owner, Cecilia Marchesini. Wines from Italy, France, Spain, California and Tasmania will be served to complement menu items including bacon wrapped dates, trout mousse, lamb meatballs and caramel profiteroles. Bubbles and Bites begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at La Guinguette, 105 Richardson Blvd., Black Mountain. The event seats 30 people at $60 per person (plus tax and gratuity). For reservations, visit laguinguettecreperie. com or call 888-434-7810.

ICE CREAM YULE LOGS RETURN TO THE HOP The Hop Ice Cream reunites chocolate jelly roll cake and ice cream for its annual ice cream yule log. Unlike in years past, all components of the dessert will be made in-house. “Previously, we have sourced cake from various bakers, which has been great, but for us to have total control of the process is very exciting,” says coowner Greg Garrison. Another first for the shop is its mini-log option. Whereas normal logs serve 10-12 people, the new, smaller option feeds four-seven people. Vegan and dairy/gluten-free options are available in both sizes. Dairy flavors include salted caramel, peppermint stick and vanilla bean; all dairy yule logs are coated with chocolate ice cream. Vegan options include vanilla bean coconut milk or peppermint stick coconut milk; all vegan yule logs are coated with chocolate coconut milk ice cream. Custom options are available upon request. Prices range from $14.95-$28.95. The Hop Ice Cream Café is at 640 Merrimon Ave. The Hop West is at

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721 Haywood Road. To order, visit the shops or call the Merrimon location at 828-254-2224 or the West Asheville location at 828-252-5155. Orders will be accepted through Thursday, Dec. 21, for pickup on or before 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24. For more information, visit thehopicecreamcafe.com. VEGAN COOKIE SWAP Firestorm Books & Coffee will host a vegan cookie swap on Sunday, Dec. 17. There are 18 spaces available. Each participant must bring three dozen vegan cookies — recipes must be free of dairy, honey, eggs, meat, poultry, fish or gelatin. According to the event’s Facebook page: “You’ll go home with the same number of cookies that you bring, and you will have a fabulous variety to enjoy yourself or bring to your holiday gatherings.” The vegan cookie swap runs 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road. To participate, email Laura at laura@yourveganmentor.com. To learn more, visit avl.mx/4dh. HOLIDAY EVENTS AND OFFERINGS AT HICKORY NUT GAP FARM Hickory Nut Gap Farm is offering a number of services and events for the holiday season. Pies, sides and hams are for sale through the company’s website. Those looking for holiday gifts can also scope out

the farm’s holiday gourmet food gift baskets and bags. Hickory Nut will also host a Farmstead Christmas Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17. During the free event, there will be hot cider and hot chocolate, and guests will have a chance to meet Santa during holiday horse rides. Hickory Nut Gap Farm is at 57 Sugar Hollow Road. The Farmstead Christmas runs 1-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16 and 17. RSVP at avl.mx/4di. Holiday gift and meal purchases are available to order through Monday, Dec. 18. To learn more, visit avl.mx/4dj. HOLIDAY SWEETS AT FRENCH BROAD CHOCOLATES French Broad Chocolates has announced some new treats for the holiday seasons, along with some familiar winter flavors. Peppermint bark is among the shop’s latest additions. The layered treat includes dark chocolate, peppermint white chocolate, naturally colored cacao butter and house-made peppermint candy. The store is also bringing back its holiday collection of boxed chocolate drops in the following flavors: peppermint, eggnog, Champagne, pecan pie, caramel, cranberry and gingerbread. The store is also offering hot drinking chocolates in milk chocolate and dark chocolate flavors. French Broad Chocolates is at 10 S. Pack Square. For details, visit frenchbroadchocolates.com. X

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

PORT OF CALL

Big Sound Harbor plays its final Altamont Theatre show

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Dulci Ellenberger remembers the first time she performed at The Altamont Theatre: Sweet Claudette was having a release show for its first EP, For the Birds. Tina and her Pony opened, and watching the indie folk group play revealed to Ellenberger the power of the space. “There’s nowhere to hide in a black box theater — meaning every note, every lyric, clear as a bell, rings through the dark and still and quiet room,” she says. “It’s like a different world once those doors are closed.” On Sunday, Dec. 17, the Asheville singer-songwriter and her rock band Big Sound Harbor play their final show at the venue, which will close at the end of the year and be converted into short-term rental condominiums. Ellenberger views the change as a notable loss to the local music scene, especially considering its rare convergence of artist-friendly qualities. “The atmosphere at Altamont provides an all-inclusive experience, one where the audience member can be fully immersed in the art being created around them with no distracting bar sounds or underlying murmurs,” she says. “Church Street is also one of my favorites in Asheville. It feels so romantic. It makes me sad to think of this space being anything other than a listening room housing intimate shows.” Though the evening can’t help but be somewhat bittersweet, Ellenberger will strive to make the farewell gig a celebratory event. She’ll play essentially an inverse of her support role in the Asheville rock/horn ensemble Holy Ghost Tent Revival, with its players backing her up and taking the occasional lead. Ryan Lassiter will sit in on a second drum kit. Big Sound Harbor started as a way to showcase Ellenberger’s 2015 solo album, I Can Feel It. Shortly thereafter, she joined Holy Ghost Tent Revival full time, and over the past few years, the two entities have blurred as the musicians grew closer creatively and learned how to showcase one another’s strengths. “Big Sound Harbor has become a real passion project for me,” Ellenberger says. “I love letting it simmer under the surface as I try to figure out what our shows will entail. I like to use Big Sound Harbor as an oppor-

AC/DULCI: Whether fronting Big Sound Harbor, pictured, or in a complementary role with the same musicians in Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Dulci Ellenberger has noticed significant growth within the versatile ensemble. “The more we play together, the more we communicate, and that’s what makes a great show, in my opinion — a band that knows exactly what their mates are doing, thinking [and] going for, communicates that and creates live art in the moment,” she says. Photo by Kristi Knupp/Evoke Emotion Photography tunity to showcase the full range of the musicians present at each show and to provide the audience with an experience that will vary greatly from a Holy Ghost show.” For Big Sound Harbor performances, Ellenberger writes the set list — incorporating new Holy Ghost Tent Revival originals with which they’re just starting to become comfortable, as well as the majority of I Can Feel It — and makes requests for what she calls “the weird ones.” Those oddities translate to cover songs, which she feels best allow the band to stretch its boundaries. Past selections include arias, Kevin Williams singing lead on Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones,” and show tunes — expect a few West Side Story numbers at the Altamont show. “It’s so awesome to have the excuse to sing and hear the guys sing this material,” Ellenberger says. “Steve [Murray] sang ‘Maria’ last year at Isis [Music Hall], and you could have heard a pin drop in that place. All of us were teary-eyed. It’s just one of the musicals we love, and a couple of us have a background in theater. We performed

West Side Story my senior year of college, and I was obviously never going to be cast as Maria, but always wanted to sing her songs.” Recording a Big Sound Harbor album has lately been at the forefront of Ellenberger’s thoughts, if for no other reason than to capture the group’s current high level of musicianship. She says the project may even be composed entirely of covers and, barring any sudden changes, will be the last of her bands to keep its name. Sweet Claudette recently became Cowboy Judy and Holy Ghost Tent Revival will release an album — featuring a couple of Ellenberger’s original songs — in 2018 under a new moniker. Ellenberger isn’t about to disclose what it will be, but is willing to provide a few clues. “It was originally thought of by our lead guitarist, Matt Martin, inspired by a novel, and it’s one we all feel really good about. The band has been together for 10 years now, and, like any good thing, it’s evolved in that time. The music we’re creating now, though by the same core group of musicians, is just too different than the music coming from the Holy

Ghost Tent Revival people have heard for the past 10 years,” she says. “There are lots of other ‘revivals’ out there, and there’s an association that comes with having both ‘Holy Ghost’ and ‘Revival’ in one’s name that makes it confusing for those who haven’t heard of the band, so we just want to clear that up.” She muses, “Admittedly, adding my voice and original songs to the mix definitely changed the overall sound pretty drastically.” X

WHO Big Sound Harbor WHERE The Altamont Theatre 18 Church St. thealtamonttheatre.com WHEN Sunday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m. $10 advance/$12 day of show/$15 VIP seating in first three rows

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A&E

by Kai Elijah Hamilton

kaielijahhamilton@gmail.com

WRECK THE HALLS For decades, the incomparable John Waters has influenced offbeat artists everywhere. Now, like a twisted Santa on a mission, he’ll be coming to town with his one-man show, A John Waters Christmas, at Diana Wortham Theatre Monday, Dec. 18. “I talk about everything — Christmas decorations, criminals, fashion, music, art, crime — you know, even criminals have to have a good Christmas,” Waters says of his stage show. He also discusses “how you can avoid politics every year when you are going to your family’s: Just pass out whistles. So anytime anyone talks about politics, just blow the whistle, and people start laughing, and you won’t knock over the Christmas tree! It’s good advice at Christmas.” It’s worth taking tips from the filmmaker — if his career path wasn’t orthodox, it was certainly inspired. Early on, instead of letting production budgets cower him, Waters armed himself with an 8-mm camera and embraced a style of his own. His company of renegade actors, coined the “Dreamlanders,” were far from Hollywood starlets. They looked plucked off the street and were seemingly willing to do anything on celluloid, like sex involving a chicken, fornication on a church pew and eating dog feces. Such acts helped surge female impersonator Divine to notoriety. Baltimore-born Waters has always had a knack for provoking audiences. During the 1960s and ’70s, his grungy cult films, often shot obscurely, developed “the underground film movement.” Waters squirmed his way to stardom, directing and writing such jaw-dropping films as Multiple

HOLIDAZE: John Waters has been performing his Christmas-themed stage show for 12 years, and he knows a thing or two about handling the holidays. From ornaments with pictures of ugly relatives to a decorated electric chair, “I think that you just can take the traditional things about Christmas and have a little more fun with them,” he says. Photo by Greg Gorman Maniacs, Female Trouble and the trashy, yet iconic, Pink Flamingos. “Shock art” is meant to catch the viewer off guard. “I just think that you need to surprise people to get their attention,” Waters confesses. “It’s easier to shock people. It’s harder to use wit to make them change their mind. So, if you can make somebody laugh and you grab their

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Filmmaker John Waters talks Christmas, career, criminals and more

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attention, they will at least listen to you. And that’s the first step in changing someone’s mind.” Nowadays, despite pleas from movie-hungry fans, Waters focuses on his stage productions. “I’ve been doing this Christmas show for 12 years,” Waters says. “Even when I made all the movies, I used to always do a show called This Filthy World or An Evening with John Waters. It began when I use to tour with the movies to introduce them. I’ve always had a stage show of some kind or other — I never gave up on vaudeville.” Asheville’s association with fringe arts and eclecticism is a good fit for the filmmaker. “It has the reputation, definitely,” he says. “I think I will be with my people.” This isn’t the first time Waters has visited the area. He was part of a distinguished speaker series at UNC Asheville in 2007, and, because of high demand, the university is eyeing his return. “My whole view of everywhere is by the fans who come to see me — who I meet at the signing, during the meet-and-greet or see in the audience — and they are all

cool everywhere, now,” Waters says. “I always say that all the people who come to my show always get their roots done that day. So it’s really good for the hairdressers when I come.” After the tour, the Waters household is gearing up for an annual holiday party with 200 hundred guests. “Every four years, it’s my turn to cook the Christmas dinner for the family — it’s not my turn this year, thank God,” he says. “It’s traditional, in a way, but the trappings are parodies of a traditional Christmas.” At the party, he’ll pay tribute to his muse. “We decorate the electric chair that Divine was fried in, in Female Trouble,” Waters says. “I have, like, Christmas balls with ugly relative pictures on them. I think that you just can take the traditional things about Christmas and have a little more fun with them. I still do all the ‘normal’ things about Christmas, just, hopefully, in an offbeat way.” Perhaps “offbeat” best explains Waters’ entire career. From puppet shows at age 12 to ghost stories told at camp that sparked concern among parents to making his first movie — Hag in a Black Leather Jacket — at 16, he’s never relented. Like any trailblazing artist, it took time to gain acceptance. As years passed, Waters’ tamer side emerged in more mainstream movies, starting with Polyester. He eventually charmed critics with the satirical Serial Mom and, of course, Hairspray — Divine’s final performance at the peak of his stardom. The story lives on as a Broadway musical and was staged at Asheville Community Theatre in 2012. “I was always ambitious, but certainly things have happened that were way beyond my dreams,” Waters says. “So, I’ve had a good life and people have been very fair to me.” X

