Mountain Xpress 12.02.15 by Mountain Xpress

OUR 21ST YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 22 NO. 19 DECEMBER 2-8, 2015

Drama

Here’s to Holiday

Festive plays from local theater groups 08

Can I vote now? NC voter ID law takes effect

Ode to guerilla gardeners

Gift ideas for Avl foodies

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Shop for handmade gift items from artisans around the world and make a difference globally and locally with your holiday shopping. Monday, November 30th through Friday, December 11th, mention the name of the local non-profit organization you would like to support at the checkout counter and 15% of your purchase will be donated to that group.

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PaGe 38 THe HOLIDaYS ON STaGe This year, local theater companies are pulling out the stops. Holiday-themed offerings range from revamped classics to local spins on beloved tales and festive shenanigans. cover photo Tracey JohnstonCrum, as Judy Bernstein in The Magnetic Theatre’s production, by Rodney Smith, Tempus Fugit Design cover design Elizabeth Bates

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8 show your face Confusion at polls feared as new voter ID law takes effect

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12 at home in shiloh Venerable community fights encroachment

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26 this bud’s for you Grassroots campaign cultivates beauty, community

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Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. sta FF publisher & managing editor: Jeff Fobes assistant to the publisher: Susan Hutchinson

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Coming soon: Asheville, a victim of its own success I live full time within walking distance (if necessary) of the Asheville central business district. … In October of this year, I tried to drive to the main public library in the downtown business district. It was not during busy traffic hours ... every parking deck was full, and I saw no parking places on the streets of the central business district. I drove around and around and finally gave up and drove home. On a recent Sunday in November, I tried to find a parking space to go to a church I attend in the downtown business district. … Finally, I parked in the nearby U.S. post office parking lot. ... When I left the church service about 1 1/4 hours later, the car was gone. It had been towed, resulting in a $195 towing charge to retrieve my borrowed car. ... When I walk the sidewalks of the downtown business district any day of the week, the sidewalks usually are too narrow and

dangerous and in desperate need of repair. … The interference to the streets and sidewalks resulting from the construction of the hotels is horrible, making a bad situation even worse. The new hotels and other high-rise buildings are blocking the views of the nearby mountains and view of the historic downtown buildings. Charleston, S.C., and Hendersonville have preserved and maintained their downtowns without building new hotels or other high-rise buildings. … Both Charleston and Hendersonville are thriving and beautiful, attracting visitors and residents alike. Why can’t Asheville follow their examples? Asheville, however, is fast becoming a victim of its own success. … Unless there is an immediate moratorium (and then prohibition) of all future hotels and other future new buildings in the downtown business district, until the streets and sidewalks are repaired, and until more parking is made available, downtown Asheville will die a painful (and still unnecessary) death. (Also, what if there is another recession?) Tourists and downtown residents will no longer want to visit or reside in downtown Asheville.

contributing editors: Chris Changery, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak, Margaret Williams regular contributors: Able Allen, Jonathan Ammons, Edwin Arnaudin, Pat Barcas, Jacqui Castle, Scott Douglas, George Etheredge, Jesse Farthing, Dorothy Foltz-Gray, Jordan Foltz, Doug Gibson, Steph Guinan, Rachel Ingram, Cindy Kunst, Lea McLellan, Clarke Morrison, Emily Nichols, Josh O’Conner, Thom O’Hearn, Alyx Perry, Kyle Petersen, Rich Rennicks, Tim Robison, Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt, Kyle Sherard, Toni Sherwood, Justin Souther, Krista White advertising, art & design manager: Susan Hutchinson graphic designers: Elizabeth Bates, Terrilyn Chance, Norn Custon, Alane Mason online sales manager: Jordan Foltz marKeting associates: Sara Brecht, Bryant Cooper, Jordan Foltz, Tim Navaille, Brian Palmieri, Aiyanna Sezak-Blatt information technologies: Stefan Colosimo webmaster: Bowman Kelley booKKeeper: Alyx Perry administration, billing, hr: Able Allen, Lisa Watters distribution manager: Jeff Tallman assistant distribution manager: Denise Montgomery distribution: Jemima Cook, Frank D’Andrea, Leland Davis, Kim Gongre, Adrian Hipps, Clyde Hipps, Jennifer Hipps, Joan Jordan, Marsha Mackay, Ryan Seymour, Ed Wharton, Thomas Young

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Asheville will become known as a town of very congested traffic, a town with narrow and unrepaired streets and sidewalks, a town with too few parking spaces, a town with very high hotel room rates, a town which tries to prohibit short-term rentals, a town which no longer has many views of the beautiful surrounding mountains, and a town which has diminished views of the historic buildings — churches, restaurants, offices, etc., built before the crash of 1929. Visitors and residents will instead go to other Southeastern locations — like Charleston, Greenville, S.C., Savannah, Hendersonville, Brevard, etc. Let’s preserve Asheville before we destroy it. — Lex Veazey Asheville editor’s note: A longer version of this letter appears online at mountainx.com

Sign petition to repeal ‘marriage amendment’ Given the recent Supreme Court ruling, there is now no legal, ethical or political reason [that]

Article 14, Section 6, of the North Carolina Constitution, the so-called “marriage amendment,” should exist anymore. A new petition on www.TearDownThisLaw.org calls for a November 2016 referendum to remove this already-antiquated law. The amendment — badly worded, hurtful and ultimately fruitless — foolishly tried to make gay marriage “triply illegal” despite the fact that the Defense of Marriage Act was about to go before the Supreme Court. The DOMA ruling, as expected, basically forced states to recognize gay marriages from other states. The first gay wedding on a military base in this state alone would’ve doomed this amendment. Leaders knew no matter the DOMA ruling, there was no need for this amendment. Remember, it only passed the state Senate by one vote. “Pride goes before a fall.” The Republican Party would be extremely arrogant and foolish not to acquiesce, acknowledge defeat and get this on the November 2016 ballot. Mitt Romney only defeated Barack Obama in this state by 2 percent

in 2012. Had the “marriage amendment” been on that ballot, it would surely have been defeated. If Hillary Clinton (the expected Democratic nominee) were to win this state, there is no scenario in which the Republicans can win the White House. Are Republican leaders so arrogant that they will give Hillary a hand-wrapped issue to exploit? Two percent is nothing to catch up. It will not matter that the Democrats ran this state for “forever and a day” and did not legalize gay marriage. Will not matter Hillary hasn’t always been proLGBT either. This amendment is an albatross, the “ruptured appendix in the elephant.” There is no place in the North Carolina Constitution for outmoded legacy laws. Please go to TearDownThisLaw.org and sign the petition. Let’s unite for a change. — Rev. Dennis Justice Former President of the Henderson County Republican Men’s Club Fletcher

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bY cLarKe morrison clarkemorrison1@gmail.com With a primary election less than four months away, North Carolina officials are scrambling to get ready for a controversial state law requiring photo IDs at the polls, even as a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality remains unresolved. Voting rights advocates fear the changes in how the state’s elections are conducted will create confusion among voters and suppress turnout. The ID requirement, which state lawmakers watered down this past summer, is just one of a number of revisions voters will have to contend with. “If you haven’t voted since the last presidential election, you’re going to be in for a shock when you go in,

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because you’re not going to know what to expect,” says sarah Zambon, an attorney who serves on the board of the League of Women Voters of AshevilleBuncombe County. “There’s a lot of

Confusion at polls feared as new voter ID law takes effect

misinformation about voter ID, which has an intimidation effect on voters, especially going into a presidential election without enough education around this topic. There’s a lot of confusion about what counts and what doesn’t count.” RESTRIcTIOnS On vOTIng

SARAH ZAmBOn

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The sweeping 2013 Voter Information Verification Act required voters to present one of six types of photo ID in order to cast a ballot. Residents who didn’t have one could obtain a free photo ID through the state Division of Motor Vehicles, but Zambon, who’s organized educational forums on voter ID and other election laws, believes the documentation required to obtain a free ID is excessive. “For somebody who has transportation problems or physical

limitations or income problems, it’s going to be harder, even though the ID itself is free,” she points out. The 2013 law also scaled back the number of days of early voting, ended the practice of registering and voting on the same day, prohibited voting outside of the precinct where the voter is registered, and ended preregistration programs for 16- and 17-year-olds. The Republican-controlled General Assembly approved the law shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required nine states with histories of discrimination, including North Carolina, to get federal approval before altering their voting laws. The Voting Rights Act broke down barriers at the state and local levels that had prevented AfricanAmericans and others from exercising their constitutional right to vote. Soon after North Carolina’s voter ID law was passed, lawsuits were filed in both federal and state court challenging various aspects of it. Critics say the changes were intended to disenfranchise young and minority voters, who tend to vote Democratic. The U.S. Justice Department, NAACP and others say requiring an ID to cast a ballot disproportionately affects minority voters, who don’t always have access to birth certificates and other documents needed to obtain an ID card. Some have also questioned whether election officials have had enough time to educate the public about the most recent version of North Carolina’s voting law. According to the state Board of Elections, 318,643 registered voters in North Carolina (5 percent of total registered voters) could not be matched with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles database and may not have an NCDMV-issued photo ID. The SBOE study found that one in three of the unmatched voters is African American and almost two out of three are female. The SBOE study can be accessed at http://avl.mx/21r “North Carolina has a long and sad history of official discrimination against African-Americans, including official discrimination in voting that

has touched upon the right of AfricanAmericans and other people of color to register, vote or otherwise participate in the democratic process,” the federal lawsuit states. bob hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, a nonprofit group that promotes voter engagement, says the Republicans’ intent was obvious. “They went after provisions that they were very conscious were helping increase participation by voters they don’t like,” he says. “It has a partisan motive, and it has a racial impact and an anti-youth impact. We call it the ‘monster law,’ because it’s so sweeping and because it’s a reincarnation of the Jim Crow monster.” Supporters of voter ID say it’s not discriminatory and is needed to weed out Election Day fraud, but few such cases have been prosecuted. A 2015 study by lorraine minnite of Rutgers University, a specialist in election fraud, concluded: “The empirical evidence makes clear that fraud committed by voters either in registering to vote or at the polls on Election Day is exceedingly rare, both nationally and

in North Carolina. … Given the lack of evidence substantiating a problem, stringent photo identification requirements, including those in North Carolina, are not justified to reduce or prevent voter impersonation and other forms of voter fraud; nor is the elimination of sameday registration.” cHALLEngES FOR ELEcTIOn wORKERS trena parker, director of the Buncombe County Board of Elections,

TREnA PARKER

says state officials are putting together training materials and assembling outreach teams to get county poll workers up to speed on the law. “A photo ID is going to be new for all of us, for all workers,” she says. “So the whole process is going to be a new training module that we’re going to have to jump on. The law requires a whole lot of education. This is definitely a big one. There’s been a lot of prep work going on.” Parker says she hopes the planned training will prepare local poll workers for the March 15 primary. “It’s a big, new and important program, so certainly it will provide us with some challenges. There’s going to be a learning curve for the whole process. We’re all going to try our best to do a good job with it.” In June, less than a month before the federal trial was slated to begin, the General Assembly changed the law, enabling people without an ID to cast a provisional ballot. Under this “reasonable impediment” clause, the voter fills out an affidavit citing one of the following reasons for not having ID: lack of transportation, disability or illness, lack of birth certificate or

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other needed documents, work schedule, family responsibilities, lost or stolen photo ID, and photo ID applied for but not yet received. Voters can also write in some other reason. However, they must also show another form of identification that displays their name and address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. If they don’t have that either, they can provide their birth date and the last four digits of their Social Security number. If the local board of elections verifies the information provided in the affidavit, the provisional ballot is opened and counted. But according to the state board, the reasonable impediment provision is viewed as an exception to the law, and voters who have a photo ID are encouraged to bring it to the polls to avoid long lines and other complications. vERdIcT STILL uncLEAR susan myrick, an election policy analyst for the Civitas Institute, says she isn’t worried about

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n eWs “I think anytime you make large changes to the way we vote, it disrupts the voting process a little bit,” he says. “And the fact that it’s still in litigation means we’re not positive exactly what it’s going to look like, and we know that people are more likely to vote if they know what the voting process will look like. I think making the process less shrouded in mystery in any way we can will probably increase the number of people who vote.”

SuSAn myRIcK

confusion at the polls. The conservative group lobbied for voter ID rules in North Carolina. “Voters aren’t stupid,” says Myrick. “Unfortunately I hear it from the other side all the time: ‘You’re going to confuse the voter.’ They’re not dumb. I’ve worked in elections for many, many years. The state board and the county boards work really hard in informing the electorate, especially as elections come close. They have a job to do, and they do it quite well.” Hall, however, doesn’t buy that argument. “I think the confusion about all the new rules can be as harmful as what they actually are,” he says. “So we do want people to recognize that they can vote with or without an ID under the latest changes in the rules.” Hall also worries that poll officials won’t have been sufficiently trained to apply the rules uniformly and that people could be confused by the questions election workers ask them. Even voters who have an ID, he points out, could become frustrated if they’re in line behind someone who doesn’t and there aren’t enough poll workers to handle the problem. “The people that don’t have a photo ID and may have some document somewhere else but don’t have it with them, or don’t have it at all, there are certain options they have, and they’re fairly complex,” notes Hall. “That’s where the rubber is going to hit the road: Is there clear communication that really helps the voter navigate the options they have, so that their ballot will count? And are there people inside the polls who will take that on and make sure it happens?” chris cooper, head of the department of political science and public affairs at Western Carolina University, also believes the new procedures could cause problems.

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OTHER cHAngES cOuLd HAvE gREATER ImPAcT Myrick maintains that voter fraud has been a real problem in North Carolina. Without an identification requirement, she argues, when voters move or die but remain on voter rolls, “Anybody can come in and vote in their place. The nature of that fraud is that nobody will ever know it. If you don’t have to prove who you are, then how in the world would anybody ever know?” Myrick says that when she worked for the Wake County Board of Elections, not an election went by without voters complaining that when they went to the polls, they were told by a poll official that they’d already voted. “I think one instance of voter fraud is a terrible problem, because it negates somebody else’s vote,” she says. “Do I think it’s a large amount? I don’t know, but I know there is voter fraud.” Cooper, however, says: “I’ve never seen a study that shows that fraud is a big problem in American elections. That’s not to say it doesn’t exist, but the frequency with which it exists is pretty limited.” However, he also believes that both sides in the debate have overstated their case. Voter ID laws, he says, “don’t seem to disenfranchise voters quite as much as the other side would

cHRIS cOOPER

suggest. I think the truth is somewhere in the middle.” Clearly, says Cooper, requiring voters to show an ID will benefit Republican candidates, because minority voters and young people will be less likely to show up at the polls. Nonetheless, he continues, “I think most polls show that most North Carolinians support voter ID.” But some of the other changes the law made are more significant and detrimental to Democrats, Cooper maintains. “There were 22 provisions of the North Carolina bill, if I remember correctly, and a lot of those pieces are going to matter more going forward,” he says. “I think they’ll have a bigger impact on voter turnout. Voter ID will reduce turnout slightly, but stopping same-day registration will have a larger effect. It also has a larger effect on the types of people who vote, and that’s incredibly important. “I think voter ID is sort of the headline issue. The number of days of early voting has been reduced, and I think that has a larger effect. It’s now harder

BOB HALL to determine who’s running ads in North Carolina. I think that’s a big deal.” Myrick, on the othee hand, says she’s disappointed that the Legislature changed the law to allow an exception to the ID requirement. “The voter ID part of the law was straightforward,” she says. “Everybody that came to the polls needed to show their ID, and they had a list of IDs that they’d accept. Now, you have to have an ID unless you don’t have one. What’s the use? You have to use a provisional ballot, but they’ll still count it as long as you’re a voter in the county.”

Hall believes Republican legislators amended the law because they were advised by their attorneys that it wouldn’t withstand a court challenge. “There was a lot of evidence that the DMV wasn’t able to comply with the law and provide people with free IDs,” he says. “They were afraid they were going to lose the case altogether if they kept the law as rigid as it was.” But while Hall calls the change an improvement, he still feels the law is problematic. “The whole thing is just ridiculous,” he says. Republicans “have essentially shot themselves in the foot, but they’ve also added layers of confusion, layers of these new complicating rules, and that’s the part that worries us. They’ve just made this thing so complicated and contorted that people will just feel discouraged.” In July, U.S. District Judge thomas schroeder heard arguments in a lawsuit in Winston-Salem claiming that key provisions of the election law overhaul are unconstitutional. He has yet to issue a ruling. The judge removed the voter ID portion of the law from the proceedings, however; a trial on that part of the law is tentatively scheduled for January. In

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October, Schroeder refused a request by state lawmakers to dismiss the suit. Meanwhile, state legislators also voted this year to move up the state’s primaries by about two months, from May to March. In a prepared statement in October, irv joyner, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit, argued that the abbreviated timetable “exists solely because of the trickery of the North Carolina General Assembly, who waited until the dawn of trial to slightly amend its discriminatory photo ID requirement. “Even with the changes — and after nearly two years of telling voters they would need the narrowly prescribed photo ID to vote — North Carolina officials have yet to articulate their strategy for educating the public, poll workers and other state officials on what is needed to vote,” Joyner wrote. “As a result, the people of North Carolina are left in legislative limbo, not knowing the rules for voting as well as the options available ahead of a March 2016 primary and the general election.” X

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At home in Shiloh Venerable community fights encroachment

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HEART OF SHILOH: The 1927 Shiloh AME Zion Church, built to replace earlier wooden structures lost to fire, sits at the center of the historic community. Photo by Virginia Daffron To norma baynes, Shiloh is simply home. “When I walk on my porch and look up at the sky, it feels peaceful. ‘Shiloh’ is biblical: It means ‘the peaceful one.’” No wonder Baynes feels at home here: She grew up in Shiloh with her grandparents, Daniel and Rossie Singleton. A registered nurse who retired from the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 1996, Baynes returned to Asheville around the time that residents were gearing up to create the Shiloh Community Plan 2025, in partnership with the city of Asheville. She’s served as the community’s spokesperson and liaison ever since. Alongside many longtime Shiloh residents who’ve since “gone on to glory,” notes Baynes, she worked to help develop the community plan over the course of nine years. Adopted by City Council on Sept. 14, 2010, the document reflects the neighborhood’s vision for maintaining and furthering its quality of life.

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OvER 140 yEARS OF HISTORy Nestled between Sweeten Creek and Hendersonville roads, today’s Shiloh is bounded by Interstate 40 on the north and Rock Hill Road to the south. But this isn’t the community’s original location. At the end of the Civil War, AfricanAmerican farmers established “Old Shiloh” on land that’s now part of Biltmore Estate. That community was mostly situated between Hendersonville Road and Cedarcliff Road and the area where Biltmore House now sits, says bill alexander, landscape and forest historian for The Biltmore Co. george vanderbilt, working through his agent charles mcnamee, bought 25 to 30 parcels from African-American landowners as he assembled the property that became his estate. Alexander’s research suggests that Vanderbilt paid well above the going rate for the land, which had been cleared of timber and had poor soil. For example, McNamee paid $1,000 for the acre of land on which the Shiloh African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church stood. The money covered the cost of purchasing a new two-

acre site, moving and re-erecting a white former Presbyterian church building to become the new Shiloh AME Zion Church and relocating the church cemetery. “New Shiloh” was built just east of Hendersonville Road, close to two existing African-American communities. Maps in the Biltmore archives show “Rock Hill Colored Village,” made up of about 30 houses, and “Petersburgh Village,” near the present-day junction of Sweeten Creek and West Chapel roads, with about 50 cabins. “I believe that both of those communities were established following the Civil War when the old Henry Stevens plantation (approximately 1,166 acres located mostly between Hendersonville Road and Sweeten Creek) was divided by his widow and children,” says Alexander. “Stevens’ family history shows that they provided land and helped build houses and a church for their former slaves.” Vanderbilt also purchased a new site for the church: its current location on Shiloh Road. After compensating congregation members for their labor in connection with the move, McNamee returned the balance of the funds from the church land sale to the congregation. In a letter to McNamee, Shiloh AME Zion’s pastor expressed “our heartfelt thanks for the New Shiloh Church which you have given us for our former Shiloh which we sold to you. ...We pray that you and Mr. Vanderbilt may live long to do good in our community.” Shiloh AME Zion, Rock Hill Baptist and Brooklyn Mission churches formed the cornerstones of the new community’s life. Early Shiloh residents pursued a variety of trades, notes community historian anita white-carter. Many worked in Biltmore Forest or as laborers on the estate. Others were midwives, ministers and shopkeepers. Despite tedious jobs and long working hours, community members made special efforts to lend time and support to activities for neighborhood children, says the retired UNCA librarian.

Shiloh Elementary School, partly funded by Julius Rosenwald of Sears, Roebuck & Co., became another important social and cultural center. The philanthropist gave money for thousands of schools and libraries for poor blacks across the South. From 1927 until the 1960s, Shiloh Elementary served African-American students from Asheville and communities as far away as Arden, Concord, Fletcher and Weaverville. After desegregation, the building became Shiloh’s community center, providing after-school and summer activities for young people and programs for senior citizens. The center has a library, a fitness room and outdoor facilities. In 2005, lawrence wilson, the Shiloh Community League’s sole surviving trustee, donated land at 59 Hampton St. to the Shiloh Community Association for a community garden. Wilson died in 2014, and that same year, the Tupelo Honey Café partnered with other donors to build an outdoor kitchen and an amphitheater that was dedicated to his memory. THREAT OF EncROAcHmEnT With reasonable property values, relatively gentle topography and major thoroughfares close at hand, Shiloh presents an attractive target for development in a city that’s increasingly squeezed for land. This is nothing new: Since its accidental annexation by Asheville in 1954 (apparently due to a clerical error in the state attorney general’s office), the neighborhood has often been the focus of development plans. In 1972, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a request to rezone a 31-acre tract lying between Sweeten Creek and Caribou roads for

an industrial park, opting to retain the area’s residential zoning. But the Appeldoorn condominium complex off Brooklyn Road was a different story. Completed in 2007, the project found both opponents and supporters in the community. Norma Baynes feels the nearly 500-unit complex is out of step with Shiloh’s modest single-family homes, many of which feature hospitable front porches. Fear of further encroachment, in fact, was one of the primary motivations for creating the Shiloh community plan, which notes, “Development pressures on the edge of the community can lead to increased pressure in the historic core.” A cOnTEnTIOuS ISSuE That statement proved prophetic when, earlier this year, developers proposed a massive self-storage facility at 890 Hendersonville Road (between the Colton Mattress factory and Mission Health). The site, which is owned by charles d. owen iii and joe brumit, consists of two separate plots. The Hendersonville Road parcel, which accounts for 40 percent of the project area, is zoned highway business, allowing buildings of up to 100,000 square feet. The second plot, accessible from Forest and Cornell streets, is zoned office, which permits buildings of up to 8,000 square feet but not selfstorage facilities. According to a memo from city Planning Director todd okolichany, the zoning designation is intended “to reserve areas for development of small-scale office uses adjacent to residential uses. This district may serve as a

transition between residential and commercial areas.” To accommodate the proposed 89,000-square-foot structure, the developer asked the city to rezone the office portion of the site as highway business. Spread over three levels, the facility would feature 700 storage units staffed by two employees. Customers and employees would access it via driveways on Forest and Cornell streets; no Hendersonville Road access was proposed. The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the proposal on Aug. 5. Three Forest Street residents spoke against it, and city planner vaidila satvika read a letter from another resident, carol romano, opposing the project. Commissioner joe minicozzi pointed out that the proposed structure would be 11 times larger than the maximum allowed under office zoning. The commission unanimously recommended that City Council deny the developer’s conditional zoning application on the grounds that it was inconsistent with both the city’s comprehensive plan and the community’s own plan. The Planning Department later made the same recommendation. Undaunted, the project team took its case directly to the residents, meeting with the Shiloh Community Association on Sept. 14 and with another group of residents on Nov. 6. By the time the matter came before City Council on Nov. 10, lines had been drawn, with powerful supporters on both sides. cITy cOuncIL gETS An EARFuL lou bissette knows a thing or two about bringing an issue before City Council: The former mayor is a partner in one of Asheville’s most prominent law firms, and his client list “includes some of the region’s

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biggest players,” according to the firm’s website. On behalf of Taylor/Theus Holdings of Columbia, S.C., Bissette urged Council to consider the difference between the proposed project — which he said “looks a lot like a nice office building” that would generate only a modest amount of traffic, noise and light pollution — versus what could be built on the highway business portion of the property under current zoning. “Any convenience store could be built there by right,” noted Bisette. “The people who own this property, they’re going to sell it. If it’s determined that this won’t fly, they’re going to go straight to what’s a matter of right, and I think that would be a bad thing for the community.” Bissette also pointed out that the property is located on the periphery of the community, relatively distant from Shiloh’s historic core. When Mayor esther manheimer opened the public hearing, Baynes, the community liaison, stepped up to the lectern. “We are in the middle, nowhere to go,” she noted, adding, “If the commercial businesses continue to encroach into Shiloh, we will not exist.” Baynes confirmed that several members of the project team, including Owen, had spoken at the community association’s meeting. But after the team had left, she reported, the organization’s executive committee voted 6-3 to oppose the project. “We are asking City Council, on behalf of Shiloh, to keep our historic community intact,” concluded Baynes. Shiloh resident bennie normanmcintosh spoke next, and she didn’t mince words, citing concerns about the additional traffic on Forest and Cornell streets. Norman-McIntosh

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neWs

EARLy HISTORy: This mid- to late-1800s building was a former Presbyterian Church given by Vanderbilt to the Shiloh AME Zion Church. Shiloh residents moved the building from its original location near the French Broad River to the present-day site, where it is seen in this photo. This structure was preceded by an even earlier log building. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Library, Asheville also disputed the project team’s contention that the new facility would be good for the neighborhood. “This building is going to be storage units: It would not benefit us,” she said. “There’s only two jobs; we can’t afford to pay $200 a month to rent a storage building. The only people in Shiloh who can do this are the drug dealers. That’s probably who will be renting these buildings, and people from elsewhere. But as far as putting it in our neighborhood, put something in our neighborhood that’ll benefit us. If other folks want it, put it in their neighborhood,” she admonished City Council, adding, “I am really upset with them walking over our plan like the plan doesn’t even exist. They just come here and say, ‘We’re going to do it.’” But faye reynolds, who’s lived in Shiloh for 67 years, had a different view, saying she and a number of other residents had signed a petition supporting the project. Shiloh property owner phyllis williams-green also spoke in favor of the facility, commenting that it was one of the best development proposals she’d seen in years. Documents submitted to Council by the developer support the claim that at least 15 residents signed a statement of support for the project. And donalee hicks, the 100-year-old homeowner whose property abuts the rear of the project site, sent a letter through her son that said: “We wish to void our previous letter concerning the ... storage project. ... The buffer zone is very nice. Due to further

considerations, we are not against the storage project.” BIRd In THE HAnd?

“We definitely appreciate the city’s support in upholding our plan. This is a different Council than the one that approved our plan back in 2010, so it’s wonderful that they see the value in what we created,” notes Dixon, who was unable to attend the Council meeting due to recent knee-replacement surgery. Dixon has lived in Shiloh for over 50 years, but she grew up in Stumptown, an African-American neighborhood bulldozed in the 1970s to make way for development, including Montford Park. The dislocation Dixon experienced then shaped her commitment to neighborhood advocacy: “That’s how we know the value of having a plan,” she says. Like many former Stumptown residents, Dixon moved to Hillcrest Apartments public housing after her neighborhood was destroyed by the urban renewal project. Federal Housing Administration funds built the singlefamily home Dixon and her husband eventually bought in Shiloh. Now, however, with her grown children living elsewhere, Dixon is depending on neighbors and friends to help out as she recuperates from surgery. Once she’s back on her feet, Dixon expects to resume her work as financial

manager and customer service representative for WRES, a local low-power radio station. She’s also active in the local chapter of the NAACP. Shiloh’s opposition to the storage facility, Dixon is quick to point out, wasn’t a fight against development. “We are not trying to prevent anyone from using their property,” she explains. “If it’s zoned for a certain use, then we have no problem with it.” Dixon also has no hard feelings toward those of her neighbors who supported the project. “Everyone has a right to their opinion,” she says. “We have a holiday celebration coming up, and we’ll all be back together then. This issue has not divided us.” Baynes, too, says the community remains united. She’s looking forward to expanding outreach efforts to increase residents’ awareness of the Shiloh Community Plan and the vision that drove its creation. Change, notes Dixon, is happening all the time, and “that’s not a bad thing.” And Shiloh, she reflects, is “nothing fancy. We’re just people trying to be a community.” X

“We must make this decision based on what is before us, not on what might happen in the future,” Council member gordon smith told his colleagues as they considered the matter. “I understand the fears about what could go there; that’s why I’m glad we’re going to revisit the comprehensive plan this year. We need to be trying to get what’s best for our community rather than avoiding the worst. When a community has come together and created a plan, it’s up to us to abide by it.” Council member chris pelly, meanwhile, said that such neighborhood planning efforts “define a community’s vision for how to grow over time. Shiloh has done that; it’s what’s in effect right now. The proposed project clearly violates the tenets of that plan.” But Vice Mayor marc hunt, who lost a re-election bid last month, called the decision “a judgment call,” warning, “The development pressure in this corridor could create a worse outcome.” In the end, though, Council denied the conditional zoning request on a 5-2 vote, with Hunt and outgoing Council member jan davis dissenting. SHARIng THE vISIOn sophie dixon, president of the Shiloh Community Association, says she’s glad about the outcome.

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c o m m u n it y c ale n d ar december 2 - 8, 2015

Calendar guidelines In order to qualify for a free listing, an event must benefit or be sponsored by a nonprofit or noncommercial community group. In the spirit of Xpress’ commitment to support the work of grassroots community organizations, we will also list events our staff consider to be of value or interest to the public, including local theater performances and art exhibits even if hosted by a forprofit group or business. All events must cost no more than $40 to attend in order to qualify for free listings, with the one exception of events that benefit nonprofits. Commercial endeavors and promotional events do not qualify for free listings. Free listings will be edited by Xpress staff to conform to our style guidelines and length. Free listings appear in the publication covering the date range in which the event occurs. Events may be submitted via email to calendar@ mountainx.com or through our online submission form at mountainx.com/calendar. The deadline for free listings is the Wednesday one week prior to publication at 5 p.m. For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 251-1333, ext. 110. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 2511333, ext. 320.

Animals The events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20) Buncombe County Public Libraries buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library Free unless otherwise noted. • TU (12/8), 5pm - Make pet toys for Meals on Wheels pet food drive. Ages 8 and up. Free/Canned pet food donations accepted. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa

Benefits Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20) Arts Council of Henderson County 693-8504, acofhc.org • SU (12/6), 4:30pm - Tickets to this concert celebrating the music of The Modern Jazz Quartet benefit the Arts Council of Henderson County. $45. Held at Freeburg Pianos,

NUTCRACKER SEASON: There are no shortage of opportunities to see the well-loved dance classic The Nutcracker in the coming weeks. Not only are several local dance companies producing their versions of the seasonal favorite over the next three weekends, but the renowned Moscow Ballet brings its acclaimed Nutcracker performance to the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of the Moscow Ballet (p. 17)

2314 Asheville Highway, Suite D, Hendersonville Biblioworks biblioworks.org • SA (12/5), 7pm - Proceeds from this fundraiser with food, drinks and live music benefit Biblioworks. $15/$12 advance. Held at 67 Biltmore, 67 Biltmore Ave. Bountiful Cities bountifulcities.org • SA (12/5), 7pm - Proceeds from the “Put Your Hoe Down,” dinner and dance benefit Bountiful Cities. Dance party starts at 9pm. $40/$35 advance/$10 dance only/$7 dance only in advance. Held at Ole Shakey’s, 790 Riverside Drive

• SA (12/5), 10am - Proceeds from this family-friendly 5k run benefit Girls on the Run WNC. $15. Held at the UNCA track. Hadaya Toys Benefit hadayatoys.com • SU (12/6), 6-8pm - Tickets to this candlelight evening of music from Free Planet Radio benefit Hadaya Toys. $10. Held at Jubilee Community Church, 46 Wall St. Make A Wish Benefit • TH (12/3), 6:30pm - Proceeds from this live music fundraiser featuring The Marcus King Band and others benefit the Make A Wish Foundation. $15. Held at Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave.

zDeck the Trees Benefit

zNCW Wrestling

669-8870, themontevistahotel.net • TH (12/3) through TH (12/31) Proceeds from this exhibition of decorated Christmas trees benefit the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries. Opening party: Dec. 3, 6-8pm. Awarding of prizes for trees: Dec. 18, 6-8:30pm. Free to attend. Held at Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St., Black Mountain

ncw1wrestling.weebly.com • SA (12/5), 7pm - Proceeds from this NCW Wrestling event “Merry Mayhem” help provide Christmas gifts to families and children in Henderson County. $10.Held at Xcel Sportsplex, 37 Maxwell Drive, Hendersonville

Girls on the Run WNC 713-3132, gotrwnc.org

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zTryon Fine Arts Council Holiday Ball 859-8322, tryonarts.org • SA (12/5), 6:30pm - Proceeds

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from this holiday ball with live music, dancing, food & drink and silent auction benefit the Tryon Fine Arts Council. $80. Held at Tryon Fine Arts Center, 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon

Business & Technology A-B Tech Small Business Center 398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc Registration required. Free unless otherwise noted. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Rd., Candler • WE (12/2), 10am - “Business of Public Contracting,” seminar. • SA (12/5), 9am - “Basics of Bookkeeping,” seminar. • TH (12/10), 9am - “Small Business Group Accounting Session,” seminar for general questions. Asheville Business for Success meetup.com/ Asheville-Business-For-Success • MO (12/7), 6pm - Presentations by Mountain Xpress and Wild Wings. Free to attend. Held at EarthFare Westgate, 66 Westgate Parkway

Classes, Meetings & Events

Sunday, December 13, 12pm-4pm. Call for details: 828-545-9186. View our latest wares: www.chaoticjoyglassworks.com

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE: FREE INTRODUCTORY LECTURE (pd.) The most effortless meditation technique is also the most effective. Learn how TM is different from other practices (including common “mantra” methods). An evidencebased technique for going beyond the active mind to access deep inner reserves of energy, creativity and bliss — dissolving stress, awakening your highest self. The only meditation recommended for hypertension by the American Heart Association. NIHsponsored research shows decreased anxiety, improved brain functioning, heightened well-being. Reduces insomnia, ADHD, PTSD. Personalized training, certified instructors, free follow-up classes. Thursday, 6:307:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-254-4350 or TM.org or MeditationAsheville.org

zAmerican Advertising

CHAOTIC JOY GLASSWORKS BLOW YOUR OWN ORNAMENT (pd.) Or buy one of ours! Glassblowing sale and demonstrations butting the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Asheville. •

Asheville TimeBank 348-0674, ashevilletimebank.org • TUESDAYS, 4-6pm - Orientation session. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

Federation of Asheville 551-6355, aafasheville.org • TH (12/10), 5-7pm - Holiday party and networking. Free to attend. Held at Hi-Wire Brewing, 42 Huntsman Place

zAsheville History Center 253-9231, smh@wnchistory.org. • TH (12/3) & FR (12/4), 6-8:30pm - After hours holiday tours of the Smith McDowell house. Registration required. $25/$10 under 18. Held at Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Road Asheville Objectivists ashevilleobjectivists.wordpress.com, avlobj@att.net • TU (12/8), 6pm - General meeting. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave.

ASHEvILLE wOmEn In BLAcK main.nc.us/wib • 1st FRIDAYS, 5pm - Monthly peace vigil. Free. Held at the Vance Monument in Pack Square. BLuE RIdgE TOASTmASTERS cLuB blueridgetoastmasters.com/ membersarea, fearless@ blueridgetoastmasters.org • MONDAYS, 12:15-1:25pm - Public speaking and leadership group. Free. Held at Lenoir Rhyne Center for Graduate Studies, 36 Montford Ave.

zHABITAT FOR THE HOLIdAyS habitatornamentcontest.com • SA (12/5), 10am-2pm - 3d printing demonstration & award presentation for the 3d Holiday Ornament Contest. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, 30 Meadow Road JuSTEcOnOmIcS wnc 505-7466, justeconomicswnc.org • TH (12/10), 6-9pm - Annual celebration with food and entertainment. Free. Held at Jubilee Community Church, 46 Wall St.

zLOvE LIgHTS cELEBRATIOn

OF REmEmBRAncE cancercareofwnc.com • TH (12/3), 6:30pm - Holiday remembrance ceremony for loved ones taken by cancer with choral music and candles. Free to attend. Held at Cancer Care of WNC, 428 Biltmore Ave. mOunTAIn HOuSIng OPPORTunITIES 254-4030, mtnhousing.org, housewarming@mtnhousing.org • TH (12/3), 4pm - House warming party and ribbon cutting ceremony for Villas at Fallen Spruce Apartments. Free. Held at Villas at Fallen Spruce Apartments, 20 Fallen Spruce Drive OnTRAcK wnc 50 S. French Broad Ave., 255-5166, ontrackwnc.org Registration required. Free unless otherwise noted. • WE (12/2), 5:30pm - “How to Find Extra Income in Your Day-toDay Life,” seminar. • WE (12/2), noon “Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it.” Seminar. • SA (12/5), 9am - “Manage Your Money Series,” 2-day seminar completing on Sat. Dec. 12. • TU (12/8), noon - “What Every Woman Needs to Know,” financial seminar. • WE (12/9), 5:30pm “Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it.” Seminar.

REynOLdS/FAIRvIEw ScRABBLE cRIBBAgE cLuB • WEDNESDAYS - Scrabble and cribbage club. Free to attend. Held

at Mountain Mojo Coffeehouse, 381 Old Charlotte Highway, Fairview

performs the Nutcracker. $28$37.50. Held at US Cellular Center, 87 Haywood St.

SHOwIng uP FOR RAcIAL JuSTIcE showingupforracialjustice.org • TUESDAYS, noon-2pm - Educating and organizing white people for racial justice. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

PuBLIc EvEnTS AT mARS HILL unIvERSITy 689-1307, mhu.edu • SA (12/5), 9am - Bailey Mountain Cloggers dance workshop. $10. Held in McConnell Hall studios.

vAncE BIRTHPLAcE 911 Reems Creek Road, Weaverville, 838-645-6706, nchistoricsites.org/vance • SA (12/5), 4-8:30pm - Christmas candlelight tours. $3.50. vETERAnS FOR PEAcE 582-5180, vfpchapter099wnc. blogspot.com • 2nd TUESDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Books, 610 Haywood Road

dAncE STudIO ZAHIyA, dOwnTOwn dAncE cLASSES (pd.) Monday 5pm Ballet Wkt 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 7:30pm Bellydance 8pm Tap • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 5:30pm Stretch Wkt 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 8pm Hip Hop Choreo 2 •Wednesday 5pm Bhangra Wkt 7:30pm Bellydance 8pm Contemporary • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wrkt 4pm Kid’s Dance 5pm Teens Hip Hop 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm West African 8pm West African 2 • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45am POUND Wkt • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $5. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595

zASHEvILLE cOnTEmPORARy dAncE THEATRE 254-2621, acdt.org • FR (12/4) & SA (12/5) - The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sat.: 2pm. $28/$23 seniors & students/$20 children. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 S. Pack Square

JOyFuL nOISE 649-2828, joyfulnoisecenter.org Held at First Presbyterian Church of Weaverville, 30 Alabama Ave, Weaverville • MONDAYS, 6:45-7:30pm Beginner clogging class. Ages 7 through adult. $10. • MONDAYS, 7:30-8:15pm Intermediate/Advanced clogging class. Ages 7 through adult. $10.

zmOScOw’S gREAT

RuSSIAn nuTcRAcKER nutcracker.com • TU (12/8), 7pm - Moscow Ballet

SOuTHERn LIgHTS SQuARE And ROund dAncE cLuB 697-7732, southernlights.org • SA (12/5), 6pm - “Candy Cane Caper Dance,” square & round dancing. Free. Held at Whitmire Activity Center, 310 Lily Pond Road, Hendersonville SwIng ASHEvILLE swingasheville.com • THURSDAYS, 7:30pm - Beginner & intermediate swing dance lessons. 8:30-11pm - Open dance. Live music regularly. $7/$5 members. Held at Club Eleven on Grove, 11 Grove St.

EcO Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20) ASHEvILLE BIOnEER’S cOnFEREncE Lenoir-Rhyne University Graduate Center, 36 Montford Ave. • WE (12/9), 6pm - Follow-up from Bioneers Conference. Free. ASHEvILLE gREEn dRInKS ashevillegreendrinks.com Free to attend. • TH (12/10), 5:30pm - “Green Edge: Meet WNCGBC’s New Director at Twin Leaf Brewery,” presentation. Free to attend. Held at Twin Leaf Brewing, 144 Coxe Ave. cREATIOn cARE ALLIAncE OF wnc creationcarealliance.org • TH (12/3), 7pm - General meeting. Free. Held at First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St. • SU (12/6), 2pm - :“People’s Pilgrimage for the Paris Climate Talks,” public demonstration of support for UN Climate Talks agreement. Free. Held at Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Road TRAnSITIOn ASHEvILLE 296-0064, transitionasheville.org • MO (12/7), 6:30-8pm - “What Being Involved in the Transition Movement Means,” presentation and social. Free. Held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St. wILmA dyKEmAn BOOK cLuB 253-8304, wolfememorial.com • TH (12/10), 5:30pm - Excerpts from Dykeman’s The French Broad and discussion, “No Cokes in Hell,” led by Osher Lifelong Learning Center at UNCA. Free. Held at

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c o n s c io u s part y

Com m u n ity calen dar

By Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com

Free Planet Radio to perform at Hadaya Toys’ fundraiser for Syrian refugee children WHAT: A candlelight vigil fundraiser for the Beiti orphanage in Turkey WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 6, from 6-8 p.m. WHERE: Jubilee Community Church WHY: Although many organizations are working to mitigate the tumultuous conditions of Syrian refugees, few specifically address the needs of children, according to photographer and artist Vanessa Bell, co-founder of nonprofit Hadaya Toys. Her organization — launched with filmmaker and teacher Jennifer MacDonald after a successful crowdfunding campaign about a year ago — aims to do just that by delivering quality books, toys and art supplies to displaced youth. “We believe this lost generation deserves opportunities to experience moments of joy and fun and that these moments are invaluable to a child’s overall health, development and well-being,” Bell says, noting that the creative stimulation is doubly important for the many kids not enrolled in school. To that end, Bell and MacDonald are holding a candlelight vigil and fundraiser for the refugees, with proceeds specifically benefiting the Beiti orphanage in Turkey. There, youths have lost one or both parents to war. The evening will feature world music by Asheville’s Free Planet Radio plus other musical guests; spoken word and several short video presentations depicting previous aid trips taken by Hadaya’s founders; a silent auction of gift cards to local businesses; and Habibi baklava, Roots hummus and other refreshments. Bell says that although Hadya’s reach has thus far been modest, its impact has been significant, “as 18

december 2 - december 8, 2015

Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 N. Market St WNC Green Building Council 254-1995, wncgbc.org • TH (12/10), 5:30pm - Networking and welcoming of the new director. Free to attend. Held at Twin Leaf Brewing, 144 Coxe Ave.

zWNC Sierra Club 251-8289, wenoca.org • WE (12/2), 7pm - Holiday party, potluck and awards ceremony. Free. Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place

Farm & Garden

zBullington Gardens 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville, 698-6104, bullingtongardens.org • FR (12/4) & SA (12/5) - Open house greenery and craft sale. Free to attend.

zHaywood County Master Gardeners 456-3575, sarah_scott@ncsu.edu • SA (12/5), 10am-noon & 1-3pm - Wreath making workshop. Registration required: mgarticles@ charter.net. $20. Living Web Farms

BORDERING CHAOS: Hadaya Toys founders Vanessa Bell and Jennifer MacDonald, pictured, recently traveled to a refugee camp on the border of Syria, where they met a 6-year-old Shaima. The youth arrived in Lebanon with her mother and siblings after her father was killed in Syria. Bell says Shaima “was especially cute, fearless and adorable. She followed us everywhere and just wanted to be carried and held much of the time.” Photo courtesy of Hadaya Toys evidenced by over 600 smiling faces when we delivered toys, books and art supplies to four camps on the border of Lebanon and Syria this summer.” Tickets to the fundraiser event are $10 each, available at the door or at Malaprop’s Café and Bookstore in advance. Hadaya avoids accepting prepurchased toys (to mitigate arguments and disappointment and ensure durability), though the nonprofit does accept soccer balls. Visit hadayatoys.com for more information. X

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176 Kimzey Road, Mills River, 5051660, livingwebfarms.org • SA (12/5), 1:30pm - “Alcohol Fuel Workshop,” workshop to learn how to use alcohol fuel made crops. $15.

Festivals Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20)

zBlack Mountain Parade and Circle of Lights

blackmountainrec.com • SA (12/5), 5-7pm - Black Mountain Holiday Parade ending at Lake Tomahawk for the Circle of Lights. Free. Held in Downtown Black Mountain.

zChanukah Live 2015 505-0746, chabadasheville.org • SU (12/6), 3-6pm - Community celebration with family activities, kosher sushi & food buffet, live music and giant Menorah lighting. Free to attend. Held at Crowne Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Drive

Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20)

zEast Asheville

Tailgate Market 954 Tunnel Road, facebook.com/ EastAshevilleTailgateMarket • FR (12/4), 4-7pm - Outdoor holiday market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend.

zFlat Rock

398-6062, historicbiltmorevillage.com/events • FR (12/4), 6pm - Christmas tree lighting event with over 1000 luminaries, live choir music, food and greenery vendors. Free to attend. Held in Historic Biltmore Village. Free to attend.

facebook.com/flatrockfarmersmarket • SA (12/5), 2-6pm - Outdoor market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held at 2724 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock.

Village Festival

zFletcher Community Park 85 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher • TH (12/3), 6pm - Lighting of the Fletcher Christmas tree, visits with Santa and refreshments. Free.

zHistoric Downtown Hendersonville

Main St. from Sixth Ave. to Caswell St., Hendersonville, 693-9708, historichendersonville.org. • SA (12/5), 10am - Hendersonville Christmas Parade. Free to attend. Held on Main Street, Hendersonville.

zHolly Jolly Celebration blackmountain.org • FR (12/4), 5-8pm - “Holly Jolly,” shopping, entertainment and holiday markets. Free to attend. Held in Downtown Black Mountain.

zLake Julian Festival of Lights

(pd.) Saturday, December 12, 1-5pm. 20th Annual Tour of Homes in Montford, Asheville’s most historic neighborhood. Festive historic homes, home-baked treats, and holiday entertainment. $25 at Asheville Visitors Center Gift Shop, 36 Montford Ave. Info: 828-280-1576 or Montfordtour.com

zBlack Mountain Neuro

zLight Up Woodfin

Medical Treatment Center 932 Old U.S. Highway 70, Black Mountain • TH (12/3), 3:30pm - Annual holiday parade with over 30 entries including the Owen marching band and floats. Free.

Food & Beer

zDickens In The

684-0376, david.blynt@ buncombecounty.org Held at Lake Julian Park, 406 Overlook Road Ext., Arden • TH (12/3), 6-8pm - Walking tour of Lake Julian’s holiday lights. $5/Free for children. • FR (12/4) through WE (12/23), 6-9pm - Driving tour of Lake Julian’s holiday lights. $5 per car/$10 per van/$25 per motor coach.

MONTFORD HOLIDAY TOUR OF HOMES

at Reynold’s Village, 61 North Merrimon Ave.

facebook.com/The-Shops-atReynolds-Village-546725908768803 • SA (12/5), 4-6pm - Live entertainment, Santa, and food vendors. Tree lighting ceremony at 6pm. Free to attend. Held

Holiday Market

zWeaverville

Tailgate Market 60 Lake Shore Drive, Weaverville, weavervilletailgate.org • WE (12/2), 2:30-6pm - Outdoor holiday market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. West Asheville Holiday Farmer’s Market 541-609-8596, westashevilletailgatemarket.com • TUESDAYS through (12/22), 2:306pm - Local arts & crafts vendors & food. Free to attend. Held at The Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road

Government & Politics

Carolina Jews for Justice West carolinajewsforjustice.org • TH (12/3), 6:30pm - Panel discussion of race and police practices. Panelists include Chief of the Asheville Police Department and the Buncombe County Sheriff. Free. Held at Congregation Beth Israel, 229 Murdock Ave. City of Asheville 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • WE (12/2), 10am-noon - Asheville Regional Housing Consortium (ARHC) Board meeting. Held at the 6th Floor Training Room. Free. Held at Asheville City Hall, 70 Court Plaza • WE (12/2), 3-5pm - Multimodal Transportation Commission meeting. Held in room 623. Free. Held at Asheville City Hall, 70 Court Plaza • TU (12/8), 5pm - Public City Council meeting. See website for

by Abigail Griffin agenda. Free. Held at Asheville City Hall, 70 Court Plaza

KIdS Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20)

zASHEvILLE cOmmunITy

THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • SA (12/5), 10am - Red Herring Puppets presents The Legend of La Befana. $5. ATTIc SALT THEATRE cOmPAny 505-2926, atticsalt.org • SA (12/5), 10am - The Tale of the Pig. $5. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St.

zBREAKFAST wITH SAnTA 338-9005, fairviewcommunitycenter@gmail.com • SA (12/5), 8:30-10am - Pancake breakfast, crafts and photos with Santa. Free for kids 12 and under. Held at Fairview Community Center, 1357 Old Charlotte Highway (US 74A), Fairview BuncOmBE cOunTy PuBLIc LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library Free unless otherwise noted. • SA (12/5), 2pm - Star Wars celebration with crafts. Ages 5 through 12. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview • SA (12/5), 11am - “Holiday Crafts: Ornaments & More!” Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester FLETcHER LIBRARy 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free. IRA B. JOnES ELEmEnTARy 544 Kimberly Ave • TH (12/3) & FR (12/4), 6:30pm - The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, Jr., presented by Ira B. Jones Drama Department. $5/$3 per student. JOyFuL nOISE 649-2828, joyfulnoisecenter.org • MONDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Capriccio String Orchestra for intermediate players. $10. Held at West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Road • MONDAYS, 6:15-6:45pm “Movement and Dance,” class for 5 and 6 year olds. $10. Held at First Presbyterian Church of Weaverville, 30 Alabama Ave, Weaverville SPELLBOund cHILdREn’S BOOKSHOP 50 N. Merrimon Ave., 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com • SATURDAYS, 11am - Storytime for ages 3-7. Free to attend.

OuTdOORS Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20) APPALAcHIAn TRAIL cOnSERvAncy 828-254-3708, ext. 15, appalachiantrail.org, rbrydon@appalachiantrail.org • WE (12/9), 5-7pm - Drop-in hiker happy hour. Social networking event for Appalachian Trail enthusiasts. Free to attend. Held at Black Dome Mountain Sports, 140 Tunnel Road LAKE JAmES STATE PARK 6883 N.C. Highway 126, Nebo, 584-7728 • SA (12/5), 1:45pm - “Winter Waterfowl Cruise,” ranger led boat tour. Registration required. Free. • TH (12/10), 9:45am - “Winter Waterfowl Cruise,” ranger led boat tour. Registration required. Free.

PAREnTIng OnTRAcK wnc 50 S. French Broad Ave., 255-5166, ontrackwnc.org Registration required. Free unless otherwise noted. • TH (12/3), noon - “Raising a Money Smart Child,” seminar. SPELLBOund cHILdREn’S BOOKSHOP 50 N. Merrimon Ave., 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com • SA (12/5), 4pm - Local author Bess Baird shares her process making cloth baby books. Free to attend.

SPIRITuALITy ASHEvILLE InSIgHT mEdITATIOn (pd.) Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation. Learn how to get a Mindfulness Meditation practice started. 1st & 3rd Mondays. 7pm – 8:30. Asheville Insight Meditation, 29 Ravenscroft Dr, Suite 200, (828) 8084444, www.ashevillemeditation.com ASTRO-cOunSELIng (pd.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Readings also available. Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 258-3229. cRySTAL vISIOnS BOOKS And EvEnT cEnTER (pd.) New and Used Metaphysical Books • Music • Crystals • Jewelry • Gifts. Event Space, Labyrinth and Garden. 828-687-1193. For events, Intuitive Readers and Vibrational Healing providers: www.crystalvisionsbooks.com

InnER PRESEncE cOAcHIng InSTITuTE (pd.) Are you an experienced meditator and have an interest in Eastern enlightenment traditions and deep personal growth work? Explore the upcoming 9-month Inner Presence Coaching training program. Start a new career deeply contributing to others! 828-252-0538 or www.innerpresencecoaching.com LOOKIng FOR gEnuInE SPIRITuAL guIdAncE And HELP? (pd.) We are in a beautiful area about 10 minutes from downtown Asheville, very close to Warren Wilson College. www.truththomas.org 828-299-4359 OPEn HEART mEdITATIOn (pd.) Experience and deepen the spiritual connection to your heart, the beauty and deep peace of the Divine within you. Increase your natural joy and gratitude while releasing negative emotions. Love Offering 7-8pm Tuesdays, 5 Covington St. 296-0017 heartsanctuary.org SEREnITy InSIgHT mEdITATIOn (pd.) A Burmese monk leads authentic Buddhist insight meditation, grounded in 40 years of practice. Beginners and advanced practitioners welcome. • Sundays, 10am-11:30am; • Mondays and Wednesdays, 6pm7pm. (828) 298-4700. wncmeditation.com

Divine Mother Kirtan

Magical Offerings

with Cat,

& Stacy

Local Artisans Journals, Quills & Ink Herbal Teas & Accesories Incense & Resins Books, Jewelry & more

Melanie, Amah

Friday, Dec 11 7:30pm One Center Yoga

Join us Dec. 6th for “Jewelry for fun & Profit” a workshop from 1-3pm. $40. Info & registration: oldworldcaster@yahoo.com

555 Merrimon Ave. (828)424-7868 Daily readers. Walk-ins including Scrying, Runes, Tarot, & More!

Cost is donation of $ or a yoga mat

Ho Ho Homebrew! Save with our Holiday Specials!

• Beer Special - Equipment, Ingredients, Bottles, and Sanitizer - only $113.25

• Wine Special - Equipment, Bottles, and Sanitizer - only $142.50 plus take 15% oﬀ wine kit of choice!

No further discounts. In store purchases only. Deal good through December 23, 2015

The area’s largest selection of ingredients and equipment for making beer, wine, cider and mead.

SHAmBHALA mEdITATIOn cEnTER (pd.) Meditation and community on Thursdays 7:00 to 8:30 PM and Sundays 10-12 noon. By donation. Asheville.Shambhala.org, 828-2001520. 60 N Merrimon #113, Asheville, NC 28804 WORSHIP SERVICE • TRUST THE SPIRITuAL STREngTH wITHIn yOuRSELF (pd.) “The purpose of this world of appearances and illusion is to test us and strengthen us so that we can find the combination to the safe, the way to the inner worlds where the Sound and Light of God are purer and higher than anything we can know here. And in so doing, Soul is uplifted and purified, and one day becomes a fit Co-worker with God.” • Experience stories from the heart, creative arts and more, followed by fellowship and a pot-luck lunch. (Donations accepted). • Sunday, December 6, 2015, 11am-12 noon, Eckankar Center of Asheville, 797 Haywood Rd. (“Hops and Vines” building, lower level), Asheville NC 28806, 828-254-6775. www.eckankar-nc.org

Private Painting Parties Beats That Office Party Eggnog Hands Down!

For Co-Workers, Friends, and Family Art Buzz Kids Holiday & Birthday Parties Too! 640 Merrimon Ave • (828) 255-2442 • wineanddesign.com/asheville

cEnTER FOR ART & SPIRIT AT ST. gEORgE 1 School Road, 258-0211 • WEDNESDAYS, 3:30pm & 6:30pm - Sitting meditation and daily mindfulness practice. Info: kenlenington@ gmail.com. Admission by donation. • FR (12/4), 10am - The Michelangelo Principle: Using woodcarving and poetry to

mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

givelocalguide.org

Looking for a new way to express yourself? Why not do it…

D ance I dea F actory F amily-oriented E nriching R evitalizing E nergizing N on-competition T one L ove Y our style of dance and unique expression

• Ballet • Pointe • Tap • Broadway and Acrobatic Jazz • Jazz/Hip Hop/Funk Fusion • Contemporary • Clogging: Traditional and Contemporary • Belly Dance

“Ms. Cynthia’s tremendous talents as a dancer, instructor, and role model have given our daughter not only a passion fo r d a n ce , b u t va l u a b l e lessons in humanity that will benefit her for a lifetime.” - Rebecca C.

3726 Sweeten Creek Road Arden, NC 28704

(828) 277-4010

www.ideafactoryinc.org 20

december 2 - december 8, 2015

events calendar The 60-day Give!Local campaign is over halfway finished. So far there have been over 131 donations made, with the average donation being $57. The largest donation was $1020. There will be one more Big Give Day on December 15, so if you wish to donate and be entered to win some great prizes, it is a great day to give. Thanks to all those who have donated so far — your incentives will be arriving in January! The Give!Local campaign provides a fun, fast and easy way to give online from $10 to the $1,000’s. Donors can give to as many of the 30 participating nonprofits as they like and pay with one easy

AnImALS cHARLIE’S AngELS AnImAL REScuE 885-3647, wncanimalrescue.org • SA (12/5), noon-4pm - Animal adoption event & pet photos with Santa. Free to attend. Held at Patton Avenue Pet Company, 109 Patton Ave.

The Give!Local nonprofits stay busy throughout the year providing needed services to our community. Here’s what they are up to for the week of 12/2 through 12/10 by Abigail Griffin

credit card transaction. Plus, there are incentives to encourage donations from new givers —people who typically don’t get tax breaks and a whole new generation of givers — children! Children 12 or under who give at least $5 (with their parents permission of course) get a kiddie scoop from The Hop AND are entered to win one of some special kid-oriented prizes like a kid’s bike from Motion Makers, horse riding lessons from the Equinox Horse Foundation, or a six-month Book-of-the-Month membership from Spellbound Children’s Books. Want to find out more? Visit givelocalguide.org

rity waiter competition and pancake break- presentation, film and forum. Registration suggested: saveculture.org $5.. fast benefit the irene Wortham center early Learning center. $10/Free with new unwrapped toy/Free for children under 2. FOOd & BEER Held at Hickory Tavern, 30 Town Square Unit 100 THE LORd’S AcRE zHEART SOngS TREE OF LIgHTS thelordsacre.org

692-6178, fourseasonscfl.org • FR (12/4), 5:30pm - Proceeds from this memorial celebration with luminaries, tree lights, music and crafts benefit Four n.c. ARBORETum seasons hospice, palliative care, and grief 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, counseling. Free. Held at First Citizens ncarboretum.org Regular parking fees Bank Plaza, Main Street, Hendersonville apply.

ART gALLERIES

• Through SA (1/3) - The Robot Zoo, exhibit zHOmEwARd BOund HOLIdAy featuring giant-size robots and interactive BEnEFIT cOncERT displays to teach biomechanics of animals. homewardboundwnc.org • Through (1/3) - Fine-feathered Friends and Flowers, oil paintings by Mary Webster. • SU (12/6), 3pm - Tickets to this Pan Harmonia Handel concert, “A Chamber THE cEnTER FOR cRAFT, Music Messiah,” benefit Homeward bound cREATIvITy & dESIgn of Wnc. Admission by donation. Held at 67 Broadway, 785-1357, First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, 40 craftcreativitydesign.org • Through SA (1/9) - Made in WNC, textile, Church St. furniture, ceramics, and art exhibit exploring how craft, design, and production zn.c. ARBORETum wInTER LIgHTS relate. 665-2492, ncwinterlights.com • FR (12/4) through SA (1/9) - Tom Shields • Through SA (1/2), 6-10pm - Proceeds sculptural arrangements from found furnifrom this walking tour of the holiday ture. Artist talk: Dec. 4, 6pm. animated light display benefit n.c. arboretum programs, exhibits, and facilities year-round. $18/$16 children. Held BEnEFITS at N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way ASHEvILLE HumAnE SOcIETy

• THURSDAYS, 11:30am - The Fairview Welcome Table provides a community lunch. Free. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old Us Highway 74, Fairview

KIdS

zA wInTER’S TAIL 259-8092, wildwnc.org • SA (12/5), 10am-4pm - WNC Nature Center annual holiday celebration with festive crafts, face painting and photos with Santa. $10.95/$9.95 seniors/$6.95 kids 3-15 years. Held at WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Road

OuTdOORS

THEATER

zmOnTFORd PARK PLAyERS 254-5146, montfordparkplayers.org • TH (12/10), 7:30pm - A Christmas Carol. “Pay what we are worth night.” Admission by donation. Held at Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway

zTHE mAgnETIc THEATRE 375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (12/3) through (12/19), 7:30pm - The 42nd Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular! $18-$23.

vOLunTEERIng

zcARE PARTnERS FOundATIOn 277-4815, carepartnersfoundation.org • Through TH (12/24) - Volunteers needed for gift wrap station at Asheville Outlets. Registration required.

FRIEndS OF THE SmOKIES

HOmEwARd BOund wnc

452-0720, friendsofthesmokies.org, outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org • SU (12/6) - Register for the “One Hike Three Waterfalls” moderately difficult 5.5 mile hike to the Juney Whank, Indian Creek, and Toms Branch waterfalls. Register online. $35/$10 members.

218 Patton Ave., 258-1695, homewardboundwnc.org • 1st THURSDAYS, 11am - “Welcome Home Tour,” tours of Asheville organizations that serve the homeless population. Registration required. Free to attend.

828-761-2001 ext. 315, ashevillehumane.org EcO • TH (12/3), 6:30pm - Tickets to “Brews & Brains: Quiz for a Cause,” team trivia series SuPPORT gROuPS benefit the asheville Humane society. mOunTAInTRuE $10. Held at The Millroom, 66 Ashland Ave. Held at Blue Ridge Community College,180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock, 694-1885 OuR vOIcE FLAPJAcKS FOR FAmILIES • TH (12/3), 7pm - “Come Hell or High 44 Merrimon Ave. Suite 1, 28801, 252ireneworthamcenter.org • SA (12/5), 8-10am - Tickets to this celeb- Water, Remembering the Flood of 1916,” 0562, ourvoicenc.org

mountainx.com

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

zn.c. ARBORETum 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, ncarboretum.org • Through SA (1/2) - Hundreds of volunteers needed for the Winter Lights exhibit through SA (1/2) from 5:30-10pm nightly. Register online: ncwinterlights.org

c Ommu n IT y cA L E n d AR

discover essence. Admission by donation. nOuRISH & FLOuRISH 347 Depot St., 255-2770, nourishflourishnow.com • TUESDAYS, 7:30pm - Kirtan with Sangita Devi. $10-$15. PRAmA yOgA And mEdITATIOn 712-9326 • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm - All levels yoga and meditation class. Proceeds benefit the Women’s Welfare and Development Foundation. Registration required. $5. Held at Asheville Therapeutic Yoga, 29 Ravenscroft SAI mAA EnLIgHTEnEd LIvIng gROuP 279-7042, facebook.com/ groups/1385824208412583 • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm Meditation, energy blessing, group discussion and reading. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Therapeutic Yoga, 29 Ravenscroft

zST. JOHn’S

EPIScOPAL cHuRcH 290 Old Haw Creek Road St. Johns Episcopal Church • SU (12/6), 3pm - Stories, crafts, refreshments, and a visit from St. Nicholas. Free. uRBAn dHARmA 29 Page Ave., 225-6422, udharmanc.com • SA (12/5), 2pm - “Jambhala Abundance Puja: Banishing Poverty-Mind.” Free to attend.

SPOKEn & wRITTEn wORd BLuE RIdgE BOOKS 152 S. Main St., Waynesville • 1st & 3rd SATURDAYS, 10am - Banned Book Club. Free to attend. • SA (12/5), 3pm - Ann Woodford presents her book, When All God’s Children Get Together. Free to attend. BuncOmBE cOunTy PuBLIc LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library Free unless otherwise noted. • WE (12/2), 3pm - Weaverville Afternoon Book Club: West With the Night by Beryl Markham. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • TH (12/3), 6:30pm - East

Asheville Book Club: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor. Held at East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Road • FR (12/4), 10am-4pm - Music, book and art sale from the donated collection of John Bridges. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • FR (12/4), SA (12/5) & MO (12/6), 10am-4pm - Skyland/ South Buncombe Library used book sale. Held at Skyland/ South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • FR (12/4), 4pm - Barbara Kingsolver Book Club: Pigs in Heaven. Held at Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain • FR (12/4), 1:30pm - Young Novel Readers Club: Dragon Slippers. For 5th through 7th grade. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • TU (12/8), 1pm - Leicester Book Club: Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah. Held at Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester • TH (12/10), 2:30pm - Tim Barnwell presents his book Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road cOSmIc HAPPy SLAm thefunconspiracy.com/event/ cosmic-happy-poetry-slam • SA (12/5), 7-9:30pm - Annual “Cosmic Happy Slam” for youth poets ages 11-19. $10 adult/$5 students. Held at Odyssey Community School, 90 Zillicoa St. FLETcHER LIBRARy 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1:30pm Writers’ Guild. Free. • 2nd THURSDAYS, 10:30am Book Club. Free. JuBILEE cOmmunITy cHuRcH 46 Wall St., 252-5335, jubileecommunity.org • FR (12/4), 7:30pm - Music and storytelling with Paula Hanke, Michael Jefry Stevens and David Novak. $12. mALAPROP’S BOOKSTORE And cAFE 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com Free unless otherwise noted.

• WE (12/2), 1pm - Autism Book Club: A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World. • WE (12/2), 7pm - Malaprop’s Book Club: The Pleasure Was Mine. • FR (12/4), 7pm - Ellen Malphrus presents her book Untying the Moon. • TH (12/5), 11am-4pm - Local authors booksigning event. • SU (12/6), 3pm - POETRIO: featuring poetry by Laurel Blossom, Vievee Francis and Kathryn Kirkpatrick. • MO (12/7), 8pm - LGBTQ Book Club discusses She’s Not There. • TU (12/8), 7pm - Mystery Book Club discusses The Shadow of the Wind.

zSynERgy STORy SLAm Held at the Odditorium, 1045 Haywood Road, 575-9299 • WE (12/9), 7:30pm - Story Telling open-mic on the theme “Holiday Sneer II”. Free to attend.

SPORTS KARAKIdO mARTIAL ARTS (pd.) cultivate power & grace: Back to School Special Classes: Youth, Adult & “Women Only” * Parents ask about our After School Program Discount rates for students * Call for class time and rate: 828-712-1288.

Intimate Dinners | Cocktail Receptions | Upscale Galas Located in Biltmore Village | DoubleTreeAsheville.com | 828-771-2273

SUWS Carolinas Wilderness Skills Weekends December 4, 5 and 6 • December 17, 18 and 19

Sharpen Essential Life and Wilderness Skills • Healthy Communication • Resiliency • Communication • Self Awareness • Healthy Meals • Rustic Lodging in the Pisgah National Forest at the SUWS Carolinas Basecamp • Old Fort, NC • Ages 10 & older • $650/person includes all food and lodging

vOLunTEERIng Some of the events in this section are listed in the Give!Local Events Calendar (p. 20) BIg BROTHERS BIg SISTERS OF wnc 253-1470, bbbswnc.org • TH (12/3), noon - Volunteer information session. Held at United Way of Asheville & Buncombe, 50 S. French Broad Ave.

zEBLEn cHARITIES

TO REGISTER: Call (9am-4pm, M-F) Mike Vines or Shawn Farrell: (828) 668-7590

Spirituality Issue

255-3066, eblencharities.org • WE (12/9) through WE (12/23) - Volunteers needed to staff 3-hour shifts at the St. Nicholas Project toy store. Contact for more information: 777-3383.

828-251-1333

For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx. com/volunteering

advertise@mountainx.com mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

wELLnESS

tHinking inside tHe box bY Kate Lundquist kvlundo@gmail.com Workplace health initiatives are cropping up in Western North Carolina. Large hospital systems such as Mission Health and Park Ridge, as well as business owners and organizations like the Western North Carolina Medical Society, are starting to think “inside” the box: They’re creating in-house wellness programs that help employees lose weight, lower stress, get more exercise and eat healthier. Mission is the region’s largest employer, and its WellConnect engagement specialist dede rowe helps foster health inside the workplace. “We have an online wellness program tool that we allow all of our employees to have access to and insert data [into],” Rowe says. The online, interactive weightloss and fitness challenge achieved about 50 percent participation, she continues. The program hosts workshops, TED talks and quizzes that grant points to participating staff, Rowe explains. At the end of each three-month period, participants who reach their goals earn $75. “We focus on trying to build morale. It is [also] building a culture of wellness and providing support, whether that is [for] weight loss or getting active.” Zumba and turbo kickboxing are favorites for jerri jameson, Mission’s senior communications consultant. “I [have] met fellow employees that I would never have met in my day-today job, and we created a bond.” In partnership with Mission’s WellConnect program, YMCA of WNC instructors offer 23 classes free to enrolled employees. Classes are offered in the early morning, during lunch or early evening. “As a health care facility, we want to be taking care of [our] community,” Rowe says. “We have over 13,000 employees, and we wanted to put forth our effort and resources to focus on community to turn around illness at work. We now offer this program to other employers in the Asheville area.”

december 2 - december 8, 2015

A few times each quarter, WellConnect specialists visit local companies and answer questions about the online fitness challenge. The program also offers cooking demonstrations provided by YMCA’s healthy kitchen bus. “We make it as affordable as possible,” says Rowe. Fees range from $4.50 per month for employees of Chamber of Commerce companies to $5 per month for others, she explains. The online tool and support help employees develop their own wellness program, says Rowe. “And we help them to develop programming such as a Couch to 5K Club, the WellConnect … weight loss and fitness challenge, and anything else they might need.” WellConnect engages in a two-year contract with participating companies, Rowe explains. In the first year, the program builds enrollment and explores what companies already have available to help employees. By the second year, employees can evaluate their progress and gather data on what areas need focus, such as stress, body mass index and blood pressure, and what interventions need to be launched, says Rowe. Mission offers follow-up support too. Mission representatives host group “Lunch and Learns” that address such health topics as stress and provide a healthy, balanced meal for $4, Rowe says. “We build on the program, depending on where companies want to go,” she says. Following a community resiliency model, the program offers health fairs for cholesterol, glucose, height, weight and BMI, Rowe continues. Employers get verified but anonymous data that help them evaluate how the program is impacting employee health. There’s a big payoff for implementing a wellness program in the workplace, says Katherine schuen, wellness manager at Park Ridge Health. The Henderson County hospital — which is part of the Adventist Health System — has received the Excellence Recognition Award from the N.C. Prevention Partners for the past two years. Scores are given for such aspects as nutrition, tobacco, physical activities and overall wellness culture. Park Ridge has a variety of employees with a variety of needs, says Schuen. “You have the night shift, day shift, desk job, older nurses, etc.,” she says.

mountainx.com

WNC employers create healthy workplace options

wALKIng THE wALK: Ellen Stallings, left, community wellness educator at Park Ridge Health, and Katherine Schuen, wellness manager, walk a trail together during a 15-minute wellness break at work. Photo courtesy of Hal Alexander of Park Ridge Health

“We make sure our programming is unique.” Fit for Life — a chronic disease prevention and reversal program — launched in January for Park Ridge employees whose BMI was greater than 30 and who demonstrated more than two risk factors, such as high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes, says Schuen. Participating employees get a free one-on-one relationship with wellness counselors who help monitor and encourage healthy meals, exercise and behavioral management. The program has helped each employee achieve an 80 percent drop in one risk factor, she says. “Using exercise, many of our participating employees have reduced their high blood pressure to manageable and/or medication-free levels,” Schuen adds. “I was not exercising or eating healthy,” says one Park Ridge employee, who asked to remain anonymous. “In December, I had my blood work completed, and my total cholesterol was 280.” A physician’s assistant suggested medication and told the employee to change diets, lose 40 pounds and get the cholesterol down to 220. “I knew medication was not going to be the best option for me, so I took it as a challenge to make some personal changes in my lifestyle,” the employee says. “I started the Fit for Life program through the [Park Ridge] wellness department and have lowered my cholesterol 62 points, lost 26 pounds of fat, [and improved] my fitness level. “I do not need cholesterol medication, and now I am training for a halfmarathon with a friend. I feel better and I am medication-free.” Another part of the Fit for Life program, says Schuen, is the Fitbit Launch, which offers employees and their families one of the devices at a fraction of the cost. Since its inception in April, 64 percent of employees have signed up. Some employees have created fun group challenges, she adds, by using their Fitbits to calculate simulated Appalachian Trail hikes or Alaska biking, walking or running adventures. “Nutrition is a big component at Park Ridge,” says Schuen. “We network with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project as the local distributor, and we try to ensure that there is always healthy local fruit or vegetables year-round on trays.” Park Ridge also created the Stoplight Program, in which nutri-

tionists help employees identify what foods are healthy. “Everything is noted on the menu, which helps employees receive more information to make choices,” says Schuen. “We recently conducted research in regards to the community nutrition, and the conclusion is that people are desiring healthier choices when given info and education.” The Western Carolina Medical Society has also undertaken health initiatives for employees but has faced challenges in the process. “We are very small nonprofit with a fairly tight budget,” says CEO miriam schwarz. “We have 14 employees, so we have to use resources very carefully to craft wellness programs that are going to be low- or no-cost.” Schwarz notes, “I expect a lot from people, but I try to make them not burn out. [The] cost of turnover is tremendous, and workplace culture, I think, has a lot to do with retention.” So the nonprofit looks at “both mental and physical wellness in the workplace,” she says. Employees are encouraged to walk daily, for example. “They keep track of the number of days they walk, and we have a threshold in order to be recognized and rewarded [with] a half day off from work.” The reward, though small compared with some larger corporations, Schwarz adds, is one of the key factors motivating employees to exercise and work together to meet goals. Echoing the sentiment expressed by both Rowe and Schuen, she adds, “We strive for psychological wellness in our workplace. I want to be able to create a work environment we all want to work in.”

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505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com • TH (12/10), 6pm - Psychiatrist Dr. John Nicholls, associate medical director of the Smoky Mountain Center, will speak on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Free. Held at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St. REd cROSS BLOOd dRIvES redcrosswnc.org Appointment and ID required. • FR (12/4), 11am-3:30pm - Appointments & info.: 298-3636. Held at Blue Ridge Pharmacy, 948 Tunnel Road • MO (12/7), 2-6:30pm - Appointments & info.: 645-6054. Held at North Buncombe Elementary School, 251 Flat Creek Church Road, Weaverville • TH (12/10), 1:30-6pm - Appointments & info.: 669-2725. Held at Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Road, Black Mountain

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Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com • SATURDAYS, 11am- Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4

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FOuR SEASOnS cOmPASSIOn FOR LIFE 233-0948, fourseasonscfl.org • THURSDAYS, 12:30pm - Grief support group. Held at SECU Hospice House, 272 Maple St., Franklin • TUESDAYS, 3:30-4:30pm - Grief Support Group. Held at Four Seasons - Checkpoint, 373 Biltmore Ave.

OvERcOmERS REcOvERy SuPPORT gROuP rchovey@sos-mission.org • MONDAYS, 6pm - Christian 12-step program. Held at SOS Anglican Mission, 1944 Hendersonville Road

cARIng FOR THE SOuL 581-0080 • 1st MONDAYS, 5:30pm - Support for people with mental illness diagnosis and/or family members and loved ones. Meets in the brick house behind the church. Held at Black Mountain United Methodist Church, 101 Church St., Black Mountain

cOdEPEndEnTS AnOnymOuS 398-8937 • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm & SATURDAYS, 11am – Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. • TUESDAYS, 8pm – Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4 dEBTORS AnOnymOuS debtorsanonymous.org • MONDAYS, 7pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. dEPRESSIOn And BIPOLAR SuPPORT ALLIAncE 367-7660, magneticminds.weebly.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7pm & SATURDAYS, 4pm – Held at 1316-C Parkwood Road. EmOTIOnS AnOnymOuS 631-434-5294 • TUESDAYS, 7pm – Held at Oak Forest Presbyterian Church, 880 Sandhill Road FOOd AddIcTS AnOnymOuS 423-6191 or 301-4084 • THURSDAYS, 6pm - Held at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 1 School Road

OvEREATERS AnOnymOuS • Regional number: 258-4821. Visit mountainx. com/support for full listings.

gAmBLERS AnOnymOuS gamblersanonymous.org REcOvERIng cOuPLES AnOnymOuS • THURSDAYS, 6:45pm - 12-step meeting. Held recovering-couples.org at Basillica of St. Lawrence, 97 Haywood St. • MONDAYS, 6pm - For couples where at least one member is recovering from addiction. Held LIFE LImITIng ILLnESS SuPPORT gROuP at Foster Seventh Day Adventists Church, 375 386-801-2606 Hendersonville Road • TUESDAYS, 6:30-8pm - For adults managing the challenges of life limiting illnesses. Free. Held REFugE REcOvERy at Secrets of a Duchess, 1439 Merrimon Ave. 225-6422, refugerecovery.org • FRIDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 6-7:30pm LIvIng wITH cHROnIc PAIn Buddhist path to recovery from addictions of all 776-4809 kinds. Held at Urban Dharma, 29 Page Ave. • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm - Hosted by • TUESDAYS, 7pm - Buddhist path to recovery American Chronic Pain Association. Held at from addictions of all kinds. Held at Shambhala Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Meditation Center, 60 N Merrimon Ave #113 Swannanoa mEmORy LOSS cAREgIvERS network@memorycare.org • 2nd TUESDAYS, 9:30am – Held at Highland Farms Retirement Community, 200 Tabernacle Road, Black Mountain

BRAInSTORmER’S cOLLEcTIvE 254-0507, puffer61@gmail.com • 1st THURSDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Led by brain injury survivors for brain injury survivors and sup- mEn wORKIng On LIFE’S ISSuES porters. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 273-5334; 231-8434 742 Haywood Road • TUESDAYS, 6-8pm - Contact for location.

FOuR SEASOnS cOmPASSIOn FOR LIFE 571 S. Allen Road, Flat Rock, 692-6178, fourseasonscfl.org • TH (12/10), 2:30-4pm - “Grief 101,” workshop. cHROnIc PAIn SuPPORT Registration required. Free. 989-1555, deb.casaccia@gmail.com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6 pm – Held in a private gRAcE LuTHERAn cHuRcH home. Contact for directions. 693-4890 • TH (12/10), 7am-7pm - Blood Connection Blood Drive. Appointments & Info: 233-5302. Held at 1245 Sixth Ave. W., Hendersonville

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BREAST/TESTIcuLAR cAncER PATIEnTS dESIREd FOR FREE HEALIng wORK (pd.) Breast or testicular cancer patients SuPPORT gROuPS needed as clients for advanced hands-on healing students. Earth-based healing school. FREE. SAT. & SUN. (12/5-12/6) 9am-3pm both days. AduLT cHILdREn OF ALcOHOLIcS & Interested parties must register at registrar@ dySFuncTIOnAL FAmILIES wildernessFusion.com Black Mountain, NC. (828) adultchildren.org 785-4311. wildernessFusion.com • Visit mountainx.com/support for full listings. HEART dISEASE/HyPERTEnSIOn PATIEnTS AL-AnOn/ ALATEEn FAmILy gROuPS dESIREd FOR FREE HEALIng wORK 800-286-1326, wnc-alanon.org (pd.) Heart disease and hypertension patients • A support group for the family and friends of needed as clients for advanced hands-on healing students. Earth-based healing school. FREE. alcoholics. For full listings, visit mountainx.com/ SAT. & SUN. (12/12-12/13) 9am-3pm both days. support.

BuncOmBE cOunTy PuBLIc LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/library www.consultgalaya.com Free unless otherwise noted. • WE (12/2), 11:30am - “Laughter Yoga,” yoga class for adults. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West Charleston St., Swannanoa • TH (12/3), 6pm - NC Health Insurance Marketplace sign up with a certified health care BRING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR, AND YOUR ASIAN CAR—TOYOTA, navigator. Held at Swannanoa Library, 101 West LEXUS, HONDA, ACURA, SUBARU, NO EUROPEAN MODELS Charleston St., Swannanoa

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mIndFuLnESS And 12 STEP REcOvERy avl12step@gmail.com • WEDNESDAYS, 7:30-8:45pm - Mindfulness meditation practice and 12 step program. Held at Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 370 N. Louisiana Ave. Suite G4 mOunTAIn mAmAS PEER SuPPORT gROuP facebook.com/mountainmamasgroup • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1pm - Peer support group for pregnant and postpartum mothers led by birth professionals. Held at The Family Place, 970 Old Hendersonville Highway, Brevard nAR-AnOn FAmILy gROuPS nar-anon.org • WEDNESDAYS, 12:30pm - Held at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, 204 6th Ave. West, Hendersonville • TUESDAYS, 7pm - Held at West Asheville Presbyterian Church, 690 Haywood Road nATIOnAL ALLIAncE On mEnTAL ILLnESS wnc 505-7353, namiwnc.org, namiwc2015@gmail.com Held at NAMI Offices, 356 Biltmore Ave. • 1st SATURDAYS, 10am - For family members and caregivers of those with mental illness. • 1st SATURDAYS, 10am - Connection group for individuals dealing with mental illness. OuR vOIcE 44 Merrimon Ave. Suite 1, 28801, 252-0562, ourvoicenc.org • Ongoing drop-in group for female identified survivors of sexual violence. OvERcOmERS OF dOmESTIc vIOLEncE 665-9499 • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm - Held at First

S-AnOn FAmILy gROuPS 258-5117, wncsanon@gmail.com • For those affected by another’s sexual behavior. Confidential meetings available; contact for details. SHIFTIng gEARS 683-7195 • MONDAYS, 6:30-8pm - Group-sharing for those in transition in careers or relationships. Contact for location. Smart Recovery smartrecovery.org • THURSDAYS, 6pm - Info: 407-0460 Held at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Ave. • SUNDAYS, 7pm - Info: 925-8626. Held at Crossroads Recovery Center, 440 East Court St., Marion SunRISE PEER SuPPORT vOLunTEER SERvIcES facebook.com/sunriseinasheville • TUESDAYS through THURSDAYS, 1-3pm - Peer support services for mental health, substance abuse and wellness. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 742 Haywood Road SuPPORTIvE PAREnTS OF TRAnSKIdS spotasheville@gmail.com • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 7pm - For parents to discuss the joys, transitions and challenges of parenting a transkid. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St. SyLvA gRIEF SuPPORT melee@fourseasonscfl.org • TUESDAYS, 10:30am - Held at Jackson County Department on Aging, 100 Country Services Park, Sylva T.H.E. cEnTER FOR dISORdEREd EATIng 337-4685, thecenternc.weebly.com Held in the Sherill Center at UNCA. • WEDNESDAYS, 7-8pm – Adult support group, ages 18+. • 1st MONDAYS, 5:30pm - Teaches parents, spouses & loved ones how to support individuals during eating disorder treatment. undEREARnERS AnOnymOuS underearnersanonymous.org • TUESDAYS, 6pm - Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

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dIggIng In: Using donated seeds, plants and soil, Elder & Sage creates areas of beauty in the smallest of spaces. Over the summer, residents of the Vanderbilt Apartments nurtured a variety of flowers and herbs at the foot of a fence surrounding a construction staging area on Haywood Street. Photo by Virginia Daffron

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carol hubbard can’t afford to wait for the outcome of deliberations over the fate of the vacant lot that faces the U.S. Cellular Center and the Basilica of St. Lawrence. Together with her neighbors, the Battery Park Apartments resident is quietly trying to bring new life to what’s been dubbed the “Pit of Despair” while building community and purpose. “If we wait for the city to decide, we might be dead,” says Hubbard,

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one of the more than 300 senior residents of the Battery Park and neighboring Vanderbilt Apartments. Guerrilla gardeners have banded together to create Elder & Sage: Uptown Asheville’s Senior Gardeners. Group members began cultivating the arid soil surrounding street trees on Page Avenue last summer. “We are claiming this space,” declares Battery Park resident clare hanrahan. “People have donated seeds, plant starts and soil. From these basic materials, we’ve reclaimed bare dirt from the dogs and the cigarette butts.”

But it’s not just plants that decorate these tiny plots. Figurines, colored stones, signs, ornaments, tinsel and all manner of whimsical embellishments make each one a unique expression of its determined creators. “These are acts of survival in the midst of the asphalt,” Hanrahan exclaims. Meanwhile, another “people’s garden” has taken root on Haywood Street, at the base of a chain-link fence surrounding the staging area for the Cambria Suites hotel that’s being built around the corner. A man in his 90s carries water from his apartment one glassful at a

gARdEn PARTy: Battery Park Apartments residents Carrie and Detrick Morgan would like to see more green space in their neighborhood. Photos by Virginia Daffron time, says Hanrahan. Caring for the plants, the longtime political activist explains, draws seniors out of their apartments and into interactions with one another and the broader community. On a windy, chilly Saturday morning that is carrie and detrick morgan’s 20th wedding anniversary, they pass by en route to some church-related volunteer work. “We would like to see a park for both the apartment buildings to enjoy,” says Carrie, adding, “Growing some food out here would be wonderful.” Neighborhood advocate and resident barbara gravelle, who helped defeat a 2005 plan to wrap a parking garage around the base of the Battery Park Apartments, hurries past on an errand, pausing just long enough to wave and call out a greeting to friends. carol geri and teresa sutton stop on their way to synagogue to pose for a photo next to what Geri calls their “green space,” a solitary tree festooned with shiny bunting. As small as these garden spaces are, notes Hanrahan, “This is our neighborhood: We’re creating a sense of pride and a feeling of ownership here.” cOmIng TOgETHER The site lies along a heavily traveled pedestrian route between Montford and downtown, notes

garden ally scott owen, and people often pause to examine each plot’s multitude of quirky details. Guests at the Hotel Indigo pass through, as do residents of the Hillcrest Apartments public housing development. A public park on the site, both Owen and Hanrahan maintain, would be a place where many different groups could come together: young and old, tourist and resident, the wealthy and the marginalized. And all this would play out under the watchful eyes of the hundreds of seniors whose windows look out on the space. The long-debated fate of the property was a focal point in the recent City Council elections, with some suggesting partnering with a private company to develop a building with a plaza on the site. Hanrahan, however, rejects that idea, saying, “When we privatize open space, we lose our democratic right to assemble. It may make economic sense in the short term, but it doesn’t make sense over the long term.” For his part, Owen says working with Hanrahan has opened his eyes to a new way of creating public open space. A lifelong gardener and nature lover, Owen has often worked with landscaping contractors. “One of those companies would come in here with earthmoving equipment and mature

flowers.” And Hanrahan says: “It’s not about all the politics that have surrounded this space. It’s about the possibilities.” For Hubbard, though, the issue is even more personal. “I have a relationship with these scraggly little plants,” she says with a laugh. “Even in these tiny places, the sacredness of the earth must be acknowledged.” X

plantings,” he explains. “In a few days, this area would look completely different. That’s not what we want.” Elder & Sage, continues Owen, hopes to partner with other community members to create a public park on the site, “not to save money, but so we can have the experience and the joy of doing it together.” “People need to realize that green space is not just a lawn,” says Hanrahan. Many different approaches, she points out, could satisfy the “urgent need for proximity to green space” that she and her neighbors feel. “If we had a couple of parking spaces, just imagine all the food we could grow in that area,” she says wistfully. “Of course, there are things only the city can do,” concedes Owen, and creating safer pedestrian access to the Battery Park Apartments is one of them. “At a minimum, those residents need a crosswalk on Page Avenue at the only handicapped-accessible entrance to the building.” SAcREd RELATIOnSHIPS

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mOvEABLE FEAST: Justin Smith grabs his weekly lunch order of bibimbap from El Kimchi at the 51 Coxe food truck lot downtown. Asheville’s mobile food-vending culture is gradually expanding as more vendors enter the market and new dedicated venues open to cater to their needs. Photo by Carla Seidl

bY carLa seidL carla.seidl@gmail.com “Asheville is the kind of town, they love to eat,” says santiago vargas of Out of the Blue Peruvian Fusion Cuisine food truck. After working in Long Island restaurants for seven years, the Peruvian-born chef opened the mobile food unit five months ago with partners rob lowry and chris smith. “People like to try new things here,” he says, and that’s a good fit with Vargas’

december 2 - december 8, 2015

creative energy and passion for preparing his native cuisine. “When you’re working corporate, you work for the owner,” notes Vargas. “You have love or passion ... and then someone kills your passion.” On his food truck, Vargas can indulge his wild ideas and not be vetoed by higherups. In the kitchen’s tight quarters, he cooks up his father’s sanguche de chicharrón fried pork sandwich and his mother’s famous fried rice, marinating his chicken in Green Man porter and Peruvian spices for 24 hours. Vargas also likes preparing meals for 25 or 50 people a day rather than the higher volumes in most

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restaurants. He says he tries to put love in his food, which he found impossible in an impersonal corporate setting. Family is another central element of Vargas’ work. As we speak on a Wednesday afternoon at 51 Coxe, a downtown food truck lot, his wife, farrah razuri-vargas, comes to try the empanada of the day while their 2-year-old daughter, Cassandra, frolics by the truck. wILd And cRAZy cuISInE suzan honey, co-owner of Happy Lucky food truck, which has also been

open for less than a year, reports a similar experience. “It’s a dream for me,” she says, prepping baconwrapped, hickory-smoked pork tenderloin for high-end sandwiches outside Highland Brewing Co. Honey’s worked in restaurants since age 14; she loves being able to pick and choose where she wants to work. “There’s less and less security working for other people, especially when you get to be my age, so [the food truck is] a way to kind of take the future into your own hands,” she notes. Honey’s husband, co-owner steven wilder, says Asheville’s food-oriented residents make this “a symbiotic community” for food trucks. Nonetheless, he continues, every day is a struggle for business, particularly given this small city’s large number of such vehicles. There are 62 permitted mobile food units in Buncombe County, according to jessica silver, the county’s Environmental Health Services program manager. That works out to about 25 food trucks per 100,000 people — a concentration higher than you’ll find in such food truck meccas as Austin, Texas, and Portland, Ore. Nationwide, Asheville’s ratio is topped only by Orlando and Miami, Fla., and Washington, D.C., according to data compiled by Business Insider. Asheville food truck pioneer suzy phillips of Gypsy Queen Cuisine, who opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant on Patton Avenue in October, says food truck chefs “just do some crazy stuff. Maybe it’s the atmosphere of a food truck that brings out people’s fun, creative side.” For various reasons, many food trucks focus on niche offerings. Belly Up Truck does tacos and burritos; Melt Your Heart does grilled cheese. Happy Lucky goes high end with its smoked salmon sandwich and New Orleans-style muffuletta. El Kimchi offers Korean-Mexican fusion, and Lil’ Pizza My Heart peddles jumbosized slices with up to four toppings for $5.

REguLATORy HuRdLES Phillips, though, says overregulation creates unnecessary obstacles. “We’re not set up for success,” she maintains. Originally, Phillips wanted to open a falafel cart, but in North Carolina, the only nonprepackaged food a cart is allowed to sell is hot dogs. “I think we do set a higher standard in the way our program is run,” says Silver. North Carolina, she notes, is one of the few states that posts an actual score and letter grade for food trucks. “Our overall goal is to minimize or limit the number of foodborne illness outbreaks,” she explains. “We are on the forefront of public health.” There are also landscape and zoning regulations, rules about sidewalks and parking and, in downtown Asheville, a no-generator rule. Additionally, each food truck needs to be associated with a commissary where the operator can dump gray water and fill up on fresh water, explains susan robinson. Robinson is a co-owner of 51 Coxe, which offers a commissary as well as a bar, seating area and handicappedaccessible restrooms for patrons. Both Phillips and El Kimchi owner don lee say their inability to provide shade or seats for customers is a major deterrent to business. Regulations prohibit these amenities unless there’s a handicapped-accessible bathroom and a parking area. “Younger patrons,” says Phillips, “don’t care: They’ll sit on the floor and eat.” But she’s had trouble getting older folks to come out to her Gypsy Queen truck, because they’re less comfortable eating standing up. That’s why opening the restaurant was important, notes Phillips, surveying the varied faces in her new dining room. “I want to feed everyone, not just one kind of person.” More common in places like East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, street food is “good, fun food anywhere you go,” says Phillips. But “Americans,” Lee asserts, “are not allowed to have street food.” Within the U.S., regulations vary. Asheville banned food trucks until 2012, and then, it took tremendous effort to change a 25-year-old ordinance. “The regulations don’t fully allow what they’re doing in Austin or Portland,” says steven paulson of Melt Your Heart. “They’re not terrible laws; you just have to abide by them.”

Phillips, however, is less sanguine. If food trucks represent our best approximation of other countries’ street food culture, after dealing with all the regulations, she maintains, “You’re tired and disappointed.” LOw-cOST, HIgH-End FOOd Dedicated “food truckers,” though, find more to celebrate about the local culture. justin smith, who works for Valet Gourmet, comes to 51 Coxe on his lunch break every Wednesday to order bibimbap from El Kimchi. “I think it’s cool that they can go to different spots in town instead of being stuck in one place,” he says. “And I have a lot of admiration for people that can cook in such a limited space, get food out quick, and it’s still gourmet quality.” Food trucks, continues Smith, are especially good for the person on the go. “It’s quick, easy, and it’s usually cheap, too, ’cause you don’t have to pay for the restaurant experience.” In addition, “Everyone here has the ‘go local’ mentality; I think it thrives here because of that.” Kevin jennings created AshevilleFoodTrucks.com, which tracks the trucks’ whereabouts on a daily basis to help folks find their favorites. “Everywhere I go, I hunt down food trucks,” he says. “I think it’s as good as brick-and-mortar, and some of it’s even better.” Asheville’s high concentration of food trucks, says Jennings, is directly connected to the large number of breweries here. Several food truck owners said they get 80 percent of their business that way. “I set up almost primarily now with breweries,” Paulson reports. “Beer drinkers here are a nice mix of locals and beer tourists.” Belly Up co-owner hannah starr says she and her husband chose Asheville because of all the breweries. “They really are an awesome harmony,” she observes. “That’s sort of why we called ourselves Belly Up, so you can belly up at the bar and then saunter over and belly up to our food truck and get your tummy full.” chelsea hall of Wedge Brewing Co. sees this synergy all the time. “It’s a partnership,” she says. “We draw business for each other.” The local scene, though, is still in its infancy. “I don’t think Asheville has gotten to be a food truck city yet,” says Robinson. With three food truck lots now open — Asheville Food Park and Market on Amboy

Dinner 7 days per week 5:30 p.m. - until Bar opens at 5:00 p.m. Brunch - Saturday & Sunday 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. LIVE MUSIC Tue., Thu., Fri. & Sat. Nights Also during Sunday Brunch

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Located in the heart of downtown Asheville. marketplace-restaurant.com 20 Wall Street, Asheville 828-252-4162

plant 165 merrimon avenue | 828.258.7500 | www.plantisfood.com

Are you prepared for the holidays? We will have a large & delicious assortment of holiday cookies & treats! Order yours early! mountainx.com

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melaasheville.com 70 N. LexiNgtoN aveNue 828.225.8880

Sam Adams Ugly Sweater & Gingerbread House Contest! Featuring Sam Adams’ most hard-to-ﬁnd specialty brews! Wednesday, December 16th! 330 Rockwood Road, Arden 828-989-3747 Mon-Tues 4 PM - 10 PM Wed-Sat 11:30 AM - 12 AM Sun 12 PM - 7 PM

SWEET TREATS

AND

GOODIES FOR

GATHERINGS

AND

GIFTING

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Road, the Asheville Commissary on Sweeten Creek Road and 51 Coxe — residents are getting more exposure to food trucks. But Robinson believes locals need more encouragement to come out and support the trucks, especially in the winter months when the number of tourists ebbs. “There may have been some misconception of food trucks left over from carnival days,” she says. “So unless people have tried a local, high-end food truck, they might not recognize that you get gourmet food. It doesn’t just have to be a roasted ear of corn or a funnel cake.” IncuBATIng An InduSTRy The potential benefits extend beyond truck owners’ pockets and customers’ bellies. Drawing on a 2008 study by the Urban Vitality group that found the trucks to have a positive impact on neighborhoods, sociologist paolo corvo has argued that they “should be a dynamic part of the strategy of all local and regional urban planning initiatives and neighborhood revitalization programs.” In Asheville, in particular, says Grateful Roots co-owner Kent seber, “Food trucks are providing a valuable service to the community in supporting local businesses.” Seber and his wife source all their produce locally, their bread from Geraldine’s Bakery and their deli meats from Troyer’s Country Amish market in Fairview. “Everything I do is supporting a local business in this town,” Seber asserts, adding that perhaps 70 percent of local food truck owners share his approach. Asheville real estate agent dean pistor, who owns the newly opened Asheville Food Park, believes in smart growth, an urban planning theory focused on walkable urban centers and sustainable development. He’s incorporated some of those ideas in the food park, which also features a full-service bar, a coffeehouse, a common area and a fruit and vegetable stand. Pistor provides the legally required setup and hookups, giving truck owners a much-needed infrastructure. “We’re trying to incubate the food truck industry in a time where they’re growing,” he notes. “It’s definitely a market that has a lot of energy forward.” The Asheville Food Park sits across the street from Carrier Park

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PERFEcT FIT: Operating a food truck works well for Out of the Blue Peruvian Cuisine owner Santiago Vargas. The freedom and flexibility of food truck ownership is a good fit with Vargas’ creativity and passion for preparing his native cuisine. Photo by Carla Seidl and just half a mile from the Pisgah View public housing complex, which Pistor calls a “food desert.” Instead of irking restaurant owners by siting his operation near a lot of those businesses, he decided to place it where healthy and affordable eating options were scarce. Providing pedestrian access to affordable, goodquality food was an important consideration in planning the park, says Pistor, and he’s proud of the result. “The Asheville Food Park is a melting pot of all things community,” he says. “We’re providing an experience for all different types of culinary art and blending the type of folks that are from the neighborhood and from the park.” Meanwhile, food truck owners are a remarkably tightknit community themselves. Vargas calls it “a family,” and Wilder, Robinson, Starr and

Seber all speak to the sense of camaraderie that exists here despite the competition. “It’s really different from a restaurant,” notes Starr. “Food trucks really need to rely on each other to cover shifts and help each other out.” There’s no denying the competition, though, and Seber points out that the area’s many standout restaurants only add to the economic strain. Without a stronger year-round customer base and more lenient regulations, warns Seber, some of the current food trucks won’t survive. “People need to realize that there’s only so much room for so many here,” he says. “I think they should honestly set a limit to how many can open up, because we’re all just starting to flood each other’s business, and it’s not really fair.” X

Food

by Leslie Boyd

leslie.boyd@gmail.com

LOCAL BOUNTY Asheville businesses are stocked with gifts for the foodies on your holiday shopping lists The holiday season is supposed to bring comfort and joy, and few things offer more of both than good food. So if you’re thinking gifts, Asheville has an abundance of high-quality local products that can make even the pickiest foodie smile. Here are just a few of the many options.

in a two-room basement facility in Hendersonville underneath Dandelion, a local eatery and job-training restaurant run by Mainstay, an agency that helps victims of domestic violence. The nonprofit also receives a portion of

the proceeds from Mimi’s sales. “I know how hard it is for these women to get on their feet,” says Johnson. “I spent some time staying on couches of friends at the end of my first marriage.” Her three full-time employees are all survivors of domestic violence. Assembling, packing and labeling the mixes, they say, has helped them gain self-confidence as well as work experience. Products include coffee cakes, a molten lava chocolate cake (which, Johnson says, “you can’t eat without milk, ice cream and whipped cream”), cookies and breads. Soft pretzels will soon be added to the list. The mixes are sold singly or in gift packages complete with a bread or cake pan, potholders and a spoon. Mimi’s Mountain Mixes are available at mimismountainmixes.com and at Ingles Markets, the aSHEville Museum, the French Broad Food Co-op, Ben’s Penny Mart, Highland Brewing Co. and more. Check the website for a full list of outlets.

mImI’S mOunTAIn mIxES How about a loaf of warm Italian herb bread? Or a tasty cookie made with local beer, hard cider or a nonalcoholic sparkling beverage? lin “mimi” johnson loves baking and thinks everyone should have easy access to homemade treats, even if they’re not bakers by nature. “I’ve always baked from scratch,” she says. “But I know today’s young people don’t seem to have the time. They eat out a lot, and it’s not always good for them.” So as grandchildren began appearing (she has 10, and they call her Mimi), Johnson began to wonder how she might help them enjoy more home-baked goodies without the fuss of scratch-made. “I started working on how some of the things I loved could be made into a mix to which one need only add a can of beer or cider or soda,” she explains. “Everyone has that in the house.” Johnson founded her business in April. Her mixes are assembled

cRATE IdEA: Former barista Angie Rainey ships boxes of regionally roasted coffees to subscribers each month through her new business, Coffee Crate. Photo courtesy of Coffee Crate

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still fresh. They haven’t been sitting on a store shelf for weeks.” Sources range from microroasters to well-known brands, and the beans come from farmers all over the world. Most of the coffees are organic and fair trade-certified. Single-month, three-month, sixmonth and one-year subscriptions are available at coffeecrate.com. Through Dec. 31, Rainey’s offering a 15 percent discount with the coupon code MTXCOFFEE15. ASHEvILLE gOOdS

BOxES OF JOy: Asheville Goods owner Celia Naranjo packs gift boxes with a variety of local products. Photo by Leslie Boyd

gREEn mOunTAIn mAPLE don mandelkorn came to Western North Carolina from Barre, Vt., bringing pure maple syrup with him. The syrup comes from Craftsbury, a few miles north of Barre, and nothing’s in it but the cooked-down sap of maple trees. “If you add anything, you can’t put the Vermont label on it,” Mandelkorn explains. “It’s 100 percent pure.” Green Mountain also sells maple crème and maple candy, and a per-

centage of sales is donated to charities in North Carolina (United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County and the Land of Sky Regional Council) and Vermont (OUR House, an agency serving victims of child sexual abuse and their families). Mandelkorn offers free local delivery. “Figure out what you want, and we’ll bring it to you in the Asheville area, just like the milkman,” he says. Green Mountain Maple products are sold at greenmountainmaple.net, at local festivals (listed in the website’s calendar section) and at Roots & Fruits Market in Black Mountain, Sentelle’s Specialty

COME JOIN US FOR OUR 2ND ANNUAL HOLIDAY MARKET! CRAFTS + JEWELRY, BAKED GOODS + SNACKS, BREAD, AND WINTER PRODUCE TO MAKE WAY FOR THE SEASON’S MERRIMENT. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4TH, FROM 4-7 PM GROCE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 954 TUNNEL ROAD ON US-70 32

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Market in Clyde and The Proper Pot in Brevard. They’re also being used by a number of local restaurants, including Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack and Over Easy Café. (See the facing page for an easy recipe using maple syrup.) cOFFEE cRATE angie rainey wanted a job she could do from her Asheville home, at least until her kids were older. The former barista and trained coffee taster also hoped to find something that would tap her expertise. And right about then, Coffee Crate dropped in her lap. The business was started by two men from Durham who decided to sell when it began interfering with their regular jobs. Rainey snapped it up. “The timing was perfect,” she says. “The baby turned 1 on July 15, the day after I bought the business.” On the 15th of each month, Coffee Crate sends subscribers three 4-ounce bags of regionally roasted coffees, usually with a treat or trinket tucked in the box. “North Carolina has some great roasters,” notes Rainey, “and we get the beans fresh. When you get them, they’re

With so many tasty options on the table in Foodtopia, making up your mind can be hard. To ease the stress, celia naranjo packages multiple items into gift boxes. She and a friend both lost their jobs in 2012 and decided to launch Asheville Goods. The friend moved on a few months later, but Naranjo stayed with it. Today, she works with more than a dozen local companies, including Lusty Monk Mustard, Roots & Branches, Imladris Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Mountain City Coffee Roasters, French Broad Chocolates, 12 Bones Smokehouse and Farm & Sparrow bakery. “Asheville has so much to offer,” says Naranjo as she sorts through a box of Asheville T-shirts. “Our whole mission is to showcase local artisanal producers. People really love smallbatch goods.” Many of those businesses also sell at local tailgate markets, and some products can be found in local food markets, but Asheville Goods does the selecting and pairing for you. There are six standard baskets plus a customizing option that allows for foods with a shorter shelf life, such as popcorn. Each package comes with a “meet the makers” information card and a reproduction of a vintage Asheville postcard. “They make great gifts for anyone who loves the food in Asheville,” notes Naranjo. The goods are packed in biodegradable boxes with biodegradable packing material and tied with cotton baker’s twine. “It’s all eco-friendly,” she says. Asheville Goods baskets can be ordered online at ashevillegoods.com or by calling (828) 252-9175. X

MORE PLACES FOR LOCAL FOOD GIFTS z ASHEvILLE cITy mARKET Through Dec. 19, 9 a.m.-noon: Outdoor market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held outdoors in the parking lot at 161 S. Charlotte St.

z BLuE RIdgE FOOd vEnTuRES HOLIdAy mARKET Friday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.: Market with food and crafts. Free to attend. Held at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, 1461 Sand Hill Road, Candler.

z EAST ASHEvILLE HOLIdAy mARKET Friday, Dec. 4, 4-7 p.m.: Outdoor market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held at Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Road.

z FLAT ROcK HOLIdAy mARKET Saturday, Dec. 5, 2-6 p.m.: Outdoor market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held in the courtyard of Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, 2724 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock.

z wEAvERvILLE HOLIdAy mARKET Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2:30-6 p.m.: Outdoor market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held at Lake Louise, Lake Louise Drive, Weaverville.

z wEST ASHEvILLE TAILgATE mARKET Tuesdays through Dec. 22, 2:30-6 p.m.: Indoor holiday market with food, arts and crafts. Free to attend. Held at the Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road.

MaPLe-aPPLe UPSIDe-DOwN cake Recipe by Mary Croft provided by Green Mountain Maple

1 cup pure vermont maple syrup 3 granny smith apples — peeled, cored and cut into eighths 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs ¾ cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened 1 1/3 cups sugar or pure vermont granulated maple sugar crème fraiche, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan. In a large saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until very thick and reduced to ¾ cup, about 20 minutes. Pour the thickened syrup into the cake pan. Arrange the apples in the pan in two concentric circles, overlapping them slightly. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a glass measuring cup, whisk the eggs with the buttermilk and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy, about three minutes. Beat in the dry and wet ingredients in three alternating batches until the batter is smooth; scrape down the side of the bowl. Spread the batter in an even layer over the apples. Bake the cake for 1 ½ hours until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack for 45 minutes. Place a plate on top of the cake and invert the cake onto the plate; tap lightly to release the cake. Remove the pan. Let the cake cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve with crème fraiche. Serves 8 to 10.

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SmALL BITES by Kat McReynolds | kmcreynolds@mountainx.com business professionals will vote for a grand prize winner, while shoppers will determine the people’s choice award recipient. Event co-sponsor Ingles Markets will then present the judges’ and people’s favorites with $500 and $250, respectively. “Gift seekers, particularly those interested in local goods, will find a great variety of products available for everybody on their list — all in one convenient location,” McDonald says. “Guests don’t need to be holiday-minded to attend. They are welcome to come, taste the samples being provided by the vendors and stock up on local goodies for their pantries.” The Holiday Market is at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, 1461 Sand Hill Road, on Friday, Dec. 11, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Visit blueridgefoodventures.org for details. ASHEvILLE gETS FROSTBITE

SEASOnIngS gREETIngS: With its abundance of local, handmade edibles, Blue Ridge Food Ventures’ Holiday Market offers a shopping opportunity for foodies, smallbusiness supporters and gift hunters alike. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Food Ventures

Blue Ridge Food Ventures Holiday Market The gathering of more than 20 of Western North Carolina’s artisan food purveyors plus a handful of arts and crafts makers in one room makes Blue Ridge Food Ventures Holiday Market a uniquely entrepreneurial shopping experience. “We have a large variety of vendors this year, from ceramics and jewelry to hummus, fish cakes and condiments; sweets and baked goods to trail mixes,” says the food business incubator’s client services manager, michael mcdonald. He lists participants such as Homefree Bagels,

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Dolce de Maria, Crooked Condiments, Munki Foods, Firewalker Hot Sauce, Colleen’s Toffee, Roots Hummus, Imladris Farms and Asheville Fungi. Mimicking the style of a traditional farmers market, the holiday-themed event sees shoppers meandering among booths (many staffed by the small-business owners themselves) and stopping for samples. Although nearly all of the offerings are gift-worthy, many double as staples for around the home. New this year is a friendly competition for best edible product. Food

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Frostbite Ice Cream is now open in West Asheville. “We use a high butterfat content, real ingredients and specialized machines that freeze the soft-serve on demand,” says co-founder jason istvan, noting that ingredients are sourced locally and from out-ofstate. “This means that we’re serving very fresh, creamy soft-serve without a ton of air in it, which helps give a smooth, dense texture.” Istvan says the shop will have about 15 flavors of soft serve in addition to housemade beignets, funnel cakes, coffee and ice cream blends, shaved ice and more. Frostbite is open daily (holiday scheduling varies) 10 a.m.-9 p.m. at 1475 Patton Ave. Visit frostbiteicecream.com for more information. cELEBRATIng A dEcAdE OF cHAnuKAH LIvE Although it boasts an expanded sushi bar, kosher food stations and other homemade edibles, the 10th annual Chanukah Live features much more than eats. Boutique shopping, holiday gift wrapping, raffles, an 8-foot-tall Giving Menorah, inflatables and other entertainment, including performances by the Atlanta Tevye Band and the Chabad Teen Band, will celebrate the beginning of the eightday Jewish holiday. “Today, to people of all faiths, the Chanukah holiday serves as a symbol and message of the triumph of freedom over oppression, of spirit over matter, of light over darkness,” says Rabbi shaya susskind, executive director of host

organization the Chabad House in Asheville. Chanukah Live is at the Crown Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Drive, Sunday, Dec. 6, 3-6 p.m. Admission is free. Visit chabadasheville.org for details. vELvET & LAcE’S wITcHy ELIxIRS Launched by Buxton Hall Barbecue employees Kelly vormelker and sam pennington, Velvet & Lace is a concept that celebrates Asheville’s female bartenders by hosting a guest mixologist at Buxton’s main bar one evening each month. It’s “a night of females, fire, music and cocktails,” reads a release from the duo. “The decidedly dark theme showcases craft cocktails made by these lovely ladies with a focus on smoke, fire, herbs, elixirs and tinctures. ... Think witchcraft, white doves and black magic.” DJ Dr. Filth (otherwise known as mary Kelley) will heighten the night’s mysterious vibe with dark tunes while patrons enjoy a photo booth and food from the restaurant. The kickoff event features Vormelker and Pennington behind the bar. Velvet & Lace is at Buxton Hall Barbecue, 32 Banks Ave., the first Thursday of each month through May, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. The inaugural event and kickoff party is on Thursday, Dec. 3. Ten percent of each night’s sales benefit Our VOICE. Visit buxtonhall.com for information. AddISOn FARmS vInEyARd’S A HAndcRAFTEd cHRISTmAS More than 10 local vendors will showcase their handmade products — jewelry, lamps, leather, fiber art, iron works, wreaths, art, sweets and more — while shoppers enjoy food and wine at Addison Farms Vineyard’s third annual A Handcrafted Christmas event. A $10 donation at the door to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (supporting preservation efforts in the Sandy Mush area) earns a complimentary wine tasting from the hosting vineyard, which will also match funds raised up to $500. A Handcrafted Christmas is at Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Highway, on Saturday, Dec. 5, noon-5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit addisonfarms.net for details. X

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BEER ScOuT

brews, bites and…bees? BREwS

Bhramari Brewhouse buzzes toward a December opening bY Jesse FartHing beer@mountainx.com The brewhouse formerly known as Hivemind has gone through plenty of setbacks — the name was only the start of it. “We came up with Hivemind because we wanted to do something as a collective,” says owner josh bailey. “There’s this really great community with the breweries. Everybody seems to help each other out and support each other.” Unfortunately, a Chicago-based brewery had already trademarked the phrase “Hiveminded Brewing,” and although Hivemind tried to work around it, the name finally had to be changed. The bee logo had already been designed, though, and they loved it. “Everything in the world is trademarked,” Bailey says, echoing other local brewery owners. “It’s so difficult to come up with anything.” Enter Bhramari, Hindu goddess of bees. “A lot of our investors were like, ‘That’s awful. It’s hard to spell and harder to say,’” Bailey says. “I think it’s catching on though. … It is difficult, but we like it. That’s our name now.” Beyond that, they’ve lost and gained investors, grown from a $350,000 operation to a $900,000 one, gone over budget and missed multiple planned opening dates. But this time, they say they’re ready to open the hive in December. BITES “This project started because I wanted to do a little taproom to start and end my tours,” says Bailey, who

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SwARmIng THE SOuTH SLOPE: Bhramari Brewhouse plans to open this month, adding to the already-expansive list of breweries in Asheville’s South Slope. Photo by Jesse Farthing is also the owner of Asheville Brewery Tours. “Maybe a little hole in the wall with 10 taps where I could park the vans and people could eat and buy a T-shirt. “Then I started talking with [chef] josh dillard and [brewer] gary sernack … and we went from a small taproom to a full-blown brewhouse with a full kitchen … so that’s where we’re at now.” Bailey says his experience with Asheville Brewery Tours showed him that one of the most-requested things during or after tours was food, which inspired the restaurant inside of Bhramari, which is headed by Dillard. “[Dillard is] one of the most incredible chefs I’ve ever known,” Bailey says. “And I’ve known quite a few. He’s incredibly creative and artistic with his food. Even though we’re a brewpub, it’s

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going to be a higher level of food than most people are going to be expecting.” Dillard has worked at several local restaurants, including Zambra and The Admiral, and says he plans to take those experiences, add beer and create some new and interesting dishes. “A lot of our food is going to be beerinspired,” Dillard says. “But, instead of using the finished product, [I’m] using the ingredients that go into a beer in a lot of the food.” He mentions a possible candy bar made from the malt that goes into a porter, caramel made from wort (unfermented beer) and chocolate that would give a “sense of having a porter, but actually eating a porter.” “It’s definitely progressive American food,” Dillard says. “We’re going to be local, we’re going to be seasonal. We’re going to keep changing and thinking up new dishes as we see fit.”

Bhramari will have taps from every brewery featured on Asheville Brewery Tours, but the team also plans to have plenty of house brews available. “People ask me all the time, ‘What kind of beer are you going to be brewing?’” says Sernack, the brewer for Bhramari. “And my response is often ‘good beer.’” Sernack currently plans to have four or five flagship brews at all times and eventually aims to do some kettle-souring and other things. The star of the show when the brewhouse opens will likely be Sernack’s Carolina Common, a take on the California Common style brewed with all-local ingredients that they plan to run through a fusion tower with different ingredients every day. “I was trying to figure out how to put doughnuts in there,” Sernack jokes. “Bacon will definitely be in there sometime. Everybody likes bacon.” A cOLOny OF BREwERIES Asheville is already tightly packed with breweries, and there are many more on the horizon, which could lead to stiff competition for beer drinkers’ time in the future. But Bailey says he’s confident about Bhramari’s prospects. “Everybody does well here,” he says. “Personally, how I view Asheville as far as craft brew [is that it] is like Napa for wine. When is the wine bubble going to burst in Napa? It’s not. It’s always going to be where people go for wine. It’s a tourist destination for people who want to experience wine, and that’s what Asheville is for beer. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in the world where this is happening.” “I have no fear of things not going well,” he adds. “I’ve had Gary’s beer. I’ve had Josh’s food. They’re both wonderful.” X

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A R T S & E n T E R TA I n m E n T

save tHe drama For tHe stage Holiday theater productions around WNC excerpts from letters written by 30 World War I figures,” says a press release for the show. Cantaria, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Asheville, rounds out the production with songs. Performances at N.C. Stage Company Wednesday, Dec. 9, to Sunday, Dec. 27. Wednesdays to Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. $16-$36. ncstage.org

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

cOAL In THEIR STOcKIngS: When the badly behaved Herdman siblings are cast in the local Christmas pageant, the production takes a surprising turn. From left, Katie Purnell, Rohan Myers, Nora Flynn-McIver, Will Cowan, Alex Gast and Sam Collett star in Asheville Community Theatre’s production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Photo by Studio Misha

bY aLLi marsHaLL amarshall@mountainx.com Little about the holidays goes according to plan. Pumpkin pies burn, stocking are hung by the chimney with only minimal care, it’s nearly impossible to find the Happy Solstice card that truly expresses the reason for the season, and family members — bless their weird little hearts — do a fine job of reminding us why we choose to live in a different time zone.

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But there is one place where it does work out perfectly (or perfectly imperfectly): on the stage. And this year, local theater companies are pulling out the stops. Offerings range from classics (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever) to the revamped classics (a newly rewritten production of A Christmas Carol), and from local spins on beloved tales (The Nutcracker and the Mouse King) to outright shenanigans (The 42nd Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular). Looking for more holiday theater? Check out Community Calendar and mountainx.com.

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Based on a book by Barbara Robinson, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tells the story of the Herdman children, “the worst kids in the history of the world.” Not only do they lie, cheat and steal, none of them has ever heard the Christmas story. Nonetheless, they land the lead roles in the local production and turn the whole hallowed affair on its head with their wacky interpretation. Asheville Community Theatre calls the production “our most popular holiday show ever!” Friday, Dec. 4, to Sunday, Dec. 20. Fridays and Saturdays, at 7:30 p.m., Sundays, at 2:30 p.m. $12-$22. ashevilletheatre.org also at act: The Legend of La Befana Saturday, Dec. 5; The Santaland Diaries at 35below, Thursday, Dec. 10, to Saturday, Dec. 19; Christmas with Santa Saturday, Dec. 12.

All Is Calm

A Christmas Carol

The Christmas Truce of 1914 between British and German troops during World War I was an actual event. Soldiers on either side of the conflict laid down their weapons and spent the holiday together. They sang carols, played music and traded treats from home. The event was commemorated in the songs “Christmas in the Trenches” by John McCutcheon and “Christmas Miracle 1914” by Leo Glaser. N.C. Stage brings the story to stage in All Is Calm. “This dramatic retelling contains actual quotes and

dwight chiles directs a newly re-written and staged production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol for Montford Park Players. Chiles adapted the play, which usually features more than 30 actors, to a cast of just six, including badi mirheli, rachel mccrain, jenni robinson, christine caldemeyer, emma heisey and himself. The director says he wanted the audience to feel as if they were sitting with their own family to read the story aloud

AnImAL InSTIncTS: Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre stages a dark take on a classic with The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Photo by Toby Maurer after Christmas dinner. “Charles Dickens would perform his book after it was published in 1843, and it became a tradition,” says Chiles. “He would receive letters from folks in the town about how much it helped them to remember the true spirit of Christmas.” But fewer actors doesn’t mean a limited show. Instead, Chiles has tapped a team of local designers, and “We are including more dance and more singing than we have used in the past,” he adds. Performances at the Masonic Temple. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10; Friday, Dec. 18; Saturdays, Dec. 12 and 19; Monday, Dec. 21 and Wednesday, Dec. 23. Shows at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 13 and 20, and Saturday, Dec. 19. www. montfordparkplayers.org

Stuffed Experimental theater ensemble Accordion Time Machine taps into an all-too-familiar holiday experience with the production Stuffed. But the show is less about that fourth serving of mashed potatoes and more about a heaping helping of “pieces that are personal, silly, absurd and unique,” according to a press release. The company also points out, “The show technically starts at 8 p.m., but audience members are highly encouraged to arrive when doors open at 7:30 p.m. as Accordion Time Machine hosts a range of fun surprises before the show begins.” Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, at 8 p.m., at Toy Boat Community Art Space. $12 advance/$15 at the door. anamcaratheatre.org

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BRAncHIng OuT: Parkway Playhouse stages a musical adaptation The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. From left, Mountain Heritage High School drama students Lindsey Edwards and Katy Futrell with Parkway Playhouse intern Logan Walden star as the Green family. Photo by Rob Storrs

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King Based on the original 1816 story by German author E.T.A. Hoffman, Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King puts a darker spin on Tchaikovsky’s well-known Nutcracker ballet. “The famous Mouse King and his lovely wife and their numerous children [wreak] havoc all over the ballet with magical aerialists flying overhead creating a surrealism to visually delight all ages,” says a press release for the production, which features the ACDT adult company, White Dog ProjectX International and the students of New Studio of Dance. Friday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., at Diana Wortham Theatre. $28 general/$23 students and seniors/$20 children. dwtheatre.com

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more nutcracker performances at diana wortham theatre: • Asheville Ballet presents a fulllength production of the classic tale, set to the traditional Tchaikovsky score. Friday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 12, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m; Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2:30 p.m. $25-$50 adults/$18 students/$15 children 12 and younger. • Ballet Conservatory of Asheville stages a full-length production with professional classical dancers and the conservatory’s preprofessional company. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 17 and 18, at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. $22-$30 adults/$20-$25 seniors/$20 students / $15 children 12 and younger.

Home for Christmas: A Holiday Cabaret daniel hensley, Karen covington, lyn donley, tabatha

judy and mark jones all lend their voices to this festive production at HART Theatre in Waynesville. Thursday to Saturday, Dec. 10-12, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m. $20 adults/$15 seniors/$7 students. harttheater.org

The 42nd Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular The season’s most dysfunctional family returns (and this year The Magnetic Theatre gets to perform its annual holiday comedy on its own stage). Now in its seventh (or 42nd — who’s really counting?) incarnation, the raunchy, punchy, over-the-top antics continue to evolve as the Bernstein Family finds new ways to reinterpret the meaning of Christmas. The R-rated show stars tracey johnstoncrum, darren marshall, Kirby gibson, erik moellering and glenn reed. It’s directed by Katie anne towner. The annual arrival of the Bernsteins “always presages citywide shortages on contraceptives, vodka and various types of illegal drugs,” says the theater’s website. Tickets tend to sell out, too, so consider purchasing in advance. Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7:30 p.m., $12 advance/$17 at the door. Friday, Dec. 4 to Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m., $18/$23. Saturday, Dec. 12 and 19, at 10 p.m., $15/$20. themagnetictheatre.org

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Parkway Playhouse stages a musical adaptation of Gloria Houston’s book The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree. It’s a tale about one family’s holiday in 1918. Young Ruthie has looked forward to Christmas for a long time, but as the day draws closer, her father is yet to return from the war. “Soon it’s Christmas Eve, and Ruthie and Mama can think only of seeing Papa again,” says a press release for the production. “But despite that, Papa promised the townsfolk a tree, and now — with Papa or without him — Mama will see that his word is kept.” Friday and

Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m.,at Mountain Heritage High School (333 Mountain Heritage High School Road, Burnsville). $8 students/ $12 adults. parkwayplayhouse.com

The Santaland Diaries The one-man play The Santaland Diaries began as a short story by writer David Sedaris, who shared it in a broadcast of “This American Life.” It’s a culled-from-real-life account of the season Sedaris spent working as a yuletide elf at Macy’s department store. Hendersonville Community Theatre presents the show for mature audiences. Fridays to Sundays, Dec. 4-6 and 11-13. hendersonvilletheatre.org

for the one-man performance at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. “Ridenhour re-creates the experience, bringing A Christmas Carol to life with a book and his voice.” Sunday, Dec. 20, at 3 p.m. By donation. BlackMountainArts.org

Three Spirits For another take on A Christmas Carol, Central United Methodist Church presents the multimedia production, Three Spirits. The show, a staged dramatic reading of the holiday tale, includes video animations of Victorian pen and ink drawings created more than a century ago. Scottish-born actor jim france performs the story while local musicians add live accompaniment. The event, held at The Orange Peel, is a benefit for Pisgah Legal Services. Saturday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. $15 advance/$20 at the door/free for kids younger than 12. theorangepeel.net X

offer expires 12/13/15

BAcK TO THE cLASSIcS: James Ridenhour reads A Christmas Carol and performs the various voices in the tradition of Charles Dickens. Photo courtesy of Black Mountain Center for the Arts

A Christmas Carol reading Actor and Dickensian scholar jamieson ridenhour gives a Victorian-style reading of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic. “Dickens was an inveterate performer of his own work and toured throughout England and America during the 1850s and ’60s,” says a press release

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by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

dancing down tHe rabbit Hole Local troupes go out with a bang in alice’s winter ashevilleland During her decade of living in the San Francisco Bay area, Asheville dancer christine garvin became well-acquainted with the long-running musical revue Beach Blanket Babylon. The show follows Snow White as she searches the world for her Prince Charming and pokes fun at a range of pop-culture characters along the way. Taking inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, Garvin and her troupes Les Femmes Mystique and Les Filles Charme have translated the Beach Blanket Babylon concept to The Twelve Days of Alice’s Winter Ashevilleland, which debuts Saturday, Dec. 5, at The Orange Peel. “I always loved that idea of taking a cartoon princess character and

what The Twelve Days of Alice’s Winter Ashevilleland where The Orange Peel theorangepeel.net when Saturday, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. $15 advance/$20 at the door

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shaking her up a bit, and how better than to have her face the characters of Asheville — or Ashevilleland, as it came to be — as she searches for adventure?” Garvin says. “Alice is, of course, a very adventurous character, and so she became the obvious choice when we were hashing out ideas for the show. From the very beginning, I wanted something focused on Asheville because there is so much material to work with, while also showing our appreciation for this town.” Produced and choreographed by Garvin, Twelve Days centers on Alice’s pursuit of the white rabbit, during which she encounters a host of distinctly Asheville people and scenes. Dressed as figures from the Lewis Carroll classic, dancers from LFM and LFC star in video vignettes between sketches that, along with live performances by dance and nondance guest stars, help move the story along. Among the elements of Asheville life that make the cut are the Pritchard Park drum circle, the idea of stores quickly opening and closing, locals’ frustrations with tourists, the importance and presence of buskers, the city’s prevalent New Age community and the difficulties of dating and finding love. The celebrated food and beer scenes receive brief mention, but Garvin says

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gO ASK ALIcE: Local dance troupes Les Femmes Mystique and Les Filles Charme present a final show centered on Alice in Wonderland themes. The heroine pursues the white rabbit and encounters a host of distinctly Asheville characters and scenes. Photo by Rodney Smith, Tempus Fugit Design that since those topics don’t ultimately make for compelling theater, they aren’t the major a focal point she and her troupes initially thought they would be. Local dancer and set designer maurice legendre was recruited to create Asheville on stage. Pritchard Park makes up one part of the performance area, the opposite side of the stage has a forest to showcase the beauty just outside downtown and the backdrop is a cityscape outline with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. “This dynamic stage gives us a chance to really move around and put Alice in different places that represent the area so well,” Garvin says. As Alice’s journey comes to an end, so too will LFM and LFC. Garvin is shifting the focus of her dance business to teach more workshops. She is now working in-depth with women, using

dance to facilitate healing. “I hold a M.A. in holistic health education, and the call to blend my health and dance backgrounds has come to the forefront over the last few months,” Garvin says. “I love putting on shows, but it takes an incredible amount of time and energy, and I had to make a choice on what would serve the most people in the long run.” The last hurrah for the two troupes has inspired them to be more creative and ambitious than with past shows. In Twelve Days, they’ve devised their most in-depth storyline and tied an assortment of pieces together. Plus, Garvin says that the lighting abilities and space of The Orange Peel’s stage give the dancers a chance to spread their wings. X

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by Alli Marshall

amarshall@mountainx.com

LEARNING BY DOING A local singer-songwriter finds support in the creative community “Making music isn’t something I’ve always done,” says singersongwriter adrienne ammerman. Instead, her focus had been on her work in nonprofit and health communications (“I like storytelling, and I like writing”) and raising her young family. But not long after Ammerman’s 2012 move from Washington, D.C., to Asheville, she realized, “I’d lost the creative side of me that longed to do my own stuff.”

A period of introspection, revisiting her guitar and subsequent outpouring of songs led to the spareyet-lush and hauntingly lovely album, The Hunt, released earlier this year. Ammerman will perform those songs and others at The Crow and Quill Friday, Dec. 4. The show includes performances by local experimental artists lush agave and elisa faires. Ammerman winces at the cliché of how much music has helped her, but she’s quick to point out that

she might not have taken the same creative journey were she still based in D.C. Western North Carolina has offered her not only the support of her family — her parents, formerly in the foreign service, raised her in the former Yugoslavia, India, France and Hong Kong, but have since settled in Asheville — but a creative community. Her husband, vincent gagnon, is one of the masterminds behind Woodpecker Handpies, a business planning to open inside The Mothlight. Ammerman, who works for the YWCA of Asheville, also found an artist outlet through the organization Girls Rock Asheville. Scheduling constraints and a small child in the house meant Ammerman recorded The Hunt late at night. “I didn’t have the time to work with other musicians,” she says. “Even if [the record] was imperfect, I needed to do it all myself and have it represent this period of my life.” But now she’s interested in collaborating. Drummer nancy asch and keyboardist sarah ristaino will join Ammerman’s set at The Crow and Quill; the three met through Girls Rock Asheville. “I volunteered with their first camp as a band coach, teaching guitar,” she says. The summer program seeks to empower girls and transgendered youths of all backgrounds through music education. “There were workshops on knowing your gear that some of the young women in UNC Asheville’s music tech program led,” says Ammerman. “I found that so great for me.” After an open mic experience at which she felt condescended to, the information from the gear class helped Ammerman to bolster her own confidence and step up her game as a performer. Seasoned musicians such as alisha erao (aka Lush Agave), have also passed

SIng ABOuT IT: During a difficult time, Adrienne Ammerman turned to music as a creative outlet. That renewed passion led to connections and collaborations through volunteering with Girls Rock Asheville. Photo by Meg Reilley Photography. Album art, left, by Hannah Dansie valuable knowledge onto Ammerman as she hones her craft. But if The Hunt was a first effort, its creator didn’t play it safe. The collection of songs, Ammerman says, are about the shadow self and how that can be both something selfish and a force for change. “Thumbalina’s Mother” is slow and haunting, its minor chords and lilting notes recalling Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy.” The title track is both dreamy and urgent — rock drums (albeit soft ones) tick through electric guitars. Second track, “Manawee,” is the album’s standout. From its careful intro (“I had a twin who looked nothing like me, she fell in love far too easily”), the spooky fable unfolds. The song title, elongated into an enigmatic call, is the whole of the chorus, sung over staccato vocalizations. Ammerman teamed up with dancer and choreographer Jennie Liu, a friend since high school in Hong Kong, for the video to “Manawee.” Liu now lives in Los Angeles, and when Ammerman approached her about a collaboration, “She had footage that she’d never been able to figure out what she wanted to

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do with,” says the musician. “When she heard ‘Manawee,’ she realized that’s what [the footage] had been waiting for.” Another video co-creation could be in the future. Projects with fellow musicians are certainly in the works. “I think the next set of recordings I do will probably reflect that shift” toward collaborations rather than solo work, says Ammerman. “I’m still writing, [and] I’m focusing on feeling confident to share my music in public.” X

who Adrienne Ammerman, Lush Agave and Elisa Faires where The Crow and Quill thecrowandquill.com when Friday, Dec. 4, 9 p.m. $5-$10 donation

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by Kyle Petersen

kylepetersen@outlook.com

tHe best kind oF Hex Annabelle’s Curse continues to evolve past obvious comparisons

FIndIng THEIR wAy: Starting as an acoustic trio, Annabelle’s Curse superficially resembled groups like Mumford & Sons and The Head & the Heart. Working with seasoned Dr. Dog producer Bill Moriarty, the band crafted a dynamic sound on its most recent album, Worn Out Skin. Photo by Caitlin McCann

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The story of the Bristol, Tenn.based Annabelle’s Curse begins, as so many band origin stories do, in the vicinity of a college campus. “I had a mutual friend who invited me over for a party,” says guitarist Zach edwards. There, he met singer-songwriter tim Kilbourne. “We ended up playing music together, and I kind of just never went home.” Kilbourne had already graduated from Emory & Henry College, where Edwards was currently attending,

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but the two just clicked. “For whatever reason we just enjoyed playing together,” he says. “Before we knew it, we had written several songs, and it just kind of naturally evolved from open mics to shows at local bars, which turned into gigs at out-of-town bars. It just kind of kept growing.” Annabelle’s Curse, the end result, performs at The Grey Eagle Sunday, Dec. 6, in support of The Black Lillies. Starting as an acoustic trio with bassist john warren (who would eventually be replaced by tyler cuttrell), the band superficially resembled in-vogue groups like Mumford & Sons and The Head & the Heart, thanks to a pop-leaning folk sound and Kilbourne’s mournful and earnest singing style. The comparison was fairly apt, even as Annabelle’s Curse morphed into a louder and rangier full band with the addition of drummer travis goyette and mandolin player and vocalist carly booher for its 2013 sophomore LP, Hollow Creatures. It was Booher’s contribution as a co-lead vocalist in particular that seemed to shift the band. She brought a sound reminiscent of the soft-glow twang and soaring romanticism of The Everybodyfields, even as the musicians began trying out decidedly post-folk arrangements that distanced them from the Mumford box. “We were introduced to her through a mutual friend,” Edwards says. Like Kilbourne, “she just kind of came over, and it went well, and she never left.” Booher’s background as a bluegrass player might seem at odds with the band’s shifting focus, but Edwards points out that the group never bought into a particular structure or sonic template. “We both try to bring different things, musically speaking,” he says. “Neither of has us ever been taught how to play, so we both, you know, do whatever sounds good to us.” He continues, “She had been out on the road with the David Mayfield Parade, but [singer-songwriter Mayfield] had given her all the parts to play. So she asked us, ‘What do you want me to play,’ and we were like, ‘Well, whatever you want to play. We don’t know how to play mandolin, we can’t sing harmonies. Just do what you do.’” As it turns out, Booher shines in the more wide-open format, something particularly apparent on the

recently released Annabelle’s Curse LP, Worn Out Skin. Working with seasoned Dr. Dog producer Bill Moriarty, the band crafted a dynamic sound that often recalls the more ethereal work of Canadian songwriter Kathleen Edwards’ (no relation to Zach) post alt-country efforts, along with the layered retro-pop aesthetic Moriarty is known for. “We picked Bill based on [Dr. Dog’s] Fate,” Edwards says. “That’s hands down one of the one of my favorite albums, and one of [Kilbourne]’s favorite albums. It sounds great, and because [Dr. Dog is] one of our favorite bands, we’ve always looked up to them. They were always working with this guy, and they keep doing it, so there must be something there since these records they are putting out are pretty great.” The Annabelle’s Curse musicians reached out to Moriarty about working on their new LP, and the producer agreed without much of a fuss. “It’s weird hanging out with a stranger and letting them get involved in a very creative, vulnerable process. Kind of cool, but kind of scary too,” Edwards says. Working at a frenzied pace, Worn Out Skin was recorded in just five days. The band, long on a slow-building upswing, is happy with the critical reception of the record and has toured heavily behind it this year. The Grey Eagle show will be No. 80, the final performance of the year. “The Grey Eagle is probably our favorite venue to play,” Edwards says, promising that the group “will be bringing a good show.” X

who Annabelle’s Curse, supporting The Black Lillies where The Grey Eagle thegreyeagle.com when Sunday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m. $12 advance/$15 at the door

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SmART BETS Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Winter’s Tune From the 18th century to World War I, the ﬁddle was the chief musical instrument in this mountain region, according to the Encyclopedia of Appalachia. It came to the area with early settlers and — from barn raisings to house parties — was a part of every celebration. The traditional tunes of Western North Carolina are being preserved by contemporary song catchers as well as talented musicians. A multigenerational group of local female fiddlers shares the stage for the showcase, Winter’s Tune: Music to Warm an Appalachian Night. The lineup includes Dona Cavanagh, Natalya Weinstein of Zoe and Cloyd, Danielle Bishop of Whitewater Bluegrass Company, Kathryn Brickey, Emma Best of the Midnight Plowboys, Rhiannon and the Relics, Lillian Chase, Bailee Brandon and Carly Mae Buckner. The performance takes place at Broyhill Chapel on the Mars Hill University campus, Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. $15 advance/$18 at the door. lunsfordfestival.com. Photo of Rhiannon Ramsey by Hannah Furgiuele

Resonant Rogues The polish on Resonant Rogues’ spirited Gypsy jazz makes the local quartet’s songs seem fitting for so many settings — from intimate, storied venues to vacant sidewalk spots. This year alone, the Rogues have enlivened stages in nine countries, and they’re currently wrapping up a 24-shows-in-25-days North American tour in support of their latest album, Here & Gone Again. But it’s “mountains or bust” now, as accordion player, banjoist and vocalist Sparrow Pants says the musicians are “excited about huddling up in our cozy home in Asheville for the winter. … We have a bunch of new songs written in New Orleans and Europe that we have been playing a lot lately. We will definitely be sharing many of those at The Mothlight.” Laura Blackley and the Darnell Boys open for Resonant Rogues, whose homecoming set will include drums by Mattick Frick at The Mothlight Friday, Dec. 4, at 9 p.m. $6/$8. themothlight.com. Photo by Rebecca Waldron

Cosmic Happy Slam! Last year’s inaugural Cosmic Happy Slam! drew emerging poets from five local schools, as youths ages 11 to 19 competed for prizes and a spot on Asheville’s internationally competing Brave New Voices poetry team. Held by Soulspeak and The Fun Conspiracy, the 2015 event explores the theme of “happiness: that other emotion.” Soulspeak founder and executive director Mel Kelley says the event’s positive spin is “a reminder that even in the midst of our crazy, busy lives, we can always access joy, laugh and have fun. I want our kids to stay connected to joy.” Sponsoring organization Odyssey Community School hosts the threeround literary throw-down, which benefits charities of the winners’ choosing Saturday, Dec. 5, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. $10 adults/$5 students at the door. thefunconspiracy.com. Photo courtesy of the organizers 46

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Hand to Heart Holiday Crafty Back for a 16th iteration by popular demand, The Big Crafty showcases the “surprising, innovative, well-wrought and often playful” handiwork of 75 artists, according to organizer Brandy Bourne. “We take into consideration the social aspect of the event and look for work that will spark conversation and delight,” she says, noting a mission to promote Asheville’s DIY scene. In keeping with that theme, Short Street Cakes, Highland Brewing Co. and French Broad Brewery will provide refreshments while DJ Whitney Shroyer spins. The free biannual festival is at Pack Place (weather permitting) and Asheville Art Museum Sunday, Dec. 6, from 1 to 6 p.m. For a less bustling experience, try VIP admission ($10) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., or check out a prefestival showcase with live demos at neighboring businesses Woolly Press and 7 Ton Design and Letterpress Co., Thursday, Dec. 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. thebigcrafty.com. Photo courtesy of The Big Crafty

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by Abigail Griffin

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• Further information: blueridgeorchestra.org ASHEvILLE cHAmBER muSIc SERIES 259-3626, ashevillechambermusic.org • FR (12/4), 8pm - Cellist Gary Hoffman and pianist Cecile Licad play Bach, Beethoven, Ravel and Rachmaninov. $40. Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place

‘LA BEFAnA’: Red Herring Puppets presents the Legend of La Befana on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. for the regular Saturdays at ACT series. The Italian Christmas folk tale is the story of the travels of an old woman who brings gifts to children who embody the spirit of goodness and hope. Saturdays at ACT is dedicated to providing high quality affordable theater for families and children. This show is $5 per person and is perfect for ages pre-K through fifth grade. Photo courtesy of Asheville Community Theatre (p. 19)

ART BOn vIvAnT 9 Reed St. Suite D, 785-1527, bonvivantavl.com • FR (12/4), 4-6pm & SA (12/5), noon-6pm - Bravo Schmid art performance and reception. Free to attend. FIRESTORm cAFE And BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • FRIDAYS, 6:30pm - “The Tipout Showcase,” open mic with local music, poetry and other arts. Free to attend. TOE RIvER HOLIdAy STudIO TOuR 682-7215, toeriverarts.org • FR (12/4) through SU (12/6) - Over 100 artists in Mitchell/ Yancey counties open their studios to the public. See website for full schedule. Free to attend. Held at Spruce Pine TRAC Gallery, 269 Oak Ave., Spruce Pine

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zcALdwELL ARTS cOuncIL 601 College Ave SW, Lenoir, 754-2486 • FR (12/4) through WE (12/23) - “Satie’s Holiday Sale,” 75 crafters and artists exhibiting. Mon.-Fri.: 9am-6pm. Sat.: 10am-3pm. Free to attend.

zEcHOvIEw FIBER mILL 76 Jupiter Road, Weaverville, 693-4237, echoviewnc.com • FR (12/4), 2-6pm - “Christmas Bazaar,” handmade arts & crafts from local vendors. Free to attend. HAndcRAFTEd cHRISTmAS • SA (12/5), noon-5pm Holiday arts and crafts fair with over 10 local vendors, food and wine. Free to attend. Held at Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Highway, Leicester

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cRAFT guILd 298-7928, craftguild.org • SA (12/5) & SA (12/12), 10am-4pm - Annual Guild Artist Holiday Sale with over 70 vendors. Free to attend. Held at Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

ASHEvILLE FLEA FOR y’ALL

zTHE BIg cRAFTy

(pd.) Vintage, Antique & Art HUGE INDOOR Holiday flea market 9am-5pm. Cafe on sight, Sierra Nevada beer WNC AG CENTER, DAVIS ARENA $2

thebigcrafty.com, crafty@thebigcrafty.com • SU (12/6), 1pm-6pm - “Hand to Heart Holiday Crafty,” community bazaar with art, crafts,

december 2 - december 8, 2015

clothing and jewelry by local artists. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Art Museum, 2 N. Pack Square

AudITIOnS & cALL TO ARTISTS ASHEvILLE cOmmunITy THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • MO (12/7) & TU (12/8), 6-9pm - Open auditions for Seussical. Contact for full guidelines. Free. cALdwELL ARTS cOuncIL 754-2486, caldwellarts.com • Through SA (1/30) - Open call for local artists to submit portfolios for 2017 exhibition. Free.

muSIc BLuE RIdgE ORcHESTRA • HOLIDAY FANTASIES • wITH THE REuTER cEnTER SIngERS (pd.) • Saturday, December 5, 2015, 3pm; Ferguson Auditorium, AB-Tech • Sunday, December 6, 2015, 3pm; Folk Art Center, BRP. • General Admission: $15; Friends of BRO: $10; Students: $5. Tickets available online and (cash and checks only) at Soli Classica, 1550 Hendersonville Road, and Musician’s Workshop, 310 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville.

mountainx.com

zASHEvILLE cHORAL SOcIETy 232-2060, ashevillechoralsociety.org • FR (12/4), 7:30pm & SA (12/5), 4pm - “Yuletide Candlelight,” candlelight procession and holiday songs. $25. Held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 Church St. ASHEvILLE SymPHOny cHORuS shevillesymphonychorus.com • TH (12/10), 7:30pm - “A Messiah Sing-Along,” with the Asheville Symphony Chorus of Handel’s Messiah. $15. Held at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville, 40 Church St. BILTmORE unITEd mETHOdIST cHuRcH 376 Hendersonville Road, 2742379, biltmoreumc.org • SU (12/6), 3pm - Christopher Tavernier classical piano masterworks concert. Free.

zBLuE RIdgE RIngERS

HAndBELL EnSEmBLE blueridgeringers.tripod.com, blueridgeringers@gmail.com • FR (12/4), 2pm - Holiday concert. Free. Held at Hendersonville Public Library, 301 N Washington St, Hendersonville • TU (12/8), noon - Holiday concert. Free. Held at Transylvania County Library, 212 S. Gaston St., Brevard

zBREvARd FIRST unITEd

mETHOdIST cHuRcH 325 N. Broad St., Brevard, 883-9025 • SU (12/6), 7pm - “An Irish Classical Christmas” featuring hymns, Christmas favorites, Broadway hits and classical pieces by tenor Emmet Cahill. $20. cALdwELL cOmmunITy cOLLEgE 2855 Hickory Blvd., Hudson, 726-2200, cccti.edu • TH (12/10), noon - Student chorus concert. Free. Held in the FPA theatre.

zcAROLInA cOncERT cHOIR 607-351-2585, carolinaconcertchoir.org, ldoebler@ithaca.edu • FR (12/4), 7:30pm & SA (12/5), 3pm - Christmas concert featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria with orchestra. $22/$5 student. Held in Bo Thomas Auditorium. Held at Blue Ridge Community College, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock cATHEy’S cREEK cOmmunITy cEnTER Island Ford Road, Brevard • SA (12/5), 7pm - West End String Band. $5/$3 under 12.

zFLAT ROcK PLAyHOuSE dOwnTOwn 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • TH (12/10) through SU (12/13), 8pm - “The Christmas Concert that Never Was,” Barbara Streisand & Frank Sinatra tribute concert. $25-$40. zFLETcHER cOmmunITy cHORuS 651-9436, fletchercommunitychorus.com • TH (12/3), 7pm - “Welcome the Holidays,” choral music. Free to attend. Held at Opportunity House, 1411 Asheville Highway, Hendersonville • TH (12/10), 7pm - “Welcome the Holidays,” choral music. Free to attend. Held at Feed & Seed, 3715 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher zFOLKmOOT uSA 452-2997, folkmootusa.org • FR (12/4), 7pm - “Folkmoot FaLaLa,” live music performances, refreshments and holiday sing-a-long. $10/$5 for ages under 18/Free under 5. Held at Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville zHEndERSOnvILLE cOmmunITy BAnd hcbmusic.com • SU (12/6), 3pm - “Tis the Season Holiday Concert.” $10/Free for students. Held in the Conference Hall. Held at Blue Ridge Community College, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock mAdISOn cOunTy ARTS cOuncIL 90 S. Main St., Marshall, 6491301, madisoncountyarts.com • SA (12/5), 10am - Christian Harmony 2015 Folk Heritage Edition songbook dedication and shaped note singing. Free.

• SU (12/6), 4pm - Michael Reno Harrell, songwriter & storyteller. $15. muSIc AT BREvARd cOLLEgE 884-8211, brevard.edu/ fineartsevents • MO (12/7), 12:30pm Brevard Music Center presents Joseph Evans (tenor) & Douglas Weeks (piano). Free. Held in the Porter Center.

zmuSIc AT mARS HILL 866-642-4968, mhc.edu • FR (12/4), 7:30pm Christmas concert with the College Wind Symphony, College Choir, and Women’s Ensemble. Free. Held in Moore Auditorium. • FR (12/4), 7pm - “Winter’s Tune: Music to Warm an Appalachian Night,” local musicians play traditional mountain music. $18/$15 advance. Held in the Ramsey Center. muSIc AT uncA 251-6432, unca.edu • FR (12/4), 1:30pm - Inside the Music: Discussion with Asheville Choral Society Conductor Melodie Galloway and performances by soloists. Free. Held in the Reuter Center. • FR (12/4), 3pm - Opera Talk from Asheville Lyric Opera. Free. Held in the Reuter Center. • SU (12/6), 3pm - Brevard Music Center presents Joseph Evans (tenor) & Douglas Weeks (piano). Free. Held in the Reuter Center. muSIc AT wcu 227-2479, wcu.edu • TH (12/3), 7pm - First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series: Highway 74. 8pm open jam session. Free. Held in the Robinson Administration building. • TH (12/3), 7:30pm - Faculty recital of contemporary and romantic works. Free. • SU (12/6), 3pm - “Sounds of the Season,” holiday concert presented by the WCU School of Music. Free. Held in the Bardo Center.

znORTH mAIn muSIc 692-6335 • FR (12/4), 6-8pm - “A Hawaiian Christmas,” musical storytelling by Kaleo Wheeler. Free to attend. Held at 6th & Main Street, Hendersonville zOLLI AT uncA 251-6140, olliasheville.com • MO (12/7), 7pm - Olli

Reuter Singers holiday concert. Free. Held in the Reuter Center.

zST. mATTHIAS cHuRcH 1 Dundee St., 285-0033, stmatthiasepiscopal.com • SU (12/6), 3pm - Brass Quintet Christmas Concert. Admission by donation.

zTHOmAS wOLFE AudITORIum 87 Haywood St., 259-5544, uscellularcenterasheville.com Located in the U.S. Cellular Center. • FR (12/4), 8pm - “JOY: The Christmas Tour,” featuring Steven Curtis Chapman and Jillian Edwards. $25/$35 VIP.

THEATER

z35BELOw 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (12/10) until SA (12/19) - The Santaland Diaries, comedy. Thu.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 9:30pm. $15. AnAm cARA • FR (12/4) and SA (12/5), 8pm Accordion Time Machine presents Stuffed. $15/$12 advance. Held at the Toy Boat Community Arts Space, 101 Fairview Road

zASHEvILLE cOmmunITy THEATRE 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (12/4) through (12/20) - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm $12-$22. zcALdwELL cOmmunITy cOLLEgE 2855 Hickory Blvd., Hudson, 726-2200, cccti.edu • TH (12/3) through SU (12/6) - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, presented by Foothills Performing Arts. Thu. - Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 3pm. $16.25/$9 students and children. FLAT ROcK PLAyHOuSE 2661 Highway 225, Flat Rock, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS (11/27) until (12/19) - Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz. Thu. - Sun.: 8pm. Sat.: 2pm. $15-40.

zHEndERSOnvILLE

cOmmunITy THEATRE 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville, 692-1082, hendersonvillelittletheater.org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (12/4) through (12/13) - The Santaland Diaries. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm Sun.: 2pm. $16.

g aL L e rY d i re ctorY ART gALLERIES AmERIcAn FOLK ART And FRAmIng 64 Biltmore Ave., 281-2134, amerifolk.com • Though TH (12/31) - Wish List Celebration, exhibition of 40 artists. ART AT mARS HILL mhu.edu • Through FR (12/11) - Faces of Afghanistan, drawings of Skip Rohde. Held in Weizenblatt Gallery. ART AT wARREn wILSOn cOLLEgE warren-wilson.edu • Through SA (12/12) - Quantum Confusions, life-sized charcoal drawings by Denise StewartSanabria. Held in the Elizabeth Holden Gallery. ART In THE AIRPORT 61 Terminal Drive, Fletcher • Through MO (3/7) - Of the Essence, art of Lisa De Girolamo, Kathy Goodson and Connie Molland. ASHEvILLE AREA ARTS cOuncIL 1 Page Ave., 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through SA (1/9) - Akira Satake hosts the Ceramic Invitational. Artist reception: Dec. 4, 5-8pm. • Through SA (1/9) - To the Harbormaster, paintings by Amanda Seckington.

ASHEvILLE BOOKwORKS 428 1/2 Haywood Road, 2558444, ashevillebookworks.com • SA (12/5) through MO (2/29) - The Ladies of Letterpress, exhibition of prints from newly published book. Opening reception: Dec. 5, 4-6pm.

crafted drinking vessels by 25 artists. n.c. ARBORETum 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, 665-2492, ncarboretum.org • Through SA (1/3) - The Robot Zoo, exhibit featuring giant-size robots and interactive displays to teach biomechanics of animals. • Through (1/3) - Fine-feathered Friends and Flowers, oil paintings by Mary Webster.

ASHEvILLE gALLERy OF ART 16 College St., 251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through TH (12/31) - Toys, painting exhibition of Virginia Pendergrass. ASHEvILLE muSEum 35 Wall St., 785-5722 • Through SA (4/30) - The Interbeing Project, photography by Bonnie Cooper.

OdySSEy cOOPERATIvE ART gALLERy 238 Clingman Ave., 285-9700, facebook.com/ odysseycoopgallery • Through TH (12/31) Group ceramic art exhibition showcasing the work of Mark Harmon and Ed Rivera.

BuncOmBE cOunTy PuBLIc LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library Free unless otherwise noted. • Through TH (12/31) - Art exhibition by Sharon Sandel. Held at West Asheville Library, 942 Haywood Road • Through TH (12/31) PhotoVoice Exhibit: Parenting is Hard: Let’s Do It Together, exhibition in partnership with Triple P Positive Parenting. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St.

PuBLIc EvEnTS AT uncA unca.edu • FR (12/4) through FR (12/11) - Art/Mechatronics Exhibition. Opening reception: Dec. 4, 6-8pm. Held in Owen Hall Second Floor Gallery.

gROvEwOOd gALLERy 111 Grovewood Road, 253-7651, grovewood.com • Through TH (12/31) - Vessels of Merriment, exhibition of hand

SALOn InTuITIOn 157 Lexington Ave., 505-7788, salon-intuition.com • Through TH (12/31) - Ladies, paintings by Keith Kimmel.

zTHE mAgnETIc THEATRE

375 Depot St., 279-4155, themagnetictheatre.org • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS (12/3) through (12/19), 7:30pm - The 42nd Annual Bernstein Family Christmas Spectacular! $18-$23.

zPARKwAy PLAyHOuSE 682-4285, parkwayplayhouse.com, info@parkwayplayhouse.com • FR (12/4) through SU (12/6) - The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree presented by the Parkway Playhouse & Mountain Heritage High School Theatre Department. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 3pm. $12/$8 under 17. Held at Mountain Heritage High School, 333 Mountain Heritage High School Road, Burnsville THEATER AT wARREn wILSOn cOLLEgE inside.warren-wilson.edu/blogs/theatre • TH (12/3) through SU (12/6) - The Motherf***er, presented by Warren Wilson Theatre. Thu. - Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2:30pm. $10. Held in Kittredge Theater.

OvER EASy cAFE 32 Broadway St., 236-3533, overeasyasheville.com • Through TH (12/31) - Exhibition of early works and recent editorial cartoons by David Cohen.

SEvEn SISTERS gALLERy 117 Cherry St., Black Mountain, 669-5107, sevensistersgallery.com • Through SU (1/31) - Nature paintings by Rachel Clegg. THE cEnTER FOR cRAFT, cREATIvITy & dESIgn 67 Broadway, 785-1357, craftcreativitydesign.org • Through SA (1/9) - Made in WNC, textile, furniture, ceramics, and art exhibit exploring how craft, design, and production relate. • FR (12/4) through SA (1/9) Tom Shields sculptural arrangements from found furniture. Artist talk: Dec. 4, 6pm. THE FREncH BROAd ARTISTS saharfakhoury@yahoo.com • Through TH (12/ 31) - Smal l Jew el s , exhi bi ti on of s mal l pai nti ngs . Hel d at Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St. TRAnSyLvAnIA cOmmunITy ARTS cOuncIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through FR (12/18) - In the Belly of the Clouds, photography of R. K. Young, paintings of Julie Bowland and woodturning of Peter B. Mockridge. Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

Buying, Selling or Investing in Real Estate?

(828) 210-1697

www.TheMattAndMollyTeam.com

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BIG IDEA for 2016?

828-251-1333 • advertise@mountainx.com mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

cLuBLAnd ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm

wEdnESdAy, dEcEmBER 2

FREncH BROAd BREwERy Cygne (alternative), 6pm

185 KIng STREET Movie night, 7pm

gOOd STuFF Cameron Sutphin (country, folk, rock), 7pm

5 wALnuT wInE BAR Sean Gaskell (world music), 5pm Les Amis (African folk), 8pm

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Martin Barre Band w/ The Get Right Band (rock, folk), 8pm

ALTAmOnT THEATRE Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer w/ Tina & Her Pony (folk rock, roots, Americana), 8pm

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Claire Lynch Band (bluegrass), 8:30pm

BEn’S TunE-uP Honky-tonk Wednesdays, 3pm

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Bluegrass jam, 7pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Play to Win game night, 7:30pm

LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones (“The man of 1,000 songs”), 6:30pm

BLuE mOunTAIn PIZZA & BREw PuB Open mic, 7pm

mARKET PLAcE Ben Hovey (dub jazz, beats), 7pm

dOuBLE cROwn Classic Country w/ DJs Greg Cartwright, David Gay, Brody Hunt, 10pm

nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/AmPHITHEATER Mimosa (electronic), 9pm

FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Chinquapin Duo (folk), 9pm

O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund Game Night, 9pm Drag Show, 12:30am

FunKATORIum John Hartford Jam (folk, bluegrass), 6:30pm gOOd STuFF Uncle Jake & The 18 Wheel Gang (folk, bluegrass), 7pm gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn An evening w/ David Olney (Americana, folk, blues), 8pm

HEAvy mETAL: A veteran of the Carolinas music scene, Donald Merkle’s songs fuse the whiskey-soaked Celtic-punk stylings of The Pogues with the bleery-eyed introspection of alt-country acts like Uncle Tupelo and Drive-By Truckers. The Charleston resident’s new outfi t, The Blacksmiths, brings its “rollicking, Irish-tinged folk” (Columbia Free Times) to Jack of the Wood on Saturday, Dec. 5 for a 9 p.m. show.

gRInd cAFE Trivia night, 7pm

OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm OLIvE OR TwIST Dance lesson w/ Ian & Karen, 8pm DJ (oldies, Latin, line dance), 8:30pm

HIgHLAnd BREwIng cOmPAny Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul), 5:30pm

nOBLE KAvA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9pm

THE SOuTHERn Disclaimer Comedy open mic, 9pm

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Ray Chesna Trio (singer-songwriter, old-time, acoustic), 7pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Phish ’n’ Chips (Phish covers), 7pm Uncle Jake & The 18 Wheel Gang (folk, bluegrass), 11pm

O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund “Take the Cake” Karaoke, 10pm

TIgER mOunTAIn Flux (’80s & ’90s dance party), 10pm

OnE wORLd BREwIng Sarah Tucker (singer-songwriter), 8pm

OddITORIum Sea Cycles (electronic, indie), 9pm

TImO’S HOuSE “Spectrum AVL” w/ DamGood & rotating DJs, 9pm

OFF THE wAgOn Piano show, 9pm

TOwn PumP Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9pm

ORAngE PEEL 14th annual benefit concert for Make-A-Wish w/ Marcus King Band (psychedelic, Southern rock, jam), 6pm

OLIvE OR TwIST Intermediate swing dance lessons w/ Bobby Wood, 7pm Beginning swing dance lesson w/ Bobby Wood, 7:30pm 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8pm

TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Acoustic jam w/ Kevin Scanlon (bluegrass, old-time, folk), 6pm

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Old-time session, 5pm Honky-tonk dance party w/ Hearts Gone South, 9pm LAZy dIAmOnd Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10pm LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub-jazz, trumpet), 6:30pm mOunTAIn mOJO cOFFEEHOuSE Open mic, 6:30pm nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/AmPHITHEATER John Scofield & Jon Cleary (jazz, R&B, soul), 8pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Lip sync karaoke, 10pm OnE wORLd BREwIng Carolina Bound (Americana, folk), 8pm PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny The Everydays (Americana), 6pm

To qualify for a free listing, a venue must be predominately dedicated to the performing arts. Bookstores and cafés with regular open mics and musical events are also allowed / To limit confusion, events must be submitted by the venue owner or a representative of that venue / Events must be submitted in written form by e-mail (clubland@mountainx.com), fax, snail mail or hand-delivered to the Clubland Editor Hayley Benton at 2 Wall St., Room 209, Asheville, NC 28801. Events submitted to other staff members are not assured of inclusion in Clubland / Clubs must hold at least TWO events per week to qualify for listing space. Any venue that is inactive in Clubland for one month will be removed / The Clubland Editor reserves the right to edit or exclude events or venues / Deadline is by noon on Monday for that Wednesday’s publication. this is a firm deadline.

OddITORIum Dr. Sketchy’s Presents (burlesque), 6pm Jesus Jim (rock), 10pm

december 2 - december 8, 2015

ROOm Ix Fuego: Latin night, 9pm ScuLLy’S Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 6pm SLy gROg LOungE Cards Against Humanity Game Night, 10pm

TRESSA’S dOwnTOwn JAZZ And BLuES Blues & soul jam w/ Al Coffee & Da Grind, 8:30pm

THuRSdAy, dEcEmBER 3 185 KIng STREET Jas Patrick (rock, blues, Americana), 8pm 5 wALnuT wInE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8pm BARLEy’S TAPROOm AMC Jazz Jam, 9pm BEn’S TunE-uP Urban Pioneers (Americana, bluegrass, folk), 8pm

SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Bluegrass jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8pm

SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn World Wednesdays, 8pm

BLuE RIdgE TAPROOm Beyond Chicken (Americana), 8pm

TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Open mic & jam, 7pm

BuxTOn HALL BBQ Velvet & Lace w/ DJ Dr. Filth (dark classics, benefit), 10pm

THE JOInT nExT dOOR Bluegrass jam, 8pm THE nATIOnAL Get Down Family Jam (funk, soul, blues), 8pm DJ Nex Millen, 11pm THE PHOEnIx Jazz night, 8pm

mountainx.com

OSKAR BLuES BREwERy Redleg Husky (Americana), 6pm PAcK’S TAvERn Billy Litz (Americana, acoustic), 9pm PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny Red Honey (Goth, country, psychedelic), 8pm PuRPLE OnIOn cAFE Chris Rosser (singer-songwriter), 7:30pm REnAISSAncE ASHEvILLE Maddy Winer (jazz, pop), 6:30pm ROOm Ix Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9pm ROOT BAR nO. 1 Jukebox Poetry (folk, acoustic), 7pm SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Matt Jackson (country, classics, Top 40), 7pm ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm SLy gROg LOungE Open mic (musicians, poets, comedians & more welcome), 8pm SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS 80s night w/ DJ Kyuri on vinyl, 8pm

cLuB ELEvEn On gROvE Tango lessons & practilonga w/ Tango Gypsies, 7pm

SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn Open Mic Nights w/ Arjay Sutton & Melissa Blazen (folk, singer-songwriter), 6pm Songwriter Thursdays w/ Caine McDonald, 8pm

cREEKSIdE TAPHOuSE Singer-songwriter night w/ Riyen Roots, 8pm

SOuTHERn APPALAcHIAn BREwERy Nitrograss (newgrass), 7pm

dOuBLE cROwn 33 and 1/3 Thursdays w/ DJs Devyn & Oakley, 10pm

SPRIng cREEK TAvERn Open Mic, 6pm

Dinner Menu till 10pm Late Night Menu till

Tues-Sun

5pm–12am

Full Bar

12am

COMING SOON

WEDº 12/2 7:00 PM – THE RAY CHESNA TRIO (LOUNGE) THU 12/3 6:30 PM – ASHEVILLE ON BIKES BUTTON UP BIRTHDAY SOIREE 8:30 PM – CLAIRE LYNCH BAND FRI 12/4 7:00 PM – CLASSICAL DINNER AND A CONCERT: AMICIMUSIC PRESENTS “FLUTE FANDANGO” 9:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH DULCI ELLENBERGER AND BIG SOUND HARBOR SAT 12/5 STEVE BAUGHMAN AND ROBIN BULLOCK: CELTIC GUITAR CHRISTMAS 6:30 PM – ASHEVILLE RHYTHM FRAME DRUM CONCERT RIVER GUERGUERIAN AND CHRIS ROSSER WED 12/9 7:00 PM – SWEET CLAUDETTE (LOUNGE) 8:30 PM – WINTER SOUL WITH SIDNEY BARNES, KAT WILLIAMS AND RICHARD SHULMAN THU 12/10 7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH JACKSON EMMER (LOUNGE) 9:00 PM – ROADKILL GHOST CHOIR, T HARDY MORRIS AND THE HARDKNOCKS, SAINT PE FRI 12/11 7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH JOAN AND JONI 9:00 PM – MOUNTAIN SOUL PARTY: LYRIC AND THE SECRET B SIDES W/ RYAN R&B BARBER AND FREE RADIO SAT 12/12 9:00 PM – RIVER WHYLESS W/ SPECIAL GUEST JUSTIN RINGLE (OF HORSEFEATHERS)

WED 12/16 7:00 PM – SWEET CLAUDETTE: HOLIDAY SEASON RESIDENCY

8:30 PM – CHATHAM COUNTY LINE— ELECTRIC HOLIDAY TOUR THU 12/17 7:00 PM – CLARINET HOLIDAY:

A FESTIVAL OF PIPES THU 12/18 9:00 PM – SIRIUS.B,

MEGAN JEAN AND THE KFB, PLANKEYE PEGGY

THU 12/19 7:00 PM – AN EVENING WITH DYNAMIC ARTS LEAGUE 9:00 PM – THE 4TH ANNUAL BLUEGRASS HOLIDAY BENEFIT W/

TOWN MOUNTAIN AND THE LARRY KEEL EXPERIENCE

Every Tuesday

7:30pm–midnite

BLUEGRASS SESSIONS

Every Sunday

6pm–11pm

JAZZ SHOWCASE

743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737 ISISASHEVILLE.COM mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

Wed • December 2

cL u b La n d

Fri • December 4

TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Open mic w/ Datrian Johnson, 7pm

Woody Wood @ 5:30pm

Devil’s Britches release party featuring Brushﬁre Stankgrass @ 7pm

12/3 thui

alontree

12/4 fri

resonant rogues

12/5 sat

1970s f ilm stock

12/7 mon

mr. mange

�

crowdfunding kickoff party

w/ the darnell boys, laura blackley

Sat • December 5

Tasting Room open 2-6pm

Closing early for private event

Sun • December 6

Reggae Sunday featuring Dennis “Chalwa” Berndt @ 1pm

Tue • December 8 Team Trivia with Dr. Brown @ 6pm

w/ yours truly, judas horse w/ artificial oceans, snack champion a live soundtrack to

12/8 tue

no country 'for old men' transplanting

12/9 wed

12/10

thu

sat

12/12 12/11 fri

jellyrox

w/ the rough & tumble

the wham, bam! super shakers puppet slam

#1 Pub Grub #2 Bar for Live Music FRI SHANE PRUITT BAND 9 p.m. $5 12.4 HIGH ENERGY GOSPEL, BLUES & ROCK & ROLL! DON MERKLE & THE BLACKSMITHS APPALACHIAN/IRISH FOOT STOMPIN CELTIC COUNTRY

w/ HONEY & HOUSTON (AMERICANA QUARTET)

DRIFTWOOD SOLDIER

8 p.m. $5

(MANDOLIN-BASS FOOT-STOMPING GUTTER-FOLK DUO)

w/ KAATSKILACHIA

9 p.m. Free (Donations Encouraged)

OSKAR BLUES LINE MUSIC SERIES

SCREEN DOOR PORCH

AMERICANA, ROOTSROCK

w/ REDLEG HUSKY

6 p.m. Free

(ACOUSTIC ROOTS TRIO) (Donations Encouraged)

WARREN HAYNES C H R I S T M A S J A M B Y DAY STARTING AT NOON

HOSTED BY KEVN KINNEY

w/ BOBBY MILLER & THE VIRGINIA DAREDEVILS,

DAVID EARL, GRAN PAPPY, JAMIE DOSE & DORSEY PARKER, JASON DANIELLO, JEFF SANTIAGO, JOSH DANIEL/ MARK SCHIMICK PROJECT, LEIGH GLASS, LIZZ WRIGHT, THE POND BROTHERS, RAY SISK, TOPH ONEAL (w/ CHRIS KEW), WOODY WOOD And More! 9 p.m. $10

OPEN AT NOON DAILY

SATURDAY Parker & Smith (old-fashioned blues), 2-4pm SUNDAY Celtic Irish session 3-9pm MONDAY Quizzo! 7:30-9pm • WEDNESDAY Old-Time 5pm SINGER SONGWRITERS 1st & 3rd Tuesdays THURSDAY Scottie Parker (old-fashioned blues) 2-4pm, Bluegrass Jam 7pm

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville

252.5445 • jackofthewood.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

TOwn PumP Ben Phan (singer-songwriter), 9pm

TwISTEd LAuREL Karaoke, 8pm

PUB

TImO’S HOuSE Dance Party w/ DJ Franco Nino, 10pm

(local comedy series)

WOOD

FRI 12.11

THE nATIOnAL Lezlie Snipes (hip-hop, trap, dance), 10pm

holiday party!

OF THE

TUE 12.8

THE mOTHLIgHT AlonTree crowdfunding kickoff party w/ Bygone Blues, Melissa Hyman, Jay Brown & DJ Mike Hurd (blues, roots, dance), 7pm

TRESSA’S dOwnTOwn JAZZ And BLuES The Westsound Revue (Motown, soul), 9pm

JACK

SUN 12.6

THE mILLROOm Brews & Brains (trivia, benefit), 6:30pm

TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Cajun & western swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7pm

w/ egg eaters, kitty tsunami snack champion

SAT 12.5

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

mountainx.com

wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Fireside Trio (bluegrass, Americana), 7:30pm

FRIdAy, dEcEmBER 4 185 KIng STREET Noche Latina, 8pm 5 wALnuT wInE BAR Les Amis (African folk), 9pm ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL Brown Bag Songwriting Competition w/ Debrissa McKinney (all genres), 7:30pm ATHEnA’S cLuB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7pm BEn’S TunE-uP Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 5pm BLAcK BEAR cOFFEE cO. Comedy night w/ Tom Scheve, 7pm BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Holly Jolly Party w/ The Big Deal Band (bluegrass), 7:30pm

FREncH BROAd BREwERy Band of Lovers (folk), 6pm gOOd STuFF Marshall Christmas Pageant, 7:30pm Laura Thurston (Americana, folk, singer-songwriter), 8pm

SLy gROg LOungE Word night (trivia-ish, word game), 9pm

HIgHLAnd BREwIng cOmPAny Devil’s Britches release party, 7pm

SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS DJ Kyuri on vinyl (funk, soul, disco), 10pm

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Amicimusic presents “Flute Fandango” (Latin), 7pm An evening w/ Dulci Ellenberger & Big Sound Harbor (folk, pop), 9pm JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Shane Pruitt Band (gospel, blues, rock ’n’ roll), 9pm JERuSALEm gARdEn Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm K LOungE DJ CVtheProducer (old-school hip-hop), 10pm LAZy dIAmOnd Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10pm LOBSTER TRAP Calico Moon (Americana), 6:30pm

SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn Downright (funk, synth-rock, psychedelic), 6pm SOuTHERn APPALAcHIAn BREwERy Fin Dog (bluegrass), 8pm TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Jarvis Jenkins (Southern rock), 9:30pm THE AdmIRAL Hip Hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11pm THE BLOcK OFF BILTmORE Westsound (soul, Motown, R&B), 9pm THE mOTHLIgHT Resonant Rogues w/ The Darnell Boys & Laura Blackley (Gypsyswing, jazz, folk), 9pm

LuELLA’S BAR-B-QuE Riyen Roots (blues, soul), 8pm

THE nATIOnAL Omnitet (funk), 8pm Phantom Pantone (trap, Euro, dance), 11pm

mARKET PLAcE The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7pm

THE SOcIAL Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6pm

nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/ AmPHITHEATER Asheville drum circle (at Blue Ridge Tap Room), 6pm Juan Benavides Group (Flamenco, rock, soul), 9pm

THOmAS wOLFE AudITORIum Joy: The Christmas Tour w/ Steven Curtis Chapman & Jillian Edwards (singer-songwriter), 8pm

O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund Drag Show, 12:30am

TIgER mOunTAIn Dark dance rituals w/ DJ Cliffypoo, 10pm

OddITORIum Drunk In a Dumpster w/ Flashbang, No Anger Control & Mormon Informant (punk), 9pm

TImO’S HOuSE Subterranean Shakedown w/ TowerHand, B1G BEN & DJ Kool Laid (bass party), 10pm

OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm OnE STOP dELI & BAR Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5pm ORAngE PEEL Deerhunter w/ Atlas Sound (post-punk, ambient, rock), 9pm

cITy LIgHTS BOOKSTORE Cygne (alternative), 7pm

OSKAR BLuES BREwERy Carver & Carmody (blues, Americana), 6pm PAcK’S TAvERn DJ OCelate (dance hits), 9pm

dOuBLE cROwn DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10pm

PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny Dead 27s w/ Copious Jones (soul, blues, jam), 9pm

ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm

ROOT BAR nO. 1 Linda Mitchell (blues, jazz), 7pm

FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Hustle Souls (soul, Americana), 10pm

ScuLLy’S DJ, 10pm

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Tyler Ramsey w/ Rayna Gellert (folk), 9pm

BLuE mOunTAIn PIZZA & BREw PuB Acoustic Swing, 7pm

cORK & KEg The Gypsy Swingers (jazz, Latin, 30s pop), 8:30pm

ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB Zumba Fitness in Da Club w/ Be Bad Hip Hop, 7pm DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm

SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Jamison Adams Project (jam, funk, fusion), 7:30pm

TOwn PumP The Fat Catz (space-rock), 9pm TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Three Frog Night w/ Owen Grooms (old-time), 8pm TwISTEd LAuREL Live DJ, 11pm wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Sheila Kay Adams and the Scofflaws (Americana, Appalachian music, folk), 8pm wILd wIng cAFE SOuTH A Social Function (acoustic), 9:30pm wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Ben Hovey (souljazztronica), 8pm ZAmBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Hank West & The Smokin’ Hots (hot jazz), 9pm cORK & KEg Pleasure Chest (rockabilly, R&B, soul), 8:30pm dOuBLE cROwn Rock ’n’ Soul w/ DJs Lil Lorruh or Rebecca & Dave, 10pm ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Murmuration (funk), 10pm FREncH BROAd BREwERy The Gravelys (Americana), 6pm gOOd STuFF Marshall Christmas Pageant, 7:30pm ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Asheville Rhythm Frame Drum Concert (world music, jazz), 6:30pm Steve Baughman & Robin Bullock (Celtic, acoustic, Christmas tunes), 9pm JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Don Merkle & The Blacksmiths w/ Honey & Houston (Appalachian, country, Celtic), 8pm JERuSALEm gARdEn Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm LAZy dIAmOnd Unknown Pleasures w/ DJ Greg Cartwright, 10pm LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30pm mARKET PLAcE DJs (funk, R&B), 7pm

ROOT BAR nO. 1 The Willy Whales (rock, roots), 7pm SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Dave Desmelik (Americana), 7:30pm ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm ScuLLy’S DJ, 10pm SLy gROg LOungE Shoeless Hooligan (rock ’n’ roll), 9pm SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm SOuTHERn APPALAcHIAn BREwERy The Zuzu Welsh Band (blues), 8pm TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Fine Line (classic rock), 9:30pm THE AdmIRAL Soul night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 11pm THE cROw And QuILL Lost Dog Street Band w/ Carolina Catskins (country, storytelling), 9pm THE mILLROOm Andy Sandford w/ Minori Hinds, Cody Hughes & Jason Webb (comedy), 8pm THE mOTHLIgHT 1970s Film Stock w/ Yours Truly & Judas Horse (experimental, psychedelic, shoegaze), 9:30pm THE nATIOnAL Chantrelles (funk), 8pm DJ Antonio Dance Party, 11pm THE nIgHTIngALE LOFT AmiciMusic presents: “Flute Fandango”, 7:30pm THE SOuTHERn Disclaimer Comedy w/ Mello Mike, Blaine Perry & Chaz Scovel (comedy), 8pm TImO’S HOuSE Dance Party w/ DJ Franco Nino (top 40), 10pm

7PM DooRS 7PM DooRS

WED THU

BAND

(OF JETHRO TULL)

5 wALnuT wInE BAR Red Hot Sugar Babies (hot jazz), 7pm BEn’S TunE-uP Jackomo (Cajun, country), 4pm Reggae night w/ Dub Kartel, 8pm

8PM DooRS

7PM DooRS

SundAy, dEcEmBER 6

RAMSEY 12/4 TYLER RAYNA GELLERT BLACK LILLIES 12/6 THEANNABELLE’S CURSE 12/9 P O S S E S S E D BY PAUL JAMES 12/10 A CHARLIE BROWN W/

7PM DooRS

FRI

ZAmBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

JEFFREY BÜTZER & T.T. MAHONY PERFORM:

dELLwOOd BAPTIST cHuRcH Paul’s Journey (Christian music), 9am

VINCE GUARALDI’S

CHRISTMAS

W/ JEFFREY BÜTZER AND THE BICYCLE EATERS

dOuBLE cROwn Karaoke w/ Tim O, 9pm gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn The Black Lillies w/ Annabelle’s Curse (Americana, blues, country), 8pm ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Sunday Classical Brunch, 11am Sunday jazz showcase, 6pm

LOW COUNTS (ALBUM RELEASE SHOW) 12/11 THE

12/12 DARLINGSIDE CICADA RHYTHM

w/ THE PARODI KINGS W/

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Irish session, 5pm Driftwood Soldier w/ Kaatskilachia (gutter-folk), 9pm LAZy dIAmOnd Tiki Night w/ DJ Lance (Hawaiian, surf, exotica), 10pm OFF THE wAgOn Piano show, 9pm OnE STOP dELI & BAR Bluegrass brunch w/ Woody Wood, 11am

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated

ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm

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

SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS DJ Kyusi on vinyl (old school triphop, deep house, acid jazz), 8pm SOuTHERn APPALAcHIAn BREwERy The Dan Keller Trio w/ Matt Hall (jazz), 5pm

Holiday gift packages include French Broad Chocolate’s Limited Release U.O. Cider-infused truﬄes & caramels 32oz U.O. Cranberry Cider growler, a pint glass, & a $15 U.O. Gift Card.

TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Jason Brazzel (acoustic), 6pm THE nATIOnAL Reggae Radio Day, 12pm THE OmnI gROvE PARK Inn Lou Mowad (classical guitar), 10am Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7pm THE SOcIAL Get Vocal Karaoke, 9:30pm

TOwn PumP Shimmy & The Burns (country, folk, rock), 9pm

THE SOuTHERn Yacht Rock Brunch w/ DJ Kipper, 12pm

OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm

TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Kevin Lorenz (acoustic), 8pm

TImO’S HOuSE Asheville Drum ’n’ Bass Collective, 10pm

OLIvE OR TwIST 42nd Street Band (big band jazz),

TwISTEd LAuREL Live DJ, 11pm

wEdgE BREwIng cO. Vollie McKenzie & Hank Bones

OddITORIum Zin Vetro w/ The Tip (rock), 9pm

BARRE

7PM DooRS

ROOm Ix Open dance night, 9pm

MARTIN

8PM DooRS

BLAcK BEAR cOFFEE cO. Wintervals (indie, folk, acoustic), 7pm

PuRPLE OnIOn cAFE Red Honey (surf, punk, country), 8pm

AN EVENING WITH

7PM DooRS

BEn’S TunE-uP Gypsy Guitars, 2pm Honey & Houston (Americana, country, blues), 5pm Through The Hills (Americana), 7pm

PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny Wavy Train (jam), 9pm

12/2 DAVID OLNEY 12/3

W/ THE GET RIGHT BAND

SUN

ATHEnA’S cLuB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30pm

PAcK’S TAvERn A Social Function (classic hits, rock ’n’ roll), 9pm

wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Siamese Jazz Club (soul, R&B, pop), 8pm

WED

ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL Honeypot 15th anniversary w/ Morphonic, Samuel Paradise, Dee MF & Earthtone Soundsystem (multi-genre), 10pm

OSKAR BLuES BREwERy If Birds Could Fly (indie, folk), 6pm

wILd wIng cAFE Karaoke, 8pm

THU

5 wALnuT wInE BAR Andrew Fletcher (stride piano), 6pm The Devyl Nellys (experimental), 9pm

ORAngE PEEL The Twelve Days of Alice’s Winter Ashevilleland (dance, cabaret, comedy), 8pm

wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn AmiciMusic presents: Flute Fandango (Latin, classical), 2pm Rhoda Weaver (pop), 8pm

FRI

185 KIng STREET Grits & Soul (country, soul, blues), 8pm

8pm Dance party (hip-hop, rap), 11pm

SAT

SATuRdAy, dEcEmBER 5

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

(828)744-5151

www.urbanorchardcider.com mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

cLubLand

TAVERN DOWNTOWN ON THE PARK Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 13 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shufﬂeboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

Looking for the Perfect Gift? bo

A How

ut a Pa ck’s Tave rn Gift Card!

THU. 12/3 Billy Litz

(Americana, acoustic)

FRI. 12/4

DJ OCelate (dance

hits)

SAT. 12/5 A Social Function

(classic hits, rock n’ roll)

Send your listings to clubland@mountainx.com

(acoustic jazz-swing), 6pm wIcKEd wEEd Mrs. Dubfire (reggae), 3pm

TuESdAy, dEcEmBER 8 mOndAy, dEcEmBER 7 185 KIng STREET Open mic night, 7pm 5 wALnuT wInE BAR Eleanor Underhill & Friends (Americana, soul), 8pm ALTAmOnT BREwIng cOmPAny Old-time jam w/ Mitch McConnell, 6:30pm BEn’S TunE-uP Steelin’ Time (ragtime, bluegrass, Southern rock), 8pm

ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11pm BAcK yARd BAR Open mic & jam w/ Robert Swain, 8pm BEn’S TunE-uP Eleanor Underhill (acoustic), 5pm

wILd wIng cAFE SOuTH Tuesday bluegrass, 6pm Trivia w/ Kelilyn, 8:30pm

wEdnESdAy, dEcEmBER 9 5 wALnuT wInE BAR Ryan Oslance Duo (jazz), 5pm Les Amis (African folk), 8pm ALTAmOnT THEATRE Noble Kava presents: The Poetry Open Mic, 9pm ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL An evening w/ Badger, Asian Teacher Factory & Papadosio (instrumental), 9pm

cATAwBA BREwIng SOuTH SLOPE Open mic night, 5pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Trivia, 7pm

BEn’S TunE-uP Honky-tonk Wednesdays, 3pm

cOuRTyARd gALLERy Open mic (music, poetry, comedy, etc.), 8pm

BuFFALO nIcKEL Trivia, 7pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Play to Win game night, 7:30pm

cREEKSIdE TAPHOuSE Trivia, 7pm

cORK & KEg Honky-tonk jamboree w/ Tom Pittman, 6:30pm

BLuE mOunTAIn PIZZA & BREw PuB Open mic, 7pm

dOuBLE cROwn Country Karaoke, 10pm

cREEKSIdE TAPHOuSE Old School Low Down Blues Tues. w/ Matt Walsh, 6pm

dOuBLE cROwn Classic Country w/ DJs Greg Cartwright, David Gay, Brody Hunt, 10pm

dOuBLE cROwn DJ Brody Hunt (honky-tonk, Cajun, Western), 10pm

FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Justin Quinn (folk, Americana), 9pm

gOOd STuFF Old time-y night, 6:30pm

FunKATORIum John Hartford Jam (folk, bluegrass), 6:30pm

IROn HORSE STATIOn Open mic, 6pm

gOOd STuFF Karaoke!, 7pm

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Tuesday bluegrass sessions, 7:30pm

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Possessed By Paul James (alt-country, folk, punk), 8pm

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Quizzo, 7pm LAZy dIAmOnd Heavy Night w/ DJ Butch, 10pm LExIngTOn AvE BREwERy (LAB) Kipper’s “Totally Rad” Trivia night, 8pm LOBSTER TRAP Dave Desmelik (Americana), 6:30pm

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Screen Door Porch w/ Redleg Husky & The Gravelys (Americana, roots, rock), 6pm

O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund Geeks Who Drink trivia, 7pm

LAZy dIAmOnd Punk ’n’ Roll w/ DJ Leo Delightful, 10pm

OddITORIum Idle Bloom (psychedelic, pop, rock), 9pm

LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown (acoustic-folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30pm

OLIvE OR TwIST 2 Breeze Band (Motown), 6pm

mARKET PLAcE The Rat Alley Cats (jazz, Latin, swing), 7pm

OnE wORLd BREwIng Beats & Brews w/ DJ Whistleblower, 8pm

OddITORIum Odd comedy night, 9pm

ORAngE PEEL Mac Miller w/ EarthGang, Michael Christmas & Goldlink [SOLD OUT], 8pm

OFF THE wAgOn Rock ’n’ roll bingo, 8pm

OSKAR BLuES BREwERy Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6pm

OLIvE OR TwIST Tuesday night blues dance w/ The Remedy (blues, dance), 8pm

SOvEREIgn REmEdIES Stevie Lee Combs (acoustic), 8pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Turntable Tuesdays (DJs & vinyl), 10pm

THE mOTHLIgHT Mr. Mange w/ Artificial Oceans & Snack Champion (rock), 9pm

ORAngE PEEL Corrosion Of Conformity w/ Pepper Keenan, Mike Dean, Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman, Brant Bjork, Saviours & Mothership (heavy metal, stoner rock, punk), 8pm

THE nATIOnAL Open mic w/ Shane Livingston, 7pm THE OmnI gROvE PARK Inn Bob Zullo (pop, rock, blues), 7pm THE vALLEy muSIc & cOOKHOuSE Monday Pickin’ Parlour (open jam, open mic), 8pm TIgER mOunTAIn Service industry night (rock ’n’ roll), 9pm TImO’S HOuSE Movie night, 7pm Mac Miller afterparty w/ CV The Producer (hip-hop, trap), 10pm uRBAn ORcHARd Old-time music, 7pm

december 2 - december 8, 2015

ALTAmOnT BREwIng cOmPAny Open mic w/ Chris O’Neill, 8:30pm

wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Irish sessions & open mic, 6:30pm

BLAcK BEAR cOFFEE cO. Round Robin acoustic open mic, 7pm

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Contra dance (lessons, 7:30pm), 8pm

5 wALnuT wInE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8pm

uRBAn ORcHARd Billy Litz (Americana, singer-songwriter), 7pm

BywATER Open mic w/ Taylor Martin, 8pm

gOOd STuFF Open mic w/ Laura Thurston, 7pm

20 S. SPRUCE ST. • 225.6944 PACKSTAVERN.COM

wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Take Two Jazz w/ Bill Bares & Brian Felix, 7:30pm

mountainx.com

SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Jam night, 9pm

gRInd cAFE Trivia night, 7pm HIgHLAnd BREwIng cOmPAny Woody Wood Wednesdays (rock, soul), 5:30pm ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL Sweet Claudette (country, Motown), 7pm Winter soul concert w/ Kat Williams, Sidney Barnes & the Richard Shulman Trio (soul), 8:30pm JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Old-time session, 5pm Honky-tonk dance party w/ Hearts Gone South, 9pm LAZy dIAmOnd Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10pm LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub-jazz, trumpet), 6:30pm mOunTAIn mOJO cOFFEEHOuSE Open mic, 6:30pm nOBLE KAvA Open mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 9pm O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund “Take the Cake” Karaoke, 10pm OddITORIum Szkojáni Charlatans w/ Fly By Night Rounders (ragtime, busk), 10pm OFF THE wAgOn Piano show, 9pm

THE mOTHLIgHT A live score to “No Country For Old Men”, 9pm

OLIvE OR TwIST Intermediate swing dance lessons w/ Bobby Wood, 7pm Beginning swing dance lesson w/ Bobby Wood, 7:30pm 3 Cool Cats (vintage rock), 8pm

THE nATIOnAL Ben Colvin Trio (jazz), 8pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Lip sync karaoke, 10pm

TRESSA’S dOwnTOwn JAZZ And BLuES Funk & jazz jam w/ Pauly Juhl, 8:30pm

ORAngE PEEL Big K.R.I.T. w/ BJ the Chicago Kid, Scotty ATL,

THE JOInT nExT dOOR Open mic w/ Laura Thurston, 7pm

Delorean & Free The Optimus (hip-hop), 9pm PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny Dennis Berndt (reggae, roots, folk), 6pm ROOm Ix Fuego: Latin night, 9pm ScuLLy’S Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 6pm SLy gROg LOungE Word Night (trivia-ish), 8pm Cards Against Humanity Game Night, 10pm SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm

JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Bluegrass jam, 7pm LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones (“The man of 1,000 songs”), 6:30pm mARKET PLAcE Ben Hovey (dub jazz, beats), 7pm nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/AmPHITHEATER Dopapod w/ The Nth Power (progressive rock, soul), 9pm O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund Game Night, 9pm Drag Show, 12:30am

SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn World Wednesdays, 8pm

OddITORIum The Dark Shave w/ Shaken Nature & Student Teacher (rock), 9pm

TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Open mic & jam, 7pm

OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm

THE JOInT nExT dOOR Bluegrass jam, 8pm

OLIvE OR TwIST Dance lesson w/ Ian & Karen, 8pm DJ (oldies, Latin, line dance), 8:30pm

THE mOTHLIgHT “Transplanting” holiday party (comedy, party), 8pm THE PHOEnIx Jazz night, 8pm THE SOuTHERn Disclaimer Comedy open mic, 9pm TIgER mOunTAIn Flux (’80s & ’90s dance party), 10pm TImO’S HOuSE “Spectrum AVL” w/ DamGood & rotating DJs, 9pm TOwn PumP Open mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9pm TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Acoustic jam w/ Kevin Scanlon (bluegrass, old-time, folk), 6pm TRESSA’S dOwnTOwn JAZZ And BLuES Blues & soul jam w/ Al Coffee & Da Grind, 8:30pm

THuRSdAy, dEcEmBER 10 185 KIng STREET The Honey Chasers w/ Alexa Rose (bluegrass, Appalachian), 8pm 5 wALnuT wInE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8pm BARLEy’S TAPROOm AMC Jazz Jam, 9pm BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Bluegrass jam w/ The Big Deal Band, 8pm BLuE RIdgE TAPROOm Beyond Chicken (Americana), 8pm cLuB ELEvEn On gROvE Tango lessons & practilonga w/ Tango Gypsies, 7pm cREEKSIdE TAPHOuSE Singer-songwriter night w/ Riyen Roots, 8pm dOuBLE cROwn 33 and 1/3 Thursdays w/ DJs Devyn & Oakley, 10pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Phish ’n’ Chips (Phish covers), 6pm ORAngE PEEL Three Spirits: a multimedia performance of A Christmas Carol, 11am Hometown Holiday Jam XV w/ Joe Lasher Jr., Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats, Lyric, The Lowdown, The Laters, Rip Haven, Rory Kelly, Kimberly White Project, Drew Heller, Mike Barnes, Marc Keller, Jack and Jim Mascari, Danny Eller, & the Hometown Holiday Jam Allstar Band!, 7:30pm PAcK’S TAvERn Jeff Anders & Scott Raines (acoustic rock), 9pm PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny Calvin Get Down (funk, jazz), 8pm PuRPLE OnIOn cAFE Tellico (Appalachian, folk, bluegrass), 7:30pm REnAISSAncE ASHEvILLE Carver & Carmody (country), 5pm ROOm Ix Throwback Thursdays (all vinyl set), 9pm ROOT BAR nO. 1 Jukebox Poetry (folk, acoustic), 7pm SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Fish Fisher (acoustic, outlaw folk), 7pm ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm SLy gROg LOungE Open mic (musicians, poets, comedians & more welcome), 8pm SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS 80s night w/ DJ Kyuri on vinyl, 8pm SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn Open Mic Nights w/ Arjay Sutton & Melissa Blazen (folk, singer-songwriter), 6pm Songwriter Thursdays w/ Caine McDonald, 8pm SPRIng cREEK TAvERn Open Mic, 6pm TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Open mic w/ Datrian Johnson, 7pm

OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm

FRIdAy, dEcEmBER 11 185 KIng STREET Mac Arnold and Plate Full O’ Blues album release party (blues, soul, funk), 8pm

OnE STOP dELI & BAR Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam (jam), 5pm LITZ (funk, psychedelic, jam), 10pm

5 wALnuT wInE BAR Hank West & The Smokin’ Hots (jazz exotica), 9pm

PAcK’S TAvERn DJ MoTo (dance hits), 9pm

ALTAmOnT THEATRE An evening w/ Chuck Cannon (country), 8pm

PISgAH BREwIng cOmPAny The Jauntee (jam, fusion), 8pm

ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL Enter The Earth’s 14th annual Xmas party w/ James Carmody, The Blood Gypsies & The Digs (multigenre), 9:30pm

ROOT BAR nO. 1 Kevin Williams of Holy Ghost Tent Revival (acoustic), 7pm

ATHEnA’S cLuB Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7pm BEn’S TunE-uP Woody Wood & the Asheville Family Band (acoustic, folk, rock), 5pm BLAcK BEAR cOFFEE cO. Matt Jackson (acoustic, rock, alternative), 7pm BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Jamal’s Birthday Party w/ DJ Munn (dance), 10pm BLuE mOunTAIn PIZZA & BREw PuB Acoustic Swing, 7pm cORK & KEg Cafe Sho (Cajun, waltz), 8:30pm dOuBLE cROwn DJ Greg Cartwright (garage & soul obscurities), 10pm ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Max Gross Weight (rock), 10pm FREncH BROAd BREwERy Typical Mountain Boys (bluegrass), 6pm

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gOOd STuFF Screaming Js (boogie woogie), 8pm gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn The Low Counts w/ The Parodi Kings (rock), 9pm ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL An evening w/ Joan & Joni (Joan Baez & Joni Mitchell tribute), 7pm Lyric CD release party w/ The Secret B Sides, Ryan “R&B” Barber & Free Radio (soul, funk, hip-hop), 9pm JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Warren Haynes Christmas Jam by Day w/ Kevin Kinney, Bobby Miller and the Virginia Daredevils, David Earl, Gran Pappy, Jamie Dose and Dorsey Parker, Jason Daniello, Jeff Santiago, Josh Daniel/ Mark Schimick Project, Leigh Glass, Lizz Wright, The Pond Brothers, Ray Sisk, Toph O’Neal & Woody Wood, 12pm Ron Gallo Band (rock ’n’ roll, soul, blues), 9pm JERuSALEm gARdEn Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm K LOungE DJ CVtheProducer (old-school hip-hop), 10pm LAZy dIAmOnd Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10pm

ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm

TImO’S HOuSE Dance Party w/ DJ Franco Nino, 10pm

FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB Bull Moose Party (bluegrass), 10pm

TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Cajun & western swing jam w/ Steve Burnside, 7pm

FREncH BROAd BREwERy Jana Saltz (indie, pop), 6pm

TRESSA’S dOwnTOwn JAZZ And BLuES The Westsound Revue (Motown, soul), 9pm

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas w/ Jeffrey Butzer & The Bicycle Eaters (indie, jazz), 8pm

TwISTEd LAuREL Karaoke, 8pm

nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/AmPHITHEATER Asheville drum circle (at Blue Ridge Tap Room), 6pm Cosmic Charlie performs Europe ’72 (Grateful Dead covers), 9pm

wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Movies That Matter: Blue Gold, 7pm

O.HEnRy’S/THE undERgROund Drag Show, 12:30am

wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Russ Wilson & Friends (swing, jazz), 7:30pm

OddITORIum Dumpster w/ Grains & Omniquill (rock), 9pm

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL An evening w/ Jackson Emmer (Americana), 7pm Roadkill Ghost Choir w/ T Hardy Morris and the Hardknocks & Saint Pe (indie, alt-rock), 9pm

Where Adult Dreams Come True

LOBSTER TRAP Riyen Roots & Kenny Dore (blues, soul), 6:30pm mARKET PLAcE The Sean Mason Trio (groove, jazz, funk), 7pm

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828.684.8250

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cL u b La n d

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SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Sean Bendula (singer-songwriter), 7:30pm

BLAcK mOunTAIn ALE HOuSE Hustle Souls (soul, alt-country), 9pm

ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm

cORK & KEg Buddy Davis & the Session Players (honky-tonk, classic country), 8:30pm

ScuLLy’S DJ, 10pm

828-251-1333

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JOHN SCOFIELD

THURSDAY

THEATER

FRIDAY

12.04

JUAN BENAVIDES

FRIDAY

12.04

SOL VIBES PRESENTS:

THURSDAY

THEATER

9PM SHOW

12.10 9PM SHOW FRIDAY

12.11

9PM SHOW

12.11

SATURDAY

12.12

9PM SHOW

wILd wIng cAFE SOuTH A Social Function (acoustic), 9:30pm

SOL BAR

DOWNRIGHT

wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Zapato (funk, jazz), 8pm

DOPAPOD

ZAmBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

W/ SPECIAL GUESTS THE NTH POWER THEATER

SATuRdAy, dEcEmBER 12

COSMIC CHARLIE PERFORMS EUROPE ‘72 SOL BAR

FRIDAY 10PM SHOW

wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Asheville Jazz Orchestra, 8pm

GROUP

10PM SHOW

SOL VIBES

PRESENTS: RICKY RAIN, K-EDWARDS & VONFUNKHAUSER THEATER

9TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY w/

MARLEY CARROLL

FRI - 12.18 - ANDREILIEN & SOOHAN

THU - 12.31 - NEW YEARS EVE 2015-2016 THE MANTRAS W/ PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG

december 2 - december 8, 2015

ISIS RESTAuRAnT And muSIc HALL River Whyless w/ Justin Ringle (folk-rock, nature-pop), 9pm JAcK OF THE wOOd PuB Warren Haynes Christmas Jam by Day w/ Kevin Kinney, Bobby Miller and the Virginia Daredevils, David Earl, Gran Pappy, Jamie Dose and Dorsey Parker, Jason Daniello, Jeff Santiago, Josh Daniel/Mark Schimick Project, Leigh Glass, Lizz Wright, The Pond Brothers, Ray Sisk, Toph O’Neal & Woody Wood, 12pm Sinners & Saints (Americana, folkrock), 9pm JERuSALEm gARdEn Middle Eastern music & bellydancing, 7pm

LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30pm

BLAcK BEAR cOFFEE cO. Eric Congdon Trio (rock ’n’ roll, experimental, jam), 7pm

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HIgHLAnd BREwIng cOmPAny Mojomatic (blues, funk, rock), 7pm

ALTAmOnT THEATRE Reasonably Priced Babies w/ No Regrets Improv (improv, comedy), 8pm

BEn’S TunE-uP Gypsy Guitars, 2pm Through The Hills (Americana), 7pm

FRI - 2.19 - TAUKING MCGEE OFFICIAL UMPHREY’S MCGEE AFTER PARTY

gREy EAgLE muSIc HALL & TAvERn Darlingside w/ Cicada Rhythm (indie, folk), 8pm

LAZy dIAmOnd Unknown Pleasures w/ DJ Greg Cartwright, 10pm

ATHEnA’S cLuB Michael Kelley Hunter (blues), 6:30pm Dave Blair (folk, funk, acoustic), 7pm

SAT - 12.19 - VANESSA CARLTON

gOOd STuFF Marshall Christmas Parade, 12pm Sheila Kay Adams & the Scofflaws (Americana, Appalachian, folk), 7pm

5 wALnuT wInE BAR Patrick Fitzsimons (jazz, blues, world music), 6pm Sankofa (world music), 9pm

ASHEvILLE muSIc HALL Marcus King Band (rock), 8pm Space Jesus w/ Esseks (electronic), 10pm

Coming Up:

FREncH BROAd BREwERy Padenrich Station (folk), 6pm

TwISTEd LAuREL Live DJ, 11pm

THEATER

ELAInE’S duELIng PIAnO BAR Dueling Pianos, 9pm

THE AdmIRAL Hip Hop dance party w/ DJ Warf, 11pm

TImO’S HOuSE Damgood w/ DJ Whistleblower, ManuKaru, Creep & Cheetah (hip-hop), 10pm

MIMOSA

12.03

10PM SHOW

dOuBLE cROwn Rock ’n’ Soul w/ DJs Lil Lorruh or Rebecca & Dave, 10pm

FOggy mOunTAIn BREwPuB LITZ Jams (funk), 10pm

TIgER mOunTAIn Dark dance rituals w/ DJ Cliffypoo, 10pm

+ JON CLEARY

cREEKSIdE TAPHOuSE Roots & Dore (blues, soul), 8pm

TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Picasso Facelift (classic rock), 9:30pm

THE SOcIAL Steve Moseley (acoustic), 6pm

THEATER

12.02

8PM SHOW

SOL BAR nEw mOunTAIn Sol Vibes w/ Ricky Rain, Eddie & Von Funkhauser (electronic), 10pm

THE mOTHLIgHT Super Shakers w/ Egg Eaters & Kitty Tsunami (punk, rock, experimental), 9:30pm

December 2015 WEDNESDAY

SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS DJ Kyuri on vinyl (funk, soul, disco), 10pm

mARKET PLAcE DJs (funk, R&B), 7pm nEw mOunTAIn THEATER/ AmPHITHEATER 9th annual holiday liquor & dance party w/ Marley Carroll (electronic), 9pm OddITORIum Giant Giants w/ Onawa, Faun and a Pan Flute & Red Sea (experimental, rock), 9pm OFF THE wAgOn Dueling pianos, 9pm OLIvE OR TwIST 42nd Street Band (big band jazz), 8pm Dance party (hip-hop, rap), 11pm

ORAngE PEEL Asheville Toy Expo, 9am Three Spirits: a multimedia performance of A Christmas Carol, 7pm PAcK’S TAvERn Lyric (pop, funk, soul), 9pm PuRPLE OnIOn cAFE Bad Popes (rock, Americana, roots), 8pm ROOm Ix Open dance night, 9pm ROOT BAR nO. 1 Stephen Lee (outlaw country), 7pm SAncTuARy BREwIng cOmPAny Hearts Gone South (honky-tonk, country), 7:30pm ScAndALS nIgHTcLuB DJ dance party & drag show, 10pm ScuLLy’S DJ, 10pm SOcIAL LOungE & TAPAS Phantom Pantone (DJ), 10pm TALLgARy’S AT FOuR cOLLEgE Mile High (country), 9:30pm THE AdmIRAL Soul night w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 11pm THE mOTHLIgHT Wham, Bam! Puppet Slam (variety show, puppetry), 9pm TImO’S HOuSE Dance Party w/ DJ Franco Nino (top 40), 10pm Harry Darnell & Josh Present: A Very Merry Christmas (dance party), 10pm TRAILHEAd RESTAuRAnT And BAR Mark Bumgarner (Americana, acoustic), 8pm TwISTEd LAuREL Live DJ, 11pm uS cELLuLAR cEnTER Warren Haynes 27th annual Christmas Jam w/ Warren Haynes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Doobie Brothers, Joe Bonamassa, Dawes, Blackberry Smoke, Electric Hot Tuna, Bruce Hornsby and more (Americana, blues, rock), 7pm wHITE HORSE BLAcK mOunTAIn Celtic Yulefest w/ Carolina Ceili, 8pm wILd wIng cAFE Karaoke, 8pm wxyZ LOungE AT ALOFT HOTEL Zapato (funk, jazz), 8pm ZAmBRA Zambra Jazz Trio, 8pm

mOvIES

CrankY Hanke reVieWs & listings BY KEN HANKE & JUSTIN SOUTHER

HHHHH =

C O N TA C T AT P R E S S M O V I E S @ A O L . C O M m a x r at i n g

PIck Of THe week

tHe ate r L istings FRIdAy, dEcEmBER 4 THuRSdAy, dEcEmBER 10 Due to possible scheduling changes, moviegoers may want to confirm showtimes with theaters.

ASHEvILLE PIZZA & BREwIng cO. (254-1281) minions (pg) 1:00 (Sat-Sun only), 4:00 rocK tHe KasbaH (r) 10:00 a WaLK in tHe Woods (r) 7:00

cARmIKE cInEmA 10 (298-4452) cAROLInA cInEmAS (274-9500)

James McAvoy as the title character and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor, his partner in “crimes against nature” in Paul McGuigan’s sadly underrated Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein HHHH director: Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin)

tHe LoWdoWn: Against all odds

pLaYers: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Freddie Fox, Charles Dance

proval — Victor Frankenstein turns out to

Horror Rated PG-13

mythology. It is both fresh and conscious

tHe storY: A new take on the Frankenstein story.

— and against the tide of critical disapbe a worthy addition to the Frankenstein of its history, and anchored to great performances from its stars.

I’m in the minority on Paul McGuigan’s Victor Frankenstein — the movies’ latest addition to the cinematic legacy that dates back 105 years. That’s to say that I think it’s really pretty good, and that is not something I expected to find myself saying. Oh, it had nothing to do with the negative reviews (I never trust reviews of horror pictures) and even less to do with

mountainx.com

brooKLYn (pg-13) 11:40, 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:40 creed (pg-13) 10:55, 1:50, 4:40, 7:35, 10:00 tHe good dinosaur 3d (pg) 9:25 tHe good dinosaur 2d (pg) 10:45, 12:00, 1:10, 2:25, 3:35, 4:45, 7:05 tHe Hunger games: mocKingJaY -- part 2 (pg-13) 10:15, 12:15, 1:15, 3:15, 4:15, 6:15, 7:15, 9:15, 10:15 Krampus (pg-13) 12:05, 2:45, 5:05, 7:45, 10:25 tHe martian (pg-13) 6:55, 9:55 tHe nigHt beFore (r) 12:10, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10:05 tHe peanuts moVie (g) 11:10, 1:25, 3:55, 6:10, 8:25, 10:35 room (r) 1:40, 7:20 secret in tHeir eYes (pg-13) 11:20, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:30 spectre (pg-13) 12:20, 3:40, 7:20, 10:30 spotLigHt (r) 11:00, 1:45, 4:30, 7:30, 10:20 trumbo (r) 11:25, 2:05, 4:45, 7:25, 10:05 Victor FranKenstein (pg-13) 11:15, 4:20, 9:55

cO-Ed cInEmA BREvARd (883-2200)

tHe Hunger games: mocKingJaY -- part 2 (pg-13) 12:30, 4:00, 7:30

EPIc OF HEndERSOnvILLE (693-1146) FInE ARTS THEATRE (232-1536) brooKLYn (pg-13) 1:00, 4:00, 700, Late show Fri-Sat 9:30 spotLigHt (r) 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, Late show Fri-Sat 9:50

FLATROcK cInEmA (697-2463) trumbo (r) 3:45, 7:00 (Closed Mon)

REgAL BILTmORE gRAndE STAdIum 15 (684-1298) unITEd ARTISTS BEAucATcHER (2981234) december 2 - december 8, 2015

MOVIES

by Ken Hanke & Justin Souther

the fact that it had been tagged as a box-office failure before Thursday’s turkey was carved. No, it’s just that — Ken Russell’s Gothic (1986) aside, which isn’t a Frankenstein picture as such — I haven’t seen a Frankenstein movie I much liked since Hammer’s Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), and even it’s on shaky ground with me. As a result, history wasn’t in its favor, nor, for that matter, was its Igor-pointof-view approach — especially since Igor (or Ygor actually) never had a damn thing to do with the creation of the Monster (no matter what Mel Brooks thought). Imagine my delighted surprise when I actually enjoyed this latest attempt to jolt the old story back to life. I’m not claiming this is a great movie. So far as I’m concerned, the only great movies Mary Shelley’s novel has (loosely) spawned were the two that James Whale made, Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Everything other than those — in that specific series, in its embryonic ancestors, and in all that followed — were either solidly crafted horror pictures, phony literary imitations, oddities, tantalizing junk or just plain junk. Victor Frankenstein strikes me as both a solidly crafted horror picture and something of an oddity — and I say that as a compliment. Even more, it’s a film that feels like it was made by and for adults — not the comic book crowd its PG-13 rating might suggest was the target. The idea that the story is told from Igor’s (Daniel Radcliffe) viewpoint isn’t terribly important (nor is it very played up). It’s more the fact that Igor isn’t the usual henchman character, but a fully functioning human being. Rescued by Frankenstein (James McAvoy) from the circus that held him prisoner, Igor quickly becomes — after all the filth is washed off and the giant abcess that gives him the appearance of a hunchback is drained — more partner and friend to Frankenstein than servant. For that matter, Igor is a better surgeon (self-taught) with a more pronounced knowledge (also self-taught) of anatomy than his amusingly loopy mentor. Their relationship — a kind of balancing act of intellect and conscience, of enthusiasm and caution — is the most interesting aspect of the film, and one that trades heavily on the natural chemistry of Radcliffe and McAvoy. The only downside to this is that they’re so good together that Igor’s relationship with the romantic interest (Jessica Findlay Brown) falls flat. (It doesn’t help that she’s something of a wet-blanket moralizer.)

december 2 - december 8, 2015

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Oh, yes, monsters will be built — two in fact, and neither will work out well, naturally. There will be tut-tutting about “things that man must leave alone,” and all the expected elements of the Frankenstein saga. There are also frequent (often witty) nods to the film’s cinematic ancestry — ranging from a terrific non-answer to why the Monster’s head is flat (originating in Whale’s first film) to a variation on the policeman with the prosthetic arm from 1939’s Son of Frankenstein (and, yes, Mel Brooks’ 1974 Young Frankenstein, which gets a reference all its own). We get intimations of the Hammer Frankensteins, and even a dash of Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein (1974). At the same time, there are intriguing elements that are unique to Victor Frankenstein — even beyond the IgorFrankenstein relationship. Making their arch-nemesis Inspector Turpin (Andrew Scott) an over-the-top religious zealot — who is prone to railing about Satan, affronts to God and abominations — is a new twist, and it’s one that dovetails neatly with the film’s not very coded homo-eroticism. Then there’s the presence of the fabulously wealthy — and very Aryan — Finnegan (Freddie Fox) who opts to fund Frankenstein’s experiments, with an eye toward creating a kind of master-race army. That’s another new wrinkle — even if does recall John Carradine creating zombies for Hitler in Revenge of the Zombies (1943), and owes something Ken Russell’s Lisztomania (1975) in the bargain. There’s enough here that is both fresh and keyed in to the heritage of Frankenstein legacy to make Victor Frankenstein very worthwhile. That it also has something on its mind is even better. Yes, it’s been largely reviled and written off as a flop, but it’s not the first time that’s happened to a good film. Rated PG-13 for macabre images, violence and a sequence of destruction. Playing at Carmike 10, Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande. reviewed by Ken Hanke khanke@mountainx.com

Creed

HHHH Director: Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) Players: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Tony Bellew

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HHHHH = max rating boxing drama Rated pg-13 The Story: The illegitimate son of a boxing legend tracks down his late father’s one-time nemesis and longtime best friend Rocky Balboa to start his climb through the boxing ranks on his own terms. The Lowdown: With no surprises, this film shouldn’t work as well as it does, but a likable cast with some genuine chemistry makes it all gel surprisingly well. Entertaining and exactly what it’s supposed to be. Considering that Creed is essentially Rocky VII — the latest attempt, after 2006’s Rocky Balboa, at rebooting the Rocky series — it works surprisingly well. That’s a shock, because Creed does exactly what you expect it to, almost to an embarrassing degree. Like a snake eating its tail, the series has come all the way back around to the original Rocky (1976), telling the story of an up-and-coming fighter with an unbeatable will, yet continuing along with the same story line and characters established 40 years ago. Because of this, Creed is predictable and cliched — yet, somehow, still engaging. For whatever reason — and this probably goes back to Rocky in some way — this film has tapped into some kind of fail-proof archetype, one that involves all the overcoming of odds that one expects from sports movies these days — except stripped of the preachiness and gooey emotions that often taint these types of movies. Creed is simply concerned with telling a story (yes, one that’s not original) in the most entertaining way possible. Director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) rarely does anything flashy (his style, unfortunately, veers towards “gritty,” meaning all the visuals are awash in gray), but he knows how lay out a plot and what emotional buttons to hit. Yes, it can be manipulative, but it needs to be. Otherwise, why care? It helps that the cast is likable (yes, even Stallone, revisiting his role as boxing’s noble savage Rocky Balboa,) and that means — even superficially — that there’s someone to root for. In this case, it’s Michael B. Jordan as Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, the illegitimate son of famous boxer (and one of the greatest ever, we’re told) Apollo Creed (originally played by Carl Weathers and showing up here via stock footage). Donnie is placed inside the Rocky film universe as the product of an affair between Creed and his mother, whose death sends him into a series of foster programs until he’s tracked down and adopted by Creed’s

wife Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad). Now in adulthood, Donnie finds his office job boring and decides to follow the same path as his father, quitting everything and heading to Philadelphia to track down Creed’s old rival and friend, Rocky Balboa, in a desperate plan to have him train him. Yes, the film is heavy on the idea of will and heart — coupled with grown men punching each other in the head — as a path to redemption, but Jordan manages to make it palatable. While I wouldn’t consider him a great actor, he does have a likable screen persona. This occasionally hurts the film, since he can’t quite pull off the macho fighter thing, but it does, thankfully, keep the movie from getting bogged down in masculinity. It helps that he and his romantic interest (Tessa Thompson, Selma) are legitimately charming and occasionally lift the film beyond just a boxing movie. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that Stallone’s found the one role he can play, that of the aging, punch-drunk fighter. Even the film’s inherent daddy issues — something that destroys most movies — are handled here with a certain amount of astute observation. No, Creed is no great film, but it does know how to keep one’s attention and never forgets to just be entertaining. Sometimes that’s enough. Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sensuality. Playing at Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, UA Beaucatcher. reviewed by Justin Souther jsouther@mountainx.com

The Good Dinosaur HH

Director: Peter Sohn Players: (Voices) Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Sam Elliott kiddie movie Rated PG The Story: A young dinosaur proves himself on a series of adventures.

tHe LoWdoWn: If you’re old enough to read this, you’re probably too old for the very thin story being told in Pixar’s latest. I am, by no means, one of those people whose heart beats faster when he sees the name Pixar affixed to a movie, so I am less likely than many to cut the latest offering some slack just because of the brand name — and The Good Dinosaur (The Barely Tolerable Dinosaur is more like it) needs all the slack it can get. Now, I’ve deliberately avoided the Cars movies — and that could make a difference — but this is easily the worst Pixar title I’ve seen. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and say it’s actually pretty bad. In a way, it’s worse than bad. It’s boring, out of fresh ideas and so lacking in story that it barely exists at all. Yeah, it has the requisite “believe in yourself” moral, but what children’s movie doesn’t? And this is very much “believe in yourself” 101 — maybe even the nursery school edition. Here is a movie geared to only the very youngest of viewers — and perhaps those seriously obsessed with dinosaurs — while not forgetting to include scenes where cute creatures are casually consumed by villainous pterodactyls as luncheon snacks. The premise of The Good Dinosaur is intriguing — what if the asteroid that took out the dinosaurs had missed hitting the earth?. What is done with that premise is not. I suppose it sounds like the gateway to a Creationist’s theme park dream come true, though I doubt the movie’s notion of a world where humans are reduced to wolflike wild creatures and agrarian dinosaurs are the advanced species would play well in that realm. In any case, what we end up with is the old — so very old — cowardly-runt-of-the-litter-makes-good yarn, with little Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) proving himself. Of course, this involves killing off Poppa Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus (Jeffrey Wright) in the process, followed by the requisite adventures and Arlo making friends with a human boy (Jack Bright) he names Spot. (The level of invention is not high.) Workable? More or less. Impressive? Not so much. Worse, it’s all uneven and only barely hooked together. Rather than any kind of smoothly integrated narrative, we end up with a series of choppy vignettes of wildly varying quality — and that’s being charitable. On those rare occasions when the movie flirts with inspiration — like the cowardly Styracosaurus (director Peter Sohn) — the flirtation is little more than a short-lived

cameo. Even the scenes with the likable Tyrannosaurus Rexes — headedup by a grizzled dino-patriarch Sam Elliott doing his Sam Elliott thing — have a perfunctory feeling, giving the movie the inescapable sense of just marking time. And marking it very slowly. Pixar apologists are out in force raving over the film’s “photo-realist” beauty. Are we really still supposed to be impressed by a movie being able to create realistic settings on a computer? Even if we are (and I’m not), it’s a stretch to view that as a saving grace. It’s all too reminiscent of the old saw about theater production design: “No one ever went out humming the scenery.” More to the point here, what is the idea of creating this realistic world and filling it with creatures that look like refugees from The Flintstones TV series and Mowgli from 1967’s The Jungle Book? Like so much of The Good Dinosaur, it just doesn’t hang together. Will it beat out this week’s other mainstream titles at the box office? Probably, but it’s a pretty soft week. Rated PG for peril, action and thematic elements. Playing at Carolina Cinemas, Epic of Hendersonville, Regal Biltmore Grande, UA Beaucatcher.

s tart ing F ridaY Krampus Seriously, this is all we’re getting this week — the inevitable transfer of the increasingly popular Krampus to the screen. This unfortunately named creature from old German mythology — sort of the anti-Santa — now has a movie of his own. The folks at Universal say, “When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.” Good times, no doubt. (pg-13)

REvIEwEd By KEn HAnKE KHAnKE@mOunTAInx.cOm

be sure to read ‘cranKY HanKe’s WeeKLY reeLer’ For compreHensiVe moVie neWs eVerY tuesdaY aFternoon in tHe xpress onLine

FILm

zBuncOmBE cOunTy PuBLIc

LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/ library Free unless otherwise noted. • SATURDAYS (12/5) through (12/26), 2pm - North Asheville Library Film Series: “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” Featuring In Bruges, Edward Scissorhands, Brazil and Less Than Zero. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave.

zTHE JuncTIOn 348 Depot St., 225-3497, thejunctionasheville.com • FR (12/4), 8pm - Outdoor holiday movies: It’s a Wonderful Life. Free to attend.

Winter Packages Available! mountainx.com

december 2 - december 8, 2015

s pec iaL s creenings

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors HHHH

— like almost all such anthologies — a somewhat uneven affair. In other words, the “Werewolf,” “Disembodied Hand,” and “Vampire” segments are pretty good, as is the framing story where “Dr. Terror” (Peter Cushing) reads the fortunes — via his Tarot cards (his “house of horrors”) — of his companions on a train. On the other hand, “The Creeping Vine” and “Voodoo” episodes are weak. (It’s rare for stories about murderous vegetation to be anything other than weak.) On balance, though, it’s an atmospheric little chiller that benefits from Freddie Francis’s visual panache and a first-rate cast. The Thursday Horror Picture Show will screen Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors Thursday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville, hosted by Xpress movie critic Ken Hanke.

Knife in the Water HHHH

cinema. The appeal of the film — a simple three-character story designed for getting the most out of a very small budget — is obvious even today. The movie is an economical exercise in the growing sexual and socio-economic tension that takes place in one afternoon when a middle-aged sportswriter and his much younger wife pick up a hitchhiking student and then invite him along for a day on their sailboat. The impetus of it all comes from the aging writer’s desire to show off how much more worldly and knowledgeable he is than the young man — and what results from that. Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Knife in the Water Friday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District (upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 828-273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com

Remember the Night HHHHSH

saddled with a woman (Barbara Stanwyck) he was prosecuting over the Christmas holidays is pure Sturges, as are many of the film’s more broadly comic scenes. But there’s an unusually dark side to the story in her attempted visit to her mother. More than that, there’s the deeply sentimental Christmas with MacMurray’s family, and the more-than-usually serious romance between the leads — things that are just better suited to Leisen’s more sober-minded style. It starts as a hard-as-nails screwball comedy and then slowly transforms into something quite different — and something wholly charming. The Asheville Film Society will screen Remember the Night Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville, hosted by Xpress movie critic Ken Hanke. The Asheville Film Society will screen Noah’s Ark Tuesday, May 6, at 8 p.m. in Theater Six at The Carolina Asheville and will be hosted by Xpress movie critics Ken Hanke and Justin Souther.

Director: Freddie Francis (Dracula Has Risen from the Grave) Players: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Donald Sutherland, Max Adrian, Michael Gough HORROR Rated NR Notable as the first Amicus Productions horror movie — and the first and best of their anthology films — Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors is also, I confess, a kind of sentimental favorite. I saw it when I was nine years old and on my first — and, alas, only — date with a girl named Teddi, who lived up the street and on whom I had a nine-year-old-style crush. It also made me jump out of my seat with a shock cut that looks pretty tame today. (Perhaps my obvious cowardice played against me.) Looked at without the patina of personal nostalgia, the film is

Director: Roman Polanski Players: Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz DRAMA Rated NR World Cinema is revisiting Roman Polanski’s Knife in the Water (1962). I do not doubt (or even question) the importance of this film to the career of Roman Polanski, but I’ve never really enjoyed it. I was too young to get it at all when I first saw it in high school on TV. (Mostly, it bored me then.) I “get it” now, and I can appreciate it, but I have to think long and hard to come up with a Polanski movie I wouldn’t rather be watching. It’s the film that made him an international figure in the cinematic world — and, ironically, still stands as his only Polish-language feature, since it led to his departure for France and then to British

Director: Mitchell Leisen (Death Takes a Holiday) Players: Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson, Sterling Holloway ROMANTIC COMEDY-DRAMA Rated NR It’s only in recent years that Mitchell Leisen’s Remember the Night (1940) has come into its own as a holiday film — and I’m not at all sure why it took so long. (The generic title, which could easily be confused with at least three other movies, may be part of the problem.) It marks the last Preston Sturges screenplay to be filmed by someone other than Sturges and quite possibly the only one that benefited from that, since Leisen as a director was more suited to the sentiment of the story. Oh, it’s every inch a Sturges comedy in most respects. The story of a rising attorney (Fred MacMurray) in the D.A.’s office who finds himself

big giving day december 15

If you donate to Give!Local nonprofits on Big Give Day, the businesses below want to thank some lucky donors for their generosity with these great prizes:

• $500 shopping spree at Ski Country Sports • One week free tuition at John C. Campbell Folk School • Three-month membership at Beer City CrossFit • Adoption package (Dog or Cat) at Asheville Humane Society • Chiropractic visit at River of Life Chiropractic (1 initial visit)

Visit givelocalguide.org for details 60

december 2 - december 8, 2015

mountainx.com

MARKETPLACE REAL E S TAT E | R E N TA L S | R OOM M ATES | SERV ICES | JOB S | A N N OU N CEMENTS | M I ND, BO DY, SPI R I T CL AS S E S & WOR K S HOP S | M U S I CIA N S’ SERV ICES | PETS | A U TOMOTIV E | X C HANG E | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 x111 tnavaille@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classiﬁeds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classiﬁed ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to ads@mountainx.com REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE

$1500/month. Weaverville area. • No pets please. (828) 658-9145. mhcinc58@yahoo. com

ROOMMATES ROOMMATES

NORTH ASHEVILLE/BEAVERDAM HOME FOR SALE-$259,500 Brick ranch featuring a year-round mountain view. 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath. Email 5killianlane@gmail.com for more information or see our craigslist ad: http://asheville.craigslist. org/reo/5304603367.html

LAND FOR SALE $45000 LOVELY AND PRIVATE 2.55 ACRE MOUNTAIN LOT, MOBILE HOME OK ±2.55 acres for sale in a very quiet wooded location at ±3,200 feet on Bearwallow Mountain, Gerton. Electric and phone utility access, gravel driveway. Hiking trails and preserves accessible within 5 minutes of the site. $45,000. See online ad for more details jay@arddanu.com

RENTALS HOMES FOR RENT 2BR, 2BA NORTH Hardwoods, completely remodeled, custom woodwork. Solar workshop, carport, large deck. 2 miles north of UNCA. All new carpet/tile. Fresh paint. $900/month. No pets, no smoking. (828) 2308706.

COMMERCIAL/ BUSINESS RENTALS

ALL AREAS ROOMMATES. COM Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates. com! (AAN CAN) OFF LEICESTER HIGHWAY Roommate needed to share rent and utilities. Nice trailer community. $260/month and utilities. • Absolutely No drugs or alcohol. Call Joe: (828) 774-8450.

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL GRAY LINE TROLLEY SEEKS CDL DRIVERS FOR 2016 SEASON Tour Guide- CDL Drivers: If you are a "people person" you could be a great TOUR GUIDE! Seasonal FULLTIME and part-time available. Training provided. MUST have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL). www.GrayLineAsheville.com; Info@ GrayLineAsheville.com; 828251-8687 GRAY LINE TROLLEY SEEKS DIESEL MECHANIC Opening for experienced diesel mechanic; minimum 5 years verifiable experience; certifications a plus; must have own tools; part-time, possible fulltime. Jonathan@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828-251-8687; www.GrayLineAsheville.com

UNIQUE WAYNESVILLE DOWNTOWN SPACE Above Beverly-Hanks Realtors at 74 N Main. Impressive open 3rd floor of 4000+ sqft., high ceiling, wonderful natural light, separate HVAC, elevator from entrance on Wall St. Many uses: storage/office/showroom but ideal for loft apartment. Available soon, but view now to see if it fits your needs. Bill: 828-216-6066.

SHARPSHOOTER IMAGING IS HIRING! Potential to earn over $10/hour plus bonuses! Imagine yourself working at the Biltmore Estate as a Sales Photographer! Be part of an exceptional, energetic team that provides guests with an awesome photo experience they’ll never forget. Flexible work schedule for those in school, or looking for a second job. • Biltmore Estate, Job ID# 1827 Please apply: https://www.sharpshooterimaging.com/careers

SHORT-TERM RENTALS

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE

15 MINUTES TO ASHEVILLE Guest house, vacation/short term rental in beautiful country setting. • Complete with everything including cable and internet. • $150/day (2-day minimum), $650/week,

TELEMARKETER NEEDED International firm with local presence in Asheville

JOBS is seeking an experienced Telemarketer to generate appointments with multinational companies located in South America. Part-Time position to start with flexible hours. Must be fluent in Spanish and have a bachelor's degree. If interested, send resume to: jessica.martin@ basefirma.com / www.basefirma.com

SALES/ MARKETING OUTWARD BOUND SERVICES GROUP - SEASONAL ADMISSIONS ADVISORS Outward Bound in Asheville, NC seeking seasonal Admissions Advisors for 2016 season. Accepting resumes for P/T and F/T seasonal positions starting February through July 2016. Please send cover letter and resume to: Laurel Zimmerman by December 11th. lzimmerman@outwardbound.org SALES PROFESSIONAL Mountain Xpress has an entry-level sales position open. Necessary attributes are curiosity about the city and region, gregarious personality, probem solving skills, confident presentation, and the ability to digest and explain complex information. The ideal candidate is organized, well spoken, has good computer skills, can work well within an organization and within in a team environment, can self-monitor and set (and meet) personal goals. The job entails account development, record keeping, collections, campaign development and campaign implementation. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person who wants a stable team environment with predictable income and meaningful work, send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) about why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@ mountainx.com

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY DRIVERS WANTED Mature person for full-time. Serious inquiries only. Call today. 828-713-4710. Area Wide Taxi, Inc.

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE MAXIM HEALTHCARE IS LOOKING FOR CNA'S, LPN'S, AND RN'S Maxim Healthcare is looking for CNA’s, LPN’s, and RN’s in the Asheville and surrounding area to work in Home Healthcare. Call 828299-4388 or email dapolich@maxhealth.com if interested. 828-299-4388 dapolich@maxhealth.com

HUMAN SERVICES

AVAILABLE POSITIONS • MERIDIAN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH Haywood and Buncombe Counties Clinician, Team Leader - Assertive Community Treatment Team – (ACTT) We are seeking a passionate, values-driven and dynamic professional to oversee our Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT), which primarily serves Haywood County. ACTT is an evidence-based, multi-disciplinary, community-based service which supports individuals with severe psychiatric disorders in remaining in the community and experiencing mental health recovery. We have a deep commitment to our ACTT services because, over the years, we have seen that is a service that truly makes a difference in the lives of the people that struggle the most with mental health challenges. Our ACTT staff have been known to describe the work as the “hardest job that you will ever love”. Come be part of our rural team and experience if for yourself! Master’s Degree in Human Services required. Two years’ experience with adults with Mental Health, Substance Abuse or Development Disability required. Haywood and Buncombe Counties Clinician – Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) Seeking an energetic and passionate individual to join the Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Come experience the satisfaction of providing recovery-oriented services within the context of a strong team wraparound model serving Haywood and Buncombe counties. If you are not familiar with ACTT, this position will provide you with an opportunity to experience an enhanced service that really works! Must have a Master’s degree and be licensed/ license-eligible. Haywood County Driver/Peer Group Co-Facilitator – SA-IOP Meridian Behavioral Health Services is seeking a Driver/ Peer Group Co-Facilitator for a part-time position only. Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Driver is responsible for providing transportation in Meridian van for clients attending substance abuse group and returning them to their location after group ends at 8:00 p.m. This person must be in recovery him or herself and will also be co-facilitating the substance abuse groups. Must have a valid driver’s license with no restrictions and a good motor vehicle record with no major violations within the last five years

(MVR record will be reviewed prior to an offer of employment). Must also have current vehicle liability insurance, be eligible to be a Peer Support Specialist, pass a post-offer/ pre-employment drug test, and have moderate computer skills. Jackson County Nurse – Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) Seeking an RN, or LPN, to join our Jackson County Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. The ACTT nurse is responsible for conducting psychiatric assessments; assessing physical needs; making appropriate referrals to community physicians; providing management and administration of medication in conjunction with the psychiatrist; providing a range of treatment, rehabilitation and support services; and sharing shiftmanagement responsibility with the ACTT Coordinator. Employee must have a valid driver's license without violations or restrictions, which could prevent completing all required job functions. Full or Part-time applicants welcome. Support

Services Coordinator The responsibilities of this position include technical support for all support staff, conducting monthly on-site support/ training with all support staff and quarterly support staff meetings. This individual will be directly responsible for supervising and assuring coverage in Jackson County and assist in orchestrating coverage for support staff agency wide when they use PTO or need emergency leave. Applicants must demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills, have strong computer literacy skills and a minimum of two years supervisory experience. This position requires travel throughout all counties that Meridian serves. Clinician – Recovery Education Center (REC) Seeking passionate, values-driven and dynamic professional to join our Jackson County Recovery Education Center (REC). This program reflects a unique design which integrates educational, clinical and peer support components in a center-based milieu. To be considered, an applicant should be familiar with the recovery paradigm of

MOUNTAINX.COM mountainx.com

mental health and substance abuse services. A Masters degree and license eligibility are also required. Haywood and Jackson Counties Clinician – Offender Services Meridian is seeking a therapist to be a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team, providing assessment, individual and group therapy services to sex offenders and their non-offending partners within a structured Sexual Abuse Intervention Program (SAIP) and to domestic violence abusers and their families within a structured Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP). Prior clinical experience working with sexual offenders and an understanding of the dynamics of sexual deviance strongly preferred as well as familiarity with relevant research literature, clinical assessments, procedures and methods, particularly those designed for sexual offenders. Demonstrated interpersonal skills and the ability to establish rapport and maintain objectivity with a criminal or forensic population is a necessity. Masters Degree in a human services field and licensure as

a Professional Counselor or Clinical Social Worker or Psychological Associate is required. At least one year of supervised clinical experience is required, preferably in a community mental health center setting. Services provided in Haywood, Jackson, and Cherokee County. Peer Support Specialist – Recovery Education Center (REC) Meridian is seeking a Peer Support Specialist to work in our Recovery Education Centers in Haywood and/or Jackson County. Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. Part-time work may be available. Macon County Clinician - Recovery Education Center (REC) Seeking passionate, valuesdriven and dynamic professional to join our Macon County Recovery Education

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fReewILL aSTROLOGY ARIES (march 21-April 19): "Charm is a way of getting the answer 'yes' without having asked any clear question," wrote French author Albert Camus. I have rarely seen you better poised than you are now to embody and capitalize on this definition of "charm," Aries. That's good news, right? Well, mostly. But there are two caveats. First, wield your mojo as responsibly as you can. Infuse your bewitching allure with integrity. Second, be precise about what it is you want to achieve -- even if you don't come right out and tell everyone what it is. Resist the temptation to throw your charm around haphazardly. TAuRuS (April 20-may 20): I suspect that in the coming days you will have an uncanny power to make at least one of your resurrection fantasies come true. Here are some of the possibilities. 1. If you're brave enough to change your mind and shed some pride, you could retrieve an expired dream from limbo. 2. By stirring up a bit more chutzpah that you usually have at your disposal, you might be able to revive and even restore a forsaken promise. 3. Through an act of grace, it's possible you will reanimate an ideal that was damaged or abandoned.

- By ROB BREZny

driver of the fourth car not only moved at top speed, but also changed lanes and jockeyed for position. Can you guess the results? The car that weaved in and out of the traffic flow arrived just slightly ahead of the other three. Apply this lesson to your activities in the coming week, please. There will be virtually no advantage to indulging in frenetic, erratic, breakneck exertion. Be steady and smooth and straightforward. ScORPIO (Oct. 23-nov. 21): You will generate lucky anomalies and helpful flukes if you use shortcuts, flee from boredom, and work smarter rather than harder. On the other hand, you'll drum up wearisome weirdness and fruitless flukes if you meander all over the place, lose yourself in far-off fantasies, and act as if you have all the time in the world. Be brisk and concise, Scorpio. Avoid loafing and vacillating. Associate with bubbly activators who make you laugh and loosen your iron grip. It's a favorable time to polish off a lot of practical details with a light touch.

gEmInI (may 21-June 20): To the other eleven signs of the zodiac, the Way of the Gemini sometimes seems rife with paradox and contradiction. Many non-Geminis would feel paralyzed if they had to live in the midst of so much hubbub. But when you are at your best, you thrive in the web of riddles. In fact, your willingness to abide there is often what generates your special magic. Your breakthroughs are made possible by your high tolerance for uncertainty. How many times have I seen a Gemini who has been lost in indecision but then suddenly erupts with a burst of crackling insights? This is the kind of subtle miracle I expect to happen soon.

SAgITTARIuS (nov. 22-dec. 21): "Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it." Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön said that, and now I'm telling you. According to my divinations, a new frontier is calling to you. An unprecedented question has awakened. The urge to leave your familiar circle is increasingly tempting. I don't know if you should you surrender to this brewing fascination. I don't know if you will be able to gather the resources you would require to carry out your quest. What do you think? Will you be able to summon the necessary audacity? Maybe the better inquiry is this: Do you vow to use all your soulful ingenuity to summon the necessary audacity?

cAncER (June 21-July 22): In September of 1715, a band of Jacobite rebels gathered for a guerrilla attack on Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Their plan was to scale the walls with rope ladders, aided by a double agent who was disguised as a castle sentry. But the scheme failed before it began. The rope ladders turned out to be too short to serve their intended purpose. The rebels retreated in disarray. Please make sure you're not like them in the coming weeks, Cancerian. If you want to engage in a strenuous action, an innovative experiment, or a bold stroke, be meticulous in your preparations. Don't scrimp on your props, accouterments, and resources.

cAPRIcORn (dec. 22-Jan. 19): "Once I witnessed a windstorm so severe that two 100-year-old trees were uprooted on the spot," Mary Ruefle wrote in her book *Madness, Rack, and Honey.* "The next day, walking among the wreckage, I found the friable nests of birds, completely intact and unharmed on the ground." I think that's a paradox you'd be wise to keep in mind, Capricorn. In the coming weeks, what's most delicate and vulnerable about you will have more staying power than what's massive and fixed. Trust your grace and tenderness more than your fierceness and forcefulness. They will make you as smart as you need to be.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): If you give children the option of choosing between food that's mushy and food that's crunchy, a majority will choose the crunchy stuff. It's more exciting to their mouths, a more lively texture for their teeth and tongues to play with. This has nothing to do with nutritional value, of course. Soggy oatmeal may foster a kid's well-being better than crispy potato chips. Let's apply this lesson to the way you feed your inner child in the coming weeks. Metaphorically speaking, I suggest you serve that precious part of you the kind of sustenance that's both crunchy and healthy. In other words, make sure that what's wholesome is also fun, and vice versa.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aztec king Montezuma II quenched his daily thirst with one specific beverage. He rarely drank anything else. It was ground cocoa beans mixed with chili peppers, water, vanilla, and annatto. Spiced chocolate? You could call it that. The frothy brew was often served to him in golden goblets, each of which he used once and then hurled from his royal balcony into the lake below. He regarded this elixir as an aphrodisiac, and liked to quaff a few flagons before heading off to his harem. I bring this up, Aquarius, because the coming weeks will be one of those exceptional times when you have a poetic license to be almost Montezuma-like. What's your personal equivalent of his primal chocolate, golden goblets, and harem?

vIRgO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your mascot is a famous white oak in Athens, Georgia. It's called the Tree That Owns Itself. According to legend, it belongs to no person or institution, but only to itself. The earth in which it's planted and the land around it are also its sole possession. With this icon as your inspiration, I invite you to enhance and celebrate your sovereignty during the next seven months. What actions will enable you to own yourself more thoroughly? How can you boost your autonomy and become, more than ever before, the boss of you? It's prime time to expedite this effort. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Police in Los Angeles conducted an experiment on a ten-mile span of freeway. Drivers in three unmarked cars raced along as fast as they could while remaining in the same lane. The

PIScES (Feb. 19-march 20): "Unfortunately, I'm pretty lucky," my friend Rico said to me recently. He meant that his relentless good fortune constantly threatens to undermine his ambition. How can he be motivated to try harder and grow smarter and get stronger if life is always showering him with blessings? He almost wishes he could suffer more so that he would have more angst to push against. I hope you won't fall under the spell of that twisted logic in the coming weeks, Pisces. This is a phase of your cycle when you're likely to be the beneficiary of an extra-strong flow of help and serendipity. Please say this affirmation as often as necessary: "Fortunately, I'm pretty lucky."

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Center. This program reflects a unique design which integrates educational, clinical and peer support components in a center-based milieu. To be considered, an applicant should be familiar with the recovery paradigm of mental health and substance abuse services. A Master’s degree and license eligibility are also required. Macon and haywood Counties Employment Support Professional (ESP) Supported Employment The ESP functions as part of a team that implements employment services based on the SE-IPS model. The team’s goal is to support individuals who have had challenges with obtaining and/or maintaining employment in the past and to obtain and maintain competitive employment moving forward. The ESP is responsible for engaging clients and establishing trusting, collaborative relationships that result in the creation of completion of individualized employment goals. The ESP will support the client through the whole employment process and provide a variety of services at each state to support the individual in achieving their employment goals. Transylvania County Clinicians & Team Leader - Child and Family Services Seeking licensed/associate licensed therapist for an exciting opportunity to serve youth and their families through individual and group therapy, working primarily out of the local schools. Certified Medical assistant (CMa) Graduate of an accredited Certified Medical Assistant program and CMA certification with AAMA or AMT required. Two years of related experience preferred, preferably in an outpatient medical office setting. Clinician, Team Leader – Community Support Team (CST) We are seeking a passionate, values-driven and dynamic professional to oversee our Community Support Team (CST), serving Transylvania County. CST is a community-based mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation service, which provides support through a team approach to adults. Licensed Professional or Associate level Licensed Professional required. Substance Abuse credential preferred. At least one year of supervised, clinical experience is required. This is a new service for Transylvania County, requiring someone who can confidently manage a team of three and is comfortable working with the challenges of bringing up a new service. Peer Support Specialist – Community Support Team (CST) Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. We currently have a vacancy for a Peer Support Specialist on our Community Support Team (CST), serving Transylvania County. CST is a community-based mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation service, which provides support through a team approach to adults. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. qualified Professional (qP) – Community Support Team (CST) We are seeking a passionate, values-driven and

dynamic Qualified Substance Abuse or Mental Health Professional to join our Community Support Team (CST), serving Transylvania County. CST is a community-based mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation service, which provides support through a team approach to adults. Individual must meet state requirements to serve adults with either mental health or substance use challenges and be comfortable working as part of a small, three-person team. aGENCY-WIdE Peer Support Specialist Peers assisting in Community Engagement (PaCE) Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. Clinician Peers assisting in Community Engagement (PaCE) Clinician will be providing ongoing therapy with individuals and clinical support to the peer support team. The position will involve travel and community-based work in multiple counties. A Master’s degree, license eligibility and experience are required. PACE provides structured and scheduled activities for adults age 18 and older with a diagnosis of Mental Health and Substance Use disorders. This could be a part time or full time position. • For further information and to complete an application, visit our website: www.meridianbhs.org ChILd/adOLESCENT MENTaL hEaLTh POSITIONS IN TRaNSYLVaNIa COUNTY Jackson County Psychological Services (in partnership with Meridian Behavioral Health) Is expanding schoolbased mental health services to Transylvania County Schools. We are currently recruiting for immediate therapist positions to work with elementary, middle and high school age students struggling with functional mental health issues in the Transylvania County Schools. We are also recruiting a therapist and a QP for an Intensive InHome team that will begin on January 1, 2016. This is a great opportunity for gaining clinical experience, supervision, training and helping to bring responsive, highquality mental health services to the schools of Transylvania County. Interested candidates please submit a resume and cover letter to telliot@jcpsmail.org COUNSELORS NEEdEd BEhaVIORaL hEaLTh GROUP provider of opioid addiction treatment services, needs mental health counselors. For qualifications and to apply, visit www.bhgrecovery.com. Or fax your resume to 214-365-6150 Attn: HRCNSLAS

RESIdENTIaL TEaM LEad The Team Lead provides supervision to 2nd shift residential staff while working in ratio, plans the shift according to program schedule, provides leadership during

crisis and provides feedback based on residential staff performance. Must be able to work in a high pressure, high stress environment. Position will experience verbal and physical aggression from student population. A Bachelor’s Degree required with six months behavioral health experience. Compensation is $26,000 to $29,000 per year. For more information or to apply visit www. eliada.org/employment/ current-openings.

home workers since 2001! Genuine opportunity. Start immediately! www.Mailinghelp.com (AAN CAN)

TURNING POINT SERVICES is looking for CNA's who can provide In Home Services. Must be reliable and have dependable transportation. If interested please apply online at www.turningpointservicesinc.com

RETaIL

TEaChING/ EdUCaTION

CaREER TRaINING aIRLINE CaREERS BEGIN hERE Get started by training as a FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN)

LOVE BOOKS aNd MUSIC? Part-time retail. 2 years college preferred. Retail experience appreciated. Great working environment. Submit resume to Mr. K's Used Books, Music and More, 800 Fairview Rd in the River Ridge Shopping Center.

Xchange BUSINESS EqUIPMENT ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR • hOSPITaLITY EdUCaTION Requires Associate degree or related experience in the hospitality field. Comfortable working in a corrections facility setting. Part-time. $23-25 per contact/hour. Apply online: www.abtech.edu/ jobs MENTORS (dIRECT CaRE) WaNTEd The Academy at Trails Carolina, is seeking passionate and energetic individuals to join its student life staff. The ideal candidate will have excellent communication skills, creativity, and desire to work in a tight-knit community. Personal and professional experience with experiential education and/ or in a therapeutic environment is highly desirable. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Full time and PRN work available. Interested applicants should email copies of their resume, letters of reference, and any pertinent wilderness certifications (WFR, CPR, etc.) to jobs@trailsacademy.com. For more information, visit www.trailsacademy.com NaVITaT CaNOPY adVENTURES-hIRING CaNOPY GUIdES FOR 2016 Seeking qualified candidates for the Canopy Guide position for the 2016 season. Learn more at www.navitat.com. Please send cover letter, resume and references to avlemployment@navitat.com. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

JEWELRY dISPLaY CaSES 5' long x 4' tall; 6' tall x 3.5' wide. With lights. Glass and wood. Call (828) 216-0624.

JEWELRY FREE VINTaGE COSTUME JEWELRY! It's easy to earn Vintage and Contemporary jewelry for free and 1/2 price. Visit www.Eyecatchers-Jewelry.info for details. Shop www.EyecatchersBoutique.etsy.com and www. EyecatchersLuxuries.etsy. com today for gorgeous jewelry.

ServiceS aUdIO/VIdEO dISh TV Starting at $19.99/ month (for 12 months) Save! Regular Price $34.99. Ask about Free same day Installation! Call now! 888-992-1957 (AAN CAN).

COMPUTER aVaLON'S CYBER TECh SERVICES Wifi and Internet Issues • First Time Computer Setup • Computer Cleanup and Virus Removal • Building/Designing Custom PC's • Phone Repair • Evening Hours • Reasonable Rates avalonstechservices@gmail. com

ENTERTaINMENT

CaREGIVERS/ NaNNY EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY WORKING WITh adULTS WITh I/dd Rha is seeking staff for group homes in Hendersonville. Full-time and part-time available. Must be able to work every other weekend. Positions require: valid DL, HS Diploma/GED, drug / background screening. Competitive pay DOE - benefits package for FT employees. Contact Derrick - (828) 684-1940 x102 derrick.clayton@rhanet.org

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES PaId IN adVaNCE! Make $1000 a week mailing brochures from home! No experience required. Helping

SaNTa aT YOUR hOME OR BUSINESS EVENT! Be sure to book your event with Santa before his schedule fills up. Available for Christmas events thru the 24th! Please e-mail BADHAIR@A-O.COM or https://www.facebook. com/santalandhendersonvillenc. Santa over 20 Years.

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Home Improvement Handy Man HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMan SERVICES Since 1993. Multiple skill sets. Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. $1 million liability insurance. References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

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LEGaL notICES notICE oF unCLaIMEd PRoPERty The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department: electronic equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms); jewelry; automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous items. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim. Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law. Items will be auctioned on www.propertyroom.com. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828-232-4576. notICE oF dISPoSItIon The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms); jewelry; automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous. Items will be disposed of 30 days from date of this posting.

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edited by Will Shortz

t He n e W Y orK times crossWord pu ZZL e ACROSS 1 “The ___ is up!” 4 Corrodes 9 What tiny fish and eyes do 13 Hunky-dory 15 What might lead you to say “Whatever” 16 Spy Aldrich 17 34-Across case involving … wrongful termination? 19 20 Prepares to tie one’s shoes, say 21 Put a strain on 23 Multiplication sign, in math class 24 Some razors 25 … divorce proceedings? 28 Washing machine cycle 29 Political group unlikely to be swayed 30 Give the slip 31 Fa follower 32 Far from fat 33 Peeved 34 Legal setting for 17-, 25-, 45- and 53-Across? 36 Big gulps 38 Hip dance 39 Hip 42 Ouzo flavoring 43 Main point from town, bring a friend or two, stay the day or all evening, escape & renew! Best massages in Asheville 828-299-0999

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No. 1028

44 Subject of much Dave Chappelle humor 45 … political corruption? 47 North Dakota city 48 Unlock, in verse 49 Fixed 50 Common antiseptic 51 Catches 53 … marijuana possession? 56 Asia’s ___ Sea 57 Summer month in South America 58 ___-free 59 Kids’ road trip game 60 True-blue 61 AARP members: Abbr.

that means “love of God” 11 Prepares for another round of shots 12 Flying transmitter 14 Tiptoer, e.g. 18 What can take people for a loop? 22 Nissan S.U.V. 25 Contents of some banks 26 Pro with a deck of cards, maybe 27 Cook up a conspiracy 29 Chorus that’s not nice to hear 32 Unidentified hostile aircraft 33 ___ of personality 34 Punch ingredient? DOWN 35 “Great” river of England 1 Onetime MTV reality 36 Ones taking potshots stunt show 2 Confident counterclaim 37 Invasive bug 39 Crazies 3 Word in the names of 40 Alito succeeded her two of the top 10 Fortune on the 500 companies bench 4 Jazzberry Jam and 41 Cannot stand Razzmatazz in a Crayola box 42 Hebrew name for God 5 Ma’s his sis 43 Big name in 1980s jeans 6 Chemical formula for tin monoxide 44 Tilt-a-Whirl and Ferris PUZZLE BY JAY KASKEL AND DANIEL KANTOR wheel 7 Slowpoke 8 1950s Mideast hot spot 46 Insurgent 52 Like a 14-Down 55 Measure opposed by Phyllis 47 Underworld group 9 Stop for water 10 Famous middle name 50 “American ___” 54 “The Star-Spangled Banner” writer Schlafly, for short

LoSt PEtS

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

a LoSt oR Found PEt? Free service. If you have lost or found a pet in WNC, post your listing here: www.lostpetswnc.org

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Xpress readers are

AutomotIve autoS FoR SaLE

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