Mountain Xpress 09.01.21

OUR 28TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 28 NO. 5 SEPT. 1-7, 2021

C O NT E NT S

FEATURES

PAGE 6

NEWS

LONG OVERDUE 8 READING ROOMS Community debates changes to Buncombe libraries

NEWS

12 IT TAKES A VILLAGE Community-based summer programs battle academic inequality

Women, especially those of color, are rarely memorialized as statues. But in September, a traveling monument of abolitionist Harriet Tubman and a young girl is coming to Sylva. It’s the work of Cashiersbased sculptor Wesley Wofford, who says figurative sculpture needs to be more diverse.

COVER PHOTO Augie LaTorre

ARCHIVES

19 ‘DO OR DIE’ Literary expectations hound Thomas Wolfe, 1931

WELLNESS

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

22 CARROT VS. STICK Local incentives aim to boost COVID-19 vaccinations

3 LETTERS 3 CARTOON: MOLTON 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 6 NEWS 16 BUNCOMBE BEAT 20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

A&C

24 ANOTHER ROUND Local food industry discusses latest mask mandates

22 WELLNESS 24 ARTS & CULTURE 33 CLUBLAND 38 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY

A&C

28 A WHALE IN HAW CREEK Craft beer bar to open The Outpost location in fall

38 CLASSIFIEDS 39 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

Citizen voices sidelined by surprise school board pick

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N

It is my opinion that the City Council should start to show some support for the AVL police who are serving our community while being stretched to the maximum.

A verbal show of support by each individual Council person on all forms of media as well as a physical show of support by each member as suggested by Sen. Chuck Edwards, including their wearing

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of T-shirts and publicly recognizing each member of the department with a verbal thanks and applause at every meeting [“Zack and Edwards Offer Contrasting Views of Crime, Policing,” Aug. 25, Xpress].

Considering it was this Council who reacted so quickly to cut their budget in the aftermath of the demonstrations in town, it is the least you could do now! How about directing the public to where everyone can purchase T-shirts to show their support as well in and around town?

Again, you as a Council contributed to this problem of low morale on the force and their mass departures.

How about taking action to remedy it? I look forward to reading about your solutions in action to counteract the senator’s recent assessment.

I hope I’m not disappointed in all of you yet again.

— Janice Doyle Asheville

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Why are we consumed so much by the groups of campers and homeless? They have camped along the French Broad River for years and were grateful for the off-thegrid lifestyle, so why not create/ build a nice campground? That recently purchased tract of land comes to mind.

— Reuben DeJernette Asheville

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[Regarding “Residents Weigh In on Proposed East Asheville Homeless Shelter,” Aug. 18, Xpress:] We have got to be smarter than the average rock!

The city recently purchased a tract of land by the Deaverview area. Immediate use should be for this shelter. Why spend money for another site just because there is money available? There are better uses for the available money that would enable existing programs to supplement and/or expand services for more of our community!

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As if our city needed one more example of citizen voices being sidelined, on Aug. 24, Asheville City Council pushed through the nomination of George Sieburg for the Asheville City Board of Education just hours after the vacancy was known to anyone.

The decision was not on the agenda for the Aug. 24 meeting.

No public comment was taken on the issue. Not a single parent or teacher was aware that a decision was to be made that evening.

Nonetheless, cavalier and confident, six City Council members decided that it was entirely fine to ignore the voices of Asheville City Schools parents, the endorsements of the Asheville City Association of Educators and the Buncombe County Association of Educators and countless parents who count on committed and regular attendees of board meetings to keep us informed. Voting 6-1, with the lone and principled “no” vote of Kim Roney, City Council pushed through the nomination in a flash.

For any parent following the misadventures of a district already mired in academic struggles, financial disarray and a tattered relationship between an unpopular superintendent and parents, this process was salt in a festered wound.

Kudos to Council member Kim Roney for being ever open and transparent and for consistently listening to the voices and concerns of ACS parents and teachers.

Alas, an elected school board cannot come soon enough.

— Brooke Heaton Asheville

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Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

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

OPINION

A message from the heavens about Asheville

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Most religions put him into the “hands-off” model of leadership, but the week of Aug. 15, God said, in essence, “Enough is enough.”

After all the traffic, tourism and trouble visitors to Western North Carolina have caused, the Almighty decided to open the heavens and flood all the routes into and out of the city of Asheville, the region’s biggest draw.

Roads washed out, bridges collapsed and landslides blocked primary routes. Residents and tourists alike were told to stay home. What a refreshing change. The Lord usually works in mysterious ways, but this time, he was fairly straightforward with the edict: “Stay out of Asheville!”

After the equivalent of 40 days and nights of rain over the course of a week, people better start understanding his plan. If his message doesn’t get through to the unclean, the unwashed and the other visitors to our great City on the Mount, expect a ginormous sinkhole to open in the Asheville Airport’s runway.

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One way or another, the Great Being in the Sky will persuade people, mostly Floridians, that Asheville isn’t the haven they once expected. Hurricanes can reach here. Tornadoes aren’t strangers.

Humidity levels are unbearable.

Listen to God: Stay home.

— Mark H. Bloom Asheville

Don’t turn Charlotte Street into Charlotte I have lived on Cherokee Road for more than 20 years and access Charlotte Street several times each day. As the Asheville area continues to grow, I can’t help but notice an increase in Charlotte Street/ Chestnut Street traffic, especially in the last five to seven years. It only makes sense that the traffic has dramatically increased because of tourism and a growing population in North Asheville, including Reynolds Mountain, Woodfin and Weaverville.

With the Fuddruckers and 101 Charlotte St. proposals combined, traffic usage will minimally increase by an additional 4,700 car trips each day or nearly 2 million additional trips per year.

Please consider the following points: • It is critical that City Council looks at the most current traffic data on Charlotte Street before making any judgments. It is my understanding that data presented to Council by the developers was gathered during 2020, while we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both local travel and tourism-based travel were well below normal during that 12- to 15-month window. I am sure you would all agree the data provided does not represent the normal traffic reality today on the Charlotte Street/Chestnut Street intersections. The April-July 2021 data would be a more realistic representation of normal usage and would certainly reflect more realistically the problems caused when considering the additional traffic demands that would be incurred with the new development projects being considered.

• Adding these proposed projects will not only increase the traffic congestion, but the increased traffic will increase the discharge of polluting exhaust fumes affecting the neighborhoods close to Charlotte Street.

• Business growth to the Merrimon Avenue corridor continues to put increased traffic pressure on Kimberly Avenue and other neighborhood streets as drivers try to avoid Merrimon Avenue backups going in and out of North Asheville. The natural result of this is to only add more traffic onto Charlotte Street, further complicating an already overtraveled corridor.

• There are several businesses on the Charlotte Street/Chestnut Street corridor, including some new ones. If the traffic issue gets worse, potential customers for all of these businesses are going to avoid stopping on Charlotte Street to shop or, worse yet, avoid the area altogether. That is not good for those businesses that have invested in the area. ...

• The increased backup of cars due to increased traffic flow will force many drivers to use the adjacent neighborhood streets to avoid getting stuck in the traffic. Many of these streets are residential and narrow, creating a hazard to families and children in those areas. We already have issues with cars speeding through our neighborhoods, hence current signs everywhere asking motorists to slow down.

• As tourism continues to grow in the Asheville area, traffic has also increased due to the added facilities and activities at the Grove Park Inn. Charlotte Street is the main corridor to Macon Avenue and the Omni resort, which will increase traffic and places a lot of stress on Charlotte Street.

• Assuming both the 101 Charlotte St. and the Fuddruckers property will be simultaneously under construction for a two- to three-year period, imagine what problems will be incurred by the surrounding neighborhoods during this period.

I urge City Council to take the time to review its decisions before making a huge mistake that will affect our neighborhoods for years to come. We need Council’s help controlling the growth of our neighborhoods.

— Ann McMartin Asheville Editor’s note: A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx.com. Also, a traffic impact analysis for the project (avl.mx/abx) indicates that “COVID factor calculations” were made to adjust for reduced traffic because of the pandemic.

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

Legislation would help working parents, businesses and kids As a working mother, the greatest stress I faced — before having a teenager, that is — was when my child care fell apart. Research has shown that what happens in a child’s brain in the first 2,000 days of life has implications for their development for the rest of their lives, so every day of care counts.

In the conversations I’m having with businesspeople all over Western North Carolina, child care is mentioned as one of the reasons people haven’t returned to work. The data supports how many women dropped out of the workforce in the last year to be caregivers. Never have teachers and child care workers been more admired by parents than in 2020.

But admiration isn’t enough.

Creating a sustainable child care system for our state is what is needed. We have fought the good fight for funding our renowned public universities, our critical community colleges and our equally important K-12 system.

We’ve even made strides in expansion of prekindergarten programs.

But we haven’t tackled the flawed system of how we subsidize child care in our state or the ongoing

investment needed to support the correction of that flaw.

HB 574 is a piece of legislation that would allow us to begin treating child care as essential infrastructure. It increases the rates and creates a new statewide floor to help families in every county access quality child care close to home, while supporting local businesses.

Parents rely on child care every day to make working possible.

Business owners rely on child care to make hiring and retaining high-quality employees possible.

Our state’s elected officials should invest in the sustainability of North Carolina’s child care system — if not, we put our state’s economic recovery at stake. Contact your legislator to register your support by using NC Child’s form: [avl.mx/abs].

— Kit Cramer President and CEO Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Asheville

Editor’s note Due to changing health recommendations related to COVID-19, readers are encouraged to check with individual businesses for the latest updates concerning upcoming events.

MOUNTAINX.COM

SEPT. 1-7, 2021

5

NEWS

Long overdue

Harriet Tubman statue comes to Sylva

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Western North Carolina is grappling with a controversial part of its history: monuments erected in commemoration of Confederate figures.

In May, after months of debate and consideration by a specially appointed task force, Asheville began removing the Vance Monument, an obelisk honoring the late Confederate military officer and former Gov. Zebulon Baird Vance.

And in Sylva, the town Board of Commissioners has been disputing with the Jackson County Board of Commissioners since 2020 over the county’s refusal to remove a statue colloquially referred to as “Sylva Sam.” The figure, located on county-owned land in downtown Sylva, depicts an unnamed Confederate soldier with the Confederate flag and honors “Our Heroes of the Confederacy.”

Thus far, the focus has been on removing existing monuments. That will change in Sylva in September with the installation of a traveling monument depicting Harriet Tubman and an enslaved girl in Bridge Park.

“Harriet Tubman — The Journey to Freedom,” a 9-foot-tall, 2,400pound work by Cashiers-based figurative sculptor Wesley Wofford, depicts the abolitionist braced forward into the wind, protectively leading the child. The two stand atop a base depicting Delaware Bay Peninsula, which Tubman traversed on the Underground Railroad.

Bringing Tubman to Western North Carolina “felt like a no-brainer to us,” says Marsha Lee Baker, chair of the community coordination

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MONUMENTAL: “Harriet Tubman — The Journey to Freedom,” by sculptor Wesley Wofford of Cashiers, comes to Sylva in September. Photo by Augie LaTorre committee of the Jackson County NAACP branch, which is sponsoring the installation from Monday, Sept.

20, to Monday, Dec. 20. “All of us were familiar with the importance of her history and what she did for so many people.”

Jackson’s NAACP applied for and received a Racial Equity Community Grant of $24,558 from the Dogwood Health Trust to bring “The Journey to Freedom” to Sylva. The town, where the group holds many of its meetings, granted permission for the installation in Bridge Park and will pay $60 a month for insurance.

“The town of Sylva is thrilled to have this work of art coming to our community,” says Town Manager Paige Dowling. “This a wonderful opportunity to showcase history and art downtown. This is the first time a sculpture has been installed at Bridge Park. This makes it even more exciting.”

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The dedication ceremony for “The Journey to Freedom” takes place Sunday, Sept. 26. President of the Jackson County NAACP Dana Murray Patterson will read “Harriet Tubman,” a poem by Margaret Walker. Vincent Willis, a professor of social sciences at the University of Alabama, will give a keynote about the importance of children in the journey to freedom. The dedication will also include performances by the choir of the Liberty Baptist Church of Sylva and Blue Jazz, a Franklinbased jazz trio.

THE ARTISTIC PROCESS

Wofford, who co-owns Wofford Sculpture Studio with his wife, studio director Odyssey Wofford, creates works on commission for garden pieces and public installations. The original copy of “The Journey to Freedom” was commissioned by a

private client and is permanently installed in Dallas.

In designing the piece, Wesley Wofford sought dance instructor Jada Bryson of Franklin, whom he had seen perform, to model Tubman.

Bryson’s 8-year-old student, Aspen Applewhite, modeled the girl.

“It is an honor to be the body of such a fierce, inspirational woman,” Bryson tells Xpress. “It’s not my face, but it’s my hands, my feet, my body and my spirit embodying Harriet.”

Wofford held several modeling sessions and a wardrobe fitting; in the final session, he photographed the models with two industrial fans blowing on them to create the billowing movement captured in Tubman’s and the child’s dresses. The studio refrained from posting about the piece on social media during Wofford’s 18 months of labor, as per a nondisclosure agreement with his client. But once “The Journey to Freedom” arrived in Texas in August 2020, the Woffords had the greenlight to release photographs of the process and the finished work.

Those images made a splash online: Pictures that Odyssey Wofford posted on the studio’s Facebook page in September 2019 have been shared over 18,000 times. “The outpouring was tremendous,” Wesley Wofford recalls. “It kind of exploded.”

He says the statue’s debut was “serendipitous” in its alignment with the country’s growing racial justice movement and “the ongoing conversation that we’re having in our social spaces about Confederate monuments and what do those mean, coupled with [Colin] Kaepernik, Black Lives Matter and George Floyd.” And other recent cultural moments have honored Tubman specifically. In 2019, Focus Features released the biopic “Harriet,” starring Cynthia Ervio. Since 2016, the Treasury Department has been in the process of replacing President Andrew Jackson with Tubman on the $20 bill.

The enthusiastic response to the photos prompted many people to ask Wofford where to see the statue in person. That led to an offer from another anonymous client to foot the bill for recasting the work.

In a tour organized by Odyssey Wofford, “The Journey to Freedom” has been installed in Montgomery, Ala.; Newburgh, N.Y.; Cape May, N.J.; Cambridge, Md.; and other locations. Sylva will be the closest to the Woffords’ home and studio that it has been displayed. “I hope being in Sylva, it will elicit some dialogues that maybe are uncomfortable and important to have,” Wesley Wofford says.

Adds Bryson, “I was shocked when the statue went viral on the internet because, being a woman of color, I am used to being overlooked and undervalued. I think it resonates with people because of the emotion and intention that Wesley puts into his art.”

LEADERSHIP LESSON

One such conversation could be why Black female historical figures are not more ubiquitous as public monuments. Several sculptures of abolitionist Sojourner Truth exist around the country; New York City plans to debut a statue of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, in the near future. But a sculpture of Nina Simone, installed in the singer’s birthplace of Tryon, seems to be the only piece permanently honoring an African American woman in WNC. “The commemoration of Harriet Tubman is timely and apropos,” wrote David Mathew Walton, director of Western Carolina University’s Global Black Studies Program, in a statement to Xpress. “At a time when Black women are playing such a crucial role in American electoral politics, Tubman is the perfect symbol and metaphor.”

Walton continued, “Any recognition of Tubman forces one to confront the falsities of the ‘content slave’ narrative, appreciate the simple truths of American racialization and concede shortcomings of American exceptionalism.”

The sculpture also proved an educational opportunity for the artist.

“Doing someone as important as Harriet Tubman, it has to be authentic,” Wofford explains. “My role as an artist needs to fade into the background, and it just needs to be a megaphone for her messaging, and

in order to do that, I need to learn about her.”

Although Wofford recalls learning about the Underground Railroad in school, he says, “we didn’t really learn a lot of extensive history of [Tubman]. She’s that runaway slave that helped other slaves get away — that’s kind of all I had.” Therefore, “before even touching any clay,” Wofford says he researched primary sources about Tubman, like journal entries kept by Underground Railroad hosts.

The Jackson County branch of the NAACP recognizes that “The Journey to Freedom” shows a white male’s depiction of two Black females. Baker, who is also white, says the branch recognizes the importance of supporting and celebrating black artists.

“Taking this current opportunity to install this sculpture is an immediate way we could act,” she says.

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HIDDEN FIGURES

The number of women depicted by public outdoor statues can be difficult to pin down. Women often personify concepts like “freedom” or “beauty” in sculpture, and girls or fictional characters may or may not be counted. A “Herstory Map” from the TV channel Lifetime places the number at fewer than 200 out of 5,575 sculptures of historical figures identified by the Smithsonian; a separate Smithsonian count of outdoor sculptures cited by the Washington Post lists fewer than 400.

Yet Wofford believes public figurative art is undergoing a renaissance, which has the potential for “course-correcting that lack of cultural diversity,” he says. Statues like “The Journey to Freedom,” he continues, demonstrate how public spaces can be used for art and the type of art that should be in them. X

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SEPT. 1-7, 2021

Community debates changes to Buncombe libraries

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL: Although a proposed plan for the Buncombe County library system would replace the current Black Mountain branch with a larger, better-equipped regional facility, many residents say they’d prefer to keep the more modest library in its current location. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County

BY BEN WILLIAMSON bdwilliamson1919@gmail.com Is bigger always better, or is less sometimes more? Those two design philosophies are colliding in discussions over an $81 million slate of recommended changes to the Buncombe County Public Libraries.

As outlined by architect Maureen Arndt, principal of Dallas-based consultancy 720 Architects, in a Library Master Plan commissioned by the county, the proposal would shift Buncombe’s system away from a hub-and-spoke design centered on Asheville’s Pack Memorial Library.

The libraries would instead use a regional branch model, in which bigger, newly renovated facilities throughout the county provide patrons with more services.

Such an approach, Arndt says, would boost the county’s overall library square footage and programming while increasing access for all residents. “One of the most important considerations was to address the buildings that are in the worst

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physical condition from an architectural, structural, mechanical/electrical/plumbing perspective,” she adds.

“The regional system can solve other major challenges as well — including safety concerns for libraries that have a single staff member working at a time, libraries that lack adequate parking and less duplication of books and services.”

But to focus resources on these regional branches, the plan would close three existing libraries in Black Mountain, Oakley/South Asheville and Swannanoa. Neighborhood groups in those areas fiercely oppose the changes, as they’ve made clear in recent community listening sessions hosted by the county.

“Even though things are, in some instances, pretty desperate in terms of facilities, this attitude that we prefer what we have over something new is different in my experience,” says Ruth O’Donnell, chair of the county’s Library Advisory Board and a former library consultant. “A lot of people we’ve talked to have interest in smaller, neighborhood libraries.

The thinking amongst the people,

certainly half of them or more, is that it doesn’t matter how big it is, how many resources it has, just that they are very opposed to change.”

SECOND THOUGHTS

Arndt first presented the library plan to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on May 18. “The team began by looking at the physical condition of each building, the projected population growth and gathering community input regarding what a 21st century library should look like in Buncombe County,” she says about the process behind that proposal. “We were tasked with looking into the future to design a system that will serve the county well into 2035, making sure the library is able to grow along with the community it serves.”

720 Design, Arndt says, took into account library usage data, 13 focus groups and an online survey with over 1,400 participants to shape its proposal. But that input process, claims Elisabeth Wallace of the recently formed Oakley

Neighborhood Association, was flawed from the start.

“The firm did a terrible job,” Wallace says. “It all happened in 2020, and nothing was done in person. The focus groups were not well attended, their survey was not well distributed, and the [Oakley population] numbers in the report are incorrect. The proposal is poorly informed.”

In response to similar concerns from throughout the county, Buncombe launched a new listening tour on the library plan in July.

Wallace’s was one of 75 households that showed up online for an Aug. 10 session focused solely on the branch that serves Oakley and the Shiloh/ South Asheville communities. A parade of residents shared concerns about the proposed closing during the 60-minute session and lobbied to keep the branch at its current location.

“The branch is an anchor in our community and is a center of learning and connection in a vulnerable neighborhood,” Wallace says, having noted at the listening session that 25% of Oakley/Shiloh residents are people of color and that nearly 10% have no access to a vehicle.

Multiple participants referenced the county’s Strategic Plan 2025 while arguing for the Oakley branch’s future. The long-term plan advocates for walkable and accessible neighborhoods, as well as a focus on equity for underserved county residents.

Removing the branch, Wallace claims, would be against that plan.

“If you eliminate walkable branches,” she says, “that all goes out the window. We are in favor of changes if they are inclusive and supportive of our communities, and in line with the equity model that the county purports to uphold.”

720’s plan calls for current Oakley branch users to commute to the new East Asheville branch or other library facilities. For most neighborhood residents without cars, that could mean multiple transfers on the city’s bus system or walking on roads with inconsistent walkability, according to Michael Stratton, co-leader of the Oakley Neighborhood Association.

“The idea that people from Oakley and Shiloh are going to make the commute to the East Asheville branch is a tall order,” Stratton says.

“The consensus is that we want a walkable and livable community.

When you take those focal points out, it’s a step in the wrong direction.”

RENOVATE OR RELOCATE?

The library master plan was designed, Arndt says, to meet the community wishes as expressed through user feedback. She believes

that fulfilling those goals requires new construction and a rethinking of the system’s current model. “​​ The survey respondents believe it is most important for public libraries to offer areas for children and teens, space for reading and small group meetings, family restrooms and outdoor access to Wi-Fi,” Arndt explains. “Nearly 90% of the respondents indicated that the top reason for going to the library was to check out books — and books require a lot of space.”

Arndt says the Oakley/South Asheville, Black Mountain and Swannanoa branches were targeted for closures, thus making way for this new construction, due to their current physical state, which is worse than that of branches in the rest of the system. But Stratton argues that this disrepair is due to years of low funding and inattention, admitting his frustration that the recommendations would close a facility he claims has been neglected. “Rather than take it away, we would rather have more funding directed to it,” he says.

In the eastern part of the county, the plan recommends closing the smaller neighborhood Black Mountain and Swannanoa branches and replacing them with a new, larger facility, designed to serve both areas and located between the two communities. Renee Hudson, president of the Friends of Black Mountain Library, says her group gathered over 900 signatures on a petition opposing the move; a standing-room-only crowd of over 100 people, mostly in support of the current libraries, attended a listening session at the Black Mountain branch in July.

“The Black Mountain library serves as a community hub, with many people walking to the library or riding their bikes. People would like to see improvements made to the current building to encompass many of the updates proposed in the county plan,” Hudson says, including areas for students to study and complete group projects, improved workspaces for librarians, and making the building more accessible to users with disabilities. “A regional model that moves the library out of downtown Black Mountain does not take into account those who do not have transportation.

I think it decreases some of the personal interactions the community has with librarians.”

Arndt says the data offers another perspective. “What we were seeing in the data is that people who lived near Swannanoa, for example, were driving past that library to get to a bigger,

CONTINUES ON PAGE 10

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WALK RIGHT UP: Representatives from the Oakley Neighborhood Association are concerned that closing their neighborhood library could disadvantage residents without reliable transportation to reach other branches. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County more full-service library,” she says, noting that state library standards permit a maximum 30-minute drive time for rural users. “In addition, our market segment analysis suggests that there is a large portion of retired library users at many of the libraries.

The ability to walk or ride a bike is great, but having the option to drive and park when its physically necessary is also important to a large portion of the [county library] users.”

In Weaverville, thoughts of a newer facility have received a warmer welcome, according to Stuart Lamkin of the Friends of Weaverville Library.

“Weaverville needs a library that can accommodate the many families who use it. That includes not having a constantly leaking roof or constantly spreading mold problem, like it does now,” he says of the town’s current branch, formerly a church, which was built in 1924.

When visiting the new East Asheville branch, Lamkin was struck by how impressive that space was.

“I admit I had library envy, but I was happy for them. We’re excited about the prospect of the Weaverville library one day having a modern facility, to truly bless and resource our great community,” he says.

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MORE TO THE STORY

O’Donnell, the library board chair, emphasizes that the recommendations from 720 are not definitive and that the county hasn’t yet made final decisions. In her experience, she adds, large-scale library system overhauls can take up to 25 years; she characterized the consultant’s 15-year timeline as “overly ambitious.”

As director of the county’s 13-branch system, Jim Blanton echoes O’Donnell’s comments about the current debate being one step in a longer process. Although in-person input sessions have been paused in response to increasing COVID-19 trends, online input sessions are scheduled through the end of September, and funding for any changes has yet to be approved. (A current schedule of input sessions is available at avl.mx/aas.)

“It’s critical feedback to hear from the community about what they need and want. One thing that is clear is that there are improvements to be made,” Blanton says. “We are grateful to the community for being so passionate about their libraries and to share feedback. We want them to continue to be engaged when we restart the process.”

During the online Oakley session, resident Althea Gonzalez asked Blanton if the current branch could be improved instead of closed.

“Everything is on the table,” Blanton said, but he added that providing the new services residents have asked for would require additional square footage somewhere in the library system.

As the public input process continues, resistance from the Black Mountain and Oakley communities seems to be a certainty. Their efforts may have already found an audience with Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman. “I do not agree with the proposal to close the Black Mountain Library and to diminish services at other branch libraries,” he says. “I think the public involvement process has been flawed.” X

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NEWS

It takes a village

Community-based summer programs battle academic inequality

BY BEN WILLIAMSON

books display professionals who look like our children. The excitement each child had, along with their parents, was great to see.

“One child said, ‘Look, Mom, this book has my name on it.’ The book was about a young Black girl named Jada. She was amazed to not only see a character who looked like her but who also had her name.”

bdwilliamson1919@gmail.com Most of us have seen the statistics by now. The Asheville City Schools’ achievement gap — the disparity in academic test scores between white and Black students — is well documented. In 2015, the district posted the largest difference in scores among North Carolina’s 115 school districts, and the fifth-largest such differential in the United States. The persistent discrepancy, also called an “opportunity gap” to acknowledge the impact of socioeconomic factors such as income, ethnicity and ZIP code on academic outcomes, has actually increased in recent years despite the district’s efforts to address it.

To make matters worse, some educational experts maintain that COVID-19 school shutdowns and the subsequent transition to online learning have exacerbated the problem, as low-income students have less access to computers, high-speed internet and other home-based support and resources. But while the statistics are bleak and the systemic obstacles are many, local individuals and community-based organizations are pursuing their own approaches to tackling these long-standing inequities.

A NEW NARRATIVE

“We wanted to be solution-oriented and meet people where they are.

We wanted to support students, families and the community, and to do it without rhetoric but with on-theground work,” says Tiece Ruffin, interim director of Africana studies and professor of education and Africana studies at UNC Asheville.

Ruffin is one of three Black faculty at the school who have partnered with student interns and community groups to distribute nearly 300 STEM Fun-Packs this summer.

Each one contains grade-level-appropriate books and activities that feature Black protagonists and highlight their contributions in science, technology, engineering and math.

In addition, there are hands-on projects designed to encourage family participation. Funded by a $25,000 grant from the Dogwood Health Trust, the initiative also received assistance from another local entity, the Colorful Pages Coalition.

“It’s about collective impact to support the transformative work that’s already in motion,” Ruffin explains, 12

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A NEW STORY: Tutors with Literacy Together received job training and professional development this summer while helping local elementary students improve their reading skills. Photo courtesy of Literacy Together speaking of existing efforts by many groups to serve Black youths in the community. Specifically designed to address both the overall opportunity gap and the “summer slide” (the tendency for students to regress academically during nonschool months), the packs are also culturally relevant, says Ruffin.

“This was about portraying Black humanity in a positive light. We didn’t have any books about slavery or trauma. It’s all about being culturally affirming. It’s something to

be proud of to see Black joy, genius and excellence.”

For white youths, seeing their culture represented in the books they read may be commonplace, but for nonwhite students, it can be a transformative experience. “I am excited that students were able to get packets specific to their age and culture,” says CiCi Weston, executive director of the Christine W. Avery Learning Center, one of the programs that received the Fun-Packs. “It took things to a greater level, having the

IN THE BAG: Staff at the Christine W. Avery Learning Center show off the STEM Fun-Packs they received from UNC Asheville. Photo courtesy of CiCi Weston

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A WHOLE-COMMUNITY APPROACH

Ruffin cites the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County as another ally in the work to address the opportunity gap. Among other things, members of the nonprofit’s United for Youth Network collaborated this summer to help students and families prepare for a new school year. Those programs focused on reading, STEM, social-emotional confidence and cultural and community awareness.

“It isn’t hard to see how academic success is too often undermined by inequities in issues such as hunger, homelessness, violence, poor health and other social problems,” says Laura Elliot, senior director of community schools and network development at United Way. “This means that the opportunity gaps aren’t just a school-based problem: They’re a community responsibility.”

United for Youth is part of a broader strategy by United Way since 2013 to treat schools as central hubs for connecting students and families with programs that target a range of socioeconomic issues. Those efforts, says Elliot, are gaining traction.

“From January 2018 to January 2020, students at Asheville, Enka, Erwin and Owen middle schools showed improvements in the areas of attendance, behavior and core course grades,” she reports. Among all students who were on track to graduate, there was a 9.5% increase in all three of those areas, and a 15.1% increase among on-track Black, Hispanic and multiracial students, Elliot explains.

United for Youth’s efforts this summer were extensions of programs put in place during the COVID-19 era.

The pandemic, says Elliot, has had a profound impact on long-standing opportunity gaps in education as well as health, housing and other areas.

United Way’s network of schools and over 50 community partners is the key to meeting those challenges, she believes. “Resources will come and

“Opportunity gaps aren’t just a school-based problem: They’re a community responsibility.”

— Laura Elliot, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County go, but the foundation of a strong partnership will carry us through.”

When schools weren’t meeting in person, weekly virtual meetings facilitated by United Way staff helped network partners develop school COVID-19 response plans, organizing volunteers to distribute family food boxes and shifting the existing “Homework Diner” after-school tutoring and family engagement events to a community-based learning pod model. During this period, those efforts served 278 students across 16 sites.

“We had a working system for communication, trust and truth-telling,” says Elliot. When the pandemic hit, she continues, “This network was able to reassemble quickly in a virtual environment to coordinate accurate information and resources for families.” The same approach is now being taken with reentry plans.

TEAMWORK Meanwhile, a partnership between two local nonprofits, Literacy Together and Youth Transformed for Life, provided tutoring for 50 campers this summer, most of them students of color who were struggling with reading and had fallen behind their peers during the pandemic. Literacy Together, a long-running group formerly known as The Literacy Council of Buncombe County, signed on to offer three two-hour tutoring blocks each week for first through fifth graders at a camp run by Youth Transformed for Life.

At the same time, Literacy Together saw an additional opportunity to provide job training and professional development for older students of color: rising high school juniors and seniors as well as community college enrollees.

“We are well aware that children of color learn and respond better when taught by people that look like them and share a cultural background,” says Cindy Threlkeld, the nonprofit’s executive director. “We designed a paid internship and trained them on how to tutor kids who are struggling to read — the same training we provide our adult literacy tutors.”

The 14 participants, mostly Blacks and Latinos, were also trained in lesson planning, resume writing and financial literacy.

“It’s a real win-win,” says Threlkeld. “Interns are getting paid professional experience, and students are addressing the summer slide.”

Initial data shows that 70% of the campers in the program either improved in at least one literacy skill area or held steady, she says.

The lack of regression is significant, as a 1996 review of the literature found that, on average, achievement scores for all students declined by one month’s worth of learning by summer’s end.

But that effort, stresses Threlkeld, is only one piece of what’s needed to address the broader opportunity gap.

“It’s really important: Schools can’t do this by themselves. It takes the community getting involved, as it’s a community issue.” X

CLASS CREW: Volunteers at the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s “Homework Diners” help feed students while offering tutoring and family engagement. Photo courtesy of United Way ABC MOUNTAINX.COM

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BIZ BRIEFS

A-B Tech announces credentialing program with ABCCM A-B Tech and Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry have partnered to bring a continuing career education program to Transformation Village, ABCCM’s transitional housing residence.

“ABCCM knows that people who are houseless or experiencing homelessness are smart, motivated and often courageous persons who want the skills that lead to careers,” the Rev. Scott Rogers, the nonprofit’s executive director, wrote in a statement to Xpress.

“They want to earn enough income to rent or buy a home close to their work and school for their children.”

Courses will be available in construction trade skills, computer skills and horticulture basics, as well as job search, resume and interview skills.

Classes will take place on-site at Transformation Village and will be open to all residents. Courses will last four-12 weeks, with staggered start dates from August to November.

Transformation Village opened in Asheville in March and serves unhoused women, mothers with children and female veterans. More information about Transformation Village is available through Beverly Buckner at 828-398-6988 or Beverly.Buckner@ ABCCM.org. More information about workforce development opportunities at A-B Tech is available by email at WorkforcePrograms@ABTech.edu or by calling 828-398-7934.

Black business expo coming to Asheville in April 2022 The WNC Minority Business Association announced it will host

its first Black Business Expo FridaySunday, April 8-10, 2022. The theme will be “Inspiring and Motivating the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs.”

The networking event and trade show will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Asheville. Potential vendors and sponsors may contact Rika Harrison at Rika@WNCBlackExpo. com for more information.

the Asheville Downtown Association at 29 Haywood St., the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce at 201 E. State St. in Black Mountain and the Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau at 27 College Place. More information is available at avl.mx/aai.

Culinary apprenticeship debuts at Givens Estates The Asheville retirement community Givens Estates and A-B Tech have partnered on a culinary apprenticeship. The program is the first to be launched through the community college’s new Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeships department, according to an Aug. 2 press release.

Givens Estates is investing over $7 million in a new culinary program which will be supported by A-B students. The community’s three new restaurants will be The Social Brew, serving light fare; Market + Craft, a modern bistro; and Terrene, a fine dining restaurant.

Apprenticeships in A-B Tech’s Work-Based Learning program provide students with on-the-job education and employers with a pipeline of potential hires. The program is a collaboration between ApprenticeshipNC, a statewide training program, and NC community colleges. More information is available at ABTech.edu/WBL.

CLASS ACT: A-B Tech is bringing classes to Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s transitional housing program for women, says the Rev. Scott Rogers, ABCCM’s executive director. Photo courtesy of Rogers

WCU adds nursing doctorate

Western Carolina University in Cullowhee is accepting applications for a new Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The first cohort will begin classes in May 2022 and receive both online and weekly in-person instruction. Clinical courses will begin during the third semester. Part-time and full-time study is available.

Applicants are invited to a virtual open house Thursday, Oct. 14, 5-6 p.m. For more information, contact program director Lydia Elliott at lydiaelliott@wcu.edu.

Free COVID-19 public health posters available for businesses

The Explore Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau continues to provide free “3 Ws” signage, including posters, flyers and window clings, promoting COVID-19 safety measures. The poster, by graphic designer Will Hornaday, features a cartoon bear wearing a mask and the message “wear mask, wait 6 feet, wash hands.”

Signage is available at the Asheville Visitor Center at 36 Montford Ave., 14

SEPT. 1-7, 2021

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Save the date

• Mountain BizWorks will hold a fall Craft Your Commerce events series focusing on small business operations for creators. A Makers Mixer for WNC-based creators will be held Friday, Sept. 10, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. over Zoom. Among the six workshops will be a session on financial literacy presented by Michael Lane, director of funding at Mountain BizWorks, to be held Friday, Sept. 17, from 2-4 p.m., over Zoom. Admission to all events is donation-based with a $5 minimum. A full schedule is available at avl.mx/aaj/.

• Just Brew It, a homebrew competition and tasting to benefit Just Economics, will be held Saturday, Oct. 2, 2-5 p.m. at Pisgah Brewing Co. in Black Mountain. Just Economics is a nonprofit advocating for a sustainable economy in WNC. Individuals must have a membership with Just Economics to attend the event. More information is available at avl.mx/aak.

• The 2021 NC Women MilVets Summit and Expo, a virtual summit for female veterans, will be held Thursday, Oct. 21, 9 a.m-12:30 p.m.

The event, with the theme “Educate, Empower & Enrich: Emerging & Lighting the Way Forward,” is open to active military and veterans.

Presentations will address career opportunities, entrepreneurship and business, as well as federal and state benefits. Registration is available at WMVSE.org.

Hat tip

• Allegra, a full-service printing and marketing business, was ranked fifth out of 100 small printers in an annual survey by Printing News. The survey ranks small commercial printing services on sales volumes and high operational standards. Allegra is at 88 Roberts St. More information at AllegraMarketingPrint.com.

— Jessica Wakeman X

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BUNCOMBE BEAT

Council approves hotel expansion in 4-3 vote Imagine stacking the Grove Arcade on top of the Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville. The resulting structure still wouldn’t be as big as a new mixed-use hotel project coming to the north end of downtown Asheville.

In a 4-3 vote on Aug. 24, Asheville City Council approved conditional zoning that allows the existing Four Points by Sheraton hotel to more than quintuple its current size with a mix of uses, including apartments, condominiums, extended stay hotel rooms, parking and ground-level commercial space. Vice Mayor Sheneika Smith and Council members Kim Roney and Antanette Mosley opposed the development.

The current hotel at 22 Woodfin St., located on 3.5 acres on the north side of Asheville’s central business district, stands at around 87,000 square feet and comprises 150 hotel rooms.

According to a staff report, the expansion will boost that square footage to 477,000, adding eight hotel rooms and 49 extended stay rooms. The project also includes 106 residential units, a mix of rental apartments and for-sale condos. Ten of those apartments will be deed restricted at 80% of area median income ($60,100 per year for a family of four) for 20 years, bringing the cost of a two-bedroom unit to about $1,132 per month.

Approximately 8,000 square feet of commercial space will be available on

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GOING BIG: The expansion of the Four Points by Sheraton hotel will more than quintuple its current size with a mix of uses, including apartments, condominiums, extended-stay hotel rooms, parking and ground-level commercial space. Rendering courtesy of MHAworks the ground floor, which may include a 3,000-square-foot grocery store.

The project will also include 302 offstreet parking spaces, 174 in a multilevel parking structure for residents and visitors.

Asheville ended a 17-month hotel moratorium in February after Council approved regulations that established a hotel overlay district, design constraints and an incentive-based program that

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allows hotel developers to clear projects without Council review if they contribute to equity-related public benefits.

City Attorney Brad Banham told Xpress after the meeting that while the new Four Points construction is located in the hotel overlay district, its size required the project to go before Council for conditional zoning under the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.

Council member Sage Turner noted that some members of Council had requested that the developer and property owner, Kansas-based Hulsing Enterprises, apply the new hotel ordinance rules to the project anyway. Derek Allen, the developer’s attorney, said that the city’s standards had been used in the design of the project. Hulsing also offered to donate $196,000 to the city’s affordable housing trust fund or reparations fund if the project was approved.

Before the vote, Roney asked whether jobs at the hotel would pay enough for workers to afford to live at the location at the deed-restricted costs.

“I’m looking at the priorities and goals of our Living Asheville Comprehensive Plan and thinking about our overlapping emergencies and how we can reduce the harm that’s done to the people and the planet as we get from where we are to where we aspire to be,” Roney said.

“So I’m curious: How many jobs in this development, when completed, will be likely to be at or above what would be 80% AMI, which is $20.34 an hour?”

Allen said his team had not completed an analysis to determine wages at the project.

Three people spoke during public comment and opposed the hotel over concerns about gentrification and the number of accommodations downtown.

“In a town that nearly has more Airbnbs and hotel rooms than housing, where Airbnbs take up more housing here than any other city in the United States, adding more hotels is a gentrifying mess that further pushes people out, people at the intersection of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] and poor and unhoused and working class and queer and trans,” said resident Abbie Young. “Every hotel added in this city takes away from housing in this community.”

The zoning request passed without comment from other members of Council.

ARPA FUNDING VOTE HEADS TO COUNCIL SEPT. 14

Before the meeting, Council members completed a second work session aimed at narrowing a list of priorities for spending roughly $26.2 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, a COVID19 relief package passed by Congress in March. City staff determined eight categories for the spending: affordable housing, homelessness services, small business recovery, workforce development, food systems, city infrastructure, domestic violence prevention and assistance and increased governmental communication.

During the meeting itself, members of the public were invited to participate in the process for the first time.

Eight people spoke on the agenda item, with several noting the prior lack of opportunity to provide input.

“There has been zero effort towards public engagement or a process that would allow residents to directly shape the priorities of these funds. Council has chosen to allow the public to comment just once, after the categories have already been decided by Council and staff,” said Patrick Conant, the director of local governmental transparency project Sunshine Request. “The information provided in two work sessions and on tonight’s agenda is so vague that it’s really difficult to see what projects will actually come out of this process.”

Council will vote on whether to approve the funding categories on Tuesday, Sept. 14. A request for proposals will open in October, with Council voting to approve final project awards in December.

— Brooke Randle X

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Tourism recovery grant recipients reflect one year later “We were shut down for four months and didn’t know what to expect, didn’t know if we’d be able to open again,” remembers Torin Kexel, owner of The Flying Bike, an electric bike tour and rentals company in downtown Asheville.

Kexel was one of nearly 400 recipients of grants through the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund, a program launched by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority last year to provide emergency relief to local tourism-related businesses. During their Aug. 25 meeting, members of the BCTDA board heard an update on the program from its administrator, Noah Wilson of Mountain BizWorks, and from business owners who used the grants.

Senate Bill 704, signed into law in May 2020, allowed the BCTDA to establish the one-time grant source using $5 million from the authority’s Tourism Product Development Fund. That money, which came from the 25% of county occupancy tax revenues normally allocated for tourism-related capital expenses, was used for emergency grants of up to $50,000 for local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilson explained that 394 grants were made available to restaurants, retail establishments, studios and galleries, event venues, breweries and other entertainment and tourism-based businesses. Hotels and other lodging businesses were not eligible for the funding.

Of grant recipients who responded to a recent survey, Wilson said, 97% were open as of June 30, a small decrease from the 98% that remained open as of Dec. 31. Nine respondents were closed at the end of June, including five that had closed perma-

ASHEVILLE-AREA

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY: Torin Kexel, center left, owns The Flying Bike, an electric bike tour and rentals company in downtown Asheville. Kexel was one of nearly 400 recipients of grants through the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund, a program launched by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority last year to provide emergency relief to local tourism-related businesses. Photo courtesy of Kexel nently. Of the 2,972 tourism-related jobs lost at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 2,763 jobs have been recovered, with businesses reporting an additional 569 job openings as of June.

Kexel of the Flying Bike says that the $8,625 grant his business received helped him hire back employees and create new positions. “We’re now up to triple the number of staff that we had going into COVID,” he said during the meeting.

“The fund really helped me a lot,” said owner Tim Green of Sole82, a shoe and apparel store at 46 S. Market St. Green received a $5,000 grant from the program, which he

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said enabled him to hire two new employees to help manage the store.

Cristina Hall Ackley, who received a $19,780 grant for her business, alcoholic ginger beer brewery Ginger’s Revenge, added that she lost more than half her staff at the start of the pandemic. Now, she maintains a roster of 17 employees.

“We were shut down for about three months. There was just a lot of uncertainty,” she said. “Our team went from 11 team members to six. While we got [federal Paycheck Protection Program] funding, we were kind of uncertain about reopening.

“This grant really gave us the confidence to not just hire back our front

of house team, but specifically to hire a tasting room manager and someone who could help solve problems, someone who could help figure out how to pivot. Someone who could figure out how to keep our business open safely,” Ackley continued. “And that also allowed me to focus on other areas of the business.”

While local businesses continue to recover from the fallout of COVID-19, Wilson said, efforts such as expanded outdoor seating and providing takeout options will be central to keeping them going through the rest of the year.

“Obviously right now, the No. 1 thing we’re going to hear is, ‘Get through delta,’” Wilson said, referring to the variant of the coronavirus associated with a regional surge in infection rates and hospitalizations.

“We’ll be much better off if we can have a strong finish to this year and be safe throughout the winter so spring can open up nice and strong.”

JUNE BREAKS OCCUPANCY TAX REVENUE RECORDS

The nearly $3.4 million in occupancy tax revenue that the BCTDA collected for June represents an alltime monthly high for the authority, according to financial statements.

The figure reflects a jump of roughly $900,000, or more than 36%, from pre-pandemic June 2019 revenues.

Lodging sales, which include hotels, motels and short-term vacation rentals, also hit a record number in June at more than $56.4 million. The previous high-water mark of $53.8 million was set in October 2020.

— Brooke Randle X

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FEA T U RE S

Q&A with Erica Abrams Locklear, professor of English at UNCA Growing up in Leicester, Erica Abrams Locklear imagined becoming a pediatrician one day. She loved to read, though, and remembers enjoying Southern authors Jill McCorkle and Clyde Edgerton. But Abrams Locklear didn’t become aware of the breadth of Southern literature — or its sister genre, Appalachian literature — until after her undergraduate years at UNC Chapel Hill.

Early in her career, Abrams Locklear worked as a technical writer, but a single recommendation changed that course entirely. “A friend said, ‘Oh, you haven’t read Lee Smith?’” she recalls. “I started reading her books, and I completely fell in love. [Smith’s] work is the reason I went back and got my doctorate.”

Today Locklear teaches literature and gender studies at UNC Asheville, where she was named Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 2021. She is

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the author of Negotiating a Perilous Empowerment: Appalachian Women’s Literacies, a 2011 book about Appalachian women and literacy, and recently submitted the final draft of Appalachia on the Table: Representing Mountain Food and People, a second book on Appalachian foodways.

Abrams Locklear spoke with Xpress about the authors she loves to teach, how reading literature teaches empathy and “exploding the canon” one marginalized writer at a time.

This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity.

Were you exposed to much Southern or Appalachian literature when you were growing up?

Not as much as I would have liked, but I did have some really fantastic English teachers in high school. My senior year, I had this vague awareness that there was this thing called Southern literature. I found William Faulkner in college and Flannery O’Connor and some of those more well-known writers. I remember I read a Lee Smith story as an undergraduate; it didn’t register that she was one of the best Appalachian writers.

If someone wants to explore Southern literature beyond wellknown names like Faulkner or Harper Lee, who would you recommend reading?

One writer whose work I just love is Monique Truong. She actually spent part of her growing-up years in Boiling Springs. The book that I teach is called Bitter in the Mouth.

It’s a really complex, rich book about relationships, family, immigration, trauma and the South. And acceptance — there’s a gay character who hasn’t come out and finally does.

Another one would be Natasha Tretheway. Her book Native Guard is really good. It’s historical fiction.

Part of it is about her own personal history, but part of it is about African American troops in the Civil War and their mistreatment, their erasure from history.

The last one I’ll say is Jesmyn Ward. The book I teach in Southern lit is Sing, Unburied, Sing. That’s a tough one; it’s very triggering for people, but it’s so good.

What authors would you recommend for someone new to Appalachian literature?

I would say Lee Smith, Ron Rash, Fred Chapell and also Crystal

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Wilkinson. She identifies as an Affrilachian poet: African American Appalachian. Her last novel is called The Birds of Opulence. It’s a very difficult book — but it’s beautiful — about three generations of women in Kentucky and recurring cycles of trauma that happen, but also growth and beauty.

Another writer I wish more people knew about is Robert Gipe.

My students respond to his work so well. He’s got these adolescent protagonists who are in very difficult situations. Their families are often addicted to substances. They live in coal-mining areas, where mountaintop removal has just decimated that landscape, and they’re always struggling for a way out.

The last author would be Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. She published last fall a book, Even As We Breathe. She’s the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to publish a novel.

Why is studying literature important?

It’s a two-prong answer. I hope students translate the skills that they’ve gained to future opportunities — that students can clearly express their ability to be clear and good communicators, to engage in deep, true, critical thought, to express arguments in a rational and respectful way.

The other piece of it is that reading gives students the capacity to feel empathy for other people, to imagine through these stories what experiences could be like. It’s not the same as living through it, and we talk about that a lot. But you could at least imagine and maybe get a little bit closer to understanding. And I feel strongly about exploding ideas of canon as much as I can.

Can you explain what “canon” means?

“Canon” is the implied — not necessarily written down anywhere — list of authors’ texts that are routinely taught in courses from high school to college. These are primarily male authors; they’re primarily white.

There are some women authors, but they’re primarily white as well.

So what does “exploding ideas of canon” mean when it comes to assigning books in your courses?

It means incorporating writers who, at their time, were just as important and may have been just as commonly read, but for whatever

BUNCOMBE BOOKWORM: Professor Erica Abrams Locklear believes her UNCA students need to see themselves represented in literature. Photo courtesy of UNCA reason are not commonly taught. It’s often people whose voices have been muted and marginalized in other ways as well.

Something that I didn’t experience until I was much older was seeing experiences that were like my own in print. That was so validating. Stories were always set in New England or someplace I might have visited and thought was pretty, but it wasn’t home. It means a lot for students who are from the South, who are from Appalachia, to see themselves represented in the literature they’re reading or for characters to speak in a very heavy dialect — whatever that dialect is.

What’s your favorite independent bookstore in Asheville?

Malaprop’s is amazing and wonderful, and it’s so fun to go in there.

In the “Before Times,” [prior to the pandemic], I would require students to go there. They have the best Southern literature and Appalachian literature sections. They make wonderful recommendations; their staff is so knowledgeable and well versed.

I also really love Downtown Books & News on Lexington Avenue. In the Before Times, most Friday nights we would wander down there. It was so fun to see what new thing you could pick up, feel like you were getting a bargain and go on a little adventure hunt!

— Jessica Wakeman X

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

‘Do or die’

Literary expectations hound Thomas Wolfe, 1931

Asheville’s reaction to Thomas Wolfe’s 1929 debut novel, Look Homeward, Angel, is a well-documented part of the city’s history, as well as the author’s own mythology and lore. Many local residents were shocked by the work, which they considered a thinly disguised tell-all (much to the author’s chagrin).

Less known is the ensuing years after the book’s publication and Wolfe’s desperate effort to complete his second novel, Of Time and the River. (The book’s original title, referenced later in this piece, was October Fair.)

On Aug. 9, 1931, the Asheville Citizen-Times ran a feature in its Sunday edition with the headline: “Thomas Wolfe, Asheville Author, Soon To Publish New Modern Novel.” In the piece, the paper spoke with Wolfe’s mother, Julia, upon her return from visiting her famous son in Brooklyn, where he lived. According to the paper, Julia delivered “definite assurance that Asheville would not be on parade in the forthcoming opus.”

(Interestingly, in a subsequent Oct. 25, 1931, article also published by the Citizen-Times, Julia is directly quoted as saying, “Tom never tells me anything about his books.”)

Furthermore, the paper declared the new book’s content would show “a softening of the cynicism revealed in [Wolfe’s] first book.”

Beyond the new book itself, the article discussed Thomas’ ultimate goal. According to Julia, her son wanted to complete a new work “every three years until he reached an age too old to write.”

Several months after the feature ran, Thomas wrote his mother from his Brooklyn apartment. He began his Dec. 4 missive by thanking her for a fruitcake she’d sent, “which arrived in good condition a few days ago.”

But within a few paragraphs, Wolfe revealed the stress he was under in his efforts to complete October Fair, and his need for privacy regarding the project’s status.

“I am working hard and desperate — it’s do or die now — and there can be no rest or let up for me now until I finish,” the author declared to his mother. “I want to ask you not to say anything to any one about my work — Mable [Wolfe’s sister] showed me an article in one of the Asheville papers in which you were quoted — I am sure you did not say the things they printed — but the article was misleading and embarrassing and at the

FAMILY MATTERS: Despite public outcry over his 1929 debut novel, Look Homeward, Angel, local residents were still eager to know what Thomas Wolfe had planned next. As pressure mounted to deliver his next book, Wolfe begged his mother to not leak any information to the Asheville press. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Library present time I want to be free of this kind of thing. I will finish my book when I finish it; it will be published when a publisher takes it — and when that will be, or what it’s about is at present no one’s business but my own.”

Another four years would pass before Charles Scribner’s Sons released Wolfe’s retitled Of Time and the River, in 1935. The strain of the project — the author’s final novel published during his lifetime — resulted in the dissolution of his professional relationship with renowned editor Maxwell Perkins, who discovered the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald,

Ernest Hemingway and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

Throughout his short life, Wolfe rebutted the criticism that many in his hometown made about his work.

“Every writer who is honest, I think, feels the tragedy of destiny,” he wrote his mother on April 26, 1930. “I think some people at home made that mistake about my first book — they thought the author was bitter about people, but he was not: he may have been bitter about the toil, waste and tragedy of living.”

Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X MOUNTAINX.COM

SEPT. 1-7, 2021

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR SEPT. 1-SEPT. 9, 2021 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

Online Events = Shaded WELLNESS Rooftop Sunrise Yoga Class for all experience levels. 18+ or with a guardian.

SA (9/4), 7am, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200 Yoga in the Park Outdoor yoga group meets every Saturday and Sunday.

SA (9/4), SU (9/5), 1:30pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd Ben's Friends A local meeting of the national support group for people in the hospitality industry struggling with addiction.

MO (9/6), 10am, Free, AB Tech Culinary Arts & Hospitality School, 30 Tech Dr

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

TU (9/7), 2pm, Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Rd WNC prostate support group Us TOO Forum for men, caregivers, family members and partners. This month’s speaker will be Mary Anderson of the Prostate Cancer Coalition of North Carolina. For info, 828-419-4565 or wncprostate@gmail.com.

TU (9/7), 7pm, avl.mx/7h1

ART Unearthing Our Forgotten Past Exhibit exploring the Spanish occupation of

Fort San Juan and the native people who lived in the Joara area of WNC. Sponsored by the Western NC Historical Association.

TH (9/2, 9) FR (9/3), SA (9/4), 10:30am, Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Rd Artificial/Art Official Solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by contemporary artist James Love.

FR (9/3), SA (9/4), 11am, Pink Dog Creative, 348 Depot St Youth Studio: 1, 2, 3 ...

Action!

Students will create action-based artwork, inspired by the athleticism seen in the museum's Olympics-themed exhibitions. Grades K-5.

SA (9/4), 1pm, $35-40, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Olympics-themed Art Exhibitions Three exhibitions drawn from the museum’s collection in conjunction with the 2021 Summer Olympics.

WE (9/1, 8), TH (9/2, 9), FR (9/3), SA (9/4), SU (9/5), MO (9/6), 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Art of Emil Holzhauer A selection of work by noted German-American artist and one-time

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: The Montford Park Players will present Shakespeare’s Pericles at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre Friday-Sunday, Sept. 3-5, at 7:30 p.m. Pericles tells a tale of a prince who risks his life to win a princess but discovers she has a dark secret. The Montford Park Players last performed the play in 2003. Pictured, from left, are Blaine Weiss, Badi Mirheli and Sydney Roberts. Photo courtesy of The Montford Park Players

Upcoming Shows

Presented by Plugged-In Productions

Asheville resident.

WE (9/1, 8), TH (9/2, 9), FR (9/3), SA (9/4), MO (9/6), TU (9/7), 12pm, BlackBird Frame & Art, 365 Merrimon Ave Thursday Night Live w/ Patrick O'Neil Live cello as guests stroll the museum's galleries.

TH (9/9), 6pm, Free-$16, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square

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

SA (9/4), 10am, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Bill Frisell: HARMONY Isis Music Hall Sept. 2 @ 7PM

Very limited VIP and GA seating // proof of vaccination & face masks required for entry

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE w/ Jamal R. Moore

Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre September 6 @ 6PM Proof of vaccination or negative test within 48 hours required for entry

Tickets and Information

plugged-inproductions.com @HAZELROBAMP // @ISISAsheville

20

SEPT. 1-7, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

Westside Creative Market Local handmade goods and artwork.

SA (9/4), 11am, Haywood Quick Stop, 495 Haywood Rd Mountain Makers Craft Market Monthly indie art fair featuring are than 20 artisans.

SU (9/5), 12pm, Free, Haywood Square Plaza, 308 N. Haywood St, Waynesville

COMMUNITY MUSIC Hendersonville Symphony Youth Chorus Fall Registration The chorus, a non-audi-

tioned ensemble providing vocal instruction for children ages 6-15, is open for registration.

TU (9/7), 4:30pm, First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, 204 6th Ave. W., Hendersonville

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Steven Petrow presents Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old, in conversation with Jill McCorkle The authors discuss Petrow's new book.

Sponsored by Malaprop’s.

WE (9/1), 6pm, avl.mx/aa1 Malaprop's Book Club Monthly event. Participants will discuss A Gentlemen in Moscow: A Novel, by Amor Towles.

WE (9/1), 7pm, Registration required avl.mx/aa2 Crime and Politics Book Club Monthly event hosted

by Malaprop's. Readers will discuss What the Eyes Don't See, by Mona Hanna-Attisha. .

TH (9/2), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/a3t Poetrio: Marlon Fick, Allison Hutchcraft, Renée Gregorio Malaprop's monthly poetry event featuring three poets and hosted

by Mildred Barya. .

SU (9/5), 3pm, Registration required, avl.mx/abt LitCafé: Peter Barr Presents Exploring North Carolina’s Lookout Towers Former trails director of Conserving Carolina discusses his new book.

Sponsored by Western North Carolina Historical Association.

TU (9/7), 6pm, Free-$5, avl.mx/9yd WILD (Women in Lively Discussion) Book Club Discussion of A Good Neighborhood,

by Therese Anne Fowler. Sponsored by Malaprop's, club meets the on the first Tuesday of every month.

TU (9/7), 6:30pm, Registration required avl.mx/9or Miss Malaprop's Storytime Recommended for children ages 3-9.

WE (9/8), 10am, avl.mx/7b9 ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History Jennifer Dasal, curator of modern and contemporary art at the NC Museum of Art and host of the ArtCurious podcast, will discuss her new book.

WE (9/8), 12pm, Free-$16, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Brad Stulberg Launches The Practice of Groundedness in conversation

with Courtney Kelly The writers discuss Stulberg's new book.

Sponsored by Malaprop's.

WE (9/8), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/abv Middle Grade Authors Lauren Tarshis and Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Sponsored by Malaprop's.

TH (9/9), 6pm, Registration required. avl.mx/abw Reader Meet Writer: The Night She Disappeared w/Lisa Jewell The author discusses her new novel. Sponsored

by Malaprop's.

TH (9/9), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/abu

THEATER Different Strokes!

Performing Arts Collective Presents Oxalis Local playwright Travis Lowe's stage interpretation of dealing with Level 1 Bipolar Disorder.

TH (9/2), FR (9/3), SA (9/4), 7:30pm,SU (9/5), 3pm, $18-21, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave Pericles by William Shakespeake A Montford Park Players Production.

FR (9/3), SA (9/4), SU (9/5), 7:30pm, Free, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The HART Theatre presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice comedy.

TH (9/2, 9), FR (9/3), SA (9/4), 7:30pm, SU (9/5), 2pm, $14-34, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park (variety) Outdoors. Smoky Park Supper Club’s Airstream Bar will be open for tamales and beverages.

TU (9/7), 7pm, $15-20, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Laurel Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America meeting Second of a two-part class on creating a felted wool needle keeper.

Contact Mary Ann Wyatt at (828)681-0572.

TH (9/2), 9:30am, Cummings United Methodist Church, 3 Banner Farm Rd, Horse Shoe Arbor Evenings Stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens and experience the Wild Art outdoor sculpture showcase as live music plays.

TH (9/2, 9), FR (9/3) 5:30pm, Free-$16, NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way Protecting the Lands We Love SThe WNC Sierra Club presents Jay Leutze, senior board adviser for the Souther Appalachian Highland Conservancy.

TH (9/2, 9), 7-9pm, avl.mx/ab7 Aurora Studio & Gallery's Fun on Friday Arts/fundraising activity for Asheville visitors. To register, text Lori Greenberg at 828-335-1038.

Suggested donation.

FR (9/3), 2:30pm, $20, The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave

Sow True Seed Grand Reopening Party Almost 600 varieties of seeds for sale as well as other garden gifts, tools and supplies. Live jazz trio at 5 p.m.

FR (9/3), 4pm, Sow True Seed, 243 Haywood St Fridays at the Folk Art Center: Legends and Myths of the Cherokee A Parkway ranger leads an evening of storytelling.

FR (9/3), 6:30pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway Blue Ridge Audubon birding field trip Open to all, but unvaccinated birders must wear a mask.

SA (9/4), 8am, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, US-25 The Odditorium Community Flea Market Monthly flea market.

SA (9/4), 9am, Free, The Odditorium, 1045 Haywood Rd Playful Parent Meetup This month's topic is "Setting up Transitions with Success."

SA (9/4), 10am, Free, Registration required, West Asheville Park, South end of Vermont Ave. Winery Grape Stomping Stomp grapes in celebration of the winery's third anniversary. The event will be free but limited for social distancing purposes.

SA (9/4), 1pm, Free, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional Virtual gathering with readings, music, prayers, and conversation. All are welcome. A Zoom link will be sent in advance to those who register.

SU (9/5), 10am, avl.mx/a9m Asheville Punk Flea Pop-up flea market featuring vendors from local and surrounding areas.

SU (9/5), 12pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd Social Contract Bridge Group For more info, contact Stefano 727-481-8103.

MO (9/6), 12:30pm, Free, Senior Opportunity Center, 36 Grove St

Bereavement Support Group This group is for those over 21 who have lost an adult loved one. Led and coordinated by a trained and certified facilitator, Will Weintraub. RSVP is required by calling Will at (412)913-0272.

TU (9/7), 6pm, Woodfin YMCA, 40 N. Merrimon Ave, Suite 101

Meadow Market A rotation of local bakers, makers and artisans.

SU (9/5), 12pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

Fall Cookie Decorating Class Participants will learn the step-by-step process, in partnership with Three Eggs Cakery.

TU (9/7), 6:30pm, $20, Catawba Brewing South Slope, 32 Banks Ave, Suite 105

Flat Rock Farmers Market TH (9/9), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville

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

WE (9/1, 8), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Les-ter Farmers Market Weekly farmers market.

WE (9/1, 8), 3:30pm, Leicester Community Center, 711 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester Jus' Runnin' Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome.

WE (9/1, 8), 6:15pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd Flat Rock Farmers Market Weekly local market.

TH (9/2, 9), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville Hendersonville Farmers Market Weekly farmers market.

SA (9/4), 8am, Historic Hendersonville Train Depot, 650 Maple St Jackson Arts Market Weekly event every Saturday through Dec. 18.

SA (9/4), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva, Sylva

RAD Farmers Market Weekly market.

WE (9/8), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St

Clawhammer Beer Dinner With Buxton Halls chefs.

21+ TH (9/9), 6pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

FESTIVALS North Carolina Apple Festival Annual festival features music, food, vendors and more.

FR (9/3), SA (9/4), SU (9/5), 10am-8pm, MO (9/6), 10am-4pm, Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave. E., Hendersonville Goombay Festival Event honors African and Caribbean heritage through arts and crafts, food and live performances. In addition to Pack Square, happenings will take place on The Block and inside the YMI Cultural Center.

FR (9/3), 5pm-10pm, SA (9/4), 10am-10pm, SU (9/5), 10am-7pm, Pack Square

KIDS What's Shaking? Music and Dance Party for kids and their adults Class for young people presented through live entertainment. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.

SA (9/4), 1pm, Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd

OPEN FOR LUNCH, DINNER & BRUNCH! OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK

Featuring vegan & vegetarian options

Reservations Recommended

47 Biltmore Ave. Downtown Asheville ============== 828.254.2502==============

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– Susan Roderick

Join Susan and become a member at SupportMountainX.com MOUNTAINX.COM

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WELLNESS

Dr. Elizabeth Garbarino

Carrot vs. stick

Local incentives aim to boost COVID-19 vaccinations

A Women’s Healthcare Practice Specializing in Gynecological Care

Welcoming New Patients!

828.575.9562 • LivingWellWNC.com

HEMP & HEALTH Thank You for being a hard working citizen!

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BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com On June 26, just over two months ago, Buncombe County recorded just one new case of COVID-19. The county’s coronavirus state of emergency had ended earlier that month, and just 16 people were hospitalized due to the disease across Western North Carolina.

As of Aug. 18, the emergency is back.

WNC hospitals are caring for nearly 250 COVID-19 patients. Buncombe has reinstated a mask mandate for public indoor spaces. And local health officials have redoubled their pleas for residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus — but this time, they’re offering more than just protection from disease.

Area governments, schools and businesses are providing proverbial carrots, including bus passes, Xboxes, gift cards and cash, to unvaccinated people who get their shot. The moves follow the lead of the state government and Gov. Roy Cooper, who gave away $1 million prizes to four North Carolina residents who received their COVID-19 vaccinations through Aug. 1.

MOVING THE NEEDLES

According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, 60% of Buncombe County’s total population was fully vaccinated against COVID19 as of Aug. 26, with 63% partially vaccinated. Those numbers are higher than the statewide averages of 49% and 53%, respectively, but Stacie Saunders, the county’s public health director, has called for all eligible residents to get their shots as a way to

MOTIVATIONAL EFFORTS: Area governments, schools and businesses are providing incentives, including bus passes, Xboxes, gift cards and cash, to unvaccinated people who get their shot. Photo via iStock reduce transmission of the coronavirus’s more contagious delta variant.

Polling from the national nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation suggests that a variety of reasons underlie the choice not to be vaccinated against COVID-19. About two-thirds of unvaccinated respondents to a July survey said they weren’t confident in the safety of available vaccines, with over half believing that getting a vaccine posed a greater risk to their health than contracting the disease. Additionally, over a third of the unvaccinated weren’t confident that the vaccines are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death.

(The federal Food and Drug Administration issued full approval for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Aug. 23, while the Moderna and Johnson

& Johnson vaccines remain available under emergency use authorization, which takes into account safety data from thousands of recipients.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reduce the risk of severe illness in those fully vaccinated by at least 90%.)

To address those concerns, says Adrienne Ammerman, public health experts rely on theories of behavior change when formulating their messaging. The public health communicator at the nonprofit WNC Health Network has been working to support regional public vaccination efforts.

One motivation to get vaccinated, for example, could be a person’s understanding of how likely they are to experience negative consequences from COVID-19. A prompt to take action is another motivation, she continues, and that’s where incentives come in.

“It’s one of the tools in our public health toolbox of how we’re trying to help motivate people,” Ammerman says. “For some people, it’s going to work, and that’s amazing. And for some people, that’s not what they need. … It’s trying to meet people where they’re at, because there’s no one answer. Humans are very complex in how we make decisions.”

MORE FOR YOUR SHOT

The most widely available incentive came through a program spearheaded by NCDHHS and administered by 22

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Buncombe County. From Aug. 4-31, residents ages 18 and older received a $100 gift card for getting their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and a $25 gift card for transporting someone to receive their first dose. According to county spokesperson Lillian Govus, Buncombe gave those rewards to 314 people for getting vaccinated and 53 people for providing transport to the county Health and Human Services clinic at 40 Coxe Ave. or one of 21 outreach events.

BCHHS also offered incentives to get vaccinated at the Asheville Rides Transit station on Asheland Avenue.

A June 21 clinic vaccinated 71 people, and a July 26 clinic vaccinated 78 people, said Polly McDaniel, a city of Asheville spokesperson. Each received a free bus pass for ART for the remainder of 2021.

“The city of Asheville continues to coordinate its response to COVID-19 with Buncombe County and state officials,” wrote McDaniel in a statement to Xpress. “Our actions are designed with public health in mind, as we pull together to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

One large local employer is incentivizing employees to get vaccinated as well. Black Mountain-based Ingles will pay employees who take time off to recover after vaccination, which is offered for free at the grocery chain’s pharmacies. Ronald B. Freeman, the company’s chief financial officer, declined to share the number of Ingles associates who had taken advantage of that benefit.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services Division may have offered the most unique incentive. In an Aug. 16 Facebook post, the department advertised “three brand-new Xbox systems” to be raffled off to anyone vaccinated at a clinic at the Cherokee Youth Center. The Xboxes, the post noted, were donated by the Boys & Girls Club of America.

EDUCATION VACCINATION

Many financial incentives to get vaccinated are being offered at area colleges. Students at UNC Asheville who completed a voluntary vaccine survey were automatically entered into a drawing for a chance to win money, says spokesperson Sarah Broberg. Five students won $500 credits on their campus OneCard, a student ID and debit card that can be used at the bookstore, campus dining and other places.

A-B Tech debuted an incentive program on Aug. 5, the community college’s New Student Welcome Day. The school will add $150 to the bookstore accounts of students who

provide proof of full vaccination. (Full vaccination means the first and second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the only dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.) And on Aug. 12, the school announced it would add $300 to the payroll accounts of employees who could provide proof of full vaccination.

As of Aug. 30, 600 employees had received $300 for providing proof of a vaccine, and 1,040 students had received the bookstore incentive, according to Kerri Glover, A-B Tech spokesperson. The college has allocated $700,000 to finance the vaccine incentives from the $24.5 million it received in COVID-19 relief funds from the U.S. Department of Education, she explained. The employee and student programs remain in place through Friday, Oct. 15.

Western Carolina University is also using money as an incentive. Until Friday, Oct. 1, vaccinated employees and students will be automatically entered in a contest for prize money from multiple pools, grouped by the month in which they received their shot. Random drawings will award two staffers and four students from each pool with $500 cash, says WCU spokesperson Geoff Cantrell, with funding taken from the institution’s trust fund.

In the coming weeks, Brevard College will hold four drawings of $500 in cash for students who have shown proof of vaccination, said Debora D’Anna, dean for students. A requirement of vaccination for students will take effect on Jan. 2, D’Anna says.

For faculty and staff, that vaccination requirement goes into effect immediately. Faculty, staff, and students can apply for a medical or religious exemption, D’Anna said.

But not every school is offering rewards for getting vaccinated.

“Montreat has chosen to focus on education (on vaccinations) and encouraging personal health decisions based on the well-being of the individual and the community,” wrote Ashley C. Bond, Montreat College spokesperson, in an email. The college has also hosted two vaccine clinics on campus on April 12 and Aug. 23, she said.

Warren Wilson College also isn’t offering incentives, but for a different reason. “Warren Wilson hasn’t needed to create vaccination incentives like other colleges have (typically financial incentives in the form of cash or gift cards) for students because it is already requiring students to be vaccinated unless they’re eligible for exemptions under state law,” said spokesperson Mary Bates in an Aug. 25 email.

On Aug. 27, Warren Wilson added a vaccination requirement for employees, to be completed by Thursday, Sept. 30, unless they provide a religious or medical exemption. X

ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE YOUTH GROUP MOVIE NIGHT Join us September 10th at 4:30pm 84 Coxe Ave, Suite 1C, Asheville, NC 28801 to watch Jungle Cruise!

Feel free to email us at substancefreeyouthbc@gmail.com for further questions! Hope to see you there!

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SEPT. 1-7, 2021

23

ARTS & CULTURE

Another round

Local food industry discusses latest mask mandates

BY KAY WEST kwest@mountainx.com The first week of August was déjà vu all over again for Jane Anderson, executive director of the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association.

After a jubilant but all too brief return to near normalcy for the hospitality industry beginning in late spring, COVID-19 cases were again on the rise, and business owners were once again forced to make decisions on mask and vaccine requirements.

“I was getting inundated with calls, emails and texts from AIR members,” Anderson recalls. “Without any mandate in place [at the time], all I could do was advise people to do what was best for their business.”

For many AIR members, including Joe Scully, owner with Kevin Westmoreland of Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village and Chestnut downtown, the decision to require masks at their restaurants predated both the city’s and the county’s reinstated mask mandates, which went into effect Aug. 17 and 18, respectively. Both mandates require diners to wear masks inside all restaurants and bars unless actively eating or drinking.

“When cases started rising again, we had a lot of hand-wringing and discussion, but in the end it came down to one thing,” says Scully. “We have to do all we can to protect the vulnerable. Many of us have young children and older parents.”

For the time being, masks are the only COVID-related requirement for guests seeking on-site service at Scully’s two restaurants. But for others in the local food scene, vaccination regulations are also on the table.

Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

X AWARDS

2021

TAKE TWO: The latest round of local mask mandates require staff and guests to wear face coverings at restaurants and bars. Some establishments, including Little Jumbo, are also requiring proof of vaccination prior to entry. Photo courtesy of Little Jumbo Xpress caught up with a few Asheville restaurateurs to see how their staff members and the community are responding to the next wave of COVID-19 restrictions and new pandemic-related guidelines.

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TIP OF THE SPEAR

On Aug. 5, Mike Rangel, owner of Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co., jumped into the fire with a lengthy Facebook post announcing that guests 18 years and older would need to provide a COVID-19 vacci-

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nation card to enter the restaurant’s Merrimon Avenue location. (The requirement has since been revised requiring anyone 12 and older to comply.)

“I wrote it so many times,” Rangel recalls. “My wife, partners and another adviser read it, and everyone had something to say. We knew we would catch a lot of heat, but we didn’t realize we would be called Nazis. ...

As a private business, we have the freedom and responsibility to protect ourselves, our staff, our guests and our business in the way we feel best.”

Indeed, the post generated 838 comments. Rangel says 90% of the feedback was positive, but the negative remarks and criticism stung.

None were as hurtful, though, as the retaliatory 19 one-star ratings immediately posted to Google following the decision, or the personal messages he received from longtime customers who swore they would never visit the establishment again.

“We hate to lose any customers, but like a lot of small, independently owned businesses, we can’t close again — that would be it for us,”

Rangel says. “We didn’t want to be the tip of the spear, but we also take our role as being one of the older breweries and restaurants in town seriously.”

DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Little Jumbo, a neighborhood cocktail bar in North Asheville’s Five Points neighborhood, also made the decision to require proof of vaccination shortly after Rangel’s announcement.

“It was a difficult decision as business owners but made easier by the fact there were other leaders in the community who were making this decision before and simultaneous with us,” says the bar’s co-owner, Chall Gray.

Little Jumbo, which opened in November 2017, was forced to close for over a year due to COVID-19 and relaunched in April. “Night after night we had people coming in saying they had worried about us, telling us they had their first date there before the pandemic and now they’re engaged,” Gray remembers. “It was so great to get our staff back together and see our regulars.”

But as the delta variant spurred a sharp rise in COVID cases, Gray, his wife, Lucia, and co-owner Jay Sanders knew they had to take action. “We were closed for so long we felt like we had to do whatever we could to minimize the potential of having to close again,” Gray explains.

Discussion with staff revealed that team members felt it safest to require proof of vaccination to enter. The bar posted its new policy Aug. 9.

“We were grateful to know we were not alone,” says Gray “And the feedback we have gotten from guests has been supportive. They say they feel better coming in knowing we have taken this step.”

ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES

Shannon and Josiah McGaughey, co-owners of Vivian restaurant in the River Arts District, were just finding their rhythm with the business when COVID-19 first hit. “In March 2020, we were coming into our third year, doing well and thinking maybe we could take a couple shifts off,” she recalls. “Then that bomb dropped on us, and it was, OK, how are we going to make this work?”

Vivian pivoted multiple times, including introducing the VivianAtHome takeout menu. “We found out very quickly people were obsessed with our fried chicken,” Shannon says, laughing. During this time, the couple also tented and heat-

STILL STANDING: Chef Josiah and Shannon McGaughey, husband-and-wife owners of Vivian restaurant in the River Arts District, have rolled with the pandemic punches thrown since March 2020 and continue to adjust amid the latest mandates. Photo by Catherine Campbell ed their outdoor space. Like many in the industry, Vivian faced staffing issues as well when full-capacity indoor dining was reinstated in May. But by early August, the restaurant was able to add Wednesday night dinner to its Thursday-Sunday service hours.

“Then here comes delta,” Shannon says with a sigh. “It felt like a little bit of déjà vu, but after such an intensely crazy year, we feel toughened up.

We were reminded of what we and our staff were able to do since 2020, and it feels like more of a manageable challenge.”

Nevertheless, Shannon is happy the city and county reinstated mask mandates. “It’s a relief,” she says.

“For all the folks who support us, there are always some people really upset about having to wear a mask.

There is some assumption it is personal or political. With a mandate, you don’t have to explain yourself, you just say it’s the law.”

But unlike some of her industry colleagues, Shannon is not yet ready to take the step of requiring proof of vaccines. “I appreciate and respect the people who have and the reasons they have,” she says. “But we have people who reserve two months out, and the process of contacting all of them is daunting. If Open Table could add a little vaccine card scan to their process when people reserve, that would be awesome!”

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Back at Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Rangel says that unlike the online vitriol, the response for vaccine proof

on site has been smooth, civil and supportive. “People forgot at first, but now they are actually walking up to the door with their vaccination card in their hand,” he reports.

“Every day we have been open

since we started this, we have been thanked. It was a tough decision, but at the end of the day, we would do it again. If we had to burn white sage every day to protect our staff and our business, we would do it.”

Meanwhile, Gray urges guests to take a photo of their vaccine card to store in their phone, just as his staff was advised to do at the pharmacy where they got their vaccines.

“I didn’t get into this business to check people’s vaccine status or take temperatures or tell people to put on a mask,” he says. “I look forward to the days when we can welcome people in and just ask them what they’re drinking. But we’re in this for the long haul, and we’ll do what it takes to keep everyone safe and our doors open.”

Anderson points out that “independent” is her organization’s middle name, so members will make their own decisions regarding vaccine requirements. In the meantime, she recommends checking in advance to be sure of the policy at desired dining and drinking destinations.

“This has been so hard on everyone,” she says. “I urge guests to be informed, be kind and patient and to please tip well.” X

We are back and happy to serve our community Thursday- Saturday: 4:00 - 9:00 Sunday: 11:30- 9:00 350 Riverside Dr. #3141 Asheville, NC 28801 MOUNTAINX.COM

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THEATER

Authentic community theater Ria Young named ACT’s inaugural artistic partner

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Next to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary’s definition of “go-getter,” there really should be an image of Maria “Ria” Young.

In the past few years, the Asheville-based multihyphenate has established herself as a self-starter by penning her memoir (Lost in a Game), writing and directing for the theater (Transition) and filmmaking (The Power of Our Village).

Now, she’s poised to take the next step in her creative journey as the inaugural Artistic Partner in a new yearlong fellowship with Asheville Community Theatre. Starting in September and running through August 2022, Young will undertake a staged reading, workshop and production of a new, original work; direct a full, staged production of

CREATIVE INTERSECTIONS: Maria “Ria” Young is the inaugural Artistic Partner in a new yearlong fellowship with Asheville Community Theatre. Photo courtesy of Young Transition; launch the Young & Gifted internship for youths of color; and facilitate a play-reading series for the public.

True to her enterprising nature, it was all her idea.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

In early 2019, Young reached out to ACT by way of its 35below black box space’s programs, seeking to better understand the steps that were involved in bringing fellow Black playwright Monica McDaniel’s works to the stage. That connection led to the development of Transition, a theatrical adaptation of Lost in a Game, which chronicles Young’s 26

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decision to walk away from life as a college basketball player. The play was slated to debut in 35below in 2020 as a part of the Artistic Horizons program, which grants local artists the opportunity to pursue new creative paths in theater.

Those plans were nixed, however, when ACT closed amid the statewide stay-at-home orders stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disappointed but undeterred, Young worked with the theater to present the play as a filmed, staged reading — a novel endeavor for ACT that required plentiful problem-solving. The production streamed in December.

Through the experience, the artist says she was moved by the

ACT team’s authenticity and genuine desire to welcome her into a space where she’d rarely seen herself represented onstage. Following the thoroughly positive all-around experience in adapting Transition for the digital realm, Chanda Calentine, then ACT’s artistic director, and marketing director Jenny Bunn chatted with Young about other projects she was working on. The dialogue got Young thinking, and, at the start of the 2021, she inquired about a development deal.

“I just saw an opportunity for a deeper partnership with them, allowing me to bring my ideas and my stories to life without me having to compromise my vision,” Young says.

“It’s a chance to knock down a barrier and be the first to walk through these doors, so that once I leave it, it’ll be a little bit easier for the next Black artist or person of color.”

The three women worked together to tailor the fellowship specifically to Young so that it wouldn’t limit her creativity, while still constructing a template that could be applied to other playwrights, designers, choreographers and directors for years to come. They also came to an agreement on sufficient financial compensation for Young’s efforts, and the more they discussed the fellowship, the more it became clear that the partnership was an excellent fit for all involved.

“Ria is very clear about what she wants, and yet is also a good collaborator and listener. I think that’s what we need to be as a theater: good collaborators and good listeners,” Bunn says. “And the way she thought about theater seemed to make sense of the way that ACT has existed — that it is putting community members onstage, telling stories that are important to people in the community.”

PUZZLE PIECES

Though Young considers the digital staging of Transition a success, she notes that a live, in-person audience was “the only element that was missing.” All components will be in place next year, when the same cast from the reading performs the work on ACT’s Mainstage, Friday, April 1-Sunday, April 3. While Young is excited and somewhat nervous about

presenting her play in this capacity, knowing that her follow-up creation is funded and has the full support of the theater has given her a major boost of confidence.

“I can focus on the themes and the ideas that I have for this next piece, and I don’t have to cut certain things off,” Young says. “I don’t have to make my characters speak a certain way or make them code switch.”

She continues, “I don’t have to stay away from a certain topic that may make people uncomfortable.

Whatever comes to me naturally through my experiences and the stories and experiences of the people around me, I can just write that down as authentically as I feel them, and it can translate from the page to the stage in the same way.”

Consistent with that community representation is the Young & Gifted internship component. Two youths of color will work directly with Young during the full rehearsal process and performances of Transition and may also play a role in bringing her new piece to the stage.

“It’s a way for me to pay it forward and give back to the next generation and bring [ACT’s] resources to kids who have an interest in writing

and directing, but don’t know where to go to grab those opportunities,” Young says.

For the fellowship’s final piece, Young will select plays written by some of her favorite authors and coordinate a public reading series.

Bunn says these free events will likely be held over Zoom to encourage greater community participation, and she plans to work with Buncombe County Public Libraries to have copies of the plays available for patrons to borrow.

Though Young is keeping the titles under wraps for now, she’s committed to featuring the work of Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose semiautobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue (2003) was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film, Moonlight (2016). It all makes for a lot of hard work over the next year, but Young feels up to the task and looks forward to crafting a legacy with the theater.

“There’s going to be some challenges that come with this type of partnership in its inaugural year, but I’m honored to be the first Black artist to even be put in this situation when it comes to ACT,” Young says. X

WNC AGRICULTURAL CENTER

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BEER

A Whale in Haw Creek

Craft beer bar to open The Outpost location in fall

Andrew Ross admits that when it comes to expanding operations for the Asheville-based craft beer bar The Whale, his business partner Jesse Van Note has historically been the more proactive one. Recently, however, those roles reversed, resulting in a second local location at 2 Beverly Road in East Asheville. The combination retail and on-premise spot, which will be known as The Outpost, is slated to open this fall.

INVERSE OPERATIONS

Before settling on The Whale’s new space, Ross and Van Note, who lives in Greenville, S.C., had eyed a few options downtown. But high real estate costs and the large number of beer businesses in a small area lessened the appeal. In the midst of their ongoing search, Ross and his wife, Elise, relocated to East Asheville.

While numerous perks attracted them to the neighborhood, one major downside stood out as they settled in.

“It became very clear, very quickly that there wasn’t a place to buy good beer or wine on a retail level,” Ross says. “Your only drinking options over here are Creekside [Taphouse] and RendezVous, which both do a great job, but they’re much more restaurant focused.”

Consistent with the flipflopped manner with which the space was secured, The Outpost’s offerings will be somewhat of an inverse of the West Asheville location, focusing primarily on packaged product. But as with the original Whale, nonlocal breweries are the priority to both introduce people to new beers and direct them to the area

TWICE AS NICE: The Whale owners Andrew Ross, left, and Jesse Van Note aim to open The Outpost location of their craft beer bar by fall. Photo courtesy of The Whale breweries themselves if they want to taste Asheville-made products, which in turn is more profitable for their fellow local businesses.

While the tap list will be much smaller than the original bar, Van Note says to count on a rosé and a locally made house beer on draft, and another inviting atmosphere where patrons can relax for a few hours.

“The whole vibe is ‘country store,’” he says. “It’s what the place begs for:

modern upscale bottle shop meets local provisions.”

Ross adds, “I gotta figure out how Mast [General Store] makes their buildings smell the same — get us some of that cedar smell.”

LOWCOUNTRY ADDITION

In addition to The Outpost, Ross and Van Note are also in the midst

The man behind the curtain 12 Bones Brewing head brewer Brandon Audette doesn’t get many opportunities to interact with customers. The one-man operation for the South Asheville establishment spends his days working behind the scenes, so in the event that patrons at the bar have questions or comments about the beverages before them, he’s unable to assist.

To help forge a stronger relationship with the public, he’s been using the IGTV feature on the brewery’s Instagram account to record videos in which he discusses a new or upcoming beer. The first post, for Love & Haight American Pale Ale, debuted in mid-March, and he’s since added 11 installments.

“I always look at what everyone isn’t doing, and I didn’t see anyone else doing that,” Audette says. “So I was like, ‘Let’s do a little guided tasting to highlight new releases and the reasoning or thought process around creating the beer and describing it to people.’”

Armed with his phone and a stand, Audette changes the background each time to spotlight the numerous murals at the brewery and restaurant — and to offer more than, in his tongue-in-cheek words, his “stupid face.” Working without a script, he approaches the chat as a direct address but purposefully records the videos in the morning before his colleagues arrive in case he needs to do multiple takes.

In addition to the uptick in sales for the featured brews, Audette says he’s been stopped multiple times at grocery stores and complimented on the videos. That level of connectivity is especially meaningful for a nondowntown brewery that he says many people don’t know exists.

“I really just want people to give our beer a shot,” Audette says. “And then, if they love it and recognize me, tell me.

If they don’t like it, I want to know, too. I’ll try to convince you otherwise, but I want to know why you don’t like it.” X

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of opening their second location in South Carolina. Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, they’d been eyeing an expansion to Charleston. But once lockdowns began, their focus turned to keeping their Asheville and Greenville locations afloat. With indoor capacity restrictions, the co-owners expanded outdoor seating at both locations and began doing weekly guided Zoom tastings of curated four-packs.

“There was this engagement that I think people were really worried about losing, especially in that two-month period where we weren’t supposed to leave our houses,” Ross says. “We were delivering the beer and we kept the garage door open so people could come in and get the beer. And then everyone got to sit together for two hours on a Friday afternoon and drink.

That was one of those big pivotal points for us.”

Once the flagship bar was back to fairly regular operations, Ross and Van Note resumed their Charleston quest and secured a space in the mixed-use Refinery complex on Meeting Street, in what Van Note says is being called the city’s brewery district. And like the Greenville bar, it will spotlight Asheville brews that would otherwise be difficult to get in the area.

“We’re always down to gamble and go for the up-and-coming areas,” Van Note says. “COVID hit Greenville pretty hard, but things are starting to open up and head our way on Main Street.

And then look at the block where we opened in Asheville. It’s just crazy.”

The Charleston location will have a grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 25, when it serves as one of only 28 host sites across the U.S. for Zwanze Day. Ross says being chosen by Belgiumbased Brasserie Cantillon for the annual international celebration of lambic beers is a huge honor, especially for a business that’s been in operation a mere four years.

“I think people do trust us with alcohol decisions.” Ross says. “That’s a really cool thing to build our business on — no matter if you go to Asheville, Greenville, Charleston or The Outpost, you’re going to get something of high caliber without pretension.”

Helping ensure that consistent quality, Asheville General Manager Jesse Mellinger has moved to Charleston to run that location alongside former CANarchy Collaboratory General Manager Reed Rocheleau, who’ll serve as assistant general manager.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

ROUNDUP

Around Town

Goombay Festival celebrates 40 years Celebrating its 40-year anniversary, the YMI Cultural Center’s Goombay Festival returns to Pack Square Friday-Sunday, Sept. 3-5. The weekend gathering honors African and Caribbean heritage through arts and crafts, food and live performances. In addition to Pack Square, happenings will take place on The Block and inside the cultural center, 39 S. Market St. All events are free to attend.

“The weekend will showcase the diversity within the African diaspora and offer everyone a chance to experience cultural moments of celebration and community,” says Jefferson Ellison, publicist for YMI Cultural Center.

Musical highlights include DJ Chubb Rock, Shirley Murdock, Changing Faces and Asheville Community Mass Choir. Also on tap is a children’s section featuring bounce houses, arts and crafts and kids movies. More than 50 vendors from Asheville and surrounding cities will participate in the weekend celebration, as well.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, festival officials recommend that anyone who feels sick or is showing symptoms stay home. They also encourage everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing whenever possible. In accordance to the current mask mandate, face coverings will also be required at all indoor events.

The festival’s hours are Friday, Sept. 3, 5-10 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 4, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 5, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

For more information, go to avl.mx/aar.

How ’bout them apples?

When Hendersonville’s venerable apple festival had to cancel because of COVID-19 last year, organizers made the best of a bad situation by encouraging people to go to Henderson County’s many orchards to make purchases.

“We are happy that we had that opportunity — but it just wasn’t the same,” says David Nicholson, the festival’s executive director. “This being our 75th year, we are so excited to invite our community and other attendees to our beautiful downtown.”

The N.C. Apple Festival returns Friday-Monday, Sept. 3-6. Festivities will include a street fair, live music, a parade, a kids carnival and a recipe contest.

And of course, you can purchase apple cider, apple doughnuts, fried apple pies, apple slushies and, well, pretty much any kind of apple-based food you can think of from 14 local growers. This is an event, after all, that celebrates the annual harvest in the state’s top apple-growing county.

Live music takes place each day, noon-8 p.m. Headliners include Buddy K Band on Friday, FlashBack on Saturday, and The Super 60s followed

by The Mighty Kicks on Sunday.

Six planes from the Bandit Flight Team will also fly in formation above Main Street on Saturday at noon.

A patriotic musical tribute on the Historic Courthouse stage will coincide with the flyover.

“When the parade and other pieces of the street fair had to be canceled last year, our team was still able to provide a parade in the sky. This year we are thrilled to return and fly over the Apple Festival,” says Jim Kilpatrick, team leader.

The King Apple Parade will, as always, be the grand finale on Monday at 2:30 p.m., with special emphasis on community members who have played critical roles throughout the pandemic.

For more information, go to avl.tgo/ aaq.

Weaverville to open new community center The Weaverville Community Center will host its grand opening at Lake Louise on Monday, Sept. 6, at 11 a.m. Working with a new nonprofit, Weaverville Center for Creative and Healthy Living, the center will offer plenty of programs led by local volunteer instructors, coaches, musicians, storytellers and more.

“Many have already volunteered, from teaching yoga and tai chi to leading choirs and community theater,” says Brian Muys, vice chair of the WCCHL. “We hope that family game nights and possible math and reading camps will help both students and parents during these difficult times of hybrid classrooms and distance learning.”

The community center will serve as a home base for the WCCHL. “By bringing people to the new center through these programs, we also hope those same folks will patron-

CULTURAL CELEBRATION: The Goombay Festival will bring a variety of entertainment, including dancing and the beating of West African drums, to downtown Asheville. Photo courtesy of the YMI Cultural Center ize local merchants while in town, including our long-standing tailgate farmers market,” Muys says.

For more information, visit avl.mx/aaz.

Birds of a feather Shannon McKerlie of Mars Hill was sitting on her back porch with her wife when the couple spotted a bluebird and a cardinal in the same nest. Inspiration struck.

“I immediately thought it was a good representation of an ‘abnormal’ relationship, and how love always finds a way to overcome obstacles,” says McKerlie. The result was Betty Bluebird and Carl Cardinal, a 30-page children’s hardcover book recently published by RoseDog Books.

In the book, Betty and Carl are in love, but everyone keeps telling them they shouldn’t be together because of their differences.

“As an LGBTQ individual, I’ve had my relationships judged, looked down upon and even legislated against,” says McKerlie, a first-time author. “I wanted to share a story that would show children that they deserve love, no matter what others say about the relationships they pursue.”

To learn more about the book, visit avl.mx/aap.

Everything Zen

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center will present Don’t Blame it on ZEN: The Way of

John Cage & Friends starting Friday, Sept. 3, and running through January.

The exhibit will focus on the legendary composer’s studies in Zen Buddhism and the ways in which those studies impacted generations of artists, says Kate Averett, outreach manager for BMCM+AC. Presented alongside Cage’s work will be multimedia pieces by artists such as Yoko Ono, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Robert Rauschenberg, Nam June Paik and Matana Roberts.

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center is at 120 College St., Asheville. For more information, visit avl.mx/ab2.

Mural majority

The Friends of Downtown Hendersonville is seeking help picking a design for a Fifth Avenue sidewalk mural.

After receiving many proposals for the mural, the group is asking people to vote on their favorite design among nine finalists. The mural, funded by an AARP Community Challenge grant, is designed to build a pedestrian connection between the two downtown commercial districts.

Mural designs will be on display at the City Operations Center during the Hendersonville City Council meeting on Thursday, Sept. 2, and at the annual Community Fest at Sullivan Park on Sunday, Sept. 5.

Voting ends Monday, Sept. 6.

You can cast your vote at avl.mx/aba.

MOUNTAINX.COM

— Justin McGuire X SEPT. 1-7, 2021

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FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food

Buxton Hall BBQ fires back up the smoke Over the last 18 months, Buxton Hall BBQ has undergone a literal trial by fire(s) before reopening to indoor diners Aug. 19 with a new look and expanded menu.

The CliffsNotes: Like everyone else, the eatery closed its dining room in March 2020 in response to COVID19, launched takeout, then reopened in July 2020 only to have its building catch fire. It closed again, then did the Little Louie’s sandwich pop-up, relaunched takeout, debuted Buxton Hall Chicken Palace in the new S&W Market in June, then stopped all food service at its Banks Avenue location to finish repairs and install some new equipment, including a new Texasstyle offset smoker designed and built by Buxton chef and co-owner Elliott Moss.

The new equipment allows Moss to smoke a whole hog inside the building, albeit in smaller pieces. “It’s a different way than we did in the past, but [we’re using] the same hogs from Vandele Farms in Lake Lure,” Moss explains. “The best way to put it is we’re putting an eastern Carolina treatment onto western Carolina pigs cooked in a Texas-style smoker.”

MOVIE LISTINGS Bruce Steele’s and Edwin Arnaudin’s latest critiques of new films available to view in local theaters and via popular streaming services include: CANDYMAN: Co-written by Jordan Peele (Get Out), the second feature from director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) picks up nearly 30 years after the original Candyman (1992) — still one of the greatest horror films of all time. While this return to Chicago’s CabriniGreen housing projects succeeds marvelously in its atmospheric terror and well-timed scares, it’s less successful as a social thriller and muddies its mythology with overly didactic dialogue.

Grade: B-minus. Rated R

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies 30

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Along with the smoker, the chef has added new menu items such as a sliced brisket plate and a brisket cheesesteak, a hot pastrami sandwich, a smoked turkey club and smoked and crispy wings. He has also expanded the menu of side items.

“We have a ridiculous number of sides right now — maybe too many,” Moss says with a laugh. “But they’re all things I want to eat, and I have always kind of selfishly geared the menu to what I want to eat most of the time.” The seasonal items will change — no winter tomatoes, people! — but diners will always find mac and cheese, collards, baked beans and mashed potatoes.

Of sentimental note are two dishes regional to his hometown of Florence, S.C. — chicken bog and the Buxton Hall BBQ hash plate. The former is one that Moss’ mother used to serve the family on Saturdays. The latter is a meat gravy. “It’s a great way to use up the off cuts and byproducts of barbecue,” he explains. “You puree it all and serve it over rice. It’s like a liquified barbecue. It’s weird and doesn’t look that great but is really good and something I’m proud we do here.”

Buxton Hall BBQ is at 32 Banks Ave., and is open for lunch and dinner.

Hours vary. Learn more at avl.mx/6sx.

Seniors freshen up Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County recently partnered with Wildwood Herbal farm in Reems Creek Valley to provide homebound seniors served by the nonprofit with monthly bags of fresh produce.

Funded by a $25,000 grant from Meals on Wheels America’s Make Good Go Further campaign, the partnership began in late July and will continue through September.