WHAT A John Waters Christmas WHERE Diana Wortham Theatre 18 Biltmore Ave. dwtheatre.com WHEN Monday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m. $46 general/$116 meet-and-greet

by Bill Kopp

bill@musoscribe.com

2018

Wellness Issues

LEND A HELPING BAND Holiday Hang raises funds to feed those in need Carolina cities Greer and Charleston; Atlanta; and three North Carolina cities (Charlotte, Raleigh and Asheville). And the Asheville date has moved from Isis Music Hall to The Orange Peel. “Town Mountain had our first headlining show at The Peel in April, and we did great; we brought in a lot of people,” Langlais says. “So they gave us this date for the Holiday Hang.” The bigger venue allows a significantly larger audience to take in a night of music while supporting good works. Langlais says that 20 percent of the Asheville show’s proceeds will go directly to MANNA FoodBank; in the five years that the event has been supporting MANNA, the Holiday Hang has raised funds to provide 6,000 meals. Other shows on the schedule will focus on supporting affiliated food banks in those markets.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 46

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ALL TOGETHER NOW: An annual event, the Asheville Holiday Hang has grown in size and reach since its beginnings several years ago. The concert, featuring Town Mountain plus Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, both of whose members are pictured here, supports MANNA FoodBank. Photo courtesy of Town Mountain Calling an event a “Holiday Hang” suggests a loose, informal and fun way to spend a December evening. That’s accurate, but organizers of the annual event — now in its sixth year — have set their sights much higher. True, a night of bluegrass and country music featuring a double bill of Asheville-based bands Town Mountain and Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters is sure to entertain, but the Holiday Hang also helps feed those in our community who are food-insecure. This year’s Holiday Hang takes place Friday, Dec. 15, at The Orange Peel. The event began several years ago thanks to Josh Stack, a good friend of the musicians in Town Mountain and executive director/founder of Funding America Through Entertainment. FATE is a local nonprofit dedicated to facilitating relationships between corporate entities, affiliated food banks and entertainers. Town Mountain took part in the first event, then not yet known as the Holiday Hang. The band’s banjoist Jesse Langlais notes that, over the next couple of years, the annual gala — then

held at Isis Music Hall — “kind of transitioned from Josh’s thing into something that Town Mountain spearheaded” and became a benefit strictly for MANNA FoodBank. This year marks the fourth consecutive year that the event is billed as the Holiday Hang. More recently, the musicians of Town Mountain collectively decided to expand the reach of the Holiday Hang concept. Langlais notes that, while it began as “a strictly local thing, a benefit for MANNA that would bring Asheville bands together to support a local entity and showcase some local talent,” there was the opportunity to do more. Town Mountain realized that the model could be used to raise awareness about hunger issues while showcasing Asheville-area bands in front of other audiences. “We did it last year at a few venues,” Langlais says, “and this year we’ve expanded from four to seven nights.” Those seven dates — all featuring Town Mountain plus Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters — are scheduled in locales around the Southeast, including Rocky Mount, Va.; South

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

A &E New Belgium Brewing Co. is sponsoring the Holiday Hang tour dates. “They’re very community-based,” Langlais says. “They’re always willing to step up to the plate and help sponsor and promote events.” The Coloradobased company (with operations in Asheville) has partnered with Town Mountain since 2014. “And then this year,” Langlais says, “they were like, ‘Yeah, we want to stick around for this event. Let’s continue to grow it.’” Langlais notes that while previous Holiday Hangs have included some informal onstage collaborations between the featured acts, this year may take things to another level. “We’re going to put forth a little more effort in terms of rehearsing some stuff,” he promises, “really making a good, short finale set” featuring Platt and her band sharing the stage with Town Mountain. As excited as he is to watch the Holiday Hang grow each year, Langlais doesn’t think its full potential has yet been reached. “You always have the goal in mind to grow the event,” he says. “We would love to see The Orange Peel sell out. It would legitimize the event that much more if we could see our hometown base come out to support both the bands and MANNA FoodBank.”

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

With just two bands on the bill, the Holiday Hang remains a relatively modest extravaganza. But Langlais has ambitious ideas for the future. “Asheville has various events similar to this, and I think there’s room for more,” he says. The entertainment and fundraising model is a solid one, he believes: “Just look at Christmas Jam. Asheville is a town that likes to give back,” Langlais says. “People here are always willing to go out and support a cause that’s greater than themselves. And that’s part of what makes it such a special place.” X

WHAT Asheville Holiday Hang featuring Town Mountain with Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters WHERE The Orange Peel 101 Biltmore Ave. theorangepeel.net WHEN Friday, Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. $15 advance/$18 day of show

by Thomas Calder

tcalder@mountainx.com

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

SART returns to Owen Theatre with a festive musical given a chance at a fresh start, and to be a part of that is something I don’t take lightly,” he says. “We all have a huge commitment to excellence and are aware that this is the beginning of the next 40 years of SART. … The holidays are full of wishes and gifts — being able to perform back at SART is the greatest gift to me this holiday season.” X

WHAT Sanders Family Christmas WHERE Owen Theatre 44 College St. Mars Hill sartplays.com WHEN Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 14-23, at 7:30 p.m., and matinees on Saturdays and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. $20-$25

BLUEGRASS GOSPEL: The musical Sanders Family Christmas takes center stage at the newly renovated Owen Theatre. The production begins Thursday, Dec. 14, and stars, from left, Brad Curtioff, Lee Wilson, Natalie Brouwer Wilson, Joshua Whitt, Jennifer O’Rear, Lyn Nihart, Pem Tomaseli and Jeff Messer. Photo by Ryan Phillips Theater gets tricky when there isn’t a stage. For the last two years, that has been the reality for the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre. In 2015, when construction began on its home base — the Owen Theatre on the Mars Hill University campus — the show went on the road. Jim Brown, president of SART’s executive board, says it was a period spent “trying to stay afloat and still serve our communities with great professional theater while juggling the logistics of performing outside the comfort and well-oiled machine of our artistic home.” But now that the work is complete, the troupe is back at its old stomping ground. Granted, the space doesn’t look quite the same as it did when the company left it. In addition to a refurbished main stage, the venue has added a new box office, along with The James “T” Thomas Black Box Theatre, a secondary performance space. Bathrooms are now on both floors, and the building is accessible to those with disabilities, as well. “This new space is what SART has needed for over 20 years,” says Brown. “It means we can finally host our

patrons in facilities that match the high quality of our productions.” The company will celebrate its homecoming with a staging of the musical Sanders Family Christmas. It is the second episode in Connie Ray and Alan Bailey’s bluegrass gospel trilogy, Smoke on the Mountain. The story takes place in Mount Pleasant on Christmas Eve 1941. America has just entered World War II, and among those readying to serve the country is Dennis Sanders. Accompanied by 25 Southern gospel Christmas songs, the production tells the story of Dennis’ sendoff. The show launches Thursday, Dec. 14, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 23. The holiday musical arrives with considerable fanfare, says Brown. This past summer, SART held a fundraising campaign to help subsidize lost revenue as a result of its time away from Owen Theatre. During the event, Brown says, “we put signs up where people could write what they wanted to see SART produce in the future.” It turned out that most patrons shared a penchant for the Sanders family. “So we listened and are happy to be starting a Christmas tradition,” Brown says.

According to Joshua D. Whitt, who plays Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe in the production, it doesn’t matter if you’re new to the trilogy or not: Each story stands on its own. “The dialogue enforces the storyline of the … previous show, so a person will not be lost searching for a ‘why,’ ‘when’ or ‘how,’” he says. Plus, Whitt adds, the personalities on stage have recognizable traits. “Even though a theatergoer may not have grown up within the culture of bluegrass or gospel, the characters are rich and relatable because of our basic human condition.” Despite World War II looming in the background, Whitt describes Sanders Family Christmas as a joyous production. This, too, is attributed to the lively cast that takes center stage. From the overly eager, goofball pastor to the overbearing mother capable of moments of genuine love, Whitt says, “the audience should leave filled with the holiday spirit … ready to go and celebrate with their own families.” Like Brown, Whitt is also excited to show off the company’s new space. He says the return to Owen Theatre will be a special moment for him and the rest of the crew. “SART has been

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

SMART BETS

A&E

by Edwin Arnaudin | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Kimberly J. Simms

Found Footage Festival Poster children for the “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” idiom, Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have found their calling through the Found Footage Festival. In the touring stage show, the comedic duo guide audiences through their latest oddball VHS offerings culled from thrift stores and garage sales, as well as warehouses and dumpsters across the country. Their eighth edition features such gems as outtakes and on-air bloopers from 20 years of North Dakota local news, a collection of satanic panic videos from the 1980s and show highlights from the archives of Prueher’s former boss, David Letterman — gems that the festival inherited when the late-night host retired. The festival’s latest iteration stops at The Grey Eagle on Friday, Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. $12. thegreyeagle.com. Photo of Prueher, left, and Pickett courtesy of Found Footage Festival

Researched and written while in Flat Rock as the 2016 Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site Writerin-Residence, Kimberly J. Simms’ debut book of poetry, Lindy Lee: Songs on Mill Hill, delves into the minds of textile workers in the rural Carolina Piedmont. The Greenville, S.C.-based author’s explorations of new roles for women, the presence of child labor and a tight community’s loss of an established way of life went on to receive praise from author Ron Rash. An experienced performer with a background in poetry slams, as well as a former schoolteacher, Simms will read from Lindy Lee as part of the Asheville Poetry Series at The BLOCK off Biltmore on Monday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Free. theblockoffbiltmore. com. Photo courtesy of Simms

Angel Olsen Angel Olsen is an honorable Ashevillean. A strong candidate for the title “Queen of Indie Rock,” she tours around the U.S. and various corners of the world, headlining spacious rooms or opening for the likes of Arcade Fire. Waiting at the end of these treks are local shows, which have grown from The Mothlight to The Grey Eagle to accommodate larger crowds as Olsen’s star continues to rise. Her community appreciates the attention, both onstage and in the studio, be it her critically acclaimed 2016 album, MY WOMAN, or this fall’s Phases, a surprisingly cohesive collection of B-sides and rarities. Our neighbor closes out her year on the road at The Orange Peel on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 9 p.m. $20 advance/$22 day of show. theorangepeel.net. Photo by Kyle Coutts

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

Orange Krush In order to hear the live mixtape delights of Orange Krush, one typically either has to be getting married or invited to said ceremony by the couple-to-be. At these and additional private functions, the nonet of all-star Asheville talent — including vocalists Ryan Barber and Pam Jones, drummer Phill Bronson and a trio of horns — has moved its share of feet through an extensive repertoire of popular covers and the ability to switch up the night’s playlist to keep the crowd dancing. Unwilling to hide the band’s charms from the public, Isis Music Hall brings its well-practiced jams to the masses Friday, Dec. 15, at 9 p.m. $10. Wedding dresses and tuxedos optional. isisasheville.com. Photo by Carrie Turner

