With Kamala Harris now at the top of the Democratic ticket, and on the heels of former President Donald Trump’s recent rally in Asheville, local candidates and supporters of both presidential hopefuls discuss what impact, if any, the national race will have on local campaigns.
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Jail annex could help ‘frequent flyers’
I strongly agree with Jerry Sternberg’s findings in his recent Mountain Xpress article [“Home Sweet Homeless: The Gospel According to Jerry,” Aug. 7]. I especially support his recommendation that selected street offenders be housed in the jail’s “annex,” currently unused, next to the jail building.
As a former nurse at two jails, including the Buncombe County Detention Center, I saw the sad situation of what we called “frequent flyers,” usually alcohol- or drug-addicted repeat offenders. We cared for them at the jail — adequate food, bed, medical treatment if needed — only to see them released back to the streets. I’ve read that several jails nationwide offer addiction treatment programs, and if an inmate chooses this path, including classes and support for becoming drug-free, they can be released early.
I envision the annex as an excellent place to house such inmates. With adequate follow-up care when released (perhaps similar to ABCCM’s Veterans Restoration Quarters), these former inmates would have a chance to find a job and further their recovery. Meanwhile, our jail would see fewer repeat arrests and the high expense that comes with them.
I urge the City of Asheville and/ or Buncombe County to convert the annex to a place for “companionate confinement” as described by Mr. Sternberg.
— Susan Arnold Asheville
New housing does not threaten Asheville families
I am embarrassed on behalf of Haw Creek for the vitriolic reactions
that the proposed zoning variance has elicited from some of my neighbors. Unfortunately, some residents responded to a proposal for new housing with fearmongering, delay tactics and a lack of concern for Asheville as a whole. The behavior of Haw Creek residents at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on March 20 this year was disrespectful of the tremendous efforts of city staff and board members to hear out residents’ concerns. Letters printed in opposition to this project in this paper and others have often struck an alarmist or sarcastic tone instead of adding productively to the conversation.
To decide whether or not to approve this zoning variance, the city has undertaken a careful, slow, widely publicized negotiation between tens of interested parties. Yet it has been met in this paper with calls to other neighborhoods to “protect their families, homes and quality of life” [“The Failure of the Conditional Zoning Process,” Aug. 14, Xpress].
It has been called out of alignment with the city’s comprehensive plan even as city staff present the detailed reasons this project meets the city’s priority to build more housing.
Let me be totally frank: Asheville families are not under threat from new housing; they are under threat from a lack of housing. That’s why we have a process for zoning variances in the first place!
There are fantastic ways to make your voice heard in Asheville, and I want to commend the Haw Creek Community Association (HCCA) for working with the city and developer to the fullest extent possible. HCCA was thoughtful about gathering input, proactive in generating solutions, transparent in their communications and ultimately supportive of the negotiated outcome. HCCA made its voice heard in a way that improved the discussion and the project.
City Council members, Planning and Zoning Board members and city staff are also to be commended. They
made a huge effort to take the concerns of the neighborhood seriously. Watch the City Council meeting where the zoning variance was approved to see Council member Maggie Ullman discuss the research she put into wildfire safety after hearing the concerns of Haw Creek residents. HCCA has now requested funds to produce an evacuation plan — surely a massive benefit to the community that came through this participation.
I am not here to say there are no downsides to new construction. Mitigating these downsides is the purpose of the zoning variance process. That is why it is so important to engage with constructive speech and specific requirements rather than engaging in alarmist rhetoric. Real concerns like wildfire safety were thoughtfully considered by City Council.
Overall, I’m happy with how our city government responded to this zoning variance, and I applaud most of the interested parties for being so productive. I hope the next time we have this conversation as a city, we can raise the level of discourse. When new people move into Asheville, it does not threaten Asheville; it makes Asheville stronger. Telling people that what they have is under threat is a great way to get negative reactions but not a great way to solve any problems the city faces. And the city faces a steep housing shortage, which we are addressing the only way we can: by densifying our neighborhoods. If you feel left behind by this process, it’s time for you to step up and engage with it. HCCA has shown you the model. — Joel Shuman Asheville
Library melee shows need to practice nonviolence
– Michele Bryan
I agree with much of what Asheville native John Penley says in his letter, “Advice for Future Anarchist Events” [Aug. 7, Xpress]. I was not present at the gathering held at the West Asheville Library, but I suspect the truth of what occurred there was only partially depicted in the much-quoted livestream from Monica Buckley’s telephone camera. I am a vocal and publicly active opponent to U.S. support of the genocide in Gaza. I have observed what seemed to me as Ms. Buckley’s strident but unsuccessful attempts to provoke argument as she moved aggressively among scores of pro-Palestinian rally participants assembled peacefully in Pack Square.
Much of the press about the chaos that erupted at the library is depicted
as an antisemitic victimizing of those with an opposing viewpoint. This is an inaccurate spin. The melee that occurred was wrong. No matter how aggravating it may have been when Ms. Buckley continued livestreaming after being asked not to, it was her right to do so in a public space. A more skillful, nonviolent response to the conflict was needed.
In these deeply divided and perilous times, we all need to learn and practice skills that will defuse rather than escalate.
— Clare Hanrahan Asheville
We can still talk about Vance without the monument
Well, that didn’t take long. No sooner did Asheville clear away the last remains of the Vance Monument than a few rebellious diehards have launched a campaign to rebuild it.
Zeb 2.0 is needed, one commentator said, to regain an opportunity “to engage in meaningful dialogue about our past” and “to educate future generations about the nuances of our history” [“The Case for Rebuilding the Vance Monument,” May 15, Xpress]. Overlooking nuances of our history like white supremacy, a less con-
flicted voice claimed Zebulon Vance deserves a new monument because he devoted his life to “the welfare and defense of North Carolina” [“Why the Vance Monument Should Come Back,” June 5, Xpress].
Some of us have, it seems, an obelisk-shaped hole in our hearts. And it still has the name Vance on it.
But there’s good news!
You can put away the stones and the trowels and the plumb lines. No opportunities for meaningful dialogue have been lost. No chances for learning historical nuances have been destroyed. You’uns don’t need another obelisk honoring a racist.
The “visioning plan” currently approved by the City Council foresees a Pack Square Plaza that contains something better than a new monument — an open “gathering space” where Ashevilleans can discuss anything they want, including their infamous native son.
It’s a libertarian’s dream — a spontaneous community gabfest with no guidance from government on what subjects to talk about, no official prompts on what facts to consider important and no implied expectations on what conclusions to draw.
If fire-eating evangelists want to preach the gospel of Zeb in that sacred space, they can exorcise their demons to their heart’s content. If more thoughtful souls want to condemn
him to perdition, they can do that, too. And the few curmudgeons still offended by the absence of Vance’s ghost in the public square can avert their eyes — a silent protest that won’t cost so much as a can of spray paint.
Some folks, of course, might just mill around without discussing nuances or exchanging dialogue or making any meaningful contributions to Critical Vance Studies at all. Every town has its slackers. But at least a few old-timers should be on hand to regale inquiring minds with tales of the great man’s adventures.
Picture a local graybeard describing how Vance, mustaches blowing defiantly in the wind, held the assembled masses spellbound as he remonstrated with unmatched eloquence against the African savages running amok after Emancipation.
Imagine the young’uns leaning forward in rapt attention as they discover how virtual slaves — excuse me, convicted vagrants — were worked to death in the mountains long after the Civil War just so Zeb could have a railroad.
If there’s time, they might even get around to literal slaveholding and that little Confederate dalliance.
Scholars from across the region will be able to stand on the very spot where the Vance Monument once was and proclaim to anyone who’ll listen how praiseworthy — com-
plicated and despicably racist but ultimately praiseworthy — their boy was. They even might pocket a little loose change from compassionate passersby who mistake the learned commentary for something else.
The Pack Square plan also provides for a “meditation grove” where folks can retire to reflect on the nuances they have gleaned from their dialogues in the gathering space. So the participants won’t be all talk. They’ll have a chance to think, too. Adventurous souls might even experiment with a reverse procedure whereby they do their thinking before they start talking. But be warned. Many people might find the inversion of normal experience radically unsettling. Best stick to tradition when change confuses.
— Peter Robbins Marshall
Editor’s note: A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx. com. X
Word of the week
psephology (n.) the scientific study of elections
No psephologists were harmed in the writing of this week’s cover story. X
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN
Jump-start
BY PAT MORAN
Two of Western North Carolina’s political parties received a shot of electoral adrenaline this summer.
Democrats were hit with a wave of enthusiasm when Vice President Kamala Harris announced her candidacy for president after President Joe Biden dropped out July 21.
“This hasn’t happened in young people’s lifetimes,” says Brenden Hipps, president of Buncombe Young Democrats. “As things developed, it became clear that we have a chance to not only elect the first woman and first Black woman as president, but also an exciting and dynamic candidate that appeals to young people.”
Meanwhile, local Republicans had an infusion of energy provided by former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in downtown Asheville on Aug. 14.
“It’s like this,” emailed Buncombe County GOP Chair Doug Brown five days after the rally. “You have a baseball team, and no one goes to the games. Suddenly, your team gets a player who has performance, the values, the chutzpah that attracts the fans. Thousands show up. They meet other fans. They find out they are not the only one who loves the sport and who believes in the home team. It’s refreshing.”
Local Republican campaigns say the rally continued a rising trend of volunteers and support, though specific numbers were not provided to Xpress Figures that are available show an upsurge in volunteers, donations and registered voters for Buncombe County Democrats. Whether these increases can be attributed to the change in the presidential candidate and whether it will affect local races in November remains up for debate.
BY THE NUMBERS
The week before Biden withdrew, the Buncombe County Democratic Party headquarters fielded 27 volunteer inquiries, says Chair Kathie Kline. The next week, when Harris became the
NEWS
Local candidates see surge from presidential race
email to Xpress that fundraising has surged since Harris’ announcement.
“From Jan.1, our daily [fundraising] average was around $1,200 to $1,500 a day,” Stephenson writes. “After Kamala was announced as the candidate, our numbers jumped to roughly $2,000 a day.” The fundraising figures have stayed in that range ever since, she adds.
Similarly, Democratic state Rep. Eric Ager, who is running for reelection against Republican challenger Sherry Moore Higgins in District 114, says he’s seen a 25% jump in funding since the switch to Harris.
“A canvassing event for our campaign on Sunday, Aug. 11, drew five times the number of canvassers than we’ve had at any point so far,” Ager says.
Meanwhile, new voter registration numbers available from Buncombe County Election Services show an upswing of registered Democrats in the past few months. In the two-week period of June 1-16, before Biden’s disastrous debate with Trump, compared with the two weeks of Aug. 1-16, with Harris as the candidate, Democratic voter registrations rose from 159 to 301, climbing 89%, while newly registered Republicans rose 18% from 103 to 122. Unaffiliated voters, the bulk of county voters, rose 12% from 400 to 448.
“In 2024, all politics is national,” says Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University. “The uptick in new registrants in Buncombe County follows trends statewide and nationally. The Kamala Harris campaign has found a way to translate excitement into something more tangible.”
EYES ON LOCAL
On the Republican side, most local candidates say the switch at the top of the Democratic ticket has not affected them.
presumptive nominee, the office was flooded with 144 volunteers.
“We’ve [been] ranging from 60-85 new volunteers weekly since,” Kline says.
Dana Stephenson, campaign manager for Democrat Caleb Rudow, who is running to unseat U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards in District 11, writes in an
“With Kamala coming in, I think that it has energized the left, but I don’t think it’s motivated the [Democratic Party] moderates at all,” says Kristie Sluder, who is running against Democratic incumbent District 49 Sen. Julie Mayfield Aubrey Woodard, political director of Edwards’ reelection campaign, echoes Sluder’s sentiment. “The
THE REGION
FULL SWING: The saying goes, “All politics is local.” And in Western North Carolina, many candidates are seeing an uptick in voter engagement now that the presidential race is in full swing. Illustration by Randy Molton
ENERGIZED: Kristie Sluder, running for state Senate, says Trump’s Asheville rally made the election more competitive. Photo courtesy of Kristie Sluder for Senate
name change at the top of the national Democratic ticket represents nothing more than a continuation of the failed economic, diplomatic and national security policies of the Biden administration,” he writes in an email to Xpress.
For Buncombe County GOP Chair Brown, the national race is not of concern. “Buncombe GOP is local: local candidates; local issues; local results for local folks,” he writes about possible downstream impacts from the Harris campaign.
Higgins, who is challenging Ager in District 114, shares Brown’s perspective. “We know that the presidential election is a big deal, and it’s important to a lot of people, but for us, the people that are running, it’s
[on] our personal campaigns that we’re focused.”
ENERGETIC ON BOTH SIDES
While WNC candidates are focused on their races, local enthusiasm was on full display at Trump’s Aug. 14 rally.
Thousands of Trump supporters wound down Haywood Street and around downtown as they hoped to see the Republican nominee speak to a capacity crowd in the 2,055-seat Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. There were another 3,000 people who didn’t get in, estimates the City of Asheville’s Department of Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities.
Trump’s speech followed remarks by Edwards, U.S. Sen. Ted Budd and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson.
The crowd outside the venue ranged from 20-year-old Sarah Swangin from Fletcher, attending her first political event, to 66-year-old Kyle Lorton from Candler.
When asked if he volunteered for Trump’s campaign, Lorton said, “I’m involved now in Buncombe County to help Mark Robinson get elected governor, coordinating resources, trying to gather people and calling [on the phone].”
He believes Harris’ entry into the election has not changed the nature of the campaign. “It’s always been very competitive, whether it’s Biden or Harris,” Lorton said. “No real change.”
Vicky Wilson, 61, from Mars Hill, said the switch to Harris didn’t make the race more competitive. “I think more people were for Biden actually, because they weren’t ready for Harris. [Harris] has more liberal views than he had.”
Joe Johnson said it’s not looking good for Harris, despite polls showing Harris closing the gap or passing Trump in seven swing states, including North Carolina.
Of 10 Trump supporters Xpress interviewed, three were energized enough by the tightening race to donate to Republican campaigns, either Trump or Robinson. Five have volunteered for those races and three signed up as poll watchers.
Replying to an Xpress email, Woodard, political director for Edwards, writes that the congressman’s reelection campaign has consistently seen increases in new volunteers, donations and especially enthusiasm. Since Trump’s appearance in Asheville, he adds, the totals in all three categories have accelerated. Meanwhile, Sluder is optimistic about the impact of Trump’s rally. “I absolutely think [the rally] made the
among the thousands of
races more competitive,” she says. “It encouraged the base.”
But Sluder’s opponent, Sen. Mayfield, seems less concerned, at least regarding her race. Running in a solidly blue district, Mayfield is focusing on contests other than her own.
“I don’t really spend time or resources campaigning for myself,” she says. “I haven’t been recruiting volunteers. I haven’t been organizing canvasses and phone banks. What I spend my time on is raising money for other Senate candidates in tighter races in other parts of the state.”
Mayfield’s goal, she continues, is to break the Republican’s supermajority in the General Assembly.
Although Mayfield notes that she’s had a few fruitful fundraisers, she can’t confirm that their success is due to Harris’ popularity. Nevertheless, Mayfield notes an upbeat vibe permeating the Democratic Party.
“Everybody is happy,” Mayfield says. “The excitement is through the roof.”
Time will tell whether that enthusiasm — on both sides — endures until Election Day, Nov. 5. X
SUPPORTER: Candler resident Kyle Lorton was
Trump supporters to attend the former president’s recent rally in downtown Asheville. Photo by Caleb Johnson
TRUE BLUE: Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield says her party is happy with Kamala Harris at the top of the presidential ticket. “The excitement is through the roof,” she says. Photo courtesy of Mayfield
NEWS
Going alone
Pride display drives Yancey County library out of regional system
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN
jwakeman@mountainx.com
Unlike most librarians, Jamie McCabe spends much of his day behind the wheel.
As the Avery-Mitchell-Yancey (AMY) Regional Library System bookmobile librarian, he dedicates one day per week in each county, stopping at senior centers, after-school programs, day care centers and homeschools. The bookmobile is stocked with “a ton of Christian fiction,” McCabe says, explaining the genre is popular with older readers. One day a week, McCabe traverses all three counties in an outreach van delivering books; these are mostly large-print editions for readers who are homebound.
But his route may be shorter now that Yancey County decided to pull out of the regional system, a decision sparked by some vocal residents who objected to gay pride displays. At a June 28 meeting, which was posted 48 hours in advance, Yancey County Commission Chair Jeff Whitson made a motion to direct County Manager Lynn Austin to begin pulling Yancey County Public Library out of the AMY system, effective July 1, 2025. (The AMY system is composed of four libraries across three counties; Yancey has two branches, and the others have one each.)
The motion was passed unanimously by the Yancey County Board of Commissioners, while AMY Regional Library Director Amber Westhall Briggs was out of state, attending a library conference in California. On Aug.
2, Briggs released a public statement addressing Yancey’s commissioners.
“This past year has been a tremendous gain from a financial perspective because for the first time in 20+ years, regional library systems were given a recurring increase in state aid,” Briggs wrote. “We are so well equipped to serve our communities, and that was made possible by directors across the state who serve on those committees, me included, and our representatives at the state level listened to and awarded funding. Why withdraw now? Why pay for what the State already provides?”
Briggs continued, “I work with the best people, kind and giving, dedicated to competent service above self and to the adults and children they serve. To hear that the Yancey County commissioners decided to withdraw is heartbreaking to us.”
Yancey County Manager Austin did not respond to multiple requests for comment via email and phone. Yancey County Attorney Donnie Laws did not respond to multiple phone messages requesting comment.
Commissioners Whitson, Vice Chair David Grindstaff, Stacey McEntyre Greene and Mark Ledford did not respond to multiple requests for comment. When reached by phone, Commissioner Sandy Norton told Xpress, “I have no comment.”
When asked for an interview with Xpress via Facebook Messenger, Yancey County local library board chair Christy Edwards responded, “No way! Go away! The county commissioners did the right thing! Have a great day!”
HAPPIER TIMES: Yancey Public Library’s Burnsville branch manager Wayne Edwards, center, and Avery-Mitchell-Yancey Regional Library Director Amber Westhall Briggs, right, pose with Curious George as part of a summer reading program. Photo courtesy of Briggs
’EVERYONE
IS WELCOME HERE’
AMY regional library branches have put up Pride displays for years, including eight years at Yancey Public Library.
Criticism about LGBTQ+ materials within the AMY regional system date to 2022, when complaints were made to the Spruce Pine and Yancey County public libraries, claiming their Pride displays were “promoting” being LGBTQ+, according to Briggs. Conflict intensified the following year. During June 2023, three branches — Avery County Morrison, Spruce Pine and Yancey (which is in Burnsville) — assembled Pride Month displays featuring books about LGBTQ+ topics and by LGBTQ+ authors. The display in Burnsville included a rainbow flag saying, “Everyone is Welcome Here” and a smaller “Everyone is Welcome Here” sign at the front desk.
Spruce Pine and Avery Morrison libraries both received complaints about the Pride displays, Briggs says. In response, she spoke with their town manager and county manager, respectively, and they were satisfied with the conversations she had with them, she continues. The Burnsville branch also received some complaints. Briggs described an incident in June 2023 when a woman came to its front desk and said, “If you have that pedophile flag in here, you must be pedophiles.” Additionally, callers began harassing library employees, calling the people who answered the phone “pedophiles” and “groomers.”
According to Briggs, Yancey County resident Sheila Poehler called her in June 2023 and shared her concern that children could see the Pride Month books on display near the reference desk. Following their call, Briggs says Poehler came into Yancey Public Library and spoke with an assistant librarian; Burnsville branch manager Wayne Edwards contacted Poehler following the visit. Briggs says she and Edwards both suggested Poehler complete “request for review” forms about the materials that concerned her.
The request forms trigger a process by which the library reviews any materials residents might find objectionable. Briggs, who receives such requests as the library director, said Poehler did not complete any forms.
Poehler sent an email to Yancey Public Library staff that read, in part, according to Carolina Public Press, “Parents of young children should not be put in the position of having to explain LGBTQ, etc. to their kids.”
Poehler did not respond to requests for comment from Xpress
Aversion to books about LGBTQ+ topics or the Pride flag isn’t representative of how the majority of AMY system patrons feel, Briggs says. She and McBride, the bookmobile librarian, tell Xpress they both personally know LGBTQ+ adult and teen patrons. And Briggs says sometimes grandparents come to the public library looking for resources because a grandchild recently came out as gay.
“We have so many accounts like that,” Briggs continues. “To frame this [situation as] this large group of
people that are upset with the library is inaccurate.”
FIRST ATTEMPT
The Yancey County Board of Commissioners first proposed removing the county from the AMY system at its June 2023 meeting. As reported by Asheville Citizen Times, Chair Whitson made a motion directing County Manager Austin to research “the process of taking all necessary steps in taking control of the current library system and making it a county-run library, an operation showing no bias to any religious, political or ethnic platform with oversight from the Yancey County Board of Commissioners until a proper new library board can be established.”
Each local library has its own advisory board, which can make recommendations but cannot make library policy; a representative from each local board serves on the regional library board, which does set policy. The regional library board governs the AMY system and manages the library director.
The motion was tabled after Green requested more time to examine the process.
Briggs says the AMY system has been receptive to the compromises proposed. For example, this spring Yancey Public Library removed small rainbow flags above the “new books” section. (These were not specifically Pride decorations, Briggs says; they were up all the time.) Librarians also removed the “Everyone is Welcome Here” from the reference desk. “This is not something staff supported,” Briggs explains. “This is something we were asked to do by the board, and we were willing to make accommodations.”
Despite these compromises, “the employees at Yancey have been harassed, called pedophiles and groomers, all because of a book display,” Briggs wrote in the public statement she released this month. The harassing phone calls continued; she tells Xpress “three or four regulars” have “called over and over again,” based on their caller IDs.
Meanwhile, seven new members have been added to both the regional and Yancey County library boards.
Among the five new members of the Yancey County Local Library Board are Poehler, who contacted Briggs and the library staff about Yancey Public Library’s Pride display in June 2023, and commission Chair Whitson. Whitson had also been appointed to the regional library board but was removed due to lack of attendance, per the AMY regional library system bylaws, Briggs says.
Yancey County’s library opposition timeline
June 2023
• AMY Regional Library System constructs Pride Month displays at three branches.
