City names police chief; renames HQ — See STORIES, Pg. A2
Jubilee! chief retiring; successor to take reins Chris Bailey
See STORY, Pg. A7
H. Hanger A. Steinberg
Fourth of July event roundup — See STORY, Pg. B1
LLE I V HE AS ASHEVILLEʼS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
July 2019
Vol. 15, No. 08
An Independent Newspaper Serving Greater Asheville www.ashevilledailyplanet.com FREE
Flatiron Bdg. conversion plan tweaked, wins city OK
‘South Pacific’ show awash in optimism
Boutique hotel to offer 71 rooms, instead of 80
From Staff Reports A revised plan to convert downtown Asheville’s iconic traingularshaped Flatiron Building, completed in 1927, into a boutique hotel was approved by a narrow 4-3 vote by Asheville City Council on June 25. Voting to approve the plan were Mayor Esther Manheimer, Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler and council members Vijay Kapoor and Julie Mayfield. Voting against it were Keith Young, Sheneika Smith and Brian Haynes. The plan presented to council on June 25 had been somewhat scaled back from the original proposal. “Council members who voted ‘yes’ said they were convinced this was the best way to preserve the iconic building, Asheville television stations WLOS News 13 reported later that evening. “The proposal includes a restaurant, retail spaces, commercial office space in the second floor, and 71 hotel rooms on floors three through eight.” In contrast, the proposal with which council was presented in May boasted 80 hotel rooms — and no office space. See FLATIRON, Page A12
Special photo by X
Special photo courtesy of TREADSHOTS / SCOTT TREADWAY
In a musical number from Flat Rock Playhouse’s production of the Broadway classic “South Pacific, lonely sailors Luther Billis (Andrew Foote) and Stew
Pot (Brendan Malafronte) sing — with others in their all-male crew of Seabees — “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame.” A review and more pictures appear on Page B1.
Asheville not a ‘connected community,’ panel says With gentrification, tourism, city’s black population feeling left out? By JOHN NORTH
U
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Special photo courtesy of UNCA / Emmanuel Figaro
Panelists (from left) are the Rev. Amy Cantrell, Kenyon Lake, Stephanie Dahl and Kimberlee Archie. To the right is moderator Darin Waters.
NC Ashevlle’s Leadership Asheville program hosted a lively panel discussion that covered many issues, but eventually drifted to what were characterized as the concerns of some — perhaps many — blacks and other minorities in Asheville that they not only feel completely left out of an otherwise “connected community” of whites, but, through gentrification, they are getting a clear signal that they are unwanted here and should move elsewhere. The first session of the 2019 Summer Buzz Breakfast Series, held June 20 at West Asheville’s Crowne Plaza Expo Center, drew a turnout of more than 160 people — predominately white. The program’s topic was to be “How Do We Build a Connected Community?” Also discussed was the question of “What Is a Connected Community?” Future monthly Summer Buzz Breakfast programs in the series will continue to deal with the “Connected Community” theme.
The program, centered around a panel discussion, reached a point where the participants seemed to agree that the overwhelmingly white Asheville likes to entertain the notion that the city is “diverse” and features terrific community connections, when, in reality, according to panelist Kimberlee Archie, many African-American residents and other minorities “don’t feel a part of this place or of the people” — and the city’s “diversity” is a myth. “They (many blacks) feel there is no unified community because ‘it (Asheville) is all about tourism,’” a sector that they feel displaces them. Also, Archie, with others agreeing, said that, with gentrification — and blacks continuing to dwindle as a percentage of the population, “people of color” are feeling as if they are being “pushed out of Asheville.” Panelist Kenyon Lake lamented that Asheville is “one of the (few) places in the United States that has a dwindling African-American community.” To that end, he said, “There’s nothing for African-American youths” (to do) in Asheville.” See NOT CONNECTED, Page A8
A2 — July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
City manager hires new police chief; begins job July 29 From Staff Reports
After what it termed “a national search informed by robust input from our local community,” Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell “is excited to announce” that Chris Bailey will become Asheville’s next police chief, according to a city website posting on June 13. “Bailey comes to the city of Asheville from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, where he most recently served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal InvestigaChris Bailey tions Division,” the city noted. The Indianapolis force has 1,650 sworn full-time officers and provides service to nearly 1 million people. Bailey is a graduate of Indiana UniversityIndianapolis and the FBI National Academy. His first day on the job as Asheville’s police chief will be July 29. “Of all the very high-caliber candidates who applied, it was clear that Chris Bailey understands the need for community connection and engagement,” Campbell said. “Chris has demonstrated his ability to connect with the community and his fellow officers. We fully anticipate an engaged and inclusive community-focused and connected police department under his leadership.” Campbell also said in the city news release that she wants to thank “the many
Asheville residents who, through their feedback, helped inform the profile for Asheville’s next police chief.” City staff held two community meetings, Feb. 5-6, to solicit the qualities Asheville residents wanted most in their next police chief. In addition, the city conducted an online survey and did outreach to residents in Pisgah View, Charlotte Street and Shiloh communities. Outreach extended to Green Opportunities, Asheville Mall and Asheville High School. After completing the job profile, staff held several meetings to share how community
input was used to develop the profile. Bailey is married to Dawn Bailey and they have three children. “I am excited and honored to join the Asheville Police Department team,” he said. “My wife and I instantly fell in love with Asheville and its people when we visited a few weeks ago. I know I still have a lot to learn and I am eager to get started.” The Asheville Police Department is staffed by 238 authorized sworn officer positions and 64 authorized non-sworn positions. APD is divided into two bureaus overseen by deputy chiefs — the Administration
Bureau and the Operations Bureau. The department’s patrol operations are decentralized into three geographic areas: Adam District (West Asheville), Baker District (South and East Asheville), and Charlie District (North and Central Asheville). The APD deploys community resource officers in a variety of roles, from neighborhoods to city schools. The department also has a number of specialty units. “Please join us in welcoming Chris Bailey as Asheville’s next police chief!” Campbell urged. “A community meet-and-greet (with Bailey) will be announced” in the near future.
APD HQ renamed to honor its 1st black lieutenant From Staff Reports
Asheville City Council on June 11 voted unanimously to name the Asheville Police Headquarters in memory of former Asheville Police Lt. Walter Robertson. “During his 28-year tenure at the Asheville Police Department, ‘Walt’ Robertson became the first AfricanAmerican to reach the rank of lieutenant,” a news release posted June 11 on the city’s website stated. “An Asheville native, he graduated Walter Robertson from Lee Edwards High School and went on to earn a Purple Heart during his Army service during the Vietnam War. “Lt. Robertson served as a mentor to many in the community and was admired for his work assisting economically disadvantaged families through a program called ‘Getting Back to Basics.’” Prior to council’s vote, “community input was solicited through Open City Hall Asheville and neighborhood networks,” the city news release noted. “The majority of the responses were in favor of naming the police building in his honor.” A plaque renaming the building will be placed on APD Headquarters, 100 Court Plaza. Robertson died April 25 of natural causes in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., while he was attending a veterans conference. He was 68.
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Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019 — A3
A4 — July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
City OKs budget with no tax boosts for next fiscal year From Staff Reports Construction of the new Fire Station 13 and more than $1 million in funding towards the first-year recommendations of the Transit Master Plan were included in the fiscal 2019-2020 budget adopted June 11 by Asheville City Council. “By law, council must pass a balanced budget in advance of the fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30,” a city press release reported afterward. “The total $190.3 million budget maintains the city’s 42.89 cent tax rate. “Essential service delivery was a guiding principle for the budget presented to council by City Manager Debra Campbell. Ensuring efficient operations was also a key focus in areas such as on-time bus service and adding Water Resources maintenance positions to help minimize customer impacts during service interruptions.” In the city manager budget message to council, Campbell said, “Public interest in the city’s budget process has grown tremendously over the last several budget cycles. In response, City Council requested that staff expand communication and engagement efforts to enhance transparency around the xity’s budget.” To that end, the city manager noted that, between November 2018 through January 2019, staff actively sought budget feedback from budget priorities through an online survey and four community meetings. Following community engagement, council worked with staff on refining budget priorities during pre-budget worksessions in March and April, the release said. Council took comment during a public hearing on the budget during the May 28 council meeting.
The release added, “By strategically aligning resources in the most cost-efficient manner identified, here are some initiatives included in the 2019-2020 Annual Operating Budget: • An investment of $1.2 million to implement the first phase of the Transit City Manager Master Plan. Debra Campbell The goals are to address on-time performance and missed trips and route reconfigurations, among other initiatives. • An $8 million allocation to fund construction of Fire Station 13 in the 5 Points area on Broadway Street, just north of downtown. • $150,000 to fund a classification and compensation study, designed to review whether the current pay structure is aligned with business needs and the labor market. This study will specifically review the feasibility of implementing a $15 per hour minimum wage. • Additional funding for outreach services provided to people experiencing homelessness in Asheville. • Funding of four new positions for a sidewalk maintenance crew in Public Works to help provide faster response and flexibility. • Funding for the city’s 6 percent matching contribution to the firefighter 457 retirement plan. This benefit was increased from 4 percent to 6 percent mid-year fiscal 2018-2019.
Asheville native, AHS graduate, named assistant city manager From Staff Reports
The City of Asheville announced recently that it has named Richard J. White III as its new assistant city manager. White is an Asheville native and a graduate of Asheville High School, according to a May 21 report on Asheville television station WLOS News 13. White comes to Asheville from Elon, where he has been serving as town manager. He also worked in Athens, Ga., as assistant manager for administrative and community services, where he had oversight of multiple departments. “I consider being selected to serve in any community a privilege, but having the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of my own hometown is even more meaningful," White said. City Manager Debra Campbell said the announcement followed a highly competitive national search.
“I am extremely pleased to have such an experienced leader who is also an Asheville native join our leadership team. I look forward to all we will accomplish together in service to the Asheville community," Assistant City Manager Campbell said. White holds Richard J. White III a bachelor's degree from UNC Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar and N.C. Fellow, and a master's degree from N.C. State University, where he was a HUD Fellow. He will begin work on July 29.