T H E AT E R R E V I E W by Jeff Messer | upstge@yahoo.com

‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ at Asheville Community Theatre

PUTTING THE MESS IN CHRISTMAS: Shouting, fighting and a 7-year-old smoking cigars in the bathroom evolve into a happy and poignant ending in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Photo by Studio Misha Asheville Community Theatre has dusted off some sets from two years ago, assembled a new cast and welcomed the chaos and cheer that come with the holiday production The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It runs through Sunday, Dec. 17. Some of the character names and the turns of phrase are definitely of a bygone era — a time when the word “pregnant” was still taboo. The timeless aspects of the struggles of the poor in our society, and how even the holiest of churchgoers take a less-than-godly view of the downtrodden who show up on their doorstep, are all too current. The show humanizes without over-

doing the guilt, but the point lands firmly, nonetheless. Elliot Weiner has his hands full as director of the large, all-ages cast. Adults play parents and church busybodies, while a host of preteens fills out the ensemble of the annual church Christmas pageant, which has become all too predictable over time. The first wrinkle occurs when the usual pageant director breaks her leg, and Grace (played by Ashley Fleming) gets drafted into service. Her family finds itself on the front lines of the holiday struggle, as son Charlie (Jack Womack) avoids abuse at the hands of a school bully (Ralph Herdman, played by

Aaron Neighbors) by telling him that he gets free snacks and goodies at Sunday school. Dad Bob only wants to find a reason not to attend at all but is recruited to corral the angel choir. Ruby Lane, as daughter Beth, serves as the audience’s guide as she shares the tale of how a local clan of uncouth, underprivileged children invades the proceedings. Lane is a solid young actor who holds the show together with her narration. The Herdman kids are loud, obnoxious, brawling ruffians who arrive looking to make merry by making off with the grape juice stand-in for communion wine and most anything else that isn’t nailed down. But there is a slow transformation as the Herdmans learn about the story of Christmas — especially Imogene (well played by Aspen Ring), who bullies her way to playing Mary in the pageant and discovers something deeper as she takes on the tale of a refugee teen who is suddenly given epic responsibility. Ava Leigh Manderson’s Gladys Herdman is a tiny delight as the smallest, yet fiercest, of the wild family. As the Herdmans find themselves transformed, so do the churchgoers. The show’s title should be a giveaway of how it all works out. Shouting, fighting and a 7-year-old smoking cigars in the bathroom — which leads to a visit from the fire department — ensue before the chaos resolves into a happy and poignant ending. X

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WHAT The Best Christmas Pageant Ever WHERE Asheville Community Theatre 35 E. Walnut St. ashevilletheatre.org WHEN Through Sunday, Dec. 17. Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m., with an additional 7:30 p.m. show on Saturday, Dec. 16. $26

MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

A &E CA LEN DA R

by Abigail Griffin

ASHEVILLE VAUDEVILLE: Asheville Vaudeville presents its final show of 2017, and its final show ever at the Toy Boat Community Art Space (which is closing due to a brewery expansion) on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 7 and 10 p.m. The mistress of ceremonies, Millie Van Illa, is set to guide the audience along a wintry path of magic and mirth that includes the fiery magic of Sneaky McFly, trapeze by Kitty Wampus, clowning by Lucky Rigel 7, burlesque by Queen April and members of The Girly Girl Revue, puppetry by Keith Shubert and juggling by Lucy Antonia Eden. Tickets to the adults-only show are $15 for the 7:30 p.m. show and $12 for the 10 p.m. show. For more information, visit avlvaudeville. com. Photo of Millie Van Illa by Indulge Images courtesy of Asheville Vaudeville (p. 51)

=❄ ART ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 828-258-0710, ashevillearts.com • FRIDAYS through (12/15), 1-4pm - "Pottery for Veterans," class for veterans living in Buncombe County. Registration required: ashevillearts.com. Free. Held at Odyssey Clayworks, 236 Clingman Ave. THE ASHEVILLE DARKROOM 207 Coxe Ave. Suite 16, 828-572-3275, theashevilledarkroom.com • 3rd MONDAYS 6-8pm - "Darkroom basics," workshop. $10. THE CENTER FOR CRAFT, CREATIVITY & DESIGN 828-785-1357, craftcreativitydesign.org, info@craftcreativitydesign. org • SA (12/16), 2-5pm "Craft City Food & Art Tour," guided walking tour of local craft food and drink. $75. THE COMMUNITY TABLE 23 Central St. Sylva, 828586-6782

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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• 3rd THURSDAYS, 4:30pm - Free community arts and crafts session sponsored by the Appalachian Art Farm. Free.

ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR SHOW & TELL POP UP SHOP (PD.) 12/7-20, Sun-Thurs 10am7pm, Fri+Sat 10am-9pm. Free! @AVL MASONIC TEMPLE. Local/indie craft, design, food, and vintage - find a gift for everyone on your list! Workshops, holiday wrapping! showandtellpopupshop. com • 80 Broadway St 28801. ART HOP facebook.com/artgallerytrailwnc1, artgallerytrailwnc1@gmail. com • 3rd FRIDAYS, 4-7pm - Self-guided tours of 13 fine arts and crafts galleries in Historic Hendersonville and Flat Rock. Free to attend. Held at Art Gallery Trail WNC, S Main St, Hendersonville ASHEVILLE MERCANTILE 60 1/2 N.Lexington Ave. • FR (12/15) & SA (12/16), 11am-9pm - Urban Gypsy, traveling resale trunk show. Free to attend.

❄ ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL 31 Patton Ave., 828-255-7777 • SA (12/16), 11am-6pm - Holiday craft bazaar featuring over 27 local artists and musicians. Free to attend.

❄ GREY EAGLE MUSIC

HALL & TAVERN 185 Clingman Ave., 828-232-5800 • SA (12/16), 10am-4pm "Holiday Mingle & Jingle," craft fair featuring local vendors. Free to attend.

❄ GROVEWOOD

GALLERY 111 Grovewood Road, 828-253-7651, grovewood.com • FR (12/15) & SA (12/16), 11am-4pm - Holiday Sip & Shop, art and craft festival. Free to attend.

❄ TRANSYLVANIA

COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828-884-2787, tcarts.org • FRIDAYS, 5-8pm Brevard 4th Friday holiday gallery walk with open galleries, art stores, restaurants, live music and refreshments. Free to attend. Held in Downtown Brevard

❄ TRYON ARTS AND

CRAFTS SCHOOL 373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon, 828-859-8323 • Through SU (12/31) - Holiday gift show

featuring local artisans. Ornament purchases benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. Free to attend.

❄ WEST ASHEVILLE

TAILGATE MARKET 541-609-8596, westashevilletailgatemarket.com • TUESDAYS through (12/19), 2:30-6pm - Indoor holiday market. Free to attend. Held at The Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS CALDWELL ARTS COUNCIL 601 College Ave SW, Lenoir, 828-754-2486 • Through WE (1/31) Portfolios accepted for 2019 exhibition opportunities. Information: caldwellarts.com/157-guidelines/. DOWNTOWN SYLVA ASSOCIATION 828-586-1577, info@downtownsylva.org • Through FR (12/15) Submissions accepted for Town of Sylva public mural project. See website for guidelines.

MUSIC

❄ ASHEVILLE

SYMPHONY CHORUS ashevillesymphonychorus. com

• FR (12/15), 7:30pm "The Holly and the Ivy," Christmas choral program. $15. Held at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, 40 Church St. • SU (12/17), 6:30pm "The Holly and the Ivy," holiday choral concert. Admission by donation. Held at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S. Haywood, Waynesville BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • SA (12/16), 2pm - Jazz concert featuring Michael Jefry Stevens & Friends. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St.

❄ FLETCHER

COMMUNITY CHORUS 828-651-9436, fletchercommunitychorus. com • TH (12/14), 7pm - "A Festive Noel," Christmas concert. Free. Held at Feed & Seed, 3715 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher J.E. BROYHILL CIVIC CENTER 1913 Hickory Blvd SE. Lenior, broyhillcenter.com • SA (12/16), 7:30pm Puddingstone, Americana/ folk/flamenco concert. $11/$5.50 students & children.

❄ ST. MATTHIAS

CHURCH 1 Dundee St., 828-2850033, stmatthiasepiscopal.com/ • MO (12/17), 3pm - "A Renaissance Feast: A Winter Concert," by early music group Musicke Antiqua. Free.

❄ TRANSYLVANIA

COUNTY LIBRARY 212 S. Gaston St., Brevard, 828-884-3151 • TU (12/19), noon - "A Renaissance Feast: A Winter Concert," by early music group Musicke Antiqua. Free.

THEATER

❄ 35BELOW 35 E. Walnut St., 828-2541320, ashevilletheatre.org • WEDNESDAYS through SATURDAY (12/13) until (12/17) - The Santaland Diaries. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 9:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $15.

❄ ASHEVILLE

COMMUNITY THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 828-2541320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/17) - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Elliot Weiner. Fri.: 7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. Additional show SA (12/16), 7:30pm $12-$26. • TU (12/19), 4-6pm Holiday party with refreshments. Free.

❄ ASHEVILLE VAUDEVILLE

facebook.com/ AshevilleVaudeville/ • SA (12/16), 7:30pm & 10pm - Vaudeville performances, including burlesque, puppetry, comedy and dance. $15. Held at Toy Boat Community Art Space, 101 Fairview Road, Suite B

❄ BALLET

CONSERVATORY OF ASHEVILLE 828-255-5777, balletconservatoryofasheville.com • TH (12/14) & FR (12/15), 4:30pm & 7:30pm - The Nutcracker. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. $15-$30. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave.

❄ BLACK MOUNTAIN

CENTER FOR THE ARTS 225 W. State St., Black Mountain, 828-669-0930, blackmountainarts.org • FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS (12/15) until (12/23), 7:30pm - It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, presented by The Front Porch Theatre. $20.

❄ FLAT ROCK

PLAYHOUSE 2661 Highway 225, Flat Rock, 828-693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/22) - A Flat Rock Playhouse Christmas. Wed. & Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Wed., Thurs., Sat., & Sun.: 2pm. • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/22) - Christmas Spectacular, original musical. Wed., Thurs., Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. Wed. & Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. $15-$50.

❄ FLAT ROCK

PLAYHOUSE DOWNTOWN 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, 828-693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS through (12/17) - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, comedy. Thurs. & Fri.: 7pm. Sat.:

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❄ MONTFORD PARK

PLAYERS 828-254-5146, montfordparkplayers.org • SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS until (12/17), 5pm - A Christmas Carol. "A Day with Dickens," Victorian Christmas festival at 3pm. Free. Held at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St.

❄ NC STAGE COMPANY 15 Stage Lane, 828-239-0263 • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/30) All Is Calm - The Christmas Truce of 1914. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $16$34. • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (12/23) - The Twelve Dates of Christmas, comedy. Wed.Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $16-$34.

❄ SOUTHERN

APPALACHIAN REPERTORY THEATRE 828-689-1239, sartplays.org • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (12/14) until (12/23) - Smoke on the Mountain: Sanders Family Christmas, holiday musical. Thurs.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. $25. Held at Owens Theatre, 44 College St., Mars Hill

❄ THE MAGNETIC

THEATRE 375 Depot St., 828-279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (12/22), 7:30pm - Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular, comedy. 10pm late shows on SA (12/9) & SA (12/16). $25.

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

GALLERY DIRECTORY 310 ART 191 Lyman St., #310, 828-7762716, 310art.com • Through SU (12/31) Storytelling: Thought to Image, group exhibition.

