Mountain Xpress 08.30.23

BEST OF WNC PART ONE

Don’t be late to this Alice in Wonderland-themed Best Of WNC tea party! In the first part of our annual awards, you’ll find local champions in arts & entertainment, shopping, personal services, kids

much more.

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Voucher change would hurt public education

I am exceedingly concerned about the national trend toward school vouchers. While the playing field appears to be leveled, it is actually subsidizing students already enrolled in expensive private schools, while draining the funding of public schools. Public education wasn’t an American right until 1918. The end result will further dismantle public education, where learning is already under attack.

Your article [“Public Money for Private Schools: N.C. Legislature Prioritizes Private Education,” Aug. 9, summarized in Xpress’ newsletter] lays it on the table:

“The bill, which is essentially vetoproof, would remove the income eligibility cap for the private school voucher program, aka Opportunity Scholarships, plus allow students already enrolled in private schools to apply for the program.

“Since the state funds schools based on attendance, if students migrate to private schools using vouchers, the corresponding public districts lose funding.

“Buncombe County’s two public school districts could be out a combined $5.6 million in fiscal year 202627 if the bill passes.”

— Peggy Crowe Asheville

Celebrate local visions of world peace

I applaud Mountain Xpress for giving us an opportunity to glimpse and understand various motivations and opinions of veterans [June 28 issue]. It reveals the human side on a personal level and helps us to understand veterans’ military experience, bringing us closer together. Hopefully, Mountain Xpress will continue this by reaching out to the local activists in groups such as Veterans for Peace and Reject Raytheon, and covering events like the International Day of Peace, expressing a broader experience of the practice of nonviolence and peacemaking.

For example, on July 8, various local groups participated in the second annual 24-hour Peace Wave, a global campaign for peace education. This featured peace actions in the streets and squares around the globe. We are not alone. This continues the ongoing practice that dates back to July 9, 1955, when 11 scientists, including Albert Einstein, warned that a choice must be made between war and human survival.

Don’t try to ‘save the honeybees’

I think it’s worth noting that honeybee experts worldwide are urging people to not adopt hives. It seems that widespread coverage of colony collapse disorder a decade ago spurred a widespread belief that honeybees were in trouble. In fact, they are not.

The bees that are in trouble are the hundreds of native bees, which are being outcompeted by the 26% increase in domestic bees over the last decade. Yes, colonies collapsed, but what wasn’t reported is that commercial beekeepers rapidly replace the failed hives.

The warning is taken seriously by local Asheville peace workers who have participated in the International Day of Peace over the past several years. This highlights a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace and contribute to creating a culture of peace established in 1981. In 2022, 91 countries initiated 846 celebrations of the International Day of Peace. This year’s local action will be held on Sept. 21 and 23. Celebrations like the International Day of Peace are efforts to overcome misunderstandings — not against people, but against misplaced fear, war-making, lack of awareness and experience. On a personal level, I am unwilling to delegate my ethical, political and spiritual worldview to a militarized nation that builds weapons of mass destruction, thus depriving citizens of our social needs for families, children and hardworking folks.

I believe nonviolent actions for peace, justice and a united society are a high form of patriotism. There are powerful stories about truth overcoming lies and waging peace: a goal against hatred, manipulation, misplaced fear, greed and apathy. The goal is a society with equity and justice for all, creating communities where every person’s potential may be fulfilled.

Do yourself and our country a favor in some small way that will address a higher cause. Our task is to learn how we can best live together. Read, study, reflect and join others in conversations. Learn what it is to be human in a caring society. There is nothing stopping you from picking

up a book, reading magazines or viewing talks on YouTube. Opening the mind helps one to become more curious, less fearful, more confident and your life more fulfilling.

Reflect on what your life will be like 20-30 years or so in the future. You very likely will be more disappointed in things you did not do than the things you did. History moves forward, not backward or sideways. This specific moment will pass. It’s here, it goes, and it’s gone. The time is now to begin lifelong learning to do your little thing in our small corner of the world to make things better.

Join the International Day of Peace on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at Ingles, 669 Haywood Road, for a walk, and on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in East Asheville, 2-4 p.m., to combine our hearts and voices of the joys of peace in a nonviolent world. We’ll sing, dance and celebrate our vision of a world where respect and kindness flourish.

Contact esacco189@gmail.com for more information or challenge me if you wish, but please do your homework first.

— Ed Sacco Asheville

Danger to Asheville from nuclear weapons

WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility is working on Oppenheimer’s problem. Join us if you get it.

— Dot Sulock Asheville

Meanwhile, the “Save the Honeybees” movement brought a lot of well-intentioned new beekeepers into the practice, including in the Asheville area. Bee City USA, which certifies cities and universities as “pollinator-friendly” due to the establishment of native bee-friendly plantings, was founded here. That’s helping all pollinating species, not just honeybees. Honeybees are best described as “livestock” and, like so many other animal husbandry practices, are supplanting native species. So please don’t try to “Save the Honeybees.”

— Cecil Bothwell Asheville

Looking for local election news amid the clutter

Every four years at this time, I get very aggravated by the tendency of next year’s hopeless presidential elections to displace and suppress coverage of this year’s local elections, in which some hope remains. The role of Asheville in this problem has changed, but not for the better, since Asheville election news promises to be even more displaced next year than it would have been this year.

I also don’t necessarily mean there is any hope in Buncombe County’s remaining 2023 municipal elections. The glimmer of hope lies with the good (meaning anti-zoning, anti-natalist, abortion-funding, unvaccinated leftist) candidates in at least one of the 35,000 or so municipalities in the U.S., a number that dwarfs the two major political parties in terms of choices. This (Grafton, N.H.) is where the hope for third parties also lies, not with Cornel West, who has far too few mayoral endorsements to bother.

The reality, though, is that coverage of these tens of thousands of races is so poor that not even modern AI search engines can find it amid the presidential clutter, and that’s a real shame.

— Alan Ditmore Leicester

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

The insider’s guide

Two parties, one mission

Newly appointed Elections Board members share similar goals

BY GREG PARLIER

gparlier@mountainx.com

Despite opposite party affiliations, Sally Stein and Mary Ann Braine can agree on at least one thing: The integrity of elections is paramount to the health of our democracy.

As the newest appointees to the Buncombe County Board of Elections, Stein, a registered Democrat, and Braine, a registered Republican, are both impressed with the security and organization of Buncombe’s elections, despite allegations of election improprieties in other states.

The two took disparate paths to their seats on the board, and Corinne Duncan, Buncombe’s director of elections, says diversity is vital to running healthy and representative elections.

“Our office is intentional about working to build positive relationships with everyone we interact with. We strive to hold a space for all voices, and the bipartisan meetings of the Board of Elections embody this,” Duncan says.

Stein and Braine were appointed by the N.C. State Board of Elections to join the five-member, bipartisan board after being recommended by the state chairs of their respective parties. They were sworn in on July 18.

They were appointed to replace outgoing members Republican Robert Carpenter and Democrat Linda Block

They will serve two-year terms, attend countless meetings and make $2,600 a year. Like every county board of elections in the state, Buncombe has two Democratic and two Republican appointees. The chair, appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper, is Jake Quinn, a Democrat. The other members are Glen C. Shults Jr., a Democrat, and Republican Steven Aceto County boards of elections appoint judges and assistants to work the polls on Election Day, investigate irregularities and violations of election law, count absentee and provisional ballots, conduct hearings on protests, and certify results, among other duties. Boards of elections aren’t fiscal bodies; election services staff and equipment are funded by county governments.

In separate interviews with Xpress, Braine and Stein both stressed the importance of working across party lines to maintain the integrity of elections locally and ensure transparency of the process.

“In these days and times especially, it feels so nice to be able to be in the same room with persons of a different party and work together on a common goal, which is to make sure our elections are safe and transparent. And that has been really inspiring,” says Stein.

For Braine, transparency is the key word.

“Hopefully, as a board member, I can help bring some transparency to [the process]. And also, the integrity of our system is critical at this point in time. We want people to feel like our elections matter; otherwise, they’re just not going to vote,” Braine says.

TUNES OF SERVICE

Stein spent much of her career working in various health-related fields, often focused on behavioral and mental health issues. She has been a social worker and a nurse, worked in general and psychiatric hospitals, directed a program addressing childhood obesity and worked to integrate behavioral and mental health services into doctors’ offices, she says.

When she retired in 2012, she began volunteering on various nonprofit boards, including Helpmate and United Way.

She helped establish the Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, an organization that supports those in recovery by matching them with peers who have gone through similar substance use and mental health challenges. She still serves on the board.

But what really keeps her moving is music. She plays various styles of music all around Asheville, including old-time and Celtic.

“I think it’s just how it feels in my body. I grin big when I hear something I really love. My whole body moves when I hear something I love. It’s just in my blood,” she says.

Stein didn’t really become involved in politics and elections until a friend convinced her to become a chief judge, which supervises a precinct, on Election Day in 2020. She did it again in 2022, and when there was an opening on the board, she decided that would be a good way to give back to the community in a new manner.

Less than a month after their first day, the board went to a state conference Aug. 14-15, when Stein says she got goosebumps when hundreds of workers from around the state stood up to proudly say the Pledge of Allegiance together.

DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS: The shared desire of Republican Mary Ann Braine, left, and Democrat Sally Stein to maintain the integrity of elections has them joining the Buncombe County Board of Elections in time for municipal elections in the towns of Weaverville and Woodfin, and the Woodfin Water and Sewer District this fall. Photos courtesy of Buncombe County

“Sitting in a room with 800 people and not talking about partisan politics, but instead talking about our single goal, was a delight,” she says.

FOR HER FAMILY

Braine, who was born in Asheville, brings a more family-oriented perspective to her service on the board.

After working as a hairstylist for years in Knoxville, Tenn., she returned to Asheville with her husband and went to school for accounting and computer programming at A-B Tech.

She started working at the polls in 2016 after her daughters grew up and moved out. She started thinking about what kind of world she was leaving them.

“What can I do to make this a better place? And when you have time, I think it’s incumbent upon us to be involved in the system. Elections are the primary way that people [can have an effect on] their government. You have the ability to choose people to represent you and to hold them accountable,” she says.

Working at the polls got her even more curious about the inner workings of elections, and she started attending board meetings regularly in 2022 to learn more, she says.

“There’s so much that goes on before elections that most people have no clue until you start attending the meetings.”

Braine always asked a lot of questions and eventually was asked if she would be interested in joining the board.

She says her background in information technology and accounting will translate well to a board that spends a lot of time counting absentee ballots and auditing election results.

SHARED CONFIDENCE

Stein and Braine took different paths to the board of elections, but

they share confidence in the system and a sense of duty.

Braine, a self-proclaimed skeptic, wasn’t so sure when she started attending board meetings after watching the news about 2020 election results being called into question in other states.

“As far as Buncombe County, I’ll be honest with you, I was very surprised,” she acknowledges.

“In a year and a half of watching them, I was pleased. I felt like the Buncombe County Board of Elections was trying to do our job, and our job is to actually enforce the existing statutes.”

Now on the board, Braine says the staff and other board members all have the best interest of residents and the system’s integrity in mind.

Stein agrees, saying she has 100% confidence in the system in place.

“So far, I can say that from both my chief judge work and my work for the last two, three months with this board that I’m pretty impressed with the organization of it, staff knowledge and the leadership for both the board and the staff. So, I feel really supported,” she says.

Braine’s priority is to bring increased transparency to the board, possibly by moving meetings to later in the day to make them easier to attend.

“Hopefully, we can help people understand the process better and we need their input. If they think we’re doing something that’s not the best process, not the best procedure, then we need to be listening to it,” she says.

Stein’s goal is to maintain the system so more people than ever before can participate in the process and vote, she says.

“This is the central piece of our democracy, the right to vote. And, if the votes are fair, and people are elected fairly, and there’s due process for challenges, and then there’s some end result, that is where we all accept the results and move on. This is like the bedrock of democracy, this work.” X

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84 Coxe Avenue Suite 100 Asheville, NC 28801 828-252-2032

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School choice

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

Haywood County home-schooler

Celeste Riddle has a few reasons to be excited about her decision to take two classes at Pisgah High School this year.

For one thing, she’s never attended a public school and is looking forward to experiencing a new learning environment. And she figures she will make some new friends.

But mostly, the sophomore admits, her decision was fueled by her desire to put on the black-and-red uniform of the Pisgah Bears come basketball season.

“I’ll be able to play sports for school, and I’m very excited about it,” she says.

For the first time this year, Haywood County Schools will allow home-schoolers such as Celeste to participate in middle and high school athletics, provided they take at least two classes in person. Buncombe County Schools and Asheville City Schools adopted similar policies after the N.C.

High School Athletic Association allowed dual-enrolled home-schoolers in 2019. Students can dual-enroll in the schools in the districts in which they live. In other words, they can’t choose which high school to attend, nor can schools recruit student-athletes from other schools.

Buncombe County schools have two dually enrolled home-school students participating in athletics this school year.

A surge in home-schoolers and a decline in enrollment following the COVID-19 pandemic was part of the reason Haywood County Board of Education decided to allow homeschooled students to play for Pisgah, Tuscola and other schools. The number of home-schooled students in the county increased 20% from 2019-20 (676) to 2022-23 (810). During the same period, district enrollment dropped from 7,101 students to 6,499, a 8.5% decrease.

“It was the hope of the board that by allowing home-school students to participate in school-sponsored ath-

letics, the school system could potentially see an increase in its overall [average daily membership] while also strengthening the sense of community in Haywood County,” says Assistant Superintendent Graham Haynes

(State funding is based on attendance numbers, so dual-enrolled students increase revenue.)

Celeste’s father, Jeremy Riddle, says that sense of community is one reason he lobbied school officials to allow his children and other home-schoolers to compete for Pisgah. His middle school son, Cade, is a wrestler and football player who hopes to one day participate in the storied Pisgah-Tuscola rivalry. And he wants Celeste to have the experience of playing in front of exuberant basketball crowds.

“There are some intangibles that are in the public schools,” he says. “If they want to be a part of that, we want to make sure that doors open for them.”

But not everyone in the homeschool community chooses to participate in public school athletics, opting

instead for Christian schools or the Western Carolina Athletic Association, commonly known as the Asheville Trailblazers. The Christian nonprofit offers competitive sports programs for home-schoolers in Buncombe and five surrounding counties.

Trailblazers President David VanWyck says that while the program has lost some of its best athletes to Buncombe and other districts since 2019, hundreds have stuck with it. For one thing, he says, some homeschool parents simply aren’t comfortable having their children attend any public school classes. The Buncombe and Asheville districts require home-schoolers to take at least one class in person and one virtually.

“This is a good option if they’re interested in a safe place for their kids to just have fun and learn a sport,” says VanWyck, who also coaches the boys soccer team. “It’s a very competitive atmosphere that we have, but it protects them from some of that stuff that does happen in public schools.”

HOME GAME: About 500-600 home-schooled students compete in 11 sports through the Asheville Trailblazers each year. Photo courtesy of David VanWyck

Why some WNC home-schoolers participate in public school sports (and some don’t)

BETTER COMPETITION

For Celeste and other homeschooled students who choose to participate in public school athletics, a key factor is the opportunity to play against better competition. Last season, she played for Haywood Christian Academy, a small Waynesville school that allows home-schoolers to play on its teams.

“I just know that the schools that we [Pisgah] play will be more competitive, and the schools will be bigger,” she says. “There’ll be better ballplayers than I have been playing against for the Christian school.”

Playing at a higher level is particularly important for home-schooled athletes who have aspirations of college athletic scholarships.

Riddle says home-schoolers are at a disadvantage when it comes to college recruiting and often need the visibility that comes from competing at a program like Pisgah.

“My son is a national champion wrestler, and he is going to be wrestling for Canton Middle School this year,” says Riddle, a JROTC instructor at Pisgah. “He’s going to be on pace to be a Division 1 recruit as of right now. He will need to wrestle in high school.” Division 1 comprises the largest universities with the top athletic programs.

Dyllan Barnwell , who played basketball and football for North Buncombe High as a dual-enrolled home-schooler from 2019-21, transferred to Asheville Christian Academy and earned a basketball scholarship to Montreat College. He credits playing for the North Buncombe Black Hawks for setting him on the road to athletic success.

“It made me get better as an athlete going forward,” he says. “You want to be playing against the best competition you can.”

Barnwell was among the first students to take advantage of the district’s new policy in 2019, says his father, Vollie Barnwell. Since home-schooling families pay the same property taxes as anyone else, Vollie Barnwell says he appreciated the opportunity his son had to benefit from the school’s athletic programs.

“He grew up playing in North Buncombe youth leagues, and I remember he said, ’One day, Dad, I’m going to run out on that field [at North Buncombe High],” he says. “I remember thinking, ’No, you won’t because we’re home schooling.’ So when he got that opportunity, that was just really cool.”

He credits North Buncombe High administrators and teachers for making the transition smooth for his son.

BLAZING TRAILS

The Trailblazers’ VanWyck understands why some parents opt to have their kids play at public schools.

“We can’t compete with A.C. Reynolds or T.C. Roberson and some of those programs because they have much more money and they have a lot more opportunity to offer some of these kids,” he admits. “And you do need to do a little bit more work to get noticed as a home-school athlete.”

But he says that is not necessarily the case in every sport. In soccer, for instance, players often get recruited at identification camps hosted by colleges or youth soccer organizations at which college coaches scout talented high school players.

“We’ve had plenty of athletes go on to play in college,” he says.

Michael Audet’s two oldest daughters participated in soccer and track at Henderson County middle schools before he and his wife, Christina, decided to go back to home-schooling in 2021. They signed up for Trailblazers and have had a positive experience, he says.

“They have a different mission to what they’re doing, and that’s to encourage students in their walk with Christ, but also to create a safe place for

them to compete and have fun,” says Audet, who lives in the Horse Shoe area. “It was competitive, but it wasn’t over-the-top competitive.”

Henderson County schools allow dual-enrollment students to participate in school athletics, but the Audets have not considered that option for their daughters.

“The people that are going to do that are going to be the ones that are extremely competitive and are looking to play against the best of the best,” he says. “I don’t have kids that are trying to go to college on some big scholarship.”

The Trailblazers, which began in 2007, field teams in 11 sports, including basketball, tennis, cross-country, swimming, baseball and tennis. The nonprofit competes in the North Carolinians for Home Education Athletic Commission and plays regular-season games against teams from areas like Charlotte, Raleigh and Winston-Salem, VanWyck says. Postseason tournament games are played against teams as far away as Wilmington.

Additionally, teams play nonconference games against Christian and charter schools and even public high schools like Pisgah and Hendersonville.

VanWyck says it is not uncommon for home-school families to try pub-

lic school sports before returning to the Trailblazers.

“There’s not the meanness that you find elsewhere because we’ve really stressed being a family,” he says. “I hear over and over that their kids had such a great time versus other places they played because they were allowed to grow. They were allowed to maybe not be the best player but not be picked on for it.” X

WNC home-schoolers by county, 2022-23

Buncombe: 3,390

Henderson: 1,523

Rutherford: 918

Haywood: 810

Transylvania: 407

Jackson: 370

Madison: 354

Yancey: 336

Polk: 252

Source: NC Department of Administration

Panhandling ordinance amendments pass first Council vote

City Council approved two technical amendments to Asheville’s panhandling ordinance at its Aug. 22 meeting. The first amendment added new language specifying that solicitors must be at least 8 feet away from “transit stops” (such as bus stops or busy medians) as well as “individuals who have made a negative response” to their solicitation attempts. The second amendment provided an exception to the existing ordinance that exempts persons who are soliciting from family members and mutual acquaintances.

The vote was the first reading of the proposed change, drawing 26 speakers, which entailed two hours of public comment. It passed 6-1, with Council member Kim Roney as the single opposing vote.

City Attorney Brad Branham said the technical amendments were needed to remain compliant with existing federal laws and were not intended to expand any existing regulations or penalties.

“I feel really strongly that the 8-foot addition is an expansion of the language that was not existing in the ordinance before,” Roney said in response to Branham. “Expanding this ordinance not only distracts from the very important work we need to do to address the issue [of] homelessness, but it still doesn’t meet the issue and instead creates new problems.”

That sentiment was echoed throughout public comment. Asheville-based lawyer and activist Ben Scales argued that the technical amendments expanded the ordinance and created issues concerning its enforceability.

Why I support Xpress:

“These changes are more than just technical amendments, and they will increase the burden on our already understaffed, underpaid and definitely underappreciated police force,” Scales said. “The 8-foot rule would not be admissible in court. …There will always be reasonable doubt as to whether a violation is actually 8 feet.”

Several community members also expressed concern over the new rules concerning family and mutual acquaintances, noting potential ambiguities.

“Poverty breeds desperation, and the proposal in front of you addresses the symptoms, not the cause,” said public commenter Eleanor Richards. “To me, every poor person in this town and elsewhere is a part of my family, so if I were to be arrested for giving food or money to a homeless person, you would be in violation of your own ordinance.”

While the majority of the speakers opposed the ordinance changes, several speakers supported it, including members of the Asheville Coalition for Public Safety.

Sheila Surrett, a member of the organization, brought a slideshow featuring images of homeless people downtown, sitting on sidewalks, standing on medians and speaking with customers at outdoor restau-

rants. Surrett asserted that panhandling has “torn up our tourism.” She also stated that police officers should be paid more to address the issues caused by some of the homeless population.

The city’s panhandling laws were previously discussed during a July 25, Environment and Safety Committee meeting. Council members Maggie Ullman , Sandra Kilgore and Sheneika Smith are part of the three-member committee. At the meeting, members proposed additional, more substantive amendments, including regulations around drivers giving money and other resources to panhandlers.

The additional amendments are still being discussed and will be considered again by the committee on Tuesday, Sept. 26. City Council is expected to address these additions during its Tuesday, Oct. 10, meeting. Ullman said while it’s clear people are divided on how to address the ordinance, they all agreed that “we need to band together to address root causes.”

She also requested that the proposal to restrict a driver’s ability to give to a panhandler be “taken off the table.”

“What I’m deeply understanding through lots of conversations is that charity is intensely personal and

spiritual and religious for many,” Ullman said. “And I don’t see that the government intervening in that individual’s choice of charity is in our best interest. I think it will harm more than help.”

Read the revised ordinance at avl.mx/prxk.

In other news

Council also received an update on the Complete Streets policy, a longterm capital improvement project set to connect existing bike lanes and greenways in the downtown area. As a part of the proposed project, existing parking on main thoroughfares such as Patton and Biltmore avenues would be removed to create space for the new bike lanes.

Jessica Morris, assistant director of transportation, noted that this project was supported by the 2009 Downtown Master Plan and the Complete Streets policy, passed in 2012. While numerous public hearings on the topic have been held this year, Smith noted that several community members personally expressed concern over the proposal to remove parking spaces on main roads.

“Even though we are not losing any handicapped lanes or spaces, the loss of any parking could be a potential issue for those who may be less mobile,” Smith said. “If we get rid of parking, it would effectively exclude certain members of the community from the area.”

Kilgore echoed this sentiment, noting that it would also negatively affect businesses. “A lot of people don’t go downtown because they say that there is no parking,” Kilgore said. “How come we can’t get a plan where these bicycle paths connect on outer streets? What is the difference between me parking in the parking garage and having to walk a couple of blocks to get where I need to go and bikers using side streets and parking there, and then just walking the same way we do?”

Ullman disagreed, noting the additional physical strain that bikers face. “As a daily bike commuter who is using my body, physically it’s hard,” Ullman said. “If we want people to be using these healthier options of mobility, ease of use and connectivity are important.”

Given the standing disagreements, Council determined that a work session would be needed before a vote is taken. While no date has been set, it is expected to be discussed before the next Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 12.

— Chase Davis X

NEW AMENDMENTS: City Attorney Brad Branham discusses how new amendments to the panhandling ordinance are needed to remain compliant with existing federal laws. Photo by Chase Davis

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City and arts leaders discuss renovation options for Asheville’s shuttered auditorium

A panel of six civic and arts leaders gathered to express their support for renovation to the currently closed Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in front of hundreds of sweat-soaked attendees who met in Explore Asheville Arena on Aug. 21.

Ironically highlighting the auditorium’s need for renovations, the air conditioning in the arena, which is adjacent to the auditorium, was malfunctioning at the beginning of the meeting.

“I would just like to give kudos to Chris Corl for strategically making it really hot as hell in here. So, that’s really helpful from a strategy and cost-benefit analysis for us each individually,” joked Vic Isley, president of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, in her opening remarks.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer led a chorus of support for the 83-year-old city landmark, which was forced to close temporarily July 5 after its heating, ventilation and air conditioning units failed.

“I think this is an amazing opportunity. I understand the city makes some revenue from it. But this is really our civic duty as a city to provide a forum for people to enjoy the arts, to enjoy one another, to enjoy their community and also support our economy here in Asheville. And I very much believe in that,” she said.

Corl, director of community and regional entertainment facilities for the

City of Asheville who manages Harrah’s Cherokee Center, said he plans to have the auditorium open again for free, nonticketed shows and community events at a reduced capacity in November. But he said he wouldn’t consider booking ticketed shows again until the city has some sort of timeline in place for major renovations.

Ultimately, what happens to the auditorium comes down to how much the city is willing to invest, ranging from roughly $40 million to $50 million for basic infrastructure upgrades to nearly $200 million for a renovation and expansion to accommodate Broadway shows.

Corl said the decision comes down to what people want the room to be and how much the community is comfortable spending collectively.

While all the presented options fix the glaring issues with the HVAC system, different renovations will result in different revenue opportunities for the city and carry various upfront price tags.

A multipurpose flat floor design, which would allow for a standing-room-only pit, would cost $90 million to $110 million. To improve the auditorium in its current “raked floor” arrangement would cost $105 million to $125 million. A “significant acoustic-driven” renovation — priced at $130 million to $150 million — would improve acoustics in the auditorium.

No matter what plan is chosen, it’s a heavy financial lift, Manheimer said.

“It’s a real challenge. It’s a big deal,” she said.

The panel discussed the possibility of seeking public funding for the renovations, but Manheimer wasn’t optimistic about what success a bond referendum would have for what is essentially a parks and recreation project, citing the failure of referendums to fund Greensboro’s Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. The Tanger Center was ultimately privately funded.

Manheimer and Isley were more bullish on a McCormick Field-style funding project, which the city, along with the TDA and Buncombe County, approved this year.

“I can’t emphasize enough to you how … monumental that is to bring lots of partners together to do a significant multimillion-dollar project in Asheville. There’s not a lot of … examples you could point to where that’s happened in recent memory,” Manheimer said.