• Some people voice complaints about the Pride displays.
• Yancey County Board of Commissioners votes to investigate removing the county from the AMY system; the motion is tabled.
Fall 2023
• Seven new members join the Yancey County Local Library Board, an advisory board, and the AMY Regional Library Board, which sets policy.
Spring 2024
• AMY Regional Library System removes “Everyone is Welcome Here” signage, per the local library board’s request.
June 28
• Yancey County Board of Commissioners calls a special meeting with 48 hours’ notice. The AMY regional library director is out of state. The commission votes unanimously to direct the Yancey county manager to pull the two county branches out of the regional system.
July 8
• Yancey County residents organize a solidarity walk for the AMY regional library system. About 300 people, including counterprotesters, show up.
• N.C. Alliance for Families posts on Facebook a call for “all upstanding Christian men and supporters of family values” to “come out and stand against degeneracy.”
Aug. 2
• The AMY regional library director releases a statement calling the decision to withdraw Yancey County from the AMY regional system “heartbreaking” and questioning the financial soundness of decoupling from the regional funding.
Aug. 5
• Yancey county manager releases a statement saying there is “no evidence to support the idea that library services will be lost.”
Aug. 12
• Three Yancey County commissioners vote to add themselves to the Yancey County local library board; one commissioner is already on the local library board.
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On Aug. 12, three Yancey County commissioners — Norton, Green and Ledford — voted to add themselves to the Yancey County local library board. The four County Commission members on the library board constitute a quorum of the five-member County Commission.
‘STAND AGAINST DEGENERACY’
Knowing her employees have been called “groomers” and “pedophiles” is “highly distressing, it’s untrue, and it’s cruel,” Briggs wrote to Xpress in a July 30 email. But the library director emphasizes that “angry voices truly have been minimal and from the same individuals.”
The situation prompted a solidarity walk July 8 in support of the local library that drew 300 people. The solidarity walk culminated at the courthouse, so county residents could sign up for public comment at the Yancey County Board of Commissioners meeting that day.
Some counterprotesters at the solidarity walk were from the N.C. Alliance for Families. According to its Facebook page, it’s a group “to combat the rising tide of tyranny eroding parental rights and childhood innocence in North Carolina.” The group objects to books like This Book Is Gay, a young adult nonfiction book, and Lawn Boy, a young adult novel.
The N.C. Alliance for Families’ Facebook group called its supporters to “come out and stand against degeneracy” at the walk, writing on an Instagram post “all upstanding Christian men and supporters of family values are asked to attend in support of the North Carolina Alliance of Families.”
When contacted over email, John Mulvaney, director of the N.C. Alliance for Families, responded, “We are not interested in speaking with you at this time.”
FUNDING CONFUSION
What effect pulling out of the regional system will have on Yancey County is unclear.
Money for the regional library system comes from the state and from member counties, all of which is shared across the system, explains Briggs.
The AMY system shares a children’s librarian, a digital literacy librarian, the bookmobile librarian (McCabe), the bookmobile itself and the outreach van, says Briggs.
Children and the elderly may be most impacted by a reduction in services. The children’s librarian handles the summer reading program, in addition to story times that primarily service preschool-age readers, Briggs says. McCabe’s bookmobile frequently visits senior centers, nursing facil-
ities and Yancey residents at home who often need large-print books. Briggs notes that it’s difficult to put a dollar amount on what portion of the funding for regional services goes only to Yancey County residents, as so many are shared. She says she is conducting a full inventory of the technology, books and services to calculate that dollar amount.
The AMY regional funding provides science equipment that is used by homeschoolers, and “almost all books” and other materials, Briggs says. AMY regional funding and grants purchase technology, Briggs continues, explaining that the upcoming inventory will determine what specific funding or grants purchased computers, printers, copiers and support for Wi-Fi hot spots at Yancey County Public Library.
Yancey County Manager Austin released a statement Aug. 5 disputing the county’s public library services would decrease if it left the system.
“The Yancey County Commissioners are looking forward to continuing services at the Yancey County Library,” Austin wrote. “I have had discussions with the State Library Employees and have been reassured that Yancey County will be able to receive the same funding that the AMY system received on behalf of Yancey County. There is no evidence to support the idea that library services will be lost. The Commissioners look forward to continuing all the services that we currently have, and we realize what a valuable resource having a public library is to the community.”
When asked for comment in response to Austin’s statement, Briggs said, “It is factual that regional services will be lost.”
IMPACT ON MITCHELL AND AVERY COUNTIES
If Yancey County Public Library leaves the AMY system, it could affect funding for Mitchell and Avery counties too. Exactly how is also unclear.
Debbie McLean, branch manager for Avery County Morrison Public Library, directed questions about a potential withdrawal of Yancey County’s impact on the Avery County system to Briggs. The Avery County Board of Commissioners did not respond to emails requesting comment.
Melinda Boyd, branch manager for Mitchell County Public Library, declined to comment.
In an email to Xpress, Mitchell County Board of Commissioners Chair Harley Masters wrote, “As far as the future effect of Yancey County’s withdrawal, we are reviewing the library system’s budget. We also plan to review with their Board of Directors to evaluate the financial impact of having one less member in the AMY system.”
County, school boards discuss priorities in unusual joint meeting
During budget discussions this spring, some members of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners complained that the county’s two school boards weren’t being proactive or collaborative enough in their requests for increased funding. On Aug. 22, they called a joint meeting with the Asheville City and Buncombe County boards of education to identify the three elected bodies’ shared purpose.
Heather Parkinson, Buncombe’s strategic policy and analysis manager who guided the three-hour discussion, said a joint meeting of this kind had not happened in her nearly seven years. The goal: Get the boards to coalesce around their collective priorities for the next five years and define what success looks like for education in Buncombe County.
In presentations, both district superintendents highlighted the erosion of state-level support for public schools as a top threat. Rob Jackson, superintendent of Buncombe County Schools (BCS), cited a study from the nonpartisan think tank Public School Forum, which ranked North Carolina 49th among states in percentage of its gross domestic product allocated to public education.
“For the success of our local public system, I think the stakes are really high because we’re not supported. We don’t have the support that we need,” noted Asheville City Board of Education member Rebecca Strimer.
Several officials pointed out that there is a missing link between the state’s funding of public schools and its constitutional mandate to provide every child access to a sound education.
Buncombe County Board of Education member Rob Elliot argued that the recent expansion of the state’s private school voucher program — which could strip nearly $5.6 million from public schools in Buncombe County alone, according to state figures — shows where the N.C. General Assembly’s priorities lie.
“The values from the [state] leadership currently are to erode public education for a very specific reason,” he said. “I think [Buncombe County Commissioner Parker Sloan] said it best: ‘The cost of failure is greater than the cost of success.’”
County Commission Chair Brownie Newman directed the conversation toward what local officials can control.
Planning, noted Commissioner Al Whitesides, is critical. “We can’t wait until mid-May … to make a decision to put it in the budget in June,” he said.“This is something we’ve got to look at year-round.”
and Buncombe County Schools Superintendent Rob Jackson listen as their boards discuss the future of education in Buncombe County. Photo by Greg Parlier
Newman and Sloan suggested that the three boards create multiyear spending plans with specific goals.
For county school board Chair Ann Franklin, a goal should be expanding preschool programs, which she argued can help eradicate issues that many students have when they enter kindergarten and carry through their educational career.
“You don’t graduate miraculously; you have a basis where the learning
begins, and then you continue to build on that,” she said.
Another worry for both districts is a shrinking pipeline of available teachers. BCS’ Jackson reported that according to the N.C. State Board of Education, the number of teachers entering the workforce statewide shrunk by 10% from 2021-22 and 2022-23, and has decreased 43% over the last decade.
Both districts have programs in place to encourage current high school
students to become future teachers, including Asheville City Schools’ (ACS) forthcoming Grow Your Own initiative.
Commissioners support a countywide Grow Your Own program.
Buncombe County is the lead entity on a state-mandated feasibility study concerning the potential consolidation of ACS and BCS, scheduled to be completed in January. While it wasn’t a focus of the meeting, conversation on the topic came up. Several officials were skeptical.
“The focus should not be on saving money through consolidation, but the focus ought to be on [how] what we do provides value. And if it takes two separate school systems to do that, that’s what it takes, and it’s valuable, and it’s worth it,” said city school board member Sarah Thornburg.
“We really don’t have any proof that consolidation would save money. Nothing that I’ve read or studied would indicate that in any way, shape or form. So let’s take it off the table and get to the things that really could benefit [us],” Franklin added. Officials present from all three boards informally voted to continue having similar discussions throughout the year. Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, city school board members Amy Ray and Liza Kelly and county school board member Peggy Buchanan were absent. It’s unclear when the next meeting will be.
— Greg Parlier
X
County appoints 11 to short-term rental committee
They may not be the Avengers, but the team is assembled. After three hours of interviews on Aug. 20, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners put together an 11-member volunteer committee to review and recommend regulations for short-term rentals (STRs).
Commissioners chose nine community members from a pool of 113 applicants to continue a process that began in December as part of Buncombe County’s 2043 Comprehensive Plan. They will join two Buncombe County Planning Board members, Chair Nancy Waldrop and Ken Kahn. Commission Chair Brownie Newman and Commissioner Parker Sloan will be nonvoting members.
“Many [people] from our community have thought a lot about this really important topic. And there’s a lot of
different perspectives, and I think a lot of folks recognize that it’s not a simple issue, but just one that’s important to the future of our community,” Newman said before announcing the appointments.
The community members selected for the committee include real estate professionals, STR owners and other business owners and affordable housing advocates, Newman said.
After the county’s nine-member Planning Board released proposed changes to STR regulations in December, the issue was tabled for 100 days April 22 after community members complained that the process was moving too quickly.
Several of the board’s proposed changes had widespread support, including banning STRs from mobile home parks and the steep slope and
Blue Ridge Parkway overlays, and grandfathering existing STRs, according to Waldrop.
However, community members opposed restrictions on where STRs could operate and the number of new STRs property owners could build. The committee is scheduled to meet in September and October before making recommendations to the Planning Board in November. That board will present its recommendations to commissioners in December.
Editor’s note: For more coverage of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Aug. 20. meeting, including a list of committee appointees, go to avl.mx/e2t.
— Greg Parlier X
LEADERS LISTEN: From left, Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder, Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman
Fungi, fall carrots and elderberry harvests
BY CHLOE LIEBERMAN
Hello to you as autumn whispers in the crisp morning and evening air. While your summer gardens wane and your fall crops grow, remember to send me questions at gardening@ mountainx.com, and I’ll be happy to answer them.
UNINVITED MUSHROOMS
I grow in raised beds, and I filled the bottom of them with twigs and wood chips, then covered those with soil and compost. Lots of mushrooms are popping up along with my veggies. Is this OK?
Woody material like the twigs and chips you laid in the bottom of your raised beds are prime food for fungi. It’s a totally normal and natural part of the process of those things decomposing to see mushrooms sprout up on the surface of the soil above them. What’s happening is the underground part of the mushroom, the mycelium, is digesting the fibers in the wood, thus releasing nutrients and breaking them down into soil. Mushrooms are simply the visible fruiting bodies of the unseen myce-
lial networks down below. Given the right conditions — usually a combination of moisture, temperature and enough food — mycelia send up mushrooms that will make spores (the fungal equivalent of seeds) to spread that particular kind of fungus out into the world.
Up to 90% of plants have mutualistic (win-win) relationships with fungi in the soil. In fact, there’s a special name for fungi that hang out in the rhizosphere (root zone) of plants: mycorrhizae. This group of fungi helps plants access nutrients and moisture, while gleaning sugars and other compounds that the plants make through their alchemical magic. Without more information about the specific mushrooms that are popping up in your raised beds, I can’t know for sure if they’re helpful to the vegetables you’re growing there. However, it’s extremely unlikely that they’re harmful. At worst, they’re working on breaking down the woody stuff and having a neutral impact on your crops.
As I’ve mentioned here before, gardens in our region are especially prone to fungal pathogens that can cause problems. So, how can I be so sure that the mushrooms aren’t a threat? Well, fungal pathogens are
GROWTH OPPORTUNITY: Late summer is the ideal time in Western North Carolina to plant carrots for bountiful fall harvests. Photo courtesy of Wild Abundance
usually in the form of molds and rots, not mushrooms. These organisms all fall under the broader name fungi but are distinct groups within that vast kingdom. Fungal pathogens that infect plants can also infect mushrooms that you might be cultivating, like shiitakes or oysters.
In the case of your mystery visitors, feel free to pick and then compost them if they’re in the way or just let them do their thing.
SPOTTY TOMATO LEAVES
My tomato plants have spots on the leaves that turn brown-yellow and seem to be spreading from the lower leaves upward. What can I do?
What you’re describing sounds to me like septoria leaf spot, or septoria blight, which is caused by one of the nasty fungal pathogens I was talking
about above. This one is called Septoria lycopersici and is pretty common on tomatoes in warm, humid conditions. It’s distinct from the most common tomato issue around here during this time of year, late blight, which is caused by the fungus Phytophthora infestans. The main difference in appearance of these two issues is that late blight shows up as big, water-soaked splotches that spread and kill leaves, leaving them looking as if they’ve been burned or frosted. Septoria, on the other hand, is more distinctly spotty, like morbid polka dots, though if it’s left to spread it can also kill entire leaves and cause a similar amount of damage as late blight.
If you’re interested in being sure about which pathogen you’re dealing with, bring a sample of your infected plant to your county cooperative extension office. The people there
may be able to tell you exactly what it is, or they may advise you to send it off to the N.C. State Extension department of plant pathology.
Either way, take care to remove all infected leaves and either compost them well away from the garden or trash or burn them. After you do this, wash your hands and any tools you used to avoid spreading the fungus around to other plants. Septoria leaf spot, which I’m guessing is what you’ve got, strongly prefers tomatoes as a host but can also infect other plants in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, such as eggplants, potatoes and peppers.
Once the tomato harvest is finished, or the disease takes down your plants, whichever comes first, be sure to remove the plants from your garden and dispose of them in the same manner as I suggested with the leaves. Septoria leaf spot can overwinter in plant debris and in the soil, so definitely don’t plant tomatoes again in that same spot, or any other related plants, if you can help it. This practice of crop rotation is the best move not just to avoid diseases but also to vary the impact of different plants on the soil and to disrupt pest life cycles.
ELDERBERRY BOUNTY
My elderberry bushes are full of ripe clusters of fruit. Can I just eat them, or do I need to make elderberry syrup?
Heavy clusters of elderberries are one of the gifts of autumn bounty. Whether you’ve planted them or are tending wild plants, their berries are full of medicine for the changing season, plus they’re tasty. Some varieties of elderberry are toxic if eaten raw, so it’s best to cook them. You don’t have to make elderberry syrup, though it is one great way to preserve and ingest their goodness throughout the fall and winter. Other
ways to prepare elderberries are to make jams or jellies, or to dry them and turn them into tea or syrup later on. You can also freeze the berries now and process them later, during the cozier time of year when indoor tasks are more appealing. For a simple elderberry syrup recipe and more information about this wonderful plant, check out this blog post from Wild Abundance at avl.mx/e2b.
CARROT SEASON
I planted carrots in the spring and didn’t have good luck with them. I’ve heard you can plant them in the fall too. Is this the time to do that? Are they easier in the fall?
Yes, it’s time, and yes, they’re easier in the fall! Not only are carrot seeds quicker to germinate in warm summer soil, but the developing roots will get sweeter as temperatures drop. Growing carrots in the spring can be tricky because this is flipped around: The soil is still very cold, which means it takes a long time for the seeds to germinate, and then it gets hot by the time the roots are forming. Warm weather leads to more bitterness and toughness in carrots.
In either season, it’s important to choose a suitable variety of carrot. If you’re planting now, pick a carrot that will mature in about 70 days or fewer. Carrots, along with other veggies, slow their growth as the day length shrinks. Once the hours of sunlight go below 10 per day, growth will halt. You want to make sure your carrots are ready to harvest before this happens, which is in mid-November around here.
My favorite variety of fall carrot is an old French heirloom called Red Cored Chantenay. It takes around 70 days to mature. Other things to look for in a carrot variety are the shape and size; our rocky soil tends to welcome short, squat carrots more easily than long, slender ones. X
Elder alders
Team works to protect ice-age era Roan Mountain ecosystem
BY ARNOLD WENGROW
If you’re hiking the Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain near Carver’s Gap, you might encounter thickets of tourists that came down from the north and decided to settle in North Carolina. But these are not the kind of tourists that some Ashevilleans find pesky.
These newcomers came south so far back — during the ice age some 2.5 million to 12,000 years ago — they have bragging rights over any proud natives, whether indigenous or European.
Green alders are typically a plant of the far north, says Irene Rossell, professor of environmental science at UNC Asheville, “but as the glaciers came south, northern plants moved down ahead of them. As the climate got colder, they were able to take hold.”
Rossell and Giacomo Borso, a senior environmental science major,
have been studying since May green alder balds — treeless areas on the mountain ridge — in partnership with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC). The conservancy has managed the alder balds and their adjacent cousins, the grassy balds, for almost four decades for the U.S. Forest Service.
Rossell and Borso explained their project in late July while sitting in a science lab in UNCA’s Robinson Hall.
STANDING GUARD
Despite their long lineage, green alders are starting to get pushed out, and that’s the reason for the study, Rossell says. “It’s a rare ecosystem and it’s declining due to woody encroachment. It’s important to understand how these ecosystems work to try to preserve them,” she says.
Marquette Crockett, Roan stewardship director for the SAHC, agrees. “Green alder is very rare
in our [area] and is only found in the Roan Highlands,” she says. The highlands are a cluster of mountains and ridges that straddle the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, according to the SAHC website.
The grassy balds, right at the mountaintop, are well known. “You have beautiful views in many directions because there are no trees,” Rossell says. “It opens up a scenic vista.”
But green alder balds often go unnoticed by Appalachian Trail hikers. “A lot of people just walk right past them,” Rossell says. “They are old but they’re not supershowy, like a lot of the other plants up there, like rhododendrons.”
And they are becoming rarer. Green alder balds are threatened by encroaching shrubs like blackberry and blueberry. “The blackberry brambles are native,” Rossell says, “but they are aggressive in their growth, and sometimes they can shade out other plants.” When Borso and his assistant, Justin
GREEN ALDER DEFENDERS: Justin Tapia, left, and Giacomo Borso, right, document species on Roan Mountain. Photo by Borso
Tapia, another environmental science student, are walking around in the alder bald, Rossell notes, “you can barely see them.” Borso adds, “Some of the blackberry stems would be higher than my height, and I’m 6 foot.”
In 2015, the SAHC surveyed the green alder balds, the grassy balds, and other rare ecosystems. “We wanted to ensure that they were accurately represented in the Pisgah National Forest Plan, which was just getting started at that time,” says Crockett. The survey was “a snapshot in time to see how the green alder community was faring,” she notes.
In this case, “snapshot” was both literal and figurative. The SAHC divided the roughly 15-acre area into 120 plots and identified each by GPS. They took photographs of each one and then began the meticulous process of documenting how many of each species were in them.
Now, almost a decade later, Rossell and Borso are finding out just how that green alder community has fared.
PLOT BY PLOT
Borso explains how the process works: “When I go up there for fieldwork,” he says, “I have a GPS that brings me directly to each plot. Once I’m there, I look at the photo taken in 2015 to make sure that I’m in the right area.”
He then plants a stake flag in the center of the circular plot, which has a 5-meter radius and divides the circle into quadrants. “We do a rough visual estimate of area coverage of woody plants in each quadrant and identify which species they are.”
Borso pays particular attention to woody plants like blackberry and blueberry, as some plots have nearly 100% blackberry cover. But for the green alders, he says, “we’re counting their stems as well as estimating cover. That will help other researchers determine whether green alders are in decline or holding steady in the future.”
The next step will be to look at how the 2024 cover estimates compare with what the SAHC found in 2015. “They gave us a mountain of data to compare to,” he says. “Once I have the fieldwork completed, I’ll analyze the data, write a final paper, and then present my findings to the university.”
That presentation will come in November at UNCA’s Undergraduate Research Symposium, to which the public is invited.
“Maybe after that,” Borso says, “I’ll work on getting the paper
peer-reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.”
THE ROUTINE OF FIELDWORK
The fieldwork for the project began in May and should be finished by the end of August.
While it takes only about 20-30 minutes to sample one plot, Rossell quickly adds, “You have to realize that first (Borso) has to drive to Roan Mountain, a 1 1/2-hour trip, and then he has to hike 2 1/2 to the study site.”
Locating the plots using a global positioning system takes time.
“Finding the next plot can take a while,” Rossell says, “and when he’s done, he has to hike 2 1/2 miles back to the car and then drive home. So we’re looking at eight to 12 plots done in one full day.”
And that’s if the weather cooperates. “Like this week, it’s going to rain and thunderstorm at Roan every day,” Rossell says. “It’s a very high elevation, all exposed. You don’t want to be up there during a thunderstorm.”
And good weather is its own challenge. Borso says he definitely wears long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. “And I try to wear something that
covers my face because I’ve gotten sunburned a few times. You’re really at the brunt of the sun.”
Nevertheless, Borso says, “I love being outside and studying plants.”
Although he had been an outdoors person growing up, “I didn’t really know that I wanted to study plants until a few years ago when I came to Asheville.” He credits Rossell with taking him in that direction.
And if the plants are deemed threatened, there are ways to protect them.
“Initial steps might be to cut back competing vegetation, allowing the alder the space it needs to flourish,” says Crockett of the SAHC. The group already does that to keep the grassy balds open on the Roan so it would just mean adding in some other areas.
“However, green alder, like many of our high-elevation species, is also severely threatened by climate change, so monitoring the long-term health and viability of the species may feed into future management ideas that we are only beginning to ponder.”
So, the next time you’re on Roan Mountain, look out for those green alders. They might need more of our attention. X
828.367.7387
Located in Asheville at Western Carolina Universit y ’s Biltmore Park instructional site, the Master of Public Af fairs program equips leaders in public ser vice. Graduates ser ve in local government and nonprofit sectors, influencing regional management and policy decisions. This accredited MPA program provides professionals with the exper tise needed to leave a lasting impact
AUG. 28 - SEP. 5, 2024
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.
Online-only events
Feature, page 28-29
More info, page 30
WELLNESS
Community Yoga & Mindfulness
Free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga. Bring your own mat.
WE (8/28), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Yoga & Coffee
An hour long hatha yoga class on the covered deck, with the option to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, tea or pastry afterwards.
WE (8/28), TU (9/3), 9:30am, Cooperative Coffee Shop, 210 Haywood Rd
Zumba Gold
A fun dance exercise that concentrates on cardio, flexibility, strength, and balance for older adults.
WE (8/28, 9/4), FR (8/30), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Tai Chi for Balance
A gentle Tai Chi exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Tai Chi Fan
This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome. Fans will be provided.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Gentle Yoga for Seniors
A yoga class geared to seniors offering gentle stretching and strengthening through accessible yoga poses and modifications.
WE (8/29, 9/4), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Nia Dance Fitness
A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
calming, and cooling the body. We still include strength building but more emphasis is placed on internal calm. Walk-ins welcome.
SU (9/1), 10:30am, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd
Power Hour Chair
Exercise
Build power through fun, upbeat, and gentle chair exercises each Tuesday.
TU (9/3), 10am, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St
TH (8/29, 9/5), 9:30am, TU (9/3), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Chen Style Tai Chi
The original style of Tai Chi known for its continual spiraling movements and great health benefits.
TH (8/29, 9/5), MO (9/2), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Weekly Zumba Classes
Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.
TH (8/29, 9/5), TU (9/3), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain
Qigong for Health
A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.
FR (8/30), TU (9/3), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Rise & Yoga on The Roof
Hot yoga sessions on the roof of the Radical. SA (8/31), 9am, The Radical, 95 Roberts St
Yoga for Everyone
A free-in person yoga class for all ages and abilities that is led by alternating teachers. Bring your own mat and water bottle.
SA (8/31), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Yoga in the Park Yoga class alongside the French Broad River, based on Hatha and Vinyasa traditions and led by certified yoga instructors. All levels welcome.
SA (8/31), SU (9/1), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd
Sunday Morning Meditation Group Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.
SU (9/1), 10am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Summer Cooling Yoga
w/Jamie Knox
Our practice slows down in the summer to focus on stretching,
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement
Wednesday mornings are all about active games, physical activities, and sports adapted to accommodate all skill levels
WE (9/4), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
SUPPORT GROUPS
Nicotine Anonymous
People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.
A transformative and empowering women’s circle where the power of our breath meets the strength and healing of sisterhood.
FR (8/30), 6pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd
Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group
A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.
SA (8/31), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd
Reconstruct Support Group
Support group for those who have experienced trauma from their religious or spiritual life. This is a safe space for belonging, community and questions.
MO (9/2), 6:30pm, Full Circle Community Wellness, 1915 George St, Hendersonville
Parkinson’s Support Group
This month’s gathering will host Jocelyn Kakavas who will give an overview accompanied by a research update covering biomarker breakthroughs, current drugs up for regulatory approval, and more.
TU (9/3), 10am, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd
BUSHELS OF FUN: The N.C. Apple Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, in downtown Hendersonville. The annual event, which celebrates apple growers and vendors, runs through Monday, Sept. 2, with times varying each day. The street fair features live entertainment, family-friendly activities and even the King Apple Parade, taking place at 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day Monday. Photo courtesy of the City of Hendersonville
WNC Prostate Support Group
All men, family members, partners and supporters are welcome to attend no matter their current situation with prostate cancer.
TU (9/3), 6:30pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St
DANCE
Zumba Gold
A fun dance exercise that concentrates on cardio, flexibility, strength, and balance for older adults.
WE (8/28, 9/4), FR (8/30), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ Mtn Vibez
A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 8pm, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd
Weekly Zumba Classes Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.
TH (8/29, 9/5), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain
Zumba Gold
Weekly Latin-inspired Zumba exercise party. All levels welcome.
TH (8/29, 9/5), 11am, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St
Tap Dance for Beginners
Tap dance for beginners teaches the basics through a combination of exercise, music, and incredible fun. Students provide their own tap shoes.
Designed to teach the latest line dances step by step, this weekly class inspires community members to put on their dancing shoes and boogie.
TH (8/29, 9/5), 1:30pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Saturday Night Square
Dancing
Led by Frank Brown, relish in the tradition of Scotch-Irish and English music dancing and the celebratory cakewalk.
SA (8/31), 8pm, Geneva Hall, 86 High Ridge Rd, Little Switzerland Tango Tuesdays Tango lessons and social with instructors Mary Morgan and Mike Eblen. No partner required, and no experience needed for the beginners class.
TU (9/3), 6pm, Urban Orchard Cider Co. S Slope, 24 Buxton Ave
West Coast Swing Learn fundamentals that make West Coast Swing so unique in a four-week session. No partner necessary.
TU (9/3), 6pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Swing Asheville Weekly swing dancing lessons with a live dance social afterwards.
TU (9/3), 7pm, Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Rd
Intro to Line Dance
A true beginners course for those who are new to line dance taught by Liz Atkinson.
WE (9/4), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
ART
Beautiful Mystery
Exhibition
This exhibition features the colorful batik paintings of Robin Ford, clay pieces by Susan Grier and Joe Frank McKee, jewelry by Ilene Kay, and wood sculptures by Brian Melton. Gallery open daily, 10am. Exhibition through Nov. 11.
Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy
Lou Ella Tucker: Story/ Place Tucker's exhibition showcases her curiosity of how spaces influence us and how we influence them, which has led her to record their unique stories of humanity around the world. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through September 22. Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
Shifting Perceptions: Photographs from the Collection
A selection of photographs presented in a trio of sections, each featuring seemingly opposing forces: Natural/Unnatural, Together/Apart, and Inside/ Out. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 23.
Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Rachel Clegg: Trees of the Blue Ridge
An exhibition featuring a new series focused on the trees of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Aug. 30.
Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain
Anatolii Tarasiuk: Embrace The Journey Tarasiuk’s art style is abstract expressionism with lots of color. He likes to use a palette knife because it draws more on spontaneity and pushes him beyond all that is known.
Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through September 22.
Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
Aaron Fields: Hidden Colors
This art exhibition presents a story about the perfect summer day in the mountains through the use of mostly acrylic paint,
paint markers and spray paint. Gallery open daily, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 1. Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St
Daily Craft Demonstrations
Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am. Demonstrations run through Dec. 31. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge kwy Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of American glass art can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 16. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Clay Studio Learn sculpting techniques from Jim Kransberger. Firing of pieces is included, but clay is not. Advance registration required. TU (9/3), 9am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
Robert Chapman Turner: Artist, Teacher, Explorer
The exhibition will include work by some of Turner’s students and colleagues as well as work by contemporary ceramic
artists whose work fits within the context of the show. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 7.
Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St
Beyond Brushes
In this unique experience, participants unleash their inner artists using unconventional tools. From pasta and produce to recycled materials and unexpected objects found in everyday life.
WE (9/4), 5:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Honoring Nature:
Early Southern Appalachian Landscape
Painting
This exhibition explores the sublime natural landscapes of the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 21. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Randy Shull: Black & White
An exhibition of abstract work by artist Randy Shull that will feature his unique ability to evoke both gravity and weightlessness within a single artwork, pouring thick layers of paint around the loose weave of handmade hammocks. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 21. See p28-29
Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd
COMMUNITY
MUSIC
Italian Night
An evening with Mike Guggino and Barrett Smith, members of the famed Steep Canyon Rangers, playing Italian-folk sounds.
TH (8/29), 6pm, The Farm, 215 Justice Ridge Rd, Candler Jazz Jam
Open jam starts the House Band set that’s guaranteed to fill your soul with groove and joy.
TH (8/29), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
Bill Mattocks Blues
Performing real deal Blues from the likes of Robert Johnson, Wille Dixon, Son House, BB King and more.
TH (8/29), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Bloom WNC Concert Series: Zachary Warren
This concert series brings classic bluegrass with the beautiful surrounding of Bloom WNC's location.
FR (8/30), 6pm, Bloom WNC Flower Farm, 806 North Fork Rd, Black Mountain
Concert Series on the Creek: The Maggie Valley Band
Free concert series for the community with The Maggie Valley band bringing their unique sounds this week. These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. There will be food trucks available on most nights.
FR (8/30), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva Ken Vandermark & PNL
A popular duo playing situations and creating a unique approach to improvised music that is riveting in its ideas and execution.
FR (8/30), 7pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St
Pianist Brian Turner
A renowned composer playing from Bach to Beyonce, Sinatra to Swift, he takes your requests and can play almost anything.
FR (8/30), 7pm, The Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave
Yala Cultural Tour
An in-house cultural exchange with Adama Dembele. Yala Cultural Tour includes drumming, dancing, and stories from Ivory Coast.
SA (8/31), noon, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
Mark's House Jam & Sunday Potluck
Bring a potluck dish to share with an a community of local musicians from around the globe. Please note that this isn't an open mic.
SU (9/1), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr
ACMS Presents: The Poiesis String Quartet w/Amer Hasan
From modern to Mozart, this young ensemble brings poise and panache to Asheville in this season-opening concert.
SU (9/1), 4pm, Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place
Adama & Les Amis
Adama Dembele and Les Amis bring their dazzling and infectious West African dance music, featuring traditional rhythms and mix of instruments.
SU (9/1), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Music To Your Ears Discussion Series: The Music of Nina Simone Bill Kopp discusses Nina Simone with Andrew Fletcher in this months series. Additionally, Andrew gives insight to her
influence in his music career and he'll play a few illustrative pieces on the keyboard.
WE (9/4), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
Featuring Mare Carmody, Peggy Ratusz and Ellen Trnka who are coming together to perform the songs of Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams.
WE (9/4), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Wings & Strings: Band of the Sky
This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every week.
TH (9/5), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack S, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden
Aditi & Jay
Featuring an angelic and rootsy duo that brings the golden oldies to live with the help of their family band.
TH (9/5), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Access to Capital Learn why businesses borrow money, what lenders are looking for when reviewing your application, and the importance of having cash flow projections. Register at avl.mx/e1r.
TH (8/29), noon, Online
Tarot w/Cats
A 1-hour workshop that will be held in the cat lounge and will show how to incorporate a one- and three-card pull for daily guidance.
FR (8/30), 5:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Therapeutic Recreation Adult Crafting & Cooking
A variety of cooking and crafts for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over each week. Advance registration at avlrec.com is required.
TU (9/3), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd
Community Narcan Training
A very important training led by Sunrise Recovery. The informative training will cover how to use Naloxone, an introduction to harm reduction, what’s happening in our community and more.
TU (9/3), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Embroiderers’ Guild of America: Laurel Chapter
Peggy O’Connor will teach a variety of embroidery stitches that can be used to create leaves. Peggy’s teaching sample is in the form of a wreath, but the format can easily be changed.
Learn to cook easy, delicious and nutritious meals on a budget.
TH (9/5), 5:30pm, North Carolina Cooperative Extension-Madison County Center, 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall
LITERARY
Meter & Melody: Poetry Night
Poetry night at the Loft, every last Wednesday of the month.
WE (8/28), 8pm, Static Age Loft, 116 N Lexington Ave
Poetry Critique Night
Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and listen. Signups to share will open 15 minutes prior
to the start.
TU (9/3), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain
Pen to Paper Writing Group
Share stories of your life with others on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
WE (9/4), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
An Evening w/Martin Baron
An evening of conversation with Martin Baron, a distinguished American journalist who was editor of The Washington Post, 2012 to 2021.
TH (9/5), 7pm, AB Tech, Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Rd
THEATER & FILM
Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart
This production provides a glimpse of the renowned athlete's life during an era of separate and unequal locker rooms, of whites only hotels, and of restaurants with a back door for colored athletes.
WE (8/28), TH (8/29), FR (8/30), SA (8/31), 7:30pm, SU (9/1), 2 pm North Carolina Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln
Joe Dispenza: SourceDocumentary
Source talks about the medical research that's been done on the positive effects of meditation and the body's ability to heal itself.
FR (8/30), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
The Great American Trailer Park Musical
Get ready to laugh till you cry with The Great American Trailer Park Musical, a wildly funny and heartwarming romp through Armadillo Acres, Florida's most exclusive trailer park.
FR (8/30), SA (8/31), 7:30pm, SU (9/1), Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville
Reasonably Priced Babies
Featuring Asheville’s Premier improv troupe that have performed together for over 13 years.
SU (9/1), 8pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Eulogy Movie Night
Featuring a 1988 classic, a special cocktail menu, popcorn and your favorite movie candy.
TH (9/5), 7:30pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave
MEETINGS & PROGRAMS
IBN Biz Lunch: West Asheville
All are invited to attend and promote their business, products, and services, and meet new referral contacts.
WE (8/28), 11:30am, Gemelli by Strada Italiano, 70 Westgate Pkwy
Every Black Voice: AVL's Racial Justice Coalition Lunch & Learn
This event will be discussing reparations and the history of black Asheville. Housing, health and wellness along with community building and education will also be hot topics of conversation.
WE (8/28), 12:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave
Backyard Herbalism Summer Series
This class will meet weekly and will cover topics including: the wise woman tradition of healing, summer skin care, herbal support for stress, the medicinal uses of popular garden plants and more.
WE (8/28), 6pm, Art Garden AVL, 191 Lyman St
Dharma Sharing: Michael Scardaville
Michael Scardaville will lead a Dharma Sharing on how mindfulness/ meditation practice can help us maintain inner peace and equanimity during challenging times.
TH (8/29), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain River Snorkeling A fast-growing hobby to see a world just under the surface of the mountain rivers. Participants receive wetsuits, wetsuit socks, snorkels, and masks. FR (8/30), 9:30am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
Chinese Tea & Tai Chi Foundations
Settle your Qi with Chinese tea while learning the fundementals of Tai Chi to improve your health. Beginner friendly so all levels are wecome.
SA (8/31, 9/2), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Sunday Celebration A Sunday celebration for the spiritual community.
VGUIDE OTER 2024
E lection
Important dates for the Nov. 5 general election
Friday, Sept. 6: County boards of elections begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted a request form.
Friday, Oct. 11: The last day to register to vote. You must register by 5 p.m. Note: You also can do same-day registration during early voting, which runs from Thursday, Oct. 17Saturday, Nov. 2. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1z.
Thursday, Oct. 17: In-person early voting begins. Same-day registration available.
Tuesday, Oct. 29: The last day to request an absentee ballot. Any registered voter can request, receive and vote through a mail-in absentee ballot. You can request one online at avl.mx/8ii or by mail at avl.mx/e13.
Saturday, Nov. 2: The last day for in-person early voting. Tuesday, Nov. 5: Election day. Absentee ballots must be submitted by 7:30 p.m.
For additional information on voting locations, voter ID requirements and other election-related news, visit avl.mx/e20.
Dr. Autum Kirgan Licensed Acupuncturist Clinic Director
Trishann Couvillion PEMF Provider
Danielle Krywko, LMBT Licensed Massage Therapist
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
SU (9/1), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Coloring w/Cats: Teens & Adults
Release your inner child by coloring with us in the cat lounge while you relieve stress and anxiety.
SU (9/1), 2pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Monthly Companion Orientation
Learn about our worship services, our medical respite facility, and our bi-weekly restaurant style meals and how you can get involved.
MO (9/2), 5pm, Haywood Street Congregation, 297 Haywood St
IBN Biz Lunch: East Asheville
Meet other business professionals and enjoy some of the best Asian food in WNC.
TU (9/3), 11:30am, Suwana Asian Cuisine, 45 Tunnel Rd
Kung Fu: Baguazhang
It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.
TU (9/3), 1pm and 5;30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Adult Community Volleyball
Enjoy open play volleyball. No pre-registration required.
TU (9/3), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Pickleball Beginner Clinic
Learn rules, terms, and skills needed to play pickleball from Asheville Pickleball Association. Advance registration required.
WE (9/4), 1pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
Family Open Gym
Weekly time in the gym reserved for all ages to shoot hoops and play other active games as a family.
WE (9/4), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Balancing The Needs of Labor Unions, Lithium Mining & Electric Vehicles
Randy Francisco of the United Steelworkers Union will discuss ways that environmentalists and labor can work together to ensure that workers and their communities are protected from harm from this type of mining.
WE (9/4), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd
NSA-WNC Meeting
Professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and
consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills and knowledge.
Shoot some hoops or play a pick up game with friends. No pre-registration required.
TH (9/5), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St,
Dharma Talk: Paul Linn
Expect 15 to 30 minutes of meditation followed by a dharma talk on Buddhist principles applied to daily life. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.
TH (9/5), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Craft & Connect
Get crafty and acquire new skills while connecting with peers in your community. Registration is required.
TH (9/5), 7pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd
GAMES & CLUBS
Grove Street Card
Sharks
Play a variety of card games including bid whist, spades, tunk, and more every Wednesday.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 2pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St
Music Bingo Thursdays
Test your music knowledge and your luck with Music Bingo by DJ Spence.
TH (8/29, 9/5), 6:30pm, Lookout Brewing Co., 103 S Ridgeway Ave, Black Mountain Bid Whist Make bids, call trumps, and win tricks. Every Saturday for fun
competition with the community. SA (8/31), 1pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Ultimate Bid Whist & Spades
Bring a partner or come solo for a fun evening of competitive bid whist and spades every Tuesday. TU (9/3), 6pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Bridge for Fun
A bridge game night for mid-level players, not for beginners. Contact Tom Fehsenfeld at tom.fehsenfeld@gmail. com.
WE (9/4), 2pm, N Asheville Recreation Center, 37 E Larchmont Rd
KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS
LaZoom Kids’ Comedy Bus Tour
This educational and entertaining tour features a perfect blend of Asheville’s history and comedy with jokes for kids of all ages. Open daily, noon. LaZoom Room, 76 Biltmore Ave
Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see if it’s a good fit for you.
TH (8/29, 9/5), MO (9/2), TU (9/3), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109
Kids Night Out
Leave the kids behind to enjoy goofy games, crafts, and science projects. Advance registration is required, but kids ages 5-12 are welcomed.
FR (8/30), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Coloring w/Cats: Kiddie Edition
An artistic session with coloring books and markers for children ages 13 and under to relax by coloring as they pet cats to reduce stress and anxiety.
SA (8/31), 1:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Let’s Wrestle Young wrestlers will learn fundamentals of wrestling and experienced wrestlers build skills and improve technique.
TU (9/3), 4:30pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St
Parks & REC-cess
A recreation experience for kids and teens who are homeschooled with a variety of activities on the first
and third Wednesday of the month. Advance registration required.
WE (9/4), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
Toddler Craftin’ Outdoors
Toddlers immerse in autumn’s embrace, crafting nature’s gifts into cherished keepsakes. For ages 2 to 4 with an adult.
WE (9/4), 5pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
Toddler Takeover Fun-themed days for children ages 1 to 5. This weeks a day at Water World at Jake Rusher Park.
WE (9/4), 10:30pm, Jake Rusher Park, 160 Sycamore Dr, Arden
LOCAL MARKETS
Leicester Farmers Market
A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats and crafts, every Wednesday.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester
RAD Farmers Market
Providing year-round access to fresh local foods from over 30 local vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, pastured meats, cheeses, raw honey, and more.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Etowah Lions Farmers Market
An array of farm-fresh local produce that features lettuce, collards, kale, mushrooms as well as local artisans, herbal products, plant starts, prepackaged meals and more. Every Wednesday through October.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville
Weaverville Tailgate Market
A selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants. Open year round.
WE (8/28, 9/4), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville
Enka-Candler Farmer's Market
A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, and even educational resources. Every Thursday through October 31.
TH (8/29, 9/5), 3:30pm,
A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler East Asheville Tailgate Market
Featuring locally grown vegetables, fruits, wild foraged mushrooms, ready made food, handmade body care, bread, pastries, meat, eggs, and more to the East Asheville community since 2007. Every Friday through Nov. 22.
FR (8/30), 3pm, 954 Tunnel Rd
Pack Square Artisan Market
Featuring local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville. Browse unique products and meet the folks that produce them. Every Friday through Oct. 25.
FR (8/30), 3pm, 1 S Pack Square Park
Henderson County Tailgate Market
Featuring Henderson County's finest produce, hand crafts, plant starts, vegetables, Sourwood honey, baked goods, fresh eggs, mushrooms, sausage and more. Every Saturday through Oct.
SA (8/31), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville Hendersonville Farmers Market
A farmers markets featuring fresh produce, meats, baked goods, crafts, live entertainment, food trucks, and more.
SA (8/31), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville North Asheville Tailgate Market
The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors providing a full range of local, sustainably produced produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, breads, plants and unique crafts.
SA (8/31), 8am, 3300 University Heights
Asheville City Market
Featuring local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Every Saturday through December 21.
A producer-only tailgate market located on the campus of Mars Hill University on College
Street. Offering fresh local produce, herbs, cheeses, meats, eggs, baked goods, honey, body care and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 26.
SA (8/31), 10am, College St, Mars Hill
WNC Farmers Market
High quality fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily 8am, year-round.
SU (9/1), 8am, 570 Brevard Rd
Junk-O-Rama
Browse vintage clothing vendors, local crafters, antiques and more.
SU (9/1), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd
Meadow Market
Browse goods and gifts from local makers and artisans with different vendors every week, you’ll find specialty items. Shop for handmade jewelry, housewares, vintage goods, and crafts.
SU (9/1), 1pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 West Asheville Tailgate Market
Featuring an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, and fish to locally made specialty items such as natural beauty products, herbal medicine and locally made art and crafts. Every Tuesday through November 26.
TU (9/3), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd
FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Mountain Xpress Best of WNC Party
An evening of live music and food trucks in the Meadow to celebrate the best of Asheville. In the event of bad weather, music will be moved into the Taproom.
TH (8/29), 5pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 North Carolina Apple Festival
A street fair that celebrates apple growers with lots of activities, entertainment, and community during Labor Day weekend. The King Apple Parade will take place on Monday. See p30-31
FR (8/30), SA (8/31), SU (9/1), MO (9/2), 10am, Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave E, Hendersonville
Leicester Labor Day
BBQ w/Chef Terri Terrell
Celebrate the end of summer in style with a mouthwatering barbecue hosted by the incredible Chef Terri Terrell. See p30
SA (8/31), noon, Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester
Overdose Awareness Day Ceromony
This event offers those who have been impacted by a drug overdose experience a chance to come together for collective reflection and grieving. This is a free community event that is open to the public.
SA (8/31), noon, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd
Blood Baths & Body Shots
A night of high-octane action, featuring thrilling live wrestling matches, seductive burlesque performances, jaw-dropping pole dancing, and a karaoke contest.
SA (8/31), 5pm, The Getaway River Bar, 790 Riverside Dr
Halloween in August
Enjoy an evening of Halloween-related festivities with a costume contest, prizes, garage dance-party, and more. SA (8/31), 8pm, 27 Club, 180 Patton Ave Apple Harvest Brunch
A family-friendly day of classic fall festivities at the Apple Harvest Brunch. Featuring hayrides around the farm to visit the animals, live music by Owen Welch, lawn games, bobbing for apples, and more.
See p31
SU (9/1), 11am, The Horse Shoe Farm, 155 Horse Shoe Farm Rd, Hendersonville
Labor Day Big Band & Blues Bash
The Asheville Jazz Orchestra will be serving up blues and modern big band favorites while the venue will be serving up the brews and tasty food trucks. MO (9/2), 2pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
A free community event featuring authors and low-cost writing workshops. Visit avl.mx/e2k for the full schedule of activities and their specific times.
TH (9/5), Burnsville Town Center, 6 S Main St, Burnsville
BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING
Call for Volunteers: Festival of Neighborhoods
Volunteers needed for the Festival of Neighborhoods. Sign up for volunteer opportunities
at /avl.mx/e2c.
WE (8/28), Martin Luther King Jr Park, 50 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr
Become a R2S Reading Tutor Support unlocking a student's potential. Volunteer as a Read to Succeed tutor with training included. Work one-to-one or in small groups during and after school. Visit avl.mx/bto to sign up.
WE (8/28), 6pm, Online
Benefit Show for Palestine Featuring Tashi & Ember, Shining Abyss, and more.
WE (8/28), 8:30pm, Static Age Records, 110 N Lexington Ave
Whitewater Bluegrass Company Benefit Concert
Enjoy a night of exceptional blend of bluegrass music with Whitewater Bluegrass Company and auction that benefits Swannanoa Valley Museum and White Horse.
FR (8/30), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Remembering Mars: A Celebration of Life for Marsellus Fariss Celebrate the life of a truly extraordinary person and long time contributor to Asheville’s creative scene, Marsellus Fariss. Donations will be accepted and will go directly to Tweed Recording Audio Production School‘s Marsellus Fariss scholarship fund. SA (8/31), 7pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Cat Trivia: A Fundraiser for Binx's Home for Black Cats
Assemble your team and come out to our cat trivia night to benefit Binx's Home for Black Cats. There will be a variety of feline-centric trivia questions for you and your team to test your knowledge and win some prizes.
SA (8/31), 7:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Comedy for Community: Supporting Hops for Hunger Comedy for community brings all you favorite local comedians together to support a variety of local charities and organizations. This month they will be partnering with Hops for Hunger and MANNA Food Bank.
TU (9/3), 7pm, Ginger's Revenge, 829 Riverside Dr, Ste 100
The art of accepting rejection
Life lessons from creatives on navigating disappointments
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
Nobody gets everything they want, but the amount of rejection artists face on a regular basis can be downright staggering.
Musicians get turned down for gigs, or their songs fail to connect with listeners. Actors are declined parts that they feel are perfect for them. And writers are told that the work they submitted to a literary journal or agent will not be published.
The barrage of “nos” could be enough to make a person want to give up the pursuit of what they love — and yet, following the advice of the late, great vocalist Aaliyah, creatives dust themselves off and try again. And in certain ways, they can’t help but persevere.
“Part of the reason that I bounce back is just because I like doing this, and the allure keeps drawing you in,” says Asheville-based stage and screen actor Glenna Grant
“Every time there’s a really bad rejection, you’re like, ‘Oh my God. What am I doing this for? This sucks. This is a dumb job.’ But [later] you forget about how painful that was because you go, ‘Ooh, this [part] looks like fun!’ And then you go out for it and book something, and you’re like, ‘This is awesome. I should do this all the time.’”
Xpress spoke with Grant, other local artists and a mental health professional to gain insights into how they navigate various forms of rejection — and what folks who may not think of themselves as creatives can learn from their resilience.
THE THICK-SKIN SOCIETY
While the joys of success make disappointments easier to stomach, getting to the point where one accepts rejection as part of the process takes time.
“In some ways, it’s better to get rejected a lot earlier on because you get tougher,” Grant says. “It’s harder to do really well for a while and then strike out a bunch in a row. Because then you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’”
Swannanoa-based poet Mike Conner, also a former actor, was already accustomed to the highs and lows of auditions and for the
past four years has experienced the publishing industry’s versions of acceptance and rejection. The more he writes and submits to various journals, the more he’s told that a poem is “not a good fit.” But overall, he prefers the literary submission procedure to the theatrical one.
“There’s a degree of separation,” Conner says. “Even though it’s your words and your thoughts, it’s a document, and you’re sending it out. [The editor doesn’t] have to ever see your face if they don’t want to. You don’t have to stand in front of them and physically emote, then be told, ‘No,’ and be like, ‘What’s wrong with me?’”
Asheville-based singer-songwriters Melissa Hyman and Ryan Furstenberg , a husband-and-wife duo who perform as The Moon and You, face rejection in the form of being denied booking opportunities and, in Furstenberg’s words, “when people don’t like the cut of your jib, musically speaking.”
After 20-plus years of performing, Furstenberg has developed “a strong sense of musical iden-
tity reinforced by the approval of audience members [he’s] encountered all over the world.” But he didn’t always have such a sturdy foundation. “When I was younger, rejection would get to me more. But after much rejection, you learn resilience. It’s helpful to remember art is subjective.”
In addition to the steady string of “nos” that independent musicians hear, Hyman notes that female-fronted acts have an even higher barrier to entry. And when women do earn opportunities, they face other forms of dismissal.
“We are often skipped over when it’s our turn to lead in a jam or when solos are being passed around onstage — I think because it’s assumed we aren’t able to shred,” she says. “Our ideas are often unheard unless repeated by a man, just as in other collaborative workplace situations. Our expertise and experience are not always noticed or respected until after they’ve been proven many times over, while a man’s are usually presumed until proven otherwise.”
Hyman continues, “For me, it’s been more of an accumulation of similar experiences than any specific instances that have given me trouble. Death by a thousand cuts. But, of course, you don’t die — you work to thicken your skin.”
Learning to balance confidence and humility has helped her build up those calluses. Hyman has sought to know herself the best she can while also striving to continually make better art, all while being open to feedback and willing — even eager — to learn from difficult experiences.
“Work on your feedback filter,” Hyman recommends. “Often the messages of rejection you receive have little to do with who you are as a person or with the quality of your work. Perhaps just as often, they contain specific and useful information that can help you improve your work. Learn to tell the difference.”
INNER WORKINGS
Asheville-based therapist Lilian Childress focuses a significant
SILVER LININGS: Actor Glenna Grant, left, and poet Mike Conner have developed various coping mechanisms over the years to better handle rejection. Grant photo by Anthony Deeying; Conner photo by Samantha Conner
X Awards 2024
Well, dear readers, we’re back for round two of the Party Xpress That’s right. Not only are we toasting and boasting about all the wonderful people, places and things in Western North Carolina that are being recognized in this year’s Best of WNC — we’re also celebrating 30 years of Xpress .
I believe it was Nick Carraway in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic, The Great Gatsby , who described 30 as “the promise of a decade of loneliness, a thinning list of single men to know, a thinning briefcase of enthusiasm, thinning hair.”
Double yay!
Yikes! Who invited the buzzkill? (I suppose that was me, wasn’t it? My apologies!)
Anyway … back to the celebration!
Best of WNC, Part II, brings with it the most popular section in the entire guide — Eats and Drinks. With this in mind, let us throw a symbolic fistful of confetti in the air to Nine Mile for winning Favorite Restaurant for the 10th year in a row. That’s a lot of Empress salads. Meanwhile, the party (seemingly) never ends: The Odd took home first in Bar That Best Represents
the Spirit of Asheville for a fourth consecutive year. Of course, there are countless others serving up great grub and delicious drinks, so make sure to scope out all the winners.
While this week’s issue technically marks the end of our Best of WNC celebratory run, festivities rock on all year, starting in November, when our 2024 Best of WNC pocket guide hits newsstands.
Party on, WNC!
— Thomas Calder X
•PUBLISHER Jeff Fobes •BALLOT OFFICIALS Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Tina Gaafary, Susan Hutchinson, Justin McGuire, Mark Murphy, Greg Parlier, Braulio Pescador-Martinez, Brooke Randle, Gina Smith, Scott Southwick, Tracy Rose, Olivia Urban, Jessica Wakeman, Lisa Watters •BEST OF WNC SUPPLEMENT DESIGN Scott Southwick •DESIGNERS Scott Southwick, Tina Gaafary, Olivia Urban
LISTINGS EDITORS Hinton Edgerton, Mark Murphy, Lisa Watters •PHOTO
Hinton Edgerton, Cindy Kunst, Mark Murphy
Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Pat Moran, Greg Parlier, Tracy Rose, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman •AD SALES
Brecht, Ralph Day, Scott Mermel, Geoffrey Warren
& WEB, Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick, Brandon Tilley
Edgerton, Amie Fowler, Mark Murphy, Lisa Watters
Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst and a fantastic team of devoted drivers
PHOTO
by Caleb Johnson
Southwick
Copyright 2024 by Mountain Xpress
1st PLACE
(hall of fame)
Favorite Restaurant
1st PLACE
(hall of fame)
Restaurant in West Asheville
1st PLACE (hall of fame)
Restaurant That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville
PLACE 1st
Restaurant to Take Out-of-Towners to
2 nd PLACE (Tie)
3 rd PLACE
Restaurant in North Asheville 3rd PLACE
E A T S
HEMINGWAY’S CUBA RESTAURANT & BAR
Best Restaurant With a View; second place Bar With a View, in Drinks; second place Hotel Bar, in Drinks
THERE’S no accounting for taste, the old saying goes.
But everybody eats. And in Western North Carolina, we’re fortunate to have an abundance of restaurants and food makers to please any palate. This might explain why the Eats category is perennially among Best of WNC’s most popular — with this year’s Favorite Restaurant race sparking the strongest voter interest of any category.
It’s clear that a number of area businesses have earned the enduring love of locals. Asheville Pizza &
Brewing Co., for example, opened just three years after Best of WNC launched in 1995 and has been voted No. 1 among Kid-Friendly restaurants for 14 straight years. Likewise, Apollo Flame Bistro, which debuted in 1974, has continuously claimed the crown for best Greek restaurant since well before 2010, and there are 10 other businesses that have had similar 14-year runs. But preferences and allegiances change, trusted stalwarts close, exciting new eateries open and new Best of WNC champions
emerge. Tastee Diner, for instance, has been a Haywood Road fixture since 1946, but under the ownership of chef Steven Goff since 2022, it captured the top award in this year’s Late-Night Eats contest.
Let’s give a warm welcome to brand-new Hall of Fame members Bruegger’s Bagels (Bagels), Itto Ramen Bar & Tapas (Ramen), Jettie Rae’s Oyster House (Seafood) and White Duck Taco Shop – RAD (Outdoor Dining).
— Gina Smiuth X
RESTAURANT THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF ASHEVILLE
1 NINE MILE x ninemileasheville.com
n 233 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-505-3121
w 751 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9903
s Biltmore Park Town Square, 33 Town Square Blvd., Asheville 828-676-1807
2 SUNNY POINT CAFÉ sunnypointcafe.com w 626 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-0055
3 CÚRATE
curatetapasbar.com d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-239-2946
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
1 NINE MILE x ninemileasheville.com n 233 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-505-3121 w 751 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9903
s Biltmore Park Town Square, 33 Town Square Blvd., Asheville 828-676-1807
2 CÚRATE curatetapasbar.com d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-239-2946
3 VINNIE’S NEIGHBORHOOD ITALIAN vinniesitalian.com n 641 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-1077
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO BY CALEB JOHNSON
RESTAURANT IN NORTH ASHEVILLE
(INCLUDING SOUTH SLOPE)
1 CHESTNUT
chestnutasheville.com
d 48 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-575-2667
2 CÚRATE curatetapasbar.com
d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-239-2946
3 CHAI PANI
chaipani.com
d 32 Banks Ave., Asheville 828-254-4003
RESTAURANT IN THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT
1 VIVIAN vivianavl.com
r 348 Depot St., Suite 190, Asheville 828-225-3497
2 WHITE DUCK TACO SHOP whiteducktacoshop.com
r 388 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-1398
3 12 BONES SMOKEHOUSE 12bones.com
r 5 Foundy St., Suite 10, Asheville 828-253-4499
RESTAURANT IN WEST ASHEVILLE
1 NINE MILE (WEST) x ninemileasheville.com
w 751 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9903
2 SUNNY POINT CAFÉ sunnypointcafe.com w 626 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-0055
3 HAYWOOD COMMON haywoodcommon.com
w 507 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-2542
1 VINNIE’S NEIGHBORHOOD ITALIAN (NORTH) x vinniesitalian.com
n 641 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-1077
2 828 FAMILY PIZZERIA 828pizzeria.com n 946 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-285-0709
3 NINE MILE ninemileasheville.com n 233 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-505-3121
RESTAURANT IN EAST ASHEVILLE
1 COPPER CROWN x coppercrownavl.com e 1011 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-505-7531
2 EAST VILLAGE GRILLE eastvillagegrille.com e 1177 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-299-3743
3 RENDEZVOUS ashevillerendezvous.com e 184 New Haw Creek Road, Asheville 828-348-0909
RESTAURANT
IN
SOUTH ASHEVILLE
1 VINNIE’S NEIGHBORHOOD ITALIAN (SOUTH) vinniesitalian.com
s 1981 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-630-8100
2 WILD GINGER PHO NOODLE BAR wildgingernoodle.com
s 1950 Hendersonville Road, Suite 12, Asheville 828-676-1827
3 POST 25 post25avl.com sa 2155 Hendersonville Road, Arden 828-676-2577
BREAKFAST
1 SUNNY POINT CAFÉ x sunnypointcafe.com w 626 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-0055
2 BISCUIT HEAD biscuitheads.com
s 417 Biltmore Ave., Suite 4F, Asheville 828-505-3449
w 733 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-333-5145
3 EARLY GIRL EATERY earlygirleatery.com
d 8 Wall St., Asheville 828-259-9292 ext. 1
BRUNCH
1 SUNNY POINT CAFÉ x sunnypointcafe.com
w 626 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-0055
2 EARLY GIRL EATERY earlygirleatery.com
d 8 Wall St., Asheville 828-259-9292 ext. 1
w 444 Haywood Road, Suite 101, Asheville 828-259-9292
3 ALL DAY DARLING alldaydarlingavl.com
n 102 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-505-3701
CHESTNUT
Best Restaurant in Downtown (including South Slope); second place best Service; third place Restaurant Cocktail Selection
LUNCH
1 WHITE DUCK TACO SHOP whiteducktacoshop.com
r 388 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-1398
d 12 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-232-9191
sa 16 Miami Circle, Arden
828-676-1859
2 ALL DAY DARLING
alldaydarlingavl.com
n 102 Montford Ave., Asheville
828-505-3701
3 ROCKY’S HOT CHICKEN SHACK rockyshotchickenshack.com
w 1455 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-575-2260
QUICK MEAL
1 WHITE DUCK TACO SHOP x whiteducktacoshop.com
r 388 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-1398
d 12 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-232-9191
sa 16 Miami Circle, Arden 828-676-1859
2 TACO BILLY tacobillyasheville.com
w 201 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-0088
ea 117 Cherry St., Black Mountain 828-419-6336
3 BOTIWALLA botiwalla.com w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-998-4250
BOTIWALLA
Best New Restaurant (Opened in the Last 12 Months); third place Quick Meal; third place Takeout
RESTAURANT TO TAKE OUT-OF-TOWNERS TO
1 NINE MILE ninemileasheville.com
n 233 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-505-3121
w 751 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9903
s Biltmore Park Town Square, 33 Town Square Blvd., Asheville 828-676-1807
2 CÚRATE curatetapasbar.com
d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-239-2946
3 ROCKY’S HOT CHICKEN SHACK rockyshotchickenshack.com
w 1455 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-575-2260
PEOPLE-WATCHING RESTAURANT
1 MELLOW MUSHROOM x mellowmushroom.com
d 50 Broadway, Asheville 828-236-9800
2 WICKED WEED BREWING wickedweedbrewing.com
d 91 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-575-9599
3 THE NOODLE SHOP
avl.mx/dgn
d 3 SW Pack Square, Asheville 828-250-9898
RESTAURANT WITH A VIEW
1 HEMINGWAY’S CUBA RESTAURANT & BAR hemingwayscuba.com
d Cambria Hotel, 15 Page Ave., 4th Floor, Asheville 828-417-6866
2 SUNSET TERRACE avl.mx/3k8
n Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave., Asheville 800-438-5800
3 PISGAH INN pisgahinn.com sa Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 408, Canton 828-235-8228
OUTDOOR DINING
1 WHITE DUCK TACO SHOP (RAD) x whiteducktacoshop.com r 388 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-1398
2 UNIVERSAL JOINT ujasheville.com w 784 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-7262
3 HAYWOOD COMMON haywoodcommon.com w 507 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-2542
NEW RESTAURANT (OPENED IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS)
1 BOTIWALLA botiwalla.com w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-998-4250
d 22 Battery Park Ave., Asheville
2 GOOD HOT FISH goodhotfish.com d 10 Buxton Ave., Asheville
3 THE SMOKIN’ ONION thesmokinonion.com w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville
PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR
PHOTO BY CALEB JOHNSON
1 ZAMBRA x zambratapas.com
d 85 W. Walnut St., Asheville 828-232-1060
2 CÚRATE
curatetapasbar.com
d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville
828-239-2946
3 JARGON
jargonrestaurant.com
w 715 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-785-1761
FINE DINING/UPSCALE
1 CÚRATE x curatetapasbar.com
d 13 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-239-2946
2 CUCINA 24 cucina24restaurant.com
d 24 Wall St., Asheville 828-254-6170
3 PLANT plantisfood.com
n 165 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-258-7500
RESTAURANT WINE SELECTION
1 LEO’S HOUSE OF THIRST
leosavl.com
w 1055 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-8017
2 ZAMBRA zambratapas.com
d 85 W. Walnut St., Asheville 828-232-1060
3 AVENUE M [Closed] avenuemavl.com n 791 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-350-8181
RESTAURANT COCKTAIL SELECTION
1 THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE goldenpineapplebar.com
w 503 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-4458
2 TALL JOHN’S talljohns.com n 152 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-782-5514
3 CHESTNUT chestnutasheville.com
d 48 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-575-2667
5 POINTS RESTAURANT
KID-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT
1 ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. x ashevillebrewing.com n 675 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-254-1281
d 77 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-255-4077
s 1850 Hendersonville Road, Suite A, Asheville 828-277-5775
2 CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE creeksidetaphouse.com e 8 Beverly Road, Asheville 828-575-2880
3 MELLOW MUSHROOM mellowmushroom.com
d 50 Broadway, Asheville 828-236-9800 DINER/HOMESTYLE
1 5 POINTS RESTAURANT 5pointsasheville.com n 258 Broadway, Asheville 828-252-8030
2 HOMEGROWN slowfoodrightquick.com n 371 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-232-4340
3 TASTEE DINER tasteedineravl.com w 575 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-2073
PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR
BEST OF EATS
VINNIE’S NEIGHBORHOOD ITALIAN
Best Italian and Pasta; third place Favorite Restaurant; best Service and Restaurant in North Asheville; best Restaurant in South Asheville
RESTAURANT COMFORT FOOD
1 HOMEGROWN
slowfoodrightquick.com
n 371 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-232-4340
2 ROCKY’S HOT CHICKEN SHACK
rockyshotchickenshack.com
w 1455 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-575-2260
sa 3749 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden 828-676-3222
3 MOOSE CAFÉ eatatthemoosecafe.com
s 570 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-255-0920
PUB GRUB
1 WESTVILLE PUB westvillepub.com
w 777 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-225-9782
2 JACK OF THE WOOD
jackofthewood.com
d 95 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-252-5445
3 FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREW PUB
foggymountainavl.com
d 12 Church St., Asheville 828-254-3008
2 LUELLA’S BAR-B-QUE luellasbbq.com
n 501 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-505-7427
s Biltmore Park Town Square, 33 Town Square Blvd., Suite 110, Asheville 828-676-3855
3 BEAR’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ bearsbbq.com/asheville
d 135 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-505-7088
RIBS
1 12 BONES SMOKEHOUSE x 12bones.com
r 5 Foundy St., Suite 10, Asheville 828-253-4499
s 2350 Hendersonville Road, Arden 828-687-1395
2 BEAR’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ bearsbbq.com/asheville
d 135 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-505-7088
3 MOE’S ORIGINAL BBQ moesoriginalbbq.com
s 4 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-505-8282
TAKEOUT
1 GAN SHAN WEST ganshanwest.com
w 285 Haywood Road, Suite 20, Asheville 828-417-7402
2 ROCKY’S HOT CHICKEN SHACK
rockyshotchickenshack.com w 1455 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-575-2260
sa 3749 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden 828-676-3222
3 BOTIWALLA botiwalla.com
w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-998-4250
LATE-NIGHT EATS
1 TASTEE DINER tasteedineravl.com w 575 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-2073
HITTING 30 can be rough. Many of us face the realization we can’t imbibe like we used to. So, with Xpress hitting that advanced number this year, maybe we won’t be doing shots to celebrate each of the winners. Maybe just one salut! Just one, we swear.
Some winners deserve multiple toasts, though. Highland Brewing Co., for example, reigned supreme in several Best of WNC categories, including Brewery (for its taproom & atmosphere), Family-Friendly
Bar or Brewery and Bar or Brewery That Gives Back to the Community. And if you want to try what voters say is the best Local Beer (any style) in WNC, you can’t go wrong with Highland: Its Gaelic Ale made the Hall of Fame seven years ago and just keeps coming in at No. 1.