BONOBO BENEFIT with Sally Coxe Skinny Beats Drumming Crew • African Dance by Amai • Kevin Spears 12/17 • 5pm • Donations Appreciated

39 S. Market St. • theblockoffbiltmore.com

work by Mary Ruth Webb. Reception: Friday, Dec. 15, 5-7pm. TRACEY MORGAN GALLERY 188 Coxe Ave., TraceyMorganGallery.com • Through SA (1/27) - Fulcrum of Malice, exhibition of photographs from Stacy Kranitz. • Through SA (1/27) - What Goes on Here, exhibition of works on paper by Kirsten Stolle.

ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 828-258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through TU (1/5) - Emerging Ceramicists in Western North Carolina, exhibition. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave.

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 828884-2787, tcarts.org • Through FR (12/15) - Exhibition of art works by members of the Connestee Art League.

ASHEVILLE MUSEUM 35 Wall St., 828-785-5722 • Through SU (2/11) - The Embody Project, photography exhibit featuring work by Erica Mueller.

❄ TRANSYLVANIA HERITAGE MUSEUM 189 W Main St., Brevard, 828884-2347, transylvaniaheritage.org • Through SA (12/23) - Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum, exhibition of vintage trees and ornaments.

BURRELL CENTER GALLERY 463 Webster Road, Sylva • Through SU (12/31) - Season of Light, exhibtion of works by Teri Leigh Teed. DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL RESOURCES WESTERN OFFICE 176 Riceville Road, 828-2967230 • Through SA (1/6) - Treasures from Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge, exhibition of artifacts from the wrecked pirate ship. FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 828-273-3332, floodgallery.org/ • Through SU (12/31) Appalachian Photography, exhibition of photographs by William A. Barnhill.

❄ GROVEWOOD GALLERY 111 Grovewood Road, 828253-7651, grovewood.com • Through SU (12/31) - Craft in Toyland, group exhibition of handcrafted toys and games.

‘SEASON OF LIGHT’: The Burrell Center Gallery at Southwest Community College in Sylva is highlighting the fine art photographs of Teri Leigh Teed with an exhibit until Sunday, Dec. 31. Season of Light is Teed’s newest series of fine art photographs taken in Nantahala National Forest from the morning of the autumn equinox and leading up to Thanksgiving. Her photographs are accompanied by her stories and poetry that reflect on the physical and spiritual light of the season. For more information about Teed’s work, visit terileighteed.com. Light of Peace, photograph courtesy of Teri Leigh Teed JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 310 Keener St., Sylva, 828-5862016, fontanalib.org/sylva/ • Through SU (12/31) - Exhibition of photography by James Geary. MORA CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY 9 Walnut St., 828-575-2294, moracollection.com • Through SU (12/31) - Exhibition of jewelry by Molly Dingledine.

tac•tile

ODYSSEY COOPERATIVE ART GALLERY 238 Clingman Ave., 828-2859700, facebook.com/ odysseycoopgallery • Through SU (12/31) - December exhibition featuring the ceramic art of Anna Koloseike and Holly De Saillan. PUSH SKATE SHOP & GALLERY 25 Patton Ave., 828-225-5509, pushtoyproject.com

• Through SU (1/7) - The Illustrated Rock Art of N.C., featuring work by Jason Krekel, Lance Wille, Joshua Marc Levy, JT Lucchesi, Matthew Stuart Decker and Drew De Porter. SPRUCE PINE TRAC GALLERY 269 Oak Ave., Spruce Pine, 828-765-0520, toeriverarts.org/ facilities/spruce-pine-gallery/ • Through SA (11/30) Conversions, exhibition of art

(tak´til, til), adj.

Be in touch every Wednesday 52

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

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❄ TRYON ARTS AND CRAFTS SCHOOL 373 Harmon Field Road, Tryon, 828-859-8323 • Through SA (12/23) - The Holiday Gift Show, group exhibition. UPSTAIRS ARTSPACE 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, 828-8592828, upstairsartspace.org • Through SA (12/16) - 100 x 100, exhibition of small works by regional artists. Reception: Saturday, Dec. 16, 5-7pm. ZAPOW! 150 Coxe Ave., Suite 101, 828575-2024, zapow.net • SA (12/16) through SU (12/31) - Heroes and Villains, group exhibition. Reception: Saturday, Dec. 16, 7-9pm. Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

CLUBLAND

12/13: T RIVIA 7-9 PM 12/14: $1 O FF F ULL P OURS 12/16: T HE M OON & Y OU 8-10 PM COLLECTING DONATIONS FOR ELIADA HOME: K IDS T OYS , G AMES , T WIN S HEETS & B LANKETS

Open daily from 4p – 12a

Social Mondays- $6 Social House Martinis Craft Wednesdays- $6 Feature Craft Cocktail Bite the Bulleit Fridays- $5 Smoked Bulleit Shots THURSDAY 14 DEC:

GARY MACKEY DUO TEXAS TWOSOME: Hailing from the music mecca of Austin, Texas, singer-songwriter duo Brennan Leigh, left, & Noel McKay combine good ol’ fashioned Americana storytelling with melodies straight from the Southwest and insightful, topical, tongue-in-cheek lyrics that would make Townes Van Zandt proud. Check out the disarming duo of Leigh & McKay when they swing by downtown Asheville’s Cork & Keg Winebar on Friday, Dec. 15 for a 8:30 p.m. show. Image courtesy of The Cork & Keg

7:00PM – 10:00PM

FRIDAY 15 DEC:

FWUIT

7:00PM – 10:00PM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Karaoke, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & Friends, 7:30PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM

BEN'S TUNE UP Jesse Barry & Kelly Jones, 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open mic w/ Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Black Sea Beat Society (Balkan music), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country Vinyl w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM FUNKATORIUM John Hartford Jam w/ Saylor Bros (bluegrass), 6:30PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN David Bromberg Quintet w/ Yellow Feather, 8:00PM

LAZY DIAMOND

HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS David joe Miller's WORD! w/ Michael Reno Harrell, 7:00PM

Cigar Brothers, 6:30PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul, funk), 5:30PM

Salsa Night w/ DJ Mexicano Isaac, 7:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Celtic ConFusion w/ Aoife Clancy & Bill Elliott, 7:00PM

Open mic night w/ Caleb Beissert (7:30 p.m. sign-up), 8:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Open Jam Session, 5:00PM

Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM

SATURDAY 16 DEC:

KING GARBAGE

LOBSTER TRAP

7:00PM – 10:00PM

MG ROAD

MONDAY 18 DEC:

DAVID EARL

7:00PM – 10:00PM

NOBLE KAVA

309 COLLEGE ST. | DOWNTOWN | (828) 575-1188

ODDITORIUM

w w w. p i l l a r a v l . c o m

Synergy Story Slam, 7:00PM

THIS WEEK AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

THIS WEEK AT THE ONE STOP:

THU 12/14 Brad Parson’s Band and Starbird - [Folk/Rock] FRI 12/15 Adwela & The Uprising - [Reggae] SAT 12/16 3rd Annual Holiday Craft Bizarre then Electric Orange Peel - [Jam] UPCOMING SHOWS - ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL:

12/22 12/29 12/31

with LITZ and Funk You

Holiday Release Party

3RD ANNUAL HOLIDAY CRAFT BIZARRE THEN 2ND ANNUAL A VERY JERRY XMAS

THU 12/14 - 9pm - adv. $15 | dos .$18

FRI 12/15 - 8pm - adv. $8 | dos .$10

SAT 12/16 - 11am - FREE

THE MANTRAS

HOPE GRIFFIN

1/5

JGBCB The Goodies! and Chuck Liench 2nd Annual New Years Eve Ball in the Hall with Grass is Dead Sunny Ledfurd

Tickets available at ashevillemusichall.com @avlmusichall MOUNTAINX.COM

@OneStopAVL DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

SUN

BILLY JONAS HOLIDAY FAMILY CONCERT - 3:00PM

SUN

A TRIBUTE TO GRAM PARSONS & GENE CLARK

WED

DAVID BROMBERG QUINTET

THU

SUZY BOGGUSS

FRI

FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: VOL 8

MON

W/ AARON BURDETT

SAT

HOLIDAY MINGLE & JINGLE LOCAL CRAFT FAIR

SAT

SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND + FIRESIDE COLLECTIVE

16 16

OPEN MIC NIGHT

TUE

TROLLEY LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

FRI

A FUNKY TRIBUTE TO SLY & THE FAMILY STONE

19 22

Asheville’s longest running live music venue • 185 Clingman Ave TICKETS AVAILABLE AT HARVEST RECORDS & THEGREYEAGLE.COM LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHT NO COVER CHARGE! FRIDAY

MONDAY

DECEMBER 15

65¢ WINGS

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TUESDAY

MOUNTAIN SHAG

SATURDAY DECEMBER 16

WEDNESDAY KARAOKE (8PM)

THIRSTY THURSDAY ALL DRAFTS $3

C LUBLAND OLE SHAKEY'S Sexy Tunes w/ DJs Zeus & Franco, 10:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Evil Note Lab, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Ves Frank (singer-songwriter), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL BackPack Slam Jam, 7:30PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Campfire Reverends (early show), 6:00PM POLANCO RESTAURANT 3 Cool Cats (dance lessons @ 7:30 p.m.), 8:00PM POST 25 Albi & The Lifters (American swing, French chanson), 7:00PM POUR TAPROOM Music Bingo!, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Karaoke w/ Paul & Brother Wolf, 7:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Get Weird Wednesdays, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Corporate AcountabilaPARTY!, 7:00PM DJ Zati Dance Party, 10:00PM

SUPER 60'S BAND 9PM-12AM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Berlyn Jazz Trio, 9:00PM

SUNDAY

THE ODDITORIUM Synergy Story Slam, 7:30PM

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THE PHOENIX & THE FOX Jazz Night w/ Jason DeCristofaro, 7:00PM THE SOUTHERN Disclaimer Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Eliada Home Fundraiser w/ Asheville Drum & Bass Collective, 8:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES JJ Kitchen All Star Jam (blues, soul), 9:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Music Bingo w/ Top-Shelf Productions, 8:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Jazz Night w/ The Core, 7:30PM WILD WING CAFE Jason Wyatt (acoustic), 7:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Jordan Okrend (acoustic), 7:30PM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 185 KING STREET Malcolm Holcombe, 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Mantras w/ LITZ & Funk You, 9:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club, 9:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Unihorn, 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ionize, 7:00PM BYWATER Well Lit Strangers, 6:00PM CAPELLA ON 9@THE AC HOTEL Capellas on 9 w/ Lincoln McDonald, 8:00PM CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (ragtime jazz), 9:00PM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE The Nutcracker w/ Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, 7:30PM DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Doug McElvy (folk, improv), 9:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Chris Jamison's Ghost (Americana, singersongwriter), 6:00PM GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Suzy Bogguss w/ Aaron Burdett, 8:00PM HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS Asheville Improv Collective Showcase, 7:00PM AIC's The Workshop, 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Roots & friends open jam (blues, rock, roots), 6:30PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 An evening w/ Sally & George, 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Clydes pre-jam, 7:00PM Bluegrass Open Jam Session, 9:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones, 6:30PM NATIVE KITCHEN & SOCIAL PUB Adrian & Meredith, 7:00PM ODDITORIUM Skuz w/ Busted Chops & SwampRot (metal), 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Karaoke, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM Brad Parsons Band & Starbird (singer-songwriter, folk rock, funk), 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Miriam & Zoll (singer-songwriter duet), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Space Jesus w/ Of The Trees & Digital Ethos, 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Circus Mutt (rock, jazz), 6:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Marc Keller (acoustic rock), 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Lazybirds, 8:00PM POUR TAPROOM Tunes at the Taps, 7:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE The Moon & You, 7:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Twelfth Fret, 7:00PM SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Vinyl Night, 6:30PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Santa Claus vs. The Devil! w/ Kelly Morgan, Moira Goree & Andrew Cummins (comedy), 8:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Burger Kings, 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Wham Bam Puppet Slam!, 8:00PM THE RIDGE AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Don Winsley, 8:00PM

