Mountain Xpress 07.21.21

OUR 27TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 27 NO. 51 JULY 21-27, 2021

C O NT E NT S

WELLNESS

FEATURE

NEWS

NEWS

FEATURES 12 MENACE OR RED MEAT? Critical race theory debate comes to Buncombe

16 BIZ BRIEFS Blue Ridge Pride debuts LGBTQ+ business alliance

PAGE 8 ON DEMAND

PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

Outside interest has supercharged Asheville’s already-hot real estate market, with the average home budget for a buyer moving to the area 31% higher than the average local budget. Area agents suggest the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and greater acceptance of remote working all play a role in bringing more people to Western North Carolina.

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson

COVER ILLUSTRATION Brent Brown 18 Q&A Kareen Boncales, director of entrepreneurship at Mountain BizWorks

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

3 LETTERS 3 CARTOON: MOLTON

22 BIRTHING PAINS Asheville’s 24/7 birth center is closing

5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 6 COMMENTARY 8 NEWS

A&C

15 BUNCOMBE BEAT 24 OUTSIDE ASHEVILLE New dining options in neighboring towns bring a variety of flavors

20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 22 WELLNESS 24 ARTS & CULTURE

A&C

34 CLUBLAND 26 HUB INCENTIVES Filmmaker transplants discuss working in Asheville

37 CLASSIFIEDS 38 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 39 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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EDITOR: Thomas Calder ASSISTANT EDITOR: Daniel Walton ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Thomas Calder OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Brooke Randle, Jessica Wakeman, Daniel Walton COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Justin McGuire CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Leslie Boyd, Carmela Caruso, Bill Kopp, Cindy Kunst, Jarrett Van Meter, Gina Smith, Kay West, Ben Williamson ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Olivia Urban MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, David Furr, Andy Hall, Tiffany Wagner OPERATIONS MANAGER: Able Allen INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES & WEB: Bowman Kelley BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler-Tanner ADMINISTRATION, BILLING, HR: Able Allen, Jennifer Castillo DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Desiree Davis, Henry Mitchell, Tiffany Narron, Kelley Quigley, Angelo Santa Maria, Carl & Debbie Schweiger

COPYRIGHT 2021

BY MOUNTAIN XPRESS ADVERTISING COPYRIGHT 2021 BY MOUNTAIN XPRESS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

OPINION

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

Business owners, nonprofit leaders support alternatives to policing At a private meeting on June 21, dozens of local business owners met with Asheville city officials, including Mayor Esther Manheimer, to address Asheville Police Department staffing challenges. Organizers — who claimed to speak on behalf of the entire business community — demanded more resources and support for police to resolve a litany of public health and safety issues. But the business community in Asheville is not homogeneous, and many of us believe that new strategies are overdue. A June survey found that more than half of American voters feel similarly.

As local business owners and nonprofit directors who have been deeply impacted by the Movement for Black Lives, we know that police cannot solve the complex challenges Asheville faces. Like our colleagues, many of us have picked up endless trash and navigated scary encounters with strangers. At times, we may feel overwhelmed by these situations, but we reject the conservative narrative that they are the result of social justice movements.

From housing shortages to drug overdoses, Asheville’s crises stem from deep dysfunctions and injustices.

For too long, our city has overinvested in punishment and underinvested in equity — reliance on policing is not the solution, it is the problem.

Defenders of the status quo will tell us that only police are capable of addressing our short-term need for health and safety, but we know this is untrue. If we want to live in a just Asheville, we must practice justice on our journey. We believe our community is creative and passionate enough to solve its problems if we engage in a process that is truly inclusive. Such a process must center the voices of Black, immigrant and working-class Ashevilleans, to whom we as businesses and nonprofits can be allies.

— Ash Wilde, Beck Nippes and Libertie Valance, Firestorm Books & Coffee; Alyx Perry and Jay Hill, Code for Asheville; Anuj Patel, Tech House; Casey Campfield, The Crow & Quill; Darcel Eddins, Bountiful Cities; Jazmin Rogers, Asheville Iridescence Yoga; Gretchen Horn, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café; Tamiko Ambrose Murray, Ambrose Consulting; Matt Schnable and Mark Capon, Harvest Records; Rosetta Star, Rosetta’s Kitchen; Rob Thomas, Racial Justice Coalition; Stephanie Swepson Twitty, Eagle Market Streets Development

36,000 SQ. FT.

OF ANTIQUES, UNIQUES & REPURPOSED RARITIES!

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N Corp.; Letitia Walker, Purna Yoga 828; Tarleton Walmsley; Garden Party; and Samhita Kudva, Center for Participatory Change Asheville Editor’s note: Valance provided a list of more than 50 people who signed this letter. Additional names and a longer version of this letter will appear online at mountainx.com.

Spend occupancy taxes on healing tourism’s impacts The money should be spent on healing the impacts of tourism on the natural world and habitats in this region, not on advertising to draw more people here. Our lovely, magical outdoor spaces are horribly overrun, abused and trashed. Now locals are losing access to our treasured wild spaces such as Purchase Knob and Max Patch.

We need paid rangers, monitors and trail maintainers. Places like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Shining Rock, waterfalls and others in the Pisgah National Forest are eroded, jampacked and overused. The Pisgah Forest Service, and the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway national parks are understaffed, underfunded and underresourced, and volunteers are relied on to do so much to pick up the slack.

The tourism fund could be used to provide paying jobs for locals to be out in the parks and forests making sure visitors practice “leave no trace”; park only where they are supposed to; do trail work; and prevent mapless tourists from getting lost in the woods.

— Tamera Trexler Asheville

CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

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3

OPINION

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

Tourism dollars should help with infrastructure I just returned from a trip to Breckinridge, Colo. One of the discussions we had was about how clean and beautiful it was compared to Asheville. They were sticking money into cleaning streets, and there were beautiful planters everywhere.

Tourism dollars should be helping with the infrastructure of the city.

To continue to put the burden on taxpayers living here is unfair and unsustainable. The city will continue to deteriorate.

— Colleen Gilgenbach Asheville

Support citizen safety efforts first With such a clear gap in municipal responsibility to provide a safe, secure environment through effective law enforcement, should not the county/ city focus on supporting citizen safety efforts before looking at marketing programs targeted at tourism?

— Dick Domann Asheville

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Council should deny rezoning for Charlotte Street development Do the Killians think that the law doesn’t apply to them?

Twenty or so years ago, maybe about the time the Killian family began purchasing gorgeous side-by-side historic homes along Charlotte Street, the citizens of Asheville were busy at work, too. We knew development pressures were forthcoming, so we worked together to put protections in place, knowing that unbridled development would ruin our beautiful historic city.

The city staff, local businesses and residents created sustainable development plans: the Charlotte Street Corridor Plan and the Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan. The Charlotte Street Overlay District and the Charlotte Street Road Diet are also part of planning for the Charlotte corridor.

The enormous commercial development the Killians are proposing exceeds scale, height and density restrictions in place.

I received a full-color brochure in my mailbox sent out by the Killians to surrounding neighborhoods trying to convince us that they know what is best and are building this generic development for our own good. They falsely claim that the Preservation Society is blocking their plans: “If the PSABC restricts property rights and overrides planning goals, it will diminish the corridor’s potential and lead to worse outcomes for the city as a whole.”

The Preservation Society is not restricting anyone’s property rights!

The zoning laws and city’s planning goals have long been in place; the Killians are trying to override them by getting the zoning laws changed for their own personal gain.

Approving their request would be the worst outcome.

The brochure even warns us to be wary of “outside developers,” but they themselves don’t live here!

How could laws already in place, which we as citizens helped devise, be simply overridden? Plans agreed upon, in preparation for this exact scenario?

This should not even be going before Council. It is a waste of time and money and an insult to the citizens of Asheville. City Council, we demand that you comply with the Unified Development Ordinance and deny the Killians’ request for a conditional zoning permit.

— Julie Nelson Asheville Editor’s note: Xpress contacted project spokesperson Jill Lieberman

about the letter writer’s points, and we received the following response: “The Killian-RCG partnership is committed to developing the 101 Charlotte St. site and believes the project will benefit the city for generations to come. It is not unusual to request conditional zoning relief, and in this case, it will allow the density needed to maximize the open spaces, improve walkability, livability and access to multimodal transit, create much-needed new housing, including affordable options, and provide retail and office space for local small businesses. If City Council does not approve a variance, the plan is to build slightly smaller within the existing zoning but at a loss of almost all the public benefits. To be clear, the owners have the legal right to remove the homes at any time, and their demolition is not dependent on any city zoning approvals.

“The project is applying for a conditional rezoning to Mixed-Use Expansion District, which was part of the UDO at the time of its rezoning application. The Living Asheville Plan shows the property as ‘Traditional Corridor’ on the future land use map and states that Mixed-Use Expansion District is an appropriate zoning designation for that future land use. The project complies with all dimensional constraints for that designation.

Any landowner in a similar location could also apply to rezone their site.

Conditional zoning is a legislative process in the UDO under which the city and the property owner agree to place conditions on a project that benefit the public. It is a process used widely in the country to override antiquated base zoning designations that do not allow for the built environment to respond to today’s needs.”

Thrilled that Mission nurses won raises I was thrilled to see that nurses at Mission Hospital were finally given a raise and disheartened at the same time to see they had to bargain for “guaranteed” breaks.

As everyone is aware who has been a patient there, these people work their butts off not only with a smile but a cheerful, pleasant attitude as well. The outpatient surgery section runs like a well-oiled machine regardless of the hour of the day. Every single person there knows their duties and completes them efficiently while underpaid and understaffed.

I’m sure the rest of the hospital runs as good. It’s too bad they had to fight for what they deserve.

— Janice Doyle Asheville

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JULY 21-27, 2021

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OPINION

I accuse ...

BY CARL MUMPOWER

France in the late 1800s was not a happy place. Although frivolity and immorality flourished, the country was swollen with vanity, harms and pretense. But even darker than the drunken corners of popular cabarets such as the Moulin Rouge were the halls of politics. Then and there, much like now and here, words and imagery flourished at the expense of truth.

No one event typified this internal decay more than the multiple injustices of the Dreyfus Affair.

In 1894, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, was falsely accused of treason. Central to the ruse was an investigator who was eventually proven to be the real spy.

Sentenced to life on Devil’s Island, Dreyfus suffered his fate — in isolation — for years.

Salvation came via a gentleman of remarkable wisdom and courage named Emile Zola. Already famous for tackling inequities in France’s social justice system, the crusading man of letters saw an opportunity in the lies and deceit of his country’s political and military leadership.

In an open letter addressed to the French president that was titled “J’Acuse” and published on the front page of the Paris newspaper L’Aurore, Zola made his case against a parade of wrongs. His bravely placing both himself and his career at risk helped force a process, arduous and painful, that ultimately led to Dreyfus’ exoneration and reinstatement.

The perpetrators, much like today’s villains, largely evaded earthly accountability. Still, truths were revealed, and France’s bureaucracy was thereby shaken and reformed.

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Channeling Emile Zola in today’s Asheville

THEN AND NOW

Zola’s time-traveling impact provides a reminder that our America is equally in need of voices offering more than recycled popular sentiments: There’s no heart in an echo.

I am certain the French author would take no offense at a less talented voice borrowing his “J’Acuse” model. What better way to challenge a home community that is similarly darkened by discounted vanities, harms and pretense?

Accordingly, here are six in your honor, Mr. Zola: • I accuse our city leadership of a grave betrayal of their primary governing mandate: to protect the public. I offer as evidence their systematic destruction of our city police force, selective application of the rule of law and patent support for violent lawbreakers masquerading as social justice protesters. I offer as further evidence our having recently landed in the top 10% of American cities with the highest rates of violent crime.

• I accuse former Mission Hospital board members, the medical community, city and county elected officials, and hospital administrators of collaborating to sell our community’s hospital to a band of health care robber barons.

Complicit in this mission were mainstream media outlets, an indifferent populace and oversight agencies that ignored HCA’s astoundingly visible track record of profiteering and deteriorating service, all of which is easily discoverable by a computer-armed middle schooler. This sacrifice of an irrecoverable pillar of community health will long haunt us in

MOUNTAINX.COM

the form of crushed standards and hushed sufferings.

• I accuse our city of surrendering to the scourges of an out-of-control drug culture. This omnipresent harm is consuming individuals, families and neighborhoods; ruining the lives of children, the elderly and other vulnerable citizens in public housing; and overwhelming an abused and fragile public safety system. The evidence sleeps amid our woods, streets and emergency rooms.

• I accuse our commerce associations, businesses and community entrepreneurs of ignoring or supporting a parade of misguided public policies in exchange for economic bounty. There is earned condemnation in the consequent creation of a city where normal people can no longer afford to live and historical values have been carelessly discarded and betrayed.

• I accuse our local daily paper and television station of failing to uphold the most basic of journalistic ethics: the inclusion of diverse points of view on matters of community importance. This stoically liberal bias on the part of the indispensable Fourth Estate has aided and abetted the previously cited forces of harm.

This misstep has undermined faith in media credibility and resulted in city and county governments that have abandoned the key principle of incorporating a wide range of views. Where diversity of thought is betrayed, error and corruption are ensured.

• Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I accuse those whom Christian psychiatrist M. Scott Peck warned us about in his book People of the Lie. In a society in which so many

CARL MUMPOWER

“Where diversity of thought is betrayed, error and corruption are ensured.”

— Carl Mumpower advocate for the seven vices (pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth) rather than the seven virtues (chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility), we find the nourishment for most of today’s miseries.

Were he with us today, Mr. Zola would proclaim his crystal-clear recognition that in the struggle between right and wrong, there’s no lasting immunity. He would also understand that when you lock your eyes on evil, it’s only a matter of time before evil locks its eyes on you.

Former Asheville City Council member Carl Mumpower is a practicing psychologist. He can be reached at drmumpower@aol.com. X

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NEWS

On demand

Out-of-town interest drives local real estate market

BY BEN WILLIAMSON Bdwilliamson1919@gmail.com Dave Farrell was new to town.

He and his wife, Shelley, had just settled into a West Asheville rental after moving from Connecticut in early April. The couple planned to use their temporary digs as a home base for house shopping. They expected a competitive market.

What they experienced, Dave Farrell says, was extraordinary.

“It was crazy. Things would come on the market, and had maybe been available for an hour, and we would learn they had already been sold.

That happened to us five or six times. We would never even get a chance to look at the place, and it was already gone,” Farrell explains.

The Farrells are just two of the many out-of-town buyers who have sought to relocate to the Western North Carolina mountains over the past year. That demand has supercharged an already hot real estate market: According to Redfin, a nationwide real estate brokerage, Asheville home prices were up 22% year over year in June, selling for a median price of $411,000. Area homes now sell after a median of 42 days on the market, compared with 63 days at the same time last year.

While the market may be challenging for outside buyers, it’s even harder for locals searching for homes. The latest available data from searches by Redfin users shows that the average real estate budget for an outsider moving to Asheville was $615,500 as of April, 31% higher than the average local budget of $469,000. That disparity between outside and local buyers was greater than in either Charlotte

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LEADER OF THE PACK: At $411,000, the median home price in Asheville greatly exceeds that of other regional real estate markets. Graphic courtesy of Redfin (21.1%) or Raleigh (25.2%); those cities also had lower average outof-town buyer budgets at about $554,000 and $543,000, respectively.