Of course, no drinks list would be complete with only alcoholic beverages on it. From coffee and tea to smoothies and mocktails, Best of WNC has you covered. And cheers to new Hall of Fame honorees The Odd (Bar That Best
Represents the Spirit of Asheville and LGBTQ+ Friendly Bar); The Whale (Bar: Local Beer Selection–excluding breweries); Highland Brewing Co. (Brewery–for its taproom & atmosphere); Bold Rock Hard Cider (Cidery); BattleCat Coffee Bar (Coffeehouse for Its Vibe); Burial Beer Co. (Creative, Experimental Brewery); Burger Bar (Dive Bar) and Cold Mountain Release–Highland Brewing Co. (Favorite Local Beer Event).
— Jessica Wakeman X
1 THE ODD x theoddasheville.com w 1045 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9299
2 LITTLE JUMBO littlejumbobar.com n 241 Broadway, Asheville 828-417-4783
3 THE DOUBLE CROWN avl.mx/9mu w 375 Haywood Road, Asheville NEIGHBORHOOD BAR - DOWNTOWN (INCLUDING SOUTH SLOPE) 1 BURIAL BEER CO. burialbeer.com d 40 Collier Ave., Asheville 828-475-2739
2 ANTIDOTE antidote.bar d 151 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-505-2882
BARRIVER ARTS DISTRICT 1 CRUCIBLE avl.mx/9ww r 140A Roberts St., Asheville 828-575-9995 1 WEDGE BREWING CO. wedgebrewing.com r 37 Paynes Way, Suite 001, Asheville 828-505-2792 2 ANOCHE avl.mx/pry9 r 176 Clingman Ave., Asheville
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
sa 6283 Asheville Highway, Pisgah Forest 828-309-0707
PHOTO BY CALEB JOHNSON
1 DOBRA TEA
dobrateanc.com
d 78 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-575-2424
w 707 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-4307
e 1011 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-774-5088
2 HIGH CLIMATE TEA CO.
highclimatetea.com
d 12 S. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-505-4771
SMOOTHIES/JUICES
1 SIMPLE CAFE & JUICE BAR x simpleasheville.com
w 643 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-774-5410
2 PULP + SPROUT JUICE BAR AND VEGAN CAFE pulpandsprout.com
n 233 S. Liberty St., Asheville 828-412-5701
3 MOUNTAIN JUICERY mountainjuicery.com
s 1863 Hendersonville Road, Suite 132, Asheville 828-277-6006
3 PEABERRY PRESS
peaberry-press.weebly.com
e River Ridge Business Center, 802 Fairview Road, Suite 800, Asheville 828-772-0438
MOCKTAILS
OR NONALCOHOLIC OPTIONS
1 THE BUZZ thebuzzhendo.com
sa 225 S. Grove St., Hendersonville 828-388-7979
2 LITTLE JUMBO littlejumbobar.com n 241 Broadway, Asheville 828-417-4783
3 THE MULE AT DEVIL’S FOOT BEVERAGE CO. devilsfootbrew.com s 131 Sweeten Creek Road, Suite 10, Asheville 828-357-7601
CBD DRINKS/ HEALTH ELIXIRS
1 ASHEVILLE DISPENSARY x avldispensary.com
w 919 Haywood Road, Suite 111, Asheville 828-335-2696
2 SOVEREIGN KAVA ashevillekava.com
d 268 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-505-8118
3 FRANNY’S FARMACY frannysfarmacy.com
n 211 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-505-7105
1 SOVEREIGN KAVA x ashevillekava.com
d 268 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-505-8118
2 ELEVATED KAVA LOUNGE elevatedkava.com
w 747 Haywood Road, Suite 200, Asheville 828-412-3548
d 122 College St., Suite 002, Asheville 828-412-3350
3 VINTAGE KAVA vintagekava.com
na 141 Reems Creek Road, Weaverville 828-484-8186
OUTDOORS
ART LOEB TRAIL
Best Backpacking Trail/Overnight Hike
WITH crystal clear water tumbling 60 feet into an inviting collecting pool, Looking Glass Falls is a sight to behold, but there’s more to the popular hiking destination than meets the eye. The falls get their name from nearby Looking Glass Rock, where frozen sheets of water glisten in the winter sun like a mirror. The photogenic falls also starred in Hacksaw Ridge, a 2016 World War II drama directed by Mel Gibson.
But no one had to share these bits of trivia with Best of WNC voters to whet their enthusiasm for the falls. They chose this Pisgah Forest Hall of Famer as best Waterfall for the seventh year in a row. (Sliding Rock, our voters’ choice for best Swimming Hole, is just a short drive up the road. Visiting both makes a great day trip.)
Other returning favorites in the Outdoors category include five Hall
of Fame winners: Black Balsam Knob (Day Hike Trail) for six consecutive years; French Broad River (Place to Relax on the Water) for six years in a row; Craggy Gardens (Picnic Spot) for eight years running; Cataloochee Ski Area (Ski Resort) for 11 consecutive years; and Navitat Canopy Adventures (Canopy Tour/ Zip Line) for 13 years running — or is that zipping?
— Pat Moran X
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST
LIMITED MOBILITY)
1 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM TRAILS ncarboretum.org
s 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492
2 CATAWBA FALLS
avl.mx/6e5
ea 3074 Catawba River Road, Old Fort 828-257-4200
3 CRAGGY GARDENS TRAIL
avl.mx/6cf
ea Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364.4-367.6, Black Mountain 828-775-0976
WALK - IN OR NEAR ASHEVILLE
1 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM ncarboretum.org
s 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492
2 BEAVER LAKE thelakeviewpark.org n 1292 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-225-6648
3 RIVER ARTS DISTRICT (THE RAD GREENWAY) riverartsdistrict.com r Asheville
OUTDOOR GEAR AND APPAREL SHOP
1 SECOND GEAR secondgearwnc.com
r 99 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-258-0757
2 REI CO-OP rei.com
s Biltmore Park Town Square, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville 828-687-0918
3 BLACK DOME MOUNTAIN SPORTS blackdome.com e 140 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-251-2001
MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL
1 BENT CREEK EXPERIMENTAL FOREST
avl.mx/dv4
s 1577 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-667-5261
2 RIDGELINE TRAIL
dupontforest.com
sa DuPont State Forest, Cedar Mountain 828-713-2368
BEST OF OUTDOORS
CANOPY TOUR/ZIP LINE
1 NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES x navitat.com
na 242 Poverty Branch Road, Barnardsville
828-626-3700
2 THE GORGE ZIPLINE thegorgezipline.com
sa 166 Honey Bee Drive, Saluda 828-383-0269
3 ASHEVILLE TREETOPS ADVENTURE PARK (ADVENTURE CENTER OF ASHEVILLE) ashevilletreetopsadventurepark.com w 85 Expo Drive, Asheville 828-225-2921
CRAGGY GARDENS
PICNIC SPOT
1 CRAGGY GARDENS x
avl.mx/6cf
ea Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364.4-367.6, Black Mountain 828-775-0976
2 BILTMORE ESTATE
biltmore.com
s Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812
3 PINK BEDS
avl.mx/dyr
s Pisgah Forest • 828-877-3265
SKI RESORT
1 CATALOOCHEE SKI AREA x cataloochee.com wa 1080 Ski Lodge Road, Maggie Valley 828-926-0285
ABUNDANT local produce, lively tailgate markets and gardening in the great outdoors are a few perks of living in Western North Carolina. Demonstrating our area’s love for these pursuits, Best of WNC voters show up en masse each year to cast votes for their favorite local businesses and organizations in the Farm, Yard & Garden polls. Plenty of Hall of Famers held onto their titles in 2024, such as 14-time Farm to Visit winner Hickory Nut Gap Farm and 10-year Mulch Supplier champion Asheville Mulch Yard. But there
were some new developments, too. Southside Community Farm edged into first place this year in the Community Garden category, pushing last year’s reigning Peace Gardens & Market into second place. And while Grandad’s Apples ’N Such maintained its three-year winning streak in the Orchard category, Barber Orchards in Waynesville made a comeback, rolling into the No. 2 slot after not appearing in the top three since 2020.
As for organizations that champion WNC’s agricultural
industries, voters doubled down on last year’s top three. In the Nonprofit Supporting Farms/ Farmland Preservation category, Hall of Famer Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project took in first place, followed by Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy in second and Bounty & Soul in third.
Toss some biodegradable confetti for new Hall of Fame inductees Fifth Season Gardening Co. (Garden Supply Store) and Smart Feller Tree Works (Tree Service).
— Gina Smith X
1 NORTH ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET x northashevilletailgatemarket.com n UNCA, Parking Lot P28, 3300 University Heights, Asheville 828-484-6296
3 WEST ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET westashevilletailgatemarket.com w 718 Haywood Road, Asheville ROADSIDE FARM STAND
1 FLYING CLOUD FARM x flyingcloudfarm.net ea 1860 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 828-768-3348
2 HONEY MAN Asheville
2 JOHNSON FAMILY FARM johnsonfamilyfarmnc.com sa 1202 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville 828-484-2522
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) FARM
1 HICKORY NUT GAP FARM x hickorynutgap.com ea 57 Sugar Hollow Road, Fairview 828-628-1027
2 FLYING CLOUD FARM flyingcloudfarm.net ea 1860 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 828-768-3348
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST
1 HICKORY NUT GAP FARM x hickorynutgap.com
ea 57 Sugar Hollow Road, Fairview 828-628-1027
2 FLYING CLOUD FARM flyingcloudfarm.net
ea 1860 Charlotte Highway, Fairview 828-768-3348
3 DARNELL FARMS darnellfarms.com
wa 2300 Governors Island Road, Bryson City 828-488-2376
ORCHARD
1 GRANDAD’S APPLES ‘N SUCH grandadsapples.com
sa 2951 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville 828-685-1685
2 BARBER ORCHARD barberorchardsfruitstand.com
wa 2855 Old Balsam Road, Waynesville 828-456-3598
3 JUSTUS ORCHARD justusorchard.com
sa 187 Garren Road, Hendersonville 828-974-1232
COMMUNITY GARDEN
1 SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY GARDEN southsidecommunitygarden.org
ea 999 Old U.S. Highway 70, Black Mountain 828-419-0533
B U S I N E S S W O R K &
STATE EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION
WHEN it comes to Work & Business, voters have consistently maintained that health care is the best Employment Sector to Work In — and have for six years running. It’s also the largest employment sector in a cluster of counties that includes Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and Madison, per the N.C. Department of Commerce, which calls it “Health Care and Social Assistance.”
Voters have stuck to their preferences in other categories in this section as well. Let’s toast the French
Broad Food Co-op, voted best Co-op/Employee-owned Business; the State Employees Credit Union, chosen as best Credit Union; and Mountain BizWorks, for being there for small shops and startups, as illustrated by capturing the most votes for a Support Organization for Entrepreneurs and New Businesses. These three Hall of Famers have each earned No. 1 status for a dozen years running. And kudos to MB Haynes, winner of the top spot for Business that Gives Back to the Community.
Despite a wide field of contenders, the crown for Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville goes, once again, to LaZoom. Zany, silly and so Asheville-weird, congratulations are in order for earning the top spot for the second year in a row.
And please give a warm round of applause to the newest member of the Hall of Fame: First Bank (Bank/Financial Services for Small Business).
— Lisa Allen X
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST
BUSINESS
1 FRENCH BROAD FOOD CO-OP x frenchbroadfood.coop
d 90 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-255-7650
2 FIRESTORM BOOKSTORE CO-OP firestorm.coop
w 1022 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-255-8115
3 MB HAYNES CORP.
mbhaynes.com
w 187 Deaverview Road, Asheville 828-254-6141
BANK
1 FIRST BANK localfirstbank.com
d 11 Church St., Asheville 828-250-8430
e 10 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-298-8193
n 778 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-5402
2 FIRST CITIZENS BANK firstcitizens.com
d 108 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-257-5700
e 1201 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-257-5850
3 HOMETRUST BANK htb.com
d 10 Woodfin St., Asheville 828-254-8144
CREDIT UNION
1 STATE EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION ncsecu.org
d 1 Oak Plaza, Suite 101, Asheville 828-225-2900
s 20 All Souls Crescent, Asheville 828-274-4200
n 701 Broadway, Asheville 828-253-8009
828-298-8193
n 778 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-5402
2 TELCO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION telcoccu.org
e 36 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-252-6458
w 710 New Leicester Highway, Asheville
3 SELF-HELP CREDIT UNION self-help.org
s 391 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville 828-255-0809
2 HOMETRUST BANK htb.com
d 10 Woodfin St., Asheville 828-254-8144
s 1825 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-277-4300
3 FIRST CITIZENS BANK firstcitizens.com
d 108 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-257-5700
SUPPORT ORGANIZATION FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND NEW BUSINESSES
1 MOUNTAIN BIZWORKS x mountainbizworks.org
d 153 S. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-253-2834
M E D I A
COURTESY OF 88.7 WNCW
A88.7 WNCW Best Local Radio Station (noncommercial)
LTHOUGH Asheville
Watchdog has seemingly left no stone unturned in covering HCA Healthcare-owned Mission Hospital, the hospital’s “failings,” as voters put it, earned it the distinction of Most Underreported Story in the past year. And for Most Important Local News Story? Mission Hospital wins again.
Speaking of Asheville Watchdog, the online outlet’s John Boyle took home his 13th straight title as best Local Print Reporter by a landslide, having started his run with the
Asheville Citizen Times. Since Boyle doesn’t have a physical paper to autograph anymore, we’d like to suggest he use this Best of WNC edition to keep his rabid fans satisfied.
Over on television, Jason Boyer of WLOS News 13 scored his first win as WNC’s favorite Local TV Personality/Announcer. And WLOS News 13 itself took home both best Local News Source and Local News Website for the sixth straight year.
Earning the most votes in any media category, 88.7 WNCW claimed the top spot as Local Radio Station
(noncommercial). Meanwhile, 98.1 The River earned first place for Local Radio Station (commercial) for the second straight year. And voters tapped Amanda and Eddie Foxx from the 99.9 Kiss Country morning show as Local Radio Personality/Announcer for the eighth year running.
Closer to home, the beloved New York Times crossword puzzle entered the Hall of Fame with its fourth consecutive nod as voters’ Favorite Feature in Xpress. — Greg Parlier X
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO
1 AMANDA FOXX AND EDDIE FOX x 99kisscountry.com w 99.9 Kiss Country, 13 Summerlin Road, Asheville 828-257-2700
2 HELEN CHICKERING (BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC RADIO) bpr.org d 73 Broadway, Asheville 828-210-4800
3 COUSIN TL (ASHEVILLE FM)
Sadly, Tony Allen (Cousin TL) passed away on February 17th after a year-long battle with a rare, incurable cancer. In the words of TL, ‘Peace, Two Fingers’. avl.mx/cv8 w 864 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-348-0352
LOCAL TV PERSONALITY/ ANNOUNCER
1 JASON BOYER (WLOS) wlos.com
s 110 Technology Drive, Asheville 828-684-1340
LOCAL PODCAST
1 THE OVERLOOK podavl.com o Asheville • 828-214-7828
LOCAL PRINT PUBLICATION OTHER THAN XPRESS
1 ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES x citizen-times.com
d 14 O. Henry Ave., Asheville 800-672-2472
2 THE LAUREL OF ASHEVILLE thelaurelofasheville.com
sa 323 N. Main St., Suite 1, Hendersonville 828-670-7503
LOCAL PRINT REPORTER
1 JOHN BOYLE (AVL WATCHDOG) x avlwatchdog.org o Asheville • 828-423-0534
n 825 Merrimon Ave., Suite C-175, Asheville 828-423-0534
3 MOUNTAIN XPRESS mountainx.com
d 2 Wall St., Asheville 828-251-1333
LOCAL EVENTS INFORMATION SOURCE
1 AVLTODAY avltoday.6amcity.com o Asheville
2 MOUNTAIN XPRESS mountainx.com
d 2 Wall St., Asheville 828-251-1333
3 103.3 ASHEVILLE FM ashevillefm.org w 864 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-348-0352
LOCAL SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE TO FOLLOW FOR LOCAL NEWS, EVENTS AND LOCAL HAPPENINGS
1 AVLTODAY avltoday.6amcity.com o Asheville
2 WAX - WEST ASHEVILLE EXCHANGE (FACEBOOK) avl.mx/1bk o
3 WLOS NEWS 13 wlos.com
s 110 Technology Drive, Asheville 828-684-1340
FAVORITE FEATURE IN XPRESS
1 NY TIMES CROSSWORD PUZZLE x 2 COMMUNITY CALENDAR mountainx.com/calendar 3 BEST OF WNC
1 WLOS NEWS 13 x wlos.com
s 110 Technology Drive, Asheville 828-684-1340
2 ASHEVILLE WATCHDOG (AVL WATCHDOG) avlwatchdog.org n 825 Merrimon Ave., Suite C-175, Asheville 828-423-0534
MOST IMPORTANT LOCAL NEWS STORY (IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS)
1 MISSION HOSPITAL MOST UNDERREPORTED STORY (IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS)
1 MISSION HOSPITAL FAILINGS THANK YOU FOR VOTING ME #1
“You made this whole experience empowering instead of intimidating. That’s a gift.” ~ Patti Devers
P E T S
RUFF LIFE DOG TRAINING SERVICES
Best Trainer/Training Center; second place Pet Day Care Facility; second place Pet Kennel
IF Western North Carolina mirrors the U.S., then 66% of households here have a pet, and if we track with the rest of the South, then we’re spending about $673 a year on those beloved companions, according to recent statistics compiled by MarketWatch. Judging from the number of dog-friendly breweries, veterinarians, pet day care centers, groomers, kennels and other services geared toward our faithful sidekicks, that figure doesn’t seem to be a stretch.
Pet love runs so deep here that we can even boast about our American Museum of the House Cat, based in Sylva.
Those who take care of our furry friends include several repeat standouts. Brother Wolf Animal Rescue once again led the pack by holding onto the title of best Animal Shelter/ Rescue Organization for an impressive 14-year streak. Other Hall of Famers with notable runs include Animal Hospital of North Asheville (Veterinary Services) for 11 con-
secutive years; Patton Avenue Pet Co. (Pet Supply Store) for 11 years running; and Happy Tails Country Club (Pet Kennel) for seven years in a row.
Please give a hearty welcome to the newest Hall of Famers. This year, Wagbar (Outdoor Place to Take Your Pet and Pet-Friendly Bar or Brewery) and Tim McMullan of Pinnacle Animal Hospital (Veterinarian) earned that distinction.
— Justin McGuire X
1 ANIMAL HOSPITAL OF NORTH ASHEVILLE x ahna.net n 1 Beaverdam Road, Asheville 828-253-3393
2 CHARLOTTE STREET ANIMAL HOSPITAL charlottestreetanimalhospital.com n 208 Charlotte St., Asheville 828-900-9161
3 THE PET VET ON PATTON petvetonpatton.com w 2 Hansel Ave., Asheville 828-232-9990
VETERINARIAN
1 TIM MCMULLAN (PINNACLE ANIMAL HOSPITAL) x pinnacleanimalhospital.com sa 200 Julian Lane, Suite 240, Arden 828-676-2332
2 BRETT YOUNG (WNC VETERINARY HOSPITAL) wncveterinaryhospital.com sa 2 Pond St., Arden 828-684-3531
3 SUSAN WOOTTEN (ANIMAL HOSPITAL OF NORTH ASHEVILLE) ahna.net n 1 Beaverdam Road, Asheville 828-253-3393
ALTERNATIVE PET HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
1 LAUREL DAVIS (SUNVET ANIMAL WELLNESS) sunvetanimalwellness.com d 251 Haywood St., Suite A, Asheville 828-254-2221
n ORTH s OUTH e AST w EST d OWNTOWN AREA r IVER ARTS DISTRICT a OUTLYING AREA M OBILE-ONLY o NLINE-ONLY x HALL OF FAME (Winner four years or more in a row)
PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST
pattonavenuepet.com
d 109 Patton Ave., Asheville
828-255-7737
w 1388 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-505-8299
s 582 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-575-9282
2 PETSMART
petsmart.com
e 150 Bleachery Blvd., Asheville 828-298-5670
sa 3 McKenna Road, Arden 828-681-5343
3 ASHEVILLE PET SUPPLY ashevillepetsupply.com
n 1451 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-252-2054
PET KENNEL
1 HAPPY TAILS COUNTRY CLUB x happytailscc.com
ea 1984 Cane Creek Road, Fletcher 828-628-8510
wa 2040 Sand Hill Ext., Candler 828-628-8510
2 RUFF LIFE DOG TRAINING SERVICES rufflifeavl.com
s 95 Thompson St., Asheville 828-365-8244
3 BUCKEYE KENNELS ashevillekennels.com
ea 790 Buckeye Access Road, Swannanoa 828-299-9500
PET DAY CARE FACILITY
1 HAPPY TAILS COUNTRY CLUB
happytailscc.com
ea 1984 Cane Creek Road, Fletcher 828-628-8510 wa 2040 Sand Hill Ext., Candler 828-628-8510
2 RUFF LIFE DOG TRAINING SERVICES rufflifeavl.com s 95 Thompson St., Asheville 828-365-8244
3 BARKMORE PARK Barkmorepark.com e 10 Hemphill Road, Asheville 828-785-1721
GROOMING SERVICE
1 PAWSITIVITY PET SPA pawsitivitypetspa.com w 1388 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-505-8278
2 HAIR OF THE DOG PET SALON hotdavl.com s 1451 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-274-4155
3 SOMETHING TO BARK ABOUT somethingtobarkabout.co e 875 Tunnel Road, Suite C, Asheville 828-298-0633
BEST OF PETS
TRAINER/TRAINING CENTER
1 RUFF LIFE DOG TRAINING SERVICES rufflifeavl.com
s 95 Thompson St., Asheville 828-365-8244
2 HEATHER POLECHIO (MINDFUL MUTZ TRAINING & BEHAVIOR CONSULTING)
mindfulmutz.com
M Asheville • 828-230-6389
3 THE DOG DOOR
dogdoorcanineservices.com
d 1 Battle Square, Suite A, Asheville 828-656-8305
PET SITTING/ DOG WALKING SERVICE
1 AUNTIE M PET CARE
auntiem-petcare.com
M Asheville • 828-793-0565
2 WNC PET CARE LLC wncpetcare.com
s 94 Aurora Drive, Asheville 828-333-2992
3 MANDY HIGDON Asheville
ANIMAL SHELTER/ RESCUE ORGANIZATION
1 BROTHER WOLF ANIMAL RESCUE x bwar.org
s 31 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-505-3440
2 ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY ashevillehumane.org
w 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville 828-761-2001
3 MOUNTAIN PET RESCUE mountainpetrescueavl.org
wa 7 Old Pisgah Highway, Suite 200, Candler OUTDOOR PLACE TO TAKE YOUR PET
1 WAGBAR x wagbar.com
na 320 Merrimon Ave., Weaverville 828-333-9765
2 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM ncarboretum.org
s 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492
3 CARRIER PARK
avl.mx/dvm
w 220 Amboy Road, Asheville 828-259-5800
1 WAGBAR x wagbar.com na 320 Merrimon Ave., Weaverville 828-333-9765
2 HIGHLAND BREWING CO. highlandbrewing.com
3 FRENCH BROAD RIVER PARK avl.mx/dwx w 508 Riverview Drive, Asheville 828-259-5800 PET-FRIENDLY BAR OR BREWERY
e 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville 828-299-3370
d The S&W Market, 56 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-243-6925
3 HILLMAN BEER hillmanbeer.com s 25 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-505-1312
To purchase,
advertise@ mountainx.com
PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR
BLACK MOUNTAIN SWANNANOA &
PHOTO COURTESY OF COUSINS CUBAN CAFE
COUSINS CUBAN CAFE
Best Lunch Restaurant
CHANCES are you know at least one person who’s relocated to one of the appealing small towns featured in this week’s Best of WNC section — Burnsville, Hot Springs, Weaverville, Woodfin, Marshall, Mars Hill, Swannanoa or Black Mountain.
Maybe they were searching for a lower cost of living than Asheville offers, a more relaxed pace of life — or a certain community spirit small towns are known for that make them particularly worth celebrating, year in and year out.
But even if you don’t know anyone (yet) in the small towns near Asheville, you can still use the collective wisdom of Best of WNC voters to plan a day trip and soak up some of the agreed-upon best that these small towns have to offer. From shops and restaurants to cultural events and other attractions, there’s plenty to see and experience in these small-town gems.
Three cheers for the following new honorees in the Hall of Fame: Big Pillow Brewing (Local Bar/ BreweryWatering Hole–Hot Springs);
Blannahassett Island (Local Place to Enjoy the Outdoors–Marshall & Mars Hill); Black Mountain Old Depot (Cultural or Historical Landmark–Swannanoa & Black Mountain); The Trailhead (Dinner Restaurant–Swannanoa & Black Mountain); White Horse Black Mountain (Music/ Entertainment Venue–Swannanoa & Black Mountain); and Eluvium Brewing Co. (Local Bar/Brewery/ Watering Hole–Weaverville & Woodfin).
— Edwin Arnaudin X
BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN
1 TOWN HARDWARE & GENERAL STORE x townhardware.com 103 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-7723
2 WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN whitehorseblackmountain.com 105 Montreat Road, Black Mountain 828-669-0816
3 THE TRAILHEAD thetrailheadrestaurant.com
207 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-357-5656
BREAKFAST RESTAURANT
1 LOUISE’S KITCHEN x louisesblackmtn.com 115 Black Mountain Ave., Black Mountain 828-357-5446
2 BLUE RIDGE BISCUIT CO. avl.mx/e0e
601 W. State St., Suite 4, Black Mountain 828-357-8501
3 OPEN OVEN BRUNCH & BAKERY openovenblkmtn.com 102 Church St., Black Mountain 828-357-8553
1 SEVEN SISTERS CRAFT GALLERY x sevensistersgallery.com 119 Broadway Ave., Black Mountain 828-669-5107
2 RED HOUSE STUDIO AND GALLERY svfalarts.org 101 Cherry St., Black Mountain 828-669-0351
3 BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS blackmountainarts.org
225 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-0930
CULTURAL OR ARTS EVENT
LEAF FESTIVAL x theleaf.org
377 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain 828-686-8742
2 SOURWOOD FESTIVAL
avl.mx/bw2
201 E. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-2300
3 ART IN BLOOM
avl.mx/9nw
Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-0930
LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
1 MONTREAT TRAILS & PARK x montreat.org • Montreat 540-797-2334
2 LAKE TOMAHAWK
avl.mx/bx6
401 Laurel Circle Drive, Black Mountain 828-669-2052
3 WARREN WILSON COLLEGE CAMPUS TRAILS warren-wilson.edu
701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa 828-771-2000
CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL LANDMARK
1 BLACK MOUNTAIN OLD DEPOT x olddepot.org
207 Sutton Ave., Black Mountain 828-669-6583
1 MONTREAT COLLEGE montreat.edu
310 Gaither Circle, Montreat 828-669-8012
2 SWANNANOA VALLEY MUSEUM & HISTORY CENTER history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org 223 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-9566
LOCAL CAUSE TO SUPPORT
1 BOUNTY & SOUL x bountyandsoul.org
999 Old U.S. Highway 70, Black Mountain 828-419-0533
2 BLACK MOUNTAIN HOME FOR CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES blackmountainhome.org 80 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain 828-686-3451
3 SWANNANOA VALLEY CHRISTIAN MINISTRY svcmblackmountain.org 101 N. Ridgeway Ave., Black Mountain 828-669-9404
BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR TOWN IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS
1 WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN whitehorseblackmountain.com
105 Montreat Road, Black Mountain 828-669-0816
In the lovely town of Black Mountain - the birthplace of Roberta Flack
BEST OF SMALL TOWNS
MARSHALL & MARS HILL
ZUMA COFFEE
Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Your Town; best Breakfast Restaurant; best Coffee & Sweets; second place Lunch Restaurant PHOTO COURTESY OF ZUMA COFFEE
BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN
1 ZUMA COFFEE zumascoffee.com
7 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-1617
2 MAD CO. BREW HOUSE madisoncountybrewing.com
45 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-8600
2 OLD MARSHALL JAIL HOTEL oldmarshalljail.com 33 Bailey’s Branch Road, Marshall 828-649-5259
3 CAMDEN’S COFFEE HOUSE camdenscoffeehouse.com
40 N. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1246
BREAKFAST RESTAURANT
1 ZUMA COFFEE zumascoffee.com
7 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-1617
2 THE WAGON WHEEL avl.mx/a7c
390 Carl Eller Road, Mars Hill 828-689-4755
3 CAMDEN’S COFFEE HOUSE camdenscoffeehouse.com
40 N. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1246
LUNCH RESTAURANT
1 ZADIE’S MARKET zadiesmarshall.com
33 Baileys Branch Road, Marshall 828-575-7605
2 ZUMA COFFEE zumascoffee.com 7 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-1617
3 STACKHOUSE AMERICAN EATERY & PUB stackhouserestaurant.com
37 S. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1213
DINNER RESTAURANT
1 STAR DINER x stardinerwnc.com 115 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-9900
2 STACKHOUSE AMERICAN EATERY & PUB stackhouserestaurant.com
37 S. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1213
3 THE ORIGINAL PAPA NICK’S theoriginalpapanicks.com 15 College St., Mars Hill 828-689-8566
3 ZADIE’S MARKET zadiesmarshall.com
33 Baileys Branch Road, Marshall 828-575-7605
COFFEE & SWEETS
1 ZUMA COFFEE zumascoffee.com
7 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-1617
2 CAMDEN’S COFFEE HOUSE camdenscoffeehouse.com 40 N. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1246
3 MEADOWSWEET CREAMERY meadowsweetcreamery.com 37 Library St., Mars Hill 828-680-0085
LOCAL BAR/BREWERY/ WATERING HOLE
1 MAD CO. BREW HOUSE x madisoncountybrewing.com 45 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-8600
2 MAL’S BAR avl.mx/cwp 121 S. Main St., Marshall
2 MARS THEATRE BREWING CO. chimneyrockbrewing.net
70 N. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1284
3 OLD MARSHALL JAIL HOTEL oldmarshalljail.com 33 Bailey’s Branch Road, Marshall 828-649-5259
MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE
1 MAD CO. BREW HOUSE madisoncountybrewing.com 45 N. Main St., Marshall 828-649-8600
2 MARS THEATRE BREWING CO. chimneyrockbrewing.net 70 N. Main St., Mars Hill 828-680-1284
3 MAL’S BAR avl.mx/cwp 121 S. Main St., Marshall
RETAIL STORE
1 PENLAND & SON’S DEPARTMENT STORE avl.mx/7zj 50 S. Main St., Marshall 828-649-2811
2 THE QUILL + HONEY thequillandhoney.com 18 S. Main St., Mars Hill 828-778-8821
3 OF WAND AND EARTH ofwandandearth.com 20 S. Main St., Marshall 828-649-8365
ART GALLERY
1 MARS LANDING GALLERIES marslandinggalleries.com 37 Library St., Mars Hill 828-747-7267
2 FLOW BODY + HOME flowmarshall.com 14 S. Main St., Marshall 828-649-1686
avl.mx/3sf
Blannahassett Island, Marshall 828-649-1301
3 FIRST FRIDAYS MARS HILL avl.mx/dww Downtown, Mars Hill 864-905-5405
LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS
1 BLANNAHASSETT ISLAND x avl.mx/a80
Blannahassett Island Road, Marshall 828-680-9031
2 BAILEY MOUNTAIN PRESERVE avl.mx/cl9 889 Forest St., Mars Hill 828-689-1381
3 LAUREL RIVER TRAIL avl.mx/dxu
Intersection of U.S. Highway 25 & N.C. Highway 208, Marshall
2 PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE parkwayplayhouse.com 202 Green Mountain Drive, Burnsville 828-682-4285
RETAIL STORE
1 SOMETHING SPECIAL GIFT SHOP x avl.mx/55a 12 W. Main St., Burnsville 828-682-9101
2 MONKEY BUSINESS TOY SHOP avl.mx/dy4 12 W. Main St., Burnsville 828-682-9101
2 CAROLINA HEMLOCKS RECREATION AREA avl.mx/dvl 8516 U.S. Highway 80 S., Burnsville 828-675-5509
CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL LANDMARK
1 NUWRAY HOTEL nuwray.com 102 Town Square, Burnsville 828-678-7070
1 TOWN SQUARE (BURNSVILLE) yanceychamber.com 101 Town Square, Burnsville
LOCAL CAUSE TO SUPPORT
1 YANCEY COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY x yanceyhumanesociety.org 211 Kind Hearts Way, Burnsville 828-682-9510
amount of her work on how people relate to their creative spirit and helps her clients better understand what happens inside when they’re rejected.
Childress believes that everyone has “that drive to take something that is inside and bring it out,” even if it’s not what would traditionally be considered art. She draws much of her clinical approach from scholar Michael Meade , whose work centers on the concept of “genius” — an inner creative spirit that can take the form of anything from organizing or listening exceptionally well to writing stories or making songs.
“You don’t get to decide whether it’s there or not. It’s an aspect of the psyche that’s unwounded — it just simply is,” Childress says. “In my understanding and my work with people, [genius] doesn’t care whether you get accepted or rejected or how many people hear your song. It’s a force of nature.”
However, when adults devote time to being with their inner genius and the resulting song, poem or performance is not accepted by others, Childress says the rejection can activate a childhood wound, often stemming from sharing creative work with a parent and being dismissed or not seen.
Various other internal forces then come into play as the psyche tries to achieve homeostasis and wholeness, such as a perfectionist side that hammers home what the person should have done, in hopes that success will occur in the future, or a manager side that relies on logic to produce better results next time. A protector side may push people away from time with their genius so that they don’t experience that degree of heartbreak again, or a problem-solver side may push dopamine hits to soothe the wound, leading to a range of addictions.
Childress adds that operating in a capitalist society, without government support of artists, places additional financial demands on the carefree genius and results in further complications.
Over time, she can assist her clients in reconditioning neural networks so that they can have compassion and tenderness for the wounded inner child and can therefore handle rejection in a healthier manner. She finds her work as a facilitator “fascinating.”
Echoing Grant’s point about being continuously drawn back into one’s creative pursuit for the fun of it, Childress additionally notes that happiness plays a huge role in artists’ grit and perseverance and that
there’s a flip side to the wounded inner child.
“There’s also the child that’s exuberant — that’s just in bliss doing a thing, playing with Legos, building and making and imagining,” Childress says. “And if someone has a connection to that part of themselves, if they can access that, that’s the part that does the making, and it does it because it’s enjoyable.”
THE PATH FORWARD
While therapy and inner work can prove key to overcoming disappointment, being around truly empathetic peers is likewise important.
“In the community of acting, everyone knows what it’s like [to get
rejected],” Grant says. “But everyone’s got your back. And you can practice and copy them. You see how they take it and then you go, ‘That seemed to work well for them. I’ll do that.’”
Conner credits much of his commitment to writing to Black Mountain’s Dark City Poets Society and its co-founder Clint Bowman. The encouragement, industry
insights and support he receives from his fellow poets have proved invaluable, as have critiques and feedback on his poems that give Conner what he calls “a little bit of an extra barrier” against the inevitable rejection from publishers. And Hyman stresses that a similar camaraderie in music is key to helping her and Furstenberg weather the storms.
“The mutuality of it — taking turns helping one another process frustrating, confusing and/or hurtful interactions with colleagues and peers — is extra-strengthening,” she says. “You begin to feel wiser and more capable. Then each new experience affects you a bit less.”
Grant further extols the virtues of psychological flexibility and being open to unexpected ways of pursuing one’s art other than a single full-time job. Like many artists, her professional journey wound up being a patchwork — in her case a combination of directing, teaching and vocal performance.
“I’m not doing exactly what high school Glenna said of being ‘a real actor’ — but I am,” Grant says. “I am doing exactly what I said I’d do. And it also looks very different from what I thought it was going to.”
But as long as the love for one’s art is the reason for pursuing it, Furstenberg is confident that good things will come to those who are persistent and resilient.
“Nothing is owed us,” he says. “And everything is there for the taking if we work hard and don’t give up.” X
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Singer-songwriters Ryan Furstenberg, left, and Melissa Hyman (aka The Moon and You) credit the local music community with helping them build resilience against the heartbreak of rejection. Photo by Lauren Van Epps
WITH ERIC BROWN
BY ERIC BROWN
ericjbrown3000@gmail.com
It’s my favorite time of year at Xpress: Best of WNC. I’m one of those people who likes to think I am not inherently competitive, but really that is not the case. I’ve got opinions on everything, and fortunately I’m always right. (Kidding, of course, though I am fairly confident that my superpower is good taste.)
That said, I don’t want to seem biased in this issue, so I can’t tell you who earned my vote for this year’s Best Of — no matter how much I want to. And trust me, I do want to. In fact, it pains me to not be able to tell you, dear readers, about my favorite record store located in Marshall with all its cool imported Japanese records. And I wish I could reveal to you my favorite bookstore in West Asheville, the one next to the plant store. And goodness, does it break my heart that I can’t praise my favorite coffee shop — the one in West Asheville that’s between Firestorm Books and the fire station, and has a name that rhymes with Dizzy’s.
No, I won’t be sharing any specifics. Instead, I’ve invited some of my favorite people from the improv comedy scene to discuss what Best of WNC categories they’d like to see added to next year’s contest, as well as some of the best places that no longer remain in Asheville and the upcoming Asheville Improv Festival, which runs Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 9-13.
Please welcome Laurie Jones of Adesto Theatre, Gillian Bellinger of Misfit Improv & Acting School and Karen Stobbe of Reasonably Priced Babies (which earned the top votes for Best Improv Group/Comedy Troupe of Series).
Eric: Every year we get two whole issues of the Best of WNC, but is it enough? Can we truly cover all the great things our mountains have to offer in two issues? I say thee nay. I suggest we bump it up every other week. That’s right, 26 Best of WNC issues every year. Assuming I can make this happen, what are some categories you would like to see in Best Of next year?
Laurie: “The Best Crunchy Experience.” Asheville has all sorts of lovely crunchy options, and we should probably lean into that. I always considered myself more of a basic b*tch than a crunchy hippie, but here I am in Asheville, where you can get a necklace made out of your own breast milk and/or hire a cat communicator. Between you and me, I’ve embraced at least one of these.
Gillian: I propose two new categories. First, “Best Place to Contract MRSA” — MRSA being a staph infection that is resistant to several antibiotics. Of course, the French Broad River will always win the entry. But that’s OK because the category will function like a gentle PSA reminding locals who are tempted to tube down the French Broad that they aren’t the only ones floating that river.
Second, “Best All Around Bear.” Asheville is really missing the boat on choosing a city bear mascot each year. With this category, locals could submit bear candidates from their neighborhoods and backyards. We could even break it up into multiple categories for most effective garbage rooter, most photogenic and most likely to stand up on two legs and have a full conversation. It’s really about time we recognize all that the bears do for Asheville.
Karen: Here’s my pitch: “Best Residents of Asheville with One Job.” Those are the true unicorns
Is there a good place
in Asheville for toddlers to race dogs?
ON YOUR MARKS: Best of WNC has arrived, and some from this month’s latest cohort of comedians want to know where is the best place to go to see unique athletic competitions. Pictured, clockwise from top left, Eric Brown, Laurie Jones, Gillian Bellinger and Karen Stobbe. Photo of Brown by Cindy Kunst; all other images courtesy of the comedians
in Asheville. In the almost 18 years since I transplanted here from the frozen tundra of Milwaukee, I have never met someone that says, “I’m a nurse.” Period. It’s always, “I’m a nurse. ... Oh, and on the weekends I teach Hula-Hooping.” Or, “I work in banking and I play in two bands.” Or you meet a real estate agent who does stand-up comedy at night. Then there’s the neuroscientist/potter. Or the grocery store manager and maker of organic elderberry cough syrup. When it comes to “Best Residents of Asheville with One Job,” I bet there’s only three in all of Asheville.
Eric: I have a few categories in mind. I’d like to see the “Best Coffee Shops to Read Three Pages of a Book Before You Inevitably Get Distracted by Your Phone,” but it is admittedly a pretty broad category. I’d also like to see “Best Breweries to Race Toddlers and Dogs At.” Let’s face it. Every brewery is chock-full of toddlers and dogs, and both the toddlers and dogs are equally bored. I say we make them race each other to keep active and engaged. Obviously, nobody is
Women BUSINESS
currently doing this at these establishments. Yet ... if we make it a category, I think people will think it’s a trend and launch their own dog/toddler racing leagues. Maybe the toddlers ride the dogs? I dunno.
Eric: One of my favorite things to do is reminisce with other longtime locals about how that kombucha shop that used to be a dog spa that used to be a microbrewery was originally a transmission repair place. (Asheville fact: Every building in city limits was at some point a transmission shop.) What’s your favorite “Best Place to Have Left WNC?”
know who owned it or how many years it was there. All I know is that any bar that has dollar PBRs and a Nintendo NES Game System where you can play “Super Mario Bros.” is OK by me. Like all fun spots from your 20s, you take it for granted, and then one day it’s gone. I think that was maybe the first bar I loved and lost. Of course, I eventually figured out I had a drinking problem, and I lost all bars, so I guess there’s that.
its way to people who have never done it before, and it is bringing them joy.
Karen: My husband, Mondy Carter, and I moved here in 2006. We were looking for a group or others who wanted to perform improv. We found Tom Chalmers, or he found us. And Tom brought in Josh Batenhorst. Then Aaron Price joined us on keyboards and, lucky us, then came Kim Richardson. We’ve been improvising once a month for over 13 years.
Laurie: For me, it’s the closure of The Magnetic Theatre’s River Arts District space. The location was a home for so many artists and produced such a variety of shows. It also hosted touring artists and many of my close friends from other cities got to experience the magic there. New plays had a space to grow. It was a gift.
Gillian: Oh Asheville, you cagey little minx. You flirt so overtly with the arts, and yet the almighty dollar seems to call the shots. I, too, miss the Magnetic Theatre’s RAD location — a place of exploration, creation, joy. There are so few small theaters in the middle of Asheville anymore, and The Magnetic offered a space for new work, for splatter plays and cocooning yourself in the darkness of a theater. It also had the required creepy basement staircase in the green room that struck fear in many performers.
Karen: Closed places? Well let’s see, my improv group, Reasonably Priced Babies, has had residencies in a number of spots that are no more: the original Magnetic Theatre, the backroom of Lexington Avenue Brewery and The Altamont Theatre. We’re currently in Asheville Pizza & Brewing, which is for sale. We’ve been there for almost two years. Before you ask: Yes, we do good shows and, yes, the owners love us. But obviously, we have the mark of the beast when it comes to closing great locations. We have a show at The Grey Eagle coming up … and we’re sorry ahead of time if our performance closes it down.
Eric: I have very fond memories of Fred’s Speakeasy on College Street. It was a crusty, dirty basement dive bar with punk-rock vibes, which made it the perfect bar for the crusty, dirty punk-rock kid I was in my early 20s. The well gin was always cheap, and I always had a fun time. I went to all kinds of shows and karaoke nights, and I particularly liked going on off nights when it wasn’t busy. I don’t
Eric: I had a slight ulterior motive in preparing this column. The 2024 Asheville Improv Festival is coming up in October, and everyone in this week’s “Best Medicine” is participating in it. So, let’s talk improv. Panel, how did you come to Asheville and its improv scene, and what is your favorite local improv memory?
Laurie: My husband, Paul, and I moved to Asheville from Los Angeles for what we thought would be three months “while the pandemic passed.” Four years and two kids later, we’ve found our home. We thought we’d be grieving the improv we were missing in LA, where we did improvised full-length plays, but we discovered this amazing community here that has embraced the art form with us. Paul and I started Adesto Theatre to further explore this combination of improv and theater. My favorite moment so far was after our first night of “Improvised Horror,” when I looked at the talented cast all laughing and having fun, and I realized my dream had come true.
Gillian: My husband and I moved to Asheville from LA in February 2023. My mother is from North Carolina, and my father is from South Carolina, and they have had a home in Waynesville for 20 years. Because my family had such a connection to the area, I started building connections to the improv scene before we moved. I played a few shows when I was in town and taught at the 2019 Asheville Improv Festival. When we moved here, I began looking for a way to become more involved and felt that opening Misfit Improv and Acting School would be a way to keep building an inclusive performance community.