Big price tags were a factor the last time Asheville considered renovating the Wolfe in 2020, when a $100 million makeover was proposed before the COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily eliminated the need for a large public gathering space.

On a tour of the facility before the Aug. 21 town hall meeting, Corl pointed out that seating lighting is now shut off in much of the house because electrical issues have caused more than one chair to catch on fire during the heat of the day. Large sections of paint

can be seen peeling off the ceiling and walls.

Outside, a narrow alley barely large enough for a semitruck runs along the south side of the building, providing the only stage-access point for musicians, which includes a steep 60-degree ramp. But it was the failing HVAC system that finally ended scheduled events. The first casualty was the Asheville Symphony, which canceled all its shows in its home theater and relocated them to First Baptist Church of Asheville, Brevard Music Center and Salvage Station for the rest of the season, creating an “existential crisis” for the organization, said Asheville Symphony Executive Director Daniel Crupi

Relocation has meant the symphony must increase its number of performances to make up for the smaller venues, which then increases artistic costs, Crupi said. The symphony can weather the storm financially for a couple of years, he said, but the loss of the Wolfe will break the organization in a few years.

“The financial burden to the symphony is [now] greatly increased, our economic impact in terms of a tourism driver is greatly reduced. And the status of the organization and the musicians also that rely on this organization to make a living — all of that is in jeopardy. So, for us, the situation is very, very dire,” he said.

— Greg Parlier X

RENOVATE: During an Aug. 21 town hall, Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, second from right, said it made more sense to renovate Thomas Wolfe Auditorium than trying to find space for a new performing arts center. Also pictured, from left: Katie Cornell, ArtsAVL executive director; Vic Isley, TDA president; Daniel Crupi, executive director of the Asheville Symphony; Robert Long, conceptual planner for Theatre Consultants Collaborative; Stephanie Monson Dahl, planning and urban design director for the City of Asheville; and Chris Corl, director of community and regional entertainment facilities for the City of Asheville. Photo by Frances O’Connor

Wildfires cast a pall over local gardens

BY CHLOE LIEBERMAN

Sunny, rainy greetings to you as we swirl our way toward autumn. Fruits are ripening, and pests and diseases are mounting as the warm weather fills our hearts and bellies with bounty. Please send any gardening questions to me at gardening@ mountainx.com and I’ll answer them next month.

SMOKE AND PLANTS

We’ve had so much smoke in the air this summer, how do the hazy skies impact plants in the garden?

Our air quality here in Western North Carolina has been greatly impacted by Canadian wildfires this summer. Several weeks of smoky skies have kept folks indoors and made mountain sunsets turn an eerie shade of orange. You may have heard warnings about staying inside or wearing a mask to protect your lungs, especially if you’re an elder, a child or your respiratory system is compromised. But what about the plants? They can’t stay indoors or wear masks; they have to keep breathing and growing no matter what the weather.

The impacts of smoky air on agriculture are varied, but overall, it’s not a pretty picture. First, when air quality is low and unsafe for folks to work in, then crops don’t get tended as they need to be. If you aren’t able to go out into your garden to water or weed, for example, because the air is dangerous to breathe, then those

crops won’t thrive as well as they would with your care.

Second, smoke acts a lot like cloud cover or even shade cloth and deflects some of the sunlight coming to Earth, reducing the amount of energy plants have for photosynthesis. This can have serious impacts on crop yields, slowing growth and ripening, and resulting in smaller harvests. Along with deflecting light, smoke also scatters it. The impact of this action on plant growth is a little less clear. More diffuse light can actually be used more efficiently by plants, but this applies more to multilayer canopies like forests, and not as much to gardens. Also, the decreased overall availability of light from smoke is likely to cancel out any potential benefits from diffusion.

Finally, smoke is made up of many parts, including pollutants like nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. These are precursors to ozone, which forms when the substances are in the presence of sunlight. This ground-level ozone is very damaging to plants and can reduce their growth and yields.

Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do to protect our gardens from the negative impacts of smoke. When smoky conditions persist for several days or weeks, it’s worthwhile to get out and tend the garden, even if that means gardening with a mask on. We can also continue to make choices that support healing and balance for the planet, hopefully reducing the frequency and intensity of wildfires over time.

SOLVING A CACTUS MYSTERY

I like to raise grafted cacti in pots. I have one with a green stem and a grafted pink ball cactus on top. The green stem has sprouted a “branch” coming out from the side with fine root hairs on it. Can I cut off the branch and pot it up? Also, do you have any idea what variety of cactus this is?

This question is outside of the purview of gardening but was sent in

as a hand-typed letter with a colorful drawing by a reader who doesn’t have access to a computer, so I’m inclined to give it a go. I’m happy to offer the best answer I’ve got and some suggestions about how to learn more.

The “branch” is simply the bottom, green variety of cactus working to continue growing and expanding itself. It is not a new plant, but a genetic clone of the original plant. Many cacti can be propagated like

this and are fairly easy to root. You don’t even need to cut off a section of the original stalk, just remove the branch and place it in some cactus-growing mix (or a regular potting mix with some added sand to increase drainage). The little root hairs that you see will soon grow down into the potting mix and become true roots.

As far as variety goes, I’m not a cactus aficionado, so I have no idea there, but you could go into Rosarina Plant Shop in downtown

Summer Hours: Mon-Sat 9am - 3pm Sun 11am-3pm Mention

Asheville and ask the workers there. The store specializes in indoor plants and cacti. Also, it looks as if we’ve got a nice selection of cactus-growing books in the Buncombe County Library System. Here are some titles that might be worth checking out: Happy Cactus: Cacti, Succulents and More! and The Gardener’s Guide to Succulents: A Handbook of over 125

CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

SUMMER SWEETNESS: Halona melons are a type of muskmelon, which has a brown netting over the skin and boasts an intoxicating aroma. Photo courtesy of SeedsDay

Exquisite Varieties of Succulents and Cacti. Good luck with your surprise new cactus friend.

MELONS: TIMING IS EVERYTHING

How can I tell when melons are ripe and ready to harvest?

Wow, there is hardly anything more disappointing than watching a big, beautiful melon ripen in your garden, only to pick it and slice into an insipid, bland and watery underripe fruit. I will be honest here and say that while I’ve got some good tips, I haven’t found any foolproof way to guarantee melon ripeness 100% of the time. However, I’ve definitely improved my success rate over the years.

Growing melons at all in our climate is pretty challenging. These glowing orbs like to ripen in hot and dry conditions and are quite susceptible to fungal diseases. Here in the rainy mountains, fungi rule, and many melons rot before they have a chance to ripen. This is a place where I bow to the power of hybrid varieties. My experiments with open-pollinated heirlooms have been much less successful than these two hybrids that seem to yield pretty consistently:

halona and dove. These are both muskmelons, a group that is gently or deeply lobed, has a brown netting over the skin, and boasts an intoxicating aroma. These melons are ripe at “full slip,” meaning that they will easily disconnect from their parent vine with a gentle tug. Muskmelons

also begin to smell sweet and ripe when they’re ready.

Watermelons are another group that can do well here, as long as they get what they need to grow well.

Thumping on a ripe watermelon should produce a low, hollow sound. The specific tone of this sound will

vary based on the size and variety you’re dealing with. Another way to determine ripeness with watermelons is to press on the fruit with your thumb and forefinger, letting them slide away from one another. If the fruit has any give, it’s ripe. Unripe fruits will be very firm and not springy.

Some other tricks for ripening melons here is choosing the right varieties that will mature soon enough. Our mountain growing season is on the shorter side, so melons that mature within less than 90 days are ideal, and under 80 days are more of a sure bet. Melons require high fertility to produce well and prefer slightly alkaline soil. Throwing a handful of wood ashes and a shovel or bucket full of compost in the hole or mound where you’ll transplant your melons can help. Watermelons are drought-tolerant, while other kinds of melons require very regular watering. As fruits grow and ripen, you can gently turn them from time to time, so that the same side of the fruit isn’t always resting on the ground. This place of contact is the most likely to rot, so moving the melon and getting sun on all sides can help keep fungal issues at bay. X

JUST RIPE: Knowing when to harvest melons is an art, not a science. Photo by Chloe Lieberman

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

LABOR DAY WEEKEND ARTS AND CRAFTS: Maggie Valley hosts artisans and crafters from throughout the Southeast at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds on Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3. The event runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m. both days and will feature seasonal items, yard art, paintings, pottery, wooden bowls and more. Photo courtesy of Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce

AUG. 30 - SEPT. 7, 2023

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

More info, page 28

More info, page 31

More info, page 32-33

WELLNESS

Tai Chi for Balance

A gentle Tai Chi exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Av, Ste 109

Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance.

Free, but donations for the instructor are appreciated. For more information please call (828) 350-2058.

WE (8/30), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Tai Chi Fan

This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome. Fans will be provided.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 1pm, 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.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 9:30am, TU (9/7), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Dharma & Discuss

People coming together in friendship to meditate, learn and discuss the Dharma. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Tai Chi for Beginners

A class for anyone interested in Tai Chi and building balance as well as body awareness.

TH (8/31, 9/7), MO (9/4), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Morning Meditation

A grounding meditation experience with a silent group sit. Everyone is most welcome to join the sit; however no

meditation instructions are provided.

FR (9/1), SA (9/2), 7:30am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, 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 (9/1), TU (9/5), 9am, SA (9/2), Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Free Yoga

A yoga session held outdoors.

FR (9/1), 5pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave

Free Meditation

All are welcome to this one-hour silent meditation practice.

SA (9/2), 10am, Ganesh Place, 594 Ray Hill Rd, Mills River

Therapeutic Slow Flow Yoga

A blend of mediation, breathing and movement. All bodies, genders, and identities welcome. Bring your own mat.

SA (9/2), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103

Yoga in the Park

All-levels welcomed, but bring your own props and mat. Pre-register at avl.mx/9n6 SA (9/2), SU (9/3), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Walking Meditation

Walking meditation to reduce stress, anxiety and increase health and wellbeing.

SU (9/3), 10am, Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary, Montreat

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

This class is centered towards creating an affirming and inclusive space for queer and gender non-conforming individuals.

SU (9/3), 1:30pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Barre Fusion

A high energy low impact practice that shapes, sculpts, and tones the body like a dancer. No experience necessary, open to all levels.

MO (9/4), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Metta Meditation

In-person guided meditation focused on benevolence &

loving-kindness. This event is free to attend. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

MO (9/4), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Free Community Yoga & Mindfulness

An evening of breathwork, meditation and yoga with Lauren Catalano. Bring your own mat.

TU (9/5), 6pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave Zumba

Mask and social distancing required. Registration not necessary. Por Favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (9/5), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Transient Bodies

This exhibition will expound upon the fragmented, damaged, and repaired body to demonstrate ideas of transience and resilience despite limita-

tions, pain and trauma. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 9 am. Exhibition through August 30. Revolve, 821 Riverside Dr, Ste 179

Opening Reception: Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson

This exhibition celebrates the legacy of Lambert Wilson, a passionate collector of contemporary Native American art. This event will include a gallery talk by the artists along with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

WE (8/30), 5pm, WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson

This exhibition celebrates the legacy of Lambert Wilson, a passionate collector of contemporary Native American art. Over 140 works on view tell the story of the relationships he built and the impact that he made by dedicating

himself to this remarkable collection. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Dec. 8. WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

Rachel Meginnes: Snapshot Exhibition

A collection of deconstructed quilts and discarded textiles woven on a digital loom, utilizing images sourced from Rachel Meginnes’ surrounding environment. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through September 9.

Tracey Morgan Gallery, 188 Coxe Ave

Barn Month Exhibit

In this exhibit, artists and photographers alike help us preserve, through their works, rural agricultural heritage represented by the iconic barns and farmsteads. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am. Exhibit through Sept. 30. Madison County Arts Council, 90 S Main St, Marshall

Homage to Miss Sarah: Opening Reception

A collection of works by Onicas Gaddis dedicated to his first mentor and friend, Sarah Carlisle Towery. This reception is free and open to the public.

FR (9/1), 5pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Sahar Fakhoury: Still Life, Still Alive Open Reception

Fakhoury’s aim is to look for life in otherwise lifeless subjects, and to push the boundaries in creating interesting and unique effects in each painting.

FR (9/1), 5pm, Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave

Bizarre Sábado

These “Bizarre Sábado” happenings are inspired by Mexico City’s Bazaar Sábado, the innovative gathering place and crafts market first organized in 1960 by BMC alum Cynthia Sargent and her husband Wendell Riggs.

SA (9/2), noon, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

The Art of Food Exhibition & Community Day

A free community day for visitors to enjoy an afternoon of creativity and community engagement featuring programs that explore how food and culture inform one another.

SA (9/2), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

The Wool & The Wood: Opening Reception

Featuring needle-felted wool landscapes by Jaana Mattson and fine furniture by Scott Kestel. Meet the artists, enjoy light snacks and complimentary libations. This event is open to the public and free to attend.

SA (9/2), 2pm, Grovewood Gallery, 111 Grovewood Rd

Black Mountain College & Mexico Exhibition

The exhibition includes original visual works and sound installations by prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside vintage works by BMC artists and relevant archival materials. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am, closed Sunday. Exhibition through Sept. 9. Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Public Tour: Intersections in American Art

A docent led tour of the Museum's Collection and special exhibitions. No reservations are required.

SU (9/3), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Onicas Gaddis: Homage to Miss Sarah

A collection of works by Onicas Gaddis dedicated to his first mentor and friend, Sarah Carlisle Towery. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Sept. 29. Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

This exhibition explores the many identities of food in daily life: whether a source of pleasure, a reason for gathering, a mass-produced commodity, or a reflection of social ideologies and divisions. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on

Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 22.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

The Wool & The Wood

Featuring needle-felted wool landscapes by Jaana Mattson and fine furniture by Scott Kestel. Gallery open Monday through Sunday, 10am. Exhibition through Oct. 29. Grovewood Gallery, 111 Grovewood Rd

Romare Bearden: Ways of Working

This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores many of Romare Bearden's most frequently used mediums including screen-printing, lithography, hand colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Jan. 22, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through April 15, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

COMMUNITY

MUSIC

Asheville Ecstatic Dance w/DJ Hunter-The-Gatherer Hunter the Gatherer is dedicated to the searching and compiling of different sounds and styles of music, and creating a journey of prayer for the dancer.

WE (8/30), 6:15pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd

Dark City Song Swap

A new concert series that focuses on talented local, regional and national songwriters who both write and sing their original compositions. This month welcomes to the stage Todd Hoke, Hannah Kaminer and Beth Lee.

WE (8/30), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Wings & Strings: Commodore Fox

This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every Wednesday.

TH (8/31), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack South, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden

Rent Party

Playing popular music ranging from baroque to Broadway, jazz to Jimi Hendrix, seductive standards to roof-raising rock n roll.

TH (8/31), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Concert Series on the Creek: PMA Free concert series for the community with roots and reggae group Positive Mental Attitude providing the tunes this week. These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome.

FR (9/1), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva

Love Bubble Concert

A trio of Asheville all-star musicians with musicians; Peggy Ratusz, Hank Bones and Paula Hanke.

FR (9/1), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville

Raquy Danziger w/ Chris Rosser & River Guerguerian

An internationally acclaimed musician, artist, teacher, and

composer, considered to be one of the foremost experts and virtuosos on the oriental goblet drum.

FR (9/1), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

Weekly Sunday pot luck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. It's a family friendly community day so bring a dish to share.

SU (9/3), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr Reuter Center Singers

Seasoned seniors that study and perform classical, popular, show tunes and other favorites.

MO (9/4), 6:15pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

Local Live Series: Jay Brown

Jay Brown hosts a bi-weekly local live series featuring a variety of talented local musicians.

MO (9/4), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Music to Your Ears Discussion Series w/ Dulci Ellenberger

Bill Kopp, author and music journalist is joined by Dulci Ellenberger, for "Music To Your Ears" as they discuss and she plays songs from Carole King's Tapestry album.

WE (9/6), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

LITERARY

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer

Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring 90 seconds of material that isn’t working.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Poetry Open Mic Hendo

A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night.

18+

TH (8/31, 9/7), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave E, Hendersonville

Monthly Poetry Critique Meeting

A poetry reading with the Dark City Poets Society.

TU (9/5), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Small Magics w/H. Byron Ballard

A book signing and Q&A with author H. Byron Ballard from her soon to be released book Small Magics: Practical Secrets from an Appalachian Village

Witch. WE (9/6), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St

THEATER & FILM

Blades (1989)

A free movie night.

WE (8/30), 9pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

Monty Python's Spamalot

The Tony award winning Broadway musical that was "lovingly ripped off" of the cult classic movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Rated PG-13. See p28 FR (9/1), SA (9/2), SU (9/3), 7:30pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

The Tempest

An audience favorite for its comedy, romance, and some fun stage trickery to showcase a massive shipwreck and some supernatural goings on.

FR (9/1), SA (9/2), SU (9/3), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

Newly Minted Storytellers Tell All Graduates of our storytelling workshop make their debuts as tellers.

TH (9/7), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Asheville Museum of History 2023 Cemetery Series

Tour several cemeteries and burial locations, learning about the people and the stories connected with these local sites

WE (8/30), 10am, Various locations in Western North Carolina

Free E-Bike Rental

A free one hour bike adventure to experience Asheville’s historic River Arts District, French Broad River Greenway, local breweries, restaurants and more.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 10am, Ace Bikes, 342 Depot St

Beginners Aerial Silks

Learn a new skill and be part of a supportive community. All bodies are welcome. Space is limited so registration is required.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 4pm ad 5:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave

Spanish Club

Spanish speakers of all ages and levels are welcome to join together for conversation to practice the language in a group setting.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

Family Fun & Worship

Under the Oaks

A community hangout featuring cornhole, kids activities, music and a campfire. All ages are invited.

WE (8/30), 6:30pm, First Baptist Church of Black Mountain, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Bikes ‘N Brews

A weekly group ride that takes in the views of Black Mountain and Old Fort and concludes at the WNC Outdoor Collective with your favorite beer or kombucha.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 5:30pm, WNC Outdoor Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain

Hellbender Regional Trail Forum

The event is intended to provide an overview of some of the challenges and opportunities to building greenways and bike/ped infrastructure in the region as well as highlight some of the great projects going on around the region by our local governments.

TH (8/31), 8am, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

Sun & Shade Garden Series: Dealing With Plants

A walk through the Sun & Shade garden to talk about why some plants won’t grow, and others have to go. The presentation is free, but attendance is limited and registration is required.

TH (8/31), 10am, Buncombe County Cooperative Ext Center, 49 Mount Carmel Rd, Ste 102

Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

This free food demonstration is open to everyone but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/ or their caretakers. Our featured host is Change Your Palate’s very own Shaniqua Simuel.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Butts & Boots: Line

Dancing Beginner line dance and two-step lessons, every Thursday. No partner or experience needed.

TH (8/31), 6pm, Banks Ave., 32 Banks Ave

Swing Dance Lesson & Dance Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

Sustainability Month Kick-off Event

Gather together to share some scraps to make something new or fix something old with various demonstrations on sewing and mending skills. This free event is

open to everyone.

SA (9/2), 1pm, Local Cloth, 408 Depot St, Ste 100

Ladies Sunday Cycles

This is a non drop ride, we have cue sheets via Ride with GPS, and there are options to either do the whole ride or head back when needed. Routes will be posted on the Ride My GPS app under WNC Outdoor Collective.

SU (9/3), 7:30am, WNC Outdoor Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountai

Weekly Sunday Scrabble Club

Tournament-style scrabble. All levels of play.

SU (9/3), 12:15pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Game Day: Perspective Café

Traditional game day with board and card games as well as refreshments from the Perspective Cafe. SU (9/3), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Sew Co./Rite of Passage Factory Tour

On this 30 minute micro-tour, learn about sustainable and transparent business practices and hear about production processes and client collaborations. Preregister at avl.mx/cec MO (9/4), 11am, Rite of Passage Clothing & Sew Co, 240 Clingman Ave Ext

Chess Club Open to all ages and any skill set. There will be a few boards available, but folks are welcome to bring their own as well. MO (9/4), 4pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain Parkinsons Support Group An educational and fun gathering for those living with Parkinson's and people providing support.

TU (9/5), 10am, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd

Mindfulness in Daily Life

In this class, you will use the building blocks of mindfulness meditation practice, breath, body, feelings, and thoughts.

TU (9/5), 11am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain 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 (8/31, 9/7), MO (9/4), TU (9/5), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Mary Magdalene

Connect and commune with the essence of Magdalene's sacred mysteries for healing, personal transformation and self mastery.

Register at avl.mx/cy9

TU (9/5), 5pm, Online

Artificial Intelligence: Disruptions and Risks

Michael Truffa will be speaking on artificial intelligence, disruptions and risks. This general, non-technical overview of AI will also address how the latest AI models work.

TU (9/5), 7pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

Asheville Museum of History 2023 Cemetery Series

Tour several cemeteries and burial locations, learning about the people and the stories connected with these local sites.

WE (9/6), 10am, Various locations in Western North Carolina

Eightfold Path Study Group

A group will gather to study the Eightfold Path Program published by the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. Kris Kramer will host the group as a fellow participant and student.

WE (9/6), 3pm, Black Mountain, Honeycutt St, Black Mountain

Peace Education Program

The program gives participants the opportunity to focus and reflect on their humanity and their inner resources such as choice, hope, and dignity.

WE (9/6), 5pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Intro to Ballroom Dance

Explore the world of Latin and Ballroom dancing with such styles as swing, salsa, foxtrot, rumba, merengue, and more.

WE (9/6), 6pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Midweek Showdown: Game Night

A game night extravaganza with live game show challenges for teams of five or less, as well as board games and pinball galore. Each week brings fresh challenges.

WE (9/6), 7pm, Dssolvr, 63 N Lexington Ave

Preserving Our Beautiful Views

Land Conservationist

Kyle Shute of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will outline conservation strategies and his organization's history of preserving Western North Carolina lands, including around the

Blue Ridge Parkway. WE (9/6), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd

Teach Me How To

This seminar aims to empower home-owning widows by providing them with fundamental skills in handling basic home and automobile maintenance tasks.

For more information contact Barbara@ BarbaraBothe.com.

TH (9/7), 9am, The Center for Art & Entertainment, 125 S Main St, Hendersonville

Embroiderers' Guild of America: Laurel

Chapter

Judy Ketron will teach the Norwegian Smoyg pattern draining technique as the program. Pattern darning is a simple counted embroidery technique using a basic running stitch. Chapter members will provide their own supplies to create a smoyg panel.

TH (9/7), 9:30am, Horse Shoe Community Church, 3 Banner Farm Rd, Mills River

Free Prostate Cancer Screenings

In recognition of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, UNC Health Pardee is offering free prostate cancer screenings with urologist Glover Little, M.D. Screenings are by appointment only.

TH (9/7), 5:30pm, Pardee Cancer Center, 805 6th Ave W, Hendersonville

Mount Mitchell: Stories of Nature & Human Nature

Environmental historian Timothy Silver will discuss the ways in which a combination of people’s decisions and nature have created the physical Black Mountain landscape, including Mount Mitchell, that we see today. Register at avl.mx/b99.

TH (9/7), 6pm, Online

Seeds of Spirit

Free virtual meditation to grow, heal, and transform in a community of like-minded souls. Register at avl.mx/cya

TH (9/7), 7pm, Online

LOCAL MARKETS

RAD Farmers Market

Providing year-round access to fresh local foods, with 25-30 vendors selling a variety of wares. Handicap parking available in the Smoky Park lot, free public parking available along Riverside Drive. Also accessible by foot, bike, or rollerblade via the Wilma Dykeman Greenway.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

Etowah Lions Club

Farmers Market

Fresh produce, honey, sweets, flowers, plant starts and locally crafted wares. Every Wednesday through Oct. 25.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

Leicester Farmers Market

Farmers Market with over 30 vendors.

Locally grown and sourced selection of meats, produce, eggs, plants and flowers, baked goods, cheese, honey, sauces, crafts, art, and more. Every Wednesday through Oct. 25.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

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, fire cider, coffee, pickles, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, and garden and landscaping plants.

Open year round.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr, Weaverville

Farmer's Market

A weekly farmers market with a wide variety of fresh, local veggies, handsome oils and wines, and other vendors.

WE (8/30, 9/6), 5pm, The Railyard Black Mountain, 141 Richardson Ave, Black Mountain

Enka-Candler Tailgate Market

A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, with a hefty helping of made-to-order meals from our food trucks.

Every Thursday through Oct.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 3pm,

A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Flat Rock Farmers Market

A diverse group of local produce and fruit farmers, craft-food makers, bread bakers, wild crafters, art-crafters, and merrymakers.

Every Thursday through Oct. 26.

TH (8/31, 9/7), 3pm,

Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Pack Square Artisan Market

This market will showcase local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville.

Every Friday through Oct. 27.

FR (9/1), 1pm, 1 South Pack Square Park

Saluda Tailgate Market

With over a dozen vendors this agriculture-only market features an assortment of homegrown produce, meat, and eggs within a 25 mile radius.

FR (9/1), 4:30pm, W Main St, Saluda

Henderson County Tailgate Market

Seasonal fruits, fresh mushrooms, vegetables, local honey, meat, eggs, garden plant starts, perennials and much more. Every Saturday through Oct. 28.

SA (9/2), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

Hendersonville Farmers Market

A vibrant community gathering space with produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, coffee, crafts, food trucks, live music, kids' activities and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 28.

SA (9/2), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville

North Asheville Tailgate Market

The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors offer fresh Appalachian grown produce, meats, cheeses and eggs - with a variety of baked goods, value added foods, and unique craft items. Weekly through Dec. 16.

SA (9/2), 8am, 3300 University Heights

Asheville City Market

Local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Weekly through Dec. 17.

SA (9/2), 9am, 52 N Market St

Black Mountain Tailgate Market

Featuring organic and sustainably grown produce, plants, cut flowers, herbs, locally raised meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheeses, eggs and local arts and handcrafted items.

SA (9/2), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Makers Market

Featuring a different combination of weekly vendors alongside resident studio artists.

SA (9/2), noon, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd Night Markets

Discover handcrafted wonders, artisanal delights and treasures at this community market with local vendors and makers.

SA (9/2), 5pm, The Railyard Black Mountain, 141 Richardson Ave, Black Mountain

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 (9/3), 8am, 570 Brevard Rd

BIPOC Farmer's Market

Everyone is encouraged to come out to support local BIPOC vendors. The market is EBT accessible with double dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables.