Alexandra Schrank, an Asheville-based real estate agent with the Mountain Star Team of RE/MAX Executive, says the Redfin numbers square with her on-the-ground experience. And for locals with lower budgets, she continues, options in the Asheville market are severely limited.

MOUNTAINX.COM

“If your budget is $300,000 or lower, it is almost impossible to find anything,” Schrank says. “We are seeing double-wide trailers selling for $250,000.”

DRIVING FACTORS

Schrank calls the COVID-19 pandemic “the biggest game changer for real estate.” Low inventory due to slower building activity and low interest rates set to stimulate the economy, she says, have generated high demand both in Asheville and across the country. The national median home sale price in May 2021 was over $377,000, up 26.3% year over year, according to the most recently available Redfin data, and the median home sold in 16 days, down from 38 in May 2020.

Increased adoption of technology driven by the pandemic, she adds, has also increased the ability for real estate agents to market properties to potential out-of-state buyers.

In-person real estate showings were not considered essential business during the first month of COVID19 emergency orders, leading both agents and clients to become more

comfortable with virtual home visits.

“We continued to work through the pandemic, and people were buying houses sight unseen,” Schrank says.

Those recent changes to the market have intersected with longer-term trends. Justin Purnell of eXp Realty says roughly 80% of his buyers are coming from out of town, up from about 50% 15 years ago — and many of them are driven by climate change. As previously reported

by Xpress (see “Head for the Hills,” Aug. 26, 2020; avl.mx/9xp), sea level rise alone could drive a 5% increase in the Asheville metropolitan area’s population by 2100.

These buyers, says Purnell, “want to get out of the California fires, coastal hurricanes and high temperatures. Climate is a big reason they are coming, and for the mountains, and all there is to offer here.

They all want that lifestyle.”

And the greater acceptance of remote employment, Schrank says, is allowing people from all parts of the country to relocate. “[Out-oftown buyers] make better money than someone from here. Having more income means they can get prequalified to offer more money, or many will have cash,” she says.

Build with Quality, Live with Quality

“Out-of-towners are beating out the locals.”

For 25 years, we’ve been getting the job done on time and on budget, in a way that is respectful of the clients, the trades people and the environment.

SELLER’S MARKET

Schrank primarily works with local sellers, many of whom are benefiting from the high demand and low supply of homes in the area.

Some of those locals, she continues, “feel like Asheville is getting unaffordable. Many are moving to South Carolina and Tennessee just to get out. They are cashing out.”

Sellers receiving upward of seven offers in 72 hours, often for $30,000 to $40,000 over their asking price, is not uncommon, according to Schrank. “I’ve never seen it like this.

I put stuff on the market and think I am overpricing, then end up getting over asking price,” Schrank says.

For many out-of-town buyers, those prices may not seem unreasonable. Despite the recent surge, Asheville’s median home price is only 9% higher than the national figure. Many large urban markets, including Los Angeles ($935,000), Seattle ($800,000) and Boston ($750,000), had much higher median prices as of June, according to Redfin.

Asheville residents since 1977, Marsha Browning and her husband, Joseph, are reaping the benefits of the current market as sellers while simultaneously struggling as buyers. The two say they wanted to downsize while capitalizing on the high prices for local real estate.

“We sold our house in two days,” Browning says. “We listed on a Friday night at 6 p.m. and had a contract Monday morning. They offered way above,” she adds of the Floridabased buyers, who paid $481,000 for a house the Brownings bought in 2019 for $340,000 and listed at just under $460,000.

As buyers, the Brownings are unwilling to leave Asheville and the

BEFORE

AFTER I care deeply that you are happy with your home. It means the world to me.

GAME CHANGED: Alexandra Schrank, an Asheville-based real estate agent with the Mountain Star Team of RE/MAX Executive, says she commonly sees offers of $30,000 or more over asking price on Asheville homes. Photo courtesy of Schrank doctors they have built relationships with over the years. But for now, they’ve decided to wait out the market by moving into a Weaverville rental apartment.

“We don’t want to purchase right now,” Browning says. “It is really hard. Out-of-staters come here and have the money. We have a $350,000-$400,000 budget, but most of the houses are way over $400,000.

The $300,000s or less usually need a lot of work.”

RIPPLES AND BUBBLES

Despite the crowded market, examples do exist of buyers able to

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N EWS find something within their budget.

The Farrells, with a budget between $300,000 and $500,000, were the sole bidders on the third home they targeted in their search, located in Woodfin and priced inside their range. “It’s only a year old,” Dave Farrell says, “and everything is still brand new. It’s great.”

But local nonprofits seeking to promote and develop affordable housing options argue that individual successes don’t address the structural issues in Asheville’s market. For Scott Dedman, executive director of Asheville-based Mountain Housing Opportunities, lack of supply is a primary obstacle, and the result is higher rents and homeowner prices.

“In Buncombe County, more than 8,500 renter households are paying more than half of their income for rent. That’s about 21% of [Buncombe’s] renter households,” Dedman says, referencing 2019 census data. “At the same time, more than 5,000 Buncombe households are paying more than half of their income for homeowner costs, about 8% of Buncombe homeowners.”

Increasing supply, Dedman feels, would help. He shares some frustration with residents who protest against new residential development, especially in downtown or other areas with easy access to jobs and services, and encourages them to think about the affordability implications of restricting construction.

“We live in a popular place,” Dedman continues, “and many of us are here for the same reasons that newcomers are here. So there is high demand for land and homes. The question should be, are we working hard enough to meet the increasing demand with new housing supply?”

Like Schrank, Purnell suggests that the Asheville market may soon reach its own limits. He’s seeing an increase in buyers simply choosing to bypass the city and look at other

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Justin Purnell of eXp Realty says his client base has shifted to roughly 80% buyers from outside the area, up from about 50% when he started as a real estate agent 15 years ago.

Photo courtesy of Purnell parts of WNC, such as Jackson and Macon counties, or even outside the state altogether.

“Some buyers have sticker shock,” Purnell says of the current Asheville market. “They can’t believe how much it costs to live here. If they want mountains, they can go to South Carolina or Tennessee and find much better prices.”

And while Schrank says she has witnessed steady increases in home prices during her six years as a real estate agent, she is bracing for an eventual correction to the market.

As COVID-19 emergency measures come to an end, she predicts an increase in foreclosures this fall and potential increases in inventory by spring 2022, which may cause prices to drop. “Everything that goes up has to come back down,” she says. X

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JULY 21-27, 2021

11

NEWS

Menace or red meat?

Critical race theory debate comes to Buncombe

BY MARK BARRETT markbarrett@charter.net It is much easier to find discussions of critical race theory in the world of right-wing media and political activism than in Buncombe County’s public school classrooms.

Yet CRT, a set of ideas about the ways race influences society, got plenty of attention at a recent county school board meeting, figuring prominently in criticism, mostly from conservatives, of public education.

“You’re teaching racism in our schools,” Black Mountain resident Pauline Orban told the Buncombe County Board of Education June 3. She was one of 13 speakers at the meeting who opposed CRT and voiced worries about schools’ handling of racial issues.

But officials at both the county and Asheville City school systems say they do not explicitly teach CRT. Instead, they say educators try to teach students to make their own judgments about the roles race has played in American history and occupies in American society today.

“It is not my job or any other teacher’s job to tell students … what their judgments, beliefs, opinions, perceptions, positions and prejudices are or should be,” says Brian Gonzales, who teaches civics and economics at Erwin High School.

And Reid Chapman, an instructor in the education department at UNC Asheville, frequently visits Western North Carolina classrooms through his work certifying UNCA students to teach social studies in grades 6-12. “I have never heard the term critical race theory in a classroom,” he says about those visits. “Frankly, I think the term critical race theory has been weaponized for the culture wars right now,”

FROM IDEAS TO ARGUMENT

CRT began in the 1970s among legal scholars as a view of how racial issues help structure the law and social institutions. The approach has expanded into other academic disciplines, including education, political science and sociology.

Adherents suggest that racism affects people of color regularly and provides material and psychological benefits to whites. Some proponents say racism guides individuals’ thoughts without their awareness, a concept known as implicit bias, and permeates many institutions that outwardly purport to be colorblind. Other tenets 12

JULY 21-27, 2021

CRITICAL COMMENT: People in a group of about 60 opposed to requiring masks for schoolchildren and teaching critical race theory were initially denied admittance to the June 3 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Education because they wanted to enter as a group, which school officials said was contrary to their policy. After some argument, shown in a frame from a video of the event taken by a member of the group, members eventually spoke to the board by entering one at a time. Screen capture courtesy of Tamara Parker include the ideas that race is a cultural and social construct and that colorblind standards only remedy the most obvious examples of discrimination.

The question of how these ideas may shape what kids learn in school has in a short time become as controversial as the ideas themselves. A September 2020 executive order by former Republican President Donald Trump banning certain types of diversity training in federal government, at federal contractors and for recipients of federal funds — since revoked by Democratic President Joe Biden — helped boost the issue’s visibility. Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, reported in June that mentions of the phrase “critical race theory” on conservative Fox News had jumped from almost none in June 2020 to more than 500 in May 2021.

The N.C. General Assembly is one of several Republican-led state legislatures that have passed or are considering bills this year limiting what teachers can say about race. House Bill 324, whose co-sponsors include Republican WNC representatives Mike Clampitt and Mark Pless, passed the House in May along party lines, but not by a wide enough margin to withstand a possible gubernatorial veto. Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger introduced a proposed replacement bill July 14 that

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contains a longer list of views that schools cannot promote — such as that “A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist” — and says schools must give 30 days’ notice in some cases if listed concepts are to be discussed.

And the state Board of Education only narrowly adopted new social studies curriculum standards in February following a debate over how they deal with issues around race and discrimination. State legislators are considering delaying implementation of at least some of the standards until the 2022-23 school year, citing concerns that teachers have not enough time to prepare for a new course on personal finance.

FEAR FACTOR

It is difficult to know to what extent the concerns about local schools and race that Buncombe residents raised at the June 3 school board meeting stem from happenings in the county, as opposed to reporting about CRT in a national context. None of the commenters cited any examples of CRT being taught in county schools or described specific shortcomings in what schools teach about race.

The most common issues raised by those in the group of about 60 were opposition to requiring students to

wear masks and complaints that a smaller group had not been allowed to speak at the board’s May 6 meeting.

(There was a dispute then over the board’s public comment rules, which had been modified due to the COVID19 pandemic.) Many who spoke said they home-school or, like Jay Pfeil of Black Mountain, don’t have schoolage children.

“If I had kids, I would not be sending them to school because of what’s being taught,” Pfeil told the board.

“The critical race theory teaches people that they’re bad. You’re either an oppressor or a victim.”

Xpress was able to reach four of the 13 commenters on CRT after the June 3 meeting. Only one, Vickie Cook of Barnardsville, claimed specific knowledge of CRT being taught in local schools, but her example did not clearly establish that assertion. She said she had seen a “very racist” photo in one of her grandchildren’s textbooks but could not remember what the photo showed or give any details.

One organizer of the group, Tamara Parker of Arden, is a member of the Buncombe County Republican Party Executive Committee and attended a Jan. 6 rally in Washington that led to an invasion of the Capitol. (Parker says she did not enter the building.) But she

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL emphasized that at least one or two of those who came to the June 3 meeting were Democrats, including David Hurley, who is running to replace Quentin Miller as Buncombe County sheriff in 2022. (Hurley voted in the Republican primary in March 2020, meaning he was either a Republican or unaffiliated at that time.)

Other commenters said either during or after the school board meeting that they are simply worried that CRT may come to local schools.

“I hope it’s not being taught,” Hillary Brown of Black Mountain, who home-schools, said in an interview. She said she was worried by hearing that some local middle students regularly watched CNN in class — “CNN does use a lot of the race-baiting narrative,” she said — but couldn’t say whether that’s an indication CRT is prevalent locally.

And Tara West, a professional mediator who spoke June 3, wrote in response to questions from Xpress, “I can’t speak to what’s currently happening in Buncombe County schools.” However, she was concerned that new state standards appear to require teaching of CRT concepts.

She describes herself as politically moderate and says she does not have children in local public schools.

Members of the group who had not been allowed to speak in May filed a bizarre document with the county Sheriff’s Office saying that school board members and other officials involved in the dispute over public comment must resign within three days and that failure to respond would be an admission of treason. It says anyone who “supresses” the document agrees to pay $250,000 in gold bullion to be divided among U.S. citizens in Buncombe County.

“This is not a legal document” and has no effect, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Aaron Sarver said.

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QUESTIONS OR ANSWERS?

The CRT debate touches on questions like to what extent is racism baked into U.S. laws and institutions, if incidents like the murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd by a white police officer result from a few racist outliers or systemic problems, and how much does the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws affect society today.

Some local educators say teachers and students should and do discuss these questions in class. But teachers expect students to develop their own answers, not respond in accordance with CRT or any other theory.

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JULY 21-27, 2021

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N EWS “Our goal is that the kids … become critical thinkers,” says Eric Grant, the county schools’ head of curriculum for social studies for grades 6-12. “We’re going to ask students to come up with their own opinions about things.”

Students may ask what a teacher’s opinion is. Gonzales, the Erwin teacher, and Grant, who spent 15 years in the classroom before taking his current job, say they handle that situation in similar ways.

“I always smile and provide the exact same answer for the past 16 years: ‘It doesn’t matter what I think, it matters what you think,’” Gonzales says.

Asheville City Board of Education Chair James Carter provided a statement noting that he spoke with the school system officials responsible for curriculum. “I have been told that we do not explicitly teach critical race theory,” he wrote. “Please know that our staff craft lesson plans to promote a culture of acceptance, understanding and achievement for all students and families.”

A comprehensive examination of what students in local schools learn about racial issues would require monitoring hundreds of classes and consulting dozens of online learning plans or textbooks. That was beyond the

“Pathways2Teaching/Introduction to Socially Just Education” class taught to roughly 15 students per year at Asheville High School. The context does not promote CRT, and the phrase does not appear in the book’s index.

The Colorado-based program that developed the template for the course lists CRT as part of the program’s “theoretical framework.”

NO RIGHT ANSWERS: Erwin High School teacher Brian Gonzales says he encourages students to form their own opinions when discussing issues of race and society. Photo courtesy of LifeTouch scope of this story; however, Xpress did find one use of the phrase “critical race theory” in local history and social studies textbooks.

The 24 words are part of a lengthy timeline of educational developments included in a book used for a

RULES FROM RALEIGH

Grant says state standards play a crucial role in determining what teachers teach when it comes to race. “Critical race theory is not in our standard,” he explains. “We’ll teach the history that our standards ask us to teach.”

That won’t change with the new standards, he says, adding that they “have been written to ask students to do more of the thinking.”

A comparison between the new language for high school classes on U.S. history and founding principles and the previous standards, adopted in 2010, does not show a huge increase in references to race. The subject comes up in fewer than half of the objectives listed in either the 2010 and 2021 standards and the country’s founding principles and often is one of only several factors related to an objective.

The new standards have somewhat more pointed language and could force students to grapple more with questions of racial discrimination in the country’s past and present. Grant says they say teachers must “pay attention to underrepresented voices more than the old standards” require.