I would say my favorite Asheville improv memory is when I started to realize I don’t know everyone in the Misfit community. With the help of a ton of people, including faculty members Marlene Thompson and Joe Carroll, we have started to grow so much that there are folks in our classes I have yet to meet. There are folks that come to our shows that feel connected to us that I haven’t seen before, and I love that. I love that improv is finding
It’s really hard to pick a favorite moment. In improv what is now is the most important thing. Whether you just said the dumbest thing ever or you just made the whole house shake with guffaws, both of those moments have to be left in the past. They are not now. That being said, there have been moments when I’m off to the side watching a scene and realize I’ve basically forgotten I’m in the show because I’m laughing so hard while watching the exchange. Then there are other moments where everything is just fluid, and everyone is basically “in the zone,” and you want to hug and high-five at the end of every scene but hardly remember much of it. It’s a lot like life.
Eric: I’m a bit of a rarity in the comedy scene here. I’m a local. My dad’s side of the family was here since the late 1800s at least, and my mom’s side was here before the Revolutionary War. I guess you could say I come from very unambitious families. We got this far into America and said, “Well, we’re out of money. This place looks pretty good.” In keeping with my “no money” roots, I got into comedy here, and I’m proud to say I’ve made tens of dollars doing it professionally in Asheville ever since.
Most improvisers I know say they kind of blackout onstage and don’t really remember what they did. Not me. I’m painfully aware of everything I do up there — good or bad — and I’m seemingly cursed to remember things I’ve done onstage instead of important things like birthdays, passwords or therapy appointments.
That being said, I think my proudest comedy moment wasn’t even improv. I almost never do stand-up, but the original writer of this column, the fabulous Morgan Bost, asked me to be on a roast. It was themed around Nickelodeon cartoon characters, and I played Ren from “The Ren and Stimpy Show.” I was so nervous about being up there with real standups that I admired. I didn’t want to be the improv guy who bombed at the stand-up show. And I didn’t. I absolutely crushed it up there. I feel like I could’ve read the phone book and gotten laughs that night. I guess it helped that I was playing Ren. Ren’s a gross, chaotic rageaholic, and it helps to play what you know. X
BY THOMAS CALDER
When it comes to music, Asheville City Council candidate Kevan Frazier has a secret.
“See, my guilty pleasure is listening to unexpected auditions,” he says, noting Susan Boyle, the Scottish singer who rose to fame in 2009 following her surprisingly powerful performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” on the series “Britain’s Got Talent.”
His confession comes within the first few minutes of our meeting inside a conference room at Well Played Board Game Café, which Frazier owns. The conversation marks the second in Xpress’ limited series, “On the Record,” in which I meet with individual Council candidates and listen to their album of choice as we discuss the local arts scene.
The only problem is Frazier doesn’t have a selection. “I never had one of those [favorite] albums,” he says. “It’s all about the song. The vocals.”
Given the series’ premise, I gently nudge him. Frazier lists some artists he admires: Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Celine Dion. He also notes his appreciation for a wide swath of musical genres — from hip-hop to bluegrass. But he cannot settle on an album.
“You know this is going to be included in the article,” I say, speaking aloud the imaginary headline: “Kevan Frazier is a rule breaker.”
We both laugh, and eventually Frazier shares another secret: He enjoys a good cover.
I latch onto this detail, pulling up a random Spotify playlist, “Covers that are better than the originals,” and
hit play. As Cake’s 1996 rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 classic “I Will Survive” begins, I think to myself, “So too will this series.”
And with that, Frazier and I begin chatting about the local arts scene.
UPDATES NEEDED
As with fellow candidate and inaugural “On the Record” participant Tod Leaven, housing is a top priority for Frazier.
“If folks can’t afford to live in Buncombe County … we’ll see that the arts scene moves into the smaller communities,” Frazier says.
The May 2024 Creative Spaces Report by ArtsAVL suggests this
creative migration is well underway. Of the 400 individuals surveyed in the report, 15% said they are no longer based in Buncombe County due to rising costs. And 51% of participants said they did not have access to an affordable creative space in the county.
A native of Western North Carolina and a graduate of UNC Asheville, Frazier says it was not always this way. “Asheville’s arts community grew ... in the ’60s and ’70s because it was cheap to live here,” he points out.
As today’s home prices soar and inventory dwindles, Frazier believes it is on City Council to update the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which was originally drafted
in 1997 with an emphasis on single-family housing.
Frazier, who studied history both as an undergraduate and graduate, says the UDO’s departure from multifamily housing does not align with Asheville’s past. He identifies portions of North Asheville as evidence of the city’s former embrace of a mixed-housing approach. “While there may be some big houses [on Kimberly Avenue], there are also some modest apartment buildings along the way,” he says. “The UDO doesn’t really support that.”
Creating more incentives for developers to create affordable housing, as well as commercial spaces, he says, would benefit the local economy — including the creative sector.
ONCE UPON A TIME: A native of Western North Carolina and a graduate of UNC Asheville, Kevan Frazier says cheap rent is what initially drew many artists to the city. If elected to Asheville City Council, one of his top priorities will be to help find solutions to the current housing crisis as a way to assist residents, including those in the creative sector. Photo by Thomas Calder
MOVING FORWARD
As a downtown resident and business owner, Frazier says he sees firsthand the multiple benefits the arts bring to the city’s Central Business District.
“One is just the value of the work itself, the content,” he says. “But there’s also a significant economic impact.”
Concerts at Rabbit Rabbit and Eulogy, he continues, create a noticeable uptick in sales at Well Played. “Folks end up coming over here [after shows] and hanging out,” he says. “Those kinds of things have a great impact [on a business].”
For this reason, Frazier says, it is imperative that the city remain intentional about keeping the arts downtown. As an in-state example, he points to the 2008 opening of the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). According to the DPAC website, the venue hosts up to 600,000 guests per year and has generated over $1 billion in measured economic impact since its launch.
Based on Asheville’s recent history, however, Frazier worries about the city’s ability to execute effective plans. “It’s like with the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium,” he says. “We have to have a path moving forward.”
For years, renovation plans and proposals for the downtown venue have experienced delays. In 2020, a $100 million makeover was under consideration before the COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily eliminated the need for a large public gathering space. More recently, between July 2023 and March of this year, the auditorium was closed to full-capacity concerts and events due to a broken HVAC system. Last month, Asheville City Council approved a contract for the repair and replacement of HVAC parts and equipment.
Frazier says one of the issues that prompted him to join the City Council race was the delays he kept
seeing for projects such as Thomas Wolfe Auditorium renovations and the 2020-approved park plans for the empty lot across from the auditorium, nicknamed “The Pit of Despair.”
“Folks have great ideas,” he says. “But we don’t seem to be able to pull the things together to get us moving forward.”
BEYOND THE BIG THREE
When it comes to funding city projects, Frazier believes City Council should look beyond the “three big dogs — property tax, sales tax and fees.” He points to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, which is a public nonprofit that launched in 1993. In Frazier’s opinion, combining public and private dollars is a model worthy of consideration.
As are grants, he continues. “I wish we had been in the position to do more grant work around water and waste,” he says, noting that other cities and counties across the country have taken advantage of such opportunities.
And while some of this potential future funding might go to arts-related projects, Frazier notes that his top priorities would be addressing Asheville’s housing crisis and public safety concerns. Equity and environmentalism are also among his key issues.
“In the end, I’m just a kid from Appalachia,” he says. “I grew up in a working-class household and was really fortunate to have supportive parents and [access] to a public education and a public higher education that led me to be able to do the things that I do today. And so I want to help by being part of providing whatever I can to support people to be able to do that themselves — whatever their dreams or whatever they want to accomplish out of this lifetime.” X
BY ARNOLD WENGROW
‘MANY LEGS’
Artist Randy Shull calls his current exhibition at Tracey Morgan Gallery Black & White, but the show is far from monochromatic.
Inspired by the culture of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, Shull deconstructed hammocks handmade in that region, shaped them, draped them and encrusted them with paint, turning them into largescale pieces that riff on themes ranging from butterflies to hinges to gravity.
Along with their Asheville residence, Shull and his partner, Hedy Fischer , have owned a home in Yucatan’s capital city, Mérida, for 20 years. “You ask yourself, as an artist, how can I connect with this culture?” he says. “It took a while to figure out what the foundation of the culture was.”
Hammocks are a cultural cornerstone in that area of Mexico, he discovered. “It’s the bed in the Yucatan,” Shull says. “It is how people sleep in the Yucatan. It is how people take a siesta. And it is the biggest influence on architecture in the Yucatan Peninsula.”
Shull trained in furniture design at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and has some architectural knowledge from his work as a painter. “For five years I’ve walked off the space in so many homes [in the Yucatan], and it’s always 13 feet,” he says. “That happens to be the span that a hammock covers when it goes from hook to hook. The hammock is the defining mechanism for how big a house is.”
The string used to create Mexican hammocks is manufactured exclusively by one company in the Yucatan, Shull says. And all the hammocks made in the area are handwoven, he adds, noting that many families in small villages weave them on a standup loom. “It’s amazing because it can happen for 45 minutes [with one person], and then you can set the shuttle down, and somebody else can pick it up 10 minutes later. They’re kind of cooperative efforts.”
Shull says his artistic exploration of hammocks and their meanings is something he’ll pursue for the rest of his life. “It has so many legs,” he says.
One of those legs is gravity. “I think the feeling of being in a hammock is this feeling of being weightless,” he says. “It takes all the weight off your body. So it’s kind of antigravitational. So how do you transmit that feeling into a painting?”
The artist’s answer is to make his works in large scale. He likes to reference the size of the human body, so they’re often 6 feet in height. One particularly large painting measures 7 1/2 by 16 feet. “When paintings are big, they become experiential,” he says. “They don’t become objects, they become about how it makes you feel. And I love that.”
To create these big pieces, Shull lays out hammock fabric in shapes on the floor to apply his layers of paint. “I do a lot of pouring,” he says. “I don’t call it painting, I call it pouring.”
On the wall, the finished pieces appear to hang loosely, adding to their antigravitational feel. They are reminiscent of the works of Sam Gilliam , the innovative artist who suspended swathes of painted canvas from the walls and ceilings of exhibition spaces in the mid-1960s.
“I didn’t think of Sam Gilliam until I realized what I’d done,” he says. “To free the canvas from the stretcher, that’s huge.”
He realized he was referencing other artists as well. “I think about Jasper Johns and the catenary pieces,” he says, referring to Johns’ practice of attaching string to his canvases at various points to form a hanging arc.
He also mentions the Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi , who designed his famous unfinished basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona by turning scale models made of chains upside down to calculate optimal arches. “He figured out the catenary,” Shull says. “And the catenary arch became so important to him.”
IT ON:
BUTTERFLIES AND HINGES
In addition to other artists, Shull was also inspired by creatures in nature that seem weightless, such as butterflies. The notion of monarch butterflies migrating from Mexico to the U.S. and then, several generations later, returning, he says, “is very much like my own migration from the U.S. to Mexico and back to the U.S.”
One piece suggestive of a butterfly is a three-panel blue-and-white work called “Blue Bisagra.” Bisagra is Spanish for “hinge” — the but-
terfly’s midsection becomes a hinge between two wings.
“The hinge is this thing that allows the door to pivot, to take you from one arena to the next,”
Shull says. As with migrating monarch butterflies, Shull says, “The bisagra is like the flight that I take to Mexico. It is the hinge between Asheville and Mexico.”
Besides art hanging on walls, the exhibition will feature a piece of hammock performance art on video. Shull hung hammocks from a 5-ton chain hoist and lifted heavy objects in them. “We live in the mountains
of Western North Carolina, so I thought, ‘Let’s see what the capacity of a hammock is.’ So I suspended a 1,200-pound boulder,” he explains.
Shull didn’t stop there, also lifting a bed, a tractor tire and a sofa. When he saw the sofa go up, he was inspired — his assistants lifted the sofa again with the artist on it. “I rode the sofa,” he says. “It made me think about all kinds of cliché things like couch surfing. It was the best 20 minutes of my day possible.”
For Shull, hoisting objects — and himself — in a hammock looped back to his thoughts about gravity.
Being involved in architecture, he says, “is to some degree about defying gravity. Why can’t art be about finding ways to defy gravity? And so I messed around with gravity for two hours, and we took video images and documented it all.”
‘NEW DYNAMIC’
Jennifer Sudul Edwards , the chief curator and curator of contemporary art, at The Mint Museum in Charlotte, first saw Shull’s hammock pieces when he posted work in progress on his Instagram page. She was intrigued enough to drive to his Asheville studio to see them.
“When I first saw the work in person, I immediately started having these hyperattuned, critical thoughts,” she says. “But I also totally relaxed into the color and the mesmerizing loops and cradles of the hammocks.”
Edwards had previously known Shull as a master woodworker who manipulated his medium into elegant pieces that often had a humorous or sardonic edge. While those works were mainly highlighting the solidity of the wood, Edwards points out, the hammock paintings are quite different. “He’s relating to a completely new material and to space in a new way.”
Edwards feels the hammock pieces still contain some elements of Shull’s previous work, such as dynamic colors and respect for natural objects.“[But now] he allows volume and movement to develop from the weave and twists of the hammocks,” she says. “He allows color to push and pull the empty and filled spaces of the material.”
Shull’s hammock pieces, Edwards adds, are a totally new dynamic for him as an artist. “And it’s a new dynamic for how we can think about a painting, its relationship to the wall and its relationship to us.” X
WHAT
Randy Shull: Black & White, an exhibition of paintings made with hammocks
WHERE
Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Road, Asheville WHEN
The exhibit runs through Sept. 21. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday INFORMATION Visit avl.mx/e2f or call 828-505-7667
POURING
Artist Randy Shull is pictured adding paint to hammock fabric on the roof of his studio in Mexico. The local artist divides his time between Yucatan and Asheville. Photo by Hedy Fischer
What’s new in food
Chef Luis Martinez launches Taqueria Rosita in West Asheville
Chef Luis Martinez has long preached the gospel of heirloom corn through his work at Asheville restaurants and pop-up events and with his business, Tequio Foods, which sources, imports and distributes heirloom products from indigenous farmers in Mexico.
Fittingly, maize will take center stage with the Thursday, Aug. 29, launch of Martinez’s new project, Taqueria Rosita, at The Odd with partner Henry Padillo
“Everything is about corn,” Martinez says of restaurant’s small menu. “The taqueria will be like an ode to say thank you and show people all the different corns that exist in the whole continent.”
Martinez, a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, learned to cook from his mother, who enlisted his help in making foods she sold in the streets. He was just 13 when he began working in restaurant kitchens in Oaxaca, and he later studied fine arts at the state university there. In 2005, he emigrated to California, where he continued cooking and elevated his skills in restaurants in Los Angeles and up the West Coast.
Since arriving in Asheville in 2012 with his wife, a North Carolina native, the chef has established a reputation for his culinary talents, dedication to social and food justice, and tireless support of his peers in the tight-knit local hospitality industry.
“I didn’t plan to open anything this year; it just happened,” he explains. “I have been friends with The Odd for years; they are really nice people, always helping the community. When they told me they were looking for someone to take their restaurant space a couple days a week, I realized I wanted to do it.”
But he didn’t want to do it on his own, so he reached out to his friend, Padillo, a businessman and native of Bolivia. Padillo agreed to run the business side while Martinez takes care of the culinary. (The eatery’s name honors Martinez’s late mother and Padillo’s mother who lives in Bolivia, both of whom are named Rosita.)
“Rosita is a Oaxacan taqueria focused on Oaxacan food and the use of corn in Oaxaca,” Martinez confirms. “We want to highlight the indigenous and Zapotec farmers
that grow corn. We are not aiming for a big menu; we will have about seven items with high-quality ingredients.”
Among the dishes that many guests to Rosita will try for the first time is a tlayuda, which Martinez says is a big tortilla — 14-16 inches — spread with a chicharrón paste called aciento as well as a paste made with black beans cooked with avocado leaves and Oaxacan spices. It is topped with quesillo (cheese) and meat. And the memela is a 6- or 7-inch tortilla, cooked on a griddle with a bit of lard, then also spread with black bean paste and topped with tomato salsa and queso fresco.
Three tacos will join those dishes on the inaugural menu — braised beef, vegetarian or chicharrón, made with pork belly that’s fried for a “super crunch” with pickled onions, cilantro and avocado sauce. As Martinez settles into the kitchen, he will make Colombian and Bolivian dishes as specials,
“People have asked why we are opening another Mexican restaurant so close to others in West Asheville,” he says. “We are not opening another Mexican restaurant; we are opening an Oaxacan restaurant. There is nothing else like it in Asheville.”
Taqueria Rosita debuts Thursday and Friday Aug. 29-30, 4-9 p.m. Starting Wednesday, Sept. 4, it will be open Wednesday-Friday, 4-11 p.m. The Odd’s kitchen will continue offering its regular menu Saturday-Tuesday.
The Odd and Taqueria Rosita are at 1045 Haywood Road.
Smokin’ in the vineyard
What’s a Labor Day weekend without a Labor Day barbecue? No fun at all! On Saturday, Aug. 31, Ellender Experiences presents the Leicester Labor Day BBQ at Addison Farms Vineyard in Leicester. Chef and Utopian Seed Project culinary director Terri Terrell will do all the labor while guests loll about with a glass of wine and summery dishes fresh off the grill.
No tickets are required. Food and wine will be sold a la carte.
The barbecue is noon-4 p.m. at Addison Farms Vineyard, 4005 New
OAXACA MEETS ASHEVILLE: Chef Luis Martinez’s new restaurant, Rosita’s Taqueria, will feature Oaxacan dishes that include corn as a central element. Martinez, right, is pictured with Rosita’s co-owner Henry Padilla in front of The Odd, where the eatery will be located. Photo by Padilla
Leicester Highway, Leicester. For details, visit avl.mx/e1e.
Apple season opener
Happy 78th anniversary to Hendersonville’s annual Labor Day weekend celebration, the N.C. Apple Festival, so big it takes four days and the city’s entire Main Street to celebrate. Henderson County is the North Carolina’s largest producer of apples and the No. 7 apple industry in the U.S., according to the N.C. State Extension, and more than a dozen
local apple growers will participate in this year’s event, happening Friday, Aug. 30-Monday, Sept. 2.
The early birds get the pancakes at the festival’s traditional kickoff event, the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, 7-10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at First United Methodist Church; the official opening ceremony will be at 2:15 p.m. that day at Courthouse Square. The street fair, food court and children’s area will offer bushels of fun 10 a.m.-10 p.m. throughout the festival until the King Apple Parade at 2:30 p.m. on Labor Day marks the grand finale. Also
scheduled are a recipe contest; 8K and 5K races and 1-mile fun run; a kiddie carnival; live music; and dancers.
For a full schedule, list of participants and more information, visit avl.mx/aau.
Horse Shoe Farm offers Apple Harvest Brunch
Horse Shoe Farm also celebrates the season on Sunday, Sept. 1, with an Apple Harvest Brunch, hayrides, live music, lawn games and activities for kids. The on-site Silo Cookhouse will set up an applecentric buffet with dishes including pulled pork with apple cider barbecue, apple and maple French toast, autumn egg and chili frittata, barbecued shrimp with chili-apple glaze, braised chicken with sweet apple barbecue and apple pie, of course. Tickets are $80 for adults, $45 for ages 12 and younger and free for children age 2 and younger.
The event takes place 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Horse Shoe Farm, 155 Horse Shoe Farm Drive, Hendersonville. For reservations, visit avl.mx/e26.
Fermenting field trip
For fermentation enthusiasts in search of an educational day trip, everything you didn’t know that you didn’t know about fermentation is on the agenda at the 2024 N.C. Fermentation Festival, 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1 at Botanist & Barrel’s cidery in Cedar Grove.
Asheville-area residents Meg Chamberlain of Fermenti and Luis Martinez of Tequio Foods will join fermentation royalty Sandor Katz, breadmaker Ron Graff and other experts conducting demonstrations, seminars and breakout sessions on topics from fermented condiments to sour pickles to kimchi. Nearly 20 vendors will also be on-site, and wood-fired pizza, beer and wine will be for sale. Educational sessions are individually priced and require preregistration.
For a fermentation celebration closer to home, mark your calendars for the WNC Fermenting Festival, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 3, at Olivette Farm in Alexander. More details to come.
Botanist & Barrel Winery + Cidery is at 105 Persimmon Hill Lane, Cedar Grove. For more information, class schedule and to register for sessions, visit avl.mx/e27.
Dominican street food in Sylva
Sweet and savory empanadas, yuca fries and fritters, tostones, chicken
chimi and chimi burger arepa, cheese bollitos and bolas — deep-fried cornmeal balls filled with slow-cooked pork guisado — are among the scratch-made Dominican street food dishes on the menu at Fany’s Island Kitchen, which held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Sylva on Aug. 7.
The bright blue food truck owned by Adam Ehlmann and Fany Garcia has taken up residence at 1791 U.S. 441 in Sylva. A Dominican flag and pink mailbox mark the roadside spot, which has several picnic tables for on-site al fresco dining.
Chef Mike Schwartz also cooks up specials like Caribbean-style curry chicken on jasmine rice and shrimp and sausage in a plantain basket.
Fany’s Island Kitchen is open 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. WednesdayFriday. For updates, visit the business of Facebook at avl.mx/e1b.
Asheville Sandwich Co. makes a comeback
After 10 years of sandwich nirvana in West Asheville, Asheville Sandwich Co. owners Cheri and Kevin Mullins got the boot from their small Haywood Road shop and served the last sandwich from their window on Feb. 24.
But the wait for a prime rib cheesesteak, shrimp po’ boy, turkey avocado, vegan hot pepper Philly, Firestarter Cajun and those addictive matchstick fries is over with the Aug. 14 opening of a new location at 330 Rockwood Road in Arden. Indoor and outdoor seating plus plenty of parking are available at the new spot 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday.
For a full menu and ordering options, visit avl.mx/e28.
Making magic at Jargon
No disappearing act here. Jargon restaurant will host the fourth iteration of its popular Dinner & Magic Show on Saturday, Aug. 31, featuring a cocktail hour, three-course meal by executive chef Ryan Kline and a new performance by magician Doc Docherty
The event will be staged in Jargon’s swanky Argot Room. Tickets are $105 per person, excluding alcohol, tax and gratuity.
The Argot Room is at 717 Haywood Road. For reservations, visit avl.mx/e1d.
