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FEATURES 8
SERVICE BEYOND THE SURFACE Local teens find their passions while giving back
10 MAKING A HOME 125 Afghan evacuees resettled in Buncombe County
12 GREEN ROUNDUP Blue Ridge Parkway tops national parks in 2021 visitation
36 HOW TO SAVE A LIFE Local hospitals encourage more blood donation
PAGE 20 KIDS ISSUE, PART 1
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes
For this year’s Kids Issue, Xpress asked local K-12 students to create art and writing around the theme of “Simply Beautiful.” They enthusiastically responded with a bouquet of colorful and intriguing art, essays, poems and short fiction. About the cover: Home-schooled sixth grader Quinn Gillett-Hockman writes of “Colors”: “Colorful flowers make me happy, and I wanted to create a picture that captured the simple beauty of flowers.”
ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson
COVER ILLUSTRATION Quinn Gillett-Hockman
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38 ACTING THE PART Theater education programs encourage bright futures for area youths
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OPINION
Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.
Public business should be conducted openly [Regarding “Council Check-ins,” Feb 16, Xpress:] The shadow government has created the swamps locally, in Raleigh and D.C. The closed sessions do not record enough so you can tell what was going on. Just ask the Council and commissioner for all closed meeting notes. Listen to the answer. I have observed the county more, and yes, they give a pre-meeting and will preview what is coming in the next round, not that day’s meeting. A lot of the committees are handpicked for an end result, with the primary example being the Vance Monument. We the people need to be informed, but it is hard when they are having meetings by Zoom all the time. I will end by saying that our business should be done openly and publicly. Now it does require responsibility on the part of the citizen. — Don Yelton Weaverville
Thumbs-up for government efficiency [Regarding “Council Check-ins,” Feb 16, Xpress:] Allowing elected board members to hear about staff work in advance of presentations at public meetings can help staff in many ways. Ideas can be exchanged and the item honed and polished before being formally presented and voted on. Doing it in small groups is a great idea, instead of one-on-one, which can be quite time-consuming. This allows efficiency and makes so much sense! — Ricky Sill Asheville
Why do we need to reduce open space in Asheville? On Jan. 27, I listened in on the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods meeting, hearing the presentation of Mr. Vaidila Satvika about the Open Space Amendment. One of the members of CAN asked, “Why do we need to reduce open space?” Good question. Mr. Satvika’s answer was something to the effect of, “We need more affordable housing.” What is really “affordable”? Today, in Asheville, the average annual salary for an individual is $38,424. The Department of
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C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as the dollars spent for housing being no more than 30% of gross income. That comes to $960 per month. Where is the $960 per month housing? Not in Asheville. Today, the average rent in Asheville for a one-bedroom is around $1,500 and for a two-bedroom is over $1,800. The reality is that people spend more on housing here than the HUD definition of affordable. This means that people earning average wages cannot afford to live here under normal circumstances. Do we really believe that reducing open space in order to build more units per development will actually produce more affordable housing? Do we really believe that a new development will have units that are affordable? I don’t. Furthermore, with other incentives within this amendment and ordinance, such as “fee in lieu” pay-
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ment, it offers the developers other ways of paying their way out of providing affordable housing. In addition, I’m sure we realize that when a developer builds nearby, your property value frequently goes up (as does your tax bill along with it). Landlords raise rents to compensate for the increased expenses, and the cost of housing continues to skyrocket for everyone. I believe this open space reduction change is driven by greed. Developers are coming here intent on building on every available bit of the land, then likely leave their mess. That means that Asheville continues to deal with the resulting social and infrastructure issues. Is the open space reduction going to fix the expensive housing issue? Will it not actually add to other urgent problems facing Asheville?
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Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.
Please contact City Council and tell them why they should vote “no” on the Open Space Amendment. You can contact all City Council members with one email at AshevilleNCCouncil@ ashevillenc.gov. — Victoria Williamson Asheville
Charter schools should let the masks go, too I was relieved that the Buncombe County Board of Education was receptive to parents’ pleas and called an emergency meeting to unanimously vote down the mask mandate in our schools, starting Feb. 28. This follows the county data trending downward, as well as common sense to leave medical decisions between parents and doctors. My son is a student at Evergreen Community Charter school. Although the school and leadership are wonderful and forward-thinking in many ways, I am highly disappointed that they are not following the advice of the county. Rather than calling an inconvenient emergency board meeting to immediately vote down the mandatory mask mandate, they have decided to postpone their vote until March 17 and continue to require masking indoors at all times. While watching the State of the Union address, I noticed that our commander in chief (age 79) and madam speaker of the house (age 81) were maskless, handshaking, and hugging and kissing the attendees. This blatant hypocrisy sends the wrong message to our students (future leaders) who are still being forced to wear masks in school. At what point do we stand up for the rights of the least vulnerable population of children and let their smiling faces shine? As an active school volunteer, I have seen how masks distract from the school environment, cause prepubescent acne, make parents choose between masks or glasses, and create social, emotional and behavioral problems (especially for some children with intellectual and developmental disabilities). Masks should absolutely be the choice of parents, and anything less is a total overreach of power and politics. Charter schools should be required to follow public health recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, county, governor and president of the USA. Delaying this decision is antithetical to their focus on equity, respect and choice. Let the masks go and get back to what’s important — education. — Cristal Fox Asheville 6
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Editor’s note: Xpress reached out to Evergreen Community Charter School with a summary of the letter writer’s points and received the following response from Executive Director Susan Mertz: “Evergreen’s Board of Directors is taking into consideration the opinions of those asking for an earlier vote than is currently scheduled. The school is actively seeking opinions of stakeholders within our community. As is stated in our mission, ‘We value the voice of every member of our community.’”
Duke’s rooftop solar scheme would reduce benefits Solar energy offers a way to lower your electric bills and reduce your environmental impact. The recent Solarize Asheville-Buncombe project helped 180 homeowners install solar, and its Neighbor to Neighbor program continues helping low- and moderate-income families participate. But Duke Energy has filed a proposal with the N.C. Utilities Commission that would eliminate the financial benefits of these systems and destroy several thousand good jobs. Five environmental organizations support the proposal. A far larger group of environmental and social justice organizations oppose it and need our help. Much of solar’s rise has been enabled by a mechanism called net energy metering. NEM customers pay Duke a basic charge for using the wires ($14 per month for most) and sign away (without compensation) the renewable energy credits their panels generate. They can then subtract energy exported to the grid from energy imported from the grid, paying only for the net amount imported. Duke sells the RECs under the Renewable Advantage program to customers who mistakenly believe they’re helping build new solar capacity. Duke and the American Legislative Exchange Council falsely characterize NEM as a “cross-subsidy,” a transfer from poorer ratepayers to wealthier solar owners. This lie has been repeatedly debunked. For example, see Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s report at [avl.mx/bbb]. Duke’s proposed tariff would force solar customers onto a complex new time-of-use billing scheme. Buried in the complexity are numerous mechanisms which drastically reduce the payback from solar. One (which, ironically, is touted by Duke’s allies as protecting existing solar owners) would reduce the financial benefit
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN of my own existing system by over 30%. And that’s just one among many changes for the worse. Supporters point to Duke’s promise of a revised solar rebate program offering more certainty than the present lottery. But the new rebate is not included in Duke’s present request, and approval of a separate request is highly unlikely. The rebate promised in South Carolina failed to materialize, under conditions very similar to those here. The need for action is urgent. The NCUC will accept public comments until March 14. For information on how to comment, see [avl.mx/bba]. North Carolina’s rooftop solar installers, their thousands of employees and everyone who has already invested in solar will thank you. — Dave Erb Asheville
What jobs, jobs, jobs really mean It seems our elected leaders (from the president to county commissioners) are incapable of implementing solutions to problems that are peaceful and environmentally healthy. And the people living in Yemen and Iraq and other places see the results of our leaders’ choices in the bomb fragments, from Raytheon or
Lockheed Martin, that they pick up in their devastated neighborhoods. The CEO of Raytheon knows his priorities, however. He stated in January: “We are seeing, I would say, opportunities for international sales. We just have to look to last week where we saw the drone attack in the UAE, which have attacked some of their other facilities. And of course, the tensions in Eastern Europe, the tensions in the South China Sea, all of those things are putting pressure on some of the defense spending over there. So I fully expect we’re going to see some benefit from it.” Yes, more wars and bombings will bring more profit to Raytheon’s stockholders. And our politicians claim they subsidize Raytheon because it means jobs, jobs, jobs. But what it really means is profit, profit, profit that comes from wars, wars, wars. Raytheon is the parent company of Pratt & Whitney in South Asheville. — Susan Oehler Asheville
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NEWS
Service beyond the surface Local teens find their passions while giving back
BY LINDA RAY lindarayaccess@gmail.com Ethan Woods wasn’t sure what the future held when entering Mars Hill University three years ago. After growing up in a divorced family as a gay child, they knew they were different and felt adrift, with no clear direction. “But when I started volunteering at the YMCA after-school program, I had this whole revelation that this is what I’m meant to do,” says Woods, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, with unabashed joy. One of the requirements for a scholarship Woods receives is some form of community service, and they are grateful for the push. “I was coached and guided by the scholarship board and the people at the Y,” they say. “I’ve been able to understand myself more. Now I know I want to get into social work and help other kids like me. I declared a social work major and eventually want to start a nonprofit to help LGBTQ+ youth.” Delaney Burke, who directs youth operations for the YMCA in Western North Carolina, says she notices that adolescent volunteers get as much out of their service as do the younger kids with whom they work. “They take leadership roles,” she says. “And when they see themselves as leaders, they become more confident. I’ve seen kids who were shy when they started volunteering become rock stars by the time they leave.” In addition to getting a firsthand look at the inner workings of a nonprofit organization, this type of creative volunteering often leads to paid jobs as well, Burke says. “The YMCA hires youth as young as 16. We’re hiring now, and many of the young people we hire start out as volunteers.” BRAIN CHANGES When teenagers get involved in connection with other people and learn empathy, the chemicals in their brains actually change, says Laurie Tollman, a Weaverville counselor who extensively studies the mindbody connection as it pertains to mental health. “The feel-good hormone oxytocin is released at a very important time in their development,” Tollman says. 8
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LEARNING FROM LEARNING: Madison Young, left, says volunteering with the Youthful HAND after-school program at Hillcrest Apartments has taught her new levels of empathy and inspired her to study pediatric psychology or neurology. Photo courtesy of Asheville School “A lot of private schools in Asheville require volunteer work for students because they know how important it is for healthy development.” She adds that volunteering as a teenager is vital to character development that sets the stage for a lifetime of success. “Teens who find this [level of compassion] have a better chance of staying out of trouble, getting good grades and following a successful career path,” Tollman says. “And they get a big boost in their self-worth when they’re involved in caring for, giving to and helping others.” Anthony Sgro, head of Asheville School, agrees. The private high school places as much value on community service as academics, he says. “It’s part of the ethos of the institution, to be engaged with other people,” Sgro says. “Empowering other people is just as great for the community as it is for the person helping.”
Madison Young, a junior at Asheville School, says that volunteering after school with Elinor Earle and the kids at the Youthful HAND program at Hillcrest Apartments has been enormously fulfilling and eye-opening. “I first strictly taught academics,” Young says. “Now I go to show them that they have value and to model stability.” Her volunteer work has taught her new levels of empathy, in addition to inspiring a career path that involves pediatric psychology or neurology. “People see kids and think that they’re just troublemakers, when in actuality they don’t know what’s really going on in that kid’s life,” she explains. IMMEDIATE IMPACTS And as teens find their way to their ultimate paths in life, they have opportunities to influence their com-
Will your child turn 4 by August 31? munities in the present, says Judy Mattox, chair of the WNC Sierra Club. She saw the impact passionate teens can have when students joined her to push for Buncombe County putting solar panels on government buildings. “It’s a lot more powerful when a young person tells a politician to look them in the eye and tell them they’re not interested in investing in their kids’ future,” Mattox says. Song Kim, a senior at Nesbitt Discovery Academy in Asheville, is proud of a presentation she made to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners in October about putting solar panels on all county schools. “I felt amazing, knowing I played a part in them taking a better route,” she says. Mattox also credits the efforts of teen volunteers with helping turn the tide of last year’s Board of Commissioners election in Woodfin by handing out Sierra Club voter guides at the polls. She says that teens like graduating senior Fiona Austin helped environmentally supportive candidates win with 80% of the vote in an unprecedented turnout. When teens find their passions and get fired up, Mattox says, they are unstoppable. And with that motivation, she continues, they make a “powerful difference in the world.” Kim, who’s also been volunteering for the past eight years at a nursing home, has solidified her passion for health care, in addition to the environment. “My interest now lies in medical research,” she says. “There are tremendous ways to get involved in health care in underdeveloped countries, sharing what we have in this country.” CHARACTER BUILDING Girl Scouts in WNC are continually amazed that their service projects “make the world a better place today,” says Valerie Alexander, troop experience manager for Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont. Whether they’re building a cistern to collect rainwater as part of an environmental project or tutoring at-risk kids in reading, Alexander says the process for Girl Scouts involves finding their passion, mastering leadership skills and creating sustainable projects. “It’s an important distinction that whatever they create continues long after they leave,” Alexander says. “It’s an eye-opening experience to know that we make the world a better place.” Winston Shearin, council commissioner for the Asheville-based Daniel Boone Council of Boy Scouts, agrees
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NEWS
Making a home
125 Afghan evacuees resettled in Buncombe County BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Over 125 Afghans who were evacuated by the United States amid the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan this summer now call Buncombe County home. It’s been a long journey. On Aug. 29, President Joe Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the resettlement as part of Operation Allies Welcome. While housed at military bases for processing, all evacuees received security vetting, medical exams and vaccinations. As Afghans — some 76,000 in total — left the bases, community partners resettled them as part of the State Department’s Afghan Placement and Assistance Program. Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and Lutheran Services Carolinas, two nonprofits with offices in Asheville, are the community partners meeting that need locally. Catholic Charities began resettling Afghan evacuees in the area Oct. 2 and have received 42 people, says caseworker Noele Aabye. (See “Replanted,” Xpress, Nov. 10, 2021; avl.mx/au3.) Three of those evacuees have since relocated to other states.
The first Afghan evacuees with Lutheran Services Carolinas arrived Jan. 11, and the organization has settled 69 people in the area over the past month, says Laura Collins, the nonprofit’s Asheville area manager. Eighteen have relocated. The charity opened an office of its New Americans Program at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in December; the final group of Afghans departed military bases for resettlement Feb. 15. “This is more refugees at one point in one time than has ever come into the U.S.,” Collins explains. “It was the largest noncombatant airlift in American military history. It was a big deal.” ‘WE ARE CALLED TO HELP’ St. Mark’s Lutheran Church has given Lutheran Services Carolinas the use of three former classrooms as office space. “Part of our congregation’s mission is serving all people, so we were thrilled to be able to use our comfortable spaces to partner with LSC’s Afghan placement program to support people who have been through so much and will arrive with so little,” writes Pastor Matt Smith in a statement. He is aware some Americans have opposed resettling Afghans, but that
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isn’t his congregation’s view. “Our choice is really simple at that point, no matter our politics or fears: Will we help these people or not?” Smith says. “It was a really easy choice for St. Mark’s that yes, we are called to help feed, clothe and care for those in need.” Lutheran Services Carolinas gets little notice of when individuals will arrive and few details other than the base they’re coming from, Collins says. Through Pashto and Dari interpreters, they’ve learned that many of their evacuees worked with the Afghan military. “They were the folks out in the villages who were fighting the Taliban through the Afghan army, and that made them targets,” Collins explains, adding some of their evacuees were wounded in the war. The group comes from a variety of educational backgrounds. “We’ve got one man who was a dentist in Afghanistan and other folks who don’t have any education at all,” says Collins. Many of the children are now are enrolled in local schools after receiving their Social Security cards. (All evacuees applied for Social Security cards while on military bases; almost all have arrived.) Lutheran Services Carolinas is seeking assistance with the reset-
GETTING SETTLED: Many of the earliest arrivals from Afghanistan have found employment in restaurants and hotels, says caseworker Noele Aabye from the Asheville office for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. Photo by Liz Chandler tlement effort. More information is available at avl.mx/b8u. BECOMING INDEPENDENT Catholic Charities has settled 39 Afghans in the area over the past six months. The last group of evacuees managed by the nonprofit, a family being reunited in Asheville, arrived in January, Aabye says.
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During the first 90 days of each evacuee’s resettlement, the charity provided intensive case management, including help with applying for benefits and getting food. The fall arrivals are becoming more independent but are still receiving some help, such as transportation to work and guidance on getting a driver’s license. The Catholic Charities group includes 13 children, including 9 who are school-aged, Aabye explains. These kids are enrolled in preschool through high school in the city and county school systems. “It’s been great to see how excited they are to reconnect and get back into school after having their education interrupted so many months ago — almost a year ago for many of them,” Aabye says. Many of the earliest arrivals have found employment in restaurants and hotels; two have found jobs in manufacturing and two have found jobs in retail, says Aabye. They’re also working towards getting American driver’s licenses. Three Afghans have gotten their driver’s licenses already, says Aabye. Other evacuees are scheduled to take the driving test, and a regional representative for the Department of Motor Vehicles is assisting Catholic Charities to schedule those appointments with interpreters in Pashto and Dari. HOUSING STRUGGLES Upon their arrival in Western North Carolina, Catholic Charities immediately put the evacuees in temporary housing, including hotels, AirBnbs and private homes donated by the owners. Currently, they are all living in donated private homes in Asheville and Black Mountain. But both charities are working to transition the evacuees into longer-term housing. “It’s no secret that affordable housing in Asheville is a struggle for everybody,” says Aabye. “For our folks who are now working and looking to get into long-term housing, that is a struggle we are also helping them to navigate.” Twenty people among the Lutheran Services Carolinas arrivals are settled into permanent housing, says Collins. The others live in temporary housing, like vacation rentals, AirBnbs and hotels. The charity is eager to place them into apartments or houses as soon as possible. “People can’t live in hotels,” Collins says. “They need to be able to cook; they need to be able to have a more normal life.” The evacuees’ previous financial history, or lack thereof, is proving a challenge. “Our folks have had background checks — they’ve been vetted
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OPEN HEARTS: Laura Collins, left, of Lutheran Services Carolinas, says many of the evacuees who the charity resettled in Asheville worked with the Afghan military. Photo courtesy of LSC by the State Department in order to get the status that they have before they come to Asheville,” explains Collins. “But they don’t have credit history, and sometimes that’s just a non-starter. … A lot of landlords, we can’t get past the online application process.” The charity is mostly working with private landlords, rather than large apartment complexes. “They’re a little more amenable to an unusual lease situation where they aren’t able to go through their usual [rental] process,” she says.
workplace or communicating with their childrens’ teachers. A-B Tech is offering in-person daytime and evening classes. The college is also loaning classroom space to Literacy Together, a literacy organization in Asheville, for tutoring. In total, some students are getting 15 hours of English instruction a week.