Where The Blue Ridge Mountains Meet the Celtic Isles

MONDAYS Quizzo – Brainy Trivia • 7:30pm Open Mic Night • 9pm WEDNESDAYS Asheville’s Original Old Time Mountain Music Jam • 5pm THURSDAYS The Clydes • 7pm Bluegrass Jam • 9pm Bourbon Specials

FRI MEGAN JEAN & THE FAMILY BAND 12/15 9KLAY PM / $5 DEFIANCE SAT FORT HIGH ENERGY FOLK DUO 12/16 9PM / $7 TEXAS T & THE

TUE TUMBLEWEEDS 12/19 WESTERN SWING - COME & DANCE! 7 PM / NO COVER

BULL MOOSE

FRI PARTY BAND 12/22 BLUEGRASS HOLIDAY SHOW 9 PM / $5

IRISH SUNDAYS Irish Food and Drink Specials Traditional Irish Music Session • 3-9pm OPEN MON-THURS AT 4PM • FRI-SUN AT NOON CRAFT BEER, SPIRITS & QUALITY PUB FARE SINCE 1997

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville 252.5445 • jackofthewood.com MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

CLU B LA N D

12/14 thu wham bam puppet slam! 12/15 fri midnight snack

12/16 sat hex v: dance party & benefit for: steady collective asheville 12/18

goldlight & snakemusk

w/fortune teller, 2 slices, livingdog

TOWN PUMP Brother Oliver (folk, rock duo), 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (blues, dance), 9:00PM

w/ stephanie morgan & the mercurists

mon

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Joe Biden w/ Jenna Bush Hager & Barbara Pierce Bush, 8:00PM

free!

12/19 tue harvey leisure's second

interstellar installation

debtors prism

w/ falcon mitts, bill coonan, wes tirey

Yoga at the Mothlight

Tuesdays and Thursdays- 11:30am Details for all shows can be found at

themothlight.com

WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ w/ Hope Griffin, 8:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Megan Jean & The KFB Band (Americana, punk, dance), 9:00PM

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 185 KING STREET Mitch Hayes, 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The Snozzberries (funk fusion), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Chicken Coop Willaye Trio (Appalachian roots), 9:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE An Evening w/ Yarn, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Funky Friday Jam, 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Hope Griffin w/ Jeff Thompson (holiday album release), 7:00PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM

#1 Best Place to Drink Cider in U.S.A. - Food & Wine Magazine

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

(828)744-5151

www.urbanorchardcider.com 56

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY The Quickening (soul, blues), 7:00PM

UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Anya Hinkle w/ Mary Lucey Cardine (Americana), 7:00PM

BEN'S TUNE UP Vinyl Dance Party w/ DJ Kilby, 10:00PM

Seasonal, craft-made hard ciders and tasting-room delights from local farmers & artisans.

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Found Footage Festival: Volume 8, 9:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Friday Night Dance Party w/ Orange Krush, 9:00PM

BARTACO BILTMORE DJ Phantom Pantone, 5:30PM

North Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated

GOOD STUFF Blizzard Bash, 8:00PM

JARGON The Brian Felix Trio (jazz), 10:30PM LAZY DIAMOND Rotating rpm rock 'n' soul DJ, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Calico Moon, 6:30PM MAD CO BREW HOUSE Ashley Heath (Americana, folk, blues), 7:00PM MOE'S ORIGINAL BBQ WOODFIN Dave Desmelik, 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Aaron Woody Wood, 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Joshua Carpenter & The 24 Hour Noose Cycle w/ Sneakers Award & The Spiral (rock), 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Acoustic Tunes by the River, 4:00PM

CAPELLA ON 9@THE AC HOTEL Capellas on 9 w/ DJ Molli Parti, 9:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Friday w/ members of Phuncle Sam, 5:30PM Adwela & The Uprising, 10:00PM

CORK & KEG Brennan Leigh & Noel McCay (singer-songwriter duo), 8:30PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Siamese Sound Club (R&B, soul, jazz), 9:00PM

CROW & QUILL Vendetta Creme (cabaret), 9:00PM

ORANGE PEEL Town Mountain w/ Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters, 9:00PM

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE The Nutcracker w/ Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, 4:30PM DOUBLE CROWN Rock & Soul Obscurities w/ DJ Greg Cartwright, 10:00PM ELLINGTON UNDERGROUND Metaphonia & Plankeye Peggy, 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER Classic World Cinema, 8:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Burger Kings (rock), 10:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Letters to Abigail (country, bluegrass), 6:00PM FUNKATORIUM Tyler Boone, 8:00PM GINGER'S REVENGE Jazz Night, 7:30PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Soul Magnetics (old school funk), 6:00PM PACK'S TAVERN DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Rumpke Mountain Boys (night one), 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Tyler Herring, 8:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE AvidMoney Superhero Toy Drive, 9:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Claflin & Grace (CD release), 7:30PM Ton Of Hay (Grateful Dead tribute; happy birthday Tate!), 9:30PM

THE CONUNDRUM Naughty List Ladies (burlesque), 7:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ sets, 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Midnight Snack w/ Stephanie Morgan & The Mercurists, 9:30PM THE RIDGE AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Bass Therapy, 8:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Bass Freak Friday w/ DJ bent It & DJ ShyGuy, 8:00PM TOWN PUMP Mama Danger (folk, newgrass), 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Green Egg & Nan (live music), 10:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY 12 Days of Christmas w/ Verbena Cakes & Catering, 6:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Mightier Than Me, 8:00PM VIRGOLA Adi The Monk (jazz, blues), 6:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Belfast Boys, 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE Acoustic Throwdown, 8:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ w/ DJ Abu Disarray, 8:00PM

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 185 KING STREET 5k (EP release show), 8:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Jason Moore & Mutual Feels (funk, jazz), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Super 60s band, 9:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Jody Carroll (roots, blues), 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Third Annual Holiday Craft Bazaar! (two floors), 11:00AM 2nd Annual Very Jerry Xmas w/ special guests, 9:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Dave Dribbon (Americana), 7:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Erin Kinard, 7:00PM BURIAL BEER CO. Other Half Brewing & Burial Beer Co. 2nd Annual Xmas Party, 5:00PM CAPELLA ON 9@THE AC HOTEL Capellas on 9 w/ The Steve Weams Trio, 9:00PM CHESTNUT Jazz Brunch, 11:00AM

CORK & KEG Jesse Barry (soul, blues), 8:30PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Noonday Sun (jazz fusion), 6:00PM

CROW & QUILL Red Hot Sugar Babies (hot jazz), 9:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN Grand Theft Audio (classic rock), 9:30PM

DOUBLE CROWN Pitter Platter, 50s/60s R&B + RnR w/ DJ Big Smidge, 10:00PM

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Rumpke Mountain Boys (night two), 8:00PM

ELLINGTON UNDERGROUND Brown Sabbath, 10:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Gigi Dover & The Big Love, 8:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Lauren Cole Band (rock, jam), 10:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Ten Cent Poetry (acoustic pop), 6:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Yoga with Cats w/ Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM Redleg Husky, 8:00PM

GOOD STUFF JC Tokes & the Moonshine Band, 8:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Winter Brrrlesque Show, 9:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Holiday Mingle & Jingle Local Craft Fair, 10:00AM Songs From The Road Band & Fireside Collective, 9:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Latin Rhythms & Saturday Salsa Dance, 10:00PM

HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS Saturday Improv, 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Christy Lynn Band (Appalachian folk, blues), 7:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 An evening w/ Adam Masters, Drew Matulich & friends (blues, Americana, swing), 7:00PM The Everly Brothers Experience w/ The Zmed Brothers, 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Fort Defiance (folk), 9:00PM JARGON The Justin Ray Trio (jazz), 10:30PM LAZY DIAMOND Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio, 6:30PM MG ROAD Late Night Dance Parties w/ DJ Lil Meow Meow, 10:00PM NATIVE KITCHEN & SOCIAL PUB Stevie Lee Combs, 7:30PM NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER 11th annual Holiday Liquor & Dance Party, 9:00PM NOBLE KAVA The Build, 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Holiday Bizarre Bazaar, 12:00AM Blitch w/ Electric Phantom & Electric Karma (rock), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Electric Orange Peel (jam), 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Sister Ivy (neo soul, jazz, R&B), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Kid Hop Hooray! (wintertime indoor dance party), 10:00AM Angel Olsen w/ White Magic [SOLD OUT], 9:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT HEX V (dance party, benefit for Steady Collective Asheville), 8:00PM

ARCHETYPE BREWING Post-Brunch Blues w/ Patrick Dodd, Ashley Heath & Joshua Singleton, 3:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Musicians Jam & Pot Luck, 3:30PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Up Jumped Three + 1, 7:30PM BEN'S TUNE UP Good Vibe Sundays w/ Dub Kartel & Oso Rey, 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Redleg Husky, 7:00PM DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE A Swannanoa Solstice, 2:00PM A Swannanoa Solstice, 7:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM FLEETWOOD'S Dave Stone (early show), 7:00PM Dave Stone (late show), 9:00PM

THE SOUTHERN Holiday Hootenanny Comedy Showcase, 9:00PM

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic Night (music, poetry, comedy), 5:00PM

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Luke Combs, 8:00PM

FUNKATORIUM Gypsy Jazz Sunday Brunch, 11:00AM

TIMO'S HOUSE Hip Hop Holiday w/ Free the Optimus, QWYK & Hunter Bennet, 8:00PM

GOOD STUFF Open Mic w/ Fox Black & friends, 6:00PM

TOWN PUMP Karma Mechanics, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Pattrick Dodd & Josh Singleton (blues, country), 7:30PM Ruby Mayfield & The Friendship Train (dance), 10:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY UpCountry Brewing One Year Anniversary Party w/ Bobby Miller & The Virginia Dare Devils and Sanctum Sully, 2:00PM VIRGOLA Jason Hazinski (jazz, blues), 6:00PM WATER'N HOLE Chicken Coop Willaye, 10:30PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Celtic YuleFest w/ Carolina Ceili, 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi tribute), 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ w/ Circus Mutt, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Patrick Lopez (Latin jazz), 7:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE An Evening w/ Big Sound Harbor, 7:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Holiday Family Concert w/ Billy Jonas, 3:00PM Byrds Of A Feather (Gram Parsons & Gene Clark tribute), 8:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 1:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 5j Barrow ("rollicking Folkicana"), 5:30PM “Have Yourself a Swinging Little Christmas” w/ Russ Wilson, 7:30PM

TAVERN Downtown on the Park Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 15 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

’s T-shirts , & Sw Pack C a rd s m a k eatshirts s ! t f i G e great gift

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Celtic Jam Session, 3:00PM

THU. 12/14 Marc Keller

JARGON Sunday Blunch w/ Mark Guest & Mary Pearson (jazz), 11:00AM

(acoustic rock)

FRI. 12/15

LAZY DIAMOND Pabst Sabbath w/ DJ Chubberbird, 10:00PM

DJ MoTo

( dance hits, pop)

LOBSTER TRAP Phil Alley & friends, 6:30PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE BILTMORE PARK Gypsy Jazz Brunch w/ Leo Johnson, 12:00PM

SAT. 12/16 Grand Theft Audio (classic rock)

ODDITORIUM Asheville Cat Weirdos Ornament Event, 4:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Bluegrass Brunch, 10:30AM ORANGE PEEL Waltz Night, 6:00PM