The RailYard takes a break
The RailYard, a Black Mountain events venue and home of Smoke and Ember restaurant, announced on Aug. 20 that it has temporarily closed for an undetermined period. The statement attributed the closure to a “necessary restructuring process due to the challenging economic environment and the need for owner John Richardson to prioritize his health.” The statement goes on to say that the business hopes to reopen in the fall and will host a community celebration starting at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the space, featuring musical acts The Big Deal Band and Cuberow.
“We are carefully exploring all available options during this period and remain fully committed to finding the best path forward,” Richardson said in the statement.
The RailYard is at 141 Richardson Blvd., Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/e2e.
More awards for Noble Cider
Noble Cider keeps the streak alive, following up its two June wins at Cidercraft magazine’s seventh annual Cidercraft Awards with more recognition at the July N.C. Wine Competition, presented by the N.C. Department of Agriculture’s N.C. Wine and Grape Council to showcase North Carolina wine, cider and mead. In its first year of entering, Noble took the top prize — the N.C. Wine Cup — for its Village Tart cider, and its Spice Merchant won Best Cider. Noble’s Lewis Creek Orchard Reserve French Cidre, English Cider and American Heirloom all won silver awards.
Noble’s latest releases, Strawberry Mimosa and Bone Dry Standard, can be sampled at its New Leicester Highway taproom.
Noble Cider is at 356 New Leicester Highway, Asheville. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1c
Harvest Records celebrated its 20th anniversary on Aug. 14. The West Asheville shop is co-owned by Mark Capon and Matt Schnable, college friends who’ve turned the business into a local favorite and Best of WNC Hall of Fame winner for “Best Record/ CD Store.”
“We’ve always tried our best to do right by our community — listening to their interests, keeping things priced as cheaply as we can, paying fairly for used product, etc.,” Capon says. “And over years and years of doing that, it seems like folks kept coming back to us because they felt like we had treated them well.”
Capon also credits their success to Harvest’s “top-notch” staff, who master dozens of little operational “systems” that he and Schnable have created within the store while providing excellent customer service and expert music knowledge. In turn, the business has been able to navigate various twists and turns within the music industry over the past two decades — from the rise in streaming services to the resurgence of vinyl records.
“As long as people continue to be interested in the discovery of music on physical media, we’ll do our best to provide it for them,” Capon says.
Looking back over Harvest’s run, Capon points to heroes Brian Eno and Cat Power visiting the store as two of the business’s top highlights. In-store performances from Michael Hurley , Akron/Family, Jason Molina, Cass McCombs, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and more have likewise felt “mind-blowing” for him and his colleagues.
“We could name-drop all day long, but we’re also proud of just all the relationships forged over the years with our customers,” he says. “Keeping the current staff for as many years as they’ve been here feels pretty special, too.”
The Harvest crew looks forward to celebrating the milestone anniversary Saturday through Monday, Aug. 31Sept. 2, with the store’s annual sale. Everything in the shop will be discounted 20%, and there will be raffle prizes, DJ performances, free beer and more.
“We’re grateful for the tightknit small-business community in Asheville,” Capon says. “It seems obvious, but I am fairly certain you can’t find a business support system in other cities like you do here — especially our fellow Haywood Roaders. Love y’all.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/dr0.
Dr. Dog & Lil Frankies combine forces
In mid-July, Asheville-based artists Dulci Ellenberger, Alyse Bacca and Becca Nicholson had the opportunity of a lifetime when they joined fellow local Scott McMicken and his iconic indie rock band Dr. Dog for a handful of shows around the country.
The opportunity arose after the friends provided backing vocals on McMicken’s project The EverExpanding’s 2024 album, When It’s Happening, and at a pair of live shows promoting its release. Dr. Dog had been on hiatus since a run of Philadelphia shows at the end of 2021 but reunited for four performances this summer. Seeking to amplify the band’s sound during these shows, McMicken recruited the singers to join them on the road and provide harmonies.
Before the minitour, the trio held multiple practice sessions in the PressOn Records shed — the recording studio in McMicken’s backyard. “We learned parts for over 30 songs over the course of a couple months,” Bacca says. “Scott recorded all of our rehearsals and sent them to the rest of the band for any ideas or feedback. When we finally got to have a full band rehearsal in Philly, we were able to fine-tune everything.”
While dialing in the sound with the rest of the group, the women were given the nickname “Lil Frankies” in honor of Dr. Dog’s Frank McElroy, who writes most of the harmony and background vocal parts for the band. They then played shows in Wilmington, Del.; Philadelphia; Englewood, Colo.; and finally at the scenic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., where they experienced one of the week’s most magical sights.
“We were offstage before the encore, and the entire crowd — almost 10,000 people — had their cellphone flashlights lit up, cheering and waiting for us to come back out,” Nicholson says. “It was such an overwhelming and beautiful moment of unity and love.”
Though such moments could also feel overwhelming, Ellenberger notes that every member of Dr. Dog “was always superpresent and connected with us,” and Bacca adds that the band made their new collaborators feel like “part of the family.” The experience was so positive that they’ll all get back together for one more show this year on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Riot Fest in Chicago.
Burnsville poet explores midlife with math
Burnsville-based poet and playwright Britt Kaufmann’s new book, Midlife Calculus, will launch at her hometown’s Carolina Mountains Literary Festival, Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 5-7.
The author’s first full-length collection of poetry stems from her desire to finally learn calculus at the age of 47. While continuing her education, she found herself writing mostly short poems about midlife, learning something new and difficult, and the state of public education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I kept the early drafts of these poems in my math notebooks where I first jotted them down and tried to ignore them so I would keep ’playing’ and creating,” Kaufmann says. “It wasn’t until I’d amassed a good number of poems that I transferred them into a special notebook and began
editing. And it wasn’t until I was certain I had enough polished poems for a full-length collection that I even began sending out individual submissions to literary magazines.”
Kaufmann hopes that Midlife Calculus appeals to a wide readership, including math lovers, whom she’s confident will find the Easter eggs hidden in her poems. Another goal is that readers will come away from the collection with a willingness to give teachers and teens a little more grace and appreciate that the work they’re doing “is fraught with individual challenges.”
“What would make me happiest is if a parent sat down with their teen to read one of the poems and said, ’I don’t remember much about high school math, can you help me understand this poem better?’ and their teen got a chance to show off all they’ve learned,” she says. “Maybe then, the parent and teen talk about some of the hard stuff going on in their lives.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/e25.
Art lecture series with pastry
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts will host a monthly, fourpart lecture series, An Artful Journey: A Morning of Art, Conversation and Gourmet Treats, starting Wednesday, Sept. 25. Led by local art historian Julianna Caro, the Wednesday morning lectures will explore the world’s most exceptional art exhibitions of 2024.
Attendees will have an opportunity to mingle and then learn about the birth of Impressionism (Sept. 25), the African American artists of the Harlem Renaissance (Oct. 16), portraiture artist John Singer Sargent’s use of fashion (Nov. 13) and the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest contemporary art exhibition (Dec. 11). Each lecture costs $25 and includes a beverage and pastry from Recess Coffee.
To register and learn more, visit avl.mx/8yh.
Eurasian music performance
Folkmoot USA will host a performance by the Black Sea Beat Society on Thursday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m., at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
The Asheville-based band blends Eurasian music, including Balkan Brass, Turkish Psychedelic, Middle Eastern classics and Klezmer tunes, using accordion, guitar, drums and an energetic horn section.
The Tahini Jar Food Truck will serve food at the performance. Tickets are available at the door on a sliding “pay what you can” scale from $0-$22, and donations are also welcome.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/cp9.
For the kids
Asheville-based educator Yvette Odell’s Kindermusik with Yvette has been named a Top Program by Kindermusik International, the world’s leading provider of music-based education for infants, toddlers and young children.
Odell’s independent Kindermusik studio has been serving the Asheville area since 2008. She taught in Holland, Mich., for 13 years before moving to Asheville. The Kindermusik Top Program Conductor Award honors excellence in spreading the lasting developmental benefits of music and movement.
“These accredited educators and their teams work tirelessly to not only reach more families with the power of shared musical play but to teach parents and caregivers how to use it after class so that the learning continues,” says Scott Kinsey, CEO at Kindermusik International, in a press release. “Their ability to continuously connect and facilitate these joyful ‘aha’ moments is something that really sets them apart.”
— Edwin Arnaudin
X
MOVIE REVIEWS
SING SING: This fact-based, prison-set drama seems destined to win a few Oscars. Grade: B — Edwin Arnaudin
ONCE IN A LIFETIME: Harvest Records co-owners Mark Capon, left, and Matt Schnable have built the shop into an Asheville institution over the past 20 years. Photo by Madelyn Anderson
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28
12 BONES BREWERY
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
ASHEVILLE GUITAR
BAR
Ben Balmer w/special guest Ed Jurdi, 8pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm
EULOGY
Street Fever (hardcore, dark-wave, industrial), 8pm
FLEETWOOD'S PSK Karaoke, 9pm
FRENCH BROAD
RIVER BREWERY
Saylor Brothers & Friends (jamgrass), 6pm
HARVEST HOUSE
Contra Acoustic Music Jam, 2:45pm
IMPERIÁL
DJ Otto Maddox (soul, funk), 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD
PUB
Old Time Jam, 5pm
LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA
Everybody But You Bro Comedy Open Mic, 6pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO.
Bluegrass Jam w/Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Mr. V (multi-genre), 10pm
SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm
SLY GROG LOUNGE
Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 6pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR
Bill Altman (blues), 7pm
THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.
Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm THE OUTPOST
Bluegrass Jam w/Sam Wharton, 6pm
URBAN ORCHARD
CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE
Trivia Wednesday, 6:30pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Session, 7pm
THURSDAY, AUGUST 29
27 CLUB
Chatterton, Trust Blinks & My Body With Blood (alt-indie, experimental, hardcore), 9pm
• One Love Sundays (reggae), 6pm PISGAH BREWING CO. Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6pm
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Although there are over 7,000 varieties of apples, your grocery store probably offers no more than 15. But you shouldn’t feel deprived. Having 15 alternatives is magnificent. In fact, most of us do better in dealing with a modicum of choices rather than an extravagant abundance. This is true not just about apples but also about most things. I mention this, Aries, because now is an excellent time to pare down your options in regard to all your resources and influences. You will function best if you’re not overwhelmed with possibilities. You will thrive as you experiment with the principle that less is more.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus comedian Jerry Seinfeld, now 70 years old, has testified, “As a child, the only clear thought I had was ‘get candy.’” I encourage you to be equally singleminded in the near future, Taurus. Not necessarily about candy — but about goodies that appeal to your inner child as well as your inner teenager and inner adult. You are authorized by cosmic forces to go in quest of experiences that tickle your bliss.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m not saying I would refuse to hire a Gemini person to housesit while I’m on vacation. You folks probably wouldn’t let my houseplants die, allow raccoons to sneak in and steal food, or leave piles of unwashed dishes in the sink. On the other hand, I’m not entirely confident you would take impeccable care of my home in every little way. But wait! Everything I just said does not apply to you now. My analysis of the omens suggests you will have a high aptitude for the domestic arts in the coming weeks. You will be more likely than usual to take good care of my home — and your own home, too. It’s a good time to redecorate and freshen up the vibe.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): These days, you are even smarter and more perceptive than usual. The deep intelligence of your higher self is pouring into your conscious awareness with extra intensity. That’s a good thing, right? Yes, mostly. But there may be a downside: You could be hyper-aware of people whose thinking is mediocre and whose discernment is substandard. That could be frustrating, though it also puts you in a good position to correct mistakes those people make. As you wield the healing power of your wisdom, heed these words from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: “Misunderstandings and lethargy produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had an older sister, born under the sign of Leo. Her nickname was Nannerl. During their childhoods, she was as much a musical prodigy as he. Supervised by their father, they toured Europe performing together, playing harpsichord and piano. Nannerl periodically got top billing, and some critics regarded her as the superior talent. But misfortune struck when her parents decided it was unseemly for her, as a female, to continue her development as a genius. She was forcibly retired so she could learn the arts of housekeeping and prepare for marriage and children. Your assignment in the coming months, Leo, is to rebel against any influence that tempts you to tamp down your gifts and specialties. Assert your sovereignty. Identify what you do best, and do it more and better than you ever have before.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): When an infant giraffe leaves its mother’s womb, it falls six feet to the ground. I suspect that when you are reborn sometime soon, Virgo, a milder and more genial jolt will occur. It may even be quite rousing and inspirational — not rudely bumpy at all. By the way, the plunge of the baby giraffe snaps its umbilical cord and stimulates the creature to take its initial breaths — getting it ready to begin its life journey. I suspect your genial jolt will bring comparable benefits.
22):
ROB BREZSNY
large ants. This is not an exotic meal for them. They may cook the ukuy or simply eat the creatures alive. If you travel to Napo anytime soon, Libra, I urge you to sample the ukuy According to my reading of the astrological omens, such an experiment is in alignment with the kinds of experiences you Libras should be seeking: outside your usual habits, beyond your typical expectations, and in amused rebellion against your customary way of doing things.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The theory of karma suggests that all our actions, good and bad and in-between, send ripples out into the world. These ripples eventually circle back to us, ensuring we experience events that mirror our original actions. If we lie and cheat, we will be lied to and cheated on. If we give generously and speak kindly about other people, we will be the recipient of generosity and kind words. I bring this up, Scorpio, because I believe you will soon harvest a slew of good karma that you have set in motion through your generosity and kindness. It may sometimes seem as if you’re getting more benevolence than you deserve, but in my estimation, it’s all well-earned.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I encourage you to buy yourself fun presents that give you a feisty boost. Why? Because I want you to bring an innovative, starting-fresh spirit into the ripening projects you are working on. Your attitude and approach could become too serious unless you infuse them with the spunky energy of an excitable kid. Gift suggestions: new music that makes you feel wild; new jewelry or clothes that make you feel daring; new tools that raise your confidence; and new information that stirs your creativity.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): On a Tuesday in August in 2012 — one full Jupiter cycle ago — a Capricorn friend of mine called in sick to his job as a marketing specialist. He never returned. Instead, after enjoying a week off to relax, he began working to become a dance instructor. After six months, he was teaching novice students. Three years later, he was proficient enough to teach advanced students, and five years later, he was an expert. I am not advising you, Capricorn, to quit your job and launch your own quixotic quest for supremely gratifying work. But if you were ever going to start taking small steps towards that goal, now would be a good time. It’s also a favorable phase to improve the way your current job works for you.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Three years ago, an Indonesian man celebrated his marriage to a rice cooker, which is a kitchen accessory. Khoirul Anam wore his finest clothes while his new spouse donned a white veil. In photos posted on social media, the happy couple are shown hugging and kissing. Now might also be a favorable time for you to wed your fortunes more closely with a valuable resource — though there’s no need to perform literal nuptials. What material thing helps bring out the best in you? If there is no such thing, now would be a good time to get it.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For many years, I didn’t earn enough money to pay taxes. I was indigent. Fortunately, social programs provided me with food and some medical care. In recent years, though, I have had a better cash flow. I regularly send the U.S. government a share of my income. I wish they would spend all my tax contributions to help people in need. Alas, just 42% of my taxes pay for acts of kindness to my fellow humans, while 24% goes to funding the biggest military machine on earth. Maybe someday, there will be an option to allocate my tax donations exactly as I want. In this spirit, Pisces, I invite you to take inventory of the gifts and blessings you dole out. Now is a good time to correct any dubious priorities. Take steps to ensure that your generosity is going where it’s most needed and appreciated. What kind of giving makes you feel best?
WED: Trivia • THUR: Karaoke
FRI
GOOD TREES RIVER BAND - KingGizzard and The Lizard Wizard AFTER PARTY! 8/30
KARMA DOGS Classic Rock 8/31 SAT
FRI
Your neighborhood bar… no matter where you live. 21+ ID REQUIRED • NO
FREE FLOW BAND The Guardians of Funk 9/6
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct.
Many people living in the Napo province of Ecuador enjoy eating a dish called ukuy, which is a Kichwa word for
Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes (Southern-rock, country), 8pm
CROW & QUILL
Meschiya Lake & The Moodswingers, 8pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY Karaoke Night w/KJ Marcula, 8pm
FLEETWOOD'S Separate Incidents, Acid Jo & Keepers of the Brink (punk, psych, Americana), 9pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm
IMPERIÁL
DJ Nex Millen (hip-hop, R&B), 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Andrew Wakefield (bluegrass, folk, Americana), 7pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 10pm
ONE WORLD BREWING Will Hartz (Appalachian), 8pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST
Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm
OUTSIDER BREWING Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
PULP
Slice Standup Comedy Contest, 7pm
PISGAH BREWING CO.
Andy Frasco & The U.N. w/Andrew Scotchie (rock'n'roll, blues, Americana), 6:30pm
SALVAGE STATION Dirty Logic (Steely Dan tribute), 7pm
SHILOH & GAINES Karaoke Night, 8pm
STATIC AGE LOFT Karaoke Night, 10pm
THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Terraoke, 7pm
THE GREY EAGLE Cristina Vane (multigenre), 8pm WICKED WEED BREWING
Andy Ferrell (folk, blues, bluegrass), 6pm
RENTALS
APARTMENTS FOR RENT
APARTMENT FOR RENT
Lower level 1 bed 1 bath apartment East of Asheville near Warren Wilson College. Owner shares laundry room. $1050/month, plus $150 for utilities. Includes heat, A/C, and Wi-Fi. 828-545-0043
HOMES FOR RENT
EAST ASHEVILLE (CHUNNS
COVE) 2 Bedroom/1 Bath House, Water Furnished, No Pets, No Smoking, Carport and Covered Porch, Heat Pump for Heat & AC, Washer/Dryer Hookup. $1,800 per month. Security Deposit $1,800. 1-Year Lease. 828-252-3431
EMPLOYMENT
GENERAL
READY FOR AN OFF-ROAD-
ING ADVENTURE? New
Bronco Off-Roadeo location opening in Maryville, TN.
We are building a team of Trail Guides, Guest Services, and Vehicle Detailers! Text BRONCO to (313) 585-7123 to APPLY.
HUMAN SERVICES
ONTRACK WNC IS HIRING
A BILINGUAL EDUCATOR
We will review applications and schedule candidate
interviews on a rolling basis beginning Thursday, August 8th until the position is filled. Job description & application instructions: ontrackwnc. org/were-hiring
COMPUTER/ TECHNICAL
TECH/MEDIA SPECIALIST AT ST. PAUL'S UMC Parttime (5-8 hr/wk) Tech/Media Specialist at St. Paul’s UMC, 223 Hillside St., Asheville: Responsible for developing and maintaining electronic media /audio visual; help us engage/communicate with the community. iahill72@msn. com stpaulsumcasheville.org
RETAIL
SHOPKEEPER AT CAROLINA FLOWERS ASHEVILLE
Upbeat shopkeeper needed for Asheville location. This customer service role requires excellent computer skills. Not a florist. Expect light floral duties. 4-, 5- and 9-hour shifts. Apply at carolinaflowers.com/jobs info@carolinaflowers.com
HOME IMPROVEMENT
HANDY MAN
HANDY MAN 40 years experience in the trades, with every skill/tool imaginable for all trades with the exception of HVAC. No job too small. $35 an hour. Carl (828) 5516000 electricblustudio@ gmail.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS
AFFORDABLE TV & INTER-
NET If you are overpaying for your service, call now for a free quote and see how much you can save! 1-844588-6579. (AAN CAN)
AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM
DAMAGE? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-888-292-8225 (AAN CAN)
BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES in as little as one day. Superior quality bath and shower systems at affordable prices. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Call Now! 1-855-402-6997. (AAN CAN)
GOT AN UNWANTED CAR? Donate it to Patriotic Hearts. Fast free pick up. All 50 States. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans find work or start their own business. Call 24/7: 1-855402-7631. (AAN CAN)
NEED NEW WINDOWS?
Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energy efficient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & FREE quote today. 1-877-248-9944. (AAN CAN)
PAYING TOP CA$H FOR MEN'S SPORT WATCHES
Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 1-855-402-7109 (AAN CAN)
PEST CONTROL Protect your home from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite,
Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833-237-1199 (AAN CAN)
STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show you how much you can save. Call now for a no obligation quote: 1-866-472-8309 (AAN CAN)
TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 1-855402-7208. (AAN CAN)
WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. We do complete repairs to protect your family and your home's value! For a free estimate, call 24/7: 1-888-290-2264 (AAN CAN)
YOU MAY QUALIFY For disability benefits if you have are between 52-63 years old and under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now! 1-877-247-6750. (AAN CAN)
FOR MUSICIANS
MUSICIANS’ BULLETIN
WANTED: BANDMATES FOR ROCK/METAL Possible limited practice space. Bass, drums, other. Equipment necessary. Chevelle, Tool, Måneskin, Clutch, Paramore, Pantera, not Ghost. Text Lee W. (828) 335-0930
ACROSS
1 Ticketmaster alternative
8 Some experts on viruses
15 Longtime home decor chain with a name that anagrams to PIONEER
16 Clean again, as hair
17 Plant with edible sprouts
18 Piling up wins
19 Substitute
20 Small vessel in the deep ocean
21 Symbols of an in-progress text
22 Alfred for whom a coffee chain is named
23 Fabrics retailer
26 Like Brendan Fraser’s character in “The Whale”
30 ___ Jackson a.k.a. Ice Cube
31 Where you might put in dough and take out bread?
34 3/14
35 Joystickcontrolled contraption depicted in this puzzle
38 Results of some hard punches, for short
39 Speedway racer
40 ___ school
41 Radio station that produces “Radiolab”
42 Ever so slightly
44 Shed on a frozen lake
47 Complete reversals
51 Neck artery
53 Smooth over
54 Setting for a 35-Across
56 Ready to eat
57
59 Suffix with winning or losing 60 Biz ___ (corporate team, informally)
Collector’s goal
1 Purveyors of wellness packages 2 Pinball infraction 3 Soccer org. that runs the Champions League 4 Never-beforeseen 5 “Wait!” … or hopeful words while playing a 35-Across? 6 Not suited (for) 7 “Cool ___!” 8 Walk heavily 9 Start of a counting rhyme 10 Professional who might expect to do well with a 35-Across? 11 Achieve great
“Does it look like
from
“___ Love,” 2012 song that became a marriage equality anthem