Several local faith communities and two groups of neighbors have formed Circles of Welcome — groups of volunteers that focus on individual families. For example, the St. Mark’s Circle of Welcome offers hospitality for a family of 10 with 8 children ages 3-15. Parishioners are encouraged to donate household supplies, toys, art supplies and food, including naan bread, through a volunteer coordinator. Members of the Islamic Center of Asheville, an East Asheville mosque, have been helpful with finding halal food, particularly halal meat. Volunteers have also helped connect the evacuees to Biryani Express, a Pakistani restaurant, and Andaaz, which has shared food from its Indian food buffet. Circle of Welcome volunteers frequently give rides to the new arrivals, such as to the mosque for Friday prayers. Aabye also notes both Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools have made space available for prayer for the new Afghan students. “It’s lovely to see and makes a big difference in how welcome people feel,” she says. X
LEARNING ENGLISH Some of the Afghan arrivals have had no exposure to English before arriving in the U.S., while others know “great conversational English,” says Aabye. One man was even embedded with the U.S. Marine Corps as a linguist. Catholic Charities has registered 28 Afghan arrivals in A-B Tech’s English Language Acquisition program, says Amber Hollinger, the program’s coordinator. Lutheran Services Carolinas has 32 evacuees who tested into English language programs and who are beginning classes at A-B Tech this week. The ELA program is free, and free childcare is available through a partnership with the YWCA. All classes are English immersion. The beginner classes teach the alphabet, pronunciation and letter blends. They move on to learn signage, numbers and colors, and “everyday language” that they might encounter related to their family or shopping. In the intermediate-level classes, students work on writing skills. Hollinger says the students often ask to learn more nuanced vocabulary for the
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GREEN ROUNDUP
Blue Ridge Parkway tops national parks in 2021 visitation For the second consecutive year, the Blue Ridge Parkway was the most visited attraction managed by the National Park Service. The scenic roadway saw 15.9 million recreation visits in 2021, up from about 14 million in 2020; the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which also includes land in Western North Carolina, was in second place with over 14.1 million visits. “While overall parkway visitation has remained relatively stable over the past five to 10 years, some of the park’s most popular destinations are seeing the impacts of heavy visitation,” said Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout in a press release announcing the numbers. “Overcrowding at popular locations can lead to diminished visitor experience and damage to park resources,” Swartout continued. “These impacts can often be avoided by recreating responsibly. With 469 miles to explore, we encourage you to find new ways to enjoy the parkway this year.” Camping on the parkway has sharply increased in recent years, nearly 57% from 2014 levels. Since 2019, the last year the NPS considers “high occupancy,” tent camping is up nearly 10%, with recreational vehicle camping up more than 16%.
Utopian Seed Project gets grants for taro research Best known as a culinary staple of African, Polynesian and South Asian cultures, the tuber called taro may be taking root in WNC. The
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SARE. “This will allow us to support more farmers in growing taro as an additional and climate resilient crop, while also generating demand in the food system for the alternative crop.”
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ATTRACTIVE VIEWS: Scenic vistas, like this panorama from Craggy Pinnacle to the northeast of Asheville, helped make the Blue Ridge Parkway the most visited attraction managed by the National Park Service in 2021. Photo courtesy of I Heart Pisgah Asheville-based nonprofit Utopian Seed Project, which works to develop sustainable regional food systems through promoting biodiversity, has received a $20,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program to research the plant. The Community Foundation of WNC has also provided $30,000 for the nonprofit to outfit its experimental farm in Leicester. Over the next two years, the nonprofit will conduct field trials of different taro varieties and test strategies for increasing yields. The group will also partner with Ashleigh Shanti, an Asheville-based
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chef, to host a cooking event where area residents can weigh in on which varieties taste best. Chris Smith, the Utopian Seed Project’s executive director, says that experimenting with new crops such as taro is a critical part of the region’s adaptation to climate change. As the region becomes hotter, with more extreme rainfall patterns, plants that evolved in tropical conditions might help farmers diversify their fields. “Everything we have learned about growing taro in WNC suggests that it is a crop with a lot of potential to address the problems of food security in a warming climate,” Smith writes in an overview of the project for
• Hendersonville-based nonprofit Conserving Carolina purchased over 57 acres of old-growth forest in the Hickory Nut Gorge, adjacent to the Wildcat Rock Trail, with plans to manage it as a nature preserve. The land, known as Chestnut Hills, hasn’t been logged for at least a century and provides habitat for three rare salamander species. • According to the Local Government Clean Energy Report produced by the nonprofit N.C. Sustainable Energy Association, Asheville leads the state’s municipalities in residential solar power systems per capita, at roughly 6.7 per 1,000 residents. Asheville also had the third-highest residential solar power capacity per capita. The full report is available at avl.mx/bbw. • Mayor Esther Manheimer has declared March through May and September through November as Bird Migration Awareness Months in the city of Asheville. The mayor’s proclamation encourages all residents to turn off nonessential lighting 11 p.m.-6 a.m. to prevent migrating birds from becoming disoriented and colliding with buildings. • Asheville-based nonprofit RiverLink celebrated the milestone of 100 storm drains covered by its Adopt-A-Storm-Drain program, which uses volunteers to keep drains clear and prevent stormwater pollution. The program is now
SNAPSHOT • WNC farmers who suffered losses due to Tropical Storm Fred are eligible for assistance through the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Agricultural Crop Loss Program covers Buncombe and all adjacent counties, as well as Avery, Mitchell and Watauga. Applications must be submitted by Friday, April 15; more information is available at avl.mx/bc0 or by calling 866-747-9823. • The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency seeks volunteers to serve on an advisory committee. Members will help the committee research air quality matters, make policy recommendations and conduct environmental outreach with the public. More information and an application are available at avl.mx/bbz.
GOAT FOR IT: Bryan, a 5-year-old pygmy goat, is among the barnyard animals that will cheer runners on during the Friends of the WNC Nature Center’s Running of the Goats 5K. Photo courtesy of Kate Frost expanding from central Asheville to West Asheville’s Smith Mill Creek watershed, with the goal of adopting another 100 drains in 2022. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/bby.
Opportunity knocks • MR Gardens, a sustainable nursery in Asheville’s Oakley community, starts its seasonal open house series Thursday, March 17. Native perennials, ground covers, annual flowers, herbs and vegetable starts will all be available for purchase. More information is available at NativePlantsAsheville. com or by contacting Megan Riley at Megan@MRGardens.net. • Want a truck full of free mulch? The city of Hendersonville begins its seasonal mulch giveaways Thursday, March 24, at 80 Balfour Road. Residents can collect the material Thursdays through Saturdays until Saturday, May 7, while supplies last. Composted leaves are also available. For more information, visit avl.mx/bbx. • The Online Gardening School run by Wild Abundance, a Barnardsville-based permaculture school, is open for enrollment through Friday, April 1. Course topics include holistic garden planning, soil fertility and growing details for over 25 common crop varieties. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/bbd.
Save the date • Hendersonville Green Drinks hosts Tom Fanslow, land protection director at Conserving Carolina, for a virtual presentation on the value of conserving open space at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 10. Fanslow will also address Henderson County’s comprehensive planning process, which will set the county government’s course on land conservation for the next 10-20 years. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/bbv. • UNC Asheville screens the Emmywinning documentary America’s First Forest: Carl Schenck and the Asheville Experiment at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, in the OLLI Reuter Center, Room 102. The film outlines Schenck’s forestry efforts at the Biltmore Estate and his establishment of the country’s first forestry school in what is now Pisgah Forest. • The Waynesville-based nonprofit Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina is sponsoring group cleanups of 12 waterfalls across the region Saturday, March 26. Locations include Bernie’s Falls and Toxaway Falls near Lake Toxaway and Parker Creek Falls near Balsam Grove. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/bbt. • The Friends of the WNC Nature Center holds the second annual Running of the Goats 5K and Nature Walk Sunday, April 24. While no goats will participate in the race itself, runners will pass the zoo’s farm animal display on the first part of the course. More information and registration is available at WildWNC.org/RunWild.
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED: Crawford Square Real Estate Advisors and Pack Square Collection held a ribbon-cutting on March 3, celebrating the latest mural by local artist Jenny Pickens. The work spans all three levels of the Pack Square parking garage, portraying an eagle in recognition of nearby Eagle Street. Photos by Jennifer Castillo
— Daniel Walton X MOUNTAINX.COM
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BUNCOMBE BEAT
Big Ivy protections spur big turnout at Buncombe meeting By far the largest crowd at a Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — over 300 people, filling the main board chambers and two overflow rooms — descended on the county’s administration building March 1. Most of those in attendance had come to speak on behalf of Big Ivy, a forested region in the county’s northeast. Although the U.S. Forest Service has recommended that most of that land be managed for conservation or recreation in the final draft of its plan for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, approximately 4,000 acres in the North Fork and Snowball Mountain areas have been flagged for potential logging. Will Harlan, head of the nonprofit Friends of Big Ivy, said both areas have cultural and environmental importance that outweigh their use for forestry. North Fork, he pointed out, protects the headwaters of the Ivy River, the principal water source for Weaverville; Snowball hosts popular recreational assets such as the Snowball Trail and a section of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Harlan and many of the more than 50 people who had signed up for public comment, including Co-Director Bob Wagner of the nonprofit MountainTrue and Anna Littman of Ivy Creek Family Farm, asked the commissioners to file a formal objection to the draft plan. By doing so, the county would be allowed to participate in subsequent meetings with Forest Service staff as they resolve issues raised by the community. Brownie Newman, the Buncombe board’s chair, noted that the county had passed resolutions in both 2016
SPEAKING FOR THE TREES: Supporters of greater forest protections for Big Ivy fill an overflow room during a March 1 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. Photo courtesy of Friends of Big Ivy and 2020 supporting federal wilderness designation for the Craggy Mountains and Big Ivy areas. In keeping with that stance, he continued, the county would submit an objection to the Forest Service, with guidance from Friends of Big Ivy. Commissioner Amanda Edwards asked Harlan if such objections had made a difference in other Forest Service processes across the country. He responded that, under new federal rules adopted in 2012, community input had become more significant in shaping final plans.
“We’ve seen substantial response from the Forest Service to objections, especially when they come from the most populous county in the Pisgah-Nantahala footprint,” Harlan said. “You all have a really important role to play, and your voice will be heard.”
In other comments A contingent of residents organized under the name Swannanoans for Respectful Development also
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petitioned the board for help. Matt Barker, the group’s leader, alleged that a Dollar General store being constructed at the intersection of Rowland Road and U.S. 70 is in violation of state rules regarding the placement of its driveway. According to documents presented by Barker, the N.C. Department of Transportation had approved permits that would place the store’s driveway 120 feet north of the intersection, in compliance with the 100-foot minimum. But actual work at the site has the driveway situated just 6 ½ feet north of U.S. 70. Resident Gabrielle Price called the placement an “unfathomable safety risk,” saying she and her 5-year-old child had almost been hit by a construction vehicle leaving the Dollar General site. And Leonty Ostapovich, a pastor and member of Buncombe County’s Ukrainian population, asked the community to support his homeland as it faces invasion by Russia. Through a translator, he said he was collecting donations before traveling to Ukraine’s border with Poland, where he hopes to assist war refugees.
— Daniel Walton X
BUNCOMBE BEAT
Asheville board upholds employee firings over vaccine mandate Employees with the city of Asheville are no longer required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or get tested weekly for the disease, following an indefinite suspension of the city’s “test-or-vaccinate” policy March 2. But five Asheville government workers who were fired in October after violating that policy will remain out of a job following a unanimous Feb. 22 ruling by the city’s Civil Service Board. The volunteer board, which has authority over employee grievances, agreed with the city’s argument that the five workers had shown insubordination by refusing vaccination or testing. In accordance with Asheville due process rules around terminations, the employees — a firefighter, a police officer, a sanitation worker and two Parks and Recreation Department workers — had been given a formal warning, followed by five days of suspension without pay, before being dismissed. Lakota Denton, the Ashevillebased attorney representing the employees, did not deny the insubordination charge. Instead, he argued that their terminations were unjust because the city’s policy was not based on sound medical science. “There’s a major disagreement here on whether or not vaccines prevent the spread of COVID,” Denton said. He had intended to call multiple witnesses, including nationally known Texas cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, to testify that COVID19 vaccines do not stop infection by citing “hundreds of studies and hundreds of data points” from scientific journals and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, board Chair Carol Goins ended the hearing before Denton could call those witnesses. Following testimony by Shannon Barrett, the city’s human resources director, and Stacie Saunders, Buncombe County’s director of public health, Goins said that the board had heard all the evidence it needed to make a ruling. She added that it was not the board’s job to evaluate city policies, “particularly as to subjects that are based on public heath authorities’ information.” Speaking with Xpress after the hearing, Denton alleged that the CSB had treated his clients unfairly and protected the city’s witnesses from
THEM’S THE RULES: Asheville’s Civil Service Board unanimously upheld the firing of five employees who refused to comply with the city’s COVID-19 “test-or-vaccinate” policy in a Feb. 22 ruling. Photo by Jennifer Castillo answering hard questions. He cited the board’s decision to shut down a line of cross-examination about federal court rulings on a similar mandate proposed by the administration of President Joe Biden for all businesses with 100 or more employees. In November, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s test-or-vaccinate rule, describing it as a “one-size-fits-all sledgehammer” that did not account for “varying degrees of susceptibility to the supposedly ‘grave danger’ the mandate purports to address.” The Supreme Court upheld that ruling in a 6-3
opinion Jan. 13, stating the policy was a “blunt instrument” that failed to draw “distinctions based on industry or risk of exposure to COVID-19.” Similarly, Denton argued during the hearing that not all Asheville employees are exposed to the same level of risk from COVID-19. Some work from home or alone in a vehicle, he said, while others already have natural immunity to the virus through prior infection. “I think everyone wants to know why the city is implementing a policy that federal courts have described as lacking in common sense and reality,” Denton told Xpress. “But once
[the CSB] heard that I was asking very difficult questions and that the witnesses were struggling to give me answers, I felt like the board had seen enough and wanted to end it.” Denton said his clients would appeal their case to the Buncombe County Superior Court, where they hope to win back pay from the date of their firing, a sum that would likely exceed $150,000 in total by the time the court hears the case, as much as 20 months away. He added that he would depose Asheville officials and request documents to support his argument that the city’s policy is not supported by science. It’s unclear if more city employees beyond the five represented by Denton were fired due to noncompliance with the COVID-19 policy. John Maddux, assistant city attorney, said during the hearing that the “vast majority” of Asheville’s roughly 1,400 employees had followed the rules. City spokesperson Kim Miller emphasized that city’s decision to suspend its employee vaccination and testing requirements March 2 was completely independent of the CSB hearing. Responding to questions from Xpress, she said “positive trends in infection rates in Buncombe County and within our organization” over recent weeks had allowed for the policy change. “City of Asheville policy has always reflected ‘best practices’ guidelines to protect our staff and community as we all experienced the many phases of the COVID pandemic,” Miller said. She added that the city had not directly consulted with the county’s health department regarding the shift. (Buncombe spokesperson Kassi Day said the county’s own employee vaccination and testing requirements had been suspended effective March 1.)
— Niko Kyriakou X
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WTF
Ballot initiatives As the 2022 election season gears up, Asheville residents can expect to see candidates for Asheville City Council and other local positions on their ballots. But city voters may also have the opportunity to weigh in on citizen-led ballot initiatives, which have yet to be finalized for this election cycle. In the latest installment of our recurring “WTF?” feature — Want The Facts — Xpress looks into the practice of local ballot initiatives to answer some of the biggest questions about the practice. WHAT IS A BALLOT INITIATIVE? According to the N.C. State Board of Elections ballot initiatives are written petitions signed by citizens that can compel local governments to make new laws. Asheville’s ballot initiative process can be found in Section 83 of the city’s charter and states that 15% of registered voters in the city must physically sign on to a proposed ordinance — digital signatures are not allowed — for it to be placed onto a ballot. Petitioners have one year from the date of filing for the initiative to collect signatures, or until the last day of candidate filing, whichever comes first. As of Dec. 15, about 74,000 voters lived in Asheville city limits, putting the
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required number of signatures at just under 11,100. A ballot initiative is different from a referendum in that it allows citizens to propose a new statute or constitutional amendment. A referendum allows voters to decide whether to uphold or repeal an existing law. HOW DO BALLOT INITIATIVES BECOME LAW? Ballot initiatives follow a two-step process to become law. First, petitioners must collect the minimum number of signatures, which are then verified by Buncombe County Election Services. Local election officials check that each signature corresponds to a registered voter within the city limits and ensure that their addresses match their voter registration. If enough signatures are verified, the proposed ordinance is placed on the ballot without alteration to be voted on by the public at large. This process can be initiated at any time, but if the ordinance is submitted within 90 days of a general election, then the measure will be placed on that ballot. Otherwise, the city must call a special election to consider the matter. If a majority of registered voters approves
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the measure, the ballot initiative becomes law. DO OTHER CITIES HAVE BALLOT INITIATIVES? Most North Carolina city charters include provisions for some kind of process by which citizens can amend the charter through a petition, says Asheville City Attorney Brad Branham. But Asheville’s ballot initiative process is somewhat unique in that it permits citizens to submit a petition for a proposed ordinance of any kind, not merely a charter amendment. “This means that the field of potential local law changes is much broader than in most cities,” Branham says. “This broad authority to submit a petition for any ordinance is rare in North Carolina, and I’m not familiar with any other cities which have such language in their local codes.” HAS ASHEVILLE HAD A SUCCESSFUL BALLOT INITIATIVE? Not yet. The closest that an initiative has gotten to making it on an Asheville ballot was in 2020 when the Climate Bill of Rights, a proposal by the Asheville-based nonprofit Community Roots, fell just 27 signatures short of reaching its goal of 10,358. The proposed ordinance would have established that Asheville residents “have a right to a healthy climate, and that right is violated by the extraction, production, waste disposal, distribution, sale and contracting related to fossil fuels.”