One standard directs students to “compare how some groups in American society have benefited from economic policies while other groups have systematically been denied the same benefits.” West, the Buncombe

County commenter, says that language would “seem to require that students be taught ideas” stemming from CRT. However, the standard doesn’t specify whether differences have occurred only in the past or in the present. It also does not say whether the groups in question are races or classes, genders, sexual orientations or people in different occupations.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican and member of the state Board of Education, called the standards “divisive” when the board adopted them in February. “Conservative voices have been pushed from education at every turn,” he said.

He has objected to language that says students should be able to “explain how individual values and societal norms contribute to institutional discrimination and the marginalization of minority groups.”

James Ford, an educational consultant and state board member, responded during the state board discussion that there’s nothing wrong with making students think about racial issues.

“The flawless, exceptionalist characterization of our country is well represented in our education. It has been historically,” the former state teacher of the year said. “However, telling other people’s stories requires us to think critically about that.”

Chapman, the UNCA instructor, admits that teaching about race is difficult and is sometimes bungled. He cites “well-intentioned simulations” of slavery or discrimination in elementary school classrooms elsewhere that have garnered headlines. But that doesn’t mean race should be ignored or that legislators should impose restrictions on classroom discussion.

“I don’t see any place for limiting those conversations within a freedom-loving democracy,” he says. X

What schools are told to teach Here are excerpts from new North Carolina state social studies curriculum standards potentially or explicitly dealing with race for high school courses on American history and the country’s founding principles: • Compare strategies used by individuals to address discrimination, segregation, disenfranchisement, reconcentration and other discriminatory practices that have existed in the United States.

• Assess how effective the American system of government has been in ensuring freedom, equality and justice for all.

• Critique the extent to which women, indigenous, religious, racial, abili-

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ty and identity groups have had access to justice as established in the founding principles of government.

• Explain how the experiences and achievements of minorities and marginalized peoples have contributed to American identity over time in terms of the struggle against bias, racism, oppression and discrimination.

• Distinguish the role women and racial minorities have played in contributing to the economic prosperity of American society in terms of equity, equality and mobility.

• Explain the causes and effects of various domestic conflicts in terms of race, gender and political, economic and social factors. X

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Buncombe sets $300 cap on homeowner grants

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Phillip Hardin, Buncombe County’s economic services director, explains the limits of the homeowner grant program at a July 13 Board of Commissioners meeting. Screen capture courtesy of Buncombe County Along with their 2021 property tax bills, Buncombe County homeowners will receive notice of a new initiative that could offer some relief. During a July 13 meeting, the county Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the terms of a grant program that would offer up to $300 to eligible low-income homeowners impacted by rising taxes.

As explained by Phillip Hardin, Buncombe’s economic services director, residents who have owned their primary residence for at least five years and make no more than 80% of the area median income — $60,100 for a family of four — could apply for aid starting Sunday, Aug. 1. Grant amounts would be tied to the increase on a homeowner’s property tax bill, which Hardin said fell between $200 and $300 for the majority of county residents.

The $300 cap is lower than the $1,000 limit floated by Hardin during a June 15 briefing to the board. The residency requirement is also quintuple the initial proposal of one year. He said the lower boundary on aid would align the grants more closely with other county assistance programs.

Funding for the grants will come from a $300,000 allocation included in the county’s fiscal year 2021-22 budget.

The city of Asheville has also designated $150,000 for a parallel program in its own budget, which is tentatively slated to offer grants of up to $200 to cover increases on city property taxes.

Increases in supplemental city school or county fire district taxes are not covered by the program.

Brownie Newman, the board’s Democratic chair, said the grants were “a new idea for our community” and that the county would thoroughly evaluate the results after the program’s

first year. “Some other places have tried to do some things to provide some financial relief for folks in parts of the state that have seen the cost of living go up for a variety of reasons in significant ways, and they haven’t worked out that well,” he added.

Buncombe spokesperson Lillian Govus said in a press release that further information on the program would be forthcoming on the county’s website.

The deadline for grant applications will be Monday, Nov. 15.

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$40K INCENTIVE APPROVED FOR EAST FORK POTTERY

In another unanimous decision, the board voted to award a $40,000 economic development incentive to East Fork Pottery, an Asheville-based home goods company. The business is embarking on a more than $2.8 million expansion of its manufacturing facilities and plans to hire 50 new employees at an average wage of $22.46 per hour.

Alex Matisse, East Fork’s chief strategy officer and board chair, said the company plans to add automated equipment that will triple its production capacity to roughly 1 million pieces of dinnerware per year. The expansion is scheduled for completion by January.

Democratic Commissioner Al Whitesides called the deal “one of the best economic incentive programs I’ve seen,” with particular praise for East Fork’s focus on socially and racially inclusive hiring. “This will help us start to get rid of systemic racism, because that’s where it starts: with employment,” he said.

— Daniel Walton X MOUNTAINX.COM

JULY 21-27, 2021

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N EWS

BIZ BRIEFS

Blue Ridge Pride debuts LGBTQ+ business alliance Meeting the startup + growth needs of women and businesses in WNC since 2014 through: Save the date for our

7th Annual Women’s Business Conference Oct. 21, 2021

Contact us today! Open 9 AM-5 PM, M-F

Blue Ridge Pride, a nonprofit supporting the LGBTQ community in Western North Carolina, launched an online business directory for LGBTQ-owned and inclusive businesses called the Blue Ridge Pride Business Alliance on June 25.

The directory, available at BlueRidgePride.org/Business, includes retail, food and drink, leisure and services and other categories. Businesses listed in the BRPBA directory can also choose to identify as woman- or minority-owned.

The BRPBA launched in tandem with a new Blue Ridge chapter of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. The CLGBTCC, which serves WNC and South Carolina, is a professional membership organization that provides business development and networking opportunities.

Blue Ridge Pride began discussing the creation of an LGBTQ chamber of commerce for the area last summer, says David Perry, the nonprofit’s director of development and business programs. During the winter of 2021, CLGBTCC contacted Blue Ridge Pride proposing a partnership.

“LGBTQ businesses are part of WNC’s economy, and we want it all to flourish,” Perry says. “It signals to businesses and individuals that own businesses that these are safe places to go and you don’t have to worry about judgment.”

Chris Tinkler, director of fundraising for Blue Ridge Pride, leads the BRPBA, and Dylan Lennon spearheaded the launch of the CLGBTCC Blue Ridge chapter. Learn more about both programs at avl.mx/9yh.

RV/MH HALL OF FAME INCLUDES BREVARD CAMPER IN EXHIBIT The GO Camper, the flagship product of Brevard-based SylvanSport, joined an exhibit at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Ind. This is the first time the museum for recreational vehicles and motor

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SAFE SPACES: David Perry, director of development for Blue Ridge Pride, is proud of the nonprofit’s new online directory for LGBTQowned and inclusive businesses.

Photo courtesy of David Perry homes has included a product from the local outdoor gear company. “We were all very excited,” says Tom Dempsey, founder and CEO. “It’s an unexpected honor. Normally, we think those things happen after an entire career’s worth of work and effort.”

The GO Camper debuted in 2008 as SylvanSport’s first product, which Dempsey designed with employees Kyle Mundt and Tom Reeder. In creating the camper, Dempsey prioritized the “toys,” such as kayaks or canoes, that adventure-seekers bring along, which he says the RV industry had often treated as an afterthought.

The GO Camper will be featured in the Go RVing exhibit, which is supported by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association and will run for six months. In addition to the Go RVing exhibit, the RV/MH Hall of Fame displays motorhomes and trailers from the last century, including a 1913 Earl Trailer that is believed to be the oldest nontent trailer in existence.

Learn more about SylvanSport at SylvanSport.com and the RV/MH Hall of Fame at RVMHHallOfFame.org.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

• NC IDEA, a private foundation that supports entrepreneurs, will host a happy hour and info session in Asheville. The happy hour will be held Tuesday, July 27, from 5-7 p.m. at Archetype Brewing.

The info session will be held Wednesday, July 28, from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Hatch Innovation Hub Event Space. Guests at the info session can learn more about NC IDEA’s $10,000 MICRO grants and $50,000 SEED grants for startup businesses. More information at VentureAsheville.com.

• PLR Connect Events, an events and marketing agency, will hold a brainstorming session called “Expand Your Circle: Roundtable for Women Entrepreneurs” Thursday, July 29, from 5-7 p.m at Focal Point in Asheville. An experienced entrepreneur will lead each table at the event as participants share questions and feedback. All backgrounds and skill sets are welcome. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance at avl.mx/9sv. To inquire about scholarships to attend the event, contact Valerie Welbourn at Val@ plrconnectevents.com.

• Members of WNC’s outdoors industry are invited to register as vendors for the seventh annual Get In Gear Fest. The festival will be Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain. The location features two demonstration areas for water sports, trails and climbing

walls; vending space is first come, first served. More information at avl.mx/9wr.

TIME TO LEARN

• The Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau hosts two events Tuesday, Aug. 3. A 10 a.m. webinar, Responsible Travel and Sustainability in Tourism, will feature a presentation from nonprofit Tourism Cares and a panel discussion by local tourism partners who claim to practice sustainability. To register for the webinar, visit avl.mx/9z0. And from 4-6 p.m., a summer social and sustainability resource fair takes place at Highland Brewing Co., with registration at avl.mx/9z1.

• Early bird tickets are available through Saturday, July 31, for the Outdoor Economy Conference at avl.mx/9zb, which is co-sponsored

by Mountain BizWorks. The conference, with the theme “Stewards of Opportunity,” will take place Tuesday-Friday, Oct.12-15, at Harrah’s Cherokee Conference Center in Cherokee. Conference tracks include sustainable outdoor recreation tourism, outdoor-driven economic development, balancing conservation and the outdoor industry and responsible outdoor product innovation. For more information and to inquire about student and bulk purchase tickets, email Noah Wilson at Noah@ MountainBizWorks.org.

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FEA T U RE S

Q&A with Kareen Boncales, director of entrepreneurship at Mountain BizWorks Many people who volunteer with the Peace Corps consider it a life-defining experience. Kareen Boncales is one of them. She served in Cameroon from 2009-11 in small enterprise development, teaching basic business skills to everyone from farmers to boutique owners.

“I really admired that entrepreneurial spirit of turning challenges into opportunities,” she recalls.

“I knew that moving forward, I either wanted to start my own business or continue working with entrepreneurs.”

Boncales, 35, got both her wishes.

When she returned to the United States, she started her own business running a blog that sold French beauty and skin care products.

That business eventually shuttered, and she began working at a San Francisco organization that provides entrepreneurship training to small-business owners.

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SERVING THE UNDERSERVED: Kareen Boncales, director of entrepreneurship at Mountain BizWorks, stands outside her office. Photo by Jessica Wakeman Boncales and her husband moved to Asheville in 2018 to be closer to the mountains. She read online that she should “BYOJ” — bring your own job — so she prepared to start another business. But that same year, Mountain BizWorks, a community development financial institution, hired her as a learning services specialist. Today she is the organization’s director of entrepreneurship, bringing her career goals full circle.

Boncales spoke with Xpress about entrepreneurship in Asheville, the challenges that small businesses face and growing up Filipino in a community with few Asians.

Are there many entrepreneurs in Asheville?

We have to demystify that word “entrepreneur” — it’s become entrenched with this connotation around tech. But entrepreneurship can be the mom and pop shop, Main Street. All the small businesses in town started with a dream, and now they are such an integral part of the community. There’s a real entrepreneurial mecca here in this region.

What makes it possible for entrepreneurs to succeed here?

There’s a strong entrepreneurial support ecosystem. Mountain BizWorks is an integral part of that.

We’ve been supporting businesses for over 30 years, and so many businesses that people love have been in one way or another supported by us, either through our lending or training services. And we have a strong network of community partners: the Business Incubation and Small Business Center at A-B Tech,

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Western Women’s Business Center, Venture AVL, Hatch AVL. In 2020, Mountain BizWorks disbursed 1,445 loans and grants totaling $42.2 million. And 80% of people you serve are rural, low-income, women or people of color. Are those two things connected?

We exist to serve the underserved entrepreneurs. On the learning side, we make our services affordable. We offer financial assistance so people can access our services. We don’t want cost to be a barrier.

On the funding side, we work with people who banks normally wouldn’t be able to work with. Banks require so much history, like having been two years in business or having a history of making revenue, whereas we can support startups — people who are just coming to us with an idea and we can support them.

Last year, Mountain BizWorks started the Catalyst Fund. What does that aim to accomplish?

After doing a lot of research, focusgroup studies and talking with the community, we designed the Catalyst Fund to address the systemic barriers that many entrepreneurs of color face.

That can take the form of needing collateral, for example. Or credit history — a really low credit history or even not having any credit history at all.

The Catalyst Fund is designed to eliminate or reduce those systemic barriers by waiving those requirements around collateral and credit scores.

What are some of the general obstacles that entrepreneurs in Asheville face?

The increasing unaffordability of the city and the surrounding areas.

As the population grows, the housing supply is not keeping pace. We’ve been hearing that from our entrepreneurs — that unaffordability is impacting their ability not only to grow, but to survive. And commercial space continues to be really expensive.

What would you recommend for people who want to support Western North Carolina entrepreneurs?

Buy local. Avoid Amazon. As much as possible, I’ll go buy my books from Malaprop’s or my cleaning products from the West Village Market & Deli. It’s expensive, it’s a little more inconvenient, but at the end of the day, you are enriching your local community. The money circulates in the local economy.

What are some of your favorite small businesses in Asheville?

Fleetwood’s — it’s a wedding chapel and a bar. They also have a divorce tunnel, apparently, so you can get divorced for the day and have fun with that and come back and get remarried. It’s uniquely, weirdly Asheville. And OWL Bakery — they really elevate the craft of baking.

You emigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines when you were 8 years old. Where did you settle, and what brought you there?

I moved straight to Sanford, North Carolina. It’s an hour from Raleigh.

My mom was a nurse. In the early ‘90s, there were agencies recruiting Filipino nurses. She found a job in Sanford and was eventually able to bring over the rest of the family.

Were there many people of color where you grew up?

There weren’t many Asians.

Growing up, I would always be the only Asian person in my classes. But over time, there got to be a growing Filipino population there and in the Triangle as well.

Have you been able to connect with a Filipino community in Asheville?

I haven’t found it. I’m looking! If there is, I’d like to get connected.

We can put that in the piece — if you’re Filipino in Asheville, get in touch!

I definitely got to enjoy that in the Bay Area. That was the only place in America that I really got to feel like I’m just a person, because everybody else looks like me.

— Jessica Wakeman X

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JULY 21-27, 2021

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR JULY 21-JULY 29, 2021 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

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WE (7/21, 28), MO (7/26), 10:30am, $5, Avery’s Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SE, Arden Hot Summer Series: Total Body Training with Eva A month of free, weekly workouts in different outdoor locations.

WE (7/21, 28), Asheville YMCA, 30 Woodfin St Zumba Gold Low-Impact dance, multiple styles. Suggested donation.

WE (7/21, 28), 12pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Full Moon Series: Yoga under the Full “Buck” Moon Outdoor yoga.

FR (7/23), 8pm, $25-35, Reservations required, Chimney Rock State Park, 431 Main St, Chimney Rock Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free naloxone, syringes and educational material on harm reduction.

TU (7/27), 2pm, Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Rd Yoga in the Meadow 75-minute, all levels class. Donation based.