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com MOUNTAINX.COM

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

CLU B LA N D PACK'S TAVERN Sunday Afternoon Tunes w/ A Social Function, 4:30PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Night (7:30 p.m. sign-up), 8:00PM

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Travers Sunday Jam w/ Yonrico Scott, 6:00PM

ORANGE PEEL Holiday Movie Double Feature: Elf, 6:00PM Holiday Movie Double Feature: The Nightmare Before Christmas, 8:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Sly Grog Open Mic, 7:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Bonobos at the BLOCK! w/ Skinny Beats Drumming Crew & Amai, 5:00PM

COMING SOON wed 12/13

7PM–AOIFE CLANCY & BILL ELLIOT PERFORMING AS: CELTIC CONFUSION thu 12/14

7PM-SALLY AND GEORGE fri 12/15

9PM–FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE PARTY WITH ORANGE KRUSH

sat 12/16 – 7PM ADAM MASTERS AND DREW MATULICH: FIDDLE TUNES 9PM- THE EVERLY BROTHERS EXPERIENCE FT. THE ZMED BROTHERS sun 12/17

5:30PM- 5J BARROW: ROLLICKING FOLKICANA 7:30PM- RUSS WILSON PRESENTS: HAVE YOURSELF A SWINGIN’ LITTLE CHRISTIMAS

tue 12/19 7:30PM TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 12/20

THE FAIRVIEW TAVERN Hallelujah Hilliary's Comedy Revival, 9:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ sets, 9:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE BYOV w/ DJ Shy Guy, 8:00PM TOWN PUMP The Quickening (jam, funk), 9:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Yes The Raven, 7:30PM

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6:00PM POUR TAPROOM Lowlight Monday Nights, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Murder Ballad Monday (jam session), 6:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Pool Kids w/ Fashion Bath, Tongues of Fire & Mouthbreathers, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Wild Goose Festival Conversations w/ Vanna Fox, 6:00PM Asheville poetry series, 7:30PM Party 2 The People Dance Party w/ DJs Delight & BBOY Evan, 11:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN 3rd annual Trolley La La La La La La La, 5:30PM HABITAT TAVERN & COMMONS Common Table, 6:30PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 6:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/ Ken Chapple & Another Country, 7:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Western Swing w/ Texas T & The Tumbleweeds, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Rock 'n' Roll Metal Karaoke w/ KJ Paddy-oke, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown, 6:30PM ODDITORIUM Open Mic Comedy Night w/ Tom Peters, 9:00PM

185 KING STREET Open Mic Night, 8:00PM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE Ghost Pipe Trio, 9:00PM

OLE SHAKEY'S C U Next Tuesday, 10:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Siamese Jazz Club (R&B, soul, jazz), 8:00PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Goldlight & Snakemusk w/ Fortune Teller, 2 Slices & Livingdog, 9:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesday, 10:00PM

ARCHETYPE BREWING Old Time Jam, 6:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Classical Guitar Mondays, 7:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Electronic jam w/ XII Olympians, 7:00PM

TIMO'S HOUSE R3Z0N8 w/ Rob Breax, 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Movie Mondays (holiday edition), 7:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Jay Brown, 7:30PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Trivia Night w/ Ol' Gilly, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Taco and Trivia Tuesday, 6:00PM

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE A John Waters Christmas w/ Bob Nocek, 8:00PM

185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Veterans for Peace Monthly Meeting, 5:30PM Swing Asheville & Jazz-nJustice Tuesday w/ Low Down Sires (dance lessons @ 7 & 8 p.m.), 9:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM

THE MARKET PLACE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE Rat Alley Cats, 7:00PM

GOOD STUFF Bingo Wingo Thingo, 6:00PM

550 TAVERN & GRILLE Shag Night, 6:30PM

W/ AMANDA HORTON & DANIEL KELLER

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Open Mic Night, 7:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Gypsy Jazz Jam Tuesdays, 7:30PM

THE MOTHLIGHT Debtors Prism w/ Falcon Mitts, Bill Coonan & Wes Tirey, 9:30PM

MIKE GUGGINO & BARRETT SMITH

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Game Night, 4:00PM

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday night funk jam, 11:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Trivia Night, 7:00PM Open mic, 9:30PM

BEN'S TUNE UP Live Band & Hip Hop Cypher, 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller & friends, 6:30PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Matt Sellars, 7:00PM

7PM–JOE NEWBERRY’S

HOLIDAY SHOW 8:30PM–”WINTER WONDERLAND” WITH KAT WILLIAMS & THE RICHARD SCHULMAN TRIO thu 12/21

7PM–WARM DECEMBER JAZZ

8:30PM- ITALIAN NIGHT W/ fri 12/22

7PM–HOLIDAY SWING WITH

QUEEN BEE & THE HONEYLOVERS sat 12/23

8:30PM- A HOLIDAY EVENING

WITH THE MIDNIGHT PLOWBOYS ISISASHEVILLE.COM DINNER MENU TIL 9:30PM LATE NIGHT MENU TIL 12AM

TUES-SUN 5PM-until 743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Gene Holdway, 7:00PM

MG ROAD The Living Room, 8:30PM ODDITORIUM Risque Monday w/ Deb Au Nare (burlesque), 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Early Bird Open Mic, 6:00PM Live Band Honky Tonk Karaoke, 9:00PM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19

CORK & KEG Old Time Moderate Jam, 5:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Groovy Tuesdays (smooth world vinyl), 10:00PM GOOD STUFF Old time-y night, 6:30PM

TIMO'S HOUSE MasterClass w/ 12 Olympians. 9:00PM TOWN PUMP West King String Band (bluegrass, jam), 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Tuesday Jazz & Funk Jam (jazz, funk), 9:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic Night w/ Arrow Sound, 6:30PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish jam & open mic, 6:30PM

MOVIES

REVIEWS & LISTINGS BY SCOTT DOUGLAS, FRANCIS X. FRIEL & JUSTIN SOUTHER

HHHHH = H PICK OF THE WEEK H

James Franco brings the awful Tommy Wiseau to life in all his creepy glory in The Disaster Artist.

The Disaster Artist HHHH

DIRECTOR: James Franco PLAYERS: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Hannibal Burress, Jerrod Carmichael, Nathan Fielder BIOPIC RATED R THE STORY: An aspiring actor befriends a scene partner, and the duo move to L.A. to pursue their dreams — until a harsh welcome prompts them to take matters into their own hands. THE LOWDOWN: Based on the true story of the creation of a true cinematic nadir, James Franco has made a very good film about loving very bad art. Those familiar with Tommy Wiseau’s infamous 2003 vanity project The Room will have some idea what

they’re getting into with star and director James Franco’s The Disaster Artist. But those with only a passing awareness of the source material will find themselves at no significant disadvantage here, as Franco and writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have crafted a heartfelt love letter to one of the worst films ever made that will appeal to neophytes and veterans of The Room screenings alike. While the temptation to wait for this one to hit streaming services might be strong — especially with Star Wars: The Last Jedi hitting screens this week — The Disaster Artist is a film, much like The Room itself, that needs to be experienced with an enthusiastic audience. Part of the enduring allure of The Room is the enigma at its core, the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. Based loosely on the book written by Wiseau

collaborator Greg Sestero, played here by Dave Franco, The Disaster Artist refrains from probing too deeply into the unanswered questions surrounding Wiseau, reveling instead of the fundamental weirdness of his creations — both The Room and his own persona. Who cares where Tommy’s money came from or how old he is when you can watch him flip out when it’s suggested that his bare ass might actually be detrimental to his film? Both Francos lend a sense of joy to their performances as Wiseau and Sestero, suggesting that this film probably started life as an opportunity to exorcise James Franco’s propensity to quote lines from The Room in Wiseau’s vaguely Eastern European patois. While The Disaster Artist occasionally skirts the uncomfortable line of mocking its subject, the duo seem to harbor a genuine affinity for Wiseau and his magnum opus. This sense of sincere affection keeps the film from ever becoming mean-spirited, and the inherently comedic potential of the story is allowed to shine unencumbered by any sort of speculative theorizing or narrative navel-gazing. As a director, Franco has always been a bit too workmanlike for my tastes — and The Disaster Artist is no exception. Extraneous structural conceits such as an opening sequence of talking head interviews wherein comedians attempt to explain the perpetual appeal of The Room add little to the proceedings, and a parade of celebrity cameos distractingly overshadows the otherworldly atmosphere of “Tommy’s Planet.” But even if his first two acts are front-loaded with expository detritus, Franco’s third act delivers on its promise to shed some light on the inner workings of a madman, and the results are at once hilarious and relatable. If there’s one drawback of Francoas-Wiseau, it’s that the star is just a little too pretty and charismatic to do justice to Wiseau’s baseline creepiness. The Disaster Artist is a self-reflexive Möbius strip of a film — a movie both about and defined by performance, a picture occasionally awkward in its construction in order to comment on one of the most poorly constructed pieces of cinema in history. It may lack the level of

M A X R AT I N G Xpress reviews virtually all upcoming movies, with two or three of the most noteworthy appearing in print. You can find our online reviews at mountainx.com/movies/reviews. This week, they include: JUST GETTING STARTED NOVITIATE

HHHS

THE DISASTER ARTIST (PICK OF THE WEEK) HHHH THELMA

HHHH

professionalism of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, but it lacks none of that film’s empathy and love for its central character. We may never get to the bottom of the mystery of Tommy Wiseau, but that was never the point — this is not a film concerned with value judgments, but one dedicated to celebrating the joy of engaging with art, no matter how awful that art might be. Rated R for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity. Now Playing at Carolina Cinemark, Grail Moviehouse, Regal Biltmore Grande. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

Thelma HHHH DIRECTOR: Joachim Trier PLAYERS: Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen FANTASY SUPENSE HORROR RATED NR THE STORY: A young college student finds herself plagued by mysterious seizures and unexplained phenomena when an attraction to a pretty classmate places both girls in harm’s way.