SU (9/3), noon, W.C. Reid Center, 133 Livingston St 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 (9/3), 1pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

4 Year Anniversary Party

This celebration will include an axe-throwing event, live music, an Octoberfest beer release, food and more WE (8/30), 3pm, Riverside Rhapsody Beer Co., 995 Riverside Dr, Woodfin

Earl Scruggs Music Festival

Bringing the best of bluegrass, Americana and roots music together for a multi-day celebration of Mr. Scruggs’ contributions and the rich musical culture of the region. See p32 FR (9/1), Tryon International Equestrian Center, 25 International Blvd, Mill Spring

NC Apple Festival

For over 60 years, celebrating the history and importance of the apple industry to our community. See p31 FR (9/1), SA (9/2), SU (9/3), MO (9/4), 10am, Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave E, Hendersonville

The 4M Mountain Makers Mushrooms & Music Festival Celebration of Blue Ridge Mountain culture, art and nature with 11 hours of live music, speakers, 45 live arts, 80 artists vending, and more. Visit avl.mx/cyo for full schedule and more information. See p33 SA (9/2), 10am, 533 W Main St, Sylva, Sylva Fallout Fest

A three-day local music and arts festival with 20+ bands. Food trucks, beverages, arts and crafts vendors, and performance art will also be available at the festival. Camping available but limited.

FR (9/1), SA (9/2), SU (9/3) 4pm, Fallout Art Space, 475 Fletcher Martin Rd, Alexander

Art W/O Ego Pt. 1

Open fire flow jam, vendors, art, and music by Exiszt, Juniperous, Analogue.15, and High Priestess.

SA (9/2), 5pm, The Outpost, 521 Amboy Rd

Maggie Valley Arts & Crafts Festival

Maggie Valley’s largest gathering of artisans and crafters from all over the Southeast.

Seasonal items, yard art, paintings, photography, pottery, wooden bowls, furniture, jewelry, goat milk soaps and more.

SA (9/2), SU (9/3), 9am, Maggie Valley Festival

Grounds, 3374 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley 2023 Beer City Cup

Asheville

Asheville-based adult soccer tournament featuring 130 teams from 61 cities across 18 states, and one from Panama City, Panama competing for 25k in prizes. Local craft beers and food trucks will also be on site.

SA (9/2), SU (9/3), noon, John B. Lewis Soccer Complex, 439 Azalea Rd E

Chow Chow Food & Culture Festival

Opening Party

A party celebrating the evolution of barbecue across time, history and heritages from Indigenous traditions to cultural influences from around the world now calling Southern Appalachia home.

TH (9/7), 4:30pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr 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 (9/7), 5pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival Literary festival offering over 50 free sessions and workshops from 29 authors in all genres. Featuring author, Jason Mott as the keynote speaker. Visit avl.mx/cs2 for the full schedule of the events and the workshops available.

TH (9/7), 7pm, Burnsville Town Center, 6 Main St, Burnsville

Good neighbors

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

In a shady, wooded area in East Asheville, a flurry of construction has been underway since July 2022. The location is the future site of BeLoved Village, a community of 12 microhomes being built by volunteers, largely financed through donations and coordinated by the nonprofit BeLoved Asheville. These 440- to 640-square-foot residences, which will be available to individuals and families earning 30%-40% of the area median income, will help address the community’s need for “deeply affordable” housing, says BeLoved Asheville co-director Amy Cantrell.

Cantrell recently guided Xpress through the construction site, a 1.22acre parcel donated by Land of Sky United Church of Christ. Six of the village’s 12 microhomes are in various stages of completion. Beginning Wednesday, Aug. 30, Cantrell will lead a “blitz build.” The goal is to complete the framing and roofing of the remaining six properties by Sunday, Sept. 2.

While on-site, Xpress spoke with Cantrell about the health impacts of housing insecurity, combating isolation and her role as the architect of an intentional community.

Xpress: With so many ideas out there on how to provide affordable housing, why did BeLoved decide to build single-family homes?

Cantrell: [Low-income people say], “The kind of housing we get put into is not the kind of housing we want.” Folks say, “We’re 2 miles off the bus line in something that’s barely habitable!” Or, ‘It costs a fortune to heat it in the winter and it’s

‘Blitz build’ scheduled for BeLoved Village

still not warm!” [People are] walking miles to do laundry and things like that. [They are] feeling very isolated. Or they say, “We’re crowded in these old hotel conversions — public housing — and it feels very chaotic,

Blissful Chiropractic

very institutional, not safe. It doesn’t feel like home. Doesn’t feel like a home environment.“

So, we asked, “What would your dream house look like?” [People said], “We want to live around neighbors that we care about and who care about us. We want land and trees and a place to grow a garden.” People said, “It can be simple, but we’d love to have a full kitchen to be able to make meals for family and our friends and a full bath.”

So, having a roof over one’s head is important, but it isn’t the only thing that’s important.

Home is where we can feel most comfortable and most fully ourselves. [Society is] not always matching the kind of housing we’re building with what “home” does for us as people. … If you feel unsafe in your home, that is not a place where you can orient [yourself], feel like you fully belong or just take a breath. If you

don’t have that [ability to rest], you then become less productive in the world in many ways. You become very destabilized.

Tell me more about housing insecurity and how it impacts people’s health.

It’s very costly to people’s health. In fact, we have a group from MAHEC [Mountain Area Health Education Center] in the master’s degree program with UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to study the health impacts of the BeLoved Village, because we just know it’s going to make an incredible impact.

Homelessness is the most fatal condition in the country. The life expectancy rate is so low — [about] 45 to 55 years. That is an alarming statistic.

BeLoved Village is within walking distance of Tunnel Road, but it’s tucked into a residential neigh-

SITE VISIT: Amy Cantrell, co-director of BeLoved Asheville, recently guided Xpress through BeLoved Village in East Asheville. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

borhood. Why was it important to you to build affordable housing in a residential location?

One of the things that you’ll see in study after study is you don’t want to concentrate poverty [by relegating all low-income housing to one neighborhood]. Yet these are the housing solutions [society is] typically proposing.

We know that the best outcome [for] helping people lift themselves out of poverty is to be in a neighborhood surrounded by [resources]. [BeLoved Village] is going to be a neighborhood within a neighborhood. We have the best transit in Asheville [on Tunnel Road]. It’s the most robust in terms of it coming most frequently. And [BeLoved Village] actually has a path that will take us right to Tunnel Road, out the back of our development. Residents can easily take public transit. There’s lots of jobs on this corridor. It’s close to schools, close to the library, close to emergency services. … [And] we want to have families and elders and young people here. We know that that [mix of demographics] strengthens the neighborhood.

Homeward Bound is debuting a permanent supportive housing project called Compass Point Village in September. Permanent supportive housing provides people with on-site case management and other services. Will BeLoved Village provide supportive services for people?

This is a really different model. We don’t do case management; we do a community model. You get, maybe, similar outcomes. A lot of times you have a case manager with a caseload of 30 people, and they don’t see their people very often. Whereas in the community model [of Beloved Village], we’re really creating strong community ties. We’ve had about over 1,000 volunteers now [work at Beloved Village]. So [the community] already has a lot of people that love them and care about them. [Residents will have] that sort of support and our team, BeLoved, as a circle of support. We are creating a really strong neighborhood here in terms of internal support.

Will there be formal rules or guidelines for living in BeLoved Village?

We want to draw out the leadership of the folks that are living here. They’ll get to create their own neighborhood covenant with us. That’s a little different than most housing. In most housing, you get a lease — “Here’s the rules. Have a nice day!” Here, we’ll be sitting in a circle, and the residents, with our BeLoved team, will write their

covenant. We’re going to talk about “What if somebody breaks that covenant? What if there’s some kind of conflict? How are we going to take care of that?" [It’s important to be] talking about things before they happen. There’s a lot of buy-in here about what this neighborhood’s going to be.

You mentioned how isolation is a health concern and how it can particularly impact people who are unhoused or live on low incomes. What is BeLoved Village going to do to nurture neighbors’ relationships?

Just gathering. Do things like roast marshmallows and tell stories. That is as important part of the housing outcome as anything else. We know that we need engagement to bring these folks together. We’re going to put the garden in the spring. We’re going to plant seeds. We’re going to play volleyball together. Whatever it is, it’s creating those moments where we all can come together and have fun. It also creates a healthy, positive neighborhood. All of that is very intentional.

So, how can people apply to purchase a home in BeLoved Village? And what criteria do people need to meet in order to qualify?

We’re working on that with our residence selection task group. [It’s] made up of community members. We will be putting out an application very soon. The main criteria is folks [need to have] 30% to 40% of the area median income. And we want folks to know they’re getting into a neighborhood. We think [being in a neighborhood] is a really wonderful feature of this, and we want people to understand that that’s what it will be. We’ll be looking at those as the two main criteria for folks coming in.

Do you expect BeLoved will be flooded with housing applications?

Oh, I’m sure!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. X

STRUCTURAL SUPPORT: BeLoved Village is located on a gentle slope, so each of its microhouses is being built on stilts secured into concrete blocks. Prior to construction, BeLoved volunteers had to clear a forest of bamboo. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

Party Sept 7, 5-9 p.m.

You’re Invited to the FREE

The Meadow at Highland Brewing

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Community Event

Awards 2023

Curious and curiouser

In the spirit of this year’s Alice in Wonderland theme, we are taking the Mad Hatter’s lead and trying our hands at poetry. Sure, the mischievous madman knocked it out of the park with his poem, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat,” but our rendition has a Best of WNC twist! If you’ll indulge us, we’re including it here:

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Best Of winners How I wonder what’s for dinner?

Oh, I know, I’ll check the list Of top earners for the Bestest Dish. OK, that’s not an actual category, But rhyming is hard and that’s my story.”

Indeed, it is time for our annual Best Of WNC … well, tea party of sorts. The celebration will require plenty of cups and mugs, seeing as we’ve got nearly 600 categories. And considering that most categories include first-, second- and third-place finishes — let’s just go ahead and plan for two servings. Or, rather, two issues! The party continues next week with Part II.

On top of our annual winners, this year’s listings also welcome the latest set of Hall of Famers. This honor is earned by those who hold their spot at the head of the (tea party) table for their category for four or more years in a row.

As always, we doff our Mad Hatter Wellington top hats to all who voted, to the Xpress staff who tried valiantly to keep order as they tallied and judged thousands of ballots, and to the businesses that purchased thank-you ads in these pages.

If you’re like Alice, wondering which way you ought to go next, remember the Cheshire Cat’s response: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Luckily for you, the following pages are lined with more than a thousand top-place finishers. So wherever you end up, you’ll be in good company.

— Thomas Calder X

We have taken great care to ensure the accuracy of the Best of WNC listings, but if you have corrections, questions or suggestions, email us at bestofwnc@mountainx.com, or call 828-251-1333. Some Best of WNC categories received inadequate votes to allow us to declare frst-, second- and third-place winners.

PUBLISHER

Jeff Fobes

BALLOT OFFICIALS

Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Andy Hall, Susan Hutchinson, Jamie Knox. Justin McGuire, Mark Murphy, Greg Parlier, Braulio Pescador-Martinez, Brooke Randle, Tracy Rose, Olivia Urban, Jessica Wakeman

BEST OF WNC SUPPLEMENT

DESIGN

DESIGNERS

Tina Gaafary, Olivia Urban

LISTINGS EDITORS

Mark Murphy, Lisa Watters

PHOTO COORDINATORS

Hinton Edgerton, Mark Murphy

WRITERS

Thomas Calder, Chase Davis, Andy Hall, Justin McGuire, Greg Parlier, Tracy Rose, Jessica Wakeman

AD SALES

Jamie Knox, Scott Mermel

IT & WEB

Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick, Brandon Tilley

FRONT OFFICE/ACCOUNTING

Edgerton, Amie Fowler, Mark Murphy, Lisa Watters

DISTRIBUTION

and a fantastic team of devoted drivers •

Copyright 2023 by

COVER PHOTO by Frances O’Connor

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

art s & EnTErTa i nment

LOCAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

1 LEAF FESTIVAL e ax Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

2 LEAF DOWNTOWN AVL d Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza, Asheville 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

3 DOWNTOWN AFTER 5 d 100 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-251-9973 • ashevilledowntown.org

INDOOR MUSIC VENUE

1 THE ORANGE PEEL d x 101 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-398-1837 • theorangepeel.net

2 THE GREY EAGLE r 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville 828-232-5800 • thegreyeagle.com

3 SALVAGE STATION r 468 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-407-0521 • salvagestation.com

OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUE

1 SALVAGE STATION r x 468 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-407-0521 • salvagestation.com

ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING STUDIO Best Recording Studio

WE herewith submit to you the standout entrepreneurial efforts of WNC’s creative sector. From movie theaters (congrats once again, Grail Moviehouse) to music venues, both indoors (The Orange Peel reigns supreme) and out (Salvage Station stays on top), the voters have spoken with passion. Like any community, the Best of WNC survey is constantly evolving, and so adding and subtracting categories each year is a must — all the better to represent our changing artistic landscape.

As such, six categories debuted or were resurrected for 2023, starting with the breakout of last year’s general photographer category into three: Nathan Rivers Chesky winning Wedding/Event Photographer; Carol Spagnuola taking Portrait/ Headshot Photographer; and Camilla Calnan prevailing in Still Life/Nature Photographer. The Lexington Glassworks team wins the new Glass Artist category, and Paul Bonesteel lands the honors for Local Filmmaker. And with much pomp and flair, Divine Holeburn secures Drag Performer/Group.

What might join these additions in 2024? We’ll keep those proverbial cards close to the chest, but it’s safe to say that the “What category would you like to see added to this section next year?” query offered some compelling suggestions, as well as a few laughs from voters who enjoy messing with the hardworking Xpress ballot judges.

Until then, please welcome these new inductees to the 2023 Hall of Fame: Lauren Moody at Fox & Beaux Boutique (Jewelry Artist/Designer) and Hilliary Begley (Comedian).

— Edwin Arnaudin X

2 RABBIT RABBIT d 75 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-398-1837 • rabbitrabbitavl.com

3 THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO. e 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 200, Asheville 828-299-3370 • highlandbrewing.com

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 FRANCES O’CONNOR

INTIMATE MUSIC VENUE/ LISTENING ROOM

1 FLEETWOOD’S ROCK-N-ROLL WEDDING CHAPEL w 496 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-5525 • fleetwoodschapel.com

2 ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR r 122 Riverside Drive, Suite D, Asheville 407-620-1871 • avl.mx/bra

3 STATIC AGE RECORDS d 110 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-254-3232 • avl.mx/69r

RECORDING STUDIO

1 ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING STUDIO d x 14 N. French Broad Ave., Asheville 828-232-4314 • echomountain.net

2 DROP OF SUN STUDIOS w 821 Haywood Road, Suite 121, Asheville 828-774-5083 • dropofsun.com

3 MARSHALL SOUND STUDIOS n a 9250 U.S. Highway 25, Marshall 828-776-7662 • avl.mx/cws

OPEN-MIC-NIGHT VENUE

1 SOVEREIGN KAVA d 268 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-505-8118 • ashevillekava.com

2 THE ODD w 1045 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9299 • theoddasheville.com

3 WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN e a 105 Montreat Road, Black Mountain 828-669-0816 whitehorseblackmountain.com

LYRICIST (SONGWRITER)

1 LEEDA “LYRIC” JONES x Asheville • reverbnation.com/lyricfans

2 HOPE GRIFFIN Asheville • hopegriffinmusic.com

3 MIKE MARTINEZ (MAD MIKE) Asheville • madmikelives.bandcamp.com

VOCALIST (SINGER)

1 LEEDA “LYRIC” JONES x Asheville • reverbnation.com/lyricfans

2 ASHLEY HEATH Asheville 828-773-7865 • ashleyleeannheath.com

3 RAPHAEL MORALES (LAZRLUVR) Hendersonville • facebook.com/lazrluvr

GUITARIST OR BASS GUITARIST

1 ANDREW THELSTON Asheville • andrewthelston.com

2 ERIC CONGDON Asheville • ericcongdon.com

3 PATTON CARDWELL (THE GREYBIRDS) Asheville • thegreybirdsband.com

PERCUSSIONIST-DRUMMER

1 RIVER GUERGUERIAN Odyssey Community School, 90 Zillicoa St., Asheville 828-301-6605 • guerguerian.com

1 SAM FRAME (LAZRLUVR) Hendersonville • facebook.com/lazrluvr

2 BEN WEAVER (CLOUD CITY CASKETS) Asheville • avl.mx/brs

3 JC MEARS Asheville • @random_animals_music

3 JEFF SIPE Asheville • jeffsipemusic.com

KEYBOARDIST/PIANIST

1 BRAD CURTIOFF (LAZRLUVR) Asheville • avl.mx/cv3

2 ANDREW J. FLETCHER Asheville 828-348-4672 • firecrackerjazz.com

3 CARRIE MORRISON Asheville • carriemorrisonmusic.com

White HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

BEST MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE FOR 13 YEARS AND NOW A NON-PROFIT DEDICATED TO BUILDING COMMUNITY YEARS A

ACOUSTIC/FOLK

1 HOPE GRIFFIN

Asheville • hopegriffinmusic.com

2 RISING APPALACHIA

Asheville • risingappalachia.com

3 THE RESONANT ROGUES

Asheville • theresonantrogues.com

AMERICANA/COUNTRY

1 FANCY AND THE GENTLEMEN

Asheville 828-222-0757 • fancyandthegentlemen.com

2 ASHLEY HEATH AND HER HEATHENS

Asheville 828-773-7865 • ashleyleeannheath.com

3 AMANDA ANNE PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS

Arden 585-765-2083 • honeycutters.com

BLUES

1 ASHLEY HEATH AND HER HEATHENS Asheville 828-773-7865 • ashleyleeannheath.com

2 MR. JIMMY Asheville 312-953-2534 • mrjimmymusic.com

2 PEGGY RATUSZ Asheville • avl.mx/cy8

3 THE MOJO BROTHERS BLUES BAND Brevard • avl.mx/cww

FUNK

1 YO MAMA’S BIG FAT BOOTY BAND x Asheville • bootyband.com

2 EMPIRE STRIKES BRASS Asheville 828-620-1606 • empirestrikesbrass.com

3 THE FRITZ Asheville • thefritzmusic.com

JAZZ

1 FIRECRACKER JAZZ BAND Asheville 828-628-9169 • firecrackerjazz.com

2 QUEEN BEE AND THE HONEYLOVERS Asheville • queenbeeswing.com

3 ASHEVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA Asheville 828-273-9800 • ashevillejazzorchestra.org

OLD-TIME/BLUEGRASS

1 STEEP CANYON RANGERS x Brevard • steepcanyon.com

2 BALSAM RANGE Haywood 336-909-1921 • balsamrange.com

3 ASHEVILLE BLUEGRASS BAND Asheville

R&B/SOUL

1 LEEDA “LYRIC” JONES x Asheville • reverbnation.com/lyricfans

2 RYAN RNB BARBER Asheville 828-423-5637 • facebook.com/rnbnc

3 RHODA WEAVER & THE SOUL MATES Asheville • avl.mx/prtu

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

HIP-HOP

1 HORDE OF JORDAN

Asheville • @hordeofjordan

2 SPACEMAN JONES AND THE MOTHERSHIPS

Asheville • avl.mx/7uu

3 FREE RADIO

Asheville • freeradio4all.com

ROCK

1 ANDREW THELSTON BAND

Asheville • avl.mx/br7

2 LAZRLUVR

Hendersonville • lazrluvr.com

3 ANDREW SCOTCHIE & THE RIVER RATS

Asheville 828-707-2572 • andrewscotchiemusic.com

PUNK/METAL/GARAGE

1 THE DEATHBOTS

Asheville • thedeathbots.com

2 CLOUD CITY CASKETS

Asheville • avl.mx/bts

3 BOMBAY GASOLINE avl.mx/cun

BUSKER/STREET GROUP

1 ABBY THE SPOON LADY x Asheville • spoonlady.com

2 ANDREW J. FLETCHER Asheville 828-348-4672 • avl.mx/cul

ALL-ROUND FAVORITE BAND

1 LAZRLUVR Hendersonville • lazrluvr.com

2 EMPIRE STRIKES BRASS Asheville 828-620-1606 • empirestrikesbrass.com

3 STEEP CANYON RANGERS Brevard • steepcanyon.com

DJ (NONRADIO)

1 LIL MEOW MEOW (ANNELISE KOPP) Asheville 828-258-2999 • avl.mx/bx4

2 DJ MOLLY PARTI Asheville • mollyparti.com

3 NEX MILLEN Asheville • @nexmillen

BEST OF ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT REPAIR COMPANY

1 THE GUITAR WITCH REPAIRS o Asheville 828-785-3794 • avl.mx/a75

2 MUSICIAN’S WORKSHOP n 319 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-252-1249 • musiciansworkshop.com

3 HEYDAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & REPAIR d 108 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-254-0402 • heydaymusic.net

MUSIC-RELATED NONPROFIT

1 LEAF GLOBAL ARTS d x 19 Eagle St., Suite 120, Asheville 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

2 ASHEVILLE MUSIC SCHOOL w 10 Ridgelawn Road, Asheville 828-252-6244 • ashevillemusicschool.org

3 GIRLS ROCK ASHEVILLE Asheville girlsrockasheville.org

ARTS/CRAFTS FAIR OR EVENT

1 THE BIG CRAFTY d x Harrah’s Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St., Asheville thebigcrafty.com

2 CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS d Harrah’s Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St., Asheville 828-523-4110 • southernhighlandguild.org

3 LEAF FESTIVAL e a Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

STUDIO STROLL/ DRIVING TOUR

1 RIVER ARTS DISTRICT (RAD) STUDIO STROLL r x Asheville 828-552-4723 • riverartsdistrict.com

2 WEAVERVILLE ART SAFARI n a Weaverville • weavervilleartsafari.com

3 SECOND SATURDAY AT RIVER ARTS DISTRICT (RAD) r Asheville 828-552-4723 • RiverArtsDistrict.com

CRAFT SCHOOL OR PLACE TO LEARN A CRAFT

1 PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFT n ax 67 Doras Trail, Bakersville 828-765-2359 • penland.org

2 ODYSSEY CENTER FOR CERAMIC ARTS r 236 Clingman Ave., Asheville 828-285-0210 • odysseyceramicarts.com

3 JOHN C. CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL w a

1 Folk School Road, Brasstown 828-837-2775 • folkschool.org

TERPSICORPS THEATRE OF DANCE

Best Performance Dance Company

LOCAL ART GALLERY

1 BLUE SPIRAL 1 d x 38 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-251-0202 bluespiral1.com

2 MARQUEE r 36 Foundy St., Asheville 828-989-1069 marqueeasheville.com

3 ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM d

2 S. Pack Square, Asheville 828-253-3227 ashevilleart.org

CRAFT-ORIENTED GALLERY

GUILD e s x

2 MARQUEE r 36 Foundy St., Asheville 828-989-1069 • marqueeasheville.com

3 WOOLWORTH WALK d 25 Haywood St., Asheville 828-254-9234 • woolworthwalk.com

FIBER ARTIST

1 JAN WESCOTT (JANI WOVENS) Asheville avl.mx/cwb

2 JUDE STUECKER Asheville 828-215-3388 judestuecker.com

3 ASHTON ZAGER Asheville 214-450-0164 ashtonzagerfiberart.com

PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST

JEWELRY ARTIST/DESIGNER

1 LAUREN MOODY (FOX & BEAUX BOUTIQUE) d x 56 Haywood St., Asheville 828-585-7230 • foxandbeaux.com

2 AMBER MAHLER Asheville 510-332-1649 • manidesignsjewelry.com

2 PAULA DAWKINS (PAULA DAWKINS FINE JEWELRY) d 65 Haywood St., Asheville 828-254-5088 • pauladawkins.com

3 SKRAP MONKEY STUDIO d 244 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-301-2243 • skrapmonkey.com

METAL ARTIST OR METALWORKER

1 DAVID EARL TOMLINSON (DYNAMIC METALWORK) Asheville 828-337-3241

2 KAYLA WOLHART & TINA COUNCELL (IRON MAIDEN STUDIOS) w 329 Emma Road, Asheville 828-712-8254 • avl.mx/cy6

3 CHUKK BRUURSEMA s 95 Thompson St., Unit 131, Asheville 828-680-0338 • chukkbruursema.com

GLASS ARTIST

1 BILLY GUILFORD & GEOFF KOSLOW (LEXINGTON GLASSWORKS) d 81 S. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-348-8427 • lexingtonglassworks.com

2 HAYDEN DAKOTA WILSON Asheville 828-208-4252 • haydendakotawilson.com

3 JENNA ASHCRAFT Asheville 704-807-6426 • ashcraftglass.com

MURAL ARTIST

1 GUS CUTTY x Asheville 828-280-3592 • guscutty.com

2 DUSTIN SPAGNOLA (474 GALLERY STUDIO) w 474 Haywood Road, Suite 102, Asheville 315-436-1382 • dustinspagnola.com

3 KATHRYN CRAWFORD Asheville • kathryncrawfordart.com

PAINTER/ILLUSTRATOR

1 NATALIE RAY (NATALIE RAY FINE ART) Asheville • natalieonpaper.com

2 GRANT PENNY r 123 Roberts St., Asheville 828-335-9225 • grantpenny.com

BEST OF ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

POTTER/CERAMIC ARTIST

1 EAST FORK d 15 W. Walnut St., Asheville 828-575-2150 • eastfork.com

2 MELISSA WEISS POTTERY e 3 Mulvaney St., Asheville melissaweisspottery.com

2 ROB AND BETH MANGUM (MANGUM POTTERY) n a 16 N. Main St., Weaverville 828-645-4929 • mangumpottery.com

3 AKIRA SATAKE CERAMICS/ GALLERY MUGEN r 191 Lyman St., Studio 165, Asheville 828-275-7612 • akirasatake.com

PORTRAIT/HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHER

1 CAROL SPAGNUOLA (CAROL SPAGS PHOTOGRAPHY) Asheville 828-713-4485 • carolspags.com

2 HEATHER BURDITT PHOTOGRAPHY Asheville heatherburdittphotography.com

3 SHEILA MRAZ Asheville 828-550-4663 • sheilamraz.com

STILL LIFE/NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER

1 CAMILLA CALNAN PHOTOGRAPHY Asheville 828-242-2308 • camiphoto.com

WEDDING/EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

1 NATHAN RIVERS CHESKY Asheville 828-776-3629 • nathanchesky.com

2 SHEILA MRAZ Asheville 828-550-4663 • sheilamraz.com

3 STEPHAN PRUITT d 22 S. Pack Square, Suite 302, Asheville 828-712-4669 stephanpruittphotography.com

NONPROFIT THAT SERVES THE ARTS

1 ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL d 67 Broadway, Suite 217, Asheville 828-222-0436 • ashevillearts.com