TU (7/27), 6pm, $10, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

THEY GOT RHYTHM, THEY GOT MUSIC: Waynesville’s HART Theatre marks the grand reopening of its main stage with performances of S’Wonderful: The Music and Life of George Gershwin Thursday-Saturday, July 22-24, and Thursday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. There also will be matinee performances Saturday-Sunday, July 24-25, at 2 p.m. Featured are Stephen Gonya as Ira Gershwin, left, and Lyn Donley as Lady Edwina Mountbatten. Photo courtesy of HART Theatre ART The Asheville Gallery of Art July Show "Soul of Place: Images Inspired by the Places We Love." Featuring art by Karen Keil Brown and Cathyann Burgess.

Gallery open daily from 11am-6pm, Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave At First Light: NCGC Lighting Invitational Art exhibition featuring glass and light.

WE (7/2, 28), TH (7/22, 29), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 10am, North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Suite B Conversations with Phil Sanders, Master Painter The curator of the gallery's Picture That summer printmaking exhibition will discuss the featured artists and their work. SU (7/25), 11am, Free, Momentum Gallery , 24 N. Lexington Ave Olympics-themed Art Exhibitions Three exhibitions drawn from the museum’s collection in conjunction with the 2021 Summer Olympics.

WE (7/21, 28), TH (7/22, 29), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), SU (7/25), MO (7/26), 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square

ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS Ooh La La Curiosity Market Showcasing the work of more than a dozen local artists.

SA (7/24), 10am, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

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The Black Wall St MarketPlace Supporting local Blackowned businesses.

SA (7/24), 10am, Grind AVL, 346 Depot St Westside Creative Market Local handmade goods and artwork.

SA (7/24), 11am, Haywood Quick Stop, 495 Haywood Rd Pop-up Art Market Monthly event hosted

by Continuum.

SA (7/24), 12-5pm, 147 Suite C, 1st Ave E, Hendersonville

DANCE BLVCK BRILLIANCE: A Celebration of Melanin Heart & Soul Dance Company featuring Melvin AC Howell.

SA (7/24), 7pm, $20, Registration required, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

COMMUNITY MUSIC Janiec Opera Company on Broadway Solos, duets and ensemble pieces.

TH (7/22), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard Tribute to The Great American Songbook The Michael Jefry Stevens Trio will perform an outdoor show.

TH (7/22), 6:30pm, Free, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Sibelius Symphony No. 2 Live classical music with guest conductor JoAnn Falletta.

FR (7/23), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard Summer Winds w/ Blue Ridge Orchestra Symphonic Winds Outdoor classical music featuring works by Mozart, Schubert and Stravinsky.

SA (7/24), SU (7/25), 5:30pm, $25-65, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave Beethoven 5 Performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 led by conductor JoAnn Valletta.

SA (7/24), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Live classical music performance led by conductor Ken Lam and featuring pianist Norman Krieger.

TH (7/29), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Author Pedro Mairal & Translator Jennifer Croft present The Woman from Uruguay Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required.

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Brianna Bourne presents You & Me at the End of the World, in conversation with Stephanie Perkins Malaprop's presents a conversation with the authors.

SU (7/25), 3pm, avl.mx/9v8 Science Fiction Book Club Sponsored by Malaprop's, the club meets the last Monday of every month.

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THEATER The Magnetic Theatre presents Kore A modern telling of the Persephone myth, written by Gabrielle Orcha and directed by Jessica Johnson. 21+.

TH (7/22), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 7:30pm, $23, The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St First Date Play written by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner.

TH (7/22, 29), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 7:30pm, SA (7/24), SU (7/25), 2 pm, $15-30, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella The Willingham Performing Arts Academy performs the Tony Award-winning musical.

TH (7/22, 29), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 7:30pm 3pm, Willingham Theater, 226 E Main St, Yadkinville

Mountain Xpress 27th Annual S’Wonderful The grand re-opening of Hart’s main stage with S’Wonderful: The Music and Life of George Gershwin.

TH (7/22, 29), FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 7:30pm, SU (7/25), 2 p.m, $14-34, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Grimm’s Fairy Tales Show hitting on three of The Brothers Grimm’s stories.

FR (7/23), SA (7/24), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park Outdoor variety show.

TU (7/27), 7pm, $15-18, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Pack 2 School Supplies Drive School supply drive that lasts through Aug. 7, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd Biz & Bites: How to Put Your Soul’s Voice into Your Business Business seminar presented by Jessica Falcon from The Path to Sovereignty.

TH (7/22), 12pm, $5, 155 S. Lexington Ave Suite 101 Building a Historic Cemetery Community A virtual African American cemetery workshop.

Sponsored by Western North Carolina Historical Association.

TH (7/22), 7pm, avl.mx/9ya A History of Appalachian Folk Music Part of the Fridays at the Folk Art series.

Outside - bring a chair or blanket. Restrooms not available onsite during the program.

FR (7/23), 7:30pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

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

FR (7/23), 2:30pm, Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Meet the Bartrams, Circa 1804 Historical entertainment, including cello music and beverages at Saluda Cottages.

SA (7/24), 10am, 1895 Little River Rd, Flat Rock Music & Movie Pop Up Sale Sale of CDs, DVDs and more.

SA (7/24), 10am, Black Mountain Library, 105 N. Dougherty St Wild Gathering Incense: Resin Simples, Frasier Fir and White Pine Herbalist Rose Fairley educates people on how to gather and burn resin from fir trees and white pines.

SA (7/24), 10am, $65, Shope Creek Trailhead Medicare for All Rally Part of national campaign. March starts at 10 a.m. from intersection of Biltmore Ave and Hospital Drive. Sponsored by Healthcare for All WNC, AVL DSA and AVL Racial Justice Coalition.

SA (7/24), 11:30am, Pack Square Park, 121 College St Ben's Friends - Support Group A support group for people in the hospitality industry struggling with addiction.

MO (7/26), 10am, AB Tech Culinary Arts & Hospitality School, 30 Tech Dr Ikebana Demonstration Focuses on a free style flower arrangement using a container with two openings.

TU (7/27), 10:30am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle Sponsored by the Council on Aging of Buncombe County in conjunction with the N.C. Department of Insurance’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program. To register, call 828-2778288.

WE (7/28), 2pm, avl.mx/9hz Meet the Geeks Networking event for technology professionals.

WE (7/28), 5pm, Upcountry Brewing Company, 1042 Haywood Rd Expand Your Circle: Round Table for Women Entrepreneurs Each table will be led by a woman entrepreneur, and each attendee will invited to bring up a subject..

TH (7/29), 5:30pm, $25, Registration required, Focal Point Coworking, 125 South Lexington Ave Suite 101 WNC History Lecture Series: Literature and Stereotypes Dr. Erica Abrams Locklear of UNC Asheville concludes Intro to WNC Lecture Series. Sponsored by Western North Carolina Historical Association.

TH (7/29), 6:30pm, avl.mx/9x6 Listen to This: Stories on More on Screen True tales of tricky wardrobe transitions by Enter If Known. Hosted

by Tom Chalmers via Zoom. Produced by Asheville Community Theatre.

TH (7/29), 7:30pm, $15, avl.mx/9zm

FOOD & BEER RAD Farmers Market Weekly farmers market featuring more than 30 local farmers, makers, bakers and craft artisans.

WE (7/21, 28), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St

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Flat Rock Farmers Market Weekly farmers market.

TH (7/22, 28), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville North Asheville Tailgate Market Tailgate market featuring local farmers and vendors.

SA (7/24), 8am, West Asheville Tailgate Market, 3300 University Heights Jackson Arts Market Weekly event every Saturday through Dec. 18.

SA (7/24), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva Meadow Market A rotation of local bakers, makers and artisans.

SU (7/25), 12pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

KIDS Kid Hop Hooray!

Dance event for families featuring DJ Oso Rey. Free.

SA (7/24), 10:30am, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave Miss Malaprop’s Storytime Children’s event.

WE (7/28), 10am, Registration required, avl.mx/9op

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BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com A recent Tuesday afternoon at the Western North Carolina Birth Center was unusually quiet. The birthing rooms were empty. No laboring mothers paced the halls; no infants wailed.

The staff arrived for work, but the mood was forlorn.

July 20 marked the close of the WNC Birth Center, the only 24/7 midwifery option in Asheville. The nonprofit provided OB-GYN services and midwifery care as an alternative to giving birth in a hospital. Nancy Koerber, the center’s executive director, announced the closure in a June website post that cited both ongoing and unforeseen challenges.

“We still are hanging on to hope,” said Koerber during a July 13 interview at the center’s waiting room for families. “But the birth center will be closing on July 20. If it is able to reemerge in some capacity, that will happen down the road.”

Since the nonprofit’s founding in 2016, Koerber estimates its team has birthed 1,032 babies, including 300 this year. But in recent weeks, its four certified nurse midwives, or CNMs, and two nurses have been coordinating with patients to transition them to other providers.

After the center’s closing, only two accredited birth centers — one in Chapel Hill, the other in Statesville — remain in North Carolina. The Asheville facility is the fifth accredited birth center to close in the state in five years, says Koerber.

DIFFERENT STROKES

Birth centers offer expectant mothers a middle ground between giving

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Asheville’s 24/7 birth center is closing

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WOMB WITH A VIEW: Executive Director Nancy Koerber stands beside an inflatable birthing tub in one of the three rooms at the WNC Birth Center.

Photo by Jessica Wakeman birth in a hospital setting and a home birth. “The medical community was willing to support having a free-standing birth center — they felt like it would meet the needs of the community who would not want to birth in the hospital,” explains Koerber. “There’s a lot of people who don’t want to birth in the hospital, for various reasons.”

Expectant mothers may choose a birth center because the setting appears less medicalized, with an atmosphere designed to feel more homelike. For example, each room at the WNC Birth Center resembled a cozy bedroom with a queen-sized bed and piles of throw pillows atop quilts. Fertility artwork and intricate tapestries hung on the walls. Only the presence of a large blue inflatable birthing pool in the corner indicated that new life came into the world in the room.

Unlike a traditional hospital room, the rooms at the WNC Birth Center didn’t have oxygen tanks or IVs set up beside the beds. That equipment was stored in a nearby closet and taken out for use as needed.

A birth center can be a good option if the mother and child are healthy and the mother doesn’t want pain medication during labor, according to the N.C. Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives. They are not advised when a mother has certain health conditions such as placenta previa, is carrying multiples, goes into early labor or plans a cesarean section.

Some women may begin to labor at a birth center but then be transferred to a hospital if they require pain medication or there are concerns about changes to the baby’s heartbeat. The WNC Birth Center’s CNMs all had medical privileges at Mission Hospital, which allowed them to accompany women to the hospital in case of an emergency.

MONEY WOES

The nonprofit’s annual operating budget is about $1.7 million, Koerber says, adding it had “significant capital debt from the remodeling of the center” in 2016 before the facility opened.

But insurance proved the birth center’s most insurmountable difficulty.

Koerber explains that private insurance providers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, as well as Medicaid, generally reimburse the nonprofit at lower rates than its expenses.

Self-paid customers at WNC Birth Center were charged approximately $8,600 for labor and delivery for complete maternity services and the facility fee, Koerber says. For clients on Medicaid, accounting for about 40% of patients, the center would lose $2,000 on every birth; for those with most private insurance companies, the center typically lost $1,000 per birth.

Fifty percent of the birth center’s clients are insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. Jami Sowers, a spokesperson for Blue

Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, declined to confirm reimbursement figures provided by the WNC Birth Center. “Reimbursement rates vary based on the provider and individual’s insurance plan,” she wrote in a statement to Xpress.

In response to its financial struggles, the WNC Birth Center launched a fundraising campaign in January with a $250,000 goal for operations support.

Koerber expressed gratitude for the donors and the $60,000 they raised, but the total underscores that more substantial financial backing is needed if the center is to reopen.

Previous attempts to seek foundational support for the WNC Birth Center have led to dead ends. “We have sought the assistance of a number of local foundations but didn’t fit their target criteria,” Koerber explained in an email.

CALL THE MIDWIFE

Another challenge facing the birth center is North Carolina legislation regulating midwives, which is stricter than that in many other states. Those inhospitable regulations, Koerber says, led to difficulties in attracting staff.

Most states allow direct-entry midwives — those without a nursing degree, including certified professional midwives, or CPMs — to have licensure. But only CNMs, who have a graduate-level education in midwifery, can be licensed to attend births in North Carolina. CPMs, who are credentialed by the National American Registry of Midwives and trained to facilitate births both in and out of a hospital setting, may not legally carry out those duties.

The state also requires that CNMs have the supervision of a physician.

Nineteen states require a collaborative practice agreement establishing a working relationship between a CNM and a physician. But only North Carolina, Nebraska and Georgia require a supervisory agreement from a physician in order for a CNM to practice, explains Suzanne Wertman, state government affairs consultant for the ACNM. Under a supervisory agreement, the physician doesn’t need to be present at births, but he or she must be available for consultation if needed.

“Anytime there’s a requirement for a contract with a physician, it gives that physician control of our profession,” argues Wertman.

“The required collaborative practice agreement is considered an older model,” says Dolly Byrd, director of clinical research for obstetrics at Mountain Area Health Education Center. “Other states have abandoned that and encouraged more collaboration with physician colleagues, as opposed to more hierarchical supervision.”

PUSHED OUT

Following the closure of the WNC Birth Center, women seeking midwifery care do have other options, primarily in affiliation with area hospitals.

MAHEC employs seven CNMs who each have medical staff privileges at Mission Hospital, says Byrd. Those CNMs are part of a pool with physicians to be on call for labor and delivery, she notes, and they don’t provide midwifery service overnight or on weekends.

Mission Hospital and Mission Hospital McDowell, the two hospitals operated by HCA Healthcare with a labor and delivery department, also employ CNMs. While CNMs are not available 24/7, there are OB physicians and OB nurses available. There are no CNMs working at Pardee Hospital, says Amy Holcombe, spokesperson, in a statement. The Baby Place at AdventHealth Hendersonville does provide CNMs as an option for pregnancy, labor and delivery care, confirms spokesperson Victoria Dunkle.

Mission’s labor and delivery department provides expectant mothers tools that birth centers also use, like birthing tubs and birthing stools, says Mary Cascio, director for women’s services at Mission Hospital Asheville. She also notes that the only neonatal intensive care unit in the area is located at Mission Hospital Asheville. “Even the healthiest of mothers can run into a medical emergency during the birthing process, during which being in the hospital can help save that baby’s life,” she says.

Adds Nancy Lindell, spokesperson for HCA’s North Carolina division, “Mission offers the type of birthing experience that mothers want to have.

However, we prioritize the health of the mother and the baby and have the emergency services available should that birthing experience not go exactly as they had hoped.”

Nevertheless, the obstetrics community is concerned by the narrowing of options for an out-of-hospital birth experience. Koerber worries about families who do not want a hospital birth or who live in obstetrical deserts where there are few options for OB-GYN care “feeling inclined to take matters into their own hands and do what we call a free birth” — a home birth without a midwife or physician present.

“This is a community with such a rich midwifery tradition that it’s just so sad to see options reduced for women,” adds Byrd. “The birth center provided a safe option for women to have choice in their place of delivery and the type of care they received.

I’m just so saddened to have that option reduced.” X

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JULY 21-27, 2021

23

ARTS & CULTURE

Outside Asheville

New dining options in neighboring towns bring a variety of flavors

BY JARRETT VAN METER jarrettvanmeter@gmail.com If you’re eager to travel but not quite ready to jump on a plane, a good daytrip might fix your summertime itch. And with several new restaurants featuring international fare in neighboring counties and towns, your taste buds might even think they’ve roamed well beyond the mountains of Western North Carolina.

RAINBOW CUISINE

Growing up in South Africa, Mark Henegan was immersed in food. His father owned a restaurant, his grandmother also loved to cook, and when the family traveled, it was often in the name of food.

“My parents were always like, ‘All right, on the weekend we are going to go up into the bush,’” remembers Henegan, referring to the country’s wild, open areas. “We’d have major dinners and go and drink some beautiful wines.”

Henegan is hoping to re-create these memories in Black Mountain, both in name and spirit, with the recent opening of The Bush Farmhouse at 151 S. Ridgeway Ave. The restaurant’s rotating menu serves South African-inspired flavors using local ingredients. Popular dishes include the country pâté, Bunny Chow (hollowed-out bread filled with veggie, chicken or seafood curry) and the Bushman roasted legumes and veggie platter.

“It’s a melting pot,” Henegan says of South African cooking. “[It] is a country full of variety and diversity, and it kind of comes together in what one would call a rainbow cuisine.”

FEAST: In Sylva, the restaurant Jame recently launched on Main Street. The establishment serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Photo courtesy of Jame restaurant Equipped with its own garden, which provides the restaurant with some of its produce, The Bush Farmhouse is home to a small menagerie of ducks, chickens, miniature donkeys and a teacup pig. Additionally, diners can expect live music and a rotation of local artists’ works on exhibit.

Like many in the industry, Henegan is experiencing staffing challenges, but he says he hopes the restaurant’s ambiance will continue to draw in talent. “You put an ad on Craigslist or Indeed, and you don’t get any response at all, but then some-

body walks by and says, ‘Hey, I love this place, I love your work here,’” Henegan explains. “So, I’m not really worried.”

Nor is he concerned about finding diners. Henegan, who previously operated Madiba in Brooklyn, N.Y., relocated to WNC in 2018. Since his arrival, he says, “I’ve kind of found that Black Mountain is becoming like the chic place to live, and Asheville is Asheville,” he says. “[Black Mountain] is a destination, a mini-vacation to get away from the hustle and bustle.”

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BRING ON THE KEBABS

In Sylva, expansion is the name of the game for husband-and-wife team Don Panicko and Cecelia White. Along with welcoming their son, Dante, earlier this year, the couple recently opened Jame, a full-service restaurant focused on Mediterranean cuisine.

No strangers to the town’s culinary scene, Jame marks the couple’s third business launched in Sylva’s downtown within the last three years.

They also operate White Moon, a café that doubles at night as Dark Moon bar, as well as The Market at Jame, a specialty grocery store adjacent to the new restaurant.

The concept for Jame, Panicko explains, began at home. “A lot of Cecelia’s influences and the way that she likes to cook is very Mediterranean-inspired,” he explains.

“So, we took that concept of how we like to eat and just decided Sylva could use some lighter, satisfying, unique healthy items.”

Before its opening, the couple tested several of the restaurant’s dishes at White Moon just a few blocks away.

Using locally sourced produce, menu highlights include muhammara (a dip of roasted red peppers, walnuts

FAMILY AFFAIR: Standing inside their latest establishment, Jame owners Don Panicko and Cecelia White pose with their newborn son, Dante. Photo by Panicko and pomegranate molasses served with pita), Arab chicken kebabs and braised Gulf shrimp.

Panicko points out that Jame’s offerings are noticeably different from those at other eateries on the town’s main thoroughfare. “A lot of Sylva’s food is pretty heavy,” he explains. “A lot of barbecue and heavy Mexican food. There aren’t many places to go to get something light and satisfying.”

Jame is at 646 W. Main St. To learn more, follow the restaurant on Instagram at @jame_restaurant.

COMING SOON

Edward Hill, co-owner of the Flat Rock breakfast spot Honey and Salt, was biking with friends in DuPont State Recreational Forest earlier this year when one of the fellow cyclists, a

real estate agent, pitched him on opening a restaurant in Brevard. Interested in scaling up Honey and Salt, Hill told the agent to schedule site visits.

In March, Hill and his wife and business partner, Erin, signed a lease at 170 King St., Unit C. The couple’s new venue, Morning Social, will serve all the Honey and Salt staples in a larger, airier setting. Menu highlights include omelets, granola bowls and French toast, as well as biscuits and pastries baked in house. Beer and wine will also be served.

Eager day-trippers might want to pause, however, before heading south to Brevard for a morning meal.

The Hills have not yet announced an opening date.

“We want to get it right and break the tape when everything is done at the finish line,” says Hill. “We are taking our time and being thoughtful about what we use inside from a material standpoint.”

Additionally, he says, staffing remains a concern. “We are struggling like everybody else in the country with finding help.”

But once these issues are settled — bon appétit. For updates, follow Morning Social on Instagram at @morningsocialbrevard. X

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JULY 21-27, 2021

25

ARTS & CU L T U R E

FILM

Hub incentives

Filmmaker transplants discuss working in Asheville

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com The Last of the Mohicans. The Fugitive. My Fellow Americans. Dirty Dancing. Being There.

These and other movies established Western North Carolina as a desirable destination for Hollywood productions from the late 1970s into the 2000s.

And while film and television projects are still shot in the area, the scene is nowhere near the level it once was a decade ago.

Back when the likes of The Hunger Games came to the region in 2011, filmmakers were enticed by the state’s 25% tax credit for qualifying productions — a program that reached its peak in 2012 when producers were awarded $84.7 million in grants. However, the state legislature replaced the program in 2014 with one offering only $10 million in total possible grants.

The change resulted in an exodus of productions to Georgia and other Southeastern states with more

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SCREAM TEAM: The husband-and-wife filmmaking duo of Mason McDonald and Tabitha McDonald prepare a shot on the set of a recent production. Photo courtesy of Dark Red Horror appealing incentives. During that time, the Zach Galifianakis comedy Masterminds (2016) and the Oscarwinning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) shot in WNC, though statewide film production spending plunged. While the total available funding for state rebates has partially rebounded with the help of a $31 million annual allocation, the effects of the tax incentive program’s temporary disruption linger.

Independent filmmakers nevertheless continue to relocate to the area — not for the promise of rebates, but more pragmatic reasons that enhance their craft. Xpress spoke with three such creators about the allure of the region, what keeps them here and how they’d like to see it grow.

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MAKING LEMONADE

“In 2014, Asheville was No. 1 in MovieMaker magazine of places to move to for aspiring filmmakers in the United States,” says Mason McDonald. “In 2015, it was gone — off the list entirely.”

The formerly bustling industry was part of what attracted McDonald and his wife, Tabitha, to Asheville in 2015 — and, considering the modest scales of their initial projects, they figured the decrease in tax credits wasn’t a factor they’d need to worry about for a few years. Originally from Oklahoma, the McDonalds met while Mason was shooting a student film.

Upon graduating from Oklahoma City

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Community College, they decided to start fresh in a different place and were strongly considering Austin, Texas, as their new home. But while visiting friends in Johnson City, Tenn., they took a daytrip to Asheville, knowing next to nothing about the city, and returned to Oklahoma ready to move to Buncombe County.

“We really love the mountains, and having a balance between a creative community, the outdoors and, like, ‘city — but not really,’ was important. Asheville hit all of those marks,” Tabitha says. “And it’s a nice hub.

It’s easy to go do work in Atlanta, Charlotte and Knoxville without sacrificing a ton of time.”

Though large-scale opportunities largely evaporated after the McDonalds arrived, they discovered a passion for commercial work, both in their ability to make a living from it and to still tell stories while working with clients.

Thus was born Art Before Comfort, their company offering videography, photography and other services. That in turn helps fund Dark Red Horror, a narrative film company they founded in 2018. Their most recent short film, The Night Courier, centers on a woman who secures victims for vampires and features such local actors as Emily Tynan McDaniel, Drez Ryan and Jennifer Trudrung.

REDISCOVERING THE SPARK

While the McDonalds moved to Asheville with filmmaking in mind,

Lenny Lenox did so wondering if such work was a thing of the past. In 2011, he earned a B.A. in film from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., where he gained experience in several departments. The diverse skill set served him well when he moved to Los Angeles, where he gradually found work with sound, camera and other crews. Lenox enjoyed what he was doing, but by 2018, he craved a lifestyle change and a better work/life balance.

Around that time, his parents retired to Waynesville, not far from the Cherokee and Balsam Mountain area where the family used to camp in the summers to escape the Florida heat. Lenox soon relocated to Asheville and took a step back from filmmaking for just over a year, before his desire to create returned. A chance connection with a group of young filmmakers working on a Star Wars fan film further kick-started his passion, and he began writing a feature-length script called Things I Should Have Said, about a man battling substance abuse who regains his purpose in life after befriending a boy who’s being bullied at school.

“I got a lot of great feedback from that script as I was submitting it to film screenplay competitions around the country and ended up getting to the second round of the Austin Film Festival,” Lenox says. “They gave me a ‘recommend’ as a writer, so that really made me feel good because I’ve never gone that route before. I’d just kind of written and then gone out and produced scripts.”

At the suggestion of several producers, he shot a proof of concept in October 2020, taking a few scenes and assembling a cast and crew with help from Asheville-based cinematographer James Suttles. Filming took place at Lake James State Park in McDowell County. Lenox finished postproduction work by Christmas, and this spring it was chosen for the LA Shorts International Film Festival, which is taking place digitally throughout July.

PROS AND CONS

The ability to harness the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountains are a major asset for Lenox as he looks to expand Things I Should Have Said into a feature.

Another plus, he notes, is having the cityscapes of Charlotte and Raleigh relatively nearby, as well as the coast.

“North Carolina has all of that landscape that’s perfect for any filmmaker who wants to tell a story, no matter

where it may be set,” Lenox says.

“And other than the rain, the weather is conducive to what the filmmaker wants to get.”

Mason McDonald adds that the mix of urban decay and new-build structures downtown offers sufficient variety for most of his and Tabitha’s projects. Furthermore, the couple say they’ve never been able to land locations more easily than in Asheville, which they credit to the community’s overall support for creators. Most of the McDonalds’ projects are filmed on private land, eliminating the need for permitting.

“We keep location agreements in hand and have high communication with the owners, as well as insurance in place,” Tabitha says. “And we haven’t yet needed road closures or the use of any public space. Other than filing an intent to film, it’s been very easy to navigate. Permitting in other cities can be trickier, but it depends on what you are shooting, of course.”

Still, all three filmmakers note that, while the local talent pool is a gifted set, it’s a small group from which to choose.

The McDonalds say they’ve worked with or at least know most of the actors and technicians in Asheville, and that these collaborators are often busy, forc-

ing the McDonalds to hire people from Atlanta, Charlotte or Greenville, S.C. Having worked in LA and briefly in Atlanta as a background actor, Lenox sees room for local industry members to better establish themselves.

He points to simple changes that creatives can make, such as having their demo reel readily available and clearly branding their field of expertise so that someone looking for that particular role can more easily find them.

“In LA, if you throw a stone, you’re going to hit a producer or an actor or whatever,” Lenox says. “But when you look them up, you can find out right away what they do instead of having to look through lines and lines of pages until maybe you just give up.”

While there’s room for improvement, Lenox and the McDonalds say that the pros of being a filmmaker in Asheville far outweigh the cons. And as they continue to work within the industry and create new projects, they’re excited to continue to forge connections with fellow filmmakers and see themselves staying put for the foreseeable future.

“I’m happy to say that, right now, I’m living the best of both worlds,” Lenox says. “I’m still loving my life as a filmmaker in this time of my journey, and I really love where I’m living.” X

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FOOD

Fired up

Asheville chefs share memories and recipes for global grilling

BY KAY WEST kwest@mountainx.com Editor’s note: Additional recipes can be found at avl.mx/a0k.

Now that the Fourth of July is behind us but several more months of outdoor cooking remain, it might be a good time to set aside the sizzling sirloin and shriveled up hot dogs to poke around some more adventurous ways to put your grill skills to use. Xpress recently spoke with local chefs for ways to break out of the burger box and fire up summer gatherings.

PORK CHOPS

Ask Luis Martinez, former executive chef at El Gallo AVL, about grilling traditions in his home country of Mexico, and he’ll throw in some history, geography and migration lessons as well.

“What and how you grill depends on the area,” he explains.

In the north, it’s all about carne asada. The liquid seasoning poured over preferred cuts of beef combines citrus juice with salt, pepper, onions and garlic. “Leave it for a half or full day to absorb all the liquid,” says Martinez. “Then grill.”

Meanwhile, on the Caribbean side of south Mexico is recado negro —

an umami sauce made with burnt then quickly fermented chiles. The seasoning is great on pork, beef and fish, though it is most commonly used on turkey, a very popular dish in that region.

Lastly, on the Pacific side, adobo is a favorite among the seasonings.

“There are different kinds of adobos,” Martinex explains. “But the one we make in Oaxaca where I am from uses three different kinds of chiles — usually chipotle, guajillo and morita. We don’t do big pieces of meat like here; we use superthin cuts.”

Try out Martinez’s recipe for cecina enchilada (spicy flat pork loin) at avl.mx/a0k.

DO THE JERK

Local chef Millicent Johnson says that back home in Jamaica, people made their own grills using materials at hand. She still sighs wistfully remembering the heady scent of sweet-spicy jerk chicken cooking over wood. “Here we use real grills,” she explains, and because of this, “My jerk chicken is really good but never as good as it was back in Jamaica.”

In March, she and her partner, Daulton Young, launched Tayse of Di Islands from an Asheville com-

ONE LOVE: Millicent Johnson, left, and Daulton Young, owners of Tayse of Di Islands, show the results of their recipe for grilled jerk chicken. Photo by Brittany Parnell missary kitchen. The pair offer a twice-monthly menu of Jamaican specialties, including jerk chicken, jerk pork, rice and peas, greens, curried chicken and occasionally oxtail.

Jerk is a seasoning used as a dry rub or a marinade or sauce, and many cooks employ it for multiple methods. Johnson says she makes her jerk fresh, with a few specific ingredients shipped to her from Jamaica. “I can’t get Scotch bonnet

pepper here, though, so I use habanero instead.”

Johnson shares an adapted recipe for jerk seasoning below. Tayse of Di Islands menu can be found at avl.mx/9qt.

HAPPY CAMPER

Chef Owen McGlynn is the master of the Argentinian live-fire grill

Millicent Johnson’s jerk chicken Serves: 4 people; Prep time: 1 hour; Total time: 13-25 hours for best results Ingredients: • One whole chicken • One or two chopped habaneros, with or without seeds • 2 teaspoons vinegar • 1 small yellow onion, chopped • 1 small sweet onion, chopped • 3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped • 3 teaspoons of original Mrs. Dash • 2 cloves fresh garlic • 4 teaspoons ground allspice • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, chopped • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • Four stalks of green onion • 1½ tablespoons brown sugar • 1/2 cup lime juice

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• 1 • 1 • 2 • 1 • 1 • 2 • 3

teaspoon salt teaspoon soy sauce teaspoons honey small green bell pepper tablespoon garlic powder tablespoons ketchup tablespoons butter

Directions: • Clean and wash chicken thoroughly • To make jerk marinade, place yellow onions, habaneros, green onion, thyme, bell pepper, ginger, garlic and vegetable oil into a blender and pulse until smooth.

• Place chicken in a bowl, then add salt, allspice, garlic powder, Mrs.

MOUNTAINX.COM

Dash and soy sauce followed by half of the blended marinade. Rub everything together. Place seasoned chicken in a freezer bag or let sit in a covered bowl. You can cook chicken immediately after seasoning, but for best results, put it in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours to marinate.

• To make the jerk sauce, place butter in a small saucepan with the remainder of the marinade, then add water, ketchup, honey, lime juice, brown sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Let sit until ready to serve.

• Preheat the grill to medium high and remove chicken from marinade.

Place chicken on the grill grate, cover and cook for 45-55 minutes keeping the internal grill temperature at 350 F-400 F, turning the chicken occasionally. When chicken is cooked, the juices will run clear.

Check chicken with meat thermometer. When fully cooked, chicken breast and thigh should be about 165 F; leg and wing should be 170 F. Remove chicken from grill and place on a cutting board, chopping into desired pieces before transferring chicken to a platter. Pour desired amount of jerk sauce over the chicken and serve. X

custom-built for Asheville Proper, the restaurant he opened with his wife, Mindi McGlynn, and Mercy and Russell Joseph in the Grove Arcade last summer. But his love for that style of cooking was first stoked on family camping trips as a child.

“My dad would build the fire, and we’d put corn into the embers, still in the husk,” he remembers. “The smell of it cooking was so good, and it was fun to tear the burnt husks off to eat the smoky corn.”

At Asheville Proper, corn and almost everything else that comes into the restaurant will eventually find its way to the grill. “In every dish, we try to incorporate something over the fire, whether charred or smoked or a slight roast or ember.”

Even on vacation, he keeps the fire going. “Our whole extended family is on vacation now, and last night we cooked Georgia corn in the husk,” he says with a laugh. “My sister-in-law had an idea to poach some marble potatoes until they were soft, then oil them up with some salt and pepper, smash them down a bit so they don’t roll and grill them to char the skin. They were great.”

Grilled vegetables are always on the Proper menu, and McGlynn says he is excited to welcome summer squashes, eggplant, tomatoes and okra.

Below are his recipes for grilled crookneck squash served with harissa, a Tunisian chile pepper paste.

Asheville Proper is at 1 Page Ave. Suite 141. For a full menu, visit avl.mx/87f.

ON THE LAMB

Street food has been chef Meherwan Irani’s jam since he opened Chai Pani on Battery Park Avenue in 2009. “The mission of Chai Pani has always been to make Indian food approachable and accessible,” he told Mountain Xpress in 2019. “Street food was the conduit to that.”

But India is a big country with millions of streets, and one of Irani’s fondest culinary memories of living there was the hawkers who set up fire-fueled grills on the street late at night. “They set up their little grills and cook chicken, lamb, steak, goat kebabs — whatever meat they choose,” he recalled in 2019. “Then they put it on flatbread with herbs and toppings and fold it so people can carry it with them.”

The street grills were the inspiration behind Botiwalla, the restaurant Chai Pani Restaurant Group opened in 2017 in Ponce City Market food hall in Atlanta; a second location opened this year in Charlotte.

Find Irani’s recipe for lamb kebabs at avl.mx/a0k. X

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Owen McGlynn’s coal-fired crookneck squash, served with harissa Serves: 8 people Ingredients: • 3 pounds crookneck squash • 1 cup crumbled feta • ½ cup cashews, roasted and crushed • 5 tablespoon olive oil Instructions: • Prepare squash by cutting in about 1- to 2-inch chunks (large enough for grilling) and toss with olive oil.

• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

• Cook over charcoal grill (use a grill basket if necessary) until squash is nicely charred, about 3-5 minutes.

• Combine with crumbled feta, cashews.

Harissa: • Two red bell peppers, seeded and divided • Three cloves garlic, chopped

• One small red onion, chopped • One dried ancho chile, rehydrated • ¼ teaspoon whole coriander, toasted and ground • ¼ teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground • ¼ teaspoon caraway, toasted and ground • ¼ teaspoon of paprika • 2 teaspoon fresh lime juice Instructions: • Sauté chopped onions and garlic in a pan until caramelized.

• Add to blender with bell pepper, ancho chile, spices and lime juice.

Purée until combined. (Chef’s note: If ancho chile is too spicy, add honey to sweeten and salt and pepper to taste.)

• Squash with feta and cashews can be tossed with harissa or plated with a large spoonful of harissa for dipping. X

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ARTS & CU L T U R E

ROUNDUP

Around Town

Arts Council forms new Arts Coalition In an effort to better serve the many diverse arts professionals and businesses in Buncombe County, the Asheville Area Arts Council has formed the Arts Coalition to drive policy in 10 key focus areas, ranging from arts education to trade.

Committee chairs will hold quarterly focus area meetings and serve on the leadership team. Katie Cornell, AAAC executive director, says the leadership committee began meeting in April and convenes once a month.

The inaugural committee chairs include Laura Mitchell (Arts Education); Stephanie Hickling Beckman (Arts Equity); Jessica Tomasin (Information); Gar Ragland (Manufacturing); Rae Geoffrey (Nonprofits); Liz Whalen Tallent (Performance Venues); Reggie Tidwell (Professional and Business Services); Justin Rabuck (Public Arts, Festivals and Community Events); Gwynne Rukendbrod Smith (Sole Proprietors/Independent Contractors); and Michael Manes (Trade/Retail).

Tidwell, founder of Ashevillebased design and photography firm Curve Theory, says the appointment “checks a lot of boxes” for him and that as a person of color, he’s happy

to be involved and have influence through that lens. “It’s important to me to see that the arts are continually uplifted here,” he says, noting that they add a layer of vibrancy “that many cities can’t claim.”

As a committee chair, Tidwell also plans to use his position as the founding president of the Asheville chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts to listen, connect and ensure that local designers, photographers and advertisers have the resources they need to succeed and continue to contribute to the city’s economy.

In the leadership committee meetings thus far, he says it’s clear that all involved are “a passionate and resourceful group of people that want the city to thrive,” and “want to make sure that our creative professionals have funding, resources and a voice to continue building and remaining sustainable.”

“I want local businesses and organizations to know about the wealth of talent this city holds in its creative professionals, and I want to see businesses and our government investing in the local creatives so that it continues to stimulate our economy,” Tidwell says. “As I build a committee, I’m excited to hear what other goals people will bring to the table.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/9wt.

O, PIONEERS: Clockwise from top left, Reggie Tidwell, Gwynne Rukenbrod Smith, Michael Manes and Rae Geoffrey are among the 10 committee chairs for the Asheville Area Arts Council’s inaugural Arts Coalition. Photos courtesy of the AAAC

Folkmoot is back Folkmoot resumes hosting programs and events with the return of Summerfest, Thursday-Sunday, July 22-25. The festival takes place at Lake Junaluska, downtown Waynesville and the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville.

Offerings include an assortment of traditional and contemporary dances, as well as musical performances.

These disciplines and others will be represented at Many Cultures Day on Saturday, July 24, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., on Main Street in Waynesville.

According to a press release, the outdoor event is intended to be “a comprehensive Folkmoot experience” and a highlight for attendees.

“Folkmoot is excited to return to in-person events after a long hibernation,” says Glenn Fields, the organization’s executive director. “This year, we are very excited to feature an array of groups that represent a variety of American ethnic cultures, showcasing a portion of what makes this unique melting pot of a country so great.”

Tickets range from $25-$100 for evening programs. Many Cultures Day is free to attend. For more details, visit avl.mx/9wv.

Memorable educator Enka High School band director Kevin Young is a quarterfinalist for the 2022 Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum. Young is one of 219 quarterfinalists from across the U.S., and the winning educator 30

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will be announced the final week of January.

According to the Grammy Museum award website, “the Music Educator Award was established to recognize current educators (kindergarten through college, public and private schools) who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the field of music education and who demonstrate a commitment to the broader cause of maintaining music education in the schools.” To learn more, visit avl.mx/9wu.

Hometown horror The Nest, the new horror film from local director James Suttles and screenwriter Jennifer Trudrung, debuted at Redbox on July 6 and is available on digital, on demand and DVD as of July 20. The feature concerns a mother’s yard-sale purchase of a seemingly innocent stuffed bear for her young daughter and the sinister behavior the toy soon inspires. The film stars genre legend Dee Wallace (Cujo; The Howling) and such area actors as Kevin Patrick Murphy and Drez Ryan. For more information, visit avl.mx/9x8.

Instrumental dexterity The Blue Ridge Orchestra performs its Summer Winds program on Saturday, July 24, and Sunday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. in the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts’ Market Street Courtyard. The concert spotlights the orchestra’s woodwinds and brass, mixing full-ensem-

ble pieces with solo and small-ensemble moments. Highlights include the Prelude to Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, interpreted by percussionist Chris Leich on vibraphone, and Paul Hindemith’s Morgenmusik.

“In addition to the challenges of performing music from different eras in radically different styles with shifting instrumentation, there are always particular challenges presented by the great composers,” says Milton Crotts, BRO music director and conductor.

“Mozart’s music demands exact precision; Schubert’s emotional intensity must be matched by the performers; Stravinsky’s complex rhythmic patterns require not only technical facility, but extraordinary concentration,” Crotts continues.

“Summer Winds exhibits the skill and versatility of the BRO’s wind players in meeting all these challenges and more.”

General admission tickets are $25, and the courtyard seats a maximum of 75 people. Learn more at avl.mx/9qj.

Unity through dance

MOVIE LISTINGS Bruce Steele’s and Edwin Arnaudin’s latest critiques of new films available to view in local theaters and via popular streaming services include: PIG: Nicolas Cage returns to form with a non-hammy turn as an off-the-grid Oregon man who tracks down his stolen truffle pig. The filmmaking, storytelling, and supporting performances, however, are merely passable.

Grade: B-minus. Rated R

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SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY A bizarre hybrid of Hook, Ready Player One, Looney Tunes and the NBA, this ADHD catastrophe is one of the year’s worst films thus far. Grade: D-minus. Rated PG

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

Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective presents BLVCK Brilliance: A Celebration of Melanin, on Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m. in the Diana Wortham Theatre. Directed and choreographed by local artist Melvin AC Howell, the show features “a talented and supercharged cast of local Black dancers and a violinist,” and uses “a variety of movement styles and music to celebrate and elaborate not on the trauma and struggles of being Black, but of the strength, resilience and pride Black people possess despite those things.” Tickets are $20. To learn more, visit avl.mx/9x2.

Album: released Asheville-based singer-songwriter Kevin Daniel celebrates the release of his sophomore album, Been Here Before, with a Sunday, July 25, performance at The Grey Eagle’s patio stage. The album features collaborations with fellow local artists Keith Harry and Logan Jayne of Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats, and Kyle Snuffer and Alex Bradley of Empire Strikes Brass. The show begins at 5 p.m. with an opening set from Johnny Chops, followed by Daniel with his band The Bottom Line.

Tickets are $10. For more information, visit avl.mx/9x1.

— Edwin Arnaudin X MOUNTAINX.COM

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ARTS & CU L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food Pranom Pop-Up at Bottle Riot

It’s been more than two years since chef Dream Kasestatad fired up his wok at Bottle Riot (then District Wine Bar) for a one-night stand in October 2018. If you missed it, you’ve got a second chance when he returns Tuesday, July 27, with his Pranom Pop-Up at the River Arts District wine bar.

Kasestatad’s career as an itinerant producer of Thai street food popups began in Los Angeles, where he started cooking pad Thai dishes in his apartment and delivering them via his bicycle to local bars to make ends meet while pursuing an acting career. A glowing LA Weekly write-up in 2013 led to a fervent following, more gigs around the city, invitations to cook at festivals and, eventually, the launch of nationwide tours of bars and restaurants.

Bottle Riot co-owner Lauri Nichols met Kasestatad virtually after a friend of his visited the bar and connected them. “Dream and I started talking

and texting and immediately became family,” says Nichols. “We were thrilled to be part of the 2018 tour and have kept in touch on a regular basis.”

For the Bottle Riot pop-up, Kasestatad will make pad see ew — thick rice noodles wok stir-fried with chicken, egg, Chinese broccoli, bean sprouts, dry chilis and lime – with a vegan option, priced at $13 a bowl.

Diners can enjoy the meal on the bar’s expanded patio or take it to go.

Either way, come thirsty, says Nichols, because Thai food lends itself to many interesting pairings. She will be on hand during the event to guide diners to compatible bubbles, reds and whites and notes that German wine importer Stephen Bitterolf will be there for with a tasting of his wines. If beer is your beverage of choice, many of the bar’s European brews pair well.

The pop-up begins at 5 p.m. and goes until the wok is scraped clean. For more information, visit avl.mx/9w6.

Bottle Riot, 37 Paynes Way

Punked Hot dogs, opines Jargon executive chef Steve Goff, are pretty much the perfect food. More explicitly, he continues, “If sausage and bologna had a love child, it would be a hot dog. It has the texture and feel of bologna, but it’s a sausage — and who doesn’t love a sausage?”

In 2019, Goff hooked up his hot dog love with his deeply held passion for punk rock to win the inaugural Punk Rock Hot Dogs competition staged

by Stu Helm and Shay Brown at the Asheville Masonic Temple.

“I’ve been listening to punk since I was about 12, so I had a bit of an advantage over the other competitors,” he says. “I was inspired by the completely insane performer GG Allin.” His entry, says Goff, was basically a chili dog with embellishments symbolizing elements of Allin’s radical stage act — too radical to describe here.

On Saturday, July 31, Goff will serve as chief justice of the 12-judge bench for the return of Punk Rock Hot Dogs with 10 contenders vying for top dog.

Goff says he expects Odditorium chef Ben Hester to be the one to beat.

“Ben is very familiar with punk rock, so he has an advantage there. I advise people to really lean into the theme.”

The event is back at the temple. A limited number of VIP tickets are on 32

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LIVING THE DREAM: Thai chef Dream Kasestatad will encore his 2018 Pranom Pop-up at Bottle Riot on July 27. Photo by Lauri Nichols sale now, including entry for two 11 a.m.-1 p.m., samples of each of the competing hot dogs and the chance to cast a vote for the People’s Choice award.

General admission is free 1-3 p.m. with hot dogs and beverages available for purchase. Music will be provided by DJ Punk Rock Lap Top. Proceeds benefit the Asheville Masonic Temple.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/9wn Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway St.

Melting point

Fire up your fondue-fork twirling skills for the return of that particular style of dining when Melting Pot Social opens Thursday, July 22, in downtown Asheville. The name and concept will sound familiar to those who fondly remember the popular Melting Pot in Biltmore Village, which permanently closed in 2004 due to flood damage.

The Patton Avenue store is the company’s first iteration of a more casual

style, or as a press release describes it, “a whimsical dining experience with a laid-back vibe featuring a menu that is meltable, craveable and shareable.”

That’s a lot of able on the table, but the new concept also offers fast-casual counter service at lunch. In addition to pots of melted cheese and chocolate, Melting Pot Social’s menu has flatbreads, sandwiches, salads and bowls.