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Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019 - A5
Developer files suit against county over project denial From Staff Reports
A South Carolina-based property developer is suing Buncombe County over its denial of plans for a 214-unit apartment complex in East Asheville. “In April 2018, the county Board of Adjustments rejected a plan by RAB Builders to put a 214-unit complex on Moffitt Road,” Asheville television station WLOS News 13 reported on June 11. “Neighbors voiced concerns about the size of the project and increased traffic. “The developer appealed, but a judge upheld the decision. The company took the case to the N.C. Court of Appeals, which hasn’t ruled yet. “In the meantime, RAB Builders has now filed a federal civil suit against the county, saying it didn’t follow its own guidelines in rejecting the proposal.” More specifically on the same subject, the Asheville Citizen Times reported in a story that appeared on June 14 that “the lawsuit filed May 7 by RAB Builders LLC argues its planned 31.4 acre development at 423 Moffitt Road met all technical requirements of county ordinances for an R-2 district, intended for residential development. The county’s Board of Adjustment voted 5-2
against issuing The Residences at Riverpark a conditional use permit with much of the board siding with residents who said the proposal is incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood. “But RAB, headed by Michael Posey, who addressed the planning board last year, said in the filing the county created an open-ended policy without sufficient legal parameters,’ allowing RAB to be unlawfully discriminated against. It is alleging damages in excess of $10,000 as a consequence of the denial for the permit.” During the first week of June, Buncombe filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the ACT reported, citing county spokeswoman Kassi Day, who added that the county has spent more than $8,200 thus far with the defense of the lawsuit and related legal actions. “The RAB proposal called for the development of 10 apartment buildings, seven duplex buildings, a community clubhouse and about 16 acres preserved as open space with a buffer of trees along the Swannanoa River, the project’s site plan shows,” the ACT noted. “It was expected to have more than 350 parking spaces, the vast majority of which were designated for apartment tenants.”
Buncombe names 2 women as assistant county managers From Staff Reports Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder recently announced the hiring of two new assistant county managers: Dakisha Wesley and Sybil Tate. The announcement on June 14 followed a months-long national search, the county said in a press release. “Their combined experience will significantly supplement and bring new perspectives to our existing leadership,” Pinder wrote in the release. “My intentions behind a two assistant county manager system are to provide strategic alignment, consistency, and support among departments. This will allow me to take more of a big picture approach to Buncombe County, while allowing the assistants to provide oversight of day-today operations of their departments.” Avril Pinder Pinder said she has yet to assign which departments Tate and Wesley will oversee. Tate is scheduled to begin on July 10, while Wesley is set to start on July 29. Tate comes to Buncombe County from Person County, N,C. “I am honored to have the opportunity to work with Avril and the Buncombe County staff. I look forward to serving the citizens and the Board of Commissioners,” Tate said in the release. “Buncombe County is an innovative and exciting place to work and I can’t wait to get started,.” Wesley joins Buncombe County from Lake County, Illinois. “The opportunity to join the Buncombe County team under Avril’s leadership is one which I am grateful and excited for,” Wesley wrote. “There are many great things happening in Buncombe that allow me to offer my experience and passion in advancing the county’s interests.” Former Buncombe County Assistant Manager Jon Creighton retired in the wake
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A6 - July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
UNCA board agrees to divest $5M of its fossil fuel investments
From Staff Reports
Following a multi-year effort initiated by UNC Asheville student leaders, the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees on June 21 approved using Environmental, Social and Governance criteria for a portion of its endowment that will be divested from fossil fuel investments. “This is a defining moment in UNC Asheville’s trajectory, exemplary of the liberal arts and sciences in action,” UNCA Chancellor Nancy J. Cable said. “It took creativity and critical thinking, financial acumen and a sense of the common good to
imagine what is possible, carefully consider the options and focus on the outcomes. With this commitment to responsible investment, UNC Asheville leads the way among public universities in North Carolina and nationally, accelerating a growing movement in higher education.” In a press release, UNCA noted, “With the board’s resolution, UNC Asheville becomes the first university in the UNC System to shift a portion of its endowed funds to a manager focused on investing using ESG criteria and research and promoting shareholder advocacy. UNC Asheville plans to negotiate an agreement with Walden Asset Manage-
ment and will transfer roughly 10 percent of the University and Foundation’s collective endowed assets to invest using ESG criteria. The estimated amount is $5 million.” The project is managed by UNC Asheville’s Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance John Pierce, Director of Sustainability Sonia Marcus, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement Operations Ben Underwood. “Our students started the conversation back in 2015 and have been diligent and perceptive in working through the complexities of ESG investments from both a mission-based and financial perspective.
Together, we explored alternatives and worked toward solutions,” said Pierce. “This is a real achievement for the university, and it’s gaining momentum nationwide. Released data from a 2017 National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) study shows that college and university endowments that use socially responsible investing (SRI) strategies can produce long-term returns that are approximately equal to those of non-SRI users. UNC Asheville’s review of the long-term returns of Walden assets which are managed using SRI strategies supports the NACUBO assertion.”
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Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019 - A7
Jubilee! founder Hanger retiring; successor’s installation set Sept. 22 From Staff Reports
Asheville’s Jubilee! Community will recognize and celebrate the installation of Amy Steinberg, its new minister of ritual and celebration, at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. Sept. 22. Jubilee! Community is located at 46 Wall St. in downtown Asheville. Steinberg has a background in New Thought Spirituality, theater and teaching, and has been devoted to inspiring people to live out loud through her music and message. She served as music minister in Florida, North Carolina and California, and she has been a touring performing artist at churches, conferences and clubs around the nation for more than 20 years. Jubilee! stated in a press release to the Daily Planet that it “is a community of faith, whose vision of a community is that of a vital, involved, committed and loving group of people interacting dynamically and compassionately with each other, the world, and themselves, as God leads them. They honor all religions, spiritualties and people and celebrate the divine mystery in all creation. “Sunday celebrations express faith and Creation Spirituality through music (led by the dynamic World Beat Band, the Jubilee! Singers and guest performers), dance, poetry, evocative messages, bad jokes, and fellowship. “Jubilee! has also historically have
Covenant Reformed
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 281 Edgewood Rd. • Asheville, N.C. 28804 Amy Steinberg
Howard Hanger
given at least 20 percent of its budget to benefit other organizations serving fellow humans, other living entities, and the Earth itself,” the press release noted. Howard Hanger, the founder of the community, will be retiring Aug. 11after 30 years of service. “He will be celebrated with a roast hosted by Jubilant George Fleming on Aug. 10 at 7 pm at Jubilee,” the press release stated. “Then, on Aug. 11, he (Hanger) will lead his last two celebrations at 9:45 and 11:15 am. Finally, that evening at 7:30 pm, the Jubilee!’s Summer orchestra will perform in Howard’s honor, and Howard will be their guest musician playing some of his favorite tunes,” according to the release.
2 Hendersonville ministers retiring From Staff Reports
dersonville Times-News reported. HENDERSONVILLE — McKinley, 66, said Two ministers at churches he plans to remain in based in Hendersonville Hendersonville. recently announced their Also retiring is the retirements. Rev. Joel Hafer, who deThe Rev. Jim McKlinley, livered his last sermon on who delivered his last sermon June 16 after leading St. on June 2, retired after 22 James Episcopal Church Jim McKinley Joel Hafer years of serving the Unitarfor the last 15 years. ian Universlist Fellowship in Hafer, 61, plans to Hendersonville. remain in Hendersonvlle with his wife Anne. His last sermon was titled “Thank You He told the HT-N that they plan to “have some more adventures,” such as riding their Notes” because “he wanted to tell the bicycles on trails up the East Coast and visitcongregation thank you for the years he ing Major League Baseball Parks. served and that he loved them,” the Hen-
Faith Notes Send us your faith notes
Please submit items to the Faith Notes by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via email, at spirituality@ashevilledailyplanet.com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 28814-8490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting. To place an ad for a faith event, call 252-6565.
Wednesday, July 10
SCOTTISH HERITAGE PROGRAM, 6:30 p.m., Hendersonville Presbyterian Church, 699 N. Grove St., Hendersonville. The church will host a program about Scottish heritage by Daniel S. Williamson, curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin. Williams will bring artifacts for viewing and share information about all things Scottish. Parking is available in the Sixth Avenue Parking Lot, and the church elevator is accessible at the Sixth Avenue entrance.. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Thursday, July 11
“My Credo” CLASS, 7-8:30 p.m., Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River. The Rev. Darlene Strickland, senior minister, will lead a class “My Credo” This I Believe” over five Thursdays — July 11, 18 and 25 and Aug. 8 and 15. The exploration series will address questions
such as: (1) Have you ever wondered why you believe what you believe?, (2) Where do your beliefs come from? (3) Do they serve you or do you serve them? “Each week we will deeply explore questions/impact of personal beliefs,” Strickland noted in an event promotion. “The goal is to identify and uncover unconscious or incongruent beliefs; bringing clarity, intention and alignment with what you choose to believe.” Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.
Friday, July 12
SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVIE NIGHT, 7-9 p.m., 1 Sandburg Hall, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. The UUCA will screen a yet-to-be-announced film. After the screening, a discussion will be held. All are welcome and admission is free.
Sunday, July 14
CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT, 6 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, Hendersonville. The church’s Outreach Commitee will host a classical music concert featuring pianist Andrew Rogelberg.
Saturday, Aug. 3
ETOWAH UMC FLEA MARKET, 8 a.m-till, Etowah United Methodist Church, 110 Brickyard Road, Etowah.The church will hold its flea market, which it is promoting as “giant.”
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A8 — July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Not connected
Continued from Page A1 Leadership Asheville “exists to enhance community leadership by developing, connecting, and mobilizing citizens throughout the region,” according to its website. Among the elected officials attending — and recognized before the program — were Amanda Edwards, a member of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners; and Julie Mayfield, a member of Asheville City Council. The 80-minute program featured the four panelists answering several questions from the moderator, Dr. Darin J. Waters, an assistant professor of history and special assistant to the chancellor for community outreach and engagement at UNCA, where he teaches courses in American history, North Carolina history, Appalachian history, African-American and Brazilian history. He also specializes in the history of race relations in both the United States and Latin America. Of the two panelists mentioned earlier, Archie is equity and inclusion office director for the City of Asheville; while Lake is founder of My Daddy Taught Me That, which is a mentoring group. Lake also is a social worker for Buncombe County. The other two panelists were the Rev. Amy Cantrell, co-director for BeLoved Asheville, a nonprofit for those living on the fringes of society.; and Stephanie Monson Dahl, interim assistant director of planning and urban design for the City of Asheville. During the first 10 minutes of the program, those in attendance were asked to use their cellphones — by dialing a special code — to answer several questions pertaining to: “How connected do you feel to this community?” After the information was collected and collated, Waters addressed the attendees, noting, “I’m glad Leadership Asheville is taking on this topic. This is the topic everyone is talking about.” Waters added that a recent survey shows that North Carolinians “do feel disconnected and they’d like to find a way to reconnect with one another... And we don’t discuss issues, when (the issue of) race comes in, honestly. And we’d like to do that. Thirdly, we’d like to build bridges of understanding.” The moderator then began the formal portion of the program by asking each panelist, “What does a connected community mean to you?” Archie replied, “I feel like I came from a connected community” as she was growing up. “When I think about what ‘connected community’ is…. It’s relational. A connected community has truth. There’s reciprosity. There’s communication.” Dahl said, “I think ‘connected community’ is a powerful community. I think it distributes power among itself fairly evenly…. They have to know themselves. We have to find common ground and shared values in order to build connected community…. The thing that really ‘lights my fire ‘was building public places, where people can make connections.” To the same question, Lake began his answer by noting that “I’m a native of Asheville,” which, he said, makes him a rarity in the community and, as such, also was the only native among the panel members. Lake added that, for the past several years, he has worked for the county as a social worker with children and then “community engagement.” In addition to his social worker job, Lake noted that he is the chief executive officer of My Daddy Taught That — an agency that mentors young men. Its website billed it as “a program designed to support the development, uplift and education of youth and young males.” Lake asserted, “For me, on ‘connected community,’ the biggest word I can think of is ‘sacrifice.’ Also, ‘trust.’ And then my last word would be ‘inclusion’ We have to find a way to include everyone to have a connected community Cantrell said, “So ‘rootedness’ is one of the words I would put for connected community. I’m into ‘logistic community building.’ And so one of the things I’ve learned is — ask yourself two questions: ‘Where do you go?’ and ‘Who do you know?’ “For me, it’s: ‘Who are the people I know?’ So my community was always on the other side of the door and the other side of the street. So it was my responsibility” in her perception of her moral responsibility “to connect with them. I needed to go to the other side of the door and the other side of the street…. We have to be honest. Honesty gets us to connectedness. If we lie to ourselves, we’ll never get there.” Before Waters asked the next question, results of the audience’s response to the question of “How connected do you feel to this community?” via the cellphone poll, showed the following result (which was shown on two big overhead screens): • Not at all — 7 percent • Very little — 9 percent • Somewhat connected — 50 percent • Very connected — 34 percent • Totally connected — 6 percent For the second question, Waters told the panelists, “I’d like you to respond to what you might say about these results?” “ I’m actually glad to see these results,” Lake answered.
“The 6 percent who said they feel ‘totally connected’ — I’d question that.” Lake then said, shaking his head, “Lee Walker Heights is the most expensive property in Asheville... Fifty yards from public housing — they built $600,000 condos” for wealthy people. Further, he said, “The conditions people are living in now — there are shootings happening every day” in the various housing projects located around Asheville. Lake added, “We’ve been talking heavily about the achievement gap,” but little progress has been recorded. “We all have to get out of our comfort zones. We (seem to) need to say, ‘I need to stay in my lane….’” After a brief pause, Lake finished by saying, “I’m glad we have” such a large percentage of those in attendance” who said they feel ‘somewhat (connected)’ or ‘very connected.’” Dahl said that “the question is how connected do you feel to our community?” which, she added, could mean to one’s own group — or to the majority white community of Asheville. Archie added, “I also am not surprised by the numbers. I think we in Asheville think of ourselves better than we are behaving or acting.” The literary work, Cantrell asserted, “I think this “Democracy in America” by Alexis is very powerful.” In a story she was hired to write recently about de Tocqueville, was recommended Asheville for the Huffington Post, (website), “I asked someone (of reading for the June 20 audience. humble means) what they would do if they were (Asheville’s) mayor — and they answered that ‘I’d would be impeached (as mayor) because I would give away all of the money in the budget.’” Cantrell’s recollection triggered laughter from the audience. .Cantrell added, “Another person said, ‘I would stop building these (condos) and start building houses for all of the people....’ They were connected to the people they wanted to serve, which is what I think is what a leader should be…. My mentor said, ‘Love requires proximity. And we’re not proximate.’” For his third question, Waters, referring to the mainly white audience, asked, “If you look around the room, not everyone in our community is represented here today. How do you think some of the non-represented groups might respond to the question?” Archie replied, “Some of the folks I’m connected to who are not in the room are black and African-American members of this community. I don’t speak for all of them..... “However”, she added, “when I’m out talking to (black) folks,” she hears that, for them, “part of being disconnected from the community — they feel like the city, as in ‘the government,’ as well as the city as a location — it feels like it’s pushing people of color out, especially black people — because we’re building hotels and $600,000 condos,” making the city unaffordable to many African-Americans. “There’s a presence in downtown Asheville that doesn’t feel connected to people of color...” Archie said the feeling likely stems from “the circumstances of our segregated community, from the legacy of redlining and racism — that because of all of these things, (black) people don’t feel connected. They don’t feel a part of this place or of the people. They feel there is no unified community because it (Asheville) is all about tourism.” Dahl said, “I mentioned building great places in our community… There is a lack of facilities for kids. Our community creates places for people to connect — breweries… We notice a huge gap of facilities for kids that are 12 to 18 or 21, who are not interested in the playgrounds at all.” She then asked Lake “to expand on that.” Grinning, Lake told Dahl, “Thank you for that segue. The (recreation) facilities are not open on weekends for our youths to go — ages 12 to 25. Where is there, brick-and-mortar,” in the city that is open? he asked, rhetorically. To that end, Lake quoted the dictum, “‘An idle man will tempt the devil to tempt him.’” After a pause, he added, “Where is there for our youths to go? We need a brick-and-mortar place for our youths to go, or we will continue to have the violence. “What we tell our youth (by having no recreation facilities for them) — ‘leave. When you graduate from high school, go get your degree and don’t come back. There are no jobs here (in Asheville). We are one of the (few) places in the United States that has a dwindling African-American community.” Next, Cantrell began her answer by breaking into tears, as she lamented “that Lake,” through his answer to the question, was truthfully stating a fact — that Asheville “was telling our youth of color that they have to leave.”
Archie asserted, “Also, transportation is a problem. The only one (Asheville housing project) not centrally located was Shiloh (recereation center). There would have been a riot if we couldn’t have gotten into the gym” recently. “With that being said, now those institutions (that served the community, especially minorities, so well) when I was coming up, are obsolete to our youths. You go to Montford Center now, and there’s a rock-climbing wall. Our (black) youths are rock-climbers, I don’t have anything against rock-climbing. Also wiffle ball ... Our (black) youth don’t play wiffle ball. There nothing for African-American youths” in Asheville. Cantrell said, “They (black youths) are being pushed out” of Asheville. She then recounted the saying, of a mentor “You are my other self.” She then briefly referenced a recent raid by immigration enforcement officials, which caused panic in the Latino community. Before asking the last question, Waters noted that, as a historian, he recommended three books to those in the audience who would like to learn more about the topic of community connectedness. His first suggestion was the two-volume set titled “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville, which Waters said, reinforces his belief that “you can learn somehting from the past.” A second book recommendation was Robert Penn Warren’s “The Legacies of the Civil War,” in which, Waters said, “he (Warren) tells us how we construct false stories for ourselves.” Lastly, he urged reading Dr. John Hope Franklin’s autobiography, “Mirror to America.,” in which, Waters said, Franklin makes the case that “we need to look at ourselves.” He then posed the final question: “Why is having a connected community important?” Lake replied, “Inclusion... Trust.” He then quoted the dictum, “The child that is not embraced by the village will burn it down to fill its warmth” Regarding his quotation, Lake said, “If that doesn’t talk about ‘connected community,’ I don’t know what will. For me, dealing with youth every day, it let’s me know we’re not dealing with connected community at all. “I know we’re ‘Beer City’ and the housing is ‘off the chain’ (in soaring values.) If we (Asheville) don’t stop focusing only on money, we’re going to be in trouble.” Archie asserted, “I agree with that prophetic saying ‘Four things — be proximate, change the narrative, hold on to hope, be uncomfortable and inconvenienced.’” She added, “We have to get proximate. We have to see each Dr. Darin J. Waters other. We have to see perspectives. We have to change the narrative…. This goes back to the legacy of institutional racism. We have to get back to getting close to one another. We must change the narrative — of the past and of the current narrative. “If you see people, you can change what you think about people. You can then change the narrative. We must hold onto hope. The power of connection is palpable. We must hold onto the idea of connected community. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and inconvenience. Because being in community with other people is not always convenient.” Dahl said, “Disparities hurt everybody. There’s this term, ‘the soft Civil War.’ It’s the idea that our community is being ripped apart. We’re being polarized. One in four or five jobs in North Carolina will be lost in the next 20 years. Hey, AI (artificial intelligence) and technology are awesome things, but there are going to be some massive losses. Disparities hurt everybody and that’s why having a ‘connected community’ matters.” Cantrell noted, “One of my mentors says: ‘Truth moves at 3 miles per hour…. We’re missing so much.’ With those of us with white skin, we’re not here to be the saviors. We’ve actually cut ourselves off. ‘Community-oriented’ is one of the great pillars. We all have gifts and we all need each other to change the story.” Following the discussion but before the program ended, Archie told the audience, “We have people who are leaders in the community. Find out how you can partner with ... how you can hitch your wagon with what they’ve got going on.” Cantrell told the audience, “Keep showing up. To create community, you’ve got to show up. As you spend lots and lots of time with people,” community is built. Cantrell also asked, “How can the city effectively acknowledge the truth about our past and repair the breeches of trust that occurred during the urban renewal (era) and continue to happen in gentrification?” See NOT CONNECTED, Page A12\
Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019 - A9
Ex-undercover agent finishes saga, fields questions
Second in a series of two stories
EDITOR’S NOTE: The first part of this story included most of the May 17 speech by Chris Gaubatz, former undercover agent for the U.S. government, to about 50 members of the Asheville Tea Party and others — about what he considers to be the national threat posed by Muslim Jihadis working in conjunction with Marxists. The program was held in the Hendersonville City Operations Center. Among the specific topics he covered were “Experiences Undercover in the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas” and “Red Green Axis: Exposing the Left Working With Jihadis to Undermine Our Nation.” This story finishes his speech — and covers the question-and-answer period afterward. By JOHN NORTH
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
HENDERSONVILLE — Deep into his lengthy-but-riveting address to the Asheville Tea Party and other interested parties on May 17, the intensity of his presentation naturally increased as former undercover agent Chris Gaubatz told of assuming a fake name and identity as he successfully applied for, and received, a job as an intern at the Council of American-Islamic Relations, better known as CAIR, in 2007. Gaubatz noted that he was fortunate that CAIR did not conduct an intensive background check of him. He worked undercover as an intern for six months, as planned, without being discovered. From the start of his job, Gaubatz said he noticed from answering telephone calls at the CAIR office, “the same complaint” from the agency’s supporters. He also said that, because he was “more energetic” than the other interns, “I was given access” to records. “I started to see notes out on the desks — and saw that many of these people had paid CAIR to handle their problems,” but never followed through — and kept their payments. “So now, can you see why CAIR doesn’t want me” to travel around the Southeast, talking about issues related to Islam?” He added, “CAIR claims its a civil rights group,” but “you can’t have a Muslim civil rights organization stealing money from Muslims — especially when they also have such a close relationship with (television’s) CNN.... “So they shredded documents. My version of shredding was… I took 12,000 pages of evidence over six months — and I packed them in my car” and, instead of shredding them, turned them over to the U.S. government. “Do you think CNN will report that? A large portion of the media has become nothing more than shills for the left. What you never will hear what they actually say and write. “On the project, it was supposed to be a summer-long operation, but they were literally closing down the office. “The director liked me so much, he gave me a verbal reocmmendatin to walk into the CAIR office in D.C. “When I went to” a major event “at CAIR headquarters in Washington, D.C., I almost slipped up and used my real name, but I caught myself at the last second. My (undercover) name was David Marshall. “This was a very busy office. It’s not just shooting up things and blowing things up. It’s subversion. It’s influence of our policy in the Middle East, which is their bread and butter. ... The other thing” that CAIR focuses on “is influencing the media. “They’re literally calling a jihad group on how to respond to jihad... CAIR is who the
Chris Gaubatz
Ibrahim Hooper
United States (news) media calls for a comment on anything Islamic.” In speaking of CAIR, Gaubatz prompted some laughter from the crowd when he asserted, “They do a lot of shredding, by the way... I was the one (intern) who volunteered to help on shredding “As part of that duty, I had to take boxes of pamphlets and put them in the trunk of my car. I literally parked right in front of their offices” to load the records to be shredded. “Some of those documents are (reproduced) right in the back of the book” in which his undercover experiences are detailed — “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize Ameria.” (The book, which he was selling and autographing copies before and after his program, was written by U.S. investigations special agent Paul David Gaubatz (Chris’ father) and investigative journalist and Hoover Institute fellow Paul Sperry.) “On the one hand, they were talking about meetings with government officials on Capital Hill — and on the other hand,” they were working to subvert the system. “We have all kinds of documents to show who these guys are. There’s never been a lack of documents to show CAIR is a Hamas organization. “CAIR was identified as an unindicted coconspirator. So the plan was to go after CAIR, but what happened? (Barack) Obama was elected president and his sttorney general, Eric Holder, closed down the investigation. “So that’s why they (CAIR) don’t want that book out there — and that’s why they don’t want me talking. “Toward the end of the summer, Ibrahim Hooper, the same guy who doesn’t want me speaking, offered to help me to get married. (Hooper, born Douglas Hooper and a convert to Islam, is national communications director and spokesman for CAIR.) “At an Islamic Brotherhood conference, Ibrahim mentioned to ‘watch out’” for a man, who happened to be Gabautz’s father. Ironically, Gaubatz said, his father ended up snapping a picture of him with Hooper. At the time, 2007, “I was in my late 20s. They (CAIR) thought I was in my early 20s. “At the beginning of the projct, we found out they (CAIR) were defrauding Muslims… My father started contacting many of the victims of the fraud scheme and asking them if they’d like to sue them... My Dad has stories. He’s my best friend. He’s just a good man.” Speaking generally, Gaubatz triggered some laughter from the crowd as he noted that there are “two ways (when one is working undercover) to get somewhere in a jam. One is to get a cane and start shuffling. Or you just shuffle somewhere” without a cane. Gaubatz then told how he got into “a situation” and needed to make a move, but lacked a cane, so he just did an exaggerated shuffle and, “not only did they ignore me, they helped me up on the stage.” In the ultimate of ironies, the undercover agent said he shuffled up on stage to Nihad Awad (CAIR’s chief executive officer and founder) and instead of giving him a check (a donation, as expected) at the fundraiser, pulled out a legal paper and said, ‘You’re served!’”
shocking him and others at the gathering. In the aftermath, Gaubatz said, “The donors are saying (to Awad)… ‘So you defrauded Muslims and we’re at a civil rights fundraiser?’ “After that happened, the book got written,” referencing the 2017 book “Muslim Mafia.” Gaubatz asserted, “They never knew where that information had gotten out, until the book ‘Muslim Mafia’ came out.... “So when the book ‘Muslim Mafia’ came out, though, there was a little bit of a news flash when it came out. Remember, you had establishment Republicans who were working with these guys, too. It wasn’t till President (Donald J.) Trump was elected” that concerns addressed in the book were given a higher priority by the government. Prior to Trump’s ascension as president, Gaubatz charged that the national Republicans were following “(John) Boehner, (John) McCain, (Marco) Rubio — the same old establishment ‘hacks.’” The so-called “hacks” later called former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., an “Islamaphobe” for her concerns about the threat of certain Muslims, he lamented. Pausing, Gaubatz added, “Always remember that the Tea Party (movement) was the precursor to President Trump. “What Rush Limbaugh started showing us in the 1980s and ‘90s,” via his conservative national talk radio show, “it was something we hadn’t seen before... When Andrew Breitbart started his website (Breitbart News Network) later... Then the tea party... Then President Trump came along,” there was a challenge to the liberal status quo being expressed. He asked, rhetorically, “Why is ‘the establishment’ — on both sides of the aisle — fighting” Trump? As for widespread criticism of Trump’s “delivery” (communications) style, Guabatz said, “I don’t care. Finally we have someone fighting for us. If we had someone like President Trump after 9/11, we would have won those wars.” In reference to being labeled an “Islamaphobe” by CAIR and some in the news media, Gaubatz also asked, rhetorically, “Why am I called names in the media? “I don’t care,” noting that his attitude on that topic is “sort of like President Trump’s.” He paused and asserted, “Think of the tens of millions of people who died under communism in Russia ... and the millions and millions who died under (Chairman) Mao (Zedong) in China. And those who died under (Fidel) Castro in Cuba.” Pausing again, he stressed, “Under Sharia,
gay (homosexual) people are killed.” (Sharia, according to Google, is “Islamic canonical law based on the teachings of the Koran and the traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunna), prescribing both religious and secular duties and sometimes retributive penalties for lawbreaking. It has generally been supplemented by legislation adapted to the conditions of the day, though the manner in which it should be applied in modern states is a subject of dispute between Islamic fundamentalists and modernists.”) Regarding the red-green axis, he asked, “How does that work? It’s very simple. While they (Jihadis and Marxists) disagree on the end game, they agree on one thing — revolution. This will work, as they have a common enemy — us. We are the enemy ... those who believe in our Constitution and a republic.” He added, “The Chinese communist party is despicable... They will work together” with anyone, “even Muslims and gays… The Muslim Brotherhood said their plan is to destroy America” from within. It is the left and the Muslim Brotherhood that we’re fighting against.” Further, Gaubatz asserted, “This (the U.S.) is a country that is founded on Judeo-Christian values. We are not a democracy — that’s mob rule. Our founders said we are a republic. Our laws are based on the laws of nature, with us created in the image of God. Our moral framework is the holy Bible. And if our leaders are too afraid to say something close to that in public, then we don’t need those leaders.” He then termed American political far left as “godless, atheist and Marxist.... “From my perspective, I don’t think President Trump will have trouble winning in 2020. My concern is, if this movement grows, what happens when he loses office? Never forget that the same vitriol this group has for Trump, it all translates back to us (conservatives). “I’m arguing that we have one shot and if we don’t get this right,” it could mean the end of the United States as the founders envisioned. “We’re going to take the country back the same way President Trump did — town by town, county by county. I’m going to hit this message till the 2020 election. With President Trump, the era of political correctness is over.” During a question-and-answer session after his speech, a man asked, “Have you met with President Trump?” “I haven’t,” Gaubatz replied. “But he ‘gets’ it. He understands these ideas… The problem is... he also has had a number of establishment people giving him advice, too. See UNDERCOVER, Page A12
A10 — July 2019 — Asheville Daily Planet
The Daily Planet’s Opinion
City school board (loose with funds) should be elected
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o yet another Asheville school superintendent is leaving after an embarrassingly short term of service and is receiving a golden parachute from our free-spending city Board of Education for ... well ... nothing. The outgoing superintendent, Denise Patterson, who abruptly submitted her resignation June 12, citing medical reasons, will receive a $22,500 severance package ... after less than two years on the job. Meanwhile, the problems when Patterson arrived (and a succession of previous short-time city school superintentendents, also receiving overly generous depature bonuses) have not been improved, including the achievement gap between white and black students, particularly in math and reading. Specifically, as the Asheville Citizen Times’ John Boyle wrote recently, “Last year for all third-grade students, 76.6 percent of white studens scored ‘proficient’ in reading, compared with 22.6 percent of blacks — an achievement gap of 54 percent. Numbers at individual schools were equally dismal for combined reading and mathematics scores.” We agree with the assessment expressed by some critical thinkers in our community that the superintendent turnover plays a role in the gap. And who needs a school board, now appointed by City Council, that rewards poor performance with a bonus? Talk about adding insult to injury. It’s time to shift to a system of electing school board members who will be held accountable by an electorate that expects frugal use of taxpayer funds — and results.
LETTER: Dems need to re-focus
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o there are some 19 Democrats vying for President Donald Trump’s job as leader of the U.S. and the free world. My advice to them is stop falling over each other, taking those tiresome pot-shots at him that have become downright boring and ineffective. The Democrats would be wise to tell the American voters what exactly are their plans to preserve health care, Social Security, senior citizen benefits, education, veterans
care, etc. We all know these are vital issues that need solving as quickly as possible. The Democrats should get moving and choose a formidable candidate to face President Trump and the one weapon to defeat our lying, mean-tempered “leader” is TRUTH! Get crackin’ Democrats! Time’s a wastin’! We need a man or woman who commands respect, not fear. Most important election ever? YES! Herb Stark Mooresville
Letters to the Editor
Contrary to columnist’s view, Parcel sale raises question: Trump’s a terrific president RiverLink ... or ‘River Inc.?’