1 OPEN HEARTS ART CENTER d 217 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-505-8428 • openheartsartcenter.org

2 LEAF GLOBAL ARTS d 19 Eagle St., Suite 120, Asheville 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

3 BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS e a 225 W. State St., Black Mountain 828-669-0930 • blackmountainarts.org

MOVIE THEATER

1 GRAIL MOVIEHOUSE r x 17 Foundy St., Suite 20, Asheville 828-239-9392 • grailmoviehouse.com

2 FINE ARTS THEATRE d 36 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-232-1536 • fineartstheatre.com

2 THE CAROLINA CINEMARK ASHEVILLE s

1640 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-8811 • avl.mx/3n9

3 ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. n

675 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-254-1281 • ashevillebrewing.com

LOCAL FILMMAKER

1 PAUL BONESTEEL (BONESTEEL FILMS) d

45 S. French Broad Ave., Suite 120, Asheville 828-236-0300 • bonesteelfilms.com

THEATER COMPANY

1 ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE d x 35 E. Walnut St., Asheville 828-254-1320 • ashevilletheatre.org

2 MONTFORD PARK PLAYERS n 92 Gay St., Asheville 828-254-5146 • montfordparkplayers.org

3 NORTH CAROLINA STAGE COMPANY d 15 Stage Lane, Asheville 828-239-0263 • ncstage.org

ACTOR (ANY GENDER)

1 SCOTT TREADWAY ax Flat Rock • avl.mx/a9f

2 STEPHANIE HICKLING BECKMAN Asheville 828-484-2014 • differentstrokespac.org

PERFORMANCE DANCE COMPANY

1 TERPSICORPS THEATRE OF DANCE w 69 Cranford Road, Asheville 828-761-1371 • terpsicorps.org

2 THE ASHEVILLE BALLET n 4 Weaverville Highway, Asheville 828-252-4761 • ashevilleballet.com

3 ASHEVILLE CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE n 20 Commerce St., Asheville 828-254-2621 • acdt.org

PLACE TO TAKE DANCE CLASSES OR LESSONS

1 DANCECLUB ASHEVILLE n 9 Old Burnsville Hill Road, Suite 3, Asheville 828-423-0886 • danceclubasheville.com

2 UPHORA DANCE FITNESS w 1501 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-417-7171 • uphoradance.com

3 BALLET CONSERVATORY OF ASHEVILLE d 6 E. Chestnut St., Asheville 828-255-5777 balletconservatoryofasheville.wordpress.com

COMEDY TROUPE OR SERIES

1 LAZOOM: HEY ASHEVILLE! CITY COMEDY TOUR d x 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

2 REASONABLY PRICED BABIES Asheville • avl.mx/bxx

3 MODELFACE COMEDY & EVENTS Asheville • modelfacecomedy.com

LOCAL COMEDY SHOW/ NIGHT/EVENT

1 OPEN MIC COMEDY FREAKSHOW AT THE ODD w 1045 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9299 • linktr.ee/theoddav

2 LAZOOM TOURS d 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

3 LAZOOM: HEY ASHEVILLE! CITY COMEDY TOUR d 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

BEST OF ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

COMEDIAN

1 HILLIARY BEGLEY x Asheville • avl.mx/cw4

2 DIVINITY HOLEBURN (DIVINE THE BEARDED LADY) Asheville 828-333-7247 • facebook.com/divinity.holeburn

2 PETEY SMITH-MCDOWELL (DISCLAIMER LOUNGE) d 31 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-255-7777 facebook.com/disclaimerlounge

TRIVIA

NIGHT EMCEE

1 ROBERT BENNETT (TOTALLY RAD TRIVIA) Asheville 828-280-5437 • robertsavltrivia.com

2 KIPPER SCHAUER (DJ KIPPER) Asheville • avl.mx/a8r

3 MITCH FORTUNE (MITCH’S TOTALLY RAD TRIVIA) e Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 200, Asheville 828-239-9903 • avl.mx/bxy

DIVINITY HOLEBURN

(DIVINE THE BEARDED LADY)

Best Drag Performer/Group; second place Comedian

DRAG PERFORMER/GROUP

1 DIVINITY HOLEBURN (DIVINE THE BEARDED LADY) Asheville 828-333-7247 • facebook.com/divinity.holeburn

2 PRISCILLA CHAMBERS Asheville • avl.mx/cy7

3 ASHEVILLE DRAG BRUNCH Asheville 828-333-7247 • ashevilledragbrunch.com

LOCAL AUTHOR

1 CHARLES FRAZIER Asheville • charlesfrazier.com

2 WILEY CASH Asheville 541-797-2217 • wileycash.com

3 ROBERT BEATTY Asheville • robert-beatty.com

LOCAL POET

1 ALLAN WOLF x Asheville 828-772-7474 • allanwolf.com

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

SHO PPING

STORE THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF ASHEVILLE

1 THE REGENERATION STATION s 26 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-505-1108 • regenerationstation.com

2 MAST GENERAL STORE d s a 15 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-232-1883 527 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-696-1883 • mastgeneralstore.com

3 MADAM CLUTTERBUCKETS NEURODIVERSE UNIVERSE d 21 Battery Park Ave., Suite 101, Asheville 828-552-3013 • madamclutterbuckets.com

CLOTHING: DRESS-UP/STYLIN’

1 MINX BOUTIQUE d x 64 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-225-5680 • minxasheville.com

CLOTHING: USED OR VINTAGE (FOR-PROFIT STORE)

THE REGENERATION STATION

WESTERN North Carolina’s admirers are drawn to the region’s natural beauty, its food and brewing scenes and the numerous downtowns that sprang up during the 19th century. But wherever you land, a pleasant surprise reveals itself: Our local shops easily surpass what’s typically offered by corporate America.

This is true in spades for Asheville, which promises unique shopping experiences no matter what neighborhood you choose to sample.

West Asheville is known for its spunk, funk and vintage flair. Sometimes referred to as the up-cy-

cling mecca of the region, it’s a hot spot for homemade entrepreneurial spirit and creative innovation.

Biltmore Village offers a sense of old-school class. Pretend to be a time traveler from the year 1914. Buy a telescope and an evening gown, then have tea in a nice shop.

Asheville’s sprawling downtown caters to virtually every taste in some fashion; there’s no shortage of unusual souvenirs to take back to your (very conventional) Aunt Louise, but you might also find the perfect Christmas gift for your weird Goth nephew. Cute shoes, cigars, bath salts, fossils, antiques and even yarn for a handmade winter cap can

all be easily found by wandering in central Asheville.

And because this is Asheville, you can buy crystals just about anywhere.

This year, Xpress welcomes two stores into the esteemed Hall of Fame for having held the top spot in their categories for four consecutive years: Spicer Greene Jewelers (Jewelry Store) and Morgan’s Comics (Comics and Collectibles Store).

Congratulations to all the winners who help make WNC a delightful place to shop and keep our communities unique. Remember to shop local, everybody!

— Jessica Wakeman X

1 REVOLVE MERCANTILE BUY+SELL+TRADE w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-412-3112 • revolvemerc.net

2 RECIPROCITY w 732 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-3980 • reciprocityasheville.com

3 HONEYPOT VINTAGE d 86 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-225-0304 • honeypotvintage.com

Store That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville, Best Used Furniture Store (for-proft store) and Refurbished Or Upcycled Goods; second place Antique Store

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

CLOTHING: USED OR VINTAGE (NONPROFIT STORE)

1 GOODWILL w e s x

1616 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-771-2192

86 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-299-3595

51 Mills Gap Road, Asheville 828-687-0057 • goodwillnwnc.org

2 SECOND CHANCES THRIFT STORE (BROTHER WOLF ANIMAL RESCUE) e 49 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-505-3440 ext. 106 bwar.org/second-chances

3 ZEN & NOW n Asheville Community Yoga8, 8 Brookdale Road, Asheville 828-255-5575 • avl.mx/bwm

ASHEVILLE-STYLE CLOTHES

1 REVOLVE MERCANTILE BUY+SELL+TRADE w 697 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-412-3112 • revolvemerc.net

2 ELEMENTALITY e

4 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 220, Asheville 828-299-4751 • myelementality.com

SHOE STORE

1 TOPS FOR SHOES d x

27 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-254-6721 • topsforshoes.com

2 DISCOUNT SHOES OF ASHEVILLE w

1263 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-667-0085 discountshoesofasheville.com

3 GB SHOES e

83 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-808-2062 • housershoes.com

JEWELRY STORE

1 SPICER GREENE JEWELERS d x 121 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-253-1805 • spicergreene.com

2 ELEMENTALITY e

4 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 220, Asheville 828-299-4751 • myelementality.com

3 MARTHALER JEWELERS s a

3578 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher 828-676-1625 • marthalerjewelers.com

BEST OF SHOPPING

MALL-STYLE MARKET

1 MARQUEE r 36 Foundy St., Asheville 828-989-1069 • marqueeasheville.com

2 ASHEVILLE OUTLETS w 800 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-667-2308 • shopashevilleoutlets.com

3 GROVE ARCADE d 1 Page Ave., Asheville 828-252-7799 • grovearcade.com

ALL-ROUND

GROCERY STORE

1 INGLES MARKETS e n w s x 29 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-253-1528

915 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-1326

669 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-259-9268 • ingles-markets.com

2 PUBLIX SUPER MARKET s n a 1830 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-6287 165 Weaver Blvd., Weaverville 828-658-1020 • publix.com

3 TRADER JOE’S n 120 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-232-5078 • traderjoes.com

ANTIQUE

1 INGLES MARKETS e n w s

29 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-253-1528 915 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-1326

669 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-259-9268 • ingles-markets.com

2 MOTHER EARTH FOOD w 29 Hawk Hill Road, Asheville 828-275-3500 • motherearthfood.com

3 PUBLIX SUPER MARKET s 1830 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-6287 • publix.com

BUDGET-FRIENDLY GROCERY STORE

1 ALDI e w n ax

480 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 855-955-2534

1344 Patton Ave., Asheville 855-955-2534 58 Weaver Blvd., Weaverville 855-955-2534 • aldi.com

2 HOPEY AND CO. e s

800 Fairview Road, Suite 111, Asheville 828-255-5228

144 Caribou Road, Asheville 828-774-5432 • hopeyandcompany.com

3 TRADER JOE’S n 120 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-232-5078 • traderjoes.com

HEALTH FOOD STORE

1 WHOLE FOODS MARKET n e s

70 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-254-5440

4 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-239-9604

1856 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-378-0477 • wholefoodsmarket.com

2 FRENCH BROAD FOOD CO-OP d 90 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-255-7650 • frenchbroadfood.coop

3 EARTH FARE w 66 Westgate Parkway, Asheville 828-255-2999 • earthfare.com

INTERNATIONAL/ SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

1 YZ ASIAN MARKET w

22 New Leicester Highway, Asheville 828-785-1653 • avl.mx/9sn

2 RADHA INDIAN GROCERS w 813 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-505-1991 • avl.mx/prwr

3 KIM’S ORIENTAL FOOD & GIFTS w

5 Regent Park Blvd., Suite 110, Asheville 828-254-7235

LOCAL GROCERY DELIVERY OR CURBSIDE PICKUP

TOBACCO BARN Best Antique Store

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

CONVENIENCE/ CORNER STORE

1 GAS-UP w 405 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-5589 • avl.mx/6bv

2 THE HOT SPOT n 103 New Leicester Highway, Asheville 828-258-2619 110 Weaverville Highway, Asheville 828-645-5790 • hotspotcstore.com

3 MONTFORD CONVENIENCE n 231 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-258-1879 • montforddeli.com

NEW FURNITURE STORE

1 TYSON FURNITURE CO. e ax 109 Broadway, Black Mountain 828-669-5000 • tysonfurniture.com

2 DAVIS HOME FURNITURE s 100 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-785-1452 • davishomefurniture.com

USED FURNITURE STORE (FOR-PROFIT STORE)

1 THE REGENERATION STATION s x 26 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-505-1108 • regenerationstation.com

2 ATOMIC FURNISHING & DESIGN e 124 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-774-5441 • atomicfurnishings.com

USED FURNITURE STORE (NONPROFIT STORE)

1 ASHEVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY RESTORE s n ax

33 Meadow Road, Asheville 828-254-6706

61 Weaver Blvd., Weaverville 828-484-9432 ashevillehabitat.org/restore

1 COLTON MATTRESS s x 848 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-299-4445 • coltonmattress.com

2 MATTRESS MAN e s a 80 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-492-3185 229 Airport Road, Suite 2, Arden 828-827-9797 • mattressmanstores.com ANTIQUE STORE

1 ANTIQUE TOBACCO BARN e x 75 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-252-7291 • atbarn.com

2 THE REGENERATION STATION s 26 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-505-1108 • regenerationstation.com

3 SCREEN DOOR s 115 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-277-3667 • screendoorasheville.com

BEST OF SHOPPING

BOOKSTORE - NEW

1 MALAPROP’S BOOKSTORE/CAFE d x 55 Haywood St., Asheville 828-254-6734 • malaprops.com

2 BARNES & NOBLE e s

Asheville Mall, 3 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-296-7335 Biltmore Park Town Square, 33 Town Square Blvd., Suite 100, Asheville 828-687-0681 • barnesandnoble.com

3 FIRESTORM BOOKSTORE CO-OP w 1022 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-255-8115 • firestorm.coop

BOOKSTORE - USED

1 MR. K’S USED BOOKS, MUSIC & MORE e x 800 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-299-1145 • mrksusedbooksasheville.com

2 DOWNTOWN BOOKS & NEWS d 67 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-253-8654 • dbnbooks.com

3 BAGATELLE BOOKS w 428C Haywood Road, Asheville 828-774-5585 • bagatellebooks.com

RECORD/CD STORE

1 HARVEST RECORDS w x 415 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-2999 • harvest-records.com

2 STATIC AGE RECORDS d 110 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-254-3232 • avl.mx/69r

3 CITIZEN VINYL d 14 O’Henry Ave., Asheville citizenvinyl.com

3 EARTH RIVER RECORDS n 101 Stone Ridge Blvd., Asheville 828-519-9063 • earthriverproductions.com

OCTOPUS GARDEN SMOKE SHOP

Best Head Shop

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE

1 MUSICIAN’S WORKSHOP n x 319 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-252-1249 • musiciansworkshop.com

2 HEYDAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & REPAIR d 108 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville 828-254-0402 • heydaymusic.net

3 GUITAR CENTER e 4 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 430, Asheville 828-298-0131 • guitarcenter.com

GAME STORE

1 ORBIT DVD w 781 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-251-1337 • orbitdvd.com

1 THE WYVERN’S TALE n 347 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-505-7887 • thewyvernstaleavl.com

2 MORGAN’S COMICS w 600 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-4003 • morganscomics.com

3 GAMERS HAUNT n 211 Merrimon Ave., Suite 241, Asheville 828-251-1500 • gamershaunt.com

3 GAMESTOP e 129 Bleachery Blvd., Suite H, Asheville 828-298-7720 • gamestop.com

COMICS & COLLECTIBLES STORE

1 MORGAN’S COMICS w x 600 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-4003 • morganscomics.com

2 COMIC ENVY n

333 Merrimon Ave., Suite A, Asheville 828-252-7600 • comicenvy.com

3 PASTIMES n

175 Weaverville Road, Suite Y, Asheville 828-658-0588 • comicshopasheville.com

Thank you for voting for us! We are enjoying being a part of the community and can’t believe that it’s already been four years.

428 C Haywood Rd Asheville 828.774.5585

Earth River Records 101 Stone Ridge Blvd, Asheville 828-519-9063

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

ADULT TOYS, LINGERIE & NAUGHTY THINGS STORE

1 VAVAVOOOM BOUDOIR BOUTIQUE d x 57 Broadway, Asheville 828-254-6329 • vavavooom.com

2 BOUTIQUE ROYALE: LINGERIE & GIFTS s 117 Sweeten Creek Road, Suite 30, Asheville 828-505-1796 • boutique-royale.com

3 BEDTYME STORIES s a 2334 Hendersonville Road, Arden 828-684-8250 bedtymestories.business.site

BIKE SHOP

1 LIBERTY BICYCLES s x 1378 Hendersonville Road, Suite G, Asheville 828-274-2453 • libertybikes.com

2 YOUNGBLOOD BICYCLES n 233 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-251-4686 • youngbloodbicycles.com

3 EPIC CYCLES e a 102 Sutton Ave., Black Mountain 828-669-5969 • epiccyclesnc.com

3 MOTION MAKERS BICYCLE SHOP w 878 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-633-2227 • motionmakers.com

AUTOMOBILE TIRE STORE

1 NEWBRIDGE TIRE CENTER n x 1475 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-255-8005 • newbridgetirecenter.com

2 JAN DAVIS TIRE STORE d 209 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-253-5634 • jandavistire.com

3 DISCOUNT TIRE e 105 Bleachery Blvd., Asheville 828-318-0949 • discounttire.com AUTO

1 PRESTIGE SUBARU e x 585 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-786-3483 • prestigesubaru.com

2 APPLE TREE HONDA s a 242 Underwood Road, Fletcher 828-585-3044 honda.appletreeautomobiles.com

3 FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA OF ASHEVILLE w 777 Brevard Road, Asheville 828-585-5825 • ashevilletoyota.com

BACK in the day, when the Best of WNC was young, as far back as 1995, Personal Services included a wider range of categories, including Place to Work Out, Yoga Studio, Dentist, Computer Repair and Alternative Healing Center. But those categories have since migrated to other ballot sections.

What remains in Personal Services these days is mostly about how we express ourselves physically, displaying what’s inside us to the world outside — which seems

perso nAl seRv ices

SPA

1 THE SPA AT OMNI GROVE PARK INN n x 290 Macon Ave., Asheville 800-438-5800 omnihotels.com/hotels/ asheville-grove-park/spa

2 SHOJI SPA & RETREAT e 96 Avondale Heights, Asheville 828-299-0999 • shojispa.com

3 SAUNA HOUSE d 230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-505-6393 • saunahouse.com

ESTHETICIAN

1 MAJESTY BOSWELL (HUNNY ESTHETICS) s

76 Glendale Ave., Suite 302, Asheville 828-380-6610 • hunnyesthetics.com

2 SARAH YOUNG (EVOKE VITALITY) d 125 S. Lexington Ave., Suite 102A, Asheville 828-222-0281 • evokevitality.com

3 LYLLA DOMBOSKI d 70 Woodfin Place, Suite 325, Asheville 954-648-2547 facebook.com/p/Lylla-Domboski100066542990536

HAIR SALON

1 WINK SALON s 18 Brook St., Suite 103, Asheville 828-277-4070 • ilovewink.com

SALON

to grow ever more, well, expressive around here. What do we perhaps obsess on? Well, the two most heavily contested categories — Hair Salon and Hairstylist or Barber — may tell the tale.

This year, we reintroduced the Esthetician category due to popular demand. And with a hat tip to Go Local’s “Love Your Local” effort, this year, we asked voters to select the best Local Body-Products Maker. Check out who won.

A bit of doffing of the cap is in order in recognition of this year’s

Hall of Fame newcomers, who have racked up four consecutive first-place wins: Zen Ink (Tattoo Parlor) and American Nails AVL (Nail Salon).

The Personal Services section also saw many repeat Hall of Famers, including The Local Barber & Tap (Best Barbershop for seven consecutive years), Bella Fine Jewelry and Piercing (Best Piercing Studio for six years running) and The Spa at Omni Grove Park Inn (voted best Spa for 13 years running, enjoying its ninth year in the Hall of Fame).

— Brooke Randle X

2 ANANDA HAIR STUDIO d r 22 Broadway, Asheville 828-232-1017

37 Paynes Way, Suite 5, Asheville 828-236-2444 • anandahair.com

3 WILLOW’S DREAM d 64 Broadway, Asheville 828-225-5922 • willowsdream.com

WINK

Best Hair Salon

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

HAIRSTYLIST OR BARBER

1 AMY GROOMS ROSE (SALON ZHENYA) w

290 Haywood Road, Suite 102, Asheville 828-713-6921 • salonzhenya.com

2 CAITLIN FRINK (SALON DRAGONFLY) d 115 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-253-3977 • salondragonfly.net

3 HEATHER HALSTEAD (ATLAS BEAUTY) n

257 Broadway, Suite 301, Asheville 828-707-3991 • atlasbeautyasheville.com

BARBERSHOP

1 THE LOCAL BARBER & TAP d x 84 W. Walnut St., Unit B, Asheville 828-232-7005 • barberandtap.com

2 ASHEVILLE BARBER CO. n 839 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-575-9494 • ashevillebarbercompany.com

3 THE CHOP SHOP BARBER SHOP w 606 New Leicester Highway, Asheville 828-412-5466 • wncbarber.com

NAIL SALON

1 AMERICAN NAILS AVL w x

1341 Parkwood Road, Suite 104, Asheville 828-255-5525 • americannailsavl.com

2 LUCKY DICE NAIL STUDIO s

76 Glendale Ave., Suite 203, Asheville 828-505-2645 • luckydiceavl.square.site

3 ANGEL NAIL SPA s

1816 Hendersonville Road, Suite 50, Asheville 828-575-9588 • angelnailspaasheville.com

NAIL TECHNICIAN

1 CHANCEY FURNAS (LUCKY DICE NAIL STUDIO) w 76 Glendale Ave., Suite 203, Asheville 828-505-2645 • luckydiceavl.square.site

2 CASEY MILLER (PRETTY TONY) w 526 Haywood Road, Asheville @weloveprettytony

3 THANG CHU (AMERICAN NAILS AVL) w 1341 Parkwood Road, Suite 104, Asheville 828-255-5525 • americannailsavl.com

BEST OF PERSONAL SERVICES

TATTOO PARLOR

1 ZEN INK r x 352 Depot St., Asheville 828-505-4456 • zeninkasheville.com

2 DIVINATION TATTOO & GALLERY d w 73 N. Market St., Asheville 828-412-3191 406 Johnston School Road, Asheville 828-365-8356 • divinationtattoo.com

3 SERPENT & THE RAINBOW TATTOO d 46 Millard Ave., Asheville 828-412-3307 serpentandtherainbowtattoo.com

TATTOO ARTIST

1 RICHARD LAMOS (BLISS TATTOO) w 742 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-299-4147 • blisstattoo.org

2 KRIS ROBERTS (SERPENT & THE RAINBOW) s 46 Millard Ave., Asheville 828-412-3307 serpentandtherainbowtattoo.com

3 RIVER DAWN (SPIRIT ALCHEMY) n 959 Merrimon Ave.,Suite 5, Asheville spiritalchemytattoo.com

PIERCING STUDIO

1 BELLA FINE JEWELRY AND PIERCING d x 51 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-301-1711 • bellapiercing.com

2 DIAMOND THIEVES w 1060 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-225-3845 • diamondthieves.net

3 ZEN INK r 352 Depot St., Asheville 828-505-4456 • zeninkasheville.com

LOCAL BODYPRODUCTS MAKER

1 EVERYDAY OIL e a 104 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain everydayoil.com

THE HALL OF FAME ICON

The Hall of Fame designation is reserved for winners who have won first place four years in a row (or more), including this year (2020 - 2023)

profes s ioNal seRv i ces

ACCOUNTANT/CPA FIRM

1 AUSTIN CPA, PC d x 301 W. Haywood St., Asheville 828-785-1556 • austincpapc.com

2 LINDSAY MOODY CPA n 6 Arborvale Road, Asheville 828-505-3791 • lindsaymoodycpa.com

3 MARIE YOUNG (ACCOUNTING SPECIALISTS OF ASHEVILLE) n 394 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-774-5455 • acctspecialists.com

PLACE TO HAVE YOUR TAXES PREPARED

1 AUSTIN CPA, PC d x 301 W. Haywood St., Asheville 828-785-1556 • austincpapc.com

2 H&R BLOCK w e 891 Patton Ave., Suite H, Asheville 828-232-6757 83 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 6, Asheville 828-232-6757 • hrblock.com

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

1 KEVIN PASARILLA (NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT CO.) s 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 350, Asheville 828-253-0712 • kevinpasarilla.nm.com

THE MATT & MOLLY TEAM (KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY)

Best Real Estate Agent; Work & Business section: Best Business That Gives Back to the Community

WE all know (or perhaps are) people who fire up YouTube and DIY it whenever possible. But can that really work for everything? Readers, I’m here to tell you, it cannot. Some things beyond our expertise are truly better left to the professionals.

But choosing the right professionals — now that’s where the combined wisdom of the Best of WNC voters comes in. Throughout the many categories of Professional & Home Services, we can learn who’s been voted the best among local plumbers, financial advisers,

real estate agents, house painters and many more.

Talk about excellence: Special lifetime achievement honors go to Charlotte Street Computers (Computer Repair); Henco Reprographics (Print Shop); and Liberty Bicycles (Bike Repair) for holding onto their Hall of Fame status for eight or more years.

High-fives also are in order for these three new Hall of Famers: Ben Weaver–Leave it to Weaver (Handyperson); Verizon (Cellphone Service Provider for the WNC Mountains); and Goosmann

Rose Colvard & Cramer, P.A. (Law Firm).

And this year brings even more intel on the best with five new categories. Please give a warm welcome to the inaugural winners of best Junk Removal Service (Junk Recyclers); Flooring, Carpet or Tile Company (Wright’s Carpet & Flooring); Criminal Law Attorney (Barbara Bowers, Barbara Bowers Law); Equipment Rental Services (General Equipment Rental); and Place to Get Your Oil Changed (Valvoline Instant Oil Change)

— Tracy Rose X

2 CHRISTINA SIMPSON (OPPENHEIMER & CO.) s 10 Brook St., Suite 290, Asheville 828-225-3118 • oppenheimer.com

3 ADAM STANFORD (MORGAN STANLEY) d 500 College St., Asheville 828-250-8770 advisor.morganstanley.com/adam.stanford

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

LAW FIRM

1 GOOSMANN ROSE COLVARD & CRAMER, P.A. n s n ax

77 Central Ave., Suite H, Asheville 828-258-0150

Biltmore Park, 2 Town Square Blvd., Suite 340, Asheville 68 N. Main St., Weaverville 828-258-0150 • grcclaw.com

2 BARBARA BOWERS (BARBARA BOWERS LAW) d 70 Wall St., Asheville 828-412-5055 • barbarabowerslaw.com

2 THE VAN WINKLE LAW FIRM d s a 11 N. Market St., Asheville 828-484-1037 422 S. Main St., Hendersonville 828-844-7097 • vwlawfirm.com

3 MCGUIRE WOOD & BISSETTE LAW FIRM d 48 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-254-8800 • mwblawyers.com

CRIMINAL LAW ATTORNEY

1 BARBARA BOWERS (BARBARA BOWERS LAW) d 70 Wall St., Asheville 828-412-5055 • barbarabowerslaw.com

REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY

1 VERONICA H. COLVARD (GOOSMANN ROSE COLVARD & CRAMER, P.A.) n s n a

77 Central Ave., Suite H, Asheville 828-258-0150

BEST OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

CELLPHONE SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE WNC

1 VERIZON e w s x 242 Tunnel Road, Asheville 800-880-1077 159 Smokey Park Highway, Asheville 828-668-5811 1857 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-277-4055 • verizon.com

2 T-MOBILE w e 771 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-281-3229 129 Bleachery Blvd., Suite T, Asheville 828-296-0417 • t-mobile.com

3 AT&T e 4 S. Tunnel Road, Suite 17, Asheville 828-298-1833 • avl.mx/by2

1 CHARLOTTE STREET COMPUTERS n x 252 Charlotte St., Asheville 828-225-6600 charlottestreetcomputers.com

2 ONECLICKFIX COMPUTER REPAIR n 438 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-318-8558 • oneclickfix.com

3 THE ASHEVILLE COMPUTER CO. s 5 Miller Road S., Suite 1, Asheville 828-290-9092 ashevillecomputercompany.com

CAR REPAIR

CHARLOTTE STREET COMPUTERS Best

Computer Repair

1

2 MONTEATH’S AUTO SERVICE e 600 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-298-2776 • monteathsauto.com

PLACE

1 VALVOLINE INSTANT OIL CHANGE s n w 1276 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-274-3085 663 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-251-2666 243 Sardis Road, Asheville 828-670-1645 • vioc.com

2 XPERTECH CAR CARE e 1295 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-298-3612 • xpertechcarcare.com

3 TAKE 5 OIL CHANGE w 285 Smokey Park Highway, Asheville 828-761-0906 • take5.com

BIKE REPAIR

1 LIBERTY BICYCLES s x 1378 Hendersonville Road, Suite G, Asheville 828-274-2453 • libertybikes.com

2 YOUNGBLOOD BICYCLES n 233 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-251-4686 • youngbloodbicycles.com

3 FIND YOUR LINE BICYCLES w 359 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-585-7289 • findyourline.bike

GREEN BUILDER

1 JAG CONSTRUCTION e 33 Mineral Springs Road, Asheville 828-252-4205 • jaggreen.com

2 JADE MOUNTAIN BUILDERS r 362 Depot St., Suite 10, Asheville 828-216-3948 jademountainbuilders.com

PLUMBING COMPANY

1 T.P. HOWARD’S PLUMBING CO. s ax 90 Number 9 Road, Fairview 828-628-1369 • tphowardsplumbing.com

2 BLUE PLANET PLUMBING s

1131 Sweeten Creek Road, Suite 111, Asheville 828-423-6289 • blueplanetplumbing.com

3 ALL ABOUT PLUMBING & SEPTIC s a

5521 Old Haywood Road, Suite 1, Mills River 828-581-4073 • allaboutplumbingnc.com

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRICIAN COMPANY

1 MB HAYNES ELECTRICAL w x 187 Deaverview Road, Asheville 828-254-6141 • mbhaynes.com

2 JACKSON ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS s a

6 Bagwell Mill Road, Arden 828-891-4335 • jacksonelect.com

HEATING/COOLING COMPANY

1 GENTRY SERVICE GROUP e ax 100 Buckeye Access Road, Swannanoa 828-581-4045 • gentryservice.com

2 MB HAYNES HEATING & COOLING w 187 Deaverview Road, Asheville 828-254-6141 • mbhaynes.com

3 WHITE & WILLIAMS e 514 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-296-0267 • whiteandwilliams.net

PEST CONTROL SERVICE

1 TERMINIX e w x 232 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-253-3816 396 New Leicester Highway, Asheville 828-232-1338 • trustterminix.com

2 GIBSON PEST CONTROL s 20 Rosscraggon Road, Asheville 888-483-6507 • gibsonpest.com

3 DODSON PEST CONTROL w a 1739 Smokey Park Highway, Candler 844-501-5088 • dodsonbros.com

MOVING COMPANY

1 TWO MEN AND A TRUCK s ax 240 Rutledge Road, Fletcher 828-355-6058 twomenandatruckasheville.com

2 COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK & MOVING ASHEVILLE s a 6 Celtic Drive, Unit B1, Arden 828-439-0728 collegehunkshaulingjunk.com

HOUSE PAINTERS

1 BIONIC MAN PAINTING CO. w x 57 Salola St., Asheville 828-215-7772 • bionicmanpainting.com

ROOFING COMPANY

1 BALKEN ROOFING e a 101 W. Buckeye Road, Swannanoa 828-662-3027 • balkenroofing.com

2 JOHN MCCLUNG ROOFING w 10 Spring Creek Trail, Asheville 828-582-4165 • johnmcclungroofing.com

3 DLV ROOFING SYSTEMS s a 8 Brandy Branch Road, Mills River 828-654-0212 • dlvroofing.com

Thank You WNC!

FLOORING, CARPET OR TILE COMPANY

1 WRIGHT’S CARPET & FLOORING e a 1800 U.S. 70 Highway, Swannanoa 828-414-2792 • wrightscarpet.com

HANDYPERSON

1 BEN WEAVER (LEAVE IT TO WEAVER) n ax 29 Kelly Fields Drive, Weaverville 828-301-4725 • leaveittoweaver.net

HOME INSPECTION SERVICE

1 FARRIS HOME INSPECTIONS M Asheville 828-676-4419 • farrishomeinspections.com

2 ECONOMY SERVICES INC. w a 1192 Smokey Park Highway, Candler 828-254-0691 • economy-services.com

HOME CLEANING SERVICE

1 GREEN HOME CLEANING d x 306 W. Haywood St., Asheville 828-505-7320 • greenhomecleaning.com

JUNK REMOVAL SERVICE

1 JUNK RECYCLERS s 26 Glendale Ave., Asheville 828-707-2407 • junkrecyclers.net

2 COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK & MOVING ASHEVILLE s a 6 Celtic Drive, Unit B1, Arden 828-439-0728 collegehunkshaulingjunk.com

EQUIPMENT RENTAL SERVICES

1 GENERAL EQUIPMENT RENTAL n a 25 A-B Emblem Drive, Weaverville 828-658-2334 • generalrents.com

DRY CLEANER

1 SWANNANOA CLEANERS d n s x 165 Coxe Ave., Asheville 828-253-3691 712 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-252-3676 780 Hendersonville Road, Suite 4, Asheville 828-274-7550 • swannanoacleaners.com

2 ASHEVILLE CLEANERS n 230 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-254-2364 • ashevillecleaners.com

3 QUICK AS A WINK CLEANERS s 750 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-253-2331

Bill Wescott Brandon Lemon Cody Johnson

Joe Farris Joe Wright

KI DS

SCHOOL (PRECOLLEGE)

1 ARTSPACE CHARTER SCHOOL e a 2030 U.S. Highway 70, Swannanoa 828-298-2787 • artspacecharter.org

2 ODYSSEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL n 90 Zillicoa St., Asheville 828-259-3653 • odysseycommunity.org

3 RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL w 574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM

1 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e x 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

2 Y AFTERSCHOOL IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (YMCA OF WNC) 828-251-5910 • ymcawnc.org/childcare

3 RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL w 574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

PRESCHOOL

WNC NATURE CENTER

Best Daytrip for Kids and Place for Outdoor Fun; Uniquely Asheville section: third place Place to Connect With Nature Within Asheville City Limits

AS a parent who has monitored the Best of WNC Kids section for years, it’s heartening to see so many familiar names earning readers’ approval year after year. I take it as a sign that the folks who are teaching, taking care of and inspiring our community’s children continue to be committed to doing their very best — and are rightly being recognized for it. Some winners have quite a long history indeed. Asheville Museum of Science (Museum), for example, began as one man’s mineral collec-

tion, evolving into the Burnham S. Colburn Memorial Museum in 1960. Now it’s a regional home for exploratory science learning — and you can still marvel at Colburn’s sparkly rocks.

However, if the names on these pages are not so familiar to you, then consider this collection of first-, second- and third-place winners as an avenue to discovering the cream of the crop of what our region has to offer in the kids arena.

You may notice that 14 first-place winners are Hall of Famers, mean-

ing they’ve won their category for four or more years in a row. Among them, lifetime achievement honors go to Dancing Bear Toys (Toy Store) for retaining its Hall of Fame status for nine years.

And please give a warm round of applause to this year’s new Hall of Famers: The Littlest Birds (Kids Clothes); Center Stage Dance Studio (Dance Studio); and WNC Nature Center (Place for Outdoor Fun).

— Tracy Rose X

1 ODYSSEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL n 90 Zillicoa St., Asheville 828-259-3653 • odysseycommunity.org

2 RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL w 574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

3 THE ACADEMY OF ASHEVILLE s 1709 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-277-0062 • theacademyofasheville.com

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

CHILD CARE OR DAY CARE SERVICE

1 SHALOM CHILDREN’S CENTER (ASHEVILLE JCC) n

236 Charlotte St., Asheville 828-253-0701 • jcc-asheville.org

2 THE ACADEMY OF ASHEVILLE s 1709 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-277-0062 • theacademyofasheville.com

3 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO

MARTIAL ARTS e

800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

ART EDUCATION PROGRAM

1 ARTSPACE CHARTER SCHOOL e ax 2030 U.S. Highway 70, Swannanoa 828-298-2787 • artspacecharter.org

2 RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL w

574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

MUSIC TEACHER

1 MEG NOVAK (ARTSPACE CHARTER SCHOOL) e a 2030 U.S. Highway 70, Swannanoa 828-298-2787 • artspacecharter.org

2 LAURA BLACKLEY (RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL) w 574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

3 RIVER GUERGUERIAN n Odyssey Community School, 90 Zillicoa St., Asheville 828-301-6605 • guerguerian.com

DAYTRIP FOR KIDS

1 WNC NATURE CENTER e x 75 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville 828-259-8080 • wildwnc.org

2 ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE (AMOS) d 43 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-254-7162 • ashevillescience.org

3 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM w 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492 • ncarboretum.org

KID-FRIENDLY HIKE

1 CATAWBA FALLS e a 3074 Catawba River Road, Old Fort 828-257-4200 • avl.mx//7uz

2 CRAGGY PINNACLE TRAIL e a Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 364, Black Mountain 828-775-0976 • avl.mx/bwy

3 BEARWALLOW MOUNTAIN s a 4854 Bearwallow Mountain Road, Hendersonville conservingcarolina.org/bearwallow-mountain/

OVERNIGHT CAMP

1 CAMP CEDAR CLIFF e x 5 Porters Cove Road, Asheville 828-450-3331 • campcedarcliff.org

2 YMCA CAMP WATIA a 5030 Watia Road, Bryson City 828-209-9600 • ymcacampwatia.org

DAY CAMP

1 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e x 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

2 CAMP CEDAR CLIFF e 5 Porters Cove Road, Asheville 828-450-3331 • campcedarcliff.org

3 YMCA DAY CAMP 828-251-5910 • ymcawnc.org/programs

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

PLACE FOR INDOOR FUN

1 LAUNCH TRAMPOLINE PARK s a 24 Walden Drive, Arden 828-651-0280 • launchtrampolinepark.com

2 MOUNTAIN PLAY LODGE s a 3389 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden 828-676-2120 • mountainplaylodge.com

3 ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE (AMOS) d 43 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-254-7162 • ashevillescience.org

PLACE FOR OUTDOOR FUN

1 WNC NATURE CENTER e x 75 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville 828-259-8080 • wildwnc.org

2 ADVENTURE CENTER OF ASHEVILLE 85 Expo Drive, Asheville 828-225-2921 ashevilletreetopsadventurepark.com

3 CARRIER PARK w 220 Amboy Road, Asheville 828-259-5800 • avl.mx/a8b

PLAYGROUND

1 CARRIER PARK w 220 Amboy Road, Asheville 828-259-5800 • avl.mx/a8b

2 RAINBOW COMMUNITY SCHOOL w 574 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-258-9264 • rainbowcommunityschool.org

3 BILL MOORE COMMUNITY PARK s 85 Howard Gap Road, Fletcher 828-687-0751 • avl.mx/cx1

MUSEUM

1 ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE (AMOS) d 43 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-254-7162 • ashevillescience.org

2 ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM d 2 S. Pack Square, Asheville 828-253-3227 • ashevilleart.org

3 HANDS ON! CHILDREN’S MUSEUM s a 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-697-8333 • handsonwnc.org

PLACE FOR BIRTHDAY PARTIES

1 LAUNCH TRAMPOLINE PARK s a 24 Walden Drive, Arden 828-651-0280 • launchtrampolinepark.com

2 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

3 MOUNTAIN PLAY LODGE s a 3389 Sweeten Creek Road, Arden 828-676-2120 • mountainplaylodge.com

3 THE LITTLE GYM OF ASHEVILLE s 10 Crispin Court, Suite 104, Asheville 828-785-4808 • tlgashevillenc.com

CARRIER PARK

Best Playground and third place Place for Outdoor Fun; Outdoors section: Best Place to Roller Skate or Skateboard

1 FIRED UP! CREATIVE LOUNGE d s ax 26 Wall St., Asheville 828-253-8181 Blue Ridge Mall, 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville 828-698-9960 • fireduplounge.com

2 CLAYING AROUND s 1378 Hendersonville Road, Suite D, Asheville 828-277-0042 • clayingaround.com

PARENTS NIGHT OUT PROGRAM

1 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e x 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

2 ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY MOVEMENT n 812 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-6060 ashevillecommunitymovement.com

3 THE LITTLE GYM OF ASHEVILLE s 10 Crispin Court, Suite 104, Asheville 828-785-4808 • tlgashevillenc.com

DANCE STUDIO

1 CENTER STAGE DANCE STUDIO s x 38 Rosscraggon Road, Asheville 828-654-7010 • centerstageavl.com

2 BALLET CONSERVATORY OF ASHEVILLE d 6 E. Chestnut St., Asheville 828-255-5777 balletconservatoryofasheville.wordpress.com

3 ASHEVILLE DANCE THEATER e 802 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-298-0258 • ashevilledancetheater.com

GYMNASTICS PROGRAM

1 THE LITTLE GYM OF ASHEVILLE s 10 Crispin Court, Suite 104, Asheville 828-785-4808 • tlgashevillenc.com

2 ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY MOVEMENT n 812 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-254-6060 ashevillecommunitymovement.com

3 OSEGA GYMNASTICS s a 260 Rutledge Road, Fletcher 828-665-0004 • osegagym.com

PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST

MARTIAL ARTS PROGRAM

1 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e x 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

TEAM-SPORTS PROGRAM

1 ABYSA (ASHEVILLE BUNCOMBE YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION) e x 593 Azalea Road E., Asheville 828-299-7277 • abysa.org

2 HIGHLANDS FOOTBALL CLUB (HFC) e 593 Azalea Road E., Asheville 828-299-7277 • abysa.org

KIDS CLOTHES

1 THE LITTLEST BIRDS w x Asheville Mall, 3 S. Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-253-4747 • thelittlestbirds.com

2 CHILDREN’S TRADING POST n 633 Merrimon Ave., Suite F, Asheville 828-254-5432 • childrenstradingpost.com

3 ONCE UPON A CHILD e 104 River Hills Road, Unit D&E, Asheville 828-707-8097 • onceuponachild.com

TOY STORE

1 DANCING BEAR TOYS e x 518 Kenilworth Road, Asheville 828-255-8697 • dancingbeartoys.com

2 SPARKY’S TOYS & GIFTS w 726 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-2711 facebook.com/sparkystoyshop

3 O.P. TAYLOR’S s a 16 S. Broad St., Brevard 828-883-2309 • optaylors.com

BAKERY FOR BIRTHDAY CAKES

1 SHORT STREET CAKES w 225 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-4822 • shortstreetcakes.com

2 PUBLIX SUPER MARKET s n a 1830 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-6287 165 Weaver Blvd., Weaverville 828-658-1020 • publix.com

3 GERALDINE’S BAKERY n

840 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-252-9330 • geraldinesbakeryavl.com

PEDIATRIC PRACTICEGENERAL MEDICINE

1 ABC PEDIATRICS OF ASHEVILLE s x 64 Peachtree Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-277-3000 • abcasheville.com

2 FRENCH BROAD PEDIATRICS n 40 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 117, Asheville 828-348-8232 • frenchbroadpeds.com

3 MOUNTAIN AREA PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES, PA e 500 Centrepark Drive, Asheville 828-254-4337 • mountainareapeds.com

PEDIATRIC PRACTICEDENTISTRY

1 GREAT SMILES PEDIATRIC & ORTHODONTIC DENTAL SPECIALISTS s n w x 10B Yorkshire St., Asheville 828-274-9220 94 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 102, Asheville 828-785-5825 50 Bowman Drive, Waynesville 828-454-9156 • greatsmiles.com

2 ASHEVILLE PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY s 76 Peachtree Road, Suite 130, Asheville 828-277-6788 ashevillepediatricdentistry.com

3 BEST BITES DENTAL s 11 Yorkshire St., Asheville 828-274-4744 • drjoshdentistry.com

hea lth & wel l n ess

PHYSICIAN (GENERAL PRACTICE)

1 KATE RASCHE (LANTERN HEALTH) d 84 Coxe Ave., Suite 240, Asheville 828-552-5757 • lanterndpc.com

2 MEREDITH POLANSKY (OUR FAMILY DOCTOR) d 43 Oakland Road, Asheville 828-252-2511 ourfamilydoctorasheville.com Sadly, Dr. Meredith Polansky passed away in May. We are sure that many are missing her presence.

3 CARLY BROWN (ASHEWELL MEDICAL GROUP) r 408 Depot St., Suite 150, Asheville 828-477-4077 • ashewell.com

3 MICHAEL WEIZMAN (OUR FAMILY DOCTOR) d 43 Oakland Road, Asheville 828-252-2511 ourfamilydoctorasheville.com

PEDIATRICIAN

ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS

Best Martial Arts Studio; third place Fitness Studio With Classes; Kids section: Best After-school Program, Parents Night Out Program, Day Camp and Martial Arts Program; second place Place for Birthday Parties; third place Child Care or Day Care Service; Work & Business section: second place Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville

CONSIDER all the places the Cheshire “We’re all mad here” Cat could have turned to in WNC for help with his disquietude: yoga studios, places to buy CBD products, acupuncture clinics, therapists, places to center himself.

In fact, the overflowing bounty of health care offerings in Western North Carolina — long a center for health and wellness — could be enough to put a smile on almost anyone’s face (or an ear-to-ear grin, if you’re a certain cat). Whether you’re looking for a top-notch health care professional (in whatever modality), hoping to get into

shape or searching for healthy supplements, the region offers so many paths to your goal.

So it makes sense that, for the fifth year in row, Best of WNC voters named health care the best Employment Sector to Work in.

Let’s bring out the laurels for the five victors who joined the Hall of Fame this year, after winning their categories for four straight years: Gillespie Dental Associates (Dental Practice); Mark A. Knollman (Dentist); Dan Martin of Radius Chiropractic (Chiropractor); French Broad Food Co-op (Place to Buy Supplements, Vitamins

& Herbs); and Givens Estates (Assisted-Living Community).

And if the following folks seem familiar to you as you peruse this year’s roster of winners, it’s no wonder. Kudos to Asheville Community Yoga (Yoga Studio), Asheville YMCA (Gym or Place to Work Out) and Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts (Martial Arts Studio), which have winning streaks of 12 or more years. And plaudits to Asheville Women’s Medical Center (Women’s Health Center) and Groce Funeral Home & Cremation Service (Mortuary/ Funeral Services), which have both won more than 10 years in a row.

— Justin McGuire X

1 LAUREN KEELY CARLISLE (FRENCH BROAD PEDIATRICS) n x 40 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 117, Asheville 828-348-8232 • frenchbroadpeds.com

2 JOHN S. PASCHALL (ABC PEDIATRICS) s 64 Peachtree Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-277-3000 • abcasheville.com

3 BRIAN O’DONNELL (MOUNTAIN AREA PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES) e 500 Centrepark Drive, Asheville 828-254-4337 • mountainareapeds.com

PHOTO BY FRANCES O’CONNOR

FAMILY MEDICAL PRACTICE

1 THE FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS d w as a 206 Asheland Ave., Asheville 828-258-8681

1219 Smokey Park Highway, Candler 828-258-8681

2161 Hendersonville Road, Arden 828-258-8681 • fhconline.com

2 OUR FAMILY DOCTOR s 43 Oakland Road, Asheville 828-252-2511 ourfamilydoctorasheville.com

3 COMMUNITY FAMILY PRACTICE n 260 Merrimon Ave., Suite 200, Asheville 828-254-2444 • communityfamilyonline.com

HOLISTIC MEDICAL PRACTICE

1 ALCHEMY: TEAROOM, APOTHECARY, ACUPUNCTURE d

62 Clayton St., Asheville 828-575-9419 • alchemyasheville.com

2 EVOKE VITALITY d 125 S. Lexington Ave., Suite 102A, Asheville 828-222-0281 • evokevitality.com

2 INTEGRATIVE FAMILY MEDICINE OF ASHEVILLE r

372 Depot St., Suite 10, Asheville 828-575-9600 • integrativeasheville.org

WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTER

1 ASHEVILLE WOMEN’S MEDICAL CENTER d s ax 143 Asheland Ave., Asheville 828-258-9191 310 Long Shoals Road, Suite 202, Arden 828-687-2955 • ashevillewomens.com

2 LAUREL OB/GYN d 41 Oakland Road, Suite 200, Asheville 828-253-5381 • laurelobgyn.com

3 BILTMORE OB-GYN s 24 Medical Park Drive, Asheville 828-277-7727 • biltmoreob-gyn.com

MATERNITY CARE/SERVICE

1 BILTMORE OB-GYN s 24 Medical Park Drive, Asheville 828-277-7727 • biltmoreob-gyn.com

1 LAUREL OB/GYN d

41 Oakland Road, Suite 200, Asheville 828-253-5381 • laurelobgyn.com

2 MOUNTAIN AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER (MAHEC) s 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-257-4400 • mahec.net

3 ASHEVILLE WOMEN’S MEDICAL CENTER d 143 Asheland Ave., Asheville 828-258-9191 • ashevillewomens.com

HOSPITAL

1 ADVENTHEALTH

HENDERSONVILLE s a 100 Hospital Drive, Hendersonville 855-774-5433 • adventhealth.com

2 MISSION HOSPITAL (HCA) d e a

509 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-213-1111

430 Rankin Drive, Marion 828-659-5000 • missionhealth.org

3 PARDEE HOSPITAL s a

800 N. Justice St., Hendersonville 828-696-1000 • pardeehospital.org

URGENT CARE/ WALK-IN CLINIC

1 RANGE URGENT CARE

[now owned and operated by Novant Health-GoHealth

Urgent Care] n e aw

674 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-348-7418

201 N.C. Highway 9, Black Mountain 828-419-1035

349 New Leicester Highway, Asheville 828-463-3238 • rangeurgentcare.com

2 MERCY URGENT CARE w e

1201 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-252-4878

1272 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-210-8325 • mercyurgentcare.org

3 MISSION MY CARE NOW (MISSION HEALTH/HCA) s a

310 Long Shoals Road, Suite 110, Arden 828-213-4444 • avl.mx/cwu

PLACE TO GET MEDICAL CARE WHEN UNDER- OR UNINSURED

1 WNC COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES (MINNIE JONES HEALTH CENTER) d w ax 257 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-285-0622

1914 Smokey Park Highway, Candler 828-285-0622 • wncchs.org

2 RANGE URGENT CARE [now owned and operated by Novant Health-GoHealth

Urgent Care] n e a

674 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-348-7418

201 N.C. Highway 9, Black Mountain 828-419-1035 • rangeurgentcare.com

3 MOUNTAIN AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER (MAHEC) s

121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-257-4400 • mahec.net

BEST OF HEALTH & WELLNESS

THERAPIST OR COUNSELING CENTER

1 SARAH WELLS d

68 Grove St., Suite B4, Asheville 828-775-9555 • sarahwellscounseling.com

2 JAMES COLVIN MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST d

2524 Riceville Road, Asheville 828-424-7941 • jamesccolvin.com

3 ALL SOULS COUNSELING CENTER INC. d 35 Arlington St., Asheville allsoulscounseling.com

DENTAL PRACTICE

1 GILLESPIE DENTAL ASSOCIATES n x

36 Orange St., Asheville 828-252-9351 • drtimgillespie.com

2 MARKS FAMILY DENTISTRY n

94 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 101, Asheville 828-255-8447 • northashevilledentist.com

3 ZOE DENTAL s

10-A Yorkshire St., Suite 110, Asheville 828-348-1275 • zoedental.com

DENTIST

1 MARK A. KNOLLMAN e x 600B Centrepark Drive, Asheville 828-254-5677 • drknollman.com

2 TIM GILLESPIE (GILLESPIE DENTAL ASSOCIATES) d 36 Orange St., Asheville 828-252-9351 • drtimgillespie.com

3 M. SCOTT PEELE (ASHEVILLE DENTAL WELLNESS) s 1087 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-4747 ashevilledentalwellness.com

ORTHODONTIST

1 TIMOTHY SCANLAN (TS ORTHODONTICS) s 60 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-248-0582 76 Peachtree Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-270-7638 • tsorthodontics.com

2 KEITH BLACK (BLACK ORTHODONTICS) s

5 Yorkshire St., Suite A, Asheville 828-742-4994 • kblacksmiles.com

3 LUKE ROBERTS (BLUE RIDGE ORTHODONTICS) s

1915 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-407-1417 • blueridgeorthodontics.com

EYE CARE SPECIALIST/SERVICE

1 ASHEVILLE EYE ASSOCIATES ss ax

8 Medical Park Drive, Asheville 828-623-0186

2001 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-623-0186

2311 Asheville Highway, Hendersonville 828-623-0186

BEST OF HEALTH & WELLNESS

ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC

1 ALCHEMY: TEAROOM, APOTHECARY, ACUPUNCTURE d

62 Clayton St., Asheville 828-575-9419 • alchemyasheville.com

2 EAST ACUPUNCTURE WELLNESS BOUTIQUE e a

2296 U.S. Highway 70, Suite 2, Swannanoa 828-458-4139 • eastacupuncturewb.com

3 THE PEOPLE’S ACUPUNCTURE OF ASHEVILLE d

55 Grove St., Asheville 828-254-4098 • peoplesacupunctureavl.com

ACUPUNCTURIST

1 ASHLEY KUPER (EAST ACUPUNCTURE WELLNESS BOUTIQUE) e a

2296 U.S. Highway 70, Suite 2, Swannanoa 828-458-4139 • eastacupuncturewb.com

2 LIZ ROSEMAN (SUSTAINABLE HEALTH ACUPUNCTURE) n

36 Clayton St., Asheville 828-333-4614 acupuncture-in-asheville.com

3 LEX KEKLAK (ALCHEMY) n

62 Clayton St., Asheville 828-575-9419 • alchemyasheville.com

ASSISTED-LIVING COMMUNITY

1 GIVENS ESTATES s x 2360 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-274-4800 • givensestates.org

2 DEERFIELD EPISCOPAL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY s 1617 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-274-1531 • deerfieldwnc.org

3 GIVENS HIGHLAND FARMS e a 200 Tabernacle Road, Black Mountain 828-669-6473 • givenshighlandfarms.org

HOSPICE

1 FOUR SEASONS s aw a

571 S. Allen Road, Flat Rock 828-692-6178

272 Maple St., Franklin 828-526-2552 • fourseasons.teleioscn.org

2 CAREPARTNERS (MISSION HEALTH) s 68 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-274-6179 • avl.mx/bwv

3 JOHN F. KEEVER SOLACE CENTER HOSPICE (MISSION HEALTH/HCA) s

21 Belvedere Road, Asheville 828-210-3150 • avl.mx/cwh

MORTUARY/FUNERAL SERVICES

1 GROCE FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICE w e s ax 1401 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-252-3535

856 Tunnel Road, Asheville 828-299-4416

72 Long Shoals Road, Arden 828-687-3530 • grocefuneralhome.com

2 ASHEVILLE AREA ALTERNATIVE FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES r 702 Riverside Drive, Asheville 828-258-8274 ashevilleareaalternative.com

3 ANDERS-RICE FUNERAL HOME w 1428 Patton Ave., Asheville 828-254-3511 • andersrice.com

PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC

PHYSICAL THERAPIST

1 JARED DAPKEVICH (PHYSIO PHYSICAL THERAPY AND WELLNESS) n w

660 Merrimon Ave., Suite C, Asheville 828-348-1780

1308 B Patton Ave., Asheville 828-348-1780 • physiownc.com

2 CLARA STROUD (SEPT PHYSICAL THERAPY) s

1256 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-412-5330 • avl.mx/cv7

3 MIRIAM SALLOUM (THE RUNNER’S MECHANIC) d 501 College St., Suite B, Asheville 828-713-0929 • therunnersmechanic.com

FITNESS STUDIO WITH CLASSES

1 HOT YOGA ASHEVILLE e 802 Fairview Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-299-7003 • hotyogaasheville.com

2 SCORCH FITNESS r 408 Depot St., Suite 160, Asheville 828-575-9010 • scorchfitavl.com

3 ASHEVILLE SUN SOO MARTIAL ARTS e 800 Fairview Road, Suite D2, Asheville 828-505-4309 • martialartsasheville.com

PHYSICAL TRAINER

1 JANE RAKES (MADABOLIC) d 150 Coxe Ave., Suite 102, Asheville avl.mx/cwc

2 PRESTON JEFFERSON (ASHEVILLE FIT TRIBE) w Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Road, Asheville 984-204-0591 • ashevillefittribe.com

3 GRIFFIN WHITE (MIND MUSCLE FITNESS) w 11 Ridgeway Ave., Asheville 310-487-7886 • mindmusclefitness.com

MASSAGE THERAPIST

1 BRETT KENT (ALCHEMY ASHEVILLE) d 62 Clayton St., Asheville 828-575-9419 • alchemyasheville.com

2 MICAH HAINES (URBAN EXHALE MASSAGE) d 68 N. Lexington Ave., Suite 207, Asheville 828-301-2113 • urbanexhalemassage.com

2 SHELBY FRANKLIN (NÉE BURNSED) Asheville 904-624-4419 • avl.mx/cwx

GYM OR PLACE TO WORK OUT

1 ASHEVILLE YMCA d s x 30 Woodfin St., Asheville 828-210-9622

Biltmore Park Town Square, 3 Town Square Blvd., Asheville 828-651-9622 • ymcawnc.org

2 REUTER FAMILY YMCA s Biltmore Park Town Square, 3 Town Square Blvd., Asheville 828-651-9622 • ymcawnc.org

3 HOT YOGA ASHEVILLE e 802 Fairview Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-299-7003 • hotyogaasheville.com

YOGA STUDIO

1 ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY YOGA n x 8 Brookdale Road, Asheville 828-255-5575 • ashevillecommunityyoga.org

2 HOT YOGA ASHEVILLE e 802 Fairview Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-299-7003 • hotyogaasheville.com

3 ASHEVILLE YOGA CENTER d 211 S. Liberty St., Asheville 828-254-0380 • youryoga.com

YOGA TEACHER

1 HEATHER PARKS (HOT YOGA ASHEVILLE) e 802 Fairview Road, Suite 100, Asheville 828-299-7003 hotyogaasheville.com

2 MICHAEL GREENFIELD (ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY YOGA)

PLACE TO CENTER YOURSELF

1 ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY YOGA n x 8 Brookdale Road, Asheville 828-255-5575 • ashevillecommunityyoga.org

2 ALCHEMY: TEAROOM, APOTHECARY, ACUPUNCTURE d

62 Clayton St., Asheville 828-575-9419 • alchemyasheville.com

3 EAST ACUPUNCTURE

WELLNESS BOUTIQUE e a

2296 U.S. Highway 70, Suite 2, Swannanoa 828-458-4139 • eastacupuncturewb.com

PHARMACY/DRUGSTORE

1 SONA PHARMACY + CLINIC e s e

805 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-298-3636

530 Hendersonville Road, Asheville 828-782-5571 1070 Tunnel Road, Building 3, Asheville 828-383-9689 • sonapharmacy.com

2 CVS PHARMACY n w

612 Merrimon Ave., Asheville 828-253-4350 505 Smokey Park Highway, Asheville 828-667-5457 • cvs.com

3 B&B PHARMACY w

462 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-252-2718 • bandbpharmacyavl.com

PLACE TO BUY SUPPLEMENTS, VITAMINS & HERBS

1 FRENCH

2

3

Uniquely Ashe v ille

NEIGHBORHOOD

1 WEST ASHEVILLE

2 MONTFORD n

3 NORTH ASHEVILLE

STREET FOR A STROLL

1 HAYWOOD ROAD w

2 MONTFORD AVENUE n

3 KIMBERLY AVENUE n

LOCAL ASHEVILLE ATTRACTION

1 BILTMORE ESTATE s x Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812 • biltmore.com

2 LAZOOM TOURS d 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

3 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM w 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492 • ncarboretum.org

LOCAL CITY TOUR

KEEP ASHEVILLE WEIRD

Best Bumper Sticker or Slogan About Asheville

Sticker or Slogan About Asheville category for 13 years in a row!

— The Cheshire Cat

If Asheville is known for anything, it would be its unconventional and sometimes downright mad culture. While we may not have pink-and-purple cats that can disappear or potions that make you shrink, Asheville is still a weird wonderland in its own right. Locals pride themselves on their quirks and oddities, so it is no surprise then that “Keep Asheville Weird” has won the best Bumper

As with any wonderland, there’s always an antagonist looking to crash the tea party. While maybe not as dastardly as the Queen of Hearts, the title of WNC’s Local Villain this year goes to former chairman of the Buncombe County GOP and president of Skyline News, Chad Nesbitt. Meanwhile, voters once again crowned Asheville City Council member Kim Roney as the best Local Hero, as well as best Local Politician.

Also big congratulations are in order for the section’s newest

Hall of Famer, BeLoved Asheville, which has won first place as Nonprofit That Improves Asheville and Nonprofit That Serves the Underprivileged for four years in a row. What’s more, this year, it won Activist Group for Civic/Political Action for the second year in a row. Keep up the great work!

I’ll leave you with my take on the classic Alice in Wonderland quote: It’s true, Asheville is entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best places are!

— Chase Davis X

1 LAZOOM: HEY ASHEVILLE! CITY COMEDY TOUR d x 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

2 LAZOOM HAUNTED COMEDY TOUR d 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

3 GRAY LINE TROLLEY TOURS d 36 Montford Ave., Asheville 828-251-8687 • graylineasheville.com

“I’M stranger. You’re stranger. Together, we are … strangers.”

PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST

GUIDED TOUR OF AREA BREWERIES/DISTILLERIES

1 LAZOOM FENDER BENDER BAND & BEER BUS d 76 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-225-6932 • lazoomtours.com

PLACE TO TAKE YOUR ECCENTRIC FRIENDS

1 THE ODD w x 1045 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-575-9299 • theoddasheville.com

2 RIVER ARTS DISTRICT (THE RAD) r Asheville • riverartsdistrict.com

3 DRUM CIRCLE AT PRITCHARD PARK d 67 Patton Ave., Asheville

PLACE TO PRETEND YOU’RE A TOURIST

1 BILTMORE ESTATE s Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812 • biltmore.com

2 DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE d Asheville • ashevilledowntown.org

3 OMNI GROVE PARK INN n 290 Macon Ave., Asheville 800-438-5800 • avl.mx/3te

PLACE TO CONNECT WITH NATURE WITHIN ASHEVILLE CITY LIMITS

1 BOTANICAL GARDENS n x 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd., Asheville 828-252-5190 ashevillebotanicalgardens.org

2 THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM w 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492 • ncarboretum.org

3 WNC NATURE CENTER e 75 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville 828-259-8080 • wildwnc.org

HISTORIC/INTERESTING BUILDING

1 BILTMORE HOUSE s x Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812 • biltmore.com

2 GROVE ARCADE d 1 Page Ave., Asheville 828-252-7799 • grovearcade.com

3 JACKSON BUILDING d 22 S. Pack Square, Asheville avl.mx/a8p

VENUE TO BOOK FOR A PARTY OR EVENT

1 HIGHLAND BREWING CO. EVENT CENTER e 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 200, Asheville 828-299-3370 • highlandbrewing.com

PLACE TO GET MARRIED

1 FLEETWOOD’S ROCK-N-ROLL WEDDING CHAPEL w 496 Haywood Road, Asheville 828-505-5525 • fleetwoodschapel.com

2 BILTMORE ESTATE s Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812 • biltmore.com

3 HAIKU I DO s 26 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville 828-412-3939 • haikuido.com

HOTEL

1 OMNI GROVE PARK INN n x 290 Macon Ave., Asheville 800-438-5800 • avl.mx/3te

2 ALOFT ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN d 51 Biltmore Ave., Asheville 828-232-2838 • aloftashevilledowntown.com

3 THE FOUNDRY HOTEL d 51 S. Market St., Asheville 828-552-8545 • foundryasheville.com

B&B OR SMALL BOUTIQUE HOTEL

1 THE WINDSOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL d 36 Broadway, Asheville 844-494-6376 • windsorasheville.com

HOLIDAY EVENTWINTER/SPRING

1 WINTER LIGHTS AT THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM w x 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville 828-665-2492 • ncarboretum.org

2 NATIONAL GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION n Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave., Asheville 800-438-5800 • avl.mx/7zx

3 CHRISTMAS AT BILTMORE s Biltmore Estate, 1 Lodge St., Asheville 800-411-3812 • biltmore.com

HOLIDAY EVENTSUMMER/FALL

1 N.C. APPLE FESTIVAL s a 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-697-4557 • ncapplefestival.org

2 LEAF FESTIVAL e a Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain 828-686-8742 • theleaf.org

3 THE BIG CRAFTY d Harrah’s Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St., Asheville thebigcrafty.com

HERO

1 KIM RONEY w 30 Westgate Parkway, Suite 341, Asheville 828-771-6265 • kimroney4asheville.com

BEST OF UNIQUELY ASHEVILLE

LOCAL VILLAIN

1 CHAD NESBITT Asheville 828-515-0445 • skylinenewsonline.com

2 ESTHER MANHEIMER d 70 Court Plaza, Asheville 828-259-5600 • avl.mx/cvb

3 MADISON CAWTHORN 202-225-6401 • madisoncawthorn.com

LOCAL POLITICIAN

1 KIM RONEY w 30 Westgate Parkway, Suite 341, Asheville 828-771-6265 • kimroney4asheville.com

2 JASMINE BEACH-FERRARA avl.mx/cwe

3 ESTHER MANHEIMER d 70 Court Plaza, Asheville 828-259-5600 • avl.mx/cvb

NONPROFIT THAT IMPROVES ASHEVILLE

1 BELOVED ASHEVILLE e x 32 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville 828-571-0766 • belovedasheville.com

2 MANNA FOODBANK e 627 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-299-3663 • mannafoodbank.org

3 ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS w 2 Sulphur Springs Road, Asheville 828-254-1776 • ashevillegreenworks.org

3 HOMEWARD BOUND WNC d

AHOPE, 19 N. Ann St., Asheville 828-252-8883 • homewardboundwnc.org

NONPROFIT THAT SERVES THE UNDERPRIVILEGED

1 BELOVED ASHEVILLE e x 32 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville 828-571-0766 • belovedasheville.com

2 MANNA FOODBANK e

627 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-299-3663 • mannafoodbank.org

3 HOMEWARD BOUND WNC d

AHOPE, 19 N. Ann St., Asheville 828-252-8883 • homewardboundwnc.org

ACTIVIST GROUP FOR CIVIC/POLITICAL ACTION

1 BELOVED ASHEVILLE e 32 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville 828-571-0766 • belovedasheville.com

2 RACIAL JUSTICE COALITION (RJC) Asheville • rjcavl.org

LOCAL FUNDRAISING EVENT

1 DINE TO BE KIND

(ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY) w

14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville 828-761-2001 • ashevillehumane.org

2 DINING OUT FOR LIFE (WNCAP) s 554 Fairview Road, Asheville 828-252-7489 • avl.mx/cva

3 EMPTY BOWLS

(MANNA FOODBANK) e 627 Swannanoa River Road, Asheville 828-299-3663 • mannafoodbank.org

BUMPER STICKER OR SLOGAN ABOUT ASHEVILLE

1 KEEP ASHEVILLE WEIRD x

2 ASHEVILLE CAT WEIRDOS ashevillecatweirdos.org

3 STAY WEIRD

THING DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE NEEDS

1 BETTER, MORE AND/OR

WORST THING TO HAPPEN TO ASHEVILLE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

1 CHRISTMAS WATER OUTAGE

2 CRIME INCREASE

3 INCREASE IN HOMELESS POPULATION

BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO ASHEVILLE IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

1 MADISON CAWTHORN DEPARTURE

2 NOTHING — KEEPS GETTING WORSE

BIGGEST THREAT TO ASHEVILLE’S UNIQUENESS

1 TOURISTS/TOURISM

2 HOTELS

3 HOMELESSNESS

BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY FOR ASHEVILLE’S UNIQUENESS

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSING

2 INVEST IN LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES

3 ARTS

THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT

Second place: Place to Take Your Eccentric Friends; Arts & Entertainment section: Best Studio Stroll/Driving Tour; Outdoors section: Best Walk - In or Near Asheville

PHOTO BY CINDY KUNST

Small Towns

BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN

1 185 KING STREET 185 King St., Brevard 828-877-1850 • 185kingst.com

2 THE HUB AND PISGAH TAVERN 11 Mama’s Place, Pisgah Forest 828-884-8670 • thehubpisgah.com

3 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER 349 Andante Lane, Brevard 828-862-2100 • brevardmusic.org

BREAKFAST RESTAURANT

1 MORNING SOCIAL 170 King St., Suite C, Brevard 828-877-3773 • morningsocialbrevard.com

2 THE SUNRISE CAFE 273 N. Broad St., Brevard 828-884-3331 • thesunrisecafebrevard.com

3 GRAMMY’S RESTAURANT 20 McClean Road, Brevard 828-862-8353 • avl.mx/a53

LUNCH RESTAURANT

BREVARD MUSIC CENTER

Best Cultural or Historical Landmark; second place Music/Entertainment Venue; second place Cultural or Arts Event (for Summer Music Festival); third place Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Your Town

THERE’S been a lot of talk about small towns in pop culture lately. Whether you were born in one or just like visiting, we can all agree that Western North Carolina is home to some special gems. In this week’s Best of WNC issue, we toast the small towns south of Asheville, including Brevard, Hendersonville, Flat Rock and Mills River, along with our friends to the west in Canton, Waynesville, Maggie Valley and Sylva.

Hendersonville, in the heart of Henderson County’s fruit-growing country, boasts the N.C. Apple Festival (now in its 76th year) among

its treasures, with the celebration scoring its seventh straight win this year as Cultural or Arts Event in the Hendersonville area.

Brevard, meanwhile, has its annual White Squirrel Festival, a seven-time winner for Cultural or Arts Event in Brevard. And this year’s voters poured on the praise for 185 King Street, ranking it first both as Brevard’s Music/Entertainment Venue and Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Brevard. Not to be outdone, Waynesville, Canton and Maggie Valley continue to foster new restaurants and entertainment venues. Boojum Brewing and Taproom stands out

this year, earning four first-place wins (Local Lunch, Local Dinner, Local Bar/Brewery/Watering Hole, Business That Represents the Spirit of Waynesville, Canton and Maggie Valley), while Folkmoot won first for the seventh time in a row as Cultural or Arts Event in Waynesville, Canton and Maggie Valley.

Sylva likewise has much to offer, including these standouts: Innovation Brewing (seven-time winner for Local Bar/Brewery and Watering Hole) and Mad Batter Kitchen (Dinner Restaurant and Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Sylva).

— Andy Hall X

1 MAYBERRY’S 30 W. Main St., Brevard 828-862-8646 • mayberrys.co

2 THE SQUARE ROOT 33 Times Arcade Alley, Brevard 828-884-6171 • squarerootrestaurant.com

3 MORNING SOCIAL 170 King St., Suite C, Brevard 828-877-3773 • morningsocialbrevard.com

3 PESCADOS BURRITOS

265 N. Broad St., Brevard 828-884-5559 • pescadosburrito.com

THE HALL OF

FAME

PHOTO COURTESY OF BREVARD MUSIC CENTER

DINNER RESTAURANT

1 THE SQUARE ROOT x 33 Times Arcade Alley, Brevard 828-884-6171 • squarerootrestaurant.com

2 FALLS LANDING EATERY 18 E. Main St., Brevard 828-884-2835 • thefallslanding.com

3 185 KING STREET 185 King St., Brevard 828-877-1850 • 185kingst.com

COFFEE & SWEETS

1 CUP & SAUCER 36 E. Main St., A, Brevard 828-884-2877 • cupandsaucernc.com

2 BRACKEN MOUNTAIN BAKERY 42 S. Broad St., Brevard 828-883-4034 brackenmountainbakery.weebly.com

3 BLUE RIDGE BAKERY 86 W. Main St., Brevard 828-883-8444 • blueridgebakery.com

LOCAL BAR/BREWERY/ WATERING HOLE

1 ECUSTA BREWING 451 Ecusta Road, Brevard 828-966-2337 • ecustabrewing.com

2 OSKAR BLUES BREWERY 342 Mountain Industrial Drive, Brevard 828-883-2337 • oskarblues.com

3 185 KING STREET 185 King St., Brevard 828-877-1850 • 185kingst.com

MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

1 185 KING STREET 185 King St., Brevard 828-877-1850 • 185kingst.com

2 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER 349 Andante Lane, Brevard 828-862-2100 • brevardmusic.org

3 OSKAR BLUES BREWERY 342 Mountain Industrial Drive, Brevard 828-883-2337 • oskarblues.com

RETAIL STORE

1 D.D. BULLWINKEL’S OUTDOORS x 60 E. Main St., Brevard 828-862-4700 • ddbullwinkels.com

2 THEOPHILUS 44 E. Main St., Brevard 828-884-2994 • theophilusnc.com

ART GALLERY

1 LUCY CLARK GALLERY & STUDIO 51 W. Main St., Brevard 828-884-5151 • lucyclarkgallery.com

CULTURAL OR ARTS EVENT

1 WHITE SQUIRREL FESTIVAL x Downtown Brevard, Brevard 828-884-3278 • avl.mx/bwl

2 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL 349 Andante Lane, Brevard 828-862-2105 • brevardmusic.org/festival

LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

1 PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST x Pisgah Highway, Pisgah Forest 828-257-4200 • avl.mx/6aw

2 DUPONT STATE FOREST Staton Road, Cedar Mountain 828-877-6527 dupontstaterecreationalforest.com

3 DAVIDSON RIVER CAMPGROUND

1 Davidson River Circle, Pisgah Forest 828-577-4558 • avl.mx/6df

CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL LANDMARK

1 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER 349 Andante Lane, Brevard 828-862-2100 • brevardmusic.org

LOCAL CAUSE TO SUPPORT

1 ECUSTA TRAIL (BETWEEN HENDERSONVILLE & BREVARD) Hendersonville 828-490-1854 • ecustatrail.org

BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN

1 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. 147 First Ave. E., Hendersonville 828-595-9956 • oklawahabrewing.com

2 FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE 2661 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock 828-693-0731 • flatrockplayhouse.org

3 SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY 822 Locust St., Hendersonville 828-684-1235 • sabrewery.com

BREAKFAST RESTAURANT

1 ARABELLA BREAKFAST & BRUNCH 536 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-595-2449 arabellabreakfastandbrunch.com

2 HENDOUGH CHICKEN & DONUTS 532 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville 828-595-2885 • hendough.com

3 POP’S DINER 860 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-693-1035 • pops-diner.business.site

LUNCH RESTAURANT

1 MOUNTAIN DELI 343 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-693-0093 • mountaindelinc.com

2 ARABELLA BREAKFAST & BRUNCH 536 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-595-2449 arabellabreakfastandbrunch.com

COFFEE & SWEETS

1 BLACK BEAR COFFEE CO. x 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-692-6333 • blackbear.coffee

2 FLAT ROCK VILLAGE BAKERY 2710 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock 828-693-1313 • villagebakerync.com

3 THE 2ND ACT 101 E. Allen St., Suite 101, Hendersonville 828-513-0045 • the2ndacthendo.com

LOCAL

BAR/BREWERY/

WATERING HOLE

1 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. 147 First Ave. E., Hendersonville 828-595-9956 • oklawahabrewing.com

2 MILLS RIVER BREWING CO. 336 Banner Farm Road, Mills River 828-483-0480 • millsriverbrewingco.com

3 BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER 72 School House Road, Mills River 828-595-9940 • boldrock.com

MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

1 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. 147 First Ave. E., Hendersonville 828-595-9956 • oklawahabrewing.com

2 FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE 2661 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock 828-693-0731 • flatrockplayhouse.org

3 BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER 72 School House Road, Mills River 828-595-9940 • boldrock.com

RETAIL STORE

1 MAST GENERAL STORE (HENDERSONVILLE) x 527 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-696-1883 • mastgeneralstore.com

ART GALLERY

1 CONTINUUM ART COLLECTIVE 147 First Ave. E., Suite C, Hendersonville 828-435-3300 • continuumartnc.com

2 THE GALLERY AT FLAT ROCK 2702A Greenville Highway, Flat Rock 828-698-7000 • galleryflatrock.com

CULTURAL OR ARTS EVENT

1 N.C. APPLE FESTIVAL x 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville 828-697-4557 • ncapplefestival.org

2 RHYTHM & BREWS South Main St., Hendersonville 828-233-3216 • avl.mx/9pu

3 FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE 2661 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock 828-693-0731 • flatrockplayhouse.org

LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY

THE OUTDOORS

1 CARL SANDBURG HOME

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE x 1800 Little River Road, Flat Rock 828-693-4178 • nps.gov/carl

2 THE PARK AT FLAT ROCK

55 Highland Golf Drive, Flat Rock 828-697-8100 • flatrockparkfoundation.org

3 JUMP OFF ROCK

4501 Laurel Park Highway, Laurel Park 828-693-4840 • laurelpark.org/jumpoff

CONTINUED

CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL

LANDMARK

1 CARL SANDBURG HOME

NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE x 1800 Little River Road, Flat Rock 828-693-4178 • nps.gov/carl

2 OLD HENDERSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE

1 Historic Courthouse Square, Hendersonville 828-694-1619 • hendersoncountymuseum.com

3 JUMP OFF ROCK

4501 Laurel Park Highway, Laurel Park 828-693-4840 • laurelpark.org/jumpoff

LOCAL CAUSE TO SUPPORT

1 BLUE RIDGE HUMANE SOCIETY x 88 Centipede Lane, Hendersonville 828-692-2639 • blueridgehumane.org

2 HENDERSONVILLE PRIDE Hendersonville • hendersonvillepride.org

BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR TOWN IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

1 ECUSTA TRAIL (BETWEEN HENDERSONVILLE & BREVARD) Hendersonville 828-490-1854 • ecustatrail.org

BEST OF SMALL TOWNS

Sy lva & C u l l ow h e e

MAD BATTER KITCHEN

Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Your Town, Best Dinner Restaurant; second place (tie) Lunch Restaurant

BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN

1 MAD BATTER KITCHEN

617 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-3555 • madbatterkitchen.net

2 CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE

3 E. Jackson St., Sylva 828-586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

BREAKFAST RESTAURANT

1 LUCY IN THE RYE

612 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-4601 • lucyintherye.com

LUNCH RESTAURANT

1 GUADALUPE CAFÉ

606 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-9877 • guadalupecafe.com

2 CITY LIGHTS CAFE

3 E. Jackson St., Sylva 828-587-2233 • citylightscafe.com

2 MAD BATTER KITCHEN

617 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-3555 • madbatterkitchen.net

DINNER RESTAURANT

1 MAD BATTER KITCHEN 617 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-3555 • madbatterkitchen.net

2 ILDA

462 W. Main St., Sylva 828-307-2036 • ildainsylva.com

COFFEE & SWEETS

1 WHITE MOON CAFE

545 Mill St., Sylva 828-331-0111 • whitemoonnc.com

2 BAXLEY’S CHOCOLATES

628 W. Main St., Sylva 828-631-3379 • baxleyschocolates.com

LOCAL BAR/BREWERY/ WATERING HOLE

1 INNOVATION BREWING x 414 W. Main St., Sylva 828-586-9678 40 Depot St., Dillsboro 828-226-0262

732 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee 828-882-3035 • innovation-brewing.com

2 LAZY HIKER BREWING CO. 617 W. Main St., Sylva 828-349-2337 • lazyhikerbrewing.com

3 BALSAM FALLS BREWING 506 W. Main St., Sylva 828-631-1987 • balsamfallsbrewing.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAD BATTER KITCHEN

MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

1 LAZY HIKER BREWING CO. 617 W. Main St., Sylva 828-349-2337 • lazyhikerbrewing.com

RETAIL STORE 1 CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE 3 E. Jackson St., Sylva 828-586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

CULTURAL OR ARTS EVENT 1 GREENING UP THE MOUNTAINS West Main St., Sylva 828-554-1035 • greeningupthemountains.com

LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS

1 CULLOWHEE GREENWAY (JACKSON COUNTY GREENWAY, TUCKASEGEE GREENWAY) 342 Old Cullowhee Road, Cullowhee 828-293-3053 • avl.mx/cv9

CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL LANDMARK

1 JACKSON COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 310 Keener St., Sylva 828-586-2016 • fontanalib.org/jackson

Way n e sv i lle, Ca n t o n magg i e va lley &

COFFEE & SWEETS

1 PAPERTOWN COFFEE 119 Main St., Canton 828-492-0993 • papertown.coffee

2 ORCHARD COFFEE 39 Depot St., Waynesville 828-246-9264 • orchardcoffeeroasters.com

3 PANACEA COFFEE CO. 66 Commerce St., Waynesville 828-452-6200 • panaceacoffee.com

LOCAL BAR/BREWERY/ WATERING HOLE

1 BOOJUM BREWING CO. 50 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-944-0888 • boojumbrewing.com

2 BEARWATERS BREWING CO. 101 Park St., Canton 828-492-0220 4352 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828-944-0009 • bearwatersbrewing.com

3 FROG LEVEL BREWING CO. 56 Commerce St., Waynesville 828-454-5664 • froglevelbrewing.com

MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

1 THE GEM BAR AT BOOJUM BREWING 50 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-246-0350 • boojumbrewing.com

2 FROG LEVEL BREWING CO. 56 Commerce St., Waynesville 828-454-5664 • froglevelbrewing.com

RETAIL STORE

1 MAST GENERAL STORE (WAYNESVILLE) x 63 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-452-2101 • mastgeneralstore.com

BUSINESS THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF YOUR TOWN

1 BOOJUM BREWING CO. 50 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-246-0350 • boojumbrewing.com

2 PAPERTOWN COFFEE 119 Main St., Canton 828-492-0993 • papertown.coffee

3 EVERGREEN PAPER MILL [Closed] 175 Main St., Canton

BREAKFAST RESTAURANT

1 THE BUTTERED BISCUIT 1226 Dellwood Road, Waynesville 828-246-6446 • avl.mx/9wl

2 JOEY’S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828-926-0212 • joeyspancake.com

3 BEACH MOUNTAIN DINER 429 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville 828-246-6800 • beachmountaindiner.com

LUNCH RESTAURANT

1 BOOJUM BREWING CO. x 50 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-944-0888 • boojumbrewing.com

2 CLYDE’S RESTAURANT 2107 S. Main St., Waynesville 828-456-9135 • avl.mx/a4a

3

J-RO’S BURGERS AND SUBS 384 Main St., Canton 828-492-0015 • jrosburgers.com

DINNER RESTAURANT

1 BOOJUM BREWING CO. 50 N. Main St., Waynesville 828-944-0888 • boojumbrewing.com

2 SOUTHERN PORCH 117 Main St., Canton 828-492-8006 • southern-porch.com

3 THE SWEET ONION RESTAURANT 39 Miller St., Waynesville 828-456-5559 • sweetonionrestaurant.com

CULTURAL OR ARTS EVENT

1 FOLKMOOT USA x 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville 828-452-2997 • folkmoot.org

LOCAL PLACE TO ENJOY

FOR VOTING US THE BEST OF WNC! WE LOVE YOU TOO!

Party

Sept 7, 5-9 p.m. The Meadow at Highland Brewing

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

Free community event

You’re Invited to the

Party Sept 7, 5-9 p.m.

The Meadow at Highland Brewing Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

FREE Community Event

WITH MORGAN

BY MORGAN MARIE

MorganMarieArt123@gmail.com

We’ve made it, dear readers, through the first year of “Best Medicine.” Seems like just yesterday I was enjoying my initial taste as an Asheville B-list celebrity by gracing the cover of this very publication.

For those who haven’t been following along, “Best Medicine” began as the brainchild of Managing Editor Thomas Calder, who thought Xpress readers could use a dash of humor alongside the paper’s hard-hitting news. Enter, yours truly: a local comedian tasked each month with gathering other WNC comedians to share their thoughts on all things about this mountainous region we call home.

The past year has been filled with a lot of laughter and few tears (mostly in Ingles, of course). While plenty has changed, one thing remains the same: my love of astrology. I’m writing this month’s column at 4 a.m. on the day after the new moon in Leo (also the day after my deadline), pondering the year ahead. And with it, I’m considering and enacting some changes. Readers may notice I’ve dropped my last name, opting to go by Morgan Marie. After a series of personal events, I’ve decided the change is necessary to reflect the person I am becoming.

Also, after seven years in Asheville, I am contemplating my exit from the city. While the future of “Best Medicine” remains unknown, I want to thank all the loyal MedHeads who have made writing this column a truly unique and memorable experience. Let’s not get too sentimental just yet, though. I still have a month on my lease, and so, a month to decide.

For now, let’s take a look back at some of my column favorites from the last year.

GO AHEAD AND CRY

In the inaugural column, comedians Peter Lundblad, Nora Tramm and Eric Brown were asked, “What are your go-to crying spots in Asheville?”

Lundblad: Well, as anyone who grew up in Asheville knows, the best place to cry is the Deerpark Restaurant

on the Biltmore Estate. Why? Every high school in the county has its prom there. It’s been sanctified with 30 years of Axe-laced tears of yearning. The hormones glisten in the grass like a spring dew. Also: great buffet.

Brown: I would say my house is my favorite place to cry just judging by the numbers, but I don’t want to give that out as a crying hot spot. We got enough crying over here. I would suggest Patton Avenue in general.

In olden times, mystics believed in ley lines, ancient paths with magical power. I believe Patton Avenue is one of these ley lines, and the magic power is clinical depression. Now maybe I feel this way because my job is on that

LOOK BACK: Morgan Marie, center, revisits her favorite moments from Best Medicine’s initial year. Also featured, from top left and going clockwise, are Cameron Davis, Eric Brown, Nora Tramm, Moira Goree, Blaine Perry, Allison Shelnut, Gina Cornejo, Peter Lundblad and Chesney Goodson. Photos of Marie, Brown, Nora Tramm and Peter Lundblad by Cindy Kunst; all other images courtesy of comedians

We’ve made it a year, folks!

street, but I’ve personally never seen anyone having a good time on Patton Avenue. If you’re downtown, try crying in front of the courthouse. Nobody will question it, and the people inside are used to seeing it.

Tramm: I once cried in a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at The Orange Peel because the band played a song that reminded me of a different song that reminded me of my ex. Nothing satisfies your inner hipster more than standing with a horde of people who are all having the same experience and realizing that you alone are on a completely different wavelength.

For day-to-day crying, though, check out Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary — especially that spot by the creek mouth with the cool tree. It feels just remote enough that you can really let yourself go, but it’s not so isolated that you won’t be stumbled upon by a nice older couple and make everyone’s afternoon really awkward. Just make sure you leave a couple bucks in the donation bin on your way out; the Blue Ridge Audubon Society does a lot of great work there.

Bost: For me, the best place to cry in Asheville is definitely the Haywood Road Ingles — the one with no Starbucks and thus completely barren of hope. I’ve cried in that Ingles no less than three times this week.

But when I need attention, I’ll cry in the window at Odd’s Cafe. It feels so poetic: a single tear running down my cheek as I sip espresso and journal about my Trader Joe’s crush, while staring longingly out the window and pretending I’m in a French film. I imagine people walk by thinking, “Wow, she looks so poetic. And so French.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT VANCE

Back in October, I asked comedians Blaine Perry, Cameron Davis and Chesney Goodson what they would like to see replace the Vance Monument at Pack Square Park. Their answers did not disappoint!

Davis: One thing that should be enshrined as a symbol of Asheville is the Pubcycle. They are the truly eco-friendly vehicle that runs off the ideal renewable energy source our planet needs: drunk people. I propose that we forge a two-story tall, 100-foot-long, bronze Pubcycle and plop it right in the middle of Biltmore Avenue. Because why would we merely slow down traffic at the busiest times when we can really grind the city’s infrastructure to a complete halt with an even more obnoxious and immovable obstruction?

Did I mention it would be a fountain, too? And will water flow through it? Heck, no! It’s going to be a wellspring of vodka. It’ll be the perfect spot for

bachelorette parties and vacationers to lap up their sustenance like zebras at a Serengeti watering hole.

Goodson: A giant sandal, obviously! Outside of the beautiful mountain views and lush walking trails that Asheville offers, it also provides a safe space for people to display their foot fingers. I’m talking all toes — long toes, short toes, fat toes, skinny toes, liberal toes, conservative toes and even racist toes (known in the podiatrist circles as the “Biggot Toe”) are all welcome to come and flip-flop in peace without any fear of judgment.

Perry: I was walking my dog downtown on my way to get a tattoo last week when I realized that I was out of Vape Juice. Worse than that, I was stone-cold sober. This wasn’t the first Tuesday afternoon where I’ve found myself in this situation, and it’s quite time-consuming to visit the ink shop, then refill my Juul, then get drunk. I mean, I’ve clocked it, and it takes roughly 67 seconds to travel between each location. Even longer if I start at the brewery. Also, my dog being a Komondor (rescue), she needs daily grooming; otherwise, she’ll suffocate on her own fur. Asheville is long overdue for a combination tattoo/vape/brewery/ dog grooming shop. A place where we can drink IPAs, let our dogs get tattoos and smoke our cares away. Zebulon Vance would have hated it, and isn’t that the most important thing?

Bost: Asheville has always struck me as a mecca for the Piedmont Triangle. A place for those looking to escape the confines of their oppressive, rural upbringings but who still want to make it home on a tank of gas (shoutout to my hometown Lexington, N.C. — alleged barbecue capital of the world). Therefore, I think the Vance Monument should be replaced with a giant gas tank, a nod to the Piedmont pilgrims packing up their 2007 Kia Spectras and traveling west (but not

CONTINUES ON PAGE 24

too far west) to prove their high school theater teachers wrong.

NO LAUGHING MATTER

It may come as a surprise, but one of my favorite Best Medicine topics isn’t funny at all. In February, I asked femme artists Moira Goree, Gina Cornejo and Allison Shelnut to speak about their experiences as women in comedy and the performing arts — the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Shelnut: Uh-oh. Do we really want to open this can of worms? Because I have THOUGHTS. My experiences have truly run the gamut. I’ve met incredible people, and I’ve learned how to tolerate lots of personalities (read: men). I’ve developed new fun skills like how to swiftly leave a room at the first “my dick” or “my crazy ex-girlfriend” joke. Don’t get me wrong: The Asheville comedy scene is miles ahead of other cities — *cough, Greenville, cough.*

But seriously, Asheville makes space for everyone to have a mic, and I truly appreciate us for that. For me, comedy at its best is a platform to build empathy through storytelling. Everyone isn’t doing comedy for the same reasons, and that is OK. I just want everyone to consider how the things they say and the way they show up may make folks with different lived experiences feel unsafe or activate past traumas. I say this not because anyone wants you “canceled,” but because this is a community I care deeply about.

Goree: I’ve been performing music and comedy since I was 17. There was a time when an old guitarist in my band quit. I later found out that he did so because he felt that having a woman as the lead singer was a gimmick, and he didn’t want to be in a “gimmicky” band. Which is wild because he liked what I did as a singer, but he was just so tripped up by the fact that I’m a lady.

It still happens, and it doesn’t ever come at you honestly. How many bills have lady comics been on billed as “Women of _____,” or in my case as a transwoman “Queers of _______.” Positively or negatively, we are sold as a gimmick and talked about that way.

What should be done about it? $250.

Cornejo: For 17 years I claimed Chicago as my artistic home. I created and contributed original writing, performance/production concepts and original choreography to several ensemble-built shows, and I was a voice-over artist and actor in the city. In my early auditioning days, the baseline as a female-identifying person was to know that you were easily replaceable. From where I stood, there were 20 others just like me, or

close enough, ready and willing to do/ say/perform what I might have felt inappropriate to do/say/perform.

The “don’t speak up, don’t speak back, don’t be difficult” approach lingers in the performance realm — but thankfully, things have begun to shift! However, it’s still daunting in a rehearsal room, or even a friendly collaborative environment, to kindly choose to say the word, “No.”

Also, there’s much to unpack as a Milwaukee, Wis.-born, Peruvian American, who many times was asked to sound “more urban,” “more hood,” and even “more Mexican” with little to no context. Let’s just say a conscious healing strategy should be put into action for all those involved in the art of performance!

And if you ever need a reassuring hug or high-five, I give my consent!

Bost: Last summer I was the only woman on a standup show when a man old enough to be my father confidently asked about the state of my pubic hair during an audience Q&A. While to many, that comment may seem nothing more than rude, to me a strange man’s comfort in discussing my pubic area to an audience is a reflection of rape culture; a dog whistle to remind me and everyone else that as a woman with the audacity to be onstage, even my private parts are no longer private.

I’ve left many performances feeling both violated and afraid. I’ve had men howl and bark while I’ve been onstage; I’ve had strangers try to touch me and rub my shoulders once I’ve come off. A local radio DJ once called me “rude” and “off-putting” when I politely declined his invitation for an interview after he made me uncomfortable by calling me things like “cutesy” and requesting the interview take place at a bar over drinks.

Women in comedy are often faced with the decision to call out sexism onstage at the risk of being called a “bitch,” or we’re expected to just laugh it off in an effort to preserve the mood of the show. As someone still somewhat new in comedy, I don’t always have the skill set or the tools to both shut down sexism and be funny, but if given the choice I will shut it down every time.

I’m pleased to say that often other Asheville comics will aid in shutting down sexism. Asheville has a particularly warm and supportive comedy scene across all genders. I feel lucky to be part of a community where comics step in to protect one another and where gender-based comedy isn’t really our bread and butter. Anytime an out-of-town comic starts a set with “you know how women …” you’ll hear a collective groan from our community. X

BRING YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR , AND YOUR ASIAN CAR—TOYOTA, LEXUS, HONDA, ACURA, SUBARU, NO EUROPEAN MODELS

Green thumbs & aspiring

ARTS & CULTURE

Look Homeward

Wiley Cash on popular misconceptions of the hillbilly stereotype

BY THOMAS CALDER

tcalder@mountainx.com

Welcome back to the latest round of “Look Homeward,” a recurring feature exploring the life and work of local author Thomas Wolfe

In our previous article, we spoke with Kayla Seay, site manager at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial. The property, located in downtown Asheville, includes the boardinghouse that Wolfe’s mother, Julia, operated in the first half of the 20th century. The home and its many visitors influenced Thomas Wolfe’s 1929 novel, Look Homeward, Angel

In this month’s column, we speak with New York Times bestselling author, Wiley Cash, whose 2012 book, A Land More Kind Than Home, owes its title to a line from Wolfe’s final novel, You Can’t Go Home Again, posthumously published in 1940.

Xpress: What is the one Wolfe sentence that you think best represents the author and why?

Cash: This might be strange, but my favorite lines from Wolfe are from his final letter to [his editor] Max Perkins. I’ve included the full transcript, but the lines that I particularly love are from the closing paragraph. [Editor’s note: The letter was written a month before Wolfe’s death, while a patient at Providence Hospital in Seattle. With Wolfe’s symptoms worsening, his doctors recommended he be taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital. While in Baltimore, exploratory surgery revealed tubercular meningitis of the brain. He died on Sept. 15, 1938.]

“August 12, 1938

Dear Max:

I’m sneaking this against orders — but ‘I’ve got a hunch’ — and I wanted to write these words to you.

I’ve made a long voyage and been to a strange country, and I’ve seen the dark man very close; and I don’t think I was too much afraid of him, but so much of mortality still clings to me — I wanted most desperately to live and still do, and I thought about you all 1000 times, and wanted to see you all again, and there was the impossible anguish and regret of all the work I had not done, of all the work I had to do — and I know now I’m just a grain of dust, and I

feel as if a great window has been opened on life I did not know about before — and if I come through this, I hope to God I am a better man, and in some strange way I can’t explain I know I am a deeper and a wiser one — If I get on my feet and get out of here, it will be months before I head back, but if I get on my feet, I’ll come back.

— Whatever happens — I had this ‘hunch’ and wanted to write you and tell you, no matter what happens or has happened, I shall always think of you and feel about you the way it was that 4th of July day 3 yrs. ago when you met me at the boat, and we went out on the café on the river and had a drink and later went on top of the tall building and all the strangeness and the glory and the power of life and of the city was below —

Yours always,

Tom”

What is it about the letter’s closing line that speaks to you as a writer and a fan?

I think it resonates with me because of the close bond that Wolfe and Perkins had. It’s something I always wanted in an editor, and I was lucky to get it. My former editor, David Highfill, is from North Carolina, and we really grew close over the past decade. I know his family, he knows mine. I have a particular memory of spending most a day walking around Manhattan with him, just talking, and it made me recall these lines that Wolfe wrote about his most memorable day with Perkins.

As a writer, what is your response to the criticism that Wolfe’s success as a writer was deeply indebted to Perkins’ editorial suggestions?

I think Perkins’ hand in Wolfe’s original manuscripts has been greatly and gratuitously oversold. There is a skill in rearranging and editing a novel, but there is an art to authoring it, and there’s no doubt that Thomas Wolfe was the artist at work. I think much of this opinion of Perkins’ guiding hand is due to Wolfe’s identity as a rough-and-tumble Southerner who couldn’t tie his own shoes.

We have to think about literary tastes and cultural awareness in the years between World War I and World War II. Most of the work being read at the time was being written in and about cities in the

Northeast, and suddenly this writer comes from Appalachia, who’s actually writing about an urban Appalachia that conflicts with popular misconceptions of the hillbilly stereotype, and it’s eloquent and

bold and more like James Joyce than Mark Twain. Surely, this man could not have accomplished this work without the guiding hand of a well-heeled Northern intellectual, right? Wrong.

Criticism like this misses the role that editors play in the evolution of a manuscript. They encourage us to slow down, to rethink, to rely on talents we might not have employed at particular moments. They also

help us foresee potential issues — whether it be with writing the book or the marketing of it — down the road. Wolfe loved Perkins, perhaps largely because he stepped into a paternal role when Wolfe needed it — but he also loved him because he was particularly good at filling the roles I mentioned above.

In your opinion, when did that collective view of Southern writers begin to shift away from the stereotypes you mentioned?

Oh, lord. I don’t know if we’ve ever shifted away from it. When my first novel came out, my publicist at HarperCollins hosted my marketing lunch — the event where the publisher introduces you to the media — at Justin Timberlake’s restaurant Southern Hospitality in Manhattan. Of all the restaurants in New York City, that was the one they chose. One topic that’s come up in the series with both Terry Roberts and Kayla Seay involves Wolfe’s shrinking audience. What’s your take on why Wolfe isn’t as widely read today as some of his contemporaries?

I think one reason is due to the fact that he’s fallen off syllabi requirements in colleges and universities. The academy is largely responsible for keeping literature alive, and most of what Wolfe wrote is very long and not easily digestible in one or two class meetings. For the sake of brevity, if professors are teaching American writers between the wars, they’re more likely to reach for poets and short story writers, of which there are plenty to choose. But I’ve taught Wolfe — Look Homeward, Angel and a few stories and plays — on several occasions.

Which leads me to my penultimate question. For the Wolfe curious, what story or novel would you recommend they start with and why?

I’ve always loved The Lost Boy, especially the version published in 1994 by UNC Press. I think it shows the full breadth of what Wolfe can do: rich characterizations, beautiful language, fully rendered settings. It’s tightly written and never loses its emotional momentum. It’s a brilliant piece of writing.

Lastly, if you could go back to 1937 and meet with Wolfe while he was staying in Asheville, where would you go with him, and what questions would you ask him?

I think it would be really cool to walk the landscape of Look Homeward, Angel with the knowledge of what contemporary Asheville looks like. I might ask him about the landmarks of his youth and compare them to the landmarks of my youth in Asheville — Vincent’s Ear, Bean Streets, Be Here Now. X

FAMILY AFFAIR: Author Wiley Cash poses outside the Old Kentucky Home in downtown Asheville. He is joined by his daughters, Early, left, and Juniper. Photo by Thomas Calder

Playbill Picks

Upcoming local theater highlights

If you’re a fan of local theater, Western North Carolina offers plenty of options. Below are some highlights of productions hitting various stages across the region.

Night of hilarity at HART

Looking for a significant dose of humor and perhaps a hollowed-out coconut or two? Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville has you covered with Monty Python’s Spamalot, which opened Aug. 25 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 17.

Based on the 1975 cult classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Eric Idle’s 2005 Tony Award winner for Best Musical likewise follows King Arthur (played by Matt Edwardsen) and his faithful servant Patsy (Pasquale LaCorte) as they travel England on their divine quest.

Dominic Aquilino directs, with choreography by Jason Aycock.

“

Monty Python’s Spamalot offers a night of hilarity, immense talent and nonstop spectacle,” says Candice Dickinson, HART’s artistic director.

“Whether you are a Monty Python fan or not, this show will have you rolling in the aisle with laughter as you remember to ‘always look on the bright side of life.’”

For more information, visit avl.mx/cxx.

Adventure at Asheville Community Theatre

Now in its 77th Mainstage Season, Asheville Community Theatre revs back up with Pippin, Friday, Sept. 15-Sunday, Oct. 8. The 1972 musical about a young prince who yearns for adventure and passion in his life features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Roger O. Hirson . Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed on the writing front.

ACT Artistic Director Robert Arleigh White is directing the show and is drawing on his own experiences, having played the lead role in two different productions.

“Pippin is the perfect opening to a season we curated specifically to explore magic and mystery,” White says. “We are working with our pals from Asheville Aerial Arts and a troupe of fearless performers, designers and technicians to create something truly beautiful and dazzling for audiences.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/b38.

Shakespeare with a contemporary twist

After successful productions of God of Carnage and Blood Knot in September 2022, Flat Rock Playhouse’s Black Box series returns Friday, Oct. 6-Sunday, Oct. 22, with an intimate staging of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. As with last year’s selections, the Scottish play involves the audience sitting onstage, surrounding the performers and the performance space on all four sides.

In addition to the unusual theatergoing arrangement, this version of the tragedy takes place in a new setting: contemporary rural Appalachia, which is under siege in a new (and fictional) civil war. Within this provocative environment, the classic tale of a military hero and his wife conspiring to seize political power feels more relevant than ever.

“A cast of nine world-class actors will play multiple roles with all of the production excellence and theater magic the playhouse is known for,” says Lisa Bryant, producing artistic director at FRP. “We promise you have never seen Macbeth like this before.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/cxv.

Constitutional crisis at N.C. Stage Company

Next up at N.C. Stage Company is Heidi Schreck’s Pulitzer Prize finalist, What the Constitution Means to Me, Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 24.

Directed by Charlie Flynn-McIver and starring Hanley Smith and Kelley Hinman, the play opens with a charming but bold, seriocomic look into the playwright’s early life as she traveled around the U.S. earning her college tuition by winning Constitutional Oratorical contests through The American Legion.

The action then shifts to the present as Schreck reevaluates her favorite historical document after experiencing how it serves and doesn’t serve certain populations. And it concludes with a short debate between Schreck and a student debater (Asheville High School debate team members Ava Leigh Manderson and Elise Carson will alternate dates), after which the audience will decide whether to alter or abolish our current Constitution.

“We’re really excited about this show and can’t wait to share it with Asheville,” says Maria Buchanan, audience relations manager for N.C. Stage Company.

For more information, visit avl.mx/cxw.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

COMEDY AND TRAGEDY: Xpress takes a look at upcoming local theater productions. Photo by iStock

Party

Sept 7, 5-9 p.m.

The Meadow at Highland Brewing

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Bands: Ashley Heath,

Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

Free community event

What’s new in food

Indian street food arrives in West Asheville

Chai Pani Restaurant Group’s newest eatery celebrated its long-awaited grand opening Monday in West Asheville.

Botiwalla, the Indian street food concept from executive chef, founder and “Chief Chaiwalla” Meherwan Irani, brings the feeling and food of a traditional Indian Irani café to the main drag of Haywood Road.

When Irani wanted to create a “more casual, faster version” of downtown’s Chai Pani, which received the James Beard Foundation’s award for Best Restaurant in 2022, he looked to his heritage for inspiration. He explains that Iranians opened cafés like Botiwalla, which translates to “the meat guy,” when they settled in British-occupied India during the late 19th century. His great-grandfather owned one of these cafés in his hometown of Ahmednagar, India. After the British left, Irani cafés survived, adapting their menus to Indian tastes. They became gathering places for Persians from all walks of life to talk, eat and feel at home.

“The Iranis became well known for opening little bakeries and cafés, kind of like how Jewish delis in New York are an iconic landmark,” he says. “Many of these cafés over the centuries have now become landmarks and are associated with a very particular and unique style of food.”

Irani sees the restaurant as “an Indian concept that’s really unique and yet really, really approachable to everybody. Somewhere you don’t have to stand in line for 45 minutes to get in.”

Botiwalla, unlike Chai Pani, offers counter service and menu items that “will seem familiar to folks, even if they’ve never had Indian food before,” he adds. The menu includes lamb sliders, salads, skewered meats and beverages such as a nonalcoholic lime rickey and boozy slushies. Though Botiwalla already has locations in Charlotte and Atlanta, this one will offer an “Asheville twist,” including the introduction of a rice bowl consisting of seasoned biryani masala with fried onions and yogurt, with a choice of grilled lamb, chicken or paneer — topped with blistered tomatoes and herbs.

“We are really excited to have another outpost for our Indian street food in Asheville,” says Irani. “I love West Asheville and I’ve always want-

ed to be there. And this one’s for the locals.”

Botiwalla, which has indoor and outdoor seating, is open daily 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and on Sunday until 8:30 p.m.

Botiwalla is at 697 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/cxy.

WNC winners

A local pastry chef and an Asheville mixologist earned top honors in the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association’s Chef Showdown on Aug. 14 in Raleigh.

Jill Wasilewski, owner of Ivory Road Café & Kitchen in Arden, won the 2023 People’s Choice Award for best dessert, and Megan King from the South Slope’s Antidote (representing Chemist Spirits) won The Dairy Alliance’s Undeniably Dairy Award for best use of North Carolina cow’s milk in a mocktail or cocktail.

More than 500 attendees at the sold-out grand finale were treated to tasting-sized portions of savory dishes, desserts, cocktails and mocktails from contestants who made it through the monthslong competition. Guests digitally voted for their favorite dishes and drinks to determine the People’s Choice Award winners.

Wasilewski was one of five North Carolina pastry chefs at the grand finale. Her winning dish was a miso caramel peach tart tatin made with local peaches. It consisted of a peach crémeux, roasted blackberry vanilla sauce and a brown-butter-seared pound cake — and featured Miso Master miso from Rutherfordton, as well as dairy from Mills River Creamery. She also sourced local eggs from Marshall’s Dry Ridge Farm and fruit from Marshall’s Root Bottom Farm.

King won the new-to-this-year award with her In Reverie mocktail, made with clarified whole milk, pistachio, Thai basil and a homemade pineapple and banana tepache.

To make it to one of the 25 spots in the final competition, chefs advanced through five preliminary rounds and two semifinal rounds. Competitors were judged based on the presentation and taste of their dishes, as well as the best use and number of local North Carolina ingredients on each plate.

Wasilewski, who has owned Ivory Road Café & Kitchen for seven years

and has been a pastry chef for nine years, says she decided to enter this year’s competition on a whim after following it in past years on social media. “Winning felt so validating and deeply rewarding for all that I give to the business,” she says. “I absolutely love being a small-business owner and a sole, independent restaurant owner — but it can be extremely trying ... and sometimes a little recognition or a win feels really, really good.”

As part of her win, Wasilewski will also serve as a 2023 Got to Be NC culinary ambassador for the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

“I am just so grateful that this community has enabled me to succeed in a way that allows me to live out my dream,” she says. “In doing so I hope I can support the community in return and bring a ... bit of culinary credibility to South Asheville.”

Ivory Road Café & Kitchen is at 1854 Brevard Road, Arden. Antidote at Chemist Spirits is at 151 Coxe Ave. For more information on the NCRLA’s Chef Showdown, visit avl.mx/6lc.

How ’bout them apples?

The 77th annual N.C. Apple Festival will celebrate Henderson County’s contribution to the nation’s apple supply Friday, Sept. 1-Monday, Sept. 4. The downtown festivities begin with a street fair at 10 a.m. and will feature an opening ceremony at the historic courthouse at 2:30 p.m.

The free, family-friendly, fourday event will showcase everything apples, arts and crafts vendors, festival food and children’s activities. Live entertainment will feature musical headliners such as the Buddy K Big Band, the Swingin’ Medallions and the Mighty Kicks.

Attendees are encouraged to participate in numerous contests scheduled throughout the festival, such as the apple recipe contest. Hendersonville Main Street merchants are also participating in the apple window display contest.

One of the annual anticipated highlights is the King Apple Parade

on Monday, Sept. 4, at 2:30 p.m. The procession includes floats, marching bands and community groups.

Henderson County is the largest producer of apples in the state and one of the top 20 producers in the nation — with 91 active growers contributing an estimated 3 million bushels annually, which is 80% of this state’s apple supply, with an average income of $30 million.

For more information, visit avl.mx/aau.

Grape crush

You don’t have to travel to Italy á la Lucille Ball in the classic 1956 “I Love Lucy” episode “Lucy’s Italian Movie,” to experience the feeling of grapes squishing between your toes.

Burntshirt Vineyards Tasting Room and Winery will host Grape Stomp 2023 on Saturday, Sept. 2, at 11:30 a.m. The annual event will feature wine tasting, winery tours — and grape stomping. Food will be available for purchase from the winery’s on-site restaurant, Vintner’s Table.

The all-day harvest celebration, which began in 2016, will include live music on the winery terrace from American blues rock and soul duo Roots and Dore, 1-3 p.m., and “island vibes” band Steve Weams and the Caribbean Cowboys, 4-7 p.m.

And as an homage, the popular Lucy Look-Alike contest will return. Attendees are encouraged to dress as the iconic Lucille Ball, specifically as her character in the aforementioned television episode. At 2:30 p.m., contestants will “parade around” in front of a crowd gathered in the seating area near the winery’s restaurant and tasting room. The winner is the one who receives the loudest cheers. “They really get into it,” says winery owner Sandra Oates. “Sometimes people even come as Ethel or Ricky ... it is so much fun to see how much they enjoy dressing up and stomping the grapes.”

Burntshirt Vineyards is at 2695 Sugarloaf Road, Hendersonville. For more information, visit avl.mx/cxt.

Andy Hall X

THE MEAT GUY: Meherwan Irani (blue shirt, center) greets guests at an event celebrating the opening of his newest outpost, Botiwalla. Photo by Andy Hall

Saturday, Sept 16

Starting at 1pm Charley King’s Jamaican Jerk Food Truck

Live handpan music

Galactic Maya frequencies readings from the Zuvuya Crew Scrumpy cider pressing demonstration and tasting

Special cider and mead releases

A decade at Studio A ROUNDUP

Around Town

First-generation Ukranian American Andrea Kulish Wilhelm grew up making art at her mother’s shop in Hudson, N.Y. On Saturday, Sept. 2, the artist and Ukrainian advocate will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her own River Arts District gallery.

From 3-6 p.m., Studio A (the A is for Andrea) at Pink Dog Creative invites the community to celebrate with pink wine, pink lemonade, treats and a 10% discount throughout the day. Pink, says Wilhelm, is her signature color. “Pink adorns my studio walls and logo, and has been my favorite color for years,” she says. “Think hot pink. Borscht! Beets!”

Wilhelm says the successes have outweighed the challenges in her path to becoming a graphic designer and opening her own studio. One of her greatest achievements was raising over $70,000 in humanitarian aid for Ukraine. She specializes in making and teaching how to make Ukrainian pysanky eggs, which she learned from her mother. In 2017, Wilhelm and her pysanky were featured on an episode of HGTV’s “House Hunters International.”

A visitor to Studio A can find pysanky eggs and supplies as well as T-shirts, stickers, original art prints, notecards and jewelry. Wilhelm is planning to expand her line of pysanky-related goods as well.

Since opening Studio A, Wilhelm has been marketing chair for the RAD for six years and has designed its studio guide since 2019. She says she has seen the district grow into a busy destination for both visitors and locals — with an increase in artists, businesses, apartments and hotels. “My biggest wish is to keep the art in the RAD, hoping the dis-

trict can stay affordable for working artists,” she says. “I’m very grateful to our locals who support us and bring their visitors to see us. I hope we can keep what makes the RAD great while it continues to grow.”

Studio A at Pink Dog Creative is at 344 Depot St. For more information, visit avl.mx/cy0.

Scruggs style

A festival celebrating Cleveland County native Earl Scruggs will take place at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring from Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 3.

The second annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival will feature luminaries of Americana, roots and bluegrass music such as Emmylou Harris , Greensky Bluegrass, the Del McCoury Band, The Infamous Stringdusters and more. The event will also include five free workshops

organized by journalist and Scruggs biographer Thomas Goldsmith

Produced by the Earl Scruggs Center, WNCW-FM 88.7 and Isothermal Community College, the festival supports education and community outreach in Scruggs’ home region — while carrying his legacy forward into modern culture.

Scruggs, known for his innovative “Scruggs style” three-finger banjo technique, was a key figure in transforming the course of American music.

“We believe it is imperative to highlight Scruggs’ importance to our region and his contributions to American music,” says Jeff Fissel, director of events and entertainment for the equestrian center. “Hosting fans and welcoming tourists from all over the world to Western North Carolina is a great opportunity for us to showcase our region as a unique place to visit, and to highlight our rich history and heritage.”

THINK PINK: Artist Andrea Kulish Wilhelm celebrates 10 years at her art gallery, Studio A at Pink Dog Creative. Photo by Clay Nations Photography

Tryon International Equestrian Center is at 25 International Blvd., Mill Spring. For more information, visit avl.mx/cy3.

In her bones

Local author Gari Carter grew up listening to family stories about relatives who served in the Civil War, expecting to pass them along to future generations. She shares the story of her great-grandfather in her new book, The Bone Ring: Civil War Journals of Colonel William James Leonard, which is based on writings handed down by Leonard.

Leonard served as colonel in Purnell Legion Infantry in Maryland. When he died in 1901, he left behind a journal and a jewelry box containing a ring engraved with his birth date and the year of his imprisonment during the Civil War. The ring was a birthday present made out of cow bones left over from food served to members of his infantry while they were all prisoners of war at Libby Prison in Richmond, Va. The men engraved the colonel’s birth date into the ring and rubbed it with ashes to make the letters stand out.

Both the ring and journal were passed down through Leonard’s descendants and eventually reached Carter, who had previously published the Civil War journals of another ancestor.

“My new book is from another branch of my family, with a firsthand account of life in a Civil War prison,” says Carter. “For someone with a family member or friend incarcerated, it would give hope. It is inspiring in today’s world to read of someone overcoming a dreadful experience, even in the 1860s compared to now.”

Carter came to Asheville in 1993 on a book tour with her first book, Healing Myself. She says she fell in love with the area and moved to Black Mountain, where she still resides.

For more information, visit avl.mx/cy4.

Sylva celebration

The second annual 4M, or Mountain Makers Mushrooms and Music Festival, will take place Saturday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., on Main Street in the heart of downtown Sylva.

The free festival, which celebrates mountain culture, art and nature, is hosted by the Jackson Arts Market, JAM Glass Gallery and the Jackson County Arts Council and will fea-

ture 11 hours of live music, 45 live art demonstrations and workshops, speakers, performances, food trucks and over 80 local artists. Attendees are also invited to visit the Sparkle Glass show, an exhibit by over 75 glass artists inside the JAM Glass Gallery.

Interactive workshops range from painting to steel forging to “backyard tea” foraging. The music stage at the Jackson Arts Market will host local musicians such as Old Sap, Woolybooger and Alma Russ On the Courtside Stage, lectures on native plants, local history and legend, and Cherokee storytelling will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

“The event aims to inspire through education in the arts and nature of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” says Joshua Murch , event organizer.

“4M showcases authentic traditional culture of the region — and connects our community and visitors.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/cy2.

Calliope contest

Calliope Stage Company is accepting submissions from established and aspiring local writers for its first full-length playwriting contest. First drafts are due Monday, Sept. 25, with the winner being selected in February. The winning script will be produced locally, and the winner will receive $500.

“We’re incredibly excited by the possibilities here,” says Maggie Ashley, producer, in a press release.

“Producing a new, full-length show has been a goal of ours for some time now, and we’re ready to make it happen.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/cy5.

— Andy Hall X

MOVIE REVIEWS

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: This adaptation of the seafaring chapter of Dracula is high on atmosphere and low on substance. Grade: C-minus

— Edwin Arnaudin

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ALLEY CAT AVL

Karaoke Dance Party, 8pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

P*rn Star Karaoke, 9pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Queer Comedy Party

w/Model Face Comedy, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam w/The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Trivia Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Cardiel w/Axxa & Abraxas (rock, heavy dub, surf), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

JP Harris w/Eliza Thorn (country, jazz, blues), 8pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

Kipper's Totally Rad Trivia, 6pm

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31

AMAZING PUBCYCLE

The Office Trivia Night, 6pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

Perreo828, 9pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Travelling Pilsburys (acoustic), 8pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK

EXCHANGE

Mike Kenton & Jim

Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Chris Jamison (Americana, folk), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Para Gozar (Cuban, jazz), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Color Machine (folk, rock), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Jukebox Jumpers (country, blues, soul), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Bald Mountain Boys (Appalachian, newgrass, old-time), 8pm

POP-FUNK FUSION BAND: On Saturday, Sept. 2, five-piece Florencia & the Feeling performs at Oklawaha Brewing Co. at 8 p.m. The Tennessee-based band specializes in rhythmic jams, groovy guitar riffs and heartfelt songwriting. Photo by Donnie Barnett

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR

Eric Congdon (folk, Americana), 7pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

The Mug Band (roots, rock, blues), 6:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

Taylor Swift Laser Dance Party, 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz (Latin, jazz), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Modelface Comedy

Presents: David Gborie, 7pm

• Tu-Ner w/Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto & Markus Reuter (rock, jazz, funk), 9:30pm

THE MULE Beam Me Up, Asheville!, 6:30pm

THE ODD Feed (metal, punk), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Captain Midnight Band (rock'n'roll, R&B, funk), 7pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN DJ Chase, 5pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

THE STATION BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

THE WHALE

Patio Vibes w/DJ Camaro, 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

305 LOUNGE & EATERY

Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 5pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

• Live Music Sessions, 7:30pm

• Venus (dark house party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Minnesota, Bromosapien & Arya (dance, electronic), 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Seth & Sara (modern-western), 6pm

BURGER BAR

Burger Bar Comedy:

September Chuckles, 7pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

• Comedy at Catawba: James Adomian (early show), 7pm

• Comedy at Catawba:

James Adomian (late show), 9:30pm

CORK & KEG

Andy & Ruthie Hunter (folk, rock, R&B), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

DJ Dr. Filth (jazz, soul, R&B), 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S

The Discs, Shaker & Miami Gold (rock), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Descolada (country, folk rock'n'roll), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Drag Music Bingo w/

Divine the Bearded Lady, 7:30pm

HOMEPLACE BEER

CO.

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 6:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Honky-Tonk Fridays w/ Jackson Grimm, 4pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

The Old Futures (indie, rock), 5:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Ross Osteen Band (rock, blues), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Funky First Fridays w/ Funk'n Around (funk), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Ashley Beach’s

Different Animal Duo (acoustic), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Ska City (Ska), 8pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Silent Disco: End of Summer House Party, 9pm

SALVAGE STATION

Kidd G (country, hip hop), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karma Dogs (rock), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Corey Smith w/Matt

Stillwell & Jeb Gipson (country), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Lactones (experimental, psychedelic rock), 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Carley

Arrowood (bluegrass), 6pm

• The Bright Light

Social Hour (psych, Southern-rock, blues), 9pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Quasi Quasar (funk), 7pm

THE ODD

Invocation of the Western Gate (rap, horrorcore, hip-hop), 9pm

THE OUTPOST Yesterdays Clothes (alt-rock, indie), 7pm

THE RAD BREW CO.

Mike & Amy Duo (rock, indie, Americana), 6pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

DJ Chase, 5pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Cider Celts (Celtic, folk, old-time), 6pm

PLĒB URBAN WINERY

Wine w/Divine, 5pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

• Live Music Sessions, 7:30pm

• Hip Hop Party, 10pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Miami Gold (rock'n'roll), 8pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Dave Desmelik (alt-country, folk, Americana), 6pm

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BOLD ROCK

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 7pm

CORK & KEG

Vaden Landers Band (honky-tonk, blues, country), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Equinox Erotica Burlesque, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Slim & The Gems & Slow Poison (rock-abilly), 9pm

FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON

Comedy Hypnosis w/ Jon Dee, 8am

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Anne Coombs Trio (swing, jazz, rock), 7pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE Karaoke Night, 9pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Florencia & the Feeling (R&B, pop, funk), 8pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Fresh Hops (rock, bluegrass, jazz), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Invitational Blues Showcase, 4pm

• The Art of House, 8pm

PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR

Rene Russell (Americana, rock), 6pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Silent Disco: Barbie Party II, 9pm

SALVAGE STATION

Moon Taxi w/The Stews (rock, psych, indie), 5:30pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Ethan Heller Trio w/Jon

Price & Jerard Sloan (psych, rock, funk), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Big Yavo w/DJ Chuckt (trap, hip-hop, R&B), 7pm

SWEETEN CREEK

BREWING

AL “StumpWater”

Lyons (acoustic, Celtic, folk), 6pm

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Carpal Tullar (rock), 6pm

• JoJo Herman w/Sam Holt (blues, rock), 9pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

• Skies of Avalon (rock), 1pm

• Jerry’s Dead (The Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

80's Dance Night, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

David LaMotte (folk), 8pm

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

• Life's a Drag Brunch, 12pm

• Sunday Hustle Dance Party, 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Dark City Kings (garage-rock, country, pop), 2pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Appalachian Renegades (rock), 2pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

The Big Throwback w/ Blake Ellege (country, bluegrass), 3pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

• Dirty Dead (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6:30pm

S & W MARKET

Mr Jimmy (blues), 1pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Soul Sundays w/Datrian Johnson, 6pm

SILVERADOS

Jason Passmore & Carolina Kin Band (country, rock, blues), 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachia, soul, Americana), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Modelface Comedy

Presents: Sean Patton, 7pm

• Sold Out: Dinosaur Jr (rock), 10pm

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

27 CLUB Karaoke Monday, 10pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

Old Time Jam, 5pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Wednesday Bike Night & Music, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Reggie Watts, 8pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

The MGB's (acoustic), 8pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

Mike Kenton & Jim

Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Ashley Heath (blues, Americana), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science

Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew

Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Iggy Radio (Southern-rock), 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

J. Dunks (pop, rock, folk), 7pm

ONE WORLD

Alma Russ (country, folk, Appalachian), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Jake Burns & Jason Hazinski (reggae, rock, folk), 8pm

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Dave Zoll Trio (R&B), 6:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

Dumpstaphunk (R&B, funk, soul), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

Sold Out: Ismo, 8pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz (Latin, jazz), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE Of Montreal (indie, pop), 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

American Football w/ Hello Mary (emo, postrock), 8pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

DJ Chase, 5pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

THE STATION BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR

COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

WRONG WAY

CAMPGROUND

Don't Tell Comedy: West Asheville, 7pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Climate change is dramatically altering the Earth. People born today will experience three times as many floods and droughts as someone born in 1960, as well as seven times more heat waves. In urgent efforts to find a cure, scientists are generating outlandish proposals: planting mechanical trees, creating undersea walls to protect melting glaciers from warm ocean water, dimming the sun with airborne calcium carbonate and covering Arctic ice with a layer of glass. In this spirit, I encourage you to incite unruly and even unorthodox brainstorms to solve your personal dilemmas. Be wildly inventive and creative.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “When love is not madness, it is not love,” wrote Spanish author Pedro Calderon de la Barca. In my opinion, that’s naive, melodramatic nonsense! I will forgive him for his ignorance, since he worked as a soldier and celibate priest in the 17th century. The truth is that yes, love should have a touch of madness. But when it has more than a touch, it’s usually a fake kind of love: rooted in misunderstanding, immaturity, selfishness and lack of emotional intelligence. In accordance with astrological factors, I assign you Tauruses to be dynamic practitioners of genuine togetherness in the coming months: with hints of madness and wildness, yes, but mostly big helpings of mutual respect, smart compassion, tender care and a knack for dealing maturely with disagreements.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Iain S. Thomas writes, “There are two things everyone has. One is The Great Sadness and the other is How Weird I Really Am. But only some of us are brave enough to talk about them.” The coming weeks will be a favorable time to ripen your relationship with these two things, Gemini. You will have the extra gravitas necessary to understand how vital they are to your full humanity. You can also express and discuss them in meaningful ways with the people you trust.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when the expectations we embrace actually come to pass. We cling so devotedly to a belief about what will occur that we help generate its literal manifestation. This can be unfortunate if the anticipated outcome isn’t good for us. But it can be fortunate if the future we visualize upgrades our well-being. I invite you to ruminate on the negative and positive projections you’re now harboring. Then shed the former and reinforce the latter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The holy book of the Zoroastrian religion describes a mythical mountain, Hara Berezaiti. It’s the geographic center of the universe. The sun hides behind it at night. Stars and planets revolve around it. All the world’s waters originate at its peak. Hara Berezaiti is so luminous and holy that no darkness can survive there, nor can the false gods abide. I would love for you to have your own version of Hara Berezaiti, Leo: a shining source of beauty and strength in your inner landscape. I invite you to use your imagination to create this sanctuary within you. Picture yourself having exciting, healing adventures there. Give it a name you love. Call on its invigorating presence when you need a sacred boost.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo journalist Anthony Loyd has spent a lot of time in war zones, so it’s no surprise he has bleak views about human nature. He makes the following assertion: “We think we have freedom of choice, but really most of our actions are puny meanderings in the prison yard built by history and early experience.” I agree that our conditioning and routines prevent us from being fully liberated. But most of us have some capacity for responding to the raw truth of the moment and are not utterly bound by the habits of the past. At our worst, we have 20% access to freedom of choice. At our best, we have 70%. I believe you will be near the 70% levels in the coming weeks, dear Virgo.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Libra poet T. S. Eliot wrote the iconic narrative poem “The Wasteland.” One part of the story takes place in a bar near closing time. Several times, the bartender calls out, “Hurry up, please — it’s time.” He wants the customers to finish their drinks and leave for the night. Now imagine I’m that bartender standing near you. I’m telling you, “Hurry up, please — it’s time.” What I mean is that you are in the climactic phase of your astrological cycle. You need to finish this chapter of your life story so you can move on to the next one. “Hurry up, please — it’s time” means you have a sacred duty to resolve, as best you can, every lingering confusion and mystery.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Addressing a lover, Scorpio poet Margaret Atwood says, “I would like to walk with you through that lucent wavering forest of bluegreen leaves with its watery sun & three moons, towards the cave where you must descend, towards your worst fear.” That is a bold declaration. Have you ever summoned such a deep devotion for a loved one? You will have more power and skill than usual to do that in the coming months. Whether you want to or not is a different question. But yes, you will be connected to dynamic magic that will make you a brave and valuable ally.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian theologian N. T. Wright writes, “The great challenge to self-knowledge is blind attachment to our virtues. It is hard to criticize what we think are our virtues. Although the spirit languishes without ideals, idealism can be the greatest danger.” In my view, that statement formulates a central Sagittarian challenge. On the one hand, you need to cultivate high ideals if you want to be exquisitely yourself. On the other hand, you must ensure your high ideals don’t become weapons you use to manipulate and harass others. Author Howard Bloom adds more. “Watch out for the dark side of your own idealism and of your moral sense,” he writes. “Both come from our arsenal of natural instincts. And both easily degenerate into an excuse for attacks on others.” Now is a good time for you to ponder these issues.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn playwright and novelist Rose Franken said, “Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.” That’s interesting, because many traditional astrologers say that Capricorns are the least likely zodiac sign to be silly. Speaking from personal experience, though, I have known members of your tribe to be goofy, nutty and silly when they feel comfortably in love. An old Capricorn girlfriend of mine delighted in playing and having wicked good fun. Wherever you rank in the annals of wacky Capricorns, I hope you will consider expressing these qualities in the coming weeks. Romance and intimacy will thrive if you do.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): As I work on writing new books, I often draw on inspirations that flow through me as I take long hikes. The vigorous exercise shakes loose visions and ideas that are not accessible as I sit in front of my computer. Aquarian novelist Charles Dickens was an adherent of this approach. At night, he liked to walk around London for miles, marveling at the story ideas that welled up in him. I recommend our strategy to you in the coming weeks, Aquarius. As you move your body, key revelations and enriching emotions will well up in you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming months will be an excellent time to build, discover and use metaphorical bridges. To get in the mood, brainstorm about every type of bridge you might need. How about a connecting link between your past and future? How about a nexus between a task you must do and a task you love to do? And maybe a conduit between two groups of allies that would then serve you even better than they already do? Your homework is to fantasize about three more exciting junctions, combinations or couplings.

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ACROSS

1 Org. co-sponsoring a “Decide to Ride” safety initiative

5 What a communion wafer represents, with “the”

9 Blue Ribbon beer

14 French 101 verb

15 Elsa’s sister in “Frozen”

16 Citizen of the oldest independent Arab state

17 Hearty comfort food

18 Lover’s “It’s not you, it’s me”?

20 “Now I get it!”

21 Wild guess

22 “Return to original speed,” musically

23 They use “like” in a non-Valley Girl way

25 Walked (on)

26 Psychiatrist’s “I’m afraid our time is up”?

28 Memo starter

31 Space

32 Derby, for one

33 1982 Disney film set inside a computer game

34 Goat/man of mythology

35 What a guitar gently does in a 1968 Beatles song

37 Casual greeting

38 Crafter’s website

39 “Not all those who wander ___ lost”: J.R.R. Tolkien

40 Snack item that has been made in more than 85 flavors

41 Tiny

42 Comment like “Sorry you’re upset! Gotta run, late for my nail appointment”?

45 Church lineup

46 “Must have!”

48 Singer Grande

51 Annual May celebrants

52 26th of 26

53 End of a race … or a hint to the conversation closers at 18-, 26- and 42-Across

55 Red ___ (candy brand)

56 Make amends

57 Nailed

58 First-year law student, informally

59 Partner of raves

60 Salon supply

61 Designer Wang DOWN

1 Land formations from the Spanish for “tables”

2 “The way things are going so far …”

3 Ideal place to live

4 It makes spider webs glisten

5 Speed up

6 Paying attention to what needs to be done

7 One who prefers only the highestpriced things, say

8 Tic-___

9 Hosp. recovery area

10 Stoked

11 Soothing application

12 Sound of shears

24 “___ is wasted on the stupid”: Oscar Wilde

25 Word with sand or tourist

27 Revolutionary invention?

28 Situation involving unrequited love

29 One whose weight goes up and down

30 ___ manner of speaking

33 “The ___-Body Problem” (Hugo Award-winning novel by the Chinese writer Liu Cixin)

34 Not many

35 [Sad trombone]

36 Roaring Twenties and Swinging Sixties

40 Is indebted to 42 Psychics supposedly have six of them

43 Company making tracks

44 Taking prescription drugs, informally

45 Coat that might be satin?

47 Big name in electric cars

48 Miles away

49 “Lovely” Beatles girl 50 Privy to 51 Computer accessories

54 Fall behind 55 Car pooler’s letters

13 One of the Jackson

5

19 Some bars have 24 of them

21 Small, as chances