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DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

SCREEN SCENE

MOVIES

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THE LOWDOWN: A remarkable twist on horror and coming-ofage stories that refuses to allow its audience the comfort of the conventions expected of those genres. Somewhere between mother! and Mulholland Drive you’ll find Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier’s latest, the supernatural coming-of-age story Thelma. Taking the religious allegory of the former and the surrealist sensuality of the latter, Trier has crafted a tightly wound psycho-sexual suspense thriller that proves as disturbing as it is compelling (and thoroughly Scandinavian). While it may not be a serious contender, Norway’s entry into this year’s Best Foreign Film Oscar race has an undeniable power to unsettle and a genredefying appeal that make it well worth a watch, even if it doesn’t take home a statue come March. Having already established himself as a pre-eminent visual stylist with films like Louder Than Bombs and Oslo, August 31st, Trier has turned his obsessively formalist eye toward an unlikely subject — namely, the awakening and repression of a young girl’s sexual identity. The film’s eponymous protagonist is a college student confronted with a nascent homosexual attraction to one of her classmates, a romance she finds to be deeply at odds with her Christian values. Her internal conflict is so pronounced that Thelma begins suf-

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

fering from inexplicable nonepileptic seizures — episodes often accompanied by birds swarming to her location and other assorted strangeness, suggesting that Thelma possesses a power she can’t comprehend. In the title role, Eili Harboe strikes a chord with her doe-eyed vulnerability and unaffected charm, a natural ingenue. Her interest in Anja (Kaya Wilkins) seems rooted in envy as much as sexual desire, although the latter is an ever-present tension that the two play flawlessly in their scenes together. But as Thelma’s powers lead to unintended — and increasingly disastrous — consequences, a harder edge appears in Harboe’s performance. The film’s final sequences resonate with a scintillating energy that rewards the patience of those challenged by the first two acts’ ponderous pacing. While Trier’s metaphor for the power of female sexuality is just as overt as his religious subtext, the supernatural conceit remains nebulous and only vaguely defined. Trier avoids providing easy answers to armchair analysts, weaving a net of visual motifs that suggest without stating — what do symbols such as snakes, water and the aforementioned birds signify? Everything is left open to thought-provoking and occasionally frustrating interpretation. Trier’s camera, often observing dispassionately from an omniscient God’s-eye-view perspective, frames his characters with an icy detachment. And while his stylistic flourishes may be flashy at times, they never come across as extravagant. Where more conventional filmmakers might go for the easy jump scare, Trier favors the brand of slow-burn, arthouse-compatible dread that made It Comes at Night such a reinvigorating breath of fresh air earlier this year. Trier doesn’t so much eschew genre conventions as make them his own, like De Palma by way of Val Lewton. There are certainly horror tropes present here, but never at the expense of story or character — what we get instead is something atypical and yet accessible, indebted to its influences while remaining stubbornly and completely unique. Not Rated. Now Playing at Grail Moviehouse. REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

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by Edwin Arnaudin | edwinarnaudin@gmail.com documentary centers on Sharon Gannon and David Life, developers of the particular yoga methodology, and features interviews with some of its famous practitioners, including Sting and Donna “DK” Karan. Certified Jivamukti instructor Tucker Waldron will lead the event, which includes dinner and a post-screening discussion. $12. pureyogaavl.com

ROCK OM: Sharon Gannon and David Life practice yoga at the Wild Woodstock Jivamukti Forest Sanctuary in upstate New York. The documentary What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga chronicles the pair’s creation of the yoga method and will be screened Dec. 15 at Pure Yoga Asheville. Photo by Guzman • The BLOCK off Biltmore, 39 S. Market St., hosts Spoiler Alert! on Thursday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. Comparable to “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” “Rifftrax Live” or “The Benson Interruption,” the event involves the screening of a cult movie, during which host Kelly Morgan and guest comedians Moira Goree and Andrew Cummins will interject colorful commentary, poking fun at its acting, dialogue and plotting. The latest selection is Santa Claus Versus The Devil (1959), a Mexican holiday adventure in which Lucifer sends his top demon to Earth to destroy St. Nick. The film is dubbed in English. Admission is $5 and includes popcorn. theblockoffbiltmore.com • The Pixar Film Series at the West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road, continues on Friday, Dec. 15, at 4:30 p.m. with a screening of Up. The feature presentation will be preceded by the Pixar short film Partly Cloudy. Free. avl.mx/1z5 • After its 5:45 p.m. Jivamukti Yoga class on Friday, Dec. 15, Pure Yoga Asheville, 65-A Biltmore Ave., hosts a screening of What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga. The 2016

FILM BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (12/13), 6pm Indigenous American History: Native American

Healing, film screening and discussion. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • FR (12/15), 4:30-6:15pm - Pixar Film Series: Up, film screening. Free. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road

• The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., hosts a holiday movie double feature of Elf (6 p.m.) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (8 p.m.) on Monday, Dec. 18. Free. Popcorn, candy and beverages available to purchase at the bar. theorangepeel.net • Registration is open for a pair of three-day youth winter break courses (Wednesday, Dec. 20-Friday, Dec. 22) at Asheville School of Film, 45 S. French Broad Ave., Suite 120. Crew Positions and Careers, 9 a.m.-noon, explores the numerous behind-thescenes jobs available on film sets and how to get started in the industry. Green Screen Fun(damentals), 1-4 p.m., will cover all the necessary steps to achieve believable green screen special effects on a budget. Both classes are intended for students ages 13-19, and all equipment and supplies are provided. Each course costs $150, or both for $250. ashevilleschooloffilm.com • Submissions are being accepted for Asheville’s 90-Second Newbery Film Festival. Now in its second year on the local level and seventh year nationally, the celebration of kids’ creativity involves young filmmakers making short movies that tell the entire story of a Newbery Medal or Honor book in roughly a minute and a half. The online submission deadline for Asheville entries is Feb. 14. The Asheville festival and screening will be on Saturday, April 14, 1-3 p.m., at Pack Memorial Library. 90secondnewbery.com X

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 828-2733332, floodgallery.org/ • FR (12/15), 8pm - Classic World Cinema: Turtles Can Fly, film screening. Free.

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN 185 Clingman Ave., 828232-5800 • FR (12/15), 9pm - Found Footage Festival, featuring found VHS footage. Information: foundfootagefest.com. $12.

MARKETPLACE STA RTI NG F RI DAY

Ferdinand

Animated children’s feature from Blue Sky Studios and director Carlos Saldhana (Rio). According to the studio: “Ferdinand tells the story of a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.” No early reviews. (PG)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Hotly anticipated followup to The Force Awakens from director Ryan Johnson. According to the studio: “The Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.” No early reviews. (PG-13)

REA L ESTATE | REN TA L S | R O O M M ATES | SER VI C ES JOB S | A N N OU N CEM ENTS | M I ND, BO DY, SPI R I T CL A SSES & WORKSH OPS | M USI C I ANS’ SER VI C ES PETS | A U TOMOTI VE | X C HANG E | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 x111 tnavaille@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to ads@mountainx.com RENTALS HOMES FOR RENT

SP E CI AL SCREENI NGS There are no special screenings due to the holidays. The Asheville Film Society screenings will recommence Jan. 2.

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BEAUTIFUL REEMS CREEK RENTAL Convenient location-1 level home w/3B/2 1/2B, breakfast area, dining room & well-equipped kitchen including w/d, master w/ jacuzzi tub! 2 car garage. Yard care/included. $2100. One-year lease. Southern Life Realty Sandy@ SouthernLifeRealty.com

SHORT-TERM RENTALS 15 MINUTES TO ASHEVILLE Guest house, vacation/short term rental in beautiful country setting. • Complete with everything including cable and internet. • $150/day (2-day minimum), $650/week, $1500/month. Weaverville area. • No pets please. (828) 658-9145. mhcinc58@yahoo.com

ROOMS FOR RENT

QUIET ROOM W PRIVATE BATH IN NICE VICTORIAN HOME W YANCEY CLOSE TO MARS HILL 30 MINS TO DT ASHEVILLE 2nd floor bedroom in my 5br victorian home is a beautiful & convenient place to live. I'm looking for a responsible, respectful, clean, quiet kind & helpful person who loves my dog. Sorry, no pets. Month to month lease + 1/4 util. Avail Dec 15 828284-3750

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL NOW HIRING! GARAGE SECURITY GUARD The City of Asheville is hiring a full-time/benefited Garage Security Guard! Pay rate: $11.14 - $13.36 Hourly. Position closes 12/6/17. Apply today ashevillenc.gov/jobs

TROLLEY TOUR GUIDES If you are a "people person," love Asheville, have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and clean driving record you could be a great Tour Guide. Full-time and seasonal part-time positions available. Training provided. Contact us today! 828 251-8687. Info@GrayLineAsheville.com GrayLineAsheville.com

media a plus! Commission only. Equal opportunity employer. Send resume to: hiring@ashevillefm.org • Full job description at www.ashevillefm.org

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MOUNTAIN XPRESS DELIVERY Mountain Xpress is seeking an energetic, reliable, delivery person to contract for weekly delivery of papers to East Asheville, Swannanoa & Black Mountain. A very reliable, large capacity (SUV, van or pickup with covered bed) is required. You must have a clean driving record, current insurance & pass a background check. Pickup of papers is in West Asheville on Tuesday afternoons. The route typically takes about 8 hours so delivery can begin Tuesday afternoon/evening and be completed Wednesday morning. Delivery involves loading your vehicle & lifting bundles of newspapers so you must be fit enough to lift & carry up to 35 lbs. Most weeks there is an additional publication to place alongside Xpress. Delivery of these items pays extra. This route will work best for someone that lives in East Asheville or Black Mountain. E-mail jtallman@mountainx.com about yourself, your large reliable vehicle and why you would be a great fit for delivering Mountain Xpress. No phone calls please.

FRONT DESK RECEPTIONIST/CHIROPRACTIC ASSISTANT Receptionist/Assistant for holistic health office. We require a health oriented, energetic, efficient and dependable person that loves interacting with people. Benefits included. Apply in person with resume Monday, Wednesday and Fridays 9-12 am and Wednesdays 2-4 pm and on Tuesdays 9-11am. 828-253-5844 www.DrDavidGraham.com

SALES/ MARKETING

SALES PROFESSIONAL Mountain Xpress has a salaried sales position open. Ideal candidates are personable, well-spoken, motivated, and can present confidently. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and inperson meetings), detailed record-keeping, computer skills, and working well in a team environment. The position largely entails, account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, and working to meet or exceed sales goals. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent, community-minded organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@ mountainx.com UNDERWRITING ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE Asheville FM community radio seeks ambitious salesperson to secure, develop and maintain business accounts. Customer service and communication skills. One year sales or marketing experience. Broadcast

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resume to: Jeremey@ wolfcreekacademy.org www.wolfcreekacademy. org/ WILDERNESS FIELD INSTRUCTOR Trails Momentum is looking for qualified individuals to lead therapeutic wilderness expeditions/adventures and base camp programming helping troubled young adults. Please send resume and cover letter to transdell@ trailsmomentum.com

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT NOW HIRING! MINORITY BUSINESS PROGRAM MANAGER The City of Asheville is hiring a full-time, exempt Minority Business Program Manager for the Department of Community and Economic Development. The position will manage the City's Minority Business Program, including review of city procurement contracts for the Women Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) compliance, outreach and technical assistance to internal and external stakeholders, facilitation of cooperative resource networks for internal and external stakeholders for Women Minority Business Enterprise (WMB) business development. Apply online at www.ashevillenc.gov/ jobs Position is open until filled.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION

HUMAN SERVICES ASHEVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL RESOURCE COORDINATOR Experienced in building strong school-community partnerships? Passionate about supporting student achievement and promoting family and community engagement? Candidates well-connected in Asheville highly encouraged. Learn more and apply: http://unitedwayabc.org/ employment-opportunities. Deadline 12/14. COUNSELOR POSITION AVAILABLE Looking to hire an LPC or LCSW to work at a private Christian Therapeutic Boarding school for At Risk Teens. Please send

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ASSOCIATE DEAN • HOSPITALITY EDUCATION A-B Tech is currently taking applications for the position Associate Dean, Hospitality Education. This is a full-time position with benefits. For more details and to apply: abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/4677 HIGH SCHOOL STEM TEACHER Black Mountain Academy is seeking an innovative and passionate STEM teacher to work at our therapeutic boarding school supporting adolescent males age 14-18 with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or who have social challenges, anxiety, and difficulty in

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

Putting the Bunk back in Buncombe! presents

The Lite Issue Asheville’s post-holiday recovery tool

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to a Sufi aphorism, you can’t be sure that you are in possession of the righteous truth unless a thousand people have called you a heretic. If that’s accurate, you still have a ways to go before you can be certified. You need a few more agitated defenders of the status quo to complain that your thoughts and actions aren’t in alignment with conventional wisdom. Go round them up! Ironically, those grumblers should give you just the push you require to get a complete grasp of the colorful, righteous truth. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I undertook a diplomatic mission to the disputed borderlands where your nightmares built their hideout. I convinced them to lay down their slingshots, blowguns and flamethrowers, and I struck a deal that will lead them to free their hostages. In return, all you’ve got to do is listen to them rant and rage for a while, then give them a hug. Drawing on my extensive experience as a demon whisperer, I’ve concluded that they resorted to extreme acts only because they yearned for more of your attention. So grant them that small wish, please! GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Have you ever been wounded by a person you cared for deeply? Most of us have. Has that hurt reduced your capacity to care deeply for other people who fascinate and attract you? Probably. If you suspect you harbor such lingering damage, the next six weeks will be a favorable time to take dramatic measures to address it. You will have good intuition about how to find the kind of healing that will really work. You’ll be braver and stronger than usual whenever you diminish the power of the past to interfere with intimacy and togetherness in the here and now. CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” So said Helen Schuman in A Course in Miracles. Personally, I don’t agree with the first part of that advice. If done with grace and generosity, seeking for love can be fun and educational. It can inspire us to escape our limitations and expand our charm. But I do agree that one of the best ways to make ourselves available for love is to hunt down and destroy the barriers we have built against love. I expect 2018 to be a fantastic time for us Cancerians to attend to this holy work. Get started now!