I
t never ceases to amaze me that many people, Mr. (Lee) Ballard (a Daily Planet columnist) included, seem to think that Presidenrt Trump is a bad president, in spite of all the wonderful accomplishments under his administration. To name just a few: 1) He got a law passed allowing desperately ill people to try experimental procedures in the hope of curing their illness. In the past, these same people would have to go to Mexico or Europe if they sought treatment that was not FDA approved. 2) He cut through the red tape for veterans seeking treatment at VA Hospitals. Now, intead of being put on a waiting list that could stretch for weeks or months, the veterans are allowed to seek care from private physicians, and the VA pays the bill. 3) He established strong relations with the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and moved our embassy to Jerusalem, something which had been promised by administrations since 1988, but which no other president had the courage to do. 4) He has presided over a strong economy, giving us the lowest unemployment in 50 years, and allowing all people, including women, African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians, to prosper in our vibrant economy. 5) He took us out of the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, which would have freed up $150 billion of Iranian funds, while all the time Iran was chanting “Death to America” and burning our flag. There is more, but the above is just a sampling of what President Trump has accompolished in less than 2-1/2 years. I’ll admit, he sometimes comes out with statements that some people find offensive, but I believe he is only expressing in public what politicians have long said in private. I hope and pray that we will give him another four years to complete his goals. Roger Gilmore Mars Hill
Like many others who have donated money, land or time to RiverLink over the decades, I have labored under the assumption that the organization’s intent was to restore and preserve land fronting on the French Broad River. That’s the stated goal of the organization’s much-vaunted Wilma Dykeman Riverway Plan. We’ve been promised that our efforts would “connect a 17 mile greenway system along the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers.” But now RiverLink is selling off a parcel across the road from Cotton Mill Studios for commercial development. Karen Cragnolin The scheme is evidently well advanced since the plans are headed for the City’s Technical Review Committee in less than two weeks. According to RiverLink founder Karen Cragnolin (now retired), the developers have also managed to avoid review by the Asheville Area Riverfront Redevelopment Commission, the official body tasked with evaluating commercial projects in the District. As a former member of that commission I am, frankly, disgusted. I suppose, now that the city is spending multiple millions to redesign and upgrade that transportation corridor, the greenway and bike paths, the property is just too valuable to protect. I know I won’t be donating to RiverLink again. Cecil Bothwell Asheville
Two presidents, different and alike
A
portrait hovers over Donald Trump’s desk in the Oval Office ̶ a man with a Mona Lisa smirk and froofy hairdo that’s first cousin to Trump’s. We know him as Andrew Jackson from the $20 bill. Why would Trump choose Jackson, we wonder? Wouldn’t Jackson remind Trump daily of his own lack of manliness? Jackson was a military hero, a great leader of men. Trump pleaded bone spurs. Jackson fought 103 duels and ultimately died of lead poisoning from bullets in his body. Trump’s only mano-a-mano was a staged body slam of Vince McMahon. But then maybe Trump looks up to Jackson for the courage to tweet one more time against Nancy Pelosi. Actually, though, the two men reach over the years to be similar. Now, as you read, imagine a tinkling bell every time their characters converge. For example, Jackson may well be half-smiling on Trump and his view of the presidency. Our Founding Fathers, the guys who thought up the Constitution, thought the legislative branch of government was where power was supposed to reside.
Lee Ballard We’re a representative democracy, after all. The president’s assignment, in their plan, was to execute the laws passed by Congress. And sure enough, that’s how the first six presidents, all Founders and the son of a Founder, did their jobs. (And I think that’s the arrangement they taught in my elementary civics class.) President Number Seven was Jackson ̶ not a Founding Father and a man accustomed to being obeyed by his soldiers and his slaves. Congress ̶ and the Constitution ̶ were annoyances. Many Americans at the time liked this command-and-follow leadership style, so much so that Congress was cowed into doing his will. When Jackson proposed the Indian Removal Act right after he took office, Congress passed it over howls from good people, especially missionaries. Congressman Davy Crockett was an opposition leader in the House of Representa-
tives. Then when the Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee could not be removed from their lands, Jackson ignored them and ultimately sent troops to remove them to the West. Jackson didn’t forgive. Once an enemy, always an enemy. John C. Calhoun was forever on his list after Calhoun, then Secretary of War, recommended censure of Jackson for his unauthorized capture of Spanish Pensacola in 1818. After he became president, he told Calhoun: “If you secede from my nation. I will secede your head from the rest of your body.” If Trump knew history, he’d pat Jackson’s portrait on the shoulder every morning out of admiration. The general’s incredible land grabs after the War of 1812 make Trump real estate deals look downright righteous. (Google Politico Magazine’s two-part article, “How Jackson made a killing in real estate.”) Displacing Indians from the Tennessee River valley resulted in an enormous expansion of cotton land ̶ which, in turn, increased demand for slaves. It’s been said that Jackson was all for “the common white man.” Jackson thought from his gut. For example, the Bank of the United States, a majority-private bank where the government deposited its money, and the bank,
in turn, distributed money to state and local banks and somewhat regulated them. Jackson felt it served the interests of rich Easterners ̶ and he hated rich Easterners. Even though Congress had voted to renew the bank’s charter, and the Supreme Court had ruled that the bank was constitutional, Jackson slowed government deposits and ultimately vetoed the bank’s charter renewal. Government money went to “pet banks” in the states. The result was chaos on the frontier. Notes issued by many banks were worthless. Jackson responded with a “circular” that required purchases of federal land be in gold and silver. He was out of office before the Panic of 1837 hit, a depression that lasted into the mid-1840s. Jackson’s ignorance of economic cause-and-effect devastated the country. Our current president has economic ignorance in spades ̶ about trade, tariffs, tax breaks, role of the Federal Reserve, use of sanctions, multinational trade agreements. It took seven years, but America survived Jackson’s economic policies. Now we hold our collective breath over Trump’s. Maybe we’d be wise to take out Panic insurance now. • Lee Ballard, who lives in Mars Hill, has a website at Mountainsnail.com.
Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019 - A11
Commentary
The Candid Conservative: Wackily wrecking women – Part II
“Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to choices that had dramatic consequences.” — J.K. Rowling
L
The problem
ast month we took on the tacky task of suggesting the women’s movement has done more to liberate men than women. Thanks to the left’s validation of promiscuity, pornography, drugs, narcissism, abortion, irresponsibility and the destruction of the family, guys are freer than ever to operate as perpetual Peter Pans unleashed to use and discard Wendy on a whim and whimsy. That’s not to say men or anyone else is better off for this phenomenon. Peter was, at heart, a closeted pirate more into playing and preying than protecting and producing. In the real world, both he and his merry band were set-up for ruin. Wendy was wise to leave him. Most of today’s ladies don’t have her smarts. If you’re a woman – or a man who cares about same – we’d like to help with Part II on how our wacky world is wrecking women. Here’s 10 more suggestions on countering the cultural folly currently hurled your way. You Are Not a Man – Sorry ladies, no matter the widespread propaganda and pretense, women are dramatically different than the opposite sex. For example, men have 4 percent more upper body strength than women. No matter – you’re well-compensated with a super-resilient emotional framework. Which would you rather have – big shoulders or a big heart? Though you go through an extra share of heartache and tears, you get to skip the pleasures of laying cement blocks and digging coal. Importantly, your emotional gifts require you learn to ride your feelings like one would surf a wave – remembering you’re headed for the beach, not the middle of the ocean. Oh yes, and never apologize for your random tears. It’s just leaking. Your tear duct glands are 60 percent more active than a man’s and are programmed to release stress hormones. As for brains, men and women’s minds work differently but are pretty evenly matched. Unfortunately, neither of us puts much of what we have to use. Fear and Worry are a Deadly Duo – Did you know these are the two most referenced sins in the Bible? That’s because God knew darkness sneaks in the back door more often than it kicks down the front. Those whom evil can’t seduce with the seven deadly sins remain vulnerable to more subtle temptations. Women are notoriously susceptible to fear and worry. If the suicide, anti-depressant medication and addiction stats are correct, you’re losing ground. Learning to do battle with these two is a crucial life skill for any woman trying to survive and thrive. You’re Up Against Three Armies – Life comes at women from all directions. Three standouts are the past, present and future. You can do battle with one and win – maybe even two. You can never defeat all three. Too many women are fighting a three-front war – recycling the past, struggling with the present and worrying about the future. A better course is to concentrate on the one – the present – that ultimately forms the others. Notably, most of life’s misery finds traction in the unreachable past and future vs. the precious present.
Carl Mumpower Take Care of Your Package – Women have a self-perpetuated reputation for not aging gracefully. That’s partially because a lot of women give up on their physical health and – irony of ironies – let some guy named “Father Time” take over. Don’t do it. Watch out for things – like anger, depression and powerlessness – that age everyone. Take your anti-aging medications! Those include love, gratitude, faith, balance, growth and exercise. As a bonus, that last one is also the best anti-depressant on the planet. Learning to Care About Yourself is a Process – Self-love is not the same thing as self-worship, self-indulgence or selfishness. Check out Trader Joe’s parking lot for confirmation. Self-love is simply about living life in a positive, heathy and productive fashion that leaves you with a constructive sense of self-worth. There’s an added consequence to learning to value yourself – over time – other people will treat you about the same way you treat yourself. The Key to a Man’s Heart is Validation – Sorry ladies, though its popular to fain indifference to men, you continue to seek us as surely as we seek you. The problem is you’re getting worse at it – not better. Anyone who believes they can find sure love by becoming toys for little boys has been absorbing too much Hollywood nonsense. Nor do you have to indulge male immaturity or egocentricity – just the opposite. Men become better men by having to earn you. That gives you a magic touch. When we get it right and merit your attention and validation, there are very few things on the planet that will more surely capture a man’s lasting attention. Interested in a man’s heart? Forget food, sex or other indulgences – instead, validate him when he behaves like a big boy. Don’t Argue with Nature – One of the
best ways to reveal the cons of the liberalprogressive movement is to note how many of their agendas mightily clash with nature. No where in nature do you find the message that one can have something for nothing. Entitlement, dependency and permanent victim status are AWOL in nature. Nature clearly demonstrates a preference for two genders and though other options are possible, in nature’s reality they are never easy and should not be marketed as such. Above all, we all should be getting it that minimizing the extraordinary gift of a woman’s capacity to bring new life into the world is a dangerous agenda with epic impacts. You can’t set nature’s hair on fire without consequence. A Life of Distractions is Not Enough – In case you haven’t heard, the No. 1 addiction in America is distraction therapy. Be it drugs, self-indulgence, casual sex, drama, anger or a million other things, we’re being misinformed that looking at butterflies will fix our boo-boos. A distraction is just that – a short bit of relief from the crucial importance of living and growing in the real world. If you’ve ever wondered how so many in the entertainment industry find instant credentials as authorities on morality and governance, look no further than a life script defined by distraction therapy. There’s no arrogance like arrogance grounded in ignorance. You are Designed to be Moody – Yep, I said it. Women are moody. Everybody knows it and everybody sees it – most everybody is afraid to say it. Men are hormonally more consistent and thus less vulnerable to mood fluctuation. If we’re jerks, we’re usually steady at it. Per your unique capacities to civilize the world, women have a fluctuating hormonal schedule that assures ebb and flow. The issue is not whether you’re moody, but why. Stepping over the hormone thing, consider this – your mood range gives you capacity for more wisdom and love than men. The why is simple – the deeper and broader one’s emotional spectrum, the more depth of awareness one has. The mind is the source of intelligence. The mind and the heart together are the source
Todd Reep
of wisdom. Men are like messy pine trees – good for shade and framing a house. Women are like apple trees. The same tree that drop leaves on your lawn in the fall gives you apples in the summer. Which would you rather be – sap or fruit? WWJD is a Better Four-Letter Word – We live in a culture busily abandoning faith as a priority agenda. Our churches are fast evolving into Biblically indifferent entertainment centers carelessly surrendering to political correctness in an effort to compete with widescreens and Asheville’s burgeoning brewpubs. Anyone pushing the importance of Jesus’s love without a matching attachment to Jesus’s call for accountability is selling social comfort food – not Christianity. That’s a big mistake because we’re talking about the faith that made our world. Don’t believe it? Take a glance at the values undergirding most of the world’s education, governance, commerce, health and morality systems. Ladies, attempting to navigate today without a faith model is like taking on Niagara Falls in a barrel. The ride is great, but oh that landing. Asking ourselves what would Jesus do assures a softer outcome. Those confused by all the conflicting messages on the importance of faith and in particular this faith, need ask themselves only one question – is there anything that Jesus suggested or did in his life that would mess up mine? So, there you are ladies – 10 more suggestions on dodging 21st century mayhem specifically targeted to your gender. Lest you think this is a noble effort, let me assure you it is purely an attempt by another privileged, Christian, conservative white guy to press the male dominance agenda. How so? I get the fact we can’t make it without you…. • Carl Mumpower, a psychologist and former elected official, is the past chairman of the Buncombe County Republican Party. He can be reached at drmumpower@aol.com.
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A12
July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Undercover
Continued from Page A9 “The problem (also) is because the other side is (comprised of) incredible organizers. We’re rugged indivdualists,” he said of conservatives. “We need to be more” savvy at organizing to be more successful poltically. A man asked, “Has President Trump released (dismissed) some of the Muslims from the White House that were in during (the administration of) President Obama?” “Yes,” Gaubatz answered. “But the problem is mid-level bureaucrats...The State Department was riddled by communitsts in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s.” A man noted that he “has to deal with Muslims in the (local) community. How do you start a (critical) discussion, as you’re immediately shut down (by being labeled) as an ‘Islamaphobe?’” “It depends on who you’re talking to,” Gaubatz replied. “If it’s a hard-left idealogue, I wouldn’t even waste my time. Every single encounter is different. If they’re so indoctrinated and not even interested in the truth, other than being kind (to them),” the best strategy is to leave their company politely and quickly. “The key to all of this (theological discussion) is to keep it very short and to the point. .. I would encourage you to get a little more versed on the Holy Land Foundation.” (Gaubatz’s reference was to the Richardson, Texas-based Muslim charity indicted, along with several of the group’s leaders, for funneling millions of dollars to the terrorist group Hamas. In the second trial in 2008, jurors found all the defendants guilty on all counts of helping finance terrorism.) A man said, “They (Muslims) always go to the Old Testament” to criticize Christianity — “and I say ‘I’m a Christian and I believe in the New Testament.’” In response, Gaubatz suggested the man ask such a challenger, “Is there any command in the Old Testament for Jews and Christians to wage war on nonbelievers? In Sharia, Mohammed is considered to be the perfect example of a human being. Ask them to name one example that God said to fight and wage war against nonbelievers... Always remember, stick to just what Mohammed said.” Another man asked, “What would you recommend as the best English translation of their (Muslim) scriptures that aren’t ‘sanitized?’” As for the best — and ‘un-sanitized’ English translation, Gaubatz recommended “The Yusef Ali translation of the Koran.” He added that the meaning of the Koran, according to Muslims, was “revealed through the angel Gabriel.” Speaking generally, Gaubatz asserted that, as an undercover agent, “I always used what they used,” insofar as religious references go. The man also asked, “Why are you still walking around?” implying the retired undercover agent should be in hiding, as it is surprising he has not be killed for his criticisms of Islam. As for why he continues openly to criticize Islam publically without fatal consequences, Gaubatz responded evenly, “By the grace of God, nothing has happened. As for CAIR, their main line is media manipulation and political influence” — not killing its adversaries. As a followup, the same man who posed the earlier two questions asked, “Ibrahim Hooper (of CAIR) doesn’t look (in a picture) like a Muslim? Is he a convert, too? “Yes, he’s a convert,” Gaubatz replied. “Ibrahim Hooper ‘throws out’ (asserts) that people like me who speak about how Islam is — they are racists. But Islam is not a
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race. Ibrahim Hooper is a convert to Islam. That whole thing (about accusations that Guabatz is an ‘Islamaphobe’) — you could shut down in two seconds. I’m not talking about a race, but an idealogy.” Another man asked Gaubatz for his thoughts on how the U.S. could transition from what he termed the public schools’ current practice of “indoctrinating (young Americans) about Islam.” In response, Gaubatz said conservatives “need to start submitting ‘errors of omission or commission’ to local school boards — and that’s not an easy problem” to address. Bilello, the ATP’s chair who is a retired teacher, added, “It’s all funded by these hundreds of left-wing groups.”
Flatiron Building
Asheville’s Flatiron Building
Not connected Continued from Page A8 Archie said that, just as, “after apartheid ended in South Africa, we (in Asheville) need to tell the truth about what has happened and what continues to happen. A lot of people don’t know the history of urban renewal. If you look at the census, black people are declining, as far as numbers, in this area. “We need to begin to heal — and we can’t begin to heal till the process begins. Reconciliation – not only have I, as an entity, made decisions that harm people. We can never go back in time and take it away. But we can do it in a way that recognizes equity. We need to harness the forgiveness that we are asking for… We are working with some groups in the community to hear the truth. We want to work on this place of healing.”
Dahl said, “I would add to that the City of Asheville can do all of that and they can invest actual dollars in communities and community organizations — and address things actually affected by urban renewal,” which was a period in Asheville’s history, she said, when “families and neighborhoods were basically destroyed — businesses and relationships were torn asunder.” Lake triggered laughter when he said. “I work for the county (Buncombe),” which he jokingly called “the better institution,” in a playful jab at the City of Asheville, for which his copanelists (and friends) Archie and Dahl work. “Being a native, I’m going to take a shot at this.,” Lake continued. “Asheville has a great way of hiding things beneath the veneer. Growing up, I thought we were way
Continued from Page A1 “Council members who voted ‘yes’ said they were convinced this was the best way to preserve the iconic building,” WLOS reported. “The developer pulled the application” prior to an expected vote at May’s council meeting “after realizing realizing a majority of council members would vote against it,” the TV station stated. “More than a dozen people spoke during (June 25) public comment period. While some people supported the idea, the majority did not. “‘We did not and do not want another hotel that will not only bring more visitors to an already loaded marketplace, but also their cars, their cars which have not really been accounted for,’ one person said,” WLOS’ story noted.
more connected with more brotherly love and camaraderie than we are now. When we talk about the truth (in Ashevlle) — we need to talk about what happened in the past and what is happening now.” To that end, he lamented, “We’re No. 2 in the country in gentrification — only behind Charleston, South Carolina. So things are getting worse” for the African-American community” in Asheville. Lake contended that blacks are hurt more by gentrification than anyone else. The program ended with another question for audience: “What is one thing you will do in the next week to strengthen our community connections?” Leadership Asheville also announced that it has plans to hold a winter Buzz Breakfast Series, with a schedule to be released later.
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A14 - July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Baptism by liar
I was talking with this guy whom I’ve known for over six years who lives a plane ride away. It was late at night on a weekend, and he was saying all this mushy sexy stuff and how he wanted to fly me out to his city, blah, blah, blah. Afterward, he never called or texted again. It’s been weeks now. He’s done this before -- come on really hot and heavy and then disappeared. And he doesn’t drink or do drugs, so that isn’t an explanation. Why do men do this? — Feeling Dumb For Believing... Again Well, on the upside, he isn’t afraid to express his feelings. On the downside, if you’re like many women, you prefer your relationships long-form — more Nicholas Sparks’ “The Notebook” than 3M’s “The Post-it Note.” You aren’t the only one on these calls who buys into everything the guy says he has in store for you (and no, I’m not suggesting there’s an FBI agent listening in from a “cable company” van). While this guy is on the phone with you, chances are he believes what he’s telling you — which is to say, deception has a brother, and it’s self-deception. Evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers defines self-deception as “the active misrepresentation of reality to the conscious mind.” As for how the self can end up being “both the deceiver and the deceived,” Trivers and fellow evolutionary researcher William von Hippel explain that our mind seems to have “information-processing biases” that “favor welcome over unwelcome information” in a way that reflects our goals. (Think rose-colored horse blinders.) Trivers and von Hippel note that believing our own hooey helps us sell it to other people: If you aren’t conscious that you’re lying, you won’t be burdened by the mental costs of maintaining “two separate representations of reality” or show physical signs of nervousness at possibly getting
The Advice Goddess
Amy Alkon
Syndicated Columnist
caught, such as a higher-pitched voice. Understanding all of this, you should probably go easy on yourself for being a bit of a slow learner on the “fool me twice” thing. If this guy was also putting one over on himself in these phone conversations, that probably made it much more believable to you. Mark him as emotionally toxic and come up with a plan in case he calls again. Options include blocking his number, not picking up, or figuring out how to control the conversation if he veers off into Sweetnothingsville. On a positive note, it does seem he’s accidentally telling the truth in one area: You do seem to be the woman of his dreams — as you always vanish from his consciousness as soon as he wakes up. • (c.) 2019, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/
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A16 - July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
Entertainment
Special Section PULLOUT
& Calendar of Events
B1
Asheville Daily Planet — July 2019
WNC offering plethora of events for Fourth of July holiday
W
From Staff Reports estern North Carolina will feature a number of events to celebrate the Fourth of July, with — possibly — the biggest bang being Asheville’s Independence Day gala from 2 to 10 p.m. in Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. The free event offers family activities throughout the afternoon, with live music beginning at 5 p.m. and the fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Attendees are urged to bring chairs and blankets. Following are other area holiday highlights: • Biltmore Estate — The annual July 4th Celebration Dinner will be served from 6
to 9 p.m. in the barn at Antler Hill Village, followed by a fireworks display at the resort. • LAKE JULIAN — Fireworks will be fired off from 9 to 9:30 p.m. for those in the South Asheville area. • Black Mountain — The annual Street Dance and Fireworks will be held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Sutton Avenue in downtown. Also, before the fireworks, the Land of the Sky Symphony Band will perform from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the White Horse nightclub. • MONTREAT — A parade wil be held at 10:30 a.m. , followed by daylong activities — and a square dance from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the Montreat College Library.
* Weaverville — The town will hold a July 4 Block Party on Main Street from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Music by Devils in Dust will begin at 5 p.m., followed by fireworks at 10 p.m. • Hendersonville — The city ‘s Independence Day parade will begin at 11 a.m. A free celebration concert/dance, featuring the band Wishful Thinking, will be held from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center in downtown. The fireworks show will begin at 9:30. • LAKE LURE — The town will celebrate the holiday a day early — July 3, with family activities earlier, followed by fireworks at dusk over the lake fthat may be viewed from Morse Park —or on the beach. Attendees are urged to
bring picnics and lawn hairs. On the Fourth of July, Lake Lure’s Rumbling Bald Resort will offer a fireworks display for its guests, which others may enjoy from boats on the lake. • WAYNESVILLE — The town will hold its Stars and Stripes gala from 11 a.m . to 3 p.m. downtown. At nearby Lake Junauska, fireworks will be fired off from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. FRANKLIN — Following a 10 a.m. parade on Main Street, activities, food and music will begin at 5 p.m. at Macon County Park. The Isaacs Independence Day Concert & Fan Jam BBQ will be begin at 5:30 p.m .at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. A fireworks show will begin at dusk at the park.
FRP delivers rollicking ‘enchanted evening’ with ‘South Pacific’ With A+ musical score, play masterfully shows ‘you’ve got to be taught’ racism, cultural bias “Most people live on a lonely island, Lost in the middle of a foggy sea. Most people long for another island, One where they know they will like to be.....”
— From the song “Bali Ha’i” by Rodgers & Hammerstein By JOHN NORTH
F
john@AshevilleDailyPlanet.com
Special photos courtesy of TREADSHOTS / SCOTT TREADWAY
Sailor Luther Billis (Andrew Foote, in right foreground) and Lt. Joe Cable (Kevin Hack, far right) join others in saluting the Seabees’ two top leaders, as the latter try to get entrepreneurial island native Bloody Mary, (Yvonne Strumecki, second from left) and her grass skirt-making operation “off U.S. Navy property.”
Nellie Forbush (Sara Stevens, center) and tellow nurses sing “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” in a memorable number.
Nellie Forbush, in a gender reversal number during a show within the show, performs “Honey Bun” with Luther Billis, who is dressed as an island goddess.
LAT ROCK — The Flat Rock Playhouse production of “South Pacific,” which runs through July 6, provides an exhilarating musical and visual experience that is not to be missed. From this reviewer’s perspective, the show performed on June 15 was one of the best productions that the FRP — North Carolina’s legislatively designated “state theatre” — has staged in the last 15 years or so, since the Daily Planet was launched. The acting, the singing, the choreography, the costumes and the sets were top-notch. Alas, the air conditioning was cranked up in the theater on the night of this review to such a frigid level that a companion and others around us scrambled for jackets and sweaters at the intermission. One might only guess that the FRP was trying to keep its hard-working performers cool during the high-intensity show.... The only other criticism was the lack of live music to accompany the stellar singers. Instead, recorded music was used. It is likely the addition of a paid orchestra or band, even a relatively small one, might have put the show in the red, financially. But a live band would have given this otherwise smashing show the ultimate stamp of authenticity. See ‘SOUTH PACIFIC,’ Page B7
UNCA’s new students assigned to read Isay’s ‘Callings’ From Staff Reports
U
NC Asheville’s new students will be reading “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work,” by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay, as part of the university’s Summer Reading Program. The book shares personal stories
recorded as part of the StoryCorps project. Isay will give give a free public talk at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium. In preparation for that visit, first-year students will discuss the book in small groups led by faculty and staff as part of orientation before the start of the fall semester. Isay, a radio producer, began what
grew into StoryCorps in 2003 with a story recording booth in New York City. StoryCorps, with a mission “to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world,” now has story booths in different cities, and mobile story booths that travel the country. In the StoryCorps process, two people
who know each other engage in an interview, guided by a facilitator. A weekly edited StoryCorps segment is broadcast every Friday morning as part of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. Many more StoryCorps interviews are recorded than are used on the radio – the complete interviews are archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Dave Isay
B2 — July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet
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Monday, July 1
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 2-6:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The Nuance Quartet will perform.
Tuesday, July 2
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 2-6:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The French Broad Trio will perform.
Wednesday, July 3
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 2-6:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Clay Lunsford will perform. “SOUTH PACIFIC” STAGE PRODUCTION, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Leiman Mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. The FRP will perform Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s classic “South Pacific” through July 6. A promotion stated that it features “a glorious score about conflicting family values during World War II.” Showtimes are 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, which are $25-$58, visit flatrockplayhouse.org. LAKE LURE EARLY INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREOWORKS, 9 p.m. (or dusk), Morse Park (and Lake Lure Beach, beginning at 8 p.m.), Lake Lure. The town will celebrate the holiday a day early. Prior to the fireworks, attendees amay bring picnics and lawnchairs.
Thursday, July 4
FRANKLIN INDEPEPENDENCE DAY PARADE/ ACTIVITIES, 10 a.m., Main Street, Franklin. A parade will roll down Main Street. Beginning at 5 p.m., activities, food and music will be offered at Macon County Park. The Isaacs Independence Day Concert & Fan Jam BBQ will be held at 5:30 p.m .at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. A fireworks show will begin at dusk at the park. HENDERSONVILLE INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE/ACTIVITIES, 11 a.m., Five Points area to Main Street, Hendersonville. The city will hold its Independence Day Parade. For other Hendersonville holiday activities, check Music on Main/ Fireworks listing at 7 under this date. WAYNESVILLE STARS & STRIPES GALA, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., downtown Waynesville. The town will hold its annual Stars & Stripes gala. Later, from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m., nearby Lake Junaluska will fire off its fireworks display. ASHEVILLE INDEPENDENCE DAY GALA, 2-10 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. The city will hold a number of free, family-focused
events throughout the afternoon, with live music beginning at 5 p.m. and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES/ DINNER/FIREWORKS, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Clay Lunsford will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. From 6 to 9 p.m., the annual 4th Celebration Dinner will be served at the barn at the village. Afterward, Biltmore Estate will feature a free fireworks display viewable from the parking lot. WEAVERVILLE JULY 4 BLOCK PARTY, 5-10:30 p.m., Main Street, Weaverville. The town will hold a July 4 Block party. Music by Devils in the Dust will begin at 5 p.m., with fireworks at 10 p.m. BLACK MOUNTAIN STREET DANCE/FIREWORKS, 5:30-9:30 p.m., Sutton Avenue, downtown Black Mountain. The town will holld its Fourth of July Street Dance and Fireworks gala. The fireworks will be ignited at 9 p.m. MUSIC ON MAIN STREET CONCERT/DANCE/ FIREWORKS, 6-9:30 p.m., parking lot next to Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The band Wishful Thinkin’ will perform for a special Fourth of July rendition of the weekly Music on Main Street summer concert series. Fireworks will follow the concert/dance. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. MONTREAT FOURTH OF JULY PARADE/ EVENTS/SQUARE DANCE, 10:30 a.m.-till, various locations, Montreat. The town will hold a parade at 10:30 a.m., followed by a day of familiary-oriented activities. From 7 to 9:30 p.m., a square dance will be held in the Montreat College Library. LAND OF THE SKY SYMPHONIC BAND PATRIOTIC CONCERT, 7:30-9 p.m., White Horse nightclub, 105 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain. The LOSSB will hold its annual Patriotic Concert. Afterward, attendees will be invited to view the town’s fireworks from White Horse’s patio. LAKE JULIAN FIREWORKS, 9-9:30 p.m., Lake Julian, South Asheville. Fireworks will be detonated after a day of activities at the lake. Attendees are being urged to bring picnics, lawnchairs and blankets, prior to the free fireworks. RUMBLING BALD RESORT FIREWORKS, 9 p.m., Lake Lure. The resort will set off a fireworks show to entertain its guests, but it will be viewable by others from boats on the lake.
Friday, July 5
Join Us For Our ANNUAL PATRIOTIC CONCERT
in Celebration of our Nation’s Independence
Land of Sky Symphonic Band Thursday, July 4 @ 7:30-9 p.m. White Horse, Black Mountain
The Land of the Sky Symphonic Band will be directed by David Wilken. Following the concert, we will move to the White Horse patio to view the Town of Black Mountain’s big fireworks show.
For advance tickets, which are $15, visit WhiteHorseBlackMountain.com, or call (828) 669-0816. Tickets are $18 at the door
White Horse Black Mountain 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain, N.C. 28711 • (828) 669-0816
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Parrish Ellis will perform. CANTON 4 + 1 CELEBRATION, 6-10 p.m., Sorrells Street Park, Canton. A day after the Fourth of July, Canton will mark Independence Day via its “4 + 1 Celebration,” with music, food, free watermelon, free inflatables and fireworks. “URANG DURANG?” STAGE SHOW, 7:30 p.m., Hendersonville Community Theatre, 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville. The show “Urang durang?” will be performed July 5-14. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, visit HendersonvilleTheatre.org. “Oliver!” STAGE SHOW, 7:30 p.m., HART Theatre, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. HART will perform “Oliver!” July 5-28. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. For tickets, visit harttheatre.org. For tickets, visit HartTheatre.org. LADY ANTEBELLUM CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Resort. Country music group Lady Antebellum will perform in concert. For tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com.
See CALENDAR, Page B3
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Calendar Continued from Page B2
Saturday, July 6
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Parrish Ellis will perform for a second consecutive day/night. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. DINO & THE DREAMERS CONCERT/DANCE, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Hwy, Hendersonville. The Firehouse Subs Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by Dino and the Dreamers, playing pop-rock-soul-beach song classics. Many of the attendees dance, while others watch. Before the concert, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., free line dance lessons will be offered. All are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.
Sunday, July 7
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 2-6:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The French Broad Players will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.
Monday, July 8
CONCERT ON THE QUAD SERIES 7-9 p.m., Quad, UNC Asheville. The band Brody Hunt & the Handfuls, specializing in songs from what Hunt calls country music’s “golden era,” as well as originals — will perform in the summer series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/ or blanets. Picnics also are welcome — or food and beverages may be purchased at the event site. Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Admission is free. STREET DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot, Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The weekly summer Street Dances series will feature Appalachian Fire in a concert of bluegrass music, square dancing and clogging. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Thursday, July 11
“SEPARATE BEDS” STAGE PRODUCTION, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Leiman Mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. The FRP will perform “Separate Beds” July 11-20. Showtimes are 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The show is billed by the FRP as a “hilarious comedy debut about empty nesters at home.” For tickets, which are $20-$54, visit flatrockplayhouse.org. LAKE TOMAHAWK CONCERT SERIES, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Jacktown Ramblers, a folk group, will perform in the outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.
Friday, July 12
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Sandi Grecco will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. MUSIC ON MAIN STREET CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot next to Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The long-time Asheville-based soul band Westsound will perform for at the weekly Music on Main Street summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. THE SOCK HOPS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin. The Sock Hops, a doo-wop vocal group, will perform in concert. For tickets, visit greatmountainmusic.com.
Saturday, July 13
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Sandi Grecco will perform for a second day/night. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. WEAVERVILLE OUTDOOR CONCERT, 6-8 p.m., Nature Park Meadows, Main Street, Weaverville. The town’s Second Saturday Summer Series will feature local musicians playing traditional music. Attendees are encourage to bring a picnic and lawnchairs. Admission is free.
Asheville Daily Planet - July 2019 - B3 SOUND INVESTMENT CONCERT/DANCE, 6:308:30 p.m., Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Hwy, Hendersonville. The Firehouse Subs Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by Sound Investment, playing pop-rock-soul-beach song classics. Many of the attendees dance, while others watch. Before the concert, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., free line dance lessons will be offered. All are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. BILTMORE PARK OUTDOOR CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Cecil Park (the green space in front of Hickory Tavern and Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Town Square, Biltmore Park, Asheville. A band, to be announced, will perform in an outdoor concert. Admission is free.
Sunday, July 14
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Elliott & the Untouchables will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.
Monday, July 15
CONCERT ON THE QUAD SERIES 7-9 p.m., Quad, UNC Asheville. The “Latingrass” band Che Apache will perform in the summer series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blanets. Picnics also are welcome — or food and beverages may be purchased at the event site. Pets and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Admission is free. STREET DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot, Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The weekly summer Street Dances series will feature Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition in a concert of bluegrass music, square dancing and clogging. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Thursday, July 18
JOHN DENVER TRIBUTE CONCERT, 2-4:30 p.m., The Center for Arts & Inspiration, 125 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. Ted Vigil will perform in a John Denver tribute show. For tickets, which are $46, www.thecenterai.com. RHYTHM & BREWS CONCERT SEREIS, 5:309:30 p.m., South Main Street (in front of Wells Fargo Bank), downtown Hendersonville. The concert series will be headlined at 7:30 p.m. by the Colby Dietz Band, with the Kenny George Band serving as the opener at 5:30 p.m. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. LAKE TOMAHAWK CONCERT SERIES, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Caroline Keller Band will perform country music in the free outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs.
Friday, July 19
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Sandi Grecco will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. DOWNTOWN AFTER 5 CONCERT, 5-9 p.m., North Lexington Avenue (near the I-240 overpass), downtown Asheville. The DA5 series will feature Shamarr Allen (of Galactic and The Underdawgs) as the headliner at 7 p.m. The opener at 5 p.m. will be April B. & the Coo. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Admission is free. MUSIC ON MAIN STREET CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot next to Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The band Flashback — the Party Band will perform for at the weekly Music on Main Street summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.
Saturday, July 20
SING-ALONG, 3-5 p.m., amphitheater, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, Flat Rock. The monthly Sandburg Summer Sing-Along Series will feature Cindy Carpenter and Emily Reasoner. “This duo has delighted many audiences with folk music at the Cradle of Forestry and local festivals,” an event promo noted. “They will share traditional old-time music.” Admission is free. ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Sandi Grecco will perform for a second day/night. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. GEORGE RAAB CONCERT/DANCE, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Hwy, Hendersonville. The Firehouse Subs Summer Concert Series will feature a performance by George Raab, playing pop-rock-soul-beach song classics. Many of the attendees dance, while others watch. Before the concert, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., free line dance lessons will be offered. All are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.
See CALENDAR, Page B6
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Calendar
Estate, Asheville. James Werning will perform for a second consecutive day/night. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.
Sunday, July 21
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 2-6:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The Stormy Quartet will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.
Continued from Page B3
Sunday, July 28
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The band One Leg Up will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets.
Monday, July 29
Monday, July 22
STREET DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot, Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The weekly summer Street Dances series will feature Appalachian Fire in a concert of bluegrass music, square dancing and clogging. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
Thursday, July 25
BUZZ BREAKFAST PROGRAM, 8:30 a.m., Expo Center, Crowne Plaza Resort, West Asheville. A program on “What Are We Doing Now to Connect Community?” will begin at 8:30 a.m., preceded by breakfast at 8 a.m., will be hosted by Leadership Asheville, a program of UNC Asheville. For tickets, which are $25 per monthly program, visit leadershipasheville.unca.edu/2019-summer-buzzbreakfast-dates. LAKE TOMAHAWK CONCERT SERIES, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Rewind Band will perform classic rock and soul music in the outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. BEACH BOYS CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., South Terrace, Biltmore House, Asheville. The Beach Boys will perform in concert.
Friday, July 26
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. James Werning will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. “ALL SHOOK UP” STAGE PRODUCTION, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Leiman Mainstage, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy., Flat Rock. The FRP will perform “Separate Beds” July 26-Aug. 18. Showtimes are 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. The show is billed by the FRP as a “hilarious comedy debut about empty nesters at home.” For tickets, which are $20-$54, visit flatrockplayhouse.org. MUSIC ON MAIN STREET CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot next to Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The band Rock and Roll Reunion will perform for at the weekly Music on Main Street summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. THE B-52s’ CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., South Terrace, Biltmore House, Asheville. The B-52s will perform in concert.
Saturday, July 27
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore
STREET DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot, Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The weekly summer Street Dances series will feature Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition in a concert of bluegrass music, square dancing and clogging. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. Admission is free.
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Thursday, Aug. 1
LAKE TOMAHAWK CONCERT SERIES, 7-9 p.m., Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain. The Shay Lovette Trio will performf olk music in the outdoor concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free.
Friday, Aug. 2
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. The French Broad Trio will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. MUSIC ON MAIN STREET CONCERT/DANCE, 7-9 p.m., parking lot next to Visitor Center, 201 S. Main St., downtown Hendersonville. The Night Move band will perform for at the weekly Music on Main Street summer concert series. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. “WILLY WONKA” MUSICAL, 7:30 p.m., Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts, 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin. The show “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factor, the Musical” will be performed. For tickets, visit greatmountainmusic.com.
Saturday, Aug. 3
ASHEVILLE BANDSTAND CONCERT SERIES, 4-8:45 p.m., Antler Hill Village square, Biltmore Estate, Asheville. Clay Lunsford will perform. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and/or blankets. DINO & THE DREAMERS CONCERT/DANCE, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Firehouse Subs, 825 Spartanburg Hwy, Hendersonville. The Firehouse Subs Summer Concert Series will feature a perforance by Dino and the Dreamers, playing pop-rocksoul-beach song classics. Many of the attendees dance, while others watch. Before the concert, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., free line dance lessons will be offered. All are urged to bring lawnchairs. Admission is free. CHARLIE DANIELS BAND?MARSHALL TUCKER BAND CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., South Terrace, Biltmore House, Asheville The Charlie Daniels Band and the Marshall Tucker Band will perform in concert. PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE SHOW, 8 p.m., The Peace Center, downtown Greenville, S.C. Brit Floyd, billed as “the world’s greatest Pink Floyd tribute show,” will perform in a special 40th anniversary celebration of Pink Floyd’s iconic rock opera, “The Wall.” For tickets, visit www. peacecenter.org.
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‘South Pacific’
won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. What’s more, “South Pacific” came in second to Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s other huge hit, “Oklahoma!” for the longest running production at that point. Following a 2008 revival, the show won seven Tony Awards and was nominated in an additional four categories. Besides “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma!” Rodgers and Hammerstein also created smash Broadway hits such as “Carousel,” “The Sound of Music,” “The King and I,” “State Fair” and “A Grand Night for Singing,” to name a few. Interestingly, this production’s artistic director, Lisa Bryant, came full circle with the show, inasmuch as she acted in the lead role of Nellie in the FRP’s 2002 production of “South Pacific,” and now she is directing it. Popular hits from “South Pacific” include “Bal’i Ha’i,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening” and “There Is Nothing Like a Dame.” Besides the excellent work by Bryant. as the director, others making significant behind-the-curtain contributions to the show were Matthew Glover, who served as choreographer; Maddie Franke as dance captain; and Briana Stone as assistant dance captains. For perhaps the greatest musical of alltime, Alex Shields delivered as this production’s music director. Also, providing exceptional contributions as scenic, lighting, costume, sound and projection design, respectively, were Dennis C. Maulden, CJ Barnwell, Ashli Arnold Crump, David Gerena, and Patrick W. Lord. In addition, Cassidy Bowles excelled with design of the properties. “South Pacific,” which runs through July 6, is performed at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, at 8 p.m. Fridays, at 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. Sundays The FRP’s next productions are “Separate Beds,” July 11-20; and the Elvis-themed musical “All Shook Up,” July 26-Aug.18.
Continued from Page B1 As always with “South Paciufic,” arguably the greatest-ever musical with more songs than any other to be adopted permanently in the American songbook (and this reviewer’s personal favorite, just barely edging out “Singin’ in the Rain”), the show is worth atttending, if for no other reason than to hear the lush deep baritone operatic vocals by Andrew O’Shanick, who plays the co-lead role of well-read and culturally sophisticated French planter Emile De Becque. He becomes inescapably romantically entwined with lovable-but-rough-around-theedges nurse Nellie Forbush (Sara Stevens, in the co-lead role), who initially is saddled with small-town prejudices, but is amazed to find those from other lands and different from her (racially and/or cutlurally) to be interesting and charming. As such, Nellie grows ever more tolerant and, hence, lovable, as a character. What’s more, Stevens, brimming with vitality and talent, sparkles in her role, too. Based on James Michener’s 1948 Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Tales of the South Pacific,” which is a collection of sequentially related short stories about the Pacific campaign in World War II. The truths it reveals are truly timeless — and worth reviewing about 70 years later. “South Pacific,” first produced on Broadway in 1949, with songs by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein, tells the story of two couples on an island in the South Pacific during World War II. A young American nurse falls in love with a middle-aged expatriate French plantation owner, while a U.S. lieutenant and young Tonkinese woman spark a new romance. In an event promotion, the FRP said of the show’s plot, “Both relationships must overcome the insecurities and fears of possible social consequences, should these diverse couples marry. Their struggles are heightened by the ongoing war that brought them together and may tear them apart forever. A vibrant community ensemble of fellow nurses, soldiers, children, and locals weave these romances together.” Upon its premier, “South Pacific” became an immediAlways something new • Sales weather permitting ate success. The production won 10 Tony Awards, 2046 New Leicester Hwy. • including Best Musical, and
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B8 — July 2019 - Asheville Daily Planet