Despite that failure, Community Roots co-founder Kat Houghton still believes the ballot initiative process is one of Asheville’s most straightforward ways to participate in local government. “[Ballot initiatives are] the only mechanism that we have that allows us to actually write our own laws,” she says. “It’s really direct democracy. It’s a way for us to actually be part of how things are run.” WHO’S ATTEMPTING INITIATIVES THIS YEAR? Community Roots is again collecting signatures to push the Climate Bill of Rights onto Asheville’s 2022 ballot. So far, the initiative has roughly 3,000 signatures, says Houghton. After learning from 2020’s mistakes, she says her organization is confident it will meet the goal this year. Another citizen-led ballot initiative, Restore Asheville Police, aims to improve morale within and provide additional funding for the Asheville Police Department. A nonprofit of the same name is leading the process of gathering signatures ahead of this year’s election. Restore Asheville Police representative Ross Smith declined to be interviewed. But the campaign’s website states that “in 10 months, Asheville will be on a common-sense path to restore the Asheville PD staffing and reduce crime. … This is accomplished by citizens voting to adopt a new city ordinance and forcing the city administration to act.”
— Brooke Randle X
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR MARCH 9 - 17, 2022
Malaprop's Mystery Book Club Participants will discuss The Distant Dead by Heather Young. Registration required. MO (3/14), 7pm, avl.mx/7jn
For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
Joseph Boone presents Furnace Creek, in conversation with Elizabeth Kostova The authors discuss Boone's book. Sponsored by Malaprop’s. Registration required. TU (3/15), 6pm, avl.mx/prwl
Online Events = Shaded WELLNESS Yoga and the 12 Steps of Recovery (Y12SR) Addresses addiction as a mental, physical and spiritual disease. WE (3/9, 16), 8:30am, Asheville Yoga Center, 211 S Liberty St Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome. WE (3/9, 16), 6:15pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd Montford Tai Chi Hosted by local acupuncturist Tyler White. All ages, every Thursday. TH (3/10, 17), 9am, Free, Montford Recreation Center, 34 Pearson Dr Introduction to Tai Chi Pre-registration required ashevillecommunityyoga.com. TH (3/10, 17), 10:30am, Asheville Community Yoga Center, 8 Brookdale Rd Queer & Trans Yoga Class For everyone who identifies outside the lines and hasn't felt comfortable in a traditional yoga space. TH (3/10, 17), 6pm, avl.mx/b1t LGBTQ Sweat Your Prayers A safe space for the LGBTQ community to move bodies with intention, love, in solidarity. All are welcome, sliding scale. SA (3/12), 9:30am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd
ART Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects This exhibition features recent photographic and video works questioning stereotypes that associate black bodies with criminality by MacArthur Genius Award-winning artist. Tuesday through Friday 10am. WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee 42nd Annual Juried Student Exhibition An opportunity for emerging student artists to share their artwork with the public and enhance their skills in presenting in a professional gallery setting. Tuesdays through
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Thursdays 10am. WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee
Women's History Month event w/Marie Benedict, Kate Moore, Heather Webb, and Katharine Gregorio A discussion among authors Marie Benedict, Kate Moore, Heather Webb and Katharine Gregorio and host Mary O’Malley. Sponsored by Malaprop’s. Registration required. TU (3/15), 7pm, avl.mx/bb8
Medicine Heart Mural Exhibit An exhibition of original large-scale collaborative paintings by Asheville artists and Art Garden co-founders, Annie Kyla Bennett, Dillon Endico and Jack Henry. Daily 11am-5pm, closed Wednesdays. Free, Art Garden AVL, 191 Lyman St #316 WNC Fibers/ Handweavers Guild Exhibition Processes represented include spinning, shibori, batik, silkscreen, weaving, natural dyeing, needle felting, knitting, and more. Daily 10am. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway
Miss Malaprop's Story Time w/Alice Faye Duncan, author of Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free WE (3/16), 10am, avl.mx/bb9 Foreplay In the Mountains Monthly adult storytelling event. 21+, donations appreciated. TH (3/17), 7pm, Asheville Beauty Academy, 28 Broadway
Color Dance Featuring new gallery artists Anne Marie Brown, Raquel Egosi, JoAnn Pippin, and Cindy Shaw. Daily 11am-6pm. Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave
ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time Showcases the works of nine Eastern Band Cherokee basket makers - touching on the dynamic evolution of lineage, sustainability, and cultural expression. Monday through Friday 10am. Center for Craft, 67 Broadway A Hand in Studio Craft: Harvey K. Littleton as Peer and Pioneer Littleton’s collection from the early days of the Studio Glass Movement and the height of the American mid-century Studio Pottery Movement. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton A wide circle of artists in a variety of media were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square The Wyeths: Three Generations Provides a comprehensive survey of works by
MARCH 9-15, 2022
Malaprop's Notorious HBC (History Book Club) Participants will discuss The Secret Token by Andrew Lawler. Registration required. TH (3/17), 7pm, avl.mx/9s9
MAKERS MARKET: The Jackson Arts Market Makers and Music Festival will be held at 533 W. Main St. in downtown Sylva Saturday-Sunday, March 12-13, 1-5 p.m. Local country musician Tanner Burch will perform on Saturday, and an open mic jam will be held on Sunday. The market features local products. Photo courtesy of Jackson Arts Market N.C. Wyeth and some of his family members. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Of Body & Mind This exhibit explores the connection between form and soul through the medium of glass. Daily except Tuesdays 10am. North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B Useful and Beautiful Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge Silver tableware created in the Arts and Crafts tradition, from a trained architect who moved to Asheville in 1924. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
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ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS Hi-Wire Spring Pop-Up Market This market of 20+ vendors will feature a variety of local creatives highlighting some of the best in arts, crafts, and artisanal products from Asheville and surrounding areas. SU (3/13), 12pm, Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top, 2A Huntsman Pl
COMMUNITY MUSIC Calefax Reed Quintet Five reed players hailing from the Netherlands. FR (3/11), 8pm, Unitarian Universalist, 1 Edwin Pl Ryan Keberle and The Catharsis Trio A supergroup of up-and-coming jazz artists. Special master
class March 12 at 4pm. FR (3/11), 8pm, Henry LaBrun Studio at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Discussion Bound Book Club Participants will discuss The Art of Acquiring by Mary Gabriel. WE (3/9), 12pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Friends of the Weaverville Library Used Bookstore: Fill a Box for $5 The library will provide boxes to fill with fiction, non-fiction, kids and teen books, music and DVDs. All proceeds go to the Friends of the Weaverville Library. TH (3/10), FR (3/11), 1pm, 41 N Main St, Weaverville
Neema Avashia presents Another Appalachia, in conversation with Chaya Bhuvaneswar The writers discuss Avashia's book. Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required. TH (3/10), 6pm, avl.mx/b9t
THEATER & FILM Who We Are: Film Screening and Talkback with Building Bridges To dismantle racism by fostering relationships that respect diversity, seek understanding and encourage action. Fifty percent of the ticket price goes toward the organization. WE (3/9), SA (3/12), 1pm, $20, Grail Moviehouse, 17 Foundy St
Phoebe Zerwick presents Beyond Innocence, in conversation with Joe Neff The two discuss Zerwick's book about Hunt's wrongful murder conviction. Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required. FR (3/11), 6pm, avl.mx/bb6
Ephrat Asherie Dance presents Odeon Set to the music of Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazarath, known for mixing early 20th century romantic music with samba and other popular Afro-Brazilian rhythms, this work takes a hybrid approach to movement. WE (3/9), 8pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave
Allan Wolf launches Behold Our Magical Garden The author discusses his new children's book. Sponsored by Malaprop’s. Registration required. SA (3/12), 3pm, avl.mx/bb7
Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders Observe as photographs spring to life, brushes paint on their own and items vanish before the audience’s eyes. TU (3/15), 7pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave
CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Annual Haywood County Master Gardener Plant Sale Hard-to-find native plants. Order forms are available by sending an email to mgarticles@charter.net. Orders are pre-paid and due by March 18. Proceeds from the plant sale fund education-related horticulture projects in Haywood County. Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office, 589 Raccoon Rd, Waynesville Medicare for All Held by Healthcare for All WNC, attendees will write NC candidates running in the 2022 elections. Pizza and drinks will be offered. RSVP to Roger lourocturner@gmail.com. TH (3/10), 5:30pm, East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Rd Flood Recovery Public Info Meeting The information session is open to anyone affected by the Tropical Storm Fred flooding, including homeowners, rental property owners, commercial businesses, and individuals. TH (3/10), 6pm, Crestview Baptist Church, 3258 Pisgah Dr, Canton WNCHA History Hour - Cherokee Women in Resistance and Activism: Valleytowns to the Voting Booth Learn more about Cherokee women and their activism. TH (3/10), 6pm, avl.mx/b97 Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle The program will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit coabc.org or call (828)277-8288. FR (3/11), 2pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd Space’s Greatest Myths Hear answers to questions regarding the biggest myths about space, followed by a chance to look through the institute's outdoor telescopes. Rain or shine. FR (3/11), 4pm, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, 1 PARI Dr, Rosman Truth and Unity Rally An open microphone event with speakers, poets, musicians and dancers. Dress festive and bring instruments. Every Saturday. SA (3/12), 1 Pack Square VITA Tax Preparation Assistance Moderate and low-income individuals and families in WNC can have income tax returns prepared for free by UNCA volunteers. SA (3/12), 10am, Free, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St
Volunteer Expo 2022 Modeled after a job fair, this event will feature more than 50 local nonprofits looking to fill ongoing and future volunteer needs. Presented by the Junior League of Asheville. SA (3/12), 12pm, Crowne Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Dr Astronomical Artistry PARI astronomers will talk about both the planet Saturn, and astronomy’s long tradition of using art to bring distant objects within reach. Supplies will be provided for attendees to bring Saturn to life on canvas. SA (3/12), 6pm, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, 1 PARI Dr, Rosman Onesie Snuggle Party This is a non-sexual touch based event that invites participants to explore platonic intimacy in a fun and safe environment. SU (3/13), 10:45am, Free-$35, North Asheville, avl.mx/bc6 The Folding Chair: Keeping it Real Celebrate new equity advocates and add to the discussion of equity advocacy. The speaker, Jonathan McCoy, is the Director of the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Mars Hill University. MO (3/14), 6pm, Free, avl.mx/bbo Holistic Crop Management Series: Managing Weeds Holistically Understand common weed biology, ecology, and identification, as well as preventative practices to reduce weed pressure. TU (3/15), 6pm, avl.mx/b7t Men's Cancer Support Group The first and third Wednesday of each month, a gathering to share what life with cancer is like. RSVP to Will at 412913-0272 or acwein123@ gmail.com. WE (3/16), 6pm, Free, Woodfin YMCA, 40 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 101 St. Patrick’s Day Green River, Green Love, and Good Luck Hike A roughly 5.5 mile moderate to strenuous loop starting at Bishop Branch Trailhead, with up and down hill sections and one substantial creek crossing with rocks. RSVP is required by March 14 by emailing education@ savehemlocksnc.org or calling (828)252-4783. TH (3/17), 9am, Green River Game Lands, 645 Green River Cove Rd, Saluda
FOOD & BEER River Arts District Winter Market Local produce, cheese, breads, meats and more. WE (3/9, 16), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St
Weaverville Winter Tailgate Market Weekly winter market with bread, cheese and fermented food makers, alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors. WE (3/9, 16), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville ASAP's CSA Fair Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project will present a chance to meet local farmers and learn about Community Supported Agriculture. Talk to farmers about what products they offer, pickup locations, growing practices, and payment options. FR (3/11), 4pm, Free, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S. French Broad Ave
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ASAP Winter Farmers Market Local produce and goods, weekly and year-round. SA (3/12), 10am, A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Rd Jackson Arts Market Makers & Music Festival Year round, rain or shine with live music on Saturday and an open mic on Sundays. Featuring all local makers and producers. SA (3/12), SU (3/13), 1-5pm, Downtown Sylva Open House & Pop Up Market Tour the new space while supporting local food producers Carolina Ground, Pullman Bread, Hominy Farm Milkglass Pie and Looking Glass Creamery. SU (3/13), 11am, Carolina Ground, 1237 Shipp St, Hendersonville
SPIRITUALITY Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional Informal, unstructured virtual gathering to share prayers, readings, music, and inspiration. SU (3/13), 10am, avl.mx/a9m Baha'i Third Wednesday Devotional WE (3/16), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/b6x Jewish Power Hour Weekly Torah class via Zoom. All are welcome. TH (3/17), 6pm, avl.mx/b0h
VOLUNTEERING REACH of Haywood County Volunteer Training Training for volunteers to assist with several areas dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse prevention and intervention. Lunch and snacks provided. To register contact Buffy Queen, (828)456.7898 or BQreach@aol.com, by March 9. SA (3/12), 9:30am, First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S. Haywood St, Waynesville
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Kids Issue
We’re excited to share Part 1 of this year’s Kids Issue, our annual celebration of local K-12 students’ creativity. This year, we asked kids and teens to focus on the theme of “Simply Beautiful.” And what a dazzling array of work we received — from appreciations of friends and nature to reflections on community, technology and more. With 369 submissions from 28 public, charter, private and home schools, we were truly impressed with the strong participation from Western North Carolina students, along with the teachers and parents who helped them submit their creations. Though space limitations prevent us from sharing all of the wonderful work we received, we hope you’ll enjoy this engaging collection of art, essays, poems and short fiction on the following pages. And be sure to check back next week for more simply beautiful student writing and art in Part 2, along with our annual guide to area summer camps. — Xpress Staff X
Music by true artists DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. Then, a bit lower, DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. When represented not as words, but as music, then these words represented a generation of classical music and inspired composers all the way to now. But the iconic opening to Beethoven’s Fifth is not the only beautiful piece of music out there. Every day, beautiful music, inspired by beautiful things, that will someday inspire beautiful things, is written. One of my favorite songs of all time is “Hallowed Be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden (I’m a little old-fashioned), not a song most people would like, never mind think is beautiful. It’s a protosymphony of glorious metal music, with blazing electric guitars
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and drums, set to the poetic tale of a … death row prisoner? Not exactly fun and roses. But then again, you’ve heard the phrase “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” And that is why I don’t like the theme for the submission, “Simply Beautiful,” because nothing truly beautiful is simple. It’s all the complexities, the nooks and crannies full of imperfections and against the graininess that makes things beautiful. This doesn’t mean, however, that things are not beautiful. In fact, if anything, it means more things fall under that description. I could go on for days about “Hallowed” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Stairway to Heaven” and on and on. With autotune and digitalizations have come a new era in music, one where people can make “perfect music.” But the reason I love
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‘SPIRIT OF THE NIGHT’: Asheville Middle School seventh grader Eddie Gerken created an otherworldly equine scene. the music that I do is because Iron Maiden and Queen and Led Zeppelin and The Beatles are true artists, like da Vinci or Michelangelo or Picasso, and anything made by true artists, imperfections and all, is beautiful. — Max Posnock, ninth grade, Mountain Sun Community School
A warm hug I think the most beautiful thing in the world is a warm hug from someone. This is because it has been proven that a warm, heartfelt hug is needed in a human’s life. Not only is it scientifically proven that you need hugs, but also, even a warm hug can change a person’s day or even their life. For example, if you felt that your friends don’t really like you, if they gave you a warm, loving hug and you could tell that they meant it, it could completely change your day. If you
have had the worst life you could have ever had and someone gave you a warm, loving, kind hug, it could turn your life around in the other way. Scientifically speaking, hugs can, one, lower your stress levels from the day, and two, it can actually give your immune system a boost. Just a warm, hearting hug can also reduce your fears going on during the day. Another scientific reason is just a couple of hugs can decrease the level of depression. It can help with your heart health as well as communicating with others and making relationships between you and someone else. Sometimes hugs can be a scientific reason for health and stress, but other times you need it just to feel something. A warm hug may not be something pretty you can look at, but it’s something you can feel and appreciate. The more you think
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‘SHAKIVATOU’: Yaxuan Wen, a 12th grader at Asheville School, painted this winsome portrait. about hugs and how they can help you and others, you really start to appreciate the hugs you get. Hugs are extremely important, so don’t ignore them and give your friends, family or anyone (except strangers) a hug. Because you never know what is going on. — Eliza Calloway, fourth grade, Weaverville Elementary School
Nature and animals As vines come up from the forest floor As the sun shines down through the misty haze The ants scurry The birds chirp And the ocelots leap As beavers chomp down on gargantuan trees The river flows The beavers build their lodge The animals are the forest 22
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They are all NATURE They are all together — Rylan Baker, fourth grade, ArtSpace Charter School
Beauty Shines From Within Some things don’t seem beautiful, but if you look hard enough you might see something Inside is something special, and looks on the outside do not matter Maybe you don’t get along with someone or maybe they don’t get along with you Packed inside of them are feelings they might be too scared to express Lovely things can happen that can make anyone feel special and loved You always have a reason to look deeper into something so you can understand them
KIDS ISSUE
Forest Floor Wilderness Programs Nature Connection Summer Day Camps
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‘THE DEAD’: Keelin Norfleet, a second grader at Lucy S. Herring Elementary School, drew this moving image with a poignant message. Be your own person and don’t change for someone else Even when you’re at your lowest point and want to give up At any moment you could change, yet you need to take a chance and find people who know the real you Understand that there are such things as second chances and mistakes Things take time to Identify that there is truly beauty in everything Feel each moment you live in and appreciate everything you have, even if it feels like so little Ugly things happened in the world when people only look at one perspective Live with an open mind and open heart From now on choose to think smart
Share in the Joy
— Adelaide Little, eighth grade, Carolina Day School
Trees Trees are beautiful They help feed the animals Let’s not cut them down — Sadie Perhac, second grade, Rainbow Community School
ForestFloorAsheville.com
Our community I see you’re looking at some things that are simply beautiful, and here are a few things that we think are just that. First, we think our community is beautiful because of all the wonderful people here. And we think it just makes the place 10 times better. Second, the most beautiful thing in our community is the views we get.
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‘ANNIE AND SARAH’: Jena Aiton, a 10th grader at Charles D. Owen High School, drew this colorful work looking at the power of friendship.
‘MOUNTAIN LLAMA’: ArtSpace Charter School fourth grader Rama Bakke demonstrates the beauty of the natural world in this colorful drawing. They are so majestical and so pretty, and when we look at them, they are so peaceful and calm. We like the community and the views because we feel like they have some meaning and importance to us. We also like to live in our community because when we’re feeling down or sad, our friends always come to the rescue. And they’re so kind. No matter whether it’s the right or wrong time, they’re always with us. Some things that make it beautiful are the colors because they set the mood and make it feel warm, peaceful and nice. The obstacles we might face is the reality that sometimes there are bullies, but we know that we can always count on our friends, family members and maybe even teachers, if it’s at school. Some days we’re just
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not very happy and we are feeling down and friends can’t be there with us because they’re busy, so we just take a trip to see the view to make us feel better. But no matter what we face, we know that we’re not alone in it because we always have our community to be with us, and to us, that is just simply beautiful. — Alisson Rodriguez-Hernandez, Kimie Craven and Natalie Kern, fifth grade, W.D. Williams Elementary
Simply beautiful: drawing I think drawing is the most beautiful thing in the world because you
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can keep it to yourself or show it to other people. It is impossible to draw everything. The chances that I’m going to draw Spiderman right now is one in infinity. You can’t draw everything even if you reincarnate 7 trillion times. Drawing is really time-consuming. I could draw an insanely detailed picture for weeks or an hour. Drawing is so much fun, and it can show the beauty of the universe. — O.R.T. Turnipseed, fourth grade, Mountain Sun Community School
What makes Asheville beautiful Hi, I’m Daniela Jones, and the most beautiful thing to me in Asheville is the wildlife and nature! I’ll be telling you what is beautiful to me in Asheville. What makes it beautiful are the animals, plants and scenery. I like it because 1. I’m an animal person. 2. I absolutely adore nature! 3. I love to see the mountains and trees. And 4. I love all the snow we get in the winter. One challenge the wildlife and nature in Asheville are facing is pollution or littering. Another challenge is species being endangered in our own communities! I can help by picking up trash I see when I’m walking in the park or hiking. I can also help by saving up money to donate to the people who help wildlife. These are all the reasons why I love the wildlife and nature in Asheville and why I think it’s beautiful. — Daniela Jones, third grade, Estes Elementary School
Snowy owls Feathers white and wide Flying swiftly, as quiet as the sky Keeping watch on their prey As fast as the wind Their piercing eyes As yellow as the sky Their claws as sharp as a knife And that’s all I have to say! — Savannah Martin, second grade, The Learning Community
The Mother Tree I think the Mother Tree is one of the most beautiful things in my community. There is a forest near my house, and that’s where the Mother Tree is. I don’t know why it’s called the Mother Tree. My guess is because it’s really big, and it’s really tall. People go to the Mother Tree to decorate it. And something that me and my friend did is we found a dead tree frog, and we made a grave for the tree frog in the roots of the Mother Tree. And we named the tree frog, Sir Froggington the Great. One time we made sort of a house in between the bigger roots of the Mother Tree and played. We’ve seen necklaces and really pretty crystals that people have laid on the roots of the Mother Tree. It’s very beautiful. Challenges that the Mother Tree faces is that people chop down trees sometimes, and also there is some trash in the forest. Well, those are
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Summer Clay Camps at Odyssey ClayWorks
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where children love to learn
DAY CAMP WEEKS: Jun. 6, Jun. 13, Jun. 20, Jun. 27, Jul. 18 & Jul. 25 Creek and forest explorations, outdoor games, outdoor skill building, nature studies, and crafts for rising K-5th and 6th-9th graders. $300 / week.
SUMMER ACADEMY: Two Weeks: Jul. 11-22 One-Week Intensive: Jul. 25 ‘MY ART TEACHER’: Emma Elementary School second grader Antonio captures a beautiful attitude in this portrait.
An educational program for rising 1st - 6th graders who struggle with dyslexia or other language-based learning differences or students who have fallen behind due to virtual learning. Morning word study/reading lessons and math lessons are hands-on and multisensory. Afternoon choice: (1) art studio or (2) outdoor ed activities creekside and in the forest.
challenges for all trees. The way that people can make a difference is pick up the trash, stop littering and only cut down trees that are already dead or dangerous in some ways. — Amelie Milling, second grade, The Odyssey School
Nature’s beauty
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Sometimes I am out in nature, and I think about how great it feels to be outdoors and how even the smaller details in nature are simply beautiful. My dad took me on a hike a few weeks back while my little sister was at Girl Scouts. We pointed out how amazing and delightful things are, like the reddish color on all of the tree leaves way up there in the canopy. As we walked, we observed for a little while and then we stopped and turned around to go pick up my little sister from Girl Scouts.
Sometimes when I am out in nature, I like to stop and look. I end up noticing things that I wouldn’t have detected before, like a subtle orange mushroom or a clear, little stream. All of these experiences have something in common. That thing is their simple beauty. It is hard to notice these wonders unless you stop and look. If you do, you’ll be very happy with what you see! — Samuel Pass, fifth grade, Oakley Elementary
The beauty of expression Expression is the most beautiful thing. It provides the attribute of communication beyond the degree of appearance that one carries. It gives the ability to create something that can express itself without
KIDS ISSUE
Play. Discover. Explore.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Bella Brown, a second grader at The Brown Academy, writes in an artist’s statement, “Birds are beautiful and make everything around them more beautiful, too!” being definite. It can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways. And for something to be justified in a way comfortable with one, to provide integrity to a piece, in itself, that creates art. But why is the consumption of art important? Why is trying to give a meaningless point a significance worth it? Well, it depends on how you think of it. Thinking outside the box develops creativity and ingenuity. It develops confidence in mental areas that usually would never be explored. Art isn’t natural. It’s a skill. It requires practice to understand. This is why it’s beneficial when you know how to perceive it. It’s not only helpful, it becomes an avocation that develops higher than anything else. It’s vision and perceptiveness. It’s seeing with your consciousness. It’s a power. So, you can see why I think it’s the most influential and alluring subject to explore for yourself. Thing is, everyone explores it, every second.
You express yourself with everything, every single day. It’s commonplace but not pointless. So, always take time to do something that allows you to express yourself. Doesn’t matter how. There are thousands of types of art, music, painting, nonobjective art, etc. To express is to convey and to concept. Not to understand, to compare, and to distinguish, not to divulge.
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— Slater Montague, sixth grade, The Franklin School of Innovation
Traveling Something I think is the most beautiful thing in the world is traveling. Traveling is the best experience you could get. If you travel, you can learn more things, like where you’re from and your culture.
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‘HARPOONING HOPE’: Ada Graham, an eighth grader at Hanger Hall School, contributed a work that encourages reflection. Traveling may help you learn a different language or know more about the place and visit family. You can go anywhere you want, a place that can make you happy. Places I have gone to are Mexico, Texas and many more places. One of my favorite memories is spending time with my family at the beach. — Jose Mondragon, sixth grade, IC Imagine
Kindness is everything Kindness Kindness is everything In the universe It is what brings us together Kindness is everything It makes people happy It can bring a smile to a face Kindness is everything It can be shared with a friend Or a stranger Kindness is everything It can heal you It can heal another Kindness is everything It is simple It is beautiful Kindness is everything — Iris Gentry, fourth grade, Mountain Sun Community School
Picture frame Based on the THOMS vignette “Hairs,” by Sandra Cisneros A simple photograph. Resting gently on a mantel. A family. A snapshot. Frozen in time. Smiles all around like a jack-o’-lantern in the prime of Hallow’s Eve. A cornucopia of food. A feast at the old wooden table. Little children run around, tugging tablecloths and stealing silverware. Mothers, aunts and grandmothers in
the kitchen preparing a meal fit for royalty. Chattering like a scurry of squirrels. Fathers in the living room trying to help but are being pushed away with little attention. Cousins laughing, playing board games and writing stories only they will love. The air is cool and crisp. Slight breezes dance leaves across the trees The sky is scattered with corals, violets and indigos. Mountains loom in the distance, dusted with whimsical white flakes. Light fades as dusk ages into night. Laughter softens into whispers. Scraps of food are left to pieces resting in cold glass trays. The family migrates to the couch, collapsing from a long day of frost and food. Dresses change to nightgowns, while collared shirts turn to slippers. The moon is silver and the stars glisten in the endless sky.
‘WHAT I LOVE’: Claire Brunner, a sixth grader at Brunner Homeschool, writes in an artist’s statement, “I want to bring attention to all the destruction and extinction happening all around us. I want us to act so the Earth is more beautiful in the future.”
— Maia Kiiss, eighth grade, Carolina Day School
My school playground The most beautiful thing in my community is the Rainbow Community School playground. It has a big wooden structure that is sometimes called the gnome village. It is three stories high, and we can look at the very top of it from the fourth grade classroom. It has really fun monkey bars that are highish from the ground. It also has a tire swing beside the structure and the slide. Down from the tire swing is the field where we play soccer. Across from the fields are the swings and the gaga ball pit. On the other side of the structure is a stage, basketball court and tunnel. Sometimes we get to play on the zip line, which attaches to the struc-
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CHANGING FACES: Seventh grader Piper Graham of Evergreen Community Charter School painted this thought-provoking image. ture and goes to a tree that is next to the tunnel. One of my favorite places on the playground is the climbing tree by the student support office. I can climb up there and think, read or talk to my friends. Max built the playground, and I helped. I helped build the gaga ball pit. I also have helped Max and Shawn spread out mulch. A big truck full of mulch came to Rainbow, and I helped spread the mulch. The playground helps me get my energy out. I love every single itty bitty microscopic atom of this amazing, wonderful and beautiful playground. — Tristan Lloyd, fourth grade, Rainbow Community School
Imagination Imagination Holds the delicate beauty Of a jungle. It is unknown, Around every corner There is something new, Under every rock and stone,
A strange pondering of the world Each flower, A spark of wonder. It allows one to escape, To run with possibilities that are only in one’s head, To defy the rules of the world And twirl in the rainfall of ideas, Growing blossoms of thought. It is unique, To each their own, A path all to yourself, Winding through dreams and nightmares, Questions and answers, Knowledge and naiveté. But imagination is a figment of the mind, A flower that blooms in the heat of creativity But it is not meant for the frost of reality’s winter. It is fragile, unless nourished And one constantly has to push the limits of the world For the growth that will change it. — Juniper Finneron, sixth grade, Francine Delany New School for Children
FLOWER POWER: Rainbow Community School third grader Eleanor Chassner writes, “Sunflower is simply beautiful!”
Pisgah Mountain When I think about the most beautiful place that I think of, Pisgah Mountain is so beautiful because that is where I grew up. When you go up on the mountain, you can smell the fresh air and then you see the mist on the mountain and the beautiful green trees, blue and purple sky. When I’m up there, I feel free, and I feel like there is not any trouble in the world. People go up there to take pictures, hike and walk their dogs. I like it because it is in the country, and there is not a house on top of Pisgah like there is in the city. The city gives me stress, but when I am in the country, I do not get any stress. On your way up to Mount Pisgah, you can pass an old farm or log cabins that are just so beautiful, and you pass cows and houses and old churches that are historical, and they are beautiful. — Savannah Taylor, seventh grade, IC Imagine
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Simply beautiful: trees I think the most beautiful thing in Asheville is the trees. I like the trees because I think that they give protection, and they make me feel safe. I think that trees are beautiful because there are so many different types of them. I also like how they branch out into so many different parts. They also look different throughout the seasons, and each stage is majestic and different. Trees have faced the challenge of being cut down. Mostly trees have been cut down due to major industries and companies building restaurants, boutiques, shops, etc. People can stop this by arranging protests and boycotting areas due to be cut down. In this way, I think that trees won’t be cut down if you just make a simple difference. People might be able to
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keep the trees as nice as they are for generations to come. I always like to just go outside and just take a second and breathe in the fresh air and remember what trees do for humans. — Jude Fisher-Tranese, fifth grade, Odyssey School
A winter morning
‘IN 300 FT MERGE RIGHT’: Eleventh grader Avery Hill of The Franklin School of Innovation takes us on a joy ride with this picturesque painting.
It was a bitter cold winter morning, the wind outside howling, blowing snow everywhere. Esmond Collins sat by the fire in his log cabin in the mountains, reading a book. Esmond loved to read and would sit by the fire in his favorite chair and read his books whenever he had time. But, today, he had other plans. Setting down his book, he headed to the mudroom. He put on his snow pants and his jacket. He put on his gloves, his boots and his scarf. He put on his hat, and then he opened the door and headed out into the storm. The wind tore at Esmond’s hat and clothes, biting his face with cold. He walked once around his house, admiring the crystalline icicles hanging off the roof. He then left his house, following a trail that even the snow couldn’t erase for the many times he had walked.
Pushing against the wind and sleet, Esmond hiked up the snow-blanketed mountain. It was devilishly cold, and the mountain was immensely steep, but he pressed on. After much toil, Esmond at last reached the summit. Up on the mountain, the storm could barely reach him. Only a few gusts of wind, sparkling with snow, blew around him. This was his favorite spot to be when it snowed, for he could look down on everything below. The sky was crystal clear, and the earth below looked as if it were sleeping, covered in a blanket of snow. Farther below, the storm raged, but up here, Esmond was warm in his coat. He just sat there for a while, simply enjoying the beauty of it all. After a while, he picked himself up, took one last look at the snow-covered landscape and headed back to his cabin to read his book. — Noah Brown, eighth grade, Mountain Sun Community School
Movies The most beautiful thing in my opinion are movies. They have so much detail. They are good, traumatizing, sad, bad, scary, funny and beautiful.
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KIDS ISSUE
‘KOREA’: Asheville School 10th grader Jiahn Lee painted this striking landscape. easier, or more efficiently or smaller or faster or just better. This innovation is what keeps our world going. Having people go from sharp sticks and fires to us now. Automobiles, mobile devices, air conditioning. All things we take for granted. The thing is, we won’t stop this, either. We won’t stop innovating, making phones smaller and more efficient, making cars run better or on a differ-
ent energy source. Or something new. Never seen in our world yet. Maybe not even in our imaginations. This unexpected appearance of new technology is what brings it all together for me. Technology is just simply beautiful. — Zachary Lawson, eighth grade, Evergreen Community Charter School
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Hands-on Science,
Art & Engine ‘NEGATIVE SPACE PAINTING’: Owen High School ninth grader Zay Graham offers up this colorful work. A Dog’s Way Home is a great, sad and beautiful movie. They are better than the books, in my opinion. Movies are great. They’re good to spend your time with. And teach life lessons first. — Liam Hawley, fourth grade, Weaverville Elementary
Love and peace Love and peace are both beautiful things. They’re something that you should never forget. No matter where you are or however rich you get. Love and peace will be with you at all times. Oh, never ever should you forget the magic of love, the magic of peace. Without love, you could not love or even like things. Without peace, you couldn’t have peaceful moments. Just every night when you lay your head upon your pillow, tell yourself: Love is with me. And peace, too. — Gaby Boye, third grade, The Learning Community
cky Inventions Robots, Wh&aM ore!
Technology Simply beautiful. If I heard this phrase, I would automatically think of the mountains, wildlife, maybe a fancy house with a fancy view. I might think of the bonds between each one of us, as friends, family, even rivals. I might think of food, carefully crafted by a trained chef and all the flavors dancing in the mouth. I might think of a finished project, with a whole team. A collaboration. A masterpiece. I feel like something I find personally beautiful is none of those things. Something we take for granted is technology. By definition, technology is actually “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.” This is beautiful to me for many reasons. Seeing a group of people, big or small, maybe even one or two people put time into making something new. Something that helps our society run
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KIDS ISSUE
Puppies The most beautiful thing in the world are puppies. Just hearing them bark when you are bored, you can just start playing with them. The sound of excitement when you get home. They are so funny. They can protect you. They can chase you. They can love you with all of their heart. They are super smart! Dogs can hear almost a mile away. They are so fluffy! There are goldendoodles that are hypoallergenic. They are so cute, almost cuter than my goldendoodle. They are so playful, and they’re really, really good at swimming, and they are the best dog you can ask for. — Miles Johansen, fourth grade, Weaverville Elementary School
You are beautiful You are beautiful, You are one of a kind, Right now, think of all your positive qualities, And things you can do better than your average person, Always remember that, You are smarter,
‘A HOUSE BY A WATERFALL’: Emma Elementary School second grader Isabella drew this vibrant scene. You are braver, You are more capable, You are more significant, Than you think you are, And don´t forget this. — Sadie Carver, sixth grade, IC Imagine
Snow I think snow is the most beautiful thing in the world. I love to see the snow in the winter. I love the feeling of snowflakes dropping on my spine, the feeling of
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KIDS ISSUE
A BUTTERFLY’S WINGS: Tenth grader Aixa Araujo of The Franklin School of Innovation drew this colorful image. the ice turning to water and running down my back. I love the soft breeze and how the world is engulfed in white, white snow. I love watching the tiny white specks sprinkle from the sky like salt from a salt shaker, and the snow on the trees and how it looks like a pillow that I can snuggle on. It’s beautiful to see the mountains all fluffy and white, and how the green trees turn white. I love when snow falls down your back and gives your body a spark of heat, fire and how my body tingles. The feeling of just sitting outside and watching the snow fall in different shapes and looking in our past life in the snowy scenery. That is why I think snow is the most beautiful thing in the world. — Branson Allen, fourth grade, Weaverville Elementary School
The beach The sweet salty air the sand beneath my feet the big seagulls soaring the beach brings you Peace — Georgia Capps, third grade, The Learning Community
The art of art Simply beautiful is something that presents itself in a personally reflective way. Like the bright white
blossom of an iris sitting in a clay pot on a windowsill. Or the dripping water from an icy branch in a frozen forest. It has a perspective of inspiration and a feel of contradiction. For the iris will wilt when winter comes and the clouds block the required sun. And the ice will fall off the trees, sometimes with a destructive impact. There can be a different interpretation for everything, and that is what makes it beautiful. What I think is beautiful in our community is the separate and independent exposition of it. For example, the city of Asheville is strongly founded and based on its arts and crafts of wonder. It is looked at as a city of mountainous fascination, especially by the world of arts, where it is rewritten or redrawn in a thousand different forms before being presented as such. It can just as easily be painted as it can be hiked or explored. These surroundings have been exhibited as many times as there have been artists that have publicly shown appreciation for it. I once saw a painter standing completely still in front of a canvas. His eyes gazed across the shallowly lit forest greenway on the other side of the canvas while his hands gently twitched in small movements to recreate the presented beauty. This is my example of what is simply beautiful, not only the natural awe by itself, but also the individual compositions of impressive displays that represent the place we live in. Simply beautiful is the art of art.
‘SUNSET AT THE BEACH’: Hanger Hall School sixth grader Ashton Santacruz recalls a family beach trip, writing, “I will remember that time forever. That is why I think family is just simply beautiful.”
Green thumbs & aspiring gardeners alike!
Spring is near, and as the weather warms, Xpress will be launching a monthly gardening feature based on reader questions. Please send all gardening inquiries to gardening@mountainx.com
— Eli Card, eighth grade, Evergreen Community Charter School MOUNTAINX.COM
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WELLNESS
How to save a life
Local hospitals encourage more blood donation
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of behavioral changes and not all of them are good — for example, blood donation. Western North Carolina’s blood supply is maintained through the nonprofit The Blood Connection, which serves North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Its five mobile units travel throughout WNC taking donations in communities, and it has brick-and-mortar locations in Arden and Hendersonville. Spokesperson Katie Smithson says that at the beginning of the pandemic, The Blood Connection saw “a huge response from the community … a spike in donations.” But these slowed as the pandemic wore on, and she described the current situation as “fluctuating.” By spring 2021, The Blood Connection warned its blood supply was “critically low.” It also faced a
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HIGH DEMAND: Thirty-eight percent of the world’s population has Type O-positive blood, according to The Red Cross. Photo by iStockphoto critical need during the summer of 2021, Smithson explains, attributing the dip in donations to people going on vacation. Although donations improved for about a month when the school year began, the omicron variant’s spike in COVID-19 cases prompted blood donations to plunge again. “The beginning of this year was as bad as we’ve seen it in quite some time,” she says. The Blood Connection “needs to collect 800 units per day to ensure we have a steady supply of blood products for local hospitals,” she says. (Blood is measured in units and one unit is 250 milliliters.) From Feb. 1-27, The Blood Connection only hit its daily target on seven days, Smithson says. It collected an average of 686 units per day in February, she continues, which creates “an accumulating deficit.” The local blood supply isn’t the only inventory that’s flagging. The American Red Cross, which supplies 40% of the country’s blood supply, says it is facing the worst blood shortage in a decade.
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BLOOD 101 Hospitals stock inventory of each blood type: A, B, AB and O, each of which can be positive or negative (called the Rh status). Facilities keep different amounts of each blood type on hand corresponding with its prevalence in the population. “We monitor those levels to make sure that if a call were to come in [requesting more blood], we have it on hand,” Smithson says. The most common blood type is O-positive, as it can be found in 38% of the world population, according to The Red Cross. O-negative is a universal blood type, as anyone can receive it. It’s also the most frequent blood type to run out in a shortage, The Red Cross says. After blood is donated locally, it is sent back to Piedmont, S.C., where The Blood Connection is headquartered, to be tested for bloodborne illnesses like HIV, says Smithson. It is also separated into three parts — red blood cells, platelets and plas-
ma — which each have their own medical uses. Then it is returned to the location where it was donated, she explains. “Our goal is always to make sure that the blood that is donated in the community stays in the community,” she explains. STOCKING UP What constitutes a blood shortage depends on the needs of the community, Smithson says. Hospitals have a general idea of the amount of blood they need for planned surgeries, but they also need to plan for the unknown. In an emergency “one person could come in and need upwards of 20 units of blood,” she says. Each local hospital has different criteria for the inventory of blood it keeps on hand. Charles George VA Medical Center chief of staff Dr. Ash Ahsanuddin notes that low stock isn’t the same as a shortage, though the two can be related. The VA typically stocks about 40 units of blood composed of different types,
he continues. A low stock for the VA would be considered having 30 units or fewer. Mission Health and Charles George VA Medical Center also have a sharing agreement to resupply each other’s inventory when needed, says Ahsanuddin. AdventHealth Hendersonville spokesperson Victoria Dunkle says it “keeps a normal stock of six to eight units per type with the exception of O-positive, which we try to keep at a minimum of eight units on hand at all times.” And Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville maintains a maximum stock of 16 units of O-positive blood. Its minimum stock is 10 units, explains chief medical officer Dr. Gregory McCarty. “If you fell below that, you would consider it a shortage,” he explains. The VA is also unique in that it can access an additional blood supply beyond The Blood Connection. Most VA medical centers use the same blood banks that local hospitals use, Ahsanuddin explains. However, there are federal options for VA. Charles George VA Medical Center has never needed to access that resource. SMALL SHORTAGES All the local hospitals contacted by Xpress confirmed that they’ve no difficulties resupplying low inventory from The Blood Connection when needed. McCarty says Pardee UNC Health Care had lower blood supplies during COVID. “We had maybe a little shortage of O and A-negative blood during the biggest spikes of COVID.” He described the lower supply as “a little bit below minimum stock for a short period of time, but for the most part, we have not experienced a shortage,” he says. The Blood Connection has been able to get the Charles George VA Medical Center “everything we ask
for typically within hours,” confirms Ahsanuddin. He adds, “Any delays from Blood Connection have typically been less than a day, even during the height of the pandemic.” The VA has not had to reduce any planned surgeries because blood wasn’t available, Ahsanuddin says, adding that it also hasn’t run chronically low. “Mission has experienced periodic shortages; however, we have been able to meet demand,” Nancy Lindell, spokesperson for Mission Health, tells Xpress in a statement. Still, local hospitals have been cautious not to waste blood. The VA hospital refined its protocols to “make sure we’re using blood appropriately and not waste it,” Ahsanuddin says. And McCarty adds Pardee has tightened its criteria, too: It tries to order one unit at a time to “use the minimal amount of blood that we need,” he says. LOCAL DONATIONS If a school, business, residential complex or community group is interested in hosting a blood drive, The Blood Connection can be reached at 864-751-5003. Lindell says Mission Health experiences a need for more blood during the summer and early fall “due to more people living or visiting here in those seasons.” McCarty urges eligible blood donors to donate and wants the community to know that blood drives take safety precautions for COVID. “I think [the blood supply level is] concerning and people need to get back out and donate,” he says. “I know that people have been reticent to do that during the pandemic, but we always have needs for blood.” X
HOW TO DONATE BLOOD The Blood Connection accepts donations from people ages 16 and older, and whole blood can be donated every 56 days. The Blood Connection’s Arden and Hendersonville centers are open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Drop-ins are welcome. For more information, or to make an appointment, visit https:// thebloodconnection.org/.
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ARTS & CULTURE
Acting the part
Theater education programs encourage bright futures for area youths
BURNSVILLE’S BROADWAY: Parkway Playhouse’s numerous youth offerings include annual summer productions such as Junie B. Jones, JR. Photo by Cassie Floan
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Chase Brock, a choreographer for Broadway and London’s West End, got his start as a student and young performer at the Flat Rock Playhouse, and the TV/film actor Jimmi Simpson (Netflix’s “House of Cards”) was once an apprentice as well. But for Anna Kimmell, director of education for FRP’s education wing, Studio 52, one need not pursue a life in the performing arts to be considered a success. “A ‘success story’ at Studio 52 is anyone who finds their voice, improves their confidence, builds community or discovers joy through a theatrical experience. In that regard, we witness success stories nearly every day,” Kimmell says. “We believe that no matter what career our students pursue, the arts make them more compassionate, confident and creative members of society.” That focus on youth development over superstardom is likewise a cornerstone of Asheville’s The Montford 38
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Moppets and Burnsville-based Parkway Playhouse, all of which have doubled down on their commitment to educating future generations during these challenging past two years. READING THE ROOM Operating from the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, The Montford Moppets, a youth-led program, prides itself on helping students claim ownership of their creativity by providing opportunities for them to problem-solve, collaborate and create. For nearly a decade, the Moppets were part of the Montford Park Players’ education department with performances limited to a single show each summer. But according to Moppets artistic director Ashleigh Goff, over the last five years, show and class offerings have tripled, and in 2020 the Moppets incorporated as its own theater company. “This year, we’re doing four mainstage shows, two design classes, a film class centered on the horror
genre and our first Moppets alumni production,” Goff says. “We’ve grown so much, and we’re just getting started.” Meanwhile, Parkway Playhouse is currently celebrating its 75th year of operation. Yet the company only started its programming for children and teens in 2015, beginning with twothree shows per year. Since then, it’s grown into a full selection of offerings for kids, including a range of classes, two productions, three summer camps and summer apprenticeship programs. There’s even a comedy improv troupe called Get the Hook. “The biggest difference it makes in our students’ lives is their level of confidence,” says Jenny Martin, Parkway Playhouse’s director of education and outreach. “We’ve had multiple students over the years who took a class or auditioned for a play ‘just to try it’ and became hooked on theater. They now regularly audition for both youth and adult programming, and work in many capacities in the theater doing lighting and sound, performing and more.”
RENEWED FOCUS All of the above, however, was turned upside down in March 2020 when local and statewide restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 negated in-person learning. All three organizations shifted to online classes early in the pandemic and found varying degrees of success in this largely untested landscape. The virtual setting allowed Studio 52 to expand its reach and include students from across North Carolina. And after returning to meeting in person in 2021, Kimmel says she and her colleagues have reimagined day-today operations with outdoor classes and performances on FRP’s grounds. The need to pivot similarly brought out the best in the Moppets. Goff notes that their young artists needed an outlet that they weren’t able to get anywhere during the pandemic’s initial months, so the educators attempted to re-create that community for them by transitioning to digital productions. “We tried a lot of things in the beginning — and honestly, some didn’t work out so great, like rewriting Romeo and Juliet to fit the framework of the pandemic and politics,” she says. “But we also did some things that really worked, like our digital production of The Tempest. We asked individual Moppets to direct their own scenes in their own style, and the end result was beautiful.” The Moppets have since returned to in-person rehearsals and shows, doing masked read-throughs and requiring all participants be vaccinated. Goff says that navigating the safety of students and families is tricky but not impossible, thanks to participants willing to work together. But even with the general return to normalcy, some of the programs the Moppets developed during the pandemic have stuck around, namely the horror anthology film, which Goff adds “has quickly become a favorite.”
“The pandemic forced us to think about more ways we can engage our mission with students,” she says. “We challenged ourselves to change and grow, and now we are able offer students more variety.” THE WORLD’S A STAGE As summer nears and operations get ready to crank up to their highest levels of the year, all three organizations are excited for their most ambitious seasons thus far. Parkway Playhouse has begun rehearsals for The Addams Family, Young@Part, which runs May 13-22, followed by a summer camp production of The Little Mermaid, JR., July 11-22. The Moppets are offering three classes with guest teachers, including a special effects and stage makeup course with artist and Moppet alum Kai Strange. And Studio 52 will present an all-new West Side Story-themed camp that gives teens an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at FRP’s professional production of the beloved musical. But through these fun activities, organizers remain mindful of their overall missions and how theater education can make a long-term impact on participating youths. “Theater skills aren’t in a vacuum,” Martin says. “They enable children to collaborate with others, learn responsibility and dedication, use math skills such as measuring and geometry, and engage in public speaking.” In her role as executive director for the Moppets, Rachel Cort says she takes responsibility for making sure that young people have a solid foundation from which to grow and that the organization continues to expand the audience they reach and the student populations that they serve.
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ARTS & CU L T U R E
ROCK STARS: Students of Flat Rock Playhouse’s Studio 52 education program take advantage of warm weather in summer 2021. Photo courtesy of Flat Rock Playhouse “I have strong personal feelings about access to performing arts for all youth who might want to participate, and we do offer scholarships to anyone who needs one,” Cort says. “It’s important to me to protect that access, to build our scholarship fund and to connect with as many kids as possible who might be interested in performing or participating in theater but might have financial barriers to participating in other programs.” LIFE LESSONS Over time, Goff has seen every Moppet learn something new about themselves with each show through hands-on experiences with responsibility and accountability. She’s witnessed students in tears doubting their abilities, then watched that fear change to pride and a sense of accomplishment once they realize they’re capable of almost anything. “That’s truly the magic that theater creates,” Goff says, yet she and her colleagues’ aims reach far beyond Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre. “More than preparing our Moppets for a career in theater, though, we try prepare them for a career in anything,” Goff says. “All of our students are collaborative, patient, responsible, adaptable and resourceful. We try to give our students the skills to handle the variables life throws at young adults. Over the years, our alumni have come back to visit and update us on what’s happening for them, and each one is a success story.” The benefits aren’t limited to the kids, either. Kimmell says she learns
as much from her students as they do from her, if not more, and that “their imaginations, kind spirits and varied perspectives” ground her in the present and give her hope for the future. Martin is likewise confident about the difference theater can have on a young person and sees its impact on a daily basis in her own life. “Our students at Parkway are quite literally the future of our organization. I started myself as an apprentice/intern at Parkway at age 15, and now here I am, teaching theater at the middle schools in Yancey County and working as the education director at my very favorite place,” she says. “Some of my best friends, memories and lessons were learned and earned traipsing across that stage, and I want that for our students, as we laugh, learn, cry and create together.” Furthermore, notes Kimmell, these programs continue to be a lifeline for many students during these challenging times. She feels that theater creates a space for collective healing where young people meaningfully connect with like-minded peers, channel and process their emotions, take creative risks, develop language, listening and communication skills, exercise empathy and build confidence. “The mental, emotional and developmental toll the pandemic has taken on young people cannot be understated,” she says. “When a parent shares that their child has been ‘transformed’ or ‘brought back to life’ through theater, we’re reminded of how essential our work is to young people.” X MOUNTAINX.COM
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ARTS & C U L T U R E
ART
With a side of tenacity
Photography exhibit documents local food industries recent hardships BY ARNOLD WENGROW a.wengrow@yahoo.com In October, Asheville photographer Carol Spagnuola was talking over coffee with her friend and fellow photographer Sheila Mraz about her 2020 Curbside Revival project — an Instagram campaign Spagnuola spearheaded to document how local restaurants pivoted to survive the early days of the pandemic. That day, Spagnuola shared with Mraz her desire to bring the photos offline as part of a local exhibit. As the two friends brainstormed where she might host the event and what it would look like, Spagnuola continued to fill Mraz in about the project’s history and scope. “It was evident in her voice,” Mraz recalls, “that this wasn’t just a small endeavor but something that affected her and others on a much larger scale.” IN THE BEGINNING Today, Spagnuola considers Curbside Revival her pandemic passion project, one that allowed her to remain connected at a time when most people were retreating from public spaces. “One thing about me personally,” she says, “I really love to work with other humans. I love nothing more than to make people feel good.” This urge, she continues, is what fueled her throughout the early days of COVID-19 shutdowns. “It was a Thursday morning,” she recalls. “I remember it to a T. I was
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lying in bed when my eyes opened. I sprung up and went, ‘Nobody is photographing the restaurants and the breweries and the coffee shops and how they had to close their doors and reinvent the wheel and start doing takeout.’” Immediately thereafter, Spagnuola got on the phone and began pitching her idea to restaurant owners. If they would let her photograph their takeout operations, she told them, she would create an Instagram page to get the word out about how they were tackling the pandemic restrictions. “I called 60-plus restaurants,” she says. “I had 10 seconds to give them my spiel. And I had to quickly tell them I wasn’t asking for money — that I just wanted to set up a time to do this.” Within 10 days, she shot 60 restaurants. With health guidelines in place, each shoot brought with it the feeling of unknown territory. “I didn’t know how they were doing the takeout,” she explains. “I had to create the moment on the spot. Some of them I had to give directions. Some of them had an idea, and we created the shot together.” The Instagram page, @curbsiderevivalasheville, went live May 15, 2020, and amassed over 400 followers during the first week. “That’s more than I attracted in a year for my regular photography,” Spagnuola says. PAST IS PROLOGUE Back at the coffee shop in October, Spagnuola remembers telling Mraz she wanted to “think outside the
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STRIKE A POSE: Photographer Carol Spagnuola is stepping out of the studio for her upcoming exhibit, Curbside Revival Experience: A Showcase of Perseverance and Strength. Photograph by Micah Mackenzie box” to create “an experience, more than just a gallery show of images.” The two friends decided it would be best if the exhibit took place at one of the locations featured in the project. Spagnuola ultimately approached Brad and Corina Casanova, owners of Archetype Brewing, who agreed to host.
On Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12, Curbside Revival Experience: A Showcase of Perseverance and Strength will premiere at the brewery’s downtown location, 174 Broadway, 6:30-10 p.m. The $15 ticketed event will feature light hors d’oeuvres by chef Isaiah Presley of Fox Lilly Catering, 67 Biltmore Downtown Eatery + Catering, The Chocolate Fetish and 828 Family Pizzeria. Acoustic guitarist Josh Blake plays Friday night, and Josh Stack plays Saturday night. Beer, wine, cider and nonalcoholic drinks will be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. “The body of work that Carol created is incredible,” says Brad Casanova. “It not only captures and documents a time and place but also evokes some powerful emotions and thoughts.” Corina Casanova adds, “When Carol Spagnuola approached us about using her talents to lift up area businesses and tell our stories, we all got a glimpse of Carol’s business and the dynamic talent and ingenuity she brings to Asheville. All that support kept us motivated, kept us strong. We also appreciated the creativity of other local businesses, offering support, collaboration and sharing the challenges together.” For Mraz, the event has the potential to reconnect the community in a meaningful way. “It seemed clear to me that Carol’s photography project could be a healing moment for our Asheville community to come together once again,” she says. “Carol courageously documented a monumental moment in time that is worthy to reflect on and learn from. Her powerful images could have sat dormant on her computer or shared for others to experience. I am thankful that she chose the latter.” For more information and to purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/b8z. X
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MUSIC
Fantastic femmes
Asked to describe the process of making Day & Dream’s new LP, The Art of Remembering, Abby Amaya sums it up with one word: “schizophrenic.” Prior to the pandemic, the Ashevillebased singer-songwriter/keyboardist typically tracked everything in one studio with guitarist Peter Frizzante, along with a handful of regular collaborators. The group’s latest album involved four studios, five session musicians and four sound engineers in different cities, states and countries. “With all the numerous lockdowns and no regular practice with other musicians, this album was difficult,” Amaya says. “The songs were created in isolated bubbles, and we missed gathering and laughing with other artists. Musically, the album is way less fuzzy and shoegaze than our first. And it’s more chilled-out, probably from being at home so much.” Despite the scattered way that The Art of Remembering came together, it’s a remarkably cohesive record, unified by Amaya’s alluring vocals and a carefully crafted soundscape that showcases a duo in full command of their musical gifts. While the pair experimented more with programming their own beats, the album also features a number of contributing bassists and drummers. “Every musician on the album was played a demo of the tracks, and then we gave freedom for them to play what they felt, before offering them feedback,” Frizzante says. “Generally speaking, the song structures are simple. There are moments when there’s mildly flashy playing, but overall there’s a steady flow to the songs. That’s how we like to keep it.” Locally, Day & Dream looped in bassist Matt Tobia, who Amaya says has “a mighty indie rock/shoegaze aesthetic,” and drummer Jake Cavinder, whom she compares to none other than Animal from The Muppets. “He is superfunny and can do a lot,” she says. “It’s sometimes unpredictable and over the top, but it’s always full of heart. His drumming at the end of ‘Soft/ Softer’ really shows what he can do.” Atlanta-based jazz combo Daniel Hyman (bass) and Matt Hendler (drums) enhance nearly half of the tracks — Hyman’s riffs on “Rabbit Hole” and “Separation Anxiety” particularly stand out for the band — while two older songs with Brevardbased bassist Erik Jan proved nicely compatible with the newer material. “We love [Erik’s] psychedelic vibe and have played many shows with him,” Amaya says. “His bassline for 44
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Day & Dream, Patty M and Wednesday release new albums
THREE-COURSE MEAL: Clockwise from top left, area artists Day & Dream, Wednesday and Patty M offer a balanced musical diet with their latest albums. Day & Dream photo courtesy of the band; Wednesday photo by Charlie Boss; Patty M photo courtesy of the artist ‘Paralysis By Analysis’ blew us away, and we can’t imagine that song without it.” For the time being, the former Brooklyn and San Francisco residents likewise can’t picture living anywhere except Asheville. Album closer “Soft/ Softer” addresses this exact issue with such lyrics as “Left people for the trees” and the gentrification warning, “Don’t let this place turn into what you hate.” “I often joke with Peter that living in Brooklyn made me tough, but living in the South so long has made us both soft. At times, I feel a little too relaxed here — but I guess that’s to be expected with being in a sauna or salt cave for too long,” she says. “Although the cost of living has skyrocketed, it’s still better when compared to all the cities I have lived in. Plus, with the beautiful nature and awesome health/wellness/ food/arts/handcraft culture, Asheville is such a gem.” avl.mx/prwk WINGS OF DESIRE Patricia “Patty M” Mozzicato is constantly writing songs. The Nebobased singer-songwriter strives to create one original tune per week,
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then performs them solo or with her acoustic trio, Sorella Jack. But when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, nixing performances and making band practice too risky, she had even more time on her hands. While not having those regular musical interactions was difficult, she used her time wisely and fine-tuned material for her joyful second album, Like a Luna Moth, which was released in February. “I have no particular connection to luna moths, except that usually every spring at least one shows up at my house and parks itself near my front door,” Mozzicato says. “One of those visitors is in the photograph on the album cover.” The titular line came to her while she was developing the song “I’ll Be There in the Middle of The Night.” Mozzicato notes that while writing, she often has “no idea where the song is going or what it’s even about” until she’s well into it. “I think I was probably just trying to come up with representations of nighttime, dreams, sleep, etc., and the ‘luna moth’ line just dropped into my lap, so I used it,” she says. “Once I included that line and settled on this as the album title, I did some research on
these critters and found out there is a whole world of luna moth enthusiasts who actually raise them from caterpillars to moths.” In figuring out the best way to present these songs, Mozzicato stuck with her tried-and-true acoustic approach, though her tastes run decidedly eclectic. “Using acoustic instruments like guitar and ukuleles is simply convenient — no fuss, no muss. They’re easy to schlep around when you’re doing gigs. And when I sit down to write a song, I don’t have to fire up an amp if I just strum an acoustic instrument,” Mozzicato says. “That said, I own and play a bunch of different instruments — some electric, others not. Heck, I even play an electric violin.” After her COVID-19 vaccination, Mozzicato says she felt safe returning to the studio. She linked up with producer/recording engineer Ricky Rodriguez at his Bomb House Recording in Morganton. “Ricky plays electric guitar and bass on a few of the tracks, and, of course, being a producer, he contributed copious ideas on arrangements,” Mozzicato says. Additional collaborators on Like a Luna Moth include fellow local musi-
New singles spotlight cians Jason Singleton (drums/percussion), Jim Ashton (pedal steel guitar) and Dave Reep, whose trumpet playing Mozzicato describes as “pure magic.” “And I have to mention my guitar teacher, David Zoll, of Acoustic Corner in Black Mountain, who helped me in working out some of the picking patterns I used in these songs,” she says. Back in her usual musical flow, Mozzicato looks forward to sharing Like a Luna Moth with new and loyal listeners alike — and welcoming a certain insect or two back to her home. avl.mx/bae TRIBUTE CITY When Wednesday guitarist/vocalist Karly Hartzman chooses what songs to cover, she uses a method similar to those of us who love music but don’t happen to be in rock bands. “I mostly just look for songs that feel perfectly ‘at home’ in my vocal range,” Hartzman says. “I always want to cover songs I sing in the car.” Looking to honor the artists who sparked their musical passions, she and her Asheville-based bandmates Jake Lenderman (guitar/vocals), Xandy Chelmis (lap steel guitar), Margo Schultz (bass) and Alan Miller (drums) put those guiding principles into play on Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ’em Up, a stellar collection of ’90s-inspired distorted guitars and driving rhythms slated for a Friday, March 11, release. A combination of humor and sadness link the album’s song selections. Artists Gary Stewart, Roger
Miller and Vic Chestnutt are among the masters of this approach, says Hartzman, and each made the cut. Other highlights include Smashing Pumpkins’ “Perfect” and “Had 2 Try” by friends Hotline TNT, the latter of which Wednesday tried hard to present as faithfully as possible to the original. While no songs were purposefully left off Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ’em Up, in hindsight, Hartzman wishes that the band had included its cover of Elliott Smith’s “Christian Brothers.” (“Just slipped my mind,” she says.) Wednesday recorded the first half of the album at a Durham studio called Betty’s, as well as Haw Creek Studio in Asheville. The group laid down the back half of the collection with Lenderman (using his MJ Lenderman moniker) handling recording and mixing duties at his home studio. Fresh off the band’s August 2021 LP, Twin Plagues, the experience fortified an already deep bond among the musicians. “Our band identity has become really strong over the past year — it’s a special feeling,” Hartzman says. That camaraderie is so powerful that it’s resulted in a slew of new original songs, leaving little room for covers in Wednesday’s live sets. Nevertheless, Hartzman suspects that some of the tracks from Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ’em Up will eventually make it to the stage, possibly during the band’s current three months of steady touring, which includes a Friday, May 20, appearance at The Orange Peel, opening for Beach Bunny. avl.mx/bad
— Edwin Arnaudin X
No time to hear a full album? Give these standout singles by local artists a spin. Kingdom Kome x Ruen, “Empanadas Salteñas” Uninterested in resting on his laurels, Asheville-based hip-hop artist Maximiliano “Kingdom Kome” Kuper follows up 2021’s The Chariot, his extraordinary Spaceman Jones and The Motherships collaboration, with Malbec. The album finds him working exclusively with beats by his DJ and in-house producer, Ruen, and features collaborations with some of Miami’s finest MCs, where Kuper grew up before relocating to Western North Carolina in 2011. Lead single “Empanadas Salteñas” nimbly mixes English and Spanish language rhymes over a dark boom-bap track alongside guest stars Itawe (of Locos Por Juana) and Lyrik’L, proving yet again that Kingdom Kome is one of the East Coast’s top lyricists. avl.mx/ba1 Kathryn O’Shea, “Snakeskin” In a compelling departure from the winning banjo-and-vocal approach on her debut LP, January 9th, the Asheville-based singer-songwriter explores full-band alt-rock to great success on her latest track. Arranged
and produced by Lee Dyer of local indie rock band Aunt Vicki, the single finds O’Shea boldly addressing the pains of coming to terms with the past and finding a well-earned peace moving forward — with a little help from some witty reptilian metaphors. In sync with the layered instrumentation that hits a thrilling peak on the chorus, her vocals sound more confident than ever. avl.mx/ba2 MeadowTrash, “War on Cabbagehead” Looking for a dose of unfiltered rock ’n’ roll? Local singer-songwriter Charlie King has you covered. Having retired the solo moniker Eat the Label, the artist showcases the depths of his talents, absolutely shredding on guitar and spinning captivating imagery at the microphone over the lead track from his sharp new EP, Year of the Water Tiger. Backed on bass and drums by Kevin Boggs (Doc Aquatic; Fashion Bath) — who also produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the collection — and featuring an assist from fellow local Matt Tobia on guitar, the opener sets the tone for a diverse melodic journey of long-form rock. avl.mx/ba3
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FOOD ROUNDUP
What’s new in food
Red Fiddle Vittles opens retail storefront on Hendersonville Road in Arden Matt Farr and Erica Beneke have packed a lot in the 4 1/2 years since they first crossed paths at MANNA FoodBank’s 2017 annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, including courtship, parenting, marriage and the launch of their catering company, Red Fiddle Vittles. More recently, the husband-and-wife team celebrated the latest milestone in their evolving business: the opening of the company’s first brick-and-mortar facility, which combines a commercial kitchen with retail space. “We think it’s pretty special that we first met under the umbrella of feeding people,” says Farr, who managed MANNA’s volunteer program at the time. Beneke, then a private chef (and 2013 winner of Food Network’s “Chopped”), was new to Asheville and among the volunteers. Shortly after the fundraiser, Farr was tasked with organizing an appreciation dinner for MANNA volunteers.
COME ON IN: Erica Beneke and Matt Farr have opened retail operations as an expansion of their Red Fiddle Vittles catering company. Their son, Harlan, is learning the ropes. Photo by Kara Irani He and Beneke, by then dating, took on the event together. “We got donations from Hickory Nut Gap, Whole Foods, Warren Wilson [College] and Sierra Nevada [Brewing Co.] and fed 250 volunteers,” he says. That success inspired them to launch Red Fiddle Vittles catering business in 2018, focused primarily on small, 20- to 30-guest dinners. The following year, the birth of their son led to an impromptu wedding ceremony at the Buncombe Country Courthouse, attended by baby Harlan in his car seat. After three years of renting space in a commercial kitchen, the pair began searching for a place of their own. In July 2020, they found what they’d been looking for in a shopping center in Arden. Amid lengthy renovations, the couple’s vision for the space changed. Initially, they planned on using the entire square footage for their kitchen and catering business but ultimately decided to build out the front section for retail. Today, Red Fiddle Vittles welcomes guests inside to cheery red walls decorated with cast iron skillets and invites shoppers to peruse cases of frozen food items (including the company’s popular readyto-bake biscuits and cookie dough),
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prepared refrigerated foods and heat-and-eat meals made on-site. The shop also offers local products, including Farm and Sparrow flour and grains, Imladris Farm jams and Spicewalla spices. The couple recently hired their first full-time employee, Beneke’s sister, Molly. Meanwhile, their 2 1/2-year-old son is also in the family business. “Harlan has decided he loves taking out the trash, and I couldn’t be happier,” says Farr with a laugh. “We’re hopeful dishwashing is the next step.” Red Fiddle Vittles is at 1800 Hendersonville Road, Arden. For hours and new weekly heat-and-eat meal menus, visit avl.mx/ba5.
Golden ticket In late February, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2022 semifinalists. Six Asheville chefs and restaurants received nods, including a pair of seasoned nominees as well as two others making their first appearances on the prestigious list. Katie Button, a three-time finalist, is again in the Best Chef Southeast category; meanwhile, her restaurant, Cúrate is nominated for Outstanding Hospitality.
Meherwan Irani — also previously recognized in the Best Chef Southeast category — celebrates a pair of firsts with Chai Pani’s nomination for Outstanding Restaurant and Nani’s Piri Piri Chicken’s for Best New Restaurant. Making their James Beard debuts are OWL owner Susannah Gebhart with her Outstanding Baker nomination and Benne on Eagle’s Cleophus Hethington for Emerging Chef. Hethington says he received a “Congratulations!” text from a friend while prepping Wednesday morning and had no clue why. “Just as I texted him back, I got one from Benne’s publicist with the news. It’s pretty awesome, and I cherish the recognition, especially as one of two Black chefs in the category. It’s like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket.” He laughs when he recalls that several years ago, Zagat recognized him as an Under the Radar talent. “Now I’m emerging, so I need to keep working hard to arrive.” Irani takes note of how tough the pandemic was on the hospitality industry. “The last two years restaurants have been through hell and back. To make it and be recognized for the job we’re doing is a certain amount of luck and a privilege, and I am conscious of sharing that recognition with the entire Asheville restaurant community.” He says he was thrilled at Chai Pani’s first inclusion for Outstanding Restaurant and floored over Nani’s entry. “It’s not like I opened a temple that was an ode to gastronomy. I took a very simple idea to take rotisserie chicken and try to make the best rotisserie chicken anyone could buy. This year there are a lot of outliers and small stories in this category, and it is recognition that if you focus on one thing and doing it really well, people notice.” Button, too, says she is honored, especially for the recognition of Cúrate’s hospitality. “I am continually inspired by our team’s passion and love for what we do. It is such an honor to be recognized for our commitment to the craft of hospitality — something that we care so deeply about at Cúrate. The past two years have been incredibly hard, and I am beyond proud of how our team has confronted each challenge head-on and with enthusiasm.”
Gebhart, who opened OWL Bakery in early 2016, similarly lauds her team and the community. “Though I am the founder and figurehead of the bakery, my personal baking journey has been enriched by so many others that are doing work in the baking field. So much of what is perceived as ‘my’ baking is really a host of collaborations that it takes to make a single product. Everything we make has roots in deep cultural traditions, is informed by our mentors, counts on the quality of ingredients we source from millers, farmers and makers, and takes inspiration from the backgrounds and interests of all of our bakers.” Final nominations will be announced Wednesday, March 16, with the awards ceremony set for Monday, June 13, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
High five Ginger’s Revenge Craft Brewery will celebrate its fifth anniversary of making alcoholic ginger beer with a long weekend of events. The party kicks off Thursday, March 10, with smoky eats from Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ food truck from 4-8 p.m. and free birthday cake from Kayla Kirk Culinary Works. On Friday, March 11, The Smokin’ Onion will be serving vegetarian goodness from 4-8 p.m., and Pour Darling will teach an acrylic fluid art class. On Saturday, Kinfolk food truck parks and feeds on-site from 2-8 p.m. And on Sunday, the Smokin’ Onion is back from 2-6 p.m. Different bands perform each day, and $1 of every full pour and ginger beer flight sold throughout the weekend will go to Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, as well as proceeds from several raffle options donated by local businesses. Ginger’s Revenge is at 829 Riverside Drive. For a full schedule of events, visit avl.mx/bar.
Gone fishin’ Chef Chris Cox is a past winner of the Asheville Wing War, the Asheville Battle of the Burger and the Punk Rock Hot Dog competition and secured his meaty reputation and “Burger Boi” nickname as a master of gastropub fare in his post at The Malvern in West Asheville. Sam Kosik, owner of Mother Ocean Market, recently lured Cox to his storefront to serve as head chef. Since coming on board, Cox has developed and introduced new items, including shrimp and grits, clam chowder poutine and a tuna melt with Havarti cheese, lemon caper mayo and pickled fennel. Adding turf to the surf,
Cox will also cook up chicken sandwiches and weekly burger specials. Mother Ocean Market is at 640 Merrimon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/ba9.
B-Team The girls are back in town. Brenda the Drag Queen, Kitty Litter, Marsha Mellows, Kiara Mel and Giselle Cassidy Carter request your pleasure in their presence at the Boobs, Burgers & Beer Drag Dinner on Friday, March 11, 7:30-10 p.m. at Hi-Wire Brewing’s Biltmore Village event space. The queens bring the boobs, Foothills Local Meats Food Truck provides the burgers, and Hi-Wire supplies the beer. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $30 for first drink, burger dinner and the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.; showtime is at 8 p.m. Hi-Wire Brewing is at 2A Huntsman Place. For more information, visit avl.mx/baa.
Food science If sauerkraut chocolate cake piques your culinary curiosity, Buxton Hall Barbecue will satisfy that and more when it hosts fermentation king Sandor Ellix Katz on Friday, March 18, 5:30-7 p.m., for a discussion of his new book, Fermentation Journeys: Recipes, Techniques, and Traditions from around the World. While hearing about his global travels and techniques for fermenting foods, attendees will enjoy a vegetarian tasting prepared by Buxton. Highlights include tepache and potato tempeh and fermented beverages. Attendees will receive a signed copy of Katz’s book. Buxton Hall is at 32 Banks Ave. Tickets are $120 per person. To purchase, visit avl.mx/bab.
Head’s up Leah Raines, who has led the Asheville Brewers Alliance since 2020, will be stepping down from the organization in mid-March. In a press release, she states: “The last couple of years, while extremely challenging, have provided the ABA an opportunity to revisit and rebuild solid organizational infrastructure and identify new ways to support our members. I am grateful to have been a part of that process and excited to see what the ABA’s next chapter looks like.” Rainis adds that she will be working closely with the ABA board and executive committee to ensure a smooth transition to the next executive director.
— Kay West X
Cheers to a better New Year from your friends at Smoky Park SMOKYPARK.COM 350 RIVERSIDE DR. ASHEVILLE, NC 28801 828-350-0315
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ROUNDUP
Around Town
Recent months have seen a gunman take hostages at a Texas synagogue and a Tennessee school board vote to remove Maus, the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the experiences of Holocaust survivors, from its curriculum. That’s why Ashley Lasher sees it as a particularly poignant time to educate people about the dangers of antisemitism. “Education is the most powerful tool that we have to ensure that our world never forgets the atrocities of the Holocaust or risks allowing history to repeat itself,” says Lasher, executive director of the Asheville Jewish Community Center. The Cattle Car: Stepping In and Out of Darkness, a traveling education exhibit, will be at Pack Square on Friday, March 11, and Sunday, March 13, and at the Asheville JCC Monday-Tuesday, March 14-15. The exhibit is an immersive, multimedia presentation that takes place inside an exact replica of a cattle car used to transport Jews and other targeted groups to concentration camps during World War II. It comes to Asheville as part of the Hate Ends Now tour, a partnership between ShadowLight and Southern NCSY. “Our Western North Carolina community is home to a number of Holocaust survivors, some of whom plan to visit the exhibit,” Lasher says. “With each passing year, there are fewer and fewer survivors alive to tell their firsthand stories to the next generation. This exhibit uses the tools of audio, video and 360-degree projection to present survivor stories, enabling visitors to have an immersive experience that builds both understanding and empathy.”
Traveling Holocaust education exhibit comes to Asheville through the end of March. She is also in the midst of planning a benefit concert. “My heart goes out to everyone in Ukraine,” she says. For more information, visit avl.mx/auy.
Working together
NEVER FORGET: The Cattle Car: Stepping In and Out of Darkness arrives in Asheville this month. “We hope that this exhibit provides a unique, high-quality Holocaust education experience to Asheville and WNC,” says Ashley Lasher, executive director of the Asheville JCC. Photo courtesy of Hate Ends Now She says the exhibit provides an unprecedented opportunity for local school groups, houses of worship, civic groups, service clubs and others to participate in this type of Holocaust education without having to travel to Washington, D.C., or abroad. The Cattle Car: Stepping In and Out of Darkness will run 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 11, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, in Pack Square. It will be open 9 a.m.6:30 p.m. Monday, March 14, and Tuesday, March 15, at the Asheville JCC, 40 Clyde St. The exhibit is free, but registration is required for the Asheville JCC. For
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more information or to register, visit avl.mx/bax.
Standing with Ukraine Asheville artist Andrea Kulish was born in the United States, but she spoke only Ukrainian until she was 3 years old. Her life’s passion, she says, is to share Ukrainian culture through the pysanky eggs she creates in her Studio A at Pink Dog Creative Collective in the River Arts District. “All of my ancestors — great-grandparents, grandparents and parents — were from Ukraine,” she says. “My upbringing was steeped in Ukrainian culture. I have a deep love for it.” With the eyes of the world on Ukraine following the Russian invasion of the country, Kulish is making and selling #standwithUkraine stickers available for purchase at her studio, 344 Depot St., with a suggested donation of $5-$10. All proceeds will benefit the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America’s humanitarian aid fund. “The funds will be directed at civilians inside Ukraine who have been displaced or injured, as well as to four military hospitals caring for injured soldiers,” Kulish says. In addition, Kulish is planning to donate 50% of all pysanky egg sales
The Canopy Gallery at Art Garden AVL will present Medicine Heart Murals, an exhibition of original largescale collaborative paintings, through Thursday, March 31. A closing reception will be Saturday, March 26, 4-7 p.m. The murals, done by Asheville artists and Art Garden co-founders Annie Kyla Bennett, Dillon Endico and Jack Henry, highlight concepts of land justice and environmental urgency. On display will be five originals, two archival canvas prints representing murals in private collections and one in-progress piece that the artists plan to work on during the reception. The pieces were created by the three artists in front of audiences at music and art festivals around the country. “We like to incorporate stories and truth and magic from each specific place, bringing awareness to the land that is making the art and the experience possible,” Bennett says. “As our collaborative practice has developed over time, this has come to mean learning and sharing about the land’s original caretakers, the Indigenous peoples of the region, and about the present ecological realities and struggles of the land as well.” For instance, the murals include plants that highlight local medicinals and flora, she says. “New Growth,” a piece created in Northern California during fire season, includes pyrophytes, plants that have adapted to tolerate fire. “In creating these artworks, we hope to provide a safe and potent space for contemplation,” she says. A portion of proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to Honor the Earth, an organization of land and water protectors led by Anishinaabe women. The Canopy Gallery at Art Garden AVL is at 191 Lyman St. and is open Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/baf.
Fighting words Asheville Community Theatre will present Fight Girl Battle World starting Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. The sci-fi show, which blends stage
combat, puppetry and multimedia, will run Thursdays-Sundays through Sunday, March 27. “Set in a futuristic universe where humanity is nearly nonexistent, Fight Girl revolves around E-V, a hardnosed prizefighter and the last known female human in the galaxy,” ACT says in a press release. “Amidst the aliens and the androids, E-V must fight to keep the human race from being completely obliterated.” Written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Josh Batenhorst, the production stars Michelle Palau as E-V. Thursday-Saturday performances will be at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday shows will be at 2:30 p.m. Audience members for all performances are required to wear masks throughout the performance. For Friday and Saturday performances, all patrons ages 5 and older will be required to show either proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or proof of a negative lab-conducted PCR test for COVID-19 taken within 48 hours of the performance. Thursday and Sunday performances will not require proof of vaccination or negative tests. ACT is located at 35 E. Walnut St. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to avl.mx/bao.
Classroom creations The Black Mountain Center for the Arts will present Emerging Artists, a show of images created by artist Bob Travers and his students over the last year, through Friday, March 25. The show will be in the center’s upper gallery, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Travers is a nationally recognized wildlife artist who works in such mediums as acrylics, watercolor, oil, scratchboard, colored pencil, charcoal and pastel. For 16 years, he has taught students in the basement of the BMCA, an area that used to be the town’s jail. The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is at 225 W. State St. in Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/bav.
Five alive The Asheville Chamber Music Series will present the Calefax Reed Quintet in concert on Friday, March 11, at 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. The Dutch group, which describes itself as as a “classical ensemble with a pop mentality,” consists of an oboe, a clarinet, a saxophone, a bass clarinet and a bassoon. “They provide inspiration to young wind players from all over the world
who follow in their footsteps,” the ACMS says in a press release. The quintet’s program will include Antonin Dvořák’s String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97, Harry Thacker Burleigh’s “Southland Sketches,” Samuel Barber’s “Excursions, Op. 20” and George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville is at 1 Edwin Place. Tickets are $40 general admission. Youths are free. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to avl.mx/90a.
Helping the homeless Homeward Bound is hosting the Open Your Heart for Women and Homelessness Luncheon on Friday, March 11, at noon. The luncheon will be a hybrid event, taking place in person at Trinity Episcopal Church as well as on Zoom. A panel of experts will explore the impact of homelessness on mothers and families. The panel includes Jessica Bain, youth and family peer support specialist; Tammy Cody of the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Project CARA; and Alanna Kinsella and Sunni Morgan of Homeward Bound. Trinity Episcopal Church is at 60 Church St. For more information or to register for the in-person or virtual event, go to avl.mx/ban.
— Justin McGuire X
MOVIE REVIEWS Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include: THE BATMAN: No, we don’t “need” more movies about the Dark Knight, but if they’re going to be as entertaining and wellmade as co-writer/director Matt Reeves’ reboot, the more the merrier. Grade: A-minus — Edwin Arnaudin AFTER YANG: Writer/director Kogonada follows up his terrific debut Columbus with another soulful drama, this one about a family coming to terms with the loss of their humanoid android, who’s been like a son and brother to them. Grade: A — Edwin Arnaudin
Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies MOUNTAINX.COM
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The featured icon indicates which venues or artists require proof of vaccination for upcoming shows. Due to the evolving nature of the matter, the list may not be comprehensive. Before heading out, please check with all venues for complete information on any vaccine or negative COVID-19 requirements. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
12 BONES BREWERY Musical Bingo w/DJ Bar-One, 7pm
185 KING STREET Trivia and Karaoke, 7pm
131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy: Wayne Cousins, 7pm • AQUANET Goth Party w/Ash Black, 9pm
185 KING STREET Tray Wellington Band (acoustic newgrass), 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke! Karaoke w/ KJ Terra Ware, 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Ordinary Elephant & Taylor Rae (acoustic, Americana, folk)k 7:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm SALVAGE STATION The Greyboy Allstars (soul, jazz), 8pm SILVERADOS Open Mic, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Travis Book Happy Hour w/Tim O'Brien (Americana)k 7pm THE ODDITORIUM Ida Carolina (drag, comedy), 7pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic, 6pm
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305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Kiki Thursdays Drag and Dancing, 8pm
FUNNY HOW THAT HAPPENS: Stand-up comedian Mike Lebovitz will perform at Asheville Beauty Academy on Saturday, March 12, 7-9 p.m. He’s been featured on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” Comedy Central and HBO’s “The Deuce” and co-founded the popular showcase event Comedians You Should Know. Photo courtesy of Lebovitz
ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR The MGB (Americana), 7:30pm
OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia Night w/Nick Pearl, 6pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Venus (dark house dance party), 10pm
MILLS RIVER BREWING Gin Mill Pickers (bluegrass), 7pm
ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE The AVL Jazz Workshop, 7pm
ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic & Feature Comedy w/Hilliary Begley, 7:30pm
POLANCO RESTAURANT Sense Every Thursday w/DJ Audio, 12am
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tsuruda & aedfx. (hip hop, electronic), 10pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Ben Phantom Trio (singer-songwriter), 8pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy: Mike Lebovitz, 7pm
BREWSKIES Karaoke, 10pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Gary Lockaby (acoustic), 3pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL GE Early Free Dead Friday (jam band, rock), 6:30pm
ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR The Robert Thomas Band (jazz, fusion, rock), 7:30pm
CITIZEN VINYL Fiddle Fridays w/Casey Driessen, 4pm
ROOM IX Ladies Night Dance Party w/DJ Moto, 10pm
CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats (oldies), 8pm
SALVAGE STATION Mo Lowda & The Humble w/Pocket Strange (alt/indie), 8pm
BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Thursday Night Trivia w/Kelsey, 6:30pm DOUBLE CROWN Rock & Roll w/DJ Fast Eddy (punk, soul, garage), 10pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy Open Mic, 6pm UniHorn (jazz, funk), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Luna Mother (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Asheville Sessions ft. Hank Bones (jazz, blues, rock), 7pm • Italian Night with Mike Guggino & Barrett Smith (world)k 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Buffalo Kings (soul, pop, funk), 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 9pm
ROOM IX College Night Dance Party, 10pm SALVAGE STATION Badfish (Sublime tribute), 8pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Free Weekly Table Tennis Tournament, 7pm THE 2ND ACT Russ Wilson & The 2nd Act Orchestra (swing), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Tré Burt w/Joules Satyr (folk)k 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Nixil, Augur & Urocyon (black metal, stoner metal, punk), 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Craft Karaoke, 9pm URBAN ORCHARD The Coveralls (roots, country, rock), 5:45pm
FRIDAY, MARCH 11
CROW & QUILL The Krektones (surf rock, exotica)k 8:30am GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY AND TASTING ROOM Sister Ivy (roots, soul), 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Boobs, Burgers & Beer Drag Show, 7:30pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Golden Shoals Band (country, Americana, indie), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Rachael Kilgour (acoustic), 7pm • Nefesh Mountain (bluegrass), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 8pm
185 KING STREET High Flying Criminals (funk, soul), 8pm
LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Arnold Hill (Americana, rock), 8:30pm
AMERICAN VINYL CO. Hannah & Maya (folk), 7pm
MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Vaden Landers (country blues), 6pm
SAUCED Larry Joe Lambert (roots, country), 7:30pm SILVERADOS Karaoke w/DJ Steph, 9pm THE DUGOUT Supper Break (bluegrass), 8pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy: Chanel Ali, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (folk, Americana)k 9pm THE ODDITORIUM Bold Burlesque Presents Glamour, 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Riyen Roots (Americana, acoustic), 7pm
SATURDAY, MARCH 12 12 BONES BREWERY Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 5pm 185 KING STREET Bread of Life Benefit Concert, 5pm
BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (gypsy jazz), 5:30pm BIG PILLOW BREWING The Coveralls (roots, country, rock), 5pm BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS Zoe & Cloyd (bluegrass, folk), 7pm BREWSKIES Pool Tournament Saturdays, 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Supper Break (bluegrass), 2pm CITIZEN VINYL Saturday Spins, 1pm CORK & KEG Brody Hunt & The Handfuls (western), 8pm CROW & QUILL Queen Bee & The Honeylovers (swing)k 8:30pm DFR ROOM The Julie McConnell Quartet, 7pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Twisted Trail (Southern rock, blues, country), 7pm
GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gypsy Grass (swing jazz), 5pm
185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam with the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 5pm
GUIDON BREWING Chris Wayne (acoustic), 5pm
ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Trivia Sundays, 4:30pm
HENRY LABRUN STUDIO AT WORTHAM CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Ryan Keberle and The Catharsis Trio (jazz)
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Jazz Brunch w/Nick Garrison Trio, 12pm
185 KING STREET Christiana, Bugel & Stickley (Americana), 7pm
BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Gin Mill Pickers (retro, acoustic), 1pm
DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke, 10pm
HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Hope Griffin (acoustic, folk), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Falcon 3 (improvisational), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Lynne Hanson (Americana, blues, country), 7pm • Alash Ensemble (acoustic, world), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Laura Blackley & The Wildflowers w/Desdimona (rock), 8pm MILLS RIVER BREWING John Duncan Trio (bluegrass), 7pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs (folk), 4pm PARKER-BINNS VINEYARD David Giles (acoustic), 2pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Rooster (Americana), 6pm ROOM IX Asheville's Biggest Dance Party, 10pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Ken & Nicole (acoustic duo), 2:30pm SKY LANES Bowl For Kids Sake Buncombe County, 9am SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Gin Mill Pickers (retro, acoustic), 4pm THE DUGOUT Graywind (rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Daniel Donato w/Frute (country)k 9pm THE ODDITORIUM Get Eli Back on the Road Benefit (metal), 2pm THE ORANGE PEEL Overkill (thrash metal) k 7pm THE POE HOUSE Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ RexxStepp, 7pm
SUNDAY, MARCH 13 12 BONES BREWERY The Sunday Spin w/DJ Bar-One, 12pm
BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Ken & Nicole (acoustic duo), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK The JackTown Ramblers (bluegrass, swing, jazz), 2pm CROW & QUILL The Roaring Lions (parlor jazz)k 8:30pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Momma Molasses (oldtime, blues, folk), 4pm HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER Iliza Shlesinger (comedy), 7:30pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic w/Taylor Martin & Special Guest, 7:15pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. Seth & Sara (acoustic duo), 3pm
MONDAY, MARCH 14
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm SILVERADOS 8 Ball Tournament, 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Trivia by the River w/ James Harrod, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Modelface Comedy Presents: Michael Palascakk 7pm
TUESDAY, MARCH 15 185 KING STREET Jon Weisberger & Friends w/Carley Arrowood, Kristin Scott Benson, Nick Dauphinais and Bryan McDowell (bluegrass, Americana), 6pm
305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Drag Bingo w/ Calcutta, 8pm • Karaoke w/Ganymede, 9pm FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute), 6pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING All Arts Open Mike w/ Mike Waters, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE Langhorne Slim w/ Riddy Arman (folk) k 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Yola (country soul, R&B), 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Eister's Twin Leaf Trivia, 7pm
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy: Rachel Eppstein, 7pm • AQUANET Goth Party w/Ash Black, 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm CASCADE LOUNGE Wednesday Bluegrass Jam, 5pm CORK & KEG The Onlies (old-time stringband), 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke! Karaoke w/ KJ Terra Ware, 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm
ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • The Faux Paws (acoustic, jazz, pop Cajun), 7pm • Bluegrass with Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, 8:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm SILVERADOS Open Mic, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Briston Maroney (alt/ indie), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL All Them Witches (rock)k 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic, 6pm
HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Soul Jazz Sundays w/ Taylor Pierson Trio, 3pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sunday Bluegrass Brunch w/Supper Break, 12pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Celtic Hour w/Nick Dauphinais, 2pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Paul Edelman (Americana), 3pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Shakedown Sundays (rock, jam band), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Sunday Jazz Jam w/ The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, 1pm PARKER-BINNS VINEYARD Phil Ruff (acoustic), 2pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Brian Ashley Jones (acoustic), 2pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Bike Night w/DJ Avel Veeta, 2pm THE GREY EAGLE Dixon's Violin w/ Numinous The Bard (experimental, hip hop), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Converge (metal)k 8pm
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MOUNTAINX.COM
WORK AT ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA! Lake Junaluska Assembly, Inc, hosts over 200,000 guests annually for programs and spiritual retreats.
Work at Lake Junaluska, and you’ll enjoy a friendly, collaborative atmosphere in addition to a sign-on bonus for seasonal employees, benefits packages for full-time staff and employee perks and discounts, which include: • FREE Golf Course greens fee
• FREE Summer Activity Pass & Boat Rentals
• FREE Fitness Center Pass
• Discounts on on-site dining and shopping • Discounts on lodging
Lake Junaluska is currently accepting applications for the following job opportunities — Food Services — Housekeeping — Assistant Manager for Coffee Bar & Markets — Retail Sales Associate/Barista — Night Porter — Event Meeting Room Setup Technician — Director of Human Resources — Director of Food Services — Director of Program Ministries
To apply directly online, or for more information, visit lakejunaluska.com/jobs or call our jobs line at 828-454-6706 or email hr@lakejunaluska.com. “Lake Junaluska is a place of Christian hospitality where lives are transformed through renewal of soul, mind and body.” MOUNTAINX.COM
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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Isak Dinesen defined “true piety” as “loving one’s destiny unconditionally.” That’s a worthy goal for you to aspire to in the coming weeks. I hope you will summon your deepest reserves of ingenuity and imagination as you cultivate a state of mind in which you adore your life just as it is. You won’t compare it negatively to anyone else’s fate, and you won’t wish it were different from what it actually is. Instead, you will be pleased and at peace with the truth of exactly who you are right now. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As author Mary Ruefle points out, “In the beginning, William Shakespeare was a baby, and knew absolutely nothing. He couldn’t even speak.” And yet eventually, he became a literary superstar — among history’s greatest authors. What happened in between? I’m not exaggerating when I attribute part of the transformation to magic. Vast amounts of hard work and help and luck were involved, too. But to change from a wordless, uncoordinated sprout to a potent, influential maestro, Taurus-born Shakespeare had to be the beneficiary of mysterious powers. I bring this up, Taurus, because I think you will have access to comparable mojo during the next four weeks. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): As talented and financially successful as Kanye West is, the Gemini singer-songwriter experiences a lot of emotional suffering. But no one lives an ideal life, right? And we can learn from everyone. In any case, I’ve chosen quotes by Kanye that are in rapt alignment with your astrological omens. Here they are: 1. “I’m in pursuit of awesomeness; excellence is the bare minimum.” 2. “You’re not perfect, but you’re not your mistakes.” 3. “I’m not comfortable with comfort. I’m only comfortable when I’m in a place where I’m constantly learning and growing.” 4. “Everything I’m not makes me everything I am.” CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction,” wrote philosopher Saint Teresa of Ávila, who was renowned for her euphoric spiritual experiences. So is there any such thing as “fake ecstasy,” as she implies? Maybe fake ecstasy would be perverse bliss at the misfortune of an enemy, or the trivial joy that comes from realizing your house keys aren’t missing. Real ecstasy, on the other hand, might arise from a visceral sense of the presence of God, or the rapture that emerges as you make love with a person you care for, or the elation you feel when you commune with your favorite animal. Anyway, Cancerian, I predict that in the coming days, you will have an extra rich potential for the real kinds of rhapsodic delight and enchantment. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo actor Jennifer Lawrence portrayed a rugged, fierce, resourceful champion in The Hunger Games film trilogy. In real life, however, she has few resemblances to that stalwart hero. “I have the street smarts and survival skills of a poodle,” she has confessed. But I’ve got potentially good news for her and all the rest of you Leos. The coming months will be a favorable time for you to cultivate the qualities of a rugged, fierce, resourceful champion. And right now would be an excellent time to launch your efforts. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Each of us periodically has to deal with conflict. There come times when we must face the fact that a specific situation in our lives isn’t working well and needs to be adjusted, fixed, or transformed. We might prefer to pretend the problem doesn’t exist. We may be inclined to endure the stressful discomfort rather than engage with its causes. But such an approach won’t be right for you in the coming days, dear Virgo. For the sake of your mental and spiritual health, you have a sacred duty to bravely risk a struggle to improve things. I’ll provide you with advice from novelist John Fowles. He said, “I
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must fight with my weapons. Not his. Not selfishness and brutality and shame and resentment.” Fowles goes on to say that he will offer generosity and gentleness and no-shame and forgiveness. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A blogger named MysteryOfWhat expressed appreciation for her errors and wrong turns. “I love all my mistakes!” she exclaimed. “I had fun!” She has a theory that she would not have been able to completely fulfill her interesting destiny without her blunders and her brilliant adjustments to those blunders. I won’t encourage you to be quite so boisterously unconditional in celebrating your fumbles and miscues, Libra. My inclination is to urge you to honor them and feel grateful for them, but I’m not sure I should advise you to shout out, “I love all my mistakes! I had fun!” But what do you think? SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Norman MacCaig wrote, “Ask me, go on, ask me to do something impossible, something freakishly useless, something unimaginable and inimitable like making a finger break into blossom or walking for half an hour in 20 minutes or remembering tomorrow.” I hope people say things like that to you soon, Scorpio. I hope allies playfully nudge you to stretch your limits, expand your consciousness and experiment on the frontier. To encourage such a development, you could do the same for your beloved allies: nudge them to stretch their limits, expand their consciousness and experiment on the frontier. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Look at your body not as a source of physical attraction but as a shrine,” wrote teacher Sobonfu Somé. Personally, I have no problem if you regard your body as a source of physical attraction — as a gorgeous, radiant expression of your life energy, worthy of inspiring the appreciation of others. But I agree with Somé that you should also treat your body as a sacred sanctuary deserving of your reverence — especially now. Please boost your intention to provide your beloved organism with all the tender care it needs and warrants. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “It’s surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at the time,” writes author Barbara Kingsolver. Yes! I agree. And by providing you with this heads-up from her, I’m hoping that the subtly potent events unfolding for you in the coming weeks will not go unnoticed. I’m hoping you will be alert for seemingly small but in fact crucial developments — and thereby give them all the focus and intelligence they deserve. Later, you’ll remember this delicately pivotal time with amazed gratitude. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): What’s more important: to learn or to unlearn? The answer, of course, is they are equally important. But sometimes, the most crucial preparation for a new learning phase is to initiate a surge of unlearning. That’s what I’m recommending for you right now. I foresee you embarking on a series of extravagant educational experiences in a couple of weeks. And the best way to ensure you take maximum advantage of the available lessons is by dumping useless knowledge, irrelevant information and numbing habits. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Singer-songwriter Jill Scott has earned one platinum and two gold records. She approaches her craft with diligence and intensity. On one occasion, she was frying a burger at her boyfriend’s house when she sensed a new song forming in her imagination. Abandoning the stove, she ran into the next room to grab pen and paper. Soon she had transcribed the beginning of a melody and lyrics. In the meantime, though, the kitchen caught on fire. Luckily, she doused it. Later Jill testified, “His cabinets were charred, and he was furious. But it was worth it for a song.” I don’t think you’ll have to make as big a sacrifice as hers in the coming days, Pisces. But you should respond robustly whenever inspiration arrives.
MOUNTAINX.COM
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BY ROB BREZSNY
REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT RENTALS APARTMENTS FOR RENT 2 BEDROOM DUPLEX APARTMENT A/C, Elevator on outside. Oil Heat. Lease to sign. $900/Mon. 218 Barnardsville Hwy., Weaverville. No Animals. Jack Carver, 828-891-4215.
EMPLOYMENT GENERAL BREWERY SUPPORT WORKER/ JANITORIAL The Brewery Support Worker 1 is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of the brewery and restaurants to the highest standard of quality. Reporting to the Brewery Support Supervisor, the core responsibility of the role is to perform facility wide housekeeping and sanitation duties to ensure the facility is orderly and hygienic. This is an entry-level position into a production facility with internal growth opportunities. https://sierranevada.com/ careers/ JOIN OUR 211 CALL CENTER TEAM United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County's 211 Call Center is currently seeking individuals to fill 2 part-time roles within our 211 team. For more information, and to apply, visit https://www.unitedwayabc. org/employment-opportunities.
SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES NEED A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE WHERE YOU ARE EARNING A SOLID LIVING WAGE? We are looking for the best, most detailed, and punctual cleaners. Join The Nice and Fresh Cleaners Dream Team! Job Title: Cleaning Crew Member. Compensation: $17.50-$25.00 /hour. Job Types: Full-time, Part-time. Application: nicefreshclean. com/job-application/.
SALES/ MARKETING OUR VOICE IS SEEKING A FULL-TIME DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR! The Development Coordinator is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing Our VOICE's fundraising initiatives including the annual campaign for individual donors, database management, special events, and marketing. To apply, please send PDF versions of your resume and cover letter to apply@ ourvoicenc.org. No phone calls or in-person inquiries.
SALES PROFESSIONAL WORK FOR A LOCAL COMPANY THAT HAS COVERED THE LOCAL SCENE FOR OVER 20 YEARS! This is a full-time position with benefits in a supportive, team-oriented environment in a community-service, locally-owned business. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present our company with confidence. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and self motivation. While no outside sales experience is required, experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position largely entails account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent media 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.
LINE COOK - SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Line Cook is a member of the kitchen team, who will work closely with all other positions in the Back of the House operations to prep, cook, and expedite food to the guests ordering onsite, delivery, and to-go.The Line Cook, who reports to the BOH Supervisor Team, operates grills, fryers, broilers, and other commercial cooking equipment to prepare and serve food. sierranevada. com/careers/ TAPROOM SUPPORT The Taproom Support position is centered in the restaurant's Front of the House operations whose responsibilities include but are not limited to clearing and resetting tables, running beverages and food, carrying trays, assisting with the expediting of food coming from the kitchen, and supporting servers throughout the dining experience. The Taproom Support, who reports to the Front of the House Supervisors Team, is responsible for being an expert resource to the guests visiting our onsite Food and Beverage Operations. https://sierranevada. com/careers/
MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE SALES ASSISTANT Entry level administrative assistant position to our vibrant sales team. Position includes researching leads, verifying contacts, organizing outreach schedules, collections, and other tasks in support of the sales staff. Strong organization and communications skills as well as computer competencies required. Opportunity for advancement depending on skill level and abilities. Salaried position with benefits in a positive team environment with an emphasis on community engagement. Please send a resume and cover letter explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@mountainx.com.
RESTAURANT/ FOOD DISHWASHERS PT AND FT SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Dishwasher, who reports to the BOH Supervisor, is a member of the kitchen team who will receive and organize products; wash and sanitize equipment, plates, utensils, and spaces; stock equipment as needed in order to maintain proper BOH operations for the continuity of the guest experience. https://sierranevada.com/ careers/
MEDICAL- NURSES NEEDED STATEWIDE MEDICAL- RNS $40/HR. for addictions, psych & corrections in Asheville and throughout Western NC. All shifts. Fully employer-paid medical and dental. 401(k) with 6% employer contribution. Call Morgan at Worldwide Staffing 866.633.3700 x 114
HUMAN SERVICES
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ASHEVILLE! Make a Difference in the Life of a Child in Asheville! Youth Counselors are needed to provide support to at-risk youth being served in our short-term residential facility. Duties include implementing direct care services, motivating youth, and modeling appropriate behaviors. Candidates must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver's license. Experience working with youth is highly preferred. We offer paid training, excellent benefits, and advancement opportunities. Apply online at https://www.mhfc.org/ opportunities/. Call 919754-3633 or email vpenn@ mhfc.org.
field guide
Asheville to
ONTRACK WNC IS HIRING A FINANCIAL & HOUSING COUNSELOR Please visit our website for the full job description and application instructions: ontrackwnc. org/hire-me.html.
PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT CHILDREN FIRST COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS IS HIRING FOR A RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR The Resource Development Director is a member of the senior leadership team and is responsible for successful planning, execution, and evaluation of fundraising and marketing goals for the organization including donor development, grants, special events, and communications. This position works closely with the Executive Director, program staff, board members and supervises the Communications and Events Coordinator. Send cover letter & resume to employment@childrenfirstbc.org.
TEACHING/ EDUCATION A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Chair, Occupational Therapy Assistant (Looking to fill this position ASAP; this job vacancy reposted on 02/20/2022). For more details and to apply: https://www. abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/6013 A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Part-Time position Administrative Assistant, Health Occupations. For more details and to apply: abtcc.peopleadmin. com/postings/6029
XCHANGE ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES STILL BUYING ANTIQUES Seeking old stuff! Cast iron, advertising signs, military, primitives, collections, art, pottery, estates, crocks, bottles, silver, license plates, unusual stuff, taxidermy, rifles, bbguns, more. Call/Text 828-582-6097, steadyaim1@ yahoo.com.
SERVICES AUDIO/VIDEO HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147. (AAN CAN)
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THE N EW Y OR K TI M ES C ROSSWORD P UZ Z LE CAREGIVERS COMPANION FOR SENIOR (MARION) Seeking person available for the months of April and May live-in. Senior is basically self-sufficient but needs help with meal prep, transportation, shopping. The person hired can still work or attend school during the day. They would have their own private apartment and there would be a monthly stipend. A person needs to like pets, be vaccinated, and be available for a background check. 828-460-9055
HOME 4G LTE HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE! Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888519-0171. (AAN CAN) NEVER PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN! Complete Care Home Warranty COVERS ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE. $200.00 OFF + 2 FREE Months! 1-877673-0511. Hours Mon-Thu, Sun: 9:30am to 8:00pm Fri: 9:30am to 2:00pm (all times Eastern) (AAN CAN)
ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS A COURSE IN MIRACLES A truly loving, open study group. Meets second and fourth Mondays 6:30 pm on Zoom. For information, contact Susan at 828-712-5472 or email TJ at tjstierslcsw@ gmail.com.
BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 1-877-649-5043 (AAN CAN) BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN) COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-855-5544616. The Mission Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical. edu/consumer-information. (AAN CAN) DIRECTV SATELLITE TV Service Starting at $74.99/ month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 877310-2472 (AAN CAN) DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s, too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response Maximum Tax Donation. Call 877-266-0681. (AAN CAN)
HENSEL PHELPS CONSTRUCTION CO. - ASHEVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION TRADE OPPORTUNITIES Hensel Phelps has been selected as the Construction Manager for the Terminal Building Modernization Project at the Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, North Carolina, and is requesting proposals on it Bid Package #2. Bid Package #2 is the second of three anticipated work packages associated with this project. This bid package includes the complete site development of the entire project, the construction of an approximately 8,000 SF Central Energy Plant, and the design-build procurements of the baggage handling system, and passenger boarding bridges. The overall Terminal Building Modernization Project expands and modernizes the existing single-story, seven-gate terminal building to a two-story building with a minimum of 12 gates. The overall size of the structure will be approximately 275,000 sqft. NC statutes require all first-tier trade partners to be pre-qualified or your proposal will not be considered. Thus, if you have not yet completed and submitted the pre-qualification questionnaire, please do so immediately. The pre-qualification form can be accessed via the following link: http://avl.mx/bc1 Bid Proposals for Bid Package #2 are due beginning March 29, 2022 @ 2:00 PM Eastern. SAVE MONEY ON EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIRS! Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer
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MIND, BODY, SPIRIT COUNSELING SERVICES ASTRO-COUNSELING Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services. Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 258-3229.
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edited by Will Shortz | No. 0202
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22 Roll of fabric 23 More reasonable 24 Bottom-first birth position
52 Particle binding quarks together 54 Like some tales 55 See 60-Across 59 Isolate, in modern lingo 60 With 55-Across, no longer an issue
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22 Cold comment? 24 Piano-playing sister in “Little Women”
67 Sources for longbow wood
26 Went on a lucky streak 27 Constraining
47 Demands blackmail from 48 ___ Beardsley, 19th-century English illustrator
25 Something brewing
51 Words of concession 53 Dandy
28 Abstainer from alcohol
55 Popular boba flavor
1 Blunder
30 Tennis call
56 Grim
2 Emanation
33 C-section performers
57 Chew (on)
DOWN
3 Class with integrals, for short
35 “So there you ___!”
58 Brand name in the freezer
4 Walrus weapons
37 Pork order
59 Do a bit of tailoring
5 Sandwich invented in Florida, despite what its name suggests
38 Boatload
60 Rainy
6 Took a car, in a way 7 La capital de Inglaterra 8 Fellas 9 Crosswalks cross them: Abbr. 10 Vehicle named after a lake 11 One between 10 and 20, say 12 They’re hopeless
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13 Winter hrs. in New Orleans
66 ___-turvy
39 See 35-Across
50 Prominent Venetian Renaissance painter
48
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64 It might come with breakfast in bed
49 Airport inits.
44
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31 Saint, in Portuguese
46 What might display a little spirit?
40
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62 Notable nights
41 With 36-Across, plays dirty
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61 Discovery
36 See 41-Across
35
43
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29 One in peak singing condition?
35 With 39-Across, superior
38
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26 “Scram!”
34 Solidify, as Jell-O
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17 Website links
20 See 18-Across
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30
33
50
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19 Party giver
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16 Brouhahas
45 “The price is negotiable,” in classified ads
23 Sardis Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 670-9191 precisionInternational.com
4
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44 Actress Zellweger
— We specialize in all makes and models! —
3
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42 “Impressive!”
We’re Hiring Call us today!
2
PUZZLE BY MEREDITH COLTON HAZY
1 Basis of a trivia question
32 Pull a fast ___
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