To see the full menu, visit avl.mx/9wq.

Melting Pot Social, 74 Patton Ave.

Full plate

Smoky Park Supper Club co-owner and executive chef Michelle Bailey says she nearly wept when writing the dinner menu for July 8, a teary yet joyful return to the restaurant’s preCOVID service model and menu for the first time in 16 months. “We have been putting food in boxes and on cardboard trays for a really long time,” Bailey says.

When the pandemic began, the restaurant closed indoor dining entirely, switching in late spring 2020 to a

casual menu of simple starters and sandwiches ordered online or at a counter as the owners navigated various stages and levels of service and closure. The restaurant welcomed diners back indoors in late April this year but kept the same casual menu through the first week of July. “We’re still kind of hybrid,” Bailey notes. “We’ll have our burger and veggie burger, but we’re also able to do seasonal sides, some seafood, the pork chop, half chicken and Sunburst trout. I’m excited about mussels with smoked lobster tomato broth in an actual bowl.”

When Smoky Park Supper Club resumed indoor dining service on July 8, it also instituted a new policy requiring at least one member of each party to purchase a $1 membership available only to North Carolina residents.

Smoky Park Supper Club 350 Riverside Drive. For more, visit avl.mx/9wo.

Glazy days of summer For more than three years, chef Jay Medford has been correcting customers’ understanding of his business as well as the pronunciation of its most popular product. “We made and sold

DoughP Doughnuts at the Jackson Underground Café,” he says. “At first, the focus was on the café, but the doughnuts really took off.”

COVID-19 and a lack of breakfast and lunch business downtown caused him to rethink the menu, and a trademark dispute prompted a name change to Stay Glazed Donuts & Café, with an emphasis on the doughnuts.

“We no longer serve lunch, though we are open through lunch,” he clarifies.

“Doughnuts have become a popular alternative or an addition to cake at weddings, and that business is really picking up.”

Medford provides doughnuts to the Asheville Art Museum’s Perspective Cafe on weekends and will make doughnut ice cream sandwiches to order using Ultimate Ice Cream. Stay Glazed does three types of doughnuts — brioche yeast, buttermilk cake and Asheville’s only gluten-free mochi doughnut — in multiple and ever-rotating flavors, though miso-maple and raspberry-sriracha are standards. Fritters jump onto the menu Saturdays and Sundays.

Thanks to its location near downtown municipal buildings, Medford says, Stay Glazed does serve members of the Asheville Police Department.

“But actually, we get more firefighters than police,” Medford reports. Bam, myth busted.

Stay Glazed Donuts & Café is at 22 S. Pack Square in the basement of the Jackson Building. Open WednesdaySunday with hours that vary. For more details, visit avl.mx/9wm.

Fall forecast

The early bird gets the worm, and the wise planner sows seeds for bountiful fall and winter harvests sooner rather than later. Wild Abundance, a permaculture and building education organization on an outdoor campus and homestead in Weaverville, is here to help. The school’s free online fall gardening course covers 14 vegetables for fall and winter gardening, growing tips for each crop, a guide to planting times and step-by-step instructions on critical matters like setting up frost protection row cover. Natalie Bogwalker and Chloe Lieberman are the pros teaching the course, which is one of several offered by Wild Abundance.

Registration for the fall gardening course is open through July 25. Visit avl.mx/9wp.

— Kay West X

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CLUBLAND For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm SALVAGE STATION Natti Love Joys (reggae), 5pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Bluegrass & Brews w/ Knob Creek Incident, 6pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Cynthia McDermott w/ Zack Page (country, jazz, swing), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISA’S FRENCH BISTRO Jay DiPaola’s Live Lounge (acoustic), 6pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night w/ Tommy Yon, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • TreeHouse! w/ Rockstead (psychedelic, reggae, jam), 6pm • Latin Night Wednesday, 9pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm RABBIT RABBIT Trivia Night, 6:30pm HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Bingeable Trivia, 7pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm

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SOUTH ROCK SPORTS GRILL Karaoke, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B’s (jazz, standards), 7pm ALLEYCATAVL Karaoke Night, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm DOUBLE CROWN Little Lesley & The Blodshots (rockabilly), 8pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic/Free Jam, 8pm THE DUGOUT Karaoke w/DJ Sandman, 8pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlour Comedy w/Winston Hodges, 9pm

THURSDAY, JULY 22 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Doug McElvy & Friends (roots), 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm FLEETWOOD’S Terraoke! Karaoke with Terra, 6pm FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic Night, 6pm GINGER’S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Best Served Cold (open mic comedy), 6pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/ Adi the Monk, 6pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE • Brother Moses (indie rock), 6pm

A TASTE OF HONEY: Asheville-based Americana quartet Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters will perform on Salvage Station’s outdoor stage on Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m. The band’s most recent single, “Saint Sebastian/This Night,” was released July 16. Singer-songwriter Clint Roberts opens the all-ages show. Photo courtesy of Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters • The Pink Stones w/Julia Sanders (country rock), 9pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Weekly Trivia w/Billy Nesbit, 6:30pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Nu-Blu (bluegrass, Americana), 7pm SALVAGE STATION Electro Lust (electronic, Latin, funk), 7pm SILVERADOS The Lads (classic rock, blues), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WAGBAR Open Mic Night, 7pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. MANAS/Wednesday (indie rock), 7pmi

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST JGBen (Jerry Garcia Band tribute), 6pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. The Mug Band (Americana), 7pm SALUDA COTTAGES Concerts on the Creek w/Dashboard Blue (rock, oldies, R&B), 7pm SILVERADOS Everclear w/Living Colour, Hoobastank, Wheatus (rock), 7pm HENDERSONVILLE VISITOR CENTER Music On Main Concert Series, 7pm THE BARRELHOUSE Moonlight Street Folk (bluegrass), 7pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN VETERANS PARK Park Rhythms w/Rooster (folk rock, country), 7pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Erinn Peet (folk, bluegrass), 7pm, • Strung Like a Horse (roots rock, bluegrass), 8:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys (bluegrass), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Andy Jurik, Steve Newbrough w/Rachel Lansbury (classical guitar), 7:30pm

RABBIT RABBIT Silent Disco, 8pm

ALLEYCATAVL Open Mic w/ Lincoln, 8pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm RABBIT RABBIT Sunset Rooftop Comedy Show, 8pm

FRIDAY, JULY 23 HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Rahm Squad (indie rock, soul), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE The Deathbots/Her Pilots/Safety Coffin (punk), 8pm THE GETAWAY TIKI BAR Getaway Comedy w/ Shane Torres, 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Japanese Breakfast w/ Mannequin Pussy (indie rock), 8pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Rich Nelson Band (rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Justin Wells (country, roots rock), 9pm

SOQDET IN SYLVA Wachacha & Friends w/ Orion Records Linz-E (drum & bass), 9pm

SATURDAY, JULY 24 BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah’s Daydream (jazz), 5pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Dreads for Brains (reggae), 6pm 12 BONES BREWERY Bazemore & Friends (folk, funk, blues), 6pm SLY GROG LOUNGE The Road To Sound Haven: Salty, Makak, Dredlok, Audio Goblin, Hiltron, Kold Drip, Exiszt (EDM), 6pm THE BARN AT PAINT FORK Ward Davis w/Tennessee Jet (country), 6:30pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Kyle Corbett (acoustic), 6:30pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Mojomatic (blues, rock), 7pm BLUE RIDGE MUSIC CENTER The Becky Buller Band w/Laurelyn Dosset (bluegrass), 7pm SALVAGE STATION Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters w/Clint Roberts (Americana), 7pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Perry Wing Combo (Americana, bluegrass), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Grant Peeples (Americana), 7pm • South for Winter (folk, classical, blues), 8:30pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR The Dave Wendelin Band (rock, folk), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Tan and Sober Gentlemen (celtic, punk, bluegrass), 7:30pm CORK & KEG Zydeco Ya Ya (swamp pop), 8pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlour Comedy w/Shane Torres, 8pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE The Double Naught Spies (classic rock, blues), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Siamese Dream - The Smashing Pumpkins Tribute (rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Fractured Frames, Divisive, Reflect/Refine, Chaos Among Cattle (metal), 9pm SILVERADOS The Jon Cox Band (country), 9pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Pluto Gang (jam, soul), 9:30pm

SUNDAY, JULY 25 JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Brunch, 12pm THE GREY EAGLE Blurlesque Brunch, 12pm ONE WORLD BREWING Jazz Jam Brunch (jazz), 1:30pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Dark City Kings (rock), 2pm

ST. PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS IN FLAT ROCK Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 2:30pm ARCHETYPE BREWING Sunday Live Sessions + Food Trucks, 3pm THE DUGOUT Daisy Chain (country), 3pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 3pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mark's House Jam, Beggar's Banquet (rock), 3pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. The Feels (folk, soul, roots), 3pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Community Drum Circle, 4:30pm THE GREY EAGLE Kevin Daniel & The Bottom Line w/Johnny Chops, 5pm ANTIDOTE The Little Posey Trio (jazz, swing), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Mike Ramsey & The Five Ensemble w/Sam Tayloe (folk, classical), 7pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bruce Lang (guitar, vocals), 7pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm THE BARRELHOUSE Po’folk (hip hop), 8pm

MONDAY, JULY 26 THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 5pm

TUESDAY, JULY 27 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm GREEN MAN BREWERY Old Time Jam (musical collaboration), 3pm GROVEMONT PARK Groovin’ on Grovemont w/Unihorn (funk, jazz, soul), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Music Bingo, 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Weekly Trivia Night, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Inside Out Stand-Up Comedy Showcase, 6:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia, 7:30pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Blue Monday w/Mr Jimmy (blues), 7:30pm

185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Bingeable Trivia, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlour Comedy w/Nat Baimel, 7pm

SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm

HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night w/ Tommy Yon, 6pm Tuesday Trivia w/Eister, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Open Mic at White Horse, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro (jazz), 5:30pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm

FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Pomdeya: Scarien, Red Peak Sound, Lord Brunch, Pomegranate Sounds w/Subturtle and Yeet Davidson (EDM), 7pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm

DOWN DOG AVL Tacos and Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Night, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Blooming Bass w/DJ Ephcto (cultural bass), 6:30pm

THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B’s (jazz, standards), 7pm

ISA’S FRENCH BISTRO Jay DiPaola’s Live Lounge (solo acoustic), 6pm

HENDERSONVILLE VISITOR CENTER Street Dances, 7pm

RABBIT RABBIT Trivia Night, 6:30pm

ALLEYCATAVL Open Mic, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Trivia Night, 6pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia, 6:30pm

MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night w/ Tommy Yon, 6pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Dirty Logic – A Steely Dan Tribute (pop, rock, jazz, soul), 7:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm ALLEYCATAVL Karaoke Night, 8pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic/Free Jam, 8pm

RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm THE 2ND ACT Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm FLEETWOOD’S Terraoke! Karaoke with Terra, 6pm FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic Night, 6pm GINGER’S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Best Served Cold (open mic comedy), 6pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/ Adi the Monk, 6pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Weekly Trivia w/Billy Nesbit, 6:30pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Electro Lust (electronic, Latin, funk), 7pm SILVERADOS The Lads (classic rock, blues), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WAGBAR Open Mic Night, 7pm

THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm

SALVAGE STATION Chalwa (mountain reggae), 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Darren Nicholson Band (bluegrass), 7pm

BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN VETERANS PARK Park Rhythms w/Hustle Souls (soul), 7pm

DOUBLE CROWN Hannah Juanita (country, honky tonk), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING Latin Night Wednesday, 9pm

THURSDAY, JULY 29 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30 p.m.

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys (bluegrass), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Dine with Divas (drag), 7pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & the Space Cooties (rock), 7:30pm ALLEYCATAVL Open Mic w/ Lincoln, 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Karaoke w/KJ Salina, 8pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Songwriters in the Round (Americana), 6pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Jacob Williams (comedy), 8pm

131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm

RABBIT RABBIT Sunset Rooftop Comedy Show, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Random Animals (indie soul), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Marceline’s Menagerie Summer Extravaganza Edition Drag Show, 9pm

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MOUNTAINX.COM

MARKETPLACE REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com REAL ESTATE HOMES FOR SALE

HOUSE FOR SALE House • 1 BR • 1 BA $249,000 • House • 2 BR • 2 BA Solid home with great open floor plan For Sale in the Druid Hills area of Hendersonville just 25 miles from downtown Asheville. Perfect for people with pets, this home has large backyard with full privacy fence and sunny garden area. With 2 Bedrooms, 2 baths, fireplace, sunroom, hardwood floors and a one car garage, this 1344 Sq ft home offers privacy at the very end of a no outlet street. This home is priced at $249 K. For more information call Aaron Stanford, ReMax Mountain Living, at 828-290-3293.

Motivated seller.

RENTALS HOMES FOR RENT FRIENDS OF DOROTHY. COME AND LIVE IN A REAL PARADISE.... 2B/2B Deluxe Chalet in the Mts with Vista Views from wrap around decks with gardens and privacy. Tastefully furnished and immaculate.

West Burnsville with easy access to 26; 20 min to Weaverville and 45 min to Asheville; Gas fireplace and 3 big screen TV's and much more. No pets. Ref $1400+ 1 person 1 car; $1600+ 2 people 1 car. LETS TALK...TEXT 954.496.9000

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES - ADVENTURE GUIDE & DRIVERS Looking for a new adventure? Navitat is hiring Adventure Guides to guide world class zipline tours. Spend 2021 working with a group of talented and passionate outdoor

enthusiasts! We are seeking safety conscious, hard-working, customer service-oriented team members for our 2021 Season. avlemployment@navitat.com www.navitat.com

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES HIGH-RISE AND HISTORICAL RESTORATION Glass & Concrete, Contracting, LLC. (GCC) Is currently seeking experienced labor to join our growing team in TN and Western NC. We specialize in historic restoration, maintenance, waterproofing and window cleaning high-rise buildings. Repelling and staging equipment, power washing, painting, caulking. 800-926-2320 www.gchighrise.com HISTORIC RESTORATION TECHNICIAN Logan Restoration. Ideal candidate has experience with historic restoration techniques. Works well with others under tight schedule.

Some training provided. Starts at 15-30 hours. For more info, email us loganrestorations@ gmail.com P/T & F/T MAINTENANCE POSITIONS AVAILABLE Seeking mature, reliable persons with basic plumbing, drywall and carpentry knowledge to work at apartment communities in the Asheville and Hendersonville areas. Positions start at $15/hr.

Duties include routine maintenance, preparing vacant units, cleaning common areas, etc.

Ideal candidate will be well-organized, pro-active, knowledgeable in troubleshooting maintenance needs and coordinating contractor services. Skilled trade replacements and extensive repairs are made by third party service contractors. Must have reliable transportation and provide your own hand tools.

Must be on-call for after-hours emergencies. Credit and criminal checks required. Please email letter of interest to dleonard@ partnershippm.com or mail to

Attn: D. Leonard at PO Box 26405, Greensboro, NC 27407.

Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider.

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE BILINGUAL DATA AND PROGRAM SUPPORT SPECIALIST NEEDED AT SMART START PFC Support Family Connects newborn nurse home-visiting activity by scheduling visits, conducting follow-up calls.

Oversee data collection, maintenance, reporting. Spanish fluency required. Full job description: www.smartstartpfc.org. Send cover letter/resume to kelly@ smartstartpfc.org.

SALES/ MARKETING

SALES PROFESSIONAL Mountain Xpress is looking to add a new member to our sales team.

Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present confidently, while working within a structure.

Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and working well in a team environment. While no outside sales experience is required, experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position largely entails account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies, and working to meet or exceed sales goals. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent, community-minded organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@mountainx.com

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY- EASTER SEALS UCP Eastersealsucp provides exceptional services, education, outreach and advocacy so that people with disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities. We are currently hiring for direct support professionals in our Group home in Asheville.

Direct Support Workers provide support to persons residing in a variety of residential settings.

This staff participates in the daily routine of the home, and provides support for habilitative and rehabilitative activities, personal care, health care, and other activities. Please explore our open opportunities and apply www.eastersealsucp.com

ST GERARD HOUSE HIRING A REVENUE CYCLE MANAGER Come join an organization helping individuals with autism and their families experience more joy and achieve meaningful life outcomes. Visit our website: www.stgerardhouse.org for details. Send resume and letter to: humanresources@ stgerardhouse.org

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT F/T SITE MANAGER NEEDED FOR APT. IN ASHEVILLE Candidates must have excellent customer service and admin skills, possess basic math skills, be organized & professional while maintaining a positive attitude. Attention to detail & problem-solving abilities are needed. The ability to lead and be part of a team is important.

The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of one year of property management and/or leasing experience. The Site

NC DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER SERVICES is Hiring!

The Cooperative Grading Service is recruiting a seasonal apple grader in Henderson County. Position will be temporary with fulltime hours during harvest season, beginning in August. Education and/or experience in the performance of a variety of manual tasks, normal color vision, basic math, and basic computer skills. Salary starts at $11.34. Paid training provided; mileage paid at state rate.

A PD-107 (NC State application) is required. EOE.

For more information call Melissa (252) 792-1672.

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JULY 21-27, 2021

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Author Valerie Andrews reminds us that as children, we all had the “magical capacity to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees.” Oh, how I would love you to be able to recover even a fraction of those talents in the coming days. My reading of the current astrological potentials tells me that your chances of doing so are much better than usual. Your ability to connect with the eternal child and wise animal within you is at a peak.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus singer Barbara Streisand has a shopping mall built below her large home. Its purpose isn’t to sell consumer goods to strangers but rather to stash her precious belongings and show them off when friends come over. Among the storefronts are an antique store, doll shop, costume shop, and candy store. The coming weeks would be an excellent time for you to start building a shopping mall beneath your home, too, Taurus.

If that’s too expensive or complicated, here are alternatives: 1. Revitalize your appreciation for your treasured possessions. 2. Acquire a new treasured possession or two that will inspire you to love your life even more than you already do.

3. Reacquaint yourself with the spiritual powers that your treasured possessions arouse in you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The Dalai Lama says there are core similarities between science and Buddhism. Both keep searching for evermore complete versions of the truth. Both employ firsthand observation and experimentation to do that noble work. If they find new information that contradicts previously held versions of the truth, both are willing to discard them.

Now that you Geminis are entering the deep questioning phase of your astrological cycle, I’d love you to make generous use of the Buddhist/ scientific approach. More complete versions of the truth will be available in abundance in the coming weeks — if you’re alert for them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian artist Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1656) achieved the impossible: She became a supremely skilled and renowned painter in an era when women had virtually no opportunities to become artists.

Many aspects of her work distinguished her from other painters. For example, she depicted women as having strong, agile hands and arms.

In Artemisia’s world, the power of women’s wrists, forearms and fingers signifies their ability to put their mark upon the world, to accomplish strenuous practical tasks with grace and flair.

If I were going to paint images of you in the coming weeks, I would also portray you as having strong, agile hands and arms. I suspect you’ll have potent agency to get things done — to adeptly manipulate the material world to serve your ideals. (Thoughts about Gentileschi’s hands come from art historian Mary D. Garrard.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Once upon a time”: That’s your phrase of power these days.

What do I mean by that? I’m suggesting that you will strengthen your problem-solving abilities by engaging in playful pretending for the sheer fun of it. I’m predicting that you will boost your confidence by dreaming up amusing magical stories in which you endure heroic tests and achieve epic feats. And I’m proposing that you will fine-tune your ability to accomplish practical feats if you regard your robust imagination as crucial to your success.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo singer-songwriter Fiona Apple says she’s not religious. On the other hand, she regularly kneels on the ground and announces to whatever great power might be listening, “Thank you for my problems, and I send my love everywhere.” She’s sincere.

She regards her sadness and her challenges as being equally important to her happiness and

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success. The difficulties teach her what she didn’t even realize she needed to know, and make her appreciate the good times more intensely. I suggest you borrow from her approach right now.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Nobel Prize-winning author Albert Camus wrote, “Great feelings bring with them their own universe” — which he said may either be degraded or splendid, selfish or generous. I love that he allowed for the possibility that great feelings could be positive and noble. So many renowned thinkers focus on negative and ignoble states of mind. In accordance with current astrological potentials, Libra, your task is to cultivate feelings that are splendid and generous.

These sentiments should exalt you, uplift you and empower you to spread transformative benevolence to those whose lives you touch.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “How can you hold on to something that won’t hold still?” asked Scorpio poet Benjamin Fondane. In general, you Scorpios have more talent than every other sign of the zodiac at doing just that: corralling wiggly, slippery things and making them work for you.

And I expect this skill will be especially in play for you during the coming weeks. Your grasp on the elusive assets won’t ever be perfect, but it will be sufficiently effective to accomplish small wonders.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian Calvin Trillin is a witty writer with a good imagination and a flair for inventive language. But back in school, he confesses, “Math was always my bad subject. I couldn’t convince my teachers that many of my answers were meant ironically.”

You Sagittarians are authorized by the cosmic powers-that-be to borrow your style and attitude from Trillin in the coming weeks. So you shouldn’t be fixated on mathematical precision and fastidious logic; your task is not to be conceptually impeccable and scrupulously sensible. Rather, you have a license to be extra lyrical and lush and rhapsodic and humorous and irrepressible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 2011, an eBay seller produced a 19th-century photo that he said proved Capricorn actor Nicholas Cage is a time-traveling vampire. Although the character in the image did indeed resemble the Oscar-winning star, he rejected the theory, and emphatically declared that he is not a time-traveling vampire.

Maybe that all sounds absurd, but I must tell you that you may soon have to deal with people’s equally inaccurate and off-kilter theories about you. My advice: Don’t take it personally. Simply correct others’ misimpressions and rely solely on yourself for definitive ideas about who you are.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’ve assembled excerpts of love poems for your inspiration.

Why? Because you’re entering the intensified intimacy phase of your astrological cycle.

Consider using the following riffs as inspiration when you interact with loved ones. 1. “I profess the religion of love; it’s the belief, the faith I keep.” 2. “Holding your hand, I can hear your bones singing into mine and feel the moon as it rolls through you.” 3. “Raw light spills from your eyes, utterly naked, awakening an intoxicating shimmer of adventure.” 4. “I ask you please to speak to me forever.” (Poem fragments are from Ibn ’Arabi, Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, Herman Hesse, Sara Eliza Johnson and Alejandra Pizarnik, including two fragments that are combined.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): An Australian witch named Michelle Clinton praises the joys of a “moon garden.” It features flowers and plants that reveal their full beauty after dark. Among the flowers that bloom at night are evening primrose, angel’s trumpet and Dutchman’s pipe cactus. As for the flowers whose aromas are most potent after the sun sets: night-blooming jasmine, garden heliotrope and honeysuckle.

According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will have resemblances to a moon garden in the near future, Pisces. Be alert for opportunities to glow and grow in the dark.

MOUNTAINX.COM

Manager is an experienced professional with the skills and knowledge to perform the following duties including, but not limited to: • Manage & lead administrative responsibilities at the site level • Lease apts. and follow up with prospective leads • Coordinate details of Move-Ins/Move-Outs • Work with the on-site team to ensure the property meets company performance standards • Engage residents & guests to create a positive housing experience • Collection activities • Address & resolve resident issues; escalate to the Property Manager as appropriate • Enforcement of community policies • Other duties as assigned Must pass credit and criminal background screening. Benefits include insurance, 401K and paid holidays. Please email letter of interest to Jpatricktaylor@ partnershippm.com, or mail to Attn: J. Patrick Taylor at PO Box 26305, Greensboro, NC 27407.

Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Dental Assisting Instructor. For more details and to apply: https:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5708 A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Nurse Aide Instruction. For more details and to apply: https:// abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5695

EVERGREEN COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL IS SEEKING ASSOCIATES FOR AFTER SCHOOL INITIATIVE Evergreen Community Charter School, a free public K-8 school in Haw Creek, is seeking part-time associates for its After School initiative. Please visit evergreenccs. org/careers to apply.

SALON/ SPA SENSIBILITIES DAY SPA AT THE HILTON BILTMORE PARK LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST POSITION Sensibilities Day Spa is hiring an experienced licensed massage therapist for 4 to 5 shifts per week (20-28 hours). Weekends are required and at least 2 years of experience is preferred. You must have a valid NC Massage Therapy License. Please send all inquiries to Relax@sensibilities-spa.com.

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EVENING MANAGER We are seeking a fellow natural food enthusiast to help manage our growing natural food store.

Please send resumes to madisonnaturalfoods@gmail.com

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LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF BUNCOMBE, Bank of America, N.A., Plaintiff, v. Emma Lue B. Robinson; Any Spouse of Emma Lue B. Robinson; Harvard Home Mortgage, Inc.; World Alliance Financial, LLC; The United States of America, by and through its agent, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Defendant(s).

GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 19 CVS 04481 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY BCPG No. F1943710 Notice is hereby given in accordance with the provisions of N.C.G.S. §1-339.1, et seq., that D. Max Sims, Attorney for Plaintiff, as Commissioner, will conduct a public judicial sale of the real property encumbered by the Deed of Trust recorded at Book 4557 at Page 860 of the Buncombe County Register of Deeds (the “Deed of Trust”). The judicial sale is being conducted in accordance with the terms of the Judgment entered by the Buncombe County Superior Court Judge in this action on June 7, 2021 DATE OF SALE:

July 26, 2021 HOUR OF SALE: 11:30 AM PLACE OF SALE: Buncombe County Courthouse The real property being sold is more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot number twenty-seven (27), Section One (1), Windy Hill Farms, as shown on that plat of survey dated January 19, 1990, prepared by Hurley T. King, R.L.S. and recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Buncombe County, North Carolina in Plat Book 57, at Page 82. Express reference is hereby made to said plat book and page number for a more particular description of the property herein conveyed. Being the same property as conveyed by deed recorded in deed Book 1929, Page 3, Buncombe County, NC Registry. Said Property is commonly known as 44 Sydney Lane, Asheville, NC 28806 Parcel ID No.: 9629-13-3700-00000 The Property will be sold subject to any and all matters superior to the lien of the Deed of Trust, including without limitation: (a) superior mortgages, deeds of trust, liens and assessments, if any; (b) the lien of unpaid ad valorem taxes; (c) valid and enforceable easements and restrictions of record; and (d) matters which would be revealed by a current and accurate survey of the property. The Property will be sold “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Commissioner nor the holder of the debt secured by the Deed of Trust, nor their respective officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representatives, make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to

the property, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such conditions expressly are disclaimed. Any successful bidder may be required to deposit with the Commissioner immediately upon conclusion of the sale a cash deposit in an amount not to exceed the greater of five percent (5%) of the amount bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00). Any successful bidder shall be required to tender the full balance of the purchase price so bid in cash or certified check at the time the Commissioner tenders to him a deed for the Property or attempts to tender such deed, and should said successful bidder fail to pay the full balance of the purchase prices so bid at the time, he shall remain liable on his bid as provided for in North Carolina General Statute § 1-339.30. In addition to the purchase price so bid any successful bidder will also be responsible for payment of revenue stamps and other costs of closing the sale, including fees and costs of the Commissioner incurred after the date of sale.

The sale will be held opened for ten (10) days for upset bids as required by North Carolina General Statute § 1-339.25 BELL CARRINGTON PRICE & GREGG PLLCD. Max Sims, Esq. (NC Bar: 54080) Commissioner 339 Heyward Street, 2nd Floor Columbia, SC 29201

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AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES 4 TIRES FOR SALE - 2018 TACOMA TRUCK 4 like new Michelin Defender Ltx 111T SL tires - Tire size - 2457516 SR T. Approximate 9,000 miles on them. Pick up in Asheville, NC 508-769-4881.

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edited by Will Shortz | No. 0616

ACROSS 1 Items purportedly burned outside the Miss America Pageant in 1968 5 Prefix that makes a pseudoscience when paired with 44-Down 11 Quatrain rhyme scheme 15 Fancy fabric 16 Embryo’s home 17 Barbershop job 18 Tiptop 19 Jim Sheridan gives Daniel DayLewis nothing to work with in this Irish dramedy (1989) 21 Photographer Goldin 22 Stop up 23 Rapper Megan ___ Stallion 24 Letters seen on some tote bags 25 Rian Johnson helms this snoozer of a whodunit starring Daniel Craig (2019) 28 Thorny tree 30 Adorable one 31 It made the peseta passé 34 Have in inventory 35 Handy sorts 37 Fey of “30 Rock” 39 Follower of smart or bad 40 Elia Kazan bungles this John Steinbeck novel adaptation (1955) 43 Hit the slopes 45 Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys 46 Foe of Austin Powers 50 Nice dinnerware 52 Tavern offerings 54 Assemble 55 Korean alphabet system 57 Anne Fletcher misses the mark with this first film in a dance franchise (2006) 59 1950s White House nickname 60 Word with luck or waiter 63 Nonkosher sandwich

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DOWN 1 Item needed for burning, once 2 Indigenous people of Easter Island 3 Pool or fitness center, for a hotel 4 Census info 5 Mountain lions 6 Frustrate 7 “___ out!” (ump’s cry) 8 Lit ___ 9 Jackman of “X-Men” 10 ___ Jackson, a.k.a. Ice Cube 11 D.O.J. agency 12 Winners of Super Bowl 50 13 “Frida” and “Selena,” e.g.

14 Operator of the California Zephyr

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64 Captain’s record 65 Led astray … or like the films at 19-, 25-, 40and 57-Across?

68 Muppet with a big orange nose 69 Victorian 70 Make hard to read, in a way 71 Egyptian cross 72 Lip 73 Cleaning tool 74 Online crafts shop

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29 Finished 32 Big guns 33 Unnamed person 36 Job app ID 38 Recipe instruction 41 Gossip, in slang 42 Lose one’s cool 43 “Hips Don’t Lie” singer, 2006 44 See 5-Across 47 Word that fills both parts of the Shakespeare quote “These ___ delights have ___ ends”

48 Inventor’s happy cry 49 Protracted 50 Subjects for Jane Goodall 51 BMW competitor 53 Monk known as the “Father of English History” 56 Baited 58 Respected tribe member 61 Handout from a maître d’ 62 Secretly loops in, in a way 66 Private Instagram exchanges, briefly 67 Tater ___ 68 Hon

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