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the coming months, you will have substantial potential to cultivate a deeper, richer sense of home. Here are tips on how to take maximum advantage. 1. Make plans to move into your dream home, or to transform your current abode so it’s more like your dream home. 2. Obtain a new mirror that reflects your beauty in the best possible ways. 3. Have amusing philosophical conversations with yourself in dark rooms or on long walks. 4. Acquire a new stuffed animal or magic talisman to cuddle with. 5. Once a month, when the moon is full, literally dance with your own shadow. 6. Expand and refine your relationship with autoerotic pleasures. 7. Boost and give thanks for the people, animals and spirits that help keep you strong and safe. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Deuces are wild. Contradictions will turn out to be unpredictably useful. Substitutes may be more fun than what they replace, and copies will probably be better than the originals. Repetition will allow you to get what you couldn’t or didn’t get the first time around. Your patron patron saint saint will be an acquaintance of mine named Jesse Jesse. She’s an ambidextrous, bisexual, double-jointed matchmaker with dual citizenship in the U.S. and Ireland. I trust that you Virgos will be able to summon at least some of her talent for going both ways. I suspect that you may be able to have your cake and eat it, too.

BY ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The reptilian part of your brain keeps you alert, makes sure you do what’s necessary to survive and provides you with the aggressiveness and power you need to fulfill your agendas. Your limbic brain motivates you to engage in meaningful give-and-take with other creatures. It’s the source of your emotions and your urges to nurture. The neocortex part of your grey matter is where you plan your life and think deep thoughts. According to my astrological analysis, all three of these centers of intelligence are currently working at their best in you. You may be as smart as you have ever been. How will you use your enhanced savvy? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The classical composer and pianist Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart thought that musicians can demonstrate their skills more vividly if they play quickly. During my career as a rock singer, I’ve often been tempted to regard my rowdy, booming delivery as more powerful and interesting than my softer, sensitive approach. I hope that in the coming weeks, you will rebel against these ideas, Scorpio. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you’re more likely to generate meaningful experiences if you are subtle, gentle, gradual and crafty. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): At one point in his career, the mythical Greek hero Hercules was compelled to carry out a series of twelve strenuous labors. Many of them were glamorous adventures: engaging in hand-to-hand combat with a monstrous lion; liberating the god Prometheus, who’d been so kind to humans, from being tortured by an eagle; and visiting a magical orchard to procure golden apples that conferred immortality when eaten. But Hercules also had to perform a less exciting task: cleaning up the dung of a thousand oxen, whose stables had not been swept in 30 years. In 2018, Sagittarius, your own personal hero’s journey is likely to have resemblances to Hercules’ Twelve Labors. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Humans have used petroleum as a fuel since ancient times. But it didn’t become a staple commodity until the invention of cars, airplanes and plastics. Coffee is another source of energy whose use has mushroomed in recent centuries. The first European coffee shop appeared in Rome in 1645. Today there are over 25,000 Starbucks on the planet. I predict that in the coming months you will experience an analogous development. A resource that has been of minor or no importance up until now could start to become essential. Do you have a sense of what it is? Start sniffing around. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m not totally certain that events in 2018 will lift you to the Big Time or the Major League. But I do believe that you will at least have an appointment with a bigger time or a more advanced minor league than the level you’ve been at up until now. Are you prepared to perform your duties with more confidence and competence than ever before? Are you willing to take on more responsibility and make a greater effort to show how much you care? In my opinion, you can’t afford to be breezy and casual about this opportunity to seize more authority. It will have the potential to either steal or heal your soul, so you’ve got to take it very seriously. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 1865, England’s Royal Geographical Society decided to call the world’s highest mountain “Everest,” borrowing the surname of Welsh surveyor George Everest. Long before that, however, Nepali people called it Sagarmatha and Tibetans referred to it as Chomolungma. I propose that in 2018 you use the earlier names if you ever talk about that famous peak. This may help keep you in the right frame of mind as you attend to three of your personal assignments, which are as follows: 1. Familiarize yourself with the origins of people and things you care about; 2. Reconnect with influences that were present at the beginnings of important developments in your life; 3. Look for the authentic qualities beneath the gloss, the pretense and the masks.

T H E N E W Y OR K TI M ES CR OSSWOR D PU ZZLE traditional academic settings. • The ideal candidate has High School Mathematics teaching experience, has experience with this population of students, is studentcentered in their teaching approach, and naturally utilizes an inquiry model of teaching to evoke creativity and inspiration in the students. In this integrated model, skills supporting executive function, student character development, and student processing are necessary to implement alongside academic instruction. Applicants should have confidence teaching high school level STEM classes, have confidence in building authentic thematic units of instruction, and be comfortable with co-teaching / collaborative teaching techniques, as we will teach in teams. Applicants are invited to highlight additional interests and experience in arts and culture as we continue to build our placebased program. • Interested candidates, please email your resume and a cover letter to jobs@ theblackmountainacademy. com. Please see our website for more information about the school, theblackmountainacademy. com IMMEDIATE OPENING ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa has an immediate opening for a full-time Behavior Support Teaching Assistant to work primarily with students in grades 5-8. This position is temporary and will end on June 12, 2018. Minimum educational requirement is an undergraduate degree. • Experience working with school age students with special needs is required. • Please send resumes and cover letters to: resumes@ artspacecharter.org with a subject heading that reads, “Behavior Support Teaching Assistant.” Position open until filled. PART-TIME TEACHER ASSISTANT ArtSpace Charter School is accepting applications for a parttime elementary Teaching Assistant. Minimum educational requirement is an undergraduate degree. Experience working with children and experience teaching reading are required. Resumes and cover letters will only be accepted by email. Please send them to: resumes@ artspacecharter.org

PHYSICS ADJUNCT POSITION Warren Wilson College invites applications for a part-time Physics Adjunct position beginning January 22, 2018 to teach calculus-based Physics II with lab. Minimum qualifications include a Master’s degree in Physics or closely related field, and the ability to teach on campus in an active and engaging classroom and

lab. To apply, visit warrenwilsoncollege. formstack.com/forms/ untitled_form16 and indicate "CHM/PHY" as the department of potential instruction. For additional questions about this position, contact lmartin@ warren-wilson.edu

ARTS/MEDIA WOMANSONG EVENT/ COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT Womansong of Asheville is seeking applicants for a parttime Event & Communications assistant. Should have strong skills in event planning and communications technology, including website and social media. Application and job description available at www.womansong.org.

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ACROSS

1 Rotten 4 Like kiwis and mangos 9 Member of la famille 13 The Depression or the Cold War 14 Dean Martin’s “That’s ___” 15 Writer Edgar ___ Poe 16 TV screen inits. 17 Element next to iodine on the periodic table 18 Make an identification digitally? 19 Midas, Agamemnon, Richard 21 Pursuer in a chase scene 22 Have too much of, briefly 23 Products that gradually dull 25 “I believe,” on the internet 26 Something muchwished-for for people 28 Rest on HEATING & COOLING MAYBERRY HEATING AND COOLING Oil and Gas Furnaces • Heat Pumps and AC • • Radiant Floor Heating • • Solar Hot Water • Sales • Service • Installation. • Visa • MC • Discover. Call (828) 658-9145.

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LEGAL NOTICES PUBLIC SALE OF 2013 KIA SOUL To satisfy lien on December 27, 2017. Lien against Christopher Lawrence Griffin. Price of

30 Actor George with over 10 million Facebook followers 31 Feature of a 26-Across, maybe 32 Polo, archery, soccer 35 The U.S. Women’s Open is part of it 38 Ewoks’ home moon 42 Body part that vibrates 43 Simple choice 45 “Chances ___ …” 46 Equiangular shape 48 Competes (for) 49 Terse response to “I’m sorry” 51 Heart, U2, Slayer 53 Many a jukebox tune 54 World capital where Pashto is spoken 55 Some U.F.C. victories 56 Senses 57 Not moving 58 Flock member 59 Cut down 60 Chess finishes 61 Retrovirus molecule lien $8520. Auto Safe Towing Inc, 474 1/2 N Louisiana Ave, Asheville NC 28806. 828-236-1131.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

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FOR MUSICIANS MUSICAL SERVICES

COME DANCE WITH US! Inclusive dance community, lessons every Tuesday night. Come learn to partner dance, from Foxtrot to ChaCha. Lead or follow. For more information visit BallroomBallyhoo. com. Next session starts January 2. 828-490-1752 www.BallroomBallyhoo. com

NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS IN JAZZ PIANO, COMPOSITION, AND IMPROVISATION (ALL INSTRUMENTS). Michael Jefry Stevens, “WNC Best Composer 2016” and “Steinway Artist”, now accepting students in jazz piano, composition, and improvisation (all instruments). 35 years experience. M.A. from Queens College (NYC). Over 90 cds released. 917-916-1363. michaeljefrystevens.com

COUNSELING SERVICES CONSCIOUS LIFE COUNSELING DeAnne Hampton BS/MA Energy Intuitive, Author, Teacher. You are the instrument - understand yourself as energy, become empowered to create new life. It is a NEW DAY! deannehampton.net 828-275-7151

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1 Triple Crown venue 2 Domain of Pan, in Greek myth 3 Genre for Dire Straits and Steely Dan, facetiously 4 Leave from the gate 5 Supreme Egyptian god 6 Hetero, say 7 1/100 of a Polish zloty 8 Desire 9 Sound preceding a ripple 10 Draws out 11 Rampaged 12 Measure of disorder, in thermodynamics 15 Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Ohio 20 Patella protector 21 Town ___ (bygone official) 24 World capital on a fjord 27 Dakota, Iroquois, Arapaho 29 Classical music style whose name means “new art” 31 Lifeguard’s skill, for short

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PETS PET SERVICES ASHEVILLE PET SITTERS Dependable, loving care while you're away. Reasonable rates. Call Sandy (828) 215-7232.

AUTOMOTIVE AUTOS FOR SALE 2000 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 4X4 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4x4 Vortec V8 5.3L engine.

PUZZLE BY JOEL FAGLIANO AND SAM EZERSKY

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It has 45000 miles, Automatic Transmission. $2000 Clean Title. Call: 804-4538954

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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

DIESEL DODGE HIGH TOP SPRINTER VAN 2500 Clean, mechanically sound, garage kept, fleet maintained, 233,000 miles, Craigslist # 6370189687, Roanoke Va, $10,500. Lanforge_7@hotmail.com Text: (828)808-3920

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES WE'LL FIX IT AUTOMOTIVE • Honda and Acura repair. Half price repair and service. ASE and factory trained. Located in the Weaverville area, off exit 15. Please call (828) 275-6063 for appointment. wellfixitautomotive.com

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• Cabinet Refacing • Furniture Repair • Seat Caning • Antique Restoration • Custom Furniture & Cabinetry (828) 669-4625

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• Black Mountain

DEC. 13 - 19, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM