Mountain Xpress 02.17.21

OUR 27TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 27 NO. 29 FEB. 17-23, 2021

C O NT E NT S

FEATURES NEWS

12 THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES Black business owners navigate distinct challenges and opportunities

15 BUNCOMBE BEAT Community, Council share concerns on proposed hotel plan

OPPORTUNITY CRACKS Victoria “Vic” Isley took up her post as the new president and CEO of the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau Dec. 1 as the local tourism industry was wrapping up a difficult year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But signs of recovery are already stirring, and so are residents’ concerns about the impacts of tourism as the industry continues to grow.

COVER PHOTO Getty Images

WELLNESS

OF ANTIQUES, UNIQUES & REPURPOSED RARITIES!

NEWS

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18 THE ELEPHANT IN THE BATHROOM Physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

3 LETTERS 3 CARTOON: MOLTON

GREEN

20 SUNSHINE COALITION Solarize AshevilleBuncombe aims to make clean energy affordable

5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 6 COMMENTARY 8 NEWS 15 BUNCOMBE BEAT

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A&C

22 IMAGINARY MUSE Wayne Caldwell celebrates his debut poetry collection

16 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 18 WELLNESS 20 GREEN SCENE 22 ARTS & CULTURE

24 NEW IN FOOD Veggie tales, ungraped wine, Nani’s flies the coop and more

A&C

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26 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 26 CLASSIFIEDS 27 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

“You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye.”

— Larry Layton Asheville

Homeless camp removal shows need for better government response

CARTO O N BY R A N D Y MOLT O N

Keep Asheville a place for all The 2021 reappraisals from Buncombe County have arrived, much to the dismay of the many people posting on Nextdoor and my friends who are homeowners, as am I. While this is a reflection of how “hot” this area is in many neighborhoods, we are in the midst of a pandemic with reduced income and higher unemployment for many of us. The projected property taxes, using the 2020 formula and the higher valuation, will be an issue for many residents. If you are selling your house, it is fantastic. If you are an average person trying to stay in your house and pay all your bills, it may be difficult.

While we can file an appeal, there is no guarantee that the new figure will be significant enough to make much difference in your tax burden. Perhaps a better method would be to flood the emails and phones of county commissioners and City Council members expressing your desire for the property taxes to be adjusted to a “revenue neutral” basis for 2021. Maybe there are areas of the county and city budgets that can be analyzed and pared down, or the reserves built into them can be utilized.

These folks are elected by us and need to hear our concerns. Have a heart, elected officials, as many of us struggle to pay for housing/ food/heat, etc. If you do not have any financial issues, please think

of your neighbors who may be in a more dire situation.

Not only are the homeowners being affected by increased taxes, but the trickle down goes to renters, as landlords also need to cover their increased costs. As disposable income shrinks, it means less will be spent in local businesses.

Less sales tax revenue means less income for the county and city. It is a vicious cycle, and the solution is not always a property tax increase.

This area already has some of the highest rental costs in the state, and one can only wonder how many families will need to leave the county for more affordable outlying areas.

Asheville has had such a great marketing campaign for wellheeled visitors (many of whom are now residents) that we are evolving into a place only affordable to wealthy retirees and those with well-paying remote jobs. So where do the hotel, restaurant staff and other people in allied service fields go? It becomes more difficult to find a home close to their jobs, and we know parking is a serious issue, which adds to the commuting problem. Try researching the lyrics to Don Henley’s song “The Last Resort” and substitute Asheville’s mountains for Malibu’s coast.

Please reach out to those who control the taxes and our future direction with your complaints. We do have a voice, so please use it.

Think of those among us who are not wealthy and make the effort to maybe not “keep Asheville weird,” but to keep Asheville as a place for all. As the last line of the song goes,

The heartless action that destroyed a homeless encampment in Asheville on Feb. 1, one of the harshest weather days and nights of the season, is one that should shame those decision-makers responsible for ordering it to be done. While to err is human, to err in such a thoughtless, inhumane, cruel fashion, knowing those affected would most likely lose their belongings, their shelter, possibly not finding a place to shelter for the night, is inexcusable, in my opinion.

In addition, that government entities partner — one (Department of Transportation) destroying, the other (Asheville Police Department) supposedly rescuing — hardly makes sense to me, even under good weather conditions. If I had a choice, which obviously does

not exist, my tax dollars would be spent only on providing assistance in these instances, just as my volunteer dollars do through various helping agencies in town.

So, the paradoxical situation is that we pay taxes to allow destruction of humans’ property, means of surviving and dignity, while we voluntarily pay to improve those circumstances. Again, it makes no sense.

I would much rather to be able to realistically expect government agencies to think and act positively toward all their constituents, assisting those volunteers who are already showing us the humanitarian way as well as finding creative ways to improve life for the many underserved in the area.

— Sandra Houts Asheville Editor’s note: The nonprofit BeLoved Asheville announced that, following public outcry, the NCDOT will follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about removing homeless camps (avl.mx/8zr). Meanwhile, the Citizen Times reported that city and DOT officials are working

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OPI N I ON

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

together on new guidelines about camp removals (avl.mx/8zs).

Asheville must pass LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections

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As a gay and disabled male here in Asheville, I have had to worry about discrimination, rejection and not being welcomed for my entire life. Now, even in 2021, I continue to harbor these anxieties, partly because in the state of North Carolina, LGBTQ people like me lack concrete and explicit protections from discrimination. Without comprehensive nondiscrimination protections, LGBTQ people are unable to attain the same well-being and dignity of our neighbors.

The LGBTQ community has been historically unfairly treated, and mistreatment happens even today.

When humanity lacks understanding of people who are different, fear remains the greatest barrier for people coexisting harmoniously.

We can dismantle fear by granting the LGBTQ community our constitutional rights.

The Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners have a unique opportunity to be leaders on the issue of LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. Six other communities across North Carolina have enacted local nondiscrimination ordinances, and watching these ordinances pass has given me great joy — to finally see LGBTQ people lifted up and affirmed, rather than diminished and targeted for exclusion. I hope that elected leaders in Asheville and Buncombe County will soon step up and take action to ensure that LGBTQ folks like me feel safe, welcome and affirmed.

Nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community will

move us closer to a more civilized society — one where our oppressors can become our friends; where beauty is seen in unification from all the unique faces in humanity.

— John Kampmann Asheville

Destroying monument would be shortsighted 2020 being the year of bigger preoccupations, I think most people thought sound judgment would come from the City Council and, instead of removing the Vance Monument, it would simply have the name taken off. The uh-oh moment came when the appointed commission, conspicuously lacking local architects or representatives from historic preservation, came back with an 11-1 suggestion of removal. Obviously, this group was picked with a predetermined outcome in mind.

Growing up in North Carolina, I had a vague idea of Vance as the first governor from the western part of the state, but not being a likeness of him, never equated the obelisk with the person. I doubt the drummers who danced around “the vortex” in the early ’90s did, either.

It is just a cool piece of art with roots in antiquity.

Unlike the smooth finish of Washington’s obelisk, ours is rough hewn of local granite designed by Richard Sharp Smith, and now, with the art museum sphere, pays a local tongue-in-cheek homage to the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It would be a shortsighted to destroy it.

Councilwoman Sandra Kilgore’s excellent opinion piece in the Mountain Xpress [“Full Circle: Can Repurposing the Vance Monument Help Heal the Divide in Asheville?”

Jan. 27] should be a must-read for anyone deciding the obelisk’s fate.

— Steve Woolum Asheville

Show thanks to front-line cashiers Since the coronavirus became a part of our nomenclature, I have been very thankful for those individuals who are considered front-line patriots. I am speaking of the doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, caregivers and the front desk receptionist/administrators of the aforementioned.

However, I also have a great appreciation for a group of citizens who I feel may be overlooked. The

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN cashiers at our local grocery stores, convenience stores and drive-thru fast-food restaurants have given us a feel of normalcy. They do this at a great risk. The exchange of currency, the handling of merchandise and the exchange of air of all of us consumers put them in the line of fire. They then take their exposure home to children, spouses, parents and grandparents.

In the military, if a person is exposed to combat, they are given hazard pay. Our government can pull off this payment to our service members in budget agreements.

The local businesses listed above do not have this kind of excess in their budget. As consumers, we consider these businesses lifelines.

It is difficult to expect these businesses to expand wages when we are simply fortunate they remain open. Without the cashiers, we do not get the products we need. I think we should consider cashiers as front-line workers. We should appreciate the risks they are taking and show that appreciation by giving them an extra dollar over the order or at least telling them to keep the change.

— Mike Roberts Asheville

The problem with urban food gardening Urban food gardening is a cruel and destructive idea that is a major cause of homelessness on the part of the liberal elite, especially here in Asheville. Although suburban food gardening, over and near septic tanks and leach fields, is a viable idea, all land served by sewer lines is desperately needed for housing, both to end homelessness and to save fuel by reducing commuting distances.

The climate just can’t tolerate people commuting daily past food production instead of living closer to their jobs, and that’s in addition to homeless people needing to sleep in that space, roof or no roof; plus the difficulties inherent in keeping chemicals out of soils despite urban densities. It’s just a dumb idea and an elitist fixation among “progressives.”

Even mentioning commuting distances is a problem though, if it takes newsprint away from the overwhelming urgency of municipal environmental contraception.

—Alan Ditmore Leicester MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 17-23, 2021

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OPINION

Get real

“We must ask ourselves, will we build our economy on poison?”

P&W deal makes mockery of Peace Day proclamation

BY RACHAEL BLISS

Until recently, many community members believed that Buncombe County and even the state of North Carolina valued peace in all its forms. But Oct. 22, 2020, changed all that. Just one month after Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman signed an International Day of Peace proclamation, we learned that the county and state were awarding millions of incentive dollars to a company that will produce airfoils for F-35 bomber engines.

For years, a coalition of local activist groups has given out annual awards recognizing one or more individuals who have demonstrated a dedication to peace. We asked a number of our recent Peacemaker of the Year award winners how they felt about the news that Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies, plans to open a 1 million-square-foot facility on 100 acres of land given to them by Biltmore Farms for one penny an acre.

A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

Said Abdallah, a 2019 winner, grew up in occupied Palestine. “I was disappointed by the decision of the Buncombe County commissioners to approve the P&W project here,” he said. “Products from P&W, Raytheon and other defense industries are responsible for the widespread destruction of farmland and innocent people in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, Libya and Yemen.”

Brian Haynes, a 2020 Peacemaker, was an Asheville City Council member until last November. “While I’m sure the county commissioners rationalized their decision based on the number of jobs created and the above-average wages being offered, we are now casting our lot with a morally corrupt corporation that is ravaging both humanity and our planet,” he said.

Although many of those Peacemakers lamented the decisions by both the Buncombe County commissioners and North Carolina’s Economic Investment Committee to 6

FEB. 17-23, 2021

welcome a war profiteer into our community, some have gone a step further by creating RejectRaytheon AVL, a coalition of young environmentalists as well as activists for peace and social change.

“Just when we should be taxing large corporations and wealth more heavily to sustain essential services and help small businesses weather the pandemic, our Buncombe County leaders secretly promised even higher public subsidies for one of the most murderous, environmentally destructive megacorporations on the planet,” said Roger Ehrlich, NC Peace Action’s statewide 2019 award winner. “It only adds insult to injury that they pretend this is for the benefit of the most economically vulnerable. Increased development may eventually swell the county budget but will also come with longterm costs, reduced quality of life and increased cost of living. Job gains are dubious when one considers the P&W union workers being laid off in Connecticut.

“If the deal isn’t killed, more military-industrial development may follow and the power of these corporations locally will increase, but our freedom and future prospects will be compromised. It’s too late for the riparian forest they destroyed, but not too late for Asheville to live up to its vaunted reputation as a vortex of spirituality and activism.”

JOBS YES, WAR NO

Many of the Peacemakers I reached out to agreed that AshevilleBuncombe needs more jobs. But Robert Thomas of the Racial Justice Coalition, a 2020 winner, made the following point: “Being a Black man born and raised in Asheville, it’s hard for me to take a stance on the Raytheon project. You may say it is an easy decision for someone in social/racial justice work, but that is not true.

Growing up in post-urban renewal Asheville, opportunities for people of color were rapidly diminished by the destruction of our economic floor as a result of policies and intentional disenfranchisement, the school-to-prison pipeline, divest-

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— 2017 Peacemaker Amy Cantrell

RACHAEL BLISS ment in impoverished communities, forced residence within food deserts, implicit and explicit biases, predatory lending, blockbusting, the social determinants of health, racial profiling and so much more. When you add all these things up, it equals a situation where many of us have been forced into illegal activities to survive because gainful employment seemed to be only an illusion. It seems we’re always forced to choose between the lesser of two evils.

“You must ask yourself, ‘Can we not do better?’ It is wrong to have us choose between harming our environment and fellow human beings in a factory to survive, or doing the same thing in the streets. I may not have all the solutions, but I know that we need to do better than this.

When will we learn the lesson of reaping what we sow?”

Longtime local activist Anne Craig, a 2017 Peacemaker, offered an example of the kinds of employers Buncombe County should be recruiting. “In a recent issue of Mountain Xpress, I learned that the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development is working to bring Low Impact Technologies, an Australian producer of solar distillation equipment, to Fletcher.

Sixty new jobs with an average wage of $65,000 will be created there by 2025. Buncombe County and Asheville should be looking to bring similar visionary companies to our beautiful area, not a company that profits from selling equipment that results in death and destruction.”

The Buncombe County commissioners, she continued, displayed an

“overall lack of transparency until the deal was done and precluded our community from having real input about our economic development goals and shared strategies to achieve them. The secrecy of this project until it was virtually a done deal shows again how power and money influence our elected representatives.”

Another 2017 Peacemaker, the Rev. Amy Cantrell, summed up these folks’ disappointment at bringing an affiliate of the world’s third-largest weapons manufacturer into our neighborhood. “As a person who has lived in this community for more than 20 years, as a person who daily seeks to love and serve my neighbors in our mountain home, as a Peacemaker and as a mother, I plead with our commissioners to reverse their decision about Raytheon,” said Cantrell, who founded the local nonprofit BeLoved Asheville.

“We must ask ourselves, ‘What are we sowing in our community and in our world for generations to come?’ Will we build our economy on poison? Will we build our lives upon the pain and death of others?

“It is not too late to do the right thing,” she urged. “Sow not suffering but peace. Let us build a local economy, using the collective skills and gifts of our people, that benefits our people and makes for a healthy and happy humanity and planet.

In this time when the world has been so battered, it has never been more apparent that we don’t want to choose still more suffering. Let us instead make healing choices in this urgent hour.”

To learn more about the other side of the Pratt & Whitney deal, visit RejectRaytheonAVL.com or its Facebook page, RejectRaytheonAVL. Longtime Asheville activist Rachael Bliss, co-founder of WNC 4 Peace and associate member of Veterans for Peace Chapter 099, first ventured into this region as a VISTA worker at the Western North Carolina Alliance (now MountainTrue) and later worked at ABCCM. She retired eight years ago to devote herself to making “good trouble,” as civil rights icon John Lewis suggested. X

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NEWS

Stay awhile

New TDA boss sketches post-pandemic tourism plans

BY DANIEL WALTON dwalton@mountainx.com

Leftover promotional surfboards from Asheville’s 2020 Maui Invitational basketball tournament notwithstanding, no one would mistake Western North Carolina for a tropical island paradise. Yet Victoria “Vic” Isley, the new president and CEO of the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, says the area has much in common with the last destination she was in charge of promoting: Bermuda.

Tourism in both places, Isley points out, is closely linked to their geography, whether that be the Blue Ridge Mountains or sparkling Atlantic beaches. Both, she says, are home to “very creative and passionate communities.” And both depend on visitors as a major driver of jobs.

Isley took the reins of Explore Asheville, which manages occupancy tax revenues on behalf of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, on Dec. 1. Her arrival from the Bermuda Tourism Authority came at the end of a year that saw the biggest dip in local travel since 2009. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying economic recession, overall Buncombe County hotel occupancy averaged 50% throughout 2020, down from 73% in 2019. Room sales for the year, roughly $291 million, were at their lowest level since 2015, with sales of just over $2.4 million in April.

But signs of a recovery are already stirring. In October, before any COVID-19 vaccine had been approved for use in the United States,

TAR HEEL TRAVELER: Victoria “Vic” Isley, the new president and CEO of the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, grew up in North Carolina and started her tourism career at the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Photo courtesy of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority Buncombe County recorded its best-ever month of room sales: over $53.7 million. And according to survey data presented at a Jan. 27 meeting of the BCTDA board by Marla Tambellini, Explore Asheville’s vice president of marketing, nearly 60% of people are excited for leisure travel in 2021.

You know us in print each week,

Isley will now be paid at least $245,000 per year to shepherd that recovery. She faces pressure from the area’s business leaders to resume strong growth in a vital economic sector — as well as from community members who feel they haven’t reaped adequate benefits from that growth in the past.

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BACK AT IT AGAIN

Key to Isley’s strategy will be the resumption of paid advertising for Asheville as a destination, which the TDA almost entirely paused in May in light of COVID-19. That campaign is currently scheduled to begin sometime in the spring, with ads distributed over streaming video, web display, social media and other platforms.

The two-pronged target audience for the new plan is much narrower than that outlined in late 2019, when Atlanta-based agency 360i first began developing local tourism ads. Messaging will aim at roughly 14 million high-income “established explorers,” older travelers seeking a premium experience, and about 8 million medium-income “diverse adventurers,” primarily millennials who are “invested in pop culture and trends.”

Visitation to the area, Isley acknowledges, hasn’t dropped proportionally with ad spending. While the BCTDA’s marketing expenses from July through December were down over 55% compared with the same period in 2019, year-over-year room sales for the same period decreased just 11%. She says that difference comes from Asheville’s momentum as a destination, especially as coronavirus concerns led many travelers to actively seek outdoor options.

“Places like Asheville, Lake Placid [N.Y.], Palm Springs [Calif.] and Aspen [Colo.] have certainly been able to ride on the coattails of that popularity of those open spaces and fresh air that people are longing for,” Isley says. “We’re not going to be able to sustain that well into the future, so that’s where you see the efforts that we’re starting in terms of reentering and engaging and inviting visitors to the community.”

To those who suggest Asheville might rest on its laurels, Isley gives the example of San Diego, which cut tourism marketing funding by 83% in 2013 following political pressure. A case study by the U.S. Travel Association tied that decision to $63 million in lost room revenues and $24 million in lost local taxes before the city restored the original funding levels.

“They pulled the plug, and it was sustainable for a while,” Isley says.

“And then they lost ground, and they scrambled to get back in the marketplace and with a concerted destination messaging effort.”

HOME SWEET HOTEL

One part of the tourism sector is emerging from the pandemic stronger than it entered: short-term vacation rentals, which saw sales rise by more than 50% from June through

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N EWS November 2020 compared with the same months in 2019. Roughly a third of all occupancy taxes collected in Buncombe County now come from stays at STRs, with less than twothirds coming from hotels.

Isley says she recognizes the role STRs play in the area’s lodging mix and is committed to giving their operators more support from the TDA. While conversations are in the early stages, she’s reached out to Jackson Tierney, co-founder of the Asheville Homestay Network, to build stronger connections and get a handle on local needs. She adds that she’s previously worked with national STR platform Airbnb on matters of both marketing and public policy.

That attitude, says Tierney, is a welcome change from the approach of Isley’s predecessor, Stephanie Pace Brown. He says all STRs have previously been barred from advertising on the tourism authority’s website over concerns that some might be operating illegally, even the 700-plus homestays that are explicitly permitted by the city of Asheville. TDA staff, he continues, has also rejected the possibility of booking rooms for those attending conferences and other group events at vacation rentals instead of hotels.

“I think there has been this culture of teaming with the hoteliers, who have been the primary source of the money over so many years.

We’re just coming in strong and hard, and maybe they’re not able to react as quickly and be as accepting.”

Tierney suggests. “With [Isley] being new, there’s an opportunity to reset the culture.”

Also at play is the composition of the TDA board, whose nine voting members currently include no STR owners or managers. Tierney says that setup creates “taxation without representation”; he’d like to see two new seats, one specifically designated for an Asheville homestay operator

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and the other for a short-term rental entrepreneur in the outlying areas of the county.

LEGAL MATTERS

Isley can seek to shift the tourism authority’s attitude toward vacation rentals on her own, but changes to the makeup of the board must come through new legislation by the N.C. General Assembly. “We fully expect that to happen this year,” she says, although the precise details remain under discussion.

Julie Mayfield, the Democratic state senator representing Asheville and the western two-thirds of Buncombe County, confirms that legislative adjustments are on track to meet that schedule. She expects to introduce a bill regarding the TDA in conjunction with Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards, who represents the remainder of Buncombe County, by Thursday, March 11, the legislature’s deadline for new locally focused laws to be considered in 2021.

Mayfield emphasizes that the board’s membership won’t be the only item included in such a bill.

“My primary goal is to get more of the occupancy tax dollars put back into the community in a way that makes people in our community feel more supported by the tourism industry,” she says. “My constituents are demanding a change to this legislation, and I will do my best to deliver it.”

Local government officials and tourism industry leaders, Mayfield says, are in “universal agreement” that more occupancy tax revenue should be put toward community needs. State law currently requires 75% of that revenue to pay for tourism advertising, with 25% for local capital projects that attract visitors; the new split would be 66%-33% along the same lines.

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There’s also a general willingness to expand how that third of the room tax could be used, Mayfield continues. Instead of just supporting capital projects, she suggests, those revenues might prop up Asheville’s transit system, which would help tourism industry workers reach their jobs and free up city taxes for other purposes.

“We are supportive of conversations around occupancy tax allocation adjustments that afford balanced recovery for tourism to support jobs for local residents and businesses — as well as shared benefits for the community as a whole,” Isley says about the TDA staff’s stance toward those proposals.

But Mayfield says other uses for occupancy tax revenue, particularly affordable housing, are off the table thanks to lobbying by the powerful N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association. She notes that the statewide industry group watches any changes to Buncombe County’s tourism laws closely because the region’s visitor economy is so large. Additional flexibility in tax spending here, she explains, could pressure other state tourist destinations to follow suit.

“The precedent that we set matters a lot. A lot of people will have their eyes on this bill in ways that they don’t on other TDAs,” Mayfield says.

“It’s just not our decision. Ideally, it would be.”

PEOPLE POWER

Even if those changes go through, Buncombe residents will likely still call for a bigger slice of the tourism pie. In recent months, that discussion has revolved around the Tourism Product Development Fund, the pot of funding supported by the 25% portion of the occupancy tax. As of Dec. 31, the fund contained nearly $3 million in unallocated money.

TDA board member Andrew Celwyn and many community members have called for that money to be distributed in a manner similar to a $5 million COVID-19 relief program authorized by the legislature last summer. But Celwyn’s colleagues have said such a move is both politically infeasible and unwise in the face of continued uncertainty around the pandemic.

“That is not my decision as staff,” says Isley, when asked for her professional opinion on the use of those funds for coronavirus relief. “I do not have a position on that, nor is it my role to have that.”

Long-term plans for use of the product development funds are also on indefinite hold. Isley says she’s “taking in perspectives” regarding the Tourism Management Investment Plan, a roughly $440,000 project to establish new guidelines for community spending originally scheduled for completion in April 2020. She would not provide more details or a revised timeline.

Meanwhile, anti-tourism sentiment continues to circulate among residents who feel exploited by the industry or harmed by its impacts. Roughly 60 people gathered downtown on Feb. 8 to protest new hotel construction, with “Abolish the TDA” among their rallying cries. And a recent satirical video attacking the organization for encouraging visitors during the pandemic was removed from social media over copyright violation claims at the authority’s request.

Isley says her approach to those dissatisfied with the TDA starts with listening. “I think listening is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans. And you can’t find common ground if you don’t listen,” she explains. “There are reasons that people have the feelings that they do, and to be open to hearing that is the start of the process.” X

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MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 17-23, 2021

11

NEWS

The struggle continues

Black business owners navigate distinct challenges and opportunities

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com “I believe that opportunity is everywhere at all times,” says J Hackett, who co-owns Grind Coffee Co. in the River Arts District with Gene Ettison.

“We just have to recognize it.”

Turning opportunity into business success, however, has historically been more difficult for Hackett and other Black entrepreneurs than for their white counterparts.

Citing a report by Dwight Mullen’s State of Black Asheville project (which draws on data from the U.S. Census Bureau), Hackett notes that local Black workers still earn 70% less than white workers. There’s also the 2018 study conducted by Denver-based BBC Research and Consulting which found that 0.5% of city contracts went to Blackowned businesses between 2012 and 2017. The latter study prompted the Asheville City Council in November 2020 to adopt a business inclusion policy to help boost minority contracting — a move that Hackett applauds but notes is only one piece of the ongoing struggle for equity.

“As with any marginalized community that’s coming into some structure that was not set up for them to benefit, there is a type of good old boys club,” Hackett says, pointing to a lack of information for minority entrepreneurs about available resources.

Furthermore, many business owners of color are “overcoming intergenerational poverty,” meaning that early-stage funding help from friends and family members is rarely an option for Black entrepreneurs.

Rather, says Hackett, “You just hustle until it becomes a business.”

Indeed, Hackett says he and Ettison “bootstrapped” the expenses for Grind, using individual savings from their prior businesses and “just committed to doing it.” From there, he credits landlords Randy Shull and Hedy Fisher for providing “great terms” and only requiring a portion of the initial lease payments up-front.

Likewise accommodating was local Black carpenter Exly Lewis, who allowed the Grind team to pay half the cost of the build-out at the project’s outset and the rest in installments.

“We negotiated terms for our initial supplies and thought to push as much traffic as possible to the [Sept. 26] grand opening in order to recoup 12

FEB. 17-23, 2021

HISTORY MONTH

that Coleman believes will benefit all residents.

“I think it creates the truest and most honest and natural form of diversity for a community which is a bit lacking in diversity. It’s connecting people through art, music, food, culture — whatever it is,” he says. “And I think, certainly, with the creation of new Black businesses, it’s going to bring in new classes of travelers and tourists and people interested in those communities from other areas, and that can only be a great thing. And I think what that’ll end up doing is create a real sort of vision of America in Asheville — not so one-sided toward one community or the other.”

PAY IT FORWARD: SoundSpace@Rabbit’s owners Claude Coleman Jr., right, and Brett Spivey are dedicated to honoring the legacy of Asheville’s Blackowned businesses while restoring the former Rabbit’s Motel property to its former glory and beyond. Photo by Will Hornaday costs,” Hackett says. “It was a success. The momentum allowed us to pay all our bills and prepare for the next few months.”

SENSE OF DUTY

Having navigated the tricky startup phase, Hackett says he feels it’s important to share the benefits of the support he’s received with others. Grind allows business owners of all colors to use its brick-and-mortar location as a corporate address (which Hackett says helps entrepreneurs access credit), rent mailboxes and use in-house print services.

Claude Coleman Jr., co-owner of the new SoundSpace@Rabbit’s Music Rehearsal Studios, feels a similar sense of duty to pass along the knowledge he’s gained on his entrepreneurial journey while also honoring and building upon Asheville’s Black business history.

Part of that motivation stems from how he acquired the former Rabbit’s Motel at 109 McDowell St., which the SoundSpace website describes as “a crown jewel of Black-owned tourist courts for African American travelers in the segregation-era South.”

Upon learning of the property’s rich history, Coleman wrote to owner Louella Massey Byrd laying out his ideas for SoundSpace. He and busi-

MOUNTAINX.COM

ness partner Brett Spivey, who is white, envisioned a hub for musicians and artists, complete with a soul food kitchen like the motel once had.

Though she’d already received two cash offers, Byrd was so moved by the proposal that she put Coleman and Spivey ahead of the competition.

“We’re all about carrying over the opportunity that was bestowed upon us, that was bestowed upon the original owners, which was connected to these beautiful communities — these Black communities that have been forgotten but were full of Black prosperity,” Coleman says.

“The Block downtown was one of the biggest Black-owned business districts in the South,” he continues.

“That was our Black Wall Street, and we had many amazing Black communities — streets lined with hotels and drive-ins and funeral homes and so forth.”

After a soft opening in mid-October to iron out the inevitable wrinkles, SoundSpace officially began operations on Dec. 5. Coleman says a “trickle” of bookings has increased over the past two months despite the restrictions and precautions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He sees the uptick in volume and the community’s enthusiasm for the project as harbingers of success for both SoundSpace and other local Blackowned businesses, a big-picture goal

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

During his decade-plus of owning and operating McKnight Tire at 395 Haywood Road, Robert McKnight witnessed the kind of consistent, intentional community support that Hackett and Coleman cite as likely drivers to their fledgling businesses’ future success. He adds that the Glenn Queen family, which owns the property, wanted to see the auto repair shop succeed and maintained an affordable rent, only raising the amount by $100 in the last few years to keep up with rising property taxes.

McKnight says he would probably still be fixing cars if his father Willie McKnight’s heart condition hadn’t worsened. But the strain of caring for his father (who passed away in late January) and running the shop gradually became overwhelming.

McKnight Tire closed in 2019, leaving that part of town with only a handful of Black-owned businesses.

The property has since been renovated, and Cellarest Beer Project will soon open in McKnight’s old spot (see “Good neighbors,” Xpress, Dec. 23, 2020). McKnight doubts the new

HOSEA JACKSON

business will see much patronage from the Black community, which he estimates comprises “more than 50% of West Asheville” and largely steers clear of breweries and many other types of business being added to Haywood Road. Factor in the rising cost of real estate, and he says it feels like recent shifts are “pushing the community out.” “[Those kind of businesses] are making money, but they’re not relying on the [Black] community dollar. Then you’ve got the African American community having to push out and go elsewhere, all over town, instead of being right in their neighborhood,” McKnight says. “It’s kind of crazy, because the Black dollar doesn’t circulate that long in the Black community.”

KEEP IT GOING

While McKnight Tire is gone, Hosea Jackson’s Haywood Lounge continues to see steady to-go business from loyal customers. Jackson says his clientele has become dramatically more diverse since he transitioned the private club to a restaurant specializing in chicken wings in 2014, going from roughly an 80/20 Black/ white split to nearly 50/50. He notes the change coincided with West Asheville’s overall rise in popularity and an increase in the number of

businesses on Haywood Road, which led to big bump in foot traffic.

“Everybody had an idea of what my business was because it’s Blackowned. They were speculating, ‘It’s this, it’s that,’” Jackson says. “The food brought the diversity in. It’s kind of weird that food can be so powerful.

The people who wouldn’t normally probably stop stopped and became a customer.”

Jackson began leasing the space as a youngster of 19 in 1998 and purchased the property in 2011. Considering the skyrocketing rents of the past decade, Jackson says he’s not sure he’d still be in business if he hadn’t bought when he did. And like his peers, he believes it’s his duty to share his hard-won knowledge with other prospective Black entrepreneurs.

What really keeps him in the game, however, is the prospect of passing on the business to his children in the future. Despite the sizable profit he stands to gain from selling, he likes the idea of continuity.

“It’s always been important for me to stay in the community, and I hope that if my kids were to take it over, they’ll hold it in the community, too,” Jackson says. “Who knows? They’ve got so many ideas. They’re so ready for business right now. It’s totally up to them, but that’s what I ask — that they keep it the same and keep it going.” X

Good luck housing Kimmy Hunter is on a mission.

A licensed real estate broker with prior entrepreneurial experience in wedding/event planning and small businesses consulting, the 17-year local resident was inspired to better serve the Asheville community after noticing headache-inducing patterns in her chosen field.

“I was getting frustrated that many of our Black clients looking to sell and purchase homes were facing outrageous obstacles that I felt like I needed to contribute to the solution,” says Hunter. “I started searching for a business I could buy and noticed Wishbone Tiny Homes was for sale.”

Hunter purchased the company in December from co-founder Teal Brown, who’s agreed to stay on as an active advisor and coach his successor through the construction process. With that new knowledge, she’ll embark upon three ambitious initiatives:

Show love to at least 8 of your favorite local businesses over the 28 days in February Choose local-independent businesses over Amazon and corporate behemoths @golocalasheville #828golocalchallenge

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13

N EWS

Neighborhoods unite E.W. Pearson Collaborative hosts first Racial Equity and Healing event

As community members wait for city leaders to make good on their commitment to reparations, residents of Asheville’s historically Black neighborhoods are taking matters into their own hands. On Thursday, Feb. 25, the E.W. Pearson Project Collaborative will host its first Racial Equity and Healing event to discuss meaningful solutions for historic racial inequities.

“We’re basing this on two things,” says Renée White, one of the event’s organizers. “One, there’s been no reparations. And secondly, it’s time for us to attempt to bring back some unity, some camaraderie within our neighborhoods and try to look at racial disparities and injustice from a different perspective.”

It’s the first event planned by the E.W. Pearson Project Collaborative, the formalized coalition of the Burton Street, East End/Valley Street and Shiloh Community neighborhood associations and the nonprofit Project Lighten Up. The free virtual program will share strategies for working with elected leaders to create and implement sustainable policy changes; a panel

HISTORY MONTH

THOUGHT LEADERS: The upcoming E.W. Pearson Project Racial Equity and Healing event will tackle some hefty topics: systemic racism, inequality and injustice. From left, panelists Richard White III, Rima Vesely-Flad and Seth L. Bellamy will discuss reparations in the context of education, public policy and the justice system. Headshots courtesy of the E.W. Pearson Project Collaborative discussion will focus on effective ways to address inequity in public policy, education and the justice system.

Panelists include Seth L. Bellamy, the student body president at the

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School of Inquiry and Life Sciences at Asheville and a youth activist; Rima Vesely-Flad, a Warren Wilson College professor who studies Black liberation in the context of the justice system; and Richard White III,

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Asheville’s assistant city manager and interim director of the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion.

The team wanted to amplify community members who are doing important work but who aren’t the “usual suspects” who tend to dominate racial equity conversations, Renée White notes.

As Vesely-Flad thinks about reparations, she sees both lofty ideals that are vital to building strong movements and practical steps to advance the cause. In her portion of the discussion, she plans to focus on legislative advocacy and how reparations can directly impact families affected by the justice system. “I’m thinking about the people for whom work on reparations really matters,” she says.

The hope, Renée White says, is to educate people from different sectors and walks of life on the “large topics” of racial inequity, opportunity gaps and what constitutes reparations. If everyone’s on the same page, she suggests, neighborhoods are more likely to see positive results.

“I think in a time when the city, state and country are so divided, it’s important that we come together,” she says. “Whether you’re Black, white, purple or green, we need some unity.”

More information and online registration for the event are available at avl.mx/8zt.

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2:004:30pm

Alternatives to State-Sanctioned Violence

2:004:30pm

Time Travel: The Journey that My Spirit Took to Heal My Soul w/ Robert Thomas, Jr.

w/ Dawn Blagrove, Executive Director, Emancipate NC

Community Liaison, Asheville’s Racial Justice Coalition

Information & Registration: storymedicineworldwide.com

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Community, Council share concerns on proposed hotel plan Asheville’s proposed system for approving future lodging developments, more than 15 residents told City Council on Feb. 9, will fail to stem an influx of projects that extract community resources and prioritize profits over residents struggling to make ends meet.

The lengthy critiques came just two weeks before Asheville’s hotel moratorium is scheduled to expire on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Originally intended for one year, the temporary pause on all new lodging projects was extended in September so Council members and staff could create a more effective review process. But after months of discussion, two Council work sessions and multiple opportunities for public engagement, frustrated residents told Council the final proposals did little to advance equity or support employees working in the service industry.

“If we don’t set these standards incredibly high right now, the historical laws of entropy suggest that we’re not going to come back in the next month and tweak them to make it more difficult for hotels to pass,” said Emily Peele, a commenter from the South Slope.

For the last 18 months, city staff has worked to “improve predictability and transparency” in the hotel development process, said Todd Okolichany, Asheville’s director of planning and urban design, in his presentation to Council. If adopted, the new process would outline several criteria for new lodging developments: Projects must be located within a newly created Hotel Overlay zoning map, contribute to a series of public benefits and meet design and building standards. If all of those steps were met, hotels could be approved at the staff level.

Council members pushed back on several aspects of the plan. The proposed overlay map currently includes four areas that staff believes may include parcels the city purchased through urban renewal. Vice Mayor Sheneika Smith, backed by member Kim Roney, asked that these areas be removed from the map until they could be assessed by the yet-to-beformed reparations commission.

Roney added that she would only support the project if the number of public benefit points developers are required to meet was raised substan-

NO MORE: Asheville’s hotel moratorium is set to expire on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Community members criticized the proposed system to approve future lodging development at Asheville City Council’s meeting of Feb. 9. The 132-room AC Hotel opened in 2017. Photo courtesy of McKibbon Hospitality tially. As it stands, developers of large hotel projects only need to reach a minimum of 180 points, with credit for contributions to Asheville’s housing trust fund (60-180 points) or reparations fund (80-120 points), offering a living wage to all employees (60 points), becoming B Corp certified (180 points) and other options.

“My suggestion is to take the top points from each category and make that the new minimum,” Roney said.

“This is not the time to devalue our community.”

Mayor Esther Manheimer also expressed a willingness to raise the minimum number of required public benefit points. But that move could backfire, warned Gwen Wisler: If developers are forced to pay more toward benefits, it could raise room rates citywide.

Sage Turner, who chaired Asheville’s Downtown Commission before being elected to Council in November, shared concerns about the design review process. The design review bodies of the Downtown and Riverfront commissions both voted against the proposed changes, she said, and Council would not directly appoint members to the proposed hotel review board.

“I am not opposed to going back to conditional zoning while we work on this to get it really right,” Turner said, referencing the pre-moratorium rules by which Council separately considered each lodging project above 20 rooms. “I’m not opposed to continuing the moratorium for a little bit to continue our work on this.

I know I might be alone in that, but I

think there’s more work that we need to do and I still have existing concerns that haven’t been addressed.”

The city does not have the authority to extend the current hotel mor-

atorium any longer without facing potential legal repercussions, argued City Attorney Brad Branham. State law also prohibits North Carolina municipalities from excluding all new hotels through zoning codes, he added.

But Council does have the ability to halt all future lodging development in practice, countered commenters. If the city returns to caseby-case review at the Council level, members could theoretically reject all incoming proposals.

“It’s not enough for [developers] to pay a few fees here or there into things that promote equity and whatnot,” said Victoria Estes, a caller from Asheville. “We don’t need any more hotels, period. I would prefer that you keep it the old way, where all hotels have to go through Council inspection, so the community can continue to have a voice on each and every project.”

Because of public hearing requirements outlined in North Carolina’s virtual meeting guidelines, members will vote on this issue at their meeting of Feb. 23.

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— Molly Horak X

FEB. 17-23, 2021

15

COMMUNITY CALENDAR FEB. 17-26, 2021

istration required, $20, jeweloftheblueridge. com

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, ext. 137.

For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

What’s MetroWines Drinking?

Staff favorites presented by wine buyer Brett Watson.

FR (2/19), 5:30pm, Free, avl.mx/prvh

In-Person Events = Shaded All other events are virtual

ART BMC Museum + Arts Center: A Generous Vision A conversation with Cathy Curtis, author of A Generous Vision: The Creative Life of Elaine de Kooning.

WE (2/17), 1pm, Free, avl.mx/906 Slow Art Friday: Reading Faces Discussion led by touring docent Hank Bovee at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (2/19), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8yw Jackson Arts Market Live demonstrations by local artists.

SA (2/20), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva AAM Conversation with the Curator: Vantage Points Presented by Carrie Springer of the Whitney Museum of American Art. TH (2/25), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/90b Slow Art Friday: The Color Blue, Finding Meaning in You Discussion led by touring docent Megan Pyle at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (2/26), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/90c

Blue Ridge Orchestra: Music Trivia Night Proceeds benefit education programs.

FR (2/19), 7:30pm, $10, avl.mx/903

The Meccore String Quartet Concert presented by the Asheville Chamber Music Series.

FR (2/26), 7:30pm, Free, avl.mx/90d

LITERARY WNC Historical Association: LitCafe Featuring Ann Miller Woodford, author of When All God's Children Get Together.

TU (2/23), 6pm, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8zv UNCA Visiting Writer Series Featuring poet and essayist Claudia Rankine.

WE (2/24), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/90h YMI: Black Experience Book Club Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

TH (2/25), 6:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/prvj

ACTIVISM Silent Vigil for Immigration Reform Organized by Progressive Alliance of Henderson County.

FR (2/19), 4pm, 1 Historic Courthouse Square, Hendersonville Asheville City Council Formal meeting.

TU (2/23), 5pm, avl.mx/7b5

BUYING OLD PAPER MONEY 10 yrs WNC/ETN notes, bonds, maps, currency etc.

Member SPMC, NCNA, SCNA, TNS

msg/ txt 865-207-8994 or email papermoneybuy@gmail.com

16

Gardening in the Mountains: Lawns & Weeds Workshop by NC State Haywood County Extension. Register to get Zoom info: mgarticles@charter.net.

WE (2/17), 1pm, Free

Wortham Center: Stage Makeup Workshop Presented by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

FR (2/26), 7pm, Registration required, $28, avl.mx/8yx

MUSIC & DANCE Wortham Center Ballet Workshop: The Dying Swan Presented by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

FR (2/19), 7pm, Registration required, $28, avl.mx/8yx

FARM & GARDEN

FEB. 17-23, 2021

MORE CHORDS, MORE TRUTH: Rouleau Real Estate Group will feature Asheville-based R&B artist Juan Holladay in a livestreamed concert. Joined by jazz musician Ben Hovey, the singer and guitarist will share tracks from the forthcoming EP Beauty Sleep, the result of collaborations with various local artists. avl.mx/90k. Free. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 5:30 p.m. Photo courtesy of the artist BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY Goodwill Career Quest: Continuous Improvement Culture Featuring Emerson Automation Solutions.

WE (2/17), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8wq SCORE: Business Model Canvas Workshop for women 50 and older.

WE (2/17), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8wo AARP Fraudcast: Cyberfraud How to protect yourself from fraud online.

WE (2/17), 10:30am, Free, avl.mx/8z7 Pack Library: Computer Skills Course Creating, editing and organizing pictures, files and folders.

FR (2/19), 11am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/prvi SCORE: How to Find Your Customers Presented by Tom Mock.

SA (2/20), 10am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/prvg

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Leadership Asheville Winter Buzz Breakfast Talk on public art and monument selection by Monument Lab director Paul Farber.

TH (2/18), 8:30am, Registration required, avl.mx/8z8 Justice Matters Tour Behind the scenes at Pisgah Legal.

TH (2/18), 12pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/7ur Asheville Friends of Astrology Monthly meeting.

FR (2/19), 7pm, fb.com/ ashevilleastrology Black Mountain Library: The Life & Work of Miss Hallie Quinn Brown Presented by Warren Wilson history professor Daleah Goodwin.

TU (2/23), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/90g Pack Library: Spanish Conversation Group For adult language learners.

TH (2/25), 5pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ty

SCORE: The Day-Job Side-Hustle Juggle Led by Eliza Burr.

TU (2/23), 12pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/90e

WNC Historical Association: Intro to WNC Lecture Series I Featuring Peter Koch on the settlement of WNC. TH (2/25), 6:30pm, Registration required, $5, avl.mx/8zx

The Collider: Color of Science Featuring Alan Emtage, creator of the first internet search engine.

TH (2/25), 5pm, Free, avl.mx/90f

UNCA: Chemistry & Biochemistry Seminar COVID-19 response research presented by David Rakestraw.

FR (2/26), 2:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/90i

MOUNTAINX.COM

FOOD & BEVERAGE Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard: Country Winemaking How to make fruit, vegetable, root, flower and berry wines.

WE (2/17), 7pm, Reg-

Bullington Gardens: Masses of Grasses Workshop Led by Shannon Currey.

FR (2/19), 3pm, $12, avl.mx/8z3

NC Arboretum: The Art of the Bonsai Presented by curator Arthur Joura.

TH (2/25), 4pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/909

WELLNESS Alzheimer’s Association: Navigating a Dementia Diagnosis Panel discussion on the power of planning.

WE (2/17), 12pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8y4 Early Bird Yoga All ages and abilities.

Register: avl.mx/907.

SA (2/20), 9:45am, $8, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

SPIRITUALITY Baha'i Devotional: A Spiritual Renewal Devotional with prayers and music.

WE (2/17), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8yv Groce UMC: A Course in Miracles Group Study Register to get Zoom link: 828-712-5472.

MO (2/22), 6:30pm, Free Mills River Presbyterian Church: Author Reading & Discussion Featuring Sarah Loudin Thomas, author of The Right Kind of Fool. Register to get Zoom link: ZiprikPR@ gmail.com.

TH (2/25), 7pm, Free

VOLUNTEERING

Organic Growers School: Farm Dreams Workshop Workshop on sustainable farming practices, planning and resources.

SA (2/20), 10am, Registration required, $55, avl.mx/8wk

Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free naloxone, syringes and educational material on harm reduction.

TU (2/23), 2pm, Firestorm Books, 610 Haywood Rd

Red Cross Blood Drive Register with code AshevilleOutlets: redcrossblood.org/ give.

SA (2/20), 10am-2pm, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

ASAP: Business of Farming Conference Sessions on business planning, marketing and management for professional and aspiring farmers.

TH (2/25), 10:30am, Registration required, avl.mx/8uL

Council on Aging: Introduction to Medicare How to avoid penalties and save money.

TH (2/25), 2pm, Registration required, Free, coabc.org

Edible Park Community Work Day Mulching, pruning and clearing invasive plants.

FR (2/26), 2:30pm, Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

CLUBLAND

Online Event= q WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17 ROULEAU REAL ESTATE GROUP q Satisfy Your Art’s Desire: Juan Holladay (soul, R&B), 5:30pm, avl.mx/90k OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia Night, 6:30pm ISIS MUSIC HALL q Patrick Lendeza (Hawaiian slack-key guitarist), 7pm, avl.mx/8xp THE GREY EAGLE q Travis Book Happy Hour w/ Nicki Bluhm (bluegrass), 7pm, avl.mx/8xq SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8pm, avl.mx/8uc

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night w/ The Lads AVL, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE q Jon Stickley Trio (jazz), 8pm, avl.mx/905

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 ISIS MUSIC HALL Kevin Daniel Band (rock), 7pm

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS David Payne (solo acoustic), 2pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Carrie & Andrew (folk), 2:30pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Billy Litz (solo multi-instrumentalist), 3pm WEHRLOOM HONEY MEADERY Music & Mead w/ Phantom Pantone DJ Collective, 4pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm ISA'S FRENCH BISTRO James Hammel (solo acoustic), 5pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (bluegrass), 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Scoundrel's Lounge (rock, blues), 7pm

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21

ISIS MUSIC HALL q House of Hamill (Celtic, folk), 7pm, avl.mx/904

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Trivia Night, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia Night, 6:30pm ISIS MUSIC HALL q Darden Smith (folk), 7pm, avl.mx/prvf

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25

SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Collin Cheek (solo acoustic), 2pm

MILLS RIVER BREWING CO. Swanny Byrd (Americana), 2pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING The Lads (acoustic originals), 2pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night w/ The Lads AVL, 6pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 17-23, 2021

17

WELLNESS

The elephant in the bathroom Physical therapy for pelvic floor dysfunction

BY LESLIE BOYD

then passing an exam. Martin says she’s now most of the way through the process.

The fact that the dysfunction affects women more than men also helps explain why the problem was ignored for so long, says Martin.

Historically, women’s health concerns have often been overlooked, resulting in poorer outcomes from such ailments as heart disease and some cancers, and increased suffering from issues related to pregnancy and childbirth, such as postpartum depression and sexual dysfunction.

Against that backdrop, being able to help her patients get relief is part of what makes her specialty rewarding, notes Martin.

Amanda Hayes Fugate also offers pelvic floor therapy through her private practice, Pelvic Forward. Like Martin, she treats both women and men. “People are happy to learn they don’t have to take medicines or have surgery,” she says, adding that she’s seen a definite rise in demand for the therapy over the years. “I think people are more open about things today: Celebrities are very open about having babies and the problems they experience. That raises awareness.”

leslie.boyd@gmail.com As a young woman, Winslow Umberger could easily sleep through the night. But when she got older, she started having to get up to use the bathroom. At first, it was one or two trips a night, and she had no trouble getting back to sleep.

“I chalked it up to having had three babies,” she says, adding, “It’s just part of aging.”

Over time, though, those trips became more frequent, and while she could still get back to sleep, she didn’t feel rested in the morning. “When I got to seven times a night, I knew I had to do something,” she recalls.

A urologist suggested she try Kegel exercises, which contract and release the muscles of the pelvic floor, and also offered medication that would reduce the urge to go when the bladder isn’t full. But the exercises didn’t help much, and Umberger was reluctant to take medication or have surgery, so she began exploring other options.

The pelvic floor muscles keep the bladder, rectum, uterus and prostate in place, and when they’re not healthy, it can lead to a range of issues. Further complicating matters, embarrassment often deters people from talking about these problems, which are not exactly dinner table conversation. Instead, they may simply try to cope with the situation themselves rather than seeking treatment.

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STRONG AND STABLE: Zoe Martin, right, and colleague Courtney Jones demonstrate a core-strengthening technique that also helps improve pelvic floor function. Photo courtesy of Martin Umberger, however, says, “I’m a living organism and I know that, so I’m not ashamed to ask for help.”

LESS IS MORE

Being older and having had babies are common causes of pelvic floor dysfunction; other risk factors include injuries, certain surgeries and being overweight. The dysfunction can lead to problems with either constipation or incontinence, depending on whether the muscles of the pelvic floor are too weak or aren’t flexible enough. And though the condition is more common in women, it also occurs in men and can lead to pain, constipation, erectile dysfunction and urinary or fecal incontinence.

Drugs are usually tried before surgery, but while either may relieve

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symptoms, Umberger wanted the least invasive treatment she could get. Having read that physical therapy could help strengthen those muscles, she made an appointment with pelvic floor specialist Zoe Martin of Specialized Physical Therapy (which will change its name to Movement for Life effective March 1). “This therapy has only become common in the last five to 10 years, even though we know how helpful it can be,” says Martin. And because it’s noninvasive and doesn’t involve medications, she believes it needs to be the first line of treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction.

Training for the specialty can take four or five years, she explains: Getting certified as a pelvic floor rehab practitioner requires 2,000 licensed hours of direct patient care in the last eight years, 500 of them in the previous two years, and

A PERSONALIZED APPROACH

Treatment begins with a thorough physical exam, which Umberger admits she didn’t look forward to.

“But I was surprised,” she says. “It was thorough, and Zoe explained everything to me. It helped us figure out what I needed to do.”

WINSLOW UMBERGER

“When I started getting up seven times a night, I knew I had to do something,” — Asheville resident Winslow Umberger The evaluation doesn’t focus solely on the pelvic floor: It also includes the lower back, hips, core and surrounding muscles, nerves and joints.

Afterward, says Umberger, Martin prescribed a combination of therapy techniques and a tailored exercise program including both the Kegels and core muscle strengtheners.

And though the exercises did work, “Some of it seemed counterintuitive,” notes Umberger.

For example, Martin told her to drink at least six glasses of water a day. Part of her problem had been that she was dehydrating herself to try to reduce trips to the bathroom, and dehydration can irritate the bladder, making a person feel the urge to urinate even when it’s nearly empty.

“She told me not to do preemptive runs to the bathroom before going shopping or before bed,” Umberger recalls. Doing so doesn’t help and in fact can make the problem worse.

Umberger kept a log of her exercises and her progress, and after six weeks she noticed a marked difference. “I know I have to keep up the exercises, just like with any exercise,” she says. “And since I’m happy with the improvements, it has become a part of my day.”

Martin, meanwhile, says she’s not surprised that the therapy has helped.

“I have patients who have been deal-

ing with these problems for years and nobody has listened to them.

They’re so relieved and so grateful when I’m able to help them.” X

Common symptoms Pelvic floor dysfunction can cause a range of problems in both men and women, including: • Frequent need to use the bathroom. You may also feel you need to strain to go, or you might stop and start many times.

• Constipation, or a straining pain during bowel movements. Up to half of people suffering long-term constipation also have pelvic floor dysfunction.

• Straining or pushing really hard to pass a stool, or having to change positions on the toilet or use your hand to help eliminate it.

• Leaking stool or urine (incontinence).

• Painful urination.

• Lower back pain with no other cause.

• Ongoing pain in the pelvic region, genitals or rectum, with or without a bowel movement. X

A Therapist Like Me We are a non-profit, 501(c)3 dedicated to connecting minority-identifying clients (of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, language, mental health, neurotype, disability, and other intersections of identity), to minority-identifying therapists, as well advancing therapists of color. Through grants, donations and fundraising we are able to provide financial gifts to the community to gain access to mental health care.

Next psychotherapy voucher applications open 3/22-3/28 Minority-identifying clients unable to access therapy because of financial barriers may apply for psychotherapy vouchers with current A Therapist Like Me Psychotherapy Voucher members.

To find A Therapist Like Me, for more information or to become a Therapist Like Me, please visit www.atherapistlikeme.org 34 N. Ann St., AVL, NC 28801 • 828-263-7273 MOUNTAINX.COM

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19

GREEN SCENE

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BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Buying in bulk has long been an excellent way to save money on groceries, office supplies and craft beer. Thanks to a new public-private coalition of local sustainability and environmental justice advocates, that same concept is coming to solar energy systems and battery storage installations.

Calming Treats • Bandana Solarize Asheville-Buncombe Pet Tincture launches Thursday, April 1. Through bulk purchasing, the campaign aims to reduce the costs of buying and installing solar equipment and pass the savings on to at least 100 residents and businesses by the end of 2021.

Spearheaded by the nonprofit Blue Horizons Project, the partnership includes the city of Asheville, Buncombe County, Green Built Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, WENOCA Sierra Club Group, Hood Huggers International, MountainTrue and Umoja Health Wellness and Justice Collective, as well as several individual community members. Sophie Mullinax, project manager for Blue Horizons, says that broad coalition is meant to make Solarize as inclusive an effort as possible.

“We reached out to pretty much everyone we knew to try and build a diverse stakeholder group and steering committee,” Mullinax says.

“We’ve got folks who are very steeped in sustainability and the environment, but I think the common thread is definitely that we don’t want to just make this a campaign that just discounts solar even further for the people who can already afford it.”

EVERYONE UNDER THE SUN

With both Asheville and Buncombe County committing over the past four years to power the entire community with renewable energy by 2042, Mullinax says the timing was right for a bulk solar project. And a “low-income solar installation program” was specifically written into the Blue Horizon Project’s scope of work in a 2020 funding contract with Buncombe County.

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RENEWABLE EFFORTS: Local youths work with contractors from MB Haynes Corp. and Aire Serv to install solar panels at the Burton Street Peace Garden last summer. The Solarize Asheville-Buncombe campaign seeks to make similar projects more affordable for low- and moderate-income residents and create pathways to jobs in clean energy. Photo by DeWayne Barton Planning began in fall 2020, during which the group consulted data from the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute’s 2013 Solarize Asheville campaign — the first Solarize program in North Carolina, which led to 52 contracts — plus institutional knowledge from Solar Crowdsource, the Georgia-based company running the online platform for the campaign. Beyond increasing access to solar energy for what Mullinax calls “everyday people,” the Solarize Asheville-Buncombe team added a few more goals to address specific local needs.

“We’re researching creative ways — and it’s definitely an uphill battle — to further buy down the cost for installations for low- and moder-

ate-income community members, as well as develop a way for community members to embark on a workforce development program within the scope of this campaign to hopefully create pathways to actual real jobs in clean energy,” Mullinax says.

Those LMI and workforce development components are still “very much in the development phase,” Mullinax says, and Solarize Asheville-Buncombe has multiple subcommittees working on solutions.

The group is applying for funding to pay for LMI installations and seeks to partner with such organizations as Green Opportunities and Mountain Area Workforce Development to achieve the campaign’s employment goal. For now, the focus is on edu-

cating residents about the benefits of solar energy and taking advantage of the opportunity to join the bulk purchase.

Solarize is also seeking bids through Tuesday, March 2, from Asheville-area solar companies to source and install the technology.

In choosing an industry partner, Mullinax says the goal is to find a local company with the capability to meet the anticipated number of installations.

“On top of that, we really want to see a company that’s committed to the goals set forth in the [funding contract] and throughout this campaign, which are a commitment to innovation, a commitment to climate justice, being willing to work creatively with us and partner with us in helping achieve those goals for the LMI component and the workforce development component — even as we don’t know exactly how they’ll shake out,” adds Mullinax. “We want a partner who’s really willing to work with us on getting us there.”

PARTNERS IN SHINE

Several Solarize AshevilleBuncombe partners already have a history of bringing solar energy to local communities. Jeremiah LeRoy, Buncombe County’s sustainability officer, led a successful campaign to outfit Buncombe County, A-B Tech, Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools buildings with solar systems. The ongoing projects are being managed by Asheville-

based MB Haynes Corp., and LeRoy is confident the continuing lessons from that process will be scalable to the new endeavor.

“In our experience, aggregated procurement is an effective strategy to lower costs,” LeRoy says, citing savings of up to 25% in past Solarize campaigns. “The goal of the campaign is to make solar more affordable and more accessible to households in the county. The more homes that sign up, the more everyone in the program can potentially benefit from decreased costs.”

In addition to running Buncombe County’s sustainability work, LeRoy serves on the Solarize AshevilleBuncombe steering committee. He sees the campaign as an excellent catalyst to help the county achieve its 100% renewable goal for the broader community.

“I have high hopes for the program,” he says. “We certainly have a community that cares deeply for the environment and wants programs like this to be successful. It’s incumbent upon us to effectively market the campaign and show people that solar can make both good environmental, as well as good financial sense.”

DeWayne Barton, founder of Hood Huggers International, is similarly optimistic and views Solarize Asheville-Buncombe as a means to expand clean energy efforts in the local Black community. Through his organization, Barton has previously installed solar systems at the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens.

Plans are also in place to outfit

panels on homes, a church and the Burton Street Community Center.

“To me, this is a continuation to try and make this hustle work, and try to sustain it,” Barton says. “A lot of times, we have these ‘holiday projects,’ and then you get this money and it goes away and the whole momentum dies. We want to keep momentum up and keep creating opportunities.”

Barton hopes that his presence and ideas will go far to ensure that underserved communities won’t be

left out. More specifically, he sees the campaign as an investment in the future and seeks to “get younger people looking at this opportunity like a co-op or business” through his commitment to making the workforce element a reality.

“If I’m training up some young cats and trying get them ready, when they’re ready, I want an opportunity to be waiting for them,” Barton says.

“You’ve got to keep practicing. We say ‘unity,’ but we have to practice it and make that real.” X

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21

LITERATURE

ARTS & CULTURE

Imaginary muse

Wayne Caldwell celebrates his debut poetry collection

BY THOMAS CALDER

tcalder@mountainx.com Local author Wayne Caldwell did not anticipate publishing a book of poetry. But several years ago, while working on a novel, a voice emerged inside his head. “I’ve heard writers talk about characters taking over their minds,” he says. “I always thought it was like mental illness, and I suppose it is in a way.”

Despite his initial concern, Caldwell tolerated the unexpected guest, whom he later named Posey Green.

At first, the author’s embrace was more out of necessity than choice. He simply could not shut Posey up. “He came walking in and said, ‘You don’t need to be working on this [book] anymore — you need to be listening to me!’”

Eventually, Caldwell grew fond of his loquacious, imaginary muse. “He

TALKING POETRY: Over the last two years, writer Wayne Caldwell has written poems based on imaginary conversations with his fictional character Posey Green. His forthcoming collection, Woodsmoke, comes out Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Photo by Mary Caldwell says some fairly important things about nature, and our relationships to other people and God,” the writer notes.

Once Caldwell realized this, he put aside his novel and began writing down Posey’s observations.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Caldwell will celebrate the release of his debut poetry collection, Woodsmoke. Fellow WNC author Ron Rash will join Caldwell on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. for a virtual discussion about the work, hosted by Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

SMACK ON TOP

Even with the upcoming publication, Posey continues telling Caldwell stories. “He’s still talking to me a little bit,” the writer admits. “There may be another Woodsmoke volume.”

But for now, 67 interlinked poems introduce readers to Posey’s inner thoughts and outer personality, as he ruminates on his life, nature and all the types of wood one might chop for the stove. Set in 1988, under the shadow of Mount Pisgah, readers follow Posey — an octogenarian recluse — through the four seasons.

Not surprisingly, with eight decades behind him, Posey has observed many changes within his community, family and natural surroundings.

Often humorous and irreverent, he recalls several of these transformations within the collection’s slim but powerful 81 pages.

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FEB. 17-23, 2021

lightning bugs swarmed in large numbers to light up the May sky. But by 1988, he notes, the glow isn’t nearly as bright. The dull reality troubles Posey, who observes: “When we run slap out of the lightning bugs We’ll have flat run out of hope.”

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For instance, in the opening piece, “Pisgah,” Posey laments the installation of a television tower atop the peak, declaring: “They put a dern TV tower smack on top in ’54, Sticking up there blinking red of a night like a whorehouse sign Just so we could watch Mister Bill’s Magic Bus.”

LIKE A MAN WITH A SAWED-OFF LIMB

But Caldwell doesn’t overindulge Posey’s wit, offering readers just as many poignant moments as deep laughs. This is primarily achieved through the widower’s recollections of his deceased wife, Birdie. Though Posey’s undying love is evident, Caldwell never allows the character’s musings to turn saccharine. When Posey reveals to readers that he still misses his wife, he immediately follows the declaration with “Like a man with a sawed-off limb.”

In a similar fashion, Posey’s connection to the natural world comes up regularly in the work. Caldwell’s talent as a writer is perhaps best exhibited here, as he addresses dire environmental concerns without being preachy. Furthermore, these same issues serve to reveal additional insights into Posey’s thoughts about his own life and inevitable death.

For example, at the end of the poem “May Fourteenth,” the widower mourns for bygone years when

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS

Despite Posey’s foreboding, the collection is ultimately a celebration of friendship and hope. In an early piece, Caldwell introduces readers to Susan McFalls, a writer 30 years Posey’s junior, who has purchased the house above the recluse’s property — a home previously owned by Posey’s distant relatives and one that sat empty for decades.

Unaccustomed to neighbors, Posey isn’t initially pleased with the new arrangement. But over time, the two develop a deep appreciation for and reliance on each other. This budding, platonic relationship ultimately weaves together the collection’s poems and establishes Woodsmoke’s optimistic tone.

Susan’s outlook and influence are established within the characters’ first meeting, which Caldwell depicts in the poem “Neighbor.” Learning that she’s a poet, Posey asks if she makes any money off her works.

Susan laughs. “Of course not.”

“Then why?” Posey presses.

“Beauty, Posey,” Susan answers.

“The world needs it.”

Wayne Caldwell discusses Woodsmoke with Ron Rash in a free, online event. To register, visit avl.mx/8yr. X

May Fourteenth

by Wayne Caldwell The many years I’ve walked Pole Creek Give me a right long view of things.

So I know it’s hotter than it used to be, Stormier too, and you used to see Them black-winged scarlet birds all summer.

No more. Redwings is scarce, and when’s The last time you seen a green snake?

Chestnuts—gone, hemlocks—dying, Enough to make a strong man cry.

But still: within a day or two One side or t’other of the Ides of May Blinking yellow flashlights start their twilight glow.

Happened yesterday, right on time, Although ever year fewer and fewer come.

I reckon the way this world’s a-going When we run slap out of lightning bugs We’ll have flat run out of hope. X

T

CAROLINA BEER GUY

New hot spot in Hot Springs

BY TONY KISS avlbeerguy@gmail.com Ever since launching the French Broad River Festival in the late 1990s, Chris Donochod has spent a lot of time in Hot Springs. And over the last two decades, a perennial question has nagged the festival founder and his wife, Amy Rubin, who previously worked as a sales representative for Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard. “We said to ourselves, ‘Why hasn’t someone put a brewery in this town?’” Donochod says.

Three years ago, after a pair of side-by-side buildings became available, the couple decided to answer the call. In December, Big Pillow Brewing hosted its soft opening, making it the third craft brewery in Madison County, joining the Mad Co. Brew House in Marshall and the Hickory Nut Gorge Brewery in the restored Mars Hill Theatre in Mars Hill.

The brewery’s name is a nod to the area’s large rapids. “We wanted to give it a name that told a story specific to us,” says Rubin. “Chris is a whitewater boater and used to be a [river] guide.”

Big Pillow’s head brewer is Carl Herman, previously of Oskar Blues and Deschutes Brewery. The company uses a 10-barrel system to turn out such beers as High Side Pale Ale (5.2 ABV), Kind People Kolsch

(5.4 ABV), Bluff Mountain Porter (5.8 ABV), Roof Dog IPA (6.3 ABV), Hunker Down Winter Warmer (8.3 ABV), Appalachian Fog Hazy IPA (7.2 ABV) and Hazy Nugget Experimental IPA (6.6 ABV).

The brewery also serves as a northern outpost of The Grey Eagle Taqueria, which has temporarily closed its original River Arts District location for the winter with plans to relaunch in April.

“It’s a nice fit — the cuisine paired with craft beer,” says Sarah Keith, who owns The Grey Eagle Taqueria with her husband, Russ. Working with breweries, she adds, is a growing part of the pair’s business. The Keiths also operate a taqueria at Bearwaters Brewing Co.’s Creekside location in Maggie Valley and have vended food at Wedge Brewing Co. and Green Man Brewery, both in Asheville.

The food menu at the Big Pillow outpost is similar to the taqueria’s other locations, featuring tacos, burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls and salads. But each venue has a few unique selections. “We’ve highlighted specialty tacos at Hot Springs and Maggie Valley,” Keith explains.

So far, the brewery’s taps and food selections, in tandem with the nearby hot springs, is an appealing combination, notes Rubin. “This is where you want to be when it’s cold outside,” she says. And once the

CHEERS: Husband and wife team Chris Donochod, right, and Amy Rubin celebrate the recent launch of Big Pillow Brewery in Hot Springs. Photo courtesy of Big Pillow Brewery weather warms up, Rubin adds, Big Pillow plans to feature live outdoor music and movies.

Beyond selling beer, Rubin and Donochod want Big Pillow to be a big part of the Hot Springs community. They’ve already raised funds for a victims of a recent house fire.

And they’ve built strong friendships, especially with other local business.

“My husband and I love this town,” Rubin says. “We want our community to know that we are there for them. We are pledging to give back and pay it forward anyway we can.” X

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23

ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD

What’s new in food

Veggie tales, ungraped wine, Nani’s flies the coop and more In early 2020, Bounty & Soul’s food systems administrator, Lyric Antio, was harvesting blueberries to add to the food baskets distributed by the Black Mountain-based nonprofit when an outfit worn by volunteer Gabriele Marewski caught her eye.

“She was wearing a skirt that had all these beautiful photos on the panels,” Antio recalls. “She told me they were photos she had taken of trails she had hiked and transferred them onto this skirt. She was hoping to create a whole collection to sell.”

That introductory conversation planted the seed for a labor of love to raise funds for Bounty & Soul: a special Story Skyrt made by Marewski featuring photographs of produce and products from Western North Carolina growers and makers.

For many years, Marewski, made simple cotton skirts from one pattern and wore them while working her farm in Florida, hiking trails, walking the Camino de Santiago across Spain and on other long-distance treks and cycle trips in the U.S. and internationally. In 2015, she figured out how to transfer her photos from those trips to panels of activewear material and sew those into what she dubbed Story Skyrts.

In 2017, Marewski sold her farm and moved to Asheville to be near her son, who was attending Warren Wilson College. Now an agriculturalist coach for Mountain BizWorks, she officially launched Story Skyrts as an online business last year. She says her volunteer role as Bounty & Soul’s weekly gleaner at the River Arts District Farmers Market inspired her to create the nonprofit’s special Story Skyrt using photos of RAD vendors’ products.

“Since I see the whole world in terms of skirts, I wanted to turn my love for Bounty & Soul into a way to raise funds for them,” Marewski explains.

The Bounty & Soul skirt features produce from Lee’s One Fortune Farm, Full Sun Farm, Black Trumpet Farm and Gaining Ground Farm, among others. All proceeds from sales of the RAD skirts benefit Bounty & Soul Farmers Alliance Program. “I’m no longer farming,” says Marewski. “But I support farmers and anything that supports them.”

Bounty & Soul is also celebrating two recent substantial grants. A People in Need Grant for $20,000 from The Community Foundation of WNC and a $25,000 Impact Grant from the WNC Bridge Foundation will, says B&S founder and Executive Director Ali Casparian, directly support and strengthen the Famers Alliance Program as well as two other initiatives: Produce to the People and Rooted in Health.

For details on Story Skyrts, visit avl.mx/8zf. For more on Bounty & Soul, visit avl.mx/8zg.

PLAYING CHICKEN

Since opening in late October, the menu at Meherwan Irani’s Nani’s Rotisserie Chicken has been available for takeout only. But in response to customer requests, Irani has added two daily delivery options: through KickbackAVL 11 a.m.-7:45 p.m. and directly from Nani’s, 4-8 p.m. Looking toward warmer weather, Nani’s is also adding safely distanced patio dining. Nani’s, 1 Page Ave. in the Grove Arcade, avl.mx/prv4

PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Selina Naturally Celtic Sea Salt and Fermenti recently partnered up to assist Beacon of Hope Food Bank clients in Madison County to explore home food preservation as a tool for fighting food insecurity. Selina Naturally donated 1 pound of sea salt per monthly food box distributed during February (a total of 1,200 pounds) and Fermenti added printed fermentation recipes.

To learn more about Beacon of Hope, visit avl.mx/8zc.

GRAPE ESCAPE

Apple pie and carrot cake are fine uses of local produce, but Chuck Blethen, owner and resident vigneron of Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard in Marshall, urges you to think outside the baker’s box. On Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., Blethen will offer a 90-minute online workshop on the art of country winemaking using blackberries, honey, rhubarb, dandelion, apples, carrots and other nongrape products that are easily

VEGGIE TALES: Bounty & Soul food systems administrator Lyric Antio steps out in the Story Skyrt designed by B&S volunteer Gabriele Marewski. Photo by Marewski found locally. Registration is $20. To learn more, visit avl.mx/8zd.

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HAPPY MEALS

Since 2012, The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village has invited guests to participate in its Skip a Side initiative — when diners forfeit one side item from a meal, Cantina donates the retail cash equivalent to MANNA FoodBank.

The effort recently hit a milestone, raising a total of over $140,000, enough to have provided over 500,000 meals to families facing hunger across the 16 Western North Carolina counties MANNA serves. The Skip a Side program was created by Cantina owners Sherrye and Anthony Coggiola and their daughter, Sydney. For more information on MANNA and its programs, visit avl.mx/6gn.

HIGH 10

That’s a double high five to Oscar Wong, founder of Asheville’s first craft brewery, Highland Brewing Co., who was named Brewery Owner of the Year in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine’s 10th annual People’s Choice Awards. While the taproom remains closed, Highland’s brewers are still hard at work. This month, the brewery releases its new 9% ABV High Pines Imperial IPA featuring citrus and blueberry hops flavors with a touch of mountain pine. Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Highway, avl.mx/8ze

— Kay West X 24

FEB. 17-23, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

ROUNDUP

Around town

Actors and poets needed, plus new art exhibits and online events

The company’s second workshop, which is a virtual makeup demonstration, takes place the following Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $28 per event. To purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/8yt.

Montford Park Players seeks team members Montford Park Players’ upcoming season tentatively launches Friday, May 7, with William Shakespeare’s A Comedy of Errors. The organization is currently seeking actors, stage managers, tech crew members and directors. According to Jeff Catanese, the group’s marketing director, all production decisions will be based on the state’s health guidelines and restrictions. Interested parties should email Executive Director John Russell at john.russell@montfordparkplayers. com to set up a virtual audition.

OPEN UP: Greta Ashworth’s latest exhibit includes her watercolor painting, “Portals,” which the artist notes is about the trust one must invest in when revealing one’s truth. “In being courageous enough to let others in, we open ourselves to possibility,” Ashworth adds. Painting by Ashworth

Conscious Inquiry The nature of friendship, vulnerability and understanding one’s deeper self are explored in local artist Greta Ashworth’s latest exhibit, Conscious Inquiry. The collection of watercolor paintings is on display through Monday, March 15, at Eclipse Salon, 16 Wall St., in downtown Asheville.

“I hope that those who partake in my work leave considering the impact of vulnerability on our connections — both with others and with ourselves,” says Ashworth. “This contemplation may come through the specific messages of individual pieces or from the process of engaging with the body of work overall, which is itself an exercise in private emotional and philosophical exposure.” To learn more about the collection, visit avl.mx/8z9.

Intro to WNC History The Western North Carolina Historical Association’s new monthly virtual lecture series, Intro to WNC History, will host its first Zoom webinar on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m.

“Each lecture in the series focuses on why people came to Western North Carolina,” notes Anne Chesky Smith, the association’s executive director. Topics, she adds, will range from native populations to early set-

tlers, enslaved inhabitants, tourists and tubercular patients.

The event’s inaugural speaker is Peter Koch, museum education associate for Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center. Koch will discuss the settlement of and transportation within Western North Carolina.

The event is free to attend for WNCHA members; $5 for general public. To register, visit avl.mx/8ys.

Wortham Center hosts two virtual workshops On Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m., the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts will host its first in a pair of virtual workshops with the internationally renowned drag ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Participants will learn the company’s signature work, “The Dying Swan.” The class is intended for all skill levels.

“This company specializes in challenging, if not shattering, norms of classical ballet — all with the utmost respect for the discipline and without sacrificing their mastery of the craft,” says Jared McEntire, Wortham Center’s community engagement director. “It’s the old adage, ‘Be very serious about what you do, but don’t take yourself too seriously.’”

Local artist competes in national contest Holden Mesk, a local illustrator, collage artist and designer, is among the top five finalists for Pabst Blue Ribbon’s annual Art Can Contest.

The winner will receive a $10,000 prize and have their design on 30 million PBR cans. Voting ends on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be announced Friday, Feb. 26. To vote, visit avl.mx/90o.

Calling all poets The Writers’ Workshop, a local nonprofit, is hosting its annual poetry contest, open to all writers.

Multiple submissions are accepted.

All works must be previously unpublished. Poems should not exceed two pages. Prizes will be awarded to

the top three finalists. Entry is $25, which includes up to three poems.

Submit your work via either email to writersw@gmail.com, with “Poetry Contest” in the subject line, or by mail to Poetry Contest, 387 Beaucatcher Road, Asheville, NC, 28805. To learn more, visit avl.mx/8yu.

— Thomas Calder X

MOVIE LISTINGS Bruce Steele’s and Edwin Arnaudin’s latest critiques of new films available to view via local theaters and popular streaming services include: JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH: Daniel Kaluuya gives his best preformance to date as Illinois Black Panther chairman Fred Hamton, and his Get Out co-star LaKeith Stanfield is likewise excellent playing reluctant FBI informant Bill O’Neal. Grade: B-pus. Rated R RUTH — JUSTICE GINSBERG IN HER OWN WORDS: A solid complement to RBG, this documentary focuses on interviews with and speeches by the late Supreme Court icon.

Grade: B. Not rated MINARI: This well-made and often moving drama about a Korean family in 1980s Arkansas isn’t developed enough to warrant its awards attention.

Grade: B-minus. Rated PG-13

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies

2021

Kids Issues

Publish 3/10 & 3/17 Contact us today! advertise@mountainx.com 828-251-1333 x1 MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 17-23, 2021

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Atheists like to confront religious people with accusations like this: “If God is so good, why does he allow suffering in the world?” Their simplistic, childish idea of God as some sort of Moral Policeman is ignorant of the lush range of ruminations about the Divine as offered down through the ages by poets, novelists, philosophers and theologians. For example, poet Stéphane Mallarmé wrote, “Spirit cares for nothing except universal musicality.” He suggested that the Supreme Intelligence is an artist making music and telling stories. And as you know, music and stories include all human adventures, not just the happy stuff. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Aries, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time to honor and celebrate the marvelously rich stories of your own life — and to feel gratitude for the full range of experience with which they have blessed you. P.S. Now is also a favorable phase to rethink and reconfigure your answers to the Big Questions.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Blogger Rachel C. Lewis confides, “I love being horribly straightforward. I love sending reckless text messages and telling people I love them and telling people they are absolutely magical humans and I cannot believe they really exist. I love saying, ’Kiss me harder,’ and ’You’re a good person,’ and, ’You brighten my day.’” What would your unique version of Lewis’s forthrightness be like, Taurus? What brazen praise would you offer? What declarations of affection and care would you unleash? What naked confessions might you reveal? The coming days will be a favorable time to explore these possibilities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): It’s a good time to become more of who you are by engaging with more of what you are not. Get in the mood for this heroic exercise by studying the following rant by Gemini poet Adam Zagajewski (who writes in Polish), translated by Gemini poet Clare Cavanaugh: “Read for yourselves, read for the sake of your inspiration, for the sweet turmoil in your lovely head. But also read against yourselves, read for questioning and impotence, for despair and erudition, read the dry, sardonic remarks of cynical philosophers. Read those whose darkness or malice or madness or greatness you can’t yet understand, because only in this way will you grow, outlive yourself and become what you are.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’re on the verge of breakthroughs. You’re ready to explore frontiers, at least in your imagination. You’re brave enough to go further and try harder than you’ve been able to before. With that in mind, here’s a highly apropos idea from Cancerian novelist Tom Robbins. He writes, “If you take any activity, any art, any discipline, any skill, take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edge of edges, then you force it into the realm of magic.” (I might use the word “coax” or “nudge” instead of “force” in Robbins’ statement.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In her story “Homelanding,” Margaret Atwood writes, “Take me to your trees. Take me to your breakfasts, your sunsets, your bad dreams, your shoes. Take me to your fingers.” I’d love you to express requests like that. It’s a favorable time for you to delve deeper into the mysteries of people you care about. You will generate healing and blessings by cultivating reverent curiosity and smart empathy and crafty intimacy. Find out more about your best allies!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’re about to reach the end of your phase of correction and adjustment.

To mark this momentous transition, and to honor your ever-increasing ability to negotiate with your demons, I offer you the following inspirational proclamation by poet Jeannette Napolitano: “I don’t want to look back in five years’ time and think, ’We could have been magnificent, but I was afraid.’

In five years, I want to tell of how fear tried to cheat me out of the best thing in life and I didn’t let it.”

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FEB. 17-23, 2021

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s not a good time for you to be obsessed with vague abstractions, fear-based fantasies and imaginary possibilities.

But it is a favorable phase to rise up in behalf of intimate, practical changes. At least for now, I also want to advise you not to be angry and militant about big, complicated issues that you have little power to affect. On the other hand, I encourage you to get inspired and aggressive about injustices you can truly help fix and erroneous approaches you can correct and close-at-hand dilemmas for which you can summon constructive solutions.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes,” declared author André Gide. As a writer myself, I will testify to the truth of that formulation.

But what about those of you who aren’t poets and novelists and essayists? Here’s how I would alter Gide’s statement to fit you: “The most beautiful things are those that rapture prompts and reason refines.” Or maybe this: “The most beautiful things are those that experimentation finds and reason uses.” Or how about this one: “The most beautiful things are those that wildness generates and reason enhances.” Any and all of those dynamics will be treasures for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The poet Nayyirah Waheed has some advice I want you to hear. She writes, “Be easy. Take your time. You are coming home to yourself.” I will add that from my astrological perspective, the coming weeks will indeed be a time for you to relax more deeply into yourself — to welcome yourself fully into your unique destiny; to forgive yourself for what you imagine are your flaws; to not wish you were someone else pursuing a different path; to be at peace and in harmony with the exact life you have.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things,” wrote author G. K. Chesterton.

He was exaggerating for dramatic effect when he said that, as he often did. The more nuanced truth is that one of the central aims of education is to learn things, and another very worthy aim is to unlearn things. I believe you are currently in a phase when you should put an emphasis on unlearning things that are irrelevant and meaningless and obstructive. This will be excellent preparation for your next phase, which will be learning a lot of useful and vitalizing new things.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) ultimately became one of the 20th century’s most renowned composers. But his career had a rough start. Symphony No. 1, his first major work, was panned by critics, sending him into a four-year depression. Eventually he recovered.

His next major composition, Piano Concerto No. 2, was well-received. I don’t anticipate that your rookie offerings or new work will get the kind of terrible reviews that Rachmaninoff’s did. But at least initially, there may be no great reviews, and possibly even indifference. Keep the faith, my dear. Don’t falter in carrying out your vision of the future. The rewards will come in due time.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Ancient Greek playwright Euripides was popular and influential — and remains so to this day, 2,400 years later.

But there’s a curiously boring aspect in five of his plays, Andromache, Alcestis, Helen, Medea and The Bacchae. They all have the same exact ending: six lines, spoken by a chorus, that basically say the gods are unpredictable. Was Euripides lazy?

Trying too hard to drive home the point? Or were the endings added later by an editor? Scholars disagree. The main reason I’m bringing this to your attention is to encourage you to avoid similar behavior. I think it’s very important that the stories you’re living right now have different endings than all the stories of your past.

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THERAPIST: FULL-TIME, GREAT PAY & BENEFITS, REWARDING EMPLOYMENT We are looking for a full-time Therapist to provide direct clinical services to a caseload of students and their families for our year-round therapeutic boarding school. We are seeking a candidate with clinical experience and experience working with students on the autism spectrum. The ideal candidate works well with a team, is positive and mature, and has a passion for helping others. To Apply: Email your Cover Letter and a Resume to jobs@theblackmountainacademy.com.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Physics Instructor. For more details and to apply: https:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5514 A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Program Coordinator, Industry Training & Natural Products Laboratory Administration.

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ACROSS 1 Fair 5 Mary Lincoln’s maiden name

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AUTOMOTIVE

16 Two- or fourseater, maybe?

17 “Smile!”

19 Like tomes, typically

edited by Will Shortz 20 Address by a Sacramento N.B.A. player?

22 Padre’s hermana 23 Expansive septet 24 Make bubbly 28 Hibernation stations 29 Concern of the Citizens United decision, for short 32 Sharp-shooting Curry 33 Mass ___ 34 Around 16 mg of niacin, e.g.

35 Game notes for a New Orleans N.B.A. player?

38 Officiate, informally 39 ;) ;) ;) 40 “I give!”

41 Surgery sites, for short 42 Things that sometimes clash in orchestras?

43 Amounts at risk 44 Top ___ 45 Variety show segment

No. 0113

46 Charlotte N.B.A. player in charge of recycling?

53 “Oof, that was bad” 54 Gutter attachment 55 Write an ode about, perhaps 56 Wetlands denizen 57 TV show that launched more than 200 songs onto the Billboard Hot 100 58 Work of cartography 59 Tree house?

60 Appear

DOWN 1 Not be serious 2 Home of the Anasazi State Park Museum 3 Ocular woe 4 Add (on) 5 ___-weenie 6 Rolex rival 7 Put-down

puzzle by Matthew Stock 8 Impersonating, in a way 9 Totally adorable 10 Grateful?

11 Trendy 12 Silicon Valley specialty, familiarly 13 Get to 18 Make an effort to get swole 21 Corral 24 ___ Blaster (classic arcade game) 25 Thin air 26 Some barriers to entry in the shipping business?

27 Candy Crush or Angry Birds 28 Places for aces 29 Pierce slightly 30 Best-selling musical artist whose album titles represent ages 31 Sights along Paris’s ChampsÉlysées

33 Studied secondarily 36 Hybrid feline 37 Messenger molecule 43 Coarse-grained rock that splits easily 44 Car company founded in 2003 45 Writer Nin 46 Bit of typing by someone who’s all thumbs?

47 Recover 48 Flavorers in Italian cookery 49 Dungeons & Dragons and others, for short 50 4,100+ mile river that drains 11 countries 51 One-on-one Olympic event 52 Overflow (with) 53 “Up” vote

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

S T A R E

T H U D S

O R C A S

S O U R

W A S A

E T A T

T R U E

R I N D

I A T E

P U T I S E N Y O E T S S P A I N E D T A I L N S

P R O P E R

R O N I

I N E R T

M A D E A K T N E O O L A O C K S C K T D I A T R U O D O F O M F R O

S T R I M P I E N S

A S T R O S

T O O F A R

A R G O

R A U L

S H E D

T R B O D R I R E I D N V O E A T B E E D

W O R N

O I N K

E V E R Y

Y A R N S

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