Among the items fresh-picked by Seth Salmon, the organic farm’s fourth-generation owner, are fruits, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash. Additionally, Meals in Wheels is using Wildwood’s fresh produce in meal preparation, making dishes such as squash casserole.

Debbie Sprouse, executive director of Meals on Wheels, says clients have expressed gratitude for the program, noting a card she received recently that read, “Thank you so much for the fresh produce. Such a delightful surprise!”

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SMOKIN’ HOT: Chef Elliott Moss stands next to the Texas-style offset smoker he designed and built with a friend for installation in the Buxton Hall BBQ kitchen. Photo by Night Watch Crew For more information on how to help or receive help, visit avl.mx/aam.

Tea talk

On Sunday, Sept. 5, Dobra Tea General Manager Miles Cramer will lead a two-hour class exploring Japanese tea culture as well as its history and production. The event will include a slideshow of Cramer’s travels through Japan and a tasting of six to eight teas.

The class runs 9-11 a.m. at Dobra’s downtown location, 78. N. Lexington Ave. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at avl.mx/wordcap5.

Shop Japan

How about learning Japanese home cooking to go along with your newly acquired tea expertise? Waku Waku Eatery has expanded its online offerings of prepared Japanese homestyle comfort foods to include a catalog of Japanese grocery items.

The products list includes tofu, soba noodles, seaweed, natural sea salt, soybean flour and more. For the full inventory of groceries as well as Waku Waku’s monthly featured menu, visit avl.mx/aav.

Japanese triptych Hungry for more of the foods and beverages of the Land of the Rising Sun? Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse, which opened in South Slope on July 1, has added lunch service on Saturdays and Sundays from noon3 p.m. Additionally, the restaurant has launched its new chef’s choice tasting menu, which features 10-12

items from the full menu, spanning appetizers to dessert.

Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse is at 121 Biltmore Ave. For more, visit avl.mx/aaw.

Meal deal

After a 10-month hiatus, Mother Earth Food has relaunched its Saturday Discount Box. The program, first established at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, offers a surplus of organic fruits and vegetables available for pickup from its warehouse on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We are happy to bring this popular service back and continue to get produce from our farmers into homes,” says Mother Earth Food CEO Janelle Tatum.

Boxes are available Saturdays, 9-11 a.m. at Mother Earth Food warehouse, 29 Hawk Hill Road. Boxes are $25.

Pot luck

There’s still time — but not much — to buy a ticket to win one of three collectible pieces of pottery from East Fork and lend a hand to urban agriculture nonprofit Bountiful Cities to boot. Pick your favorite or purchase tickets for all three. At $5 each, you can spread the love as long as you do it by Friday, Sept. 3; winners will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 5. All proceeds will benefit Bountiful Cities’ food and social justice programs, including FEAST, Grass to Greens and Asheville Buncombe County Community Garden Network.

For a look at the pieces and to purchase tickets, visit avl.mx/aax.

— Kay West X

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CLUBLAND

k

The featured icon indicates which venues or artists require proof of vaccination for upcoming shows. Due to the evolving nature of the matter, the list may not be comprehensive.

Before heading out, please check with all venues for complete information on any vaccine or negative COVID-19 requirements.

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Queer Comedy Party w/Gabbie Watts, 7pm •Aquanet: Goth Night, 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 12am

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/ The Well Drinkers, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE •Justin Clyde Williams w/Tyler Hatley, 5pm •49 Winchester w/ Wayne Graham & Nicholas Jamerson (alt-country, soul), 7pm THE ODDITORIUM The 40, 20, 10's w/ Drunken Prayer (Americana, outlaw country), 7pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Pop Evil (rock)k, 7:30pm

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

TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol w/Night Beers (punk rock), 8pm HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam w/ Carol Rifkin, 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night, 9pm

THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Songwriters in the Round Showcase w/ Hannah Kaminer, Laura Boswell & Kathryn O'Shea (folk, Americana), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Libby Rodenbough, Trippers and Askers (Americana), 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Move On Up: Soul/R&B Night, 9pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm

BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm

SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm

CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm

CRAVING SOME MUSIC: Indie/electronic/folk band Krave Amiko will perform at Sweeten Creek Brewing on Saturday, Sept. 4, 6-8 p.m. The Asheville quartet released its debut album, Before the Words, in 2020. From left are Rob Walsh, Nestor Teran, Joseph Allawos and Stephanie Barcelona. Photo by Carol Spagnuola GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 •Trae Sheehan (Americana, roots), 7pm •Bill Frisell: HARMONY (Americana)k, 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Pushing Daisy's Band (rock, Americana, funk), 6pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Hunter Begley & Eric Ledford (Americana), 6:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SALVAGE STATION The Very Jerry Band (Jerry Garcia Band tribute), 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE HomeBass (metal), 5pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE Mdou Moctar (rock, desert blues, Tuareg guitar)k, 9pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm THE MAGNETIC THEATRE Emma Willmann (standup), 7:30pm

THE ODDITORIUM Black Tusk, US Christmas, Cloud City Caskets (metal), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Antoine Scott (comedy) k, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/ Adi the Monk, 6pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Writers Night w/ Planefolk, Nick Colavito & Matt Sellars, 7pm CORK & KEG Sparrow and her Wingmen (jazz, ragtime, blues)k, 8pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK The Lads avl (rock, folk, blues), 6pm FLEETWOOD'S Blanky, And How & Rhinestone Pickup Truck (90s alt, grunge), 8pm

185 KING STREET The Wobblers (roots), 8pm

GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy w/ Eman El-Husseini, 8pm

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Geriatric Jukebox (60s & 70s), 5pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Eleanor Underhill & Friends (Americana), 6pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Everybody Free Dance Party, 10pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy (blues), 7:30pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Forrest O'Connor and Isaac Eicher (Americana), 7pm Kenny George Band (rock), 8:30pm

OAK AND GRIST DISTILLING COMPANY Red Echo Lab (jazz), 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. The Roving (Americana, roots), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST J.C. Tokes and the Empty Pockets (retro hits), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Steve Earle & The Dukes, Los Lobos (alt country, roots), 6:30pm SAWYER SPRINGS VINEYARD Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 2:30pm SILVERADOS John Michael Montgomery (country), 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Mouth Breathers, Noise Florist, Nostalgianoid, Natural BLK Invention (prog, emo, electronic), 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Cosmic Dumpster (jazz, electric, oldies), 6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Emo Night Brooklyn, 10pm BEN'S TUNE UP DJ Kilby Spinning Vinyl (throwback dance party), 10pm BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing (acoustic duo), 7pm BRIDGE PARK Concerts on the Creek w/Ska City (ska, two tone), 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS LyriSmith (acoustic duo), 3am BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Roots and Dore (blues, roots), 5pm

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C LU BL A N D THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Miami Gold (rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE The Late Shifters (Southern rock, jam) k, 6pm THE ORANGE PEEL The White Buffalo w/L.A. Edwards (alt country, roots)k, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. ALR Trio (blues, rock), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Life Like Water (contemporary folk), 8pm WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Commodore Fox (rock, dance), 8:30pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 185 KING STREET Travers Brothership (rock, soul, blues), 8pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Jess Salomon, 7pm •Hip Hop Night: Vinyl Timetravelers, 10pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Kyle Corbett (acoustic), 6:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL ASG, Delicious & BONEDOZER (metal), 9pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm

BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Johnnie Blackwell (singer-songwriter), 2pm FLEETWOOD'S Sane Voids, Bombay Gasoline (grunge, synth), 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Ten Toe Turbo (rock), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Ashley Heath and Her Heathens (Americana), 6pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Pinkerton Raid (folk), 7:30pm

ORCHARD AT ALTAPASS Possum Creek (old-time, bluegrass, gospel), 2:30pm

JIMMY'S ON THE RIVER Lucky James (Americana), 7pm

SALVAGE STATION JJ Grey & Mofro (with Pressing Strings), 6:30pm

SILVERADOS Fetty Wap (rap), 7pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Krave Amiko (indie rock), 6pm THE DUGOUT Twisted Trail (rock, country), 8pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Unpaid Bill and the Bad Czechs (acoustic blues, jazz, swing), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE •East Coast Dirt (rock) k, 5pm

•Maggie Rose w/Them Vibes & Gracie Lane (rock, soul, funk)k, 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Brent Cobb and Nikki Lane (country)k, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Dirt Yard Choir (Americana, blues), 2:30pm TURGUA BREWING CO Roots & Dore (blues, roots), 5pm

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/ King Street House Band ft. Naren Shoenacher, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Life's a Drag Brunch, 11:30am •Sunday Dance Party w/ DJ RexxStep, 10pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Vaden Landers (country blues, honky tonk), 3pm BEN'S TUNE UP Good Vibes Sunday (reggae), 6pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Dark City Kings (outlaw country, rock), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Hope Griffin (acoustic, singer-songwriter), 2pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Drag Show, 9pm HOME GROUND COFFEE BAR & DELI Bluegrass Brunch Shindig w/Supper Break, 11:30am ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Deltaphonic (root rock, blues, funk), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Brunch w/ Supper Break, 12pm NOBLE CIDER Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 6-8pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Blues Brunch w/Woody, 3pm OLIVETTE RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY AND FARM Jeff Sipe's Electric Buddha (funk, rock), 4pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST West King String Band (rock, funk, classic country, bluegrass), 6pm ORCHARD AT ALTAPASS Butterbeans (acoustic, folk), 2:30pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Pisgah Sunday Jam w/The Paper Crowns (rock, jam, Americana), 6pm

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RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia w/Allie & Alex, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING The Lads avl (rock, folk, blues), 3pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Daniel Shearin (acoustic), 6pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Rod Sphere (rock, blues), 3pm THE GREY EAGLE BASK, Tongues of Fire & Axxa/Abraxus (progressive, punk, rock, Americana)k, 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Weirdo Rippers (post punk, new wave), 5pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bruce Lang (guitar, vocals), 7pm TURGUA BREWING CO Laura Thurston (acoustic, folk), 4pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Bill Altman (acoustic blues), 7:30pm

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia Mondays w/Jess, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Freshen Up (comedy, open mic), 7pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Ballad Bingo: Golden Oldies, 6pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic Mondays w/ Taylor Martin, 6:30pm HAZEL ROBINSON AMPHITHEATRE Animal Collective w/ Jamal Moore (rock, pop), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Monday Night Trivia w/Mitch Fortune, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm LITTLE JUMBO The Core (jazz), 7pm LOBSTER TRAP Dave Desmelik (Americana), 6:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Night, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Trivia Night, 6pm SILVERADOS Monday Bike Night w/ Contagious (rock), 6pm THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE State Park Ranger, Blackpool Mecca & Sous Sol (alt-rock, psych-rock) k, 8pm

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C LU BL A N D THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy and Friends (blues), 7pm

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night, 9pm

THE ODDITORIUM Calliope Musicals w/ Computer Science (psychedelic pop, rock), 7pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Carmen Morales, 7pm •Aquanet: Goth Night, 9pm

SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 185 KING STREET Travis Book & Friends ft. Casey Driessen w/ Billy Cardine (Americana, bluegrass), 6:30pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ANTIDOTE The Little Posey Trio (jazz, swing), 6pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Drag Bingo w/Calcutta, 8pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Turntable Tuesday w/ DJ Kutzu & DJ Chubby Knuckles (hip hop), 10pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Grass at the Club (bluegrass), 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band (Dead tribute), 6pm THE GREY EAGLE The Bright Light Social Hour w/Lo Talker (hard rock, psychedelia, soul) k, 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm DOUBLE CROWN Andrea and Mud (surf western), 8pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE Halestorm w/The HU (rock), 8pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Julien Baker (indie rock, indie folk)k, 8pm

OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm

WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm

ASHEVILLE-AREA

RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/ The Well Drinkers, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Hawktail (instrumental acoustic quartet)k, 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Desolation w/DJ Exo (industrial, EBM, darkwave), 9pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm THE ORANGE PEEL Steel Panther (metal) k, 9pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADMEY Move On Up: Soul/R&B Night, 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Consider the Source (progressive metal, rock), 9pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy w/ Eeland Stribling, 8pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Life Like Water (contemporary folk), 6pm Smooth Goose (acoustic), 9pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Hunter Begley & Eric Ledford (Americana), 6:30pm PURPLE ONION CAFE Roots and Dore (roots, blues), 8pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic, 6pm

185 KING STREET Unspoken Tradition (bluegrass), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE flipturn, Stop Light Observations w/Hotel Fiction (indie, Southern electro-rock)k, 9pm

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy at the Asheville Club (blues), 5pm

TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm

EATS & DRINKS GUIDE 2021

NEW

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Pick up your print copy today boxes everywhere! in

EXPERIENCE WNC’S NEWEST OUTDOOR CONCERT VENUE Tickets On Sale NOW SilveradosWNC.com FRI 9/3 SAT 9/4

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FRI 9/10

Ying Yang Twins

TUE 9/14

Texas Hippie Coalition w/ Special Guest Jasmine Cain

All Outdoor Concerts are rain or shine • Parking and Shuttle Available Uber/Lyft HIGHLY recommended

Gates 6pm • Show 7pm • ALL AGES SHOW

2898 US 70, Black Mountain NC 28711 Across from Ingles Warehouse MOUNTAINX.COM

SEPT. 1-7, 2021

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries poet Anna Kamienska wrote, “I’ve learned to value failed conversations, missed connections, confusions.

What remains is what’s unsaid, what’s underneath.

Understanding on another level of being.” In the coming weeks, I suggest you adopt her perspective as you evaluate both past and present experiences. You’re likely to find small treasures in what you’d assumed were wastelands. You may uncover inspiring clues in plot twists that initially frustrated you. Upon further examination, interludes you dismissed as unimportant or uninteresting could reveal valuable wrinkles.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After studying your astrological omens, I’ve decided to offer you inspiration from the ancient Roman poet Catullus. I hope the extravagant spirit of his words will free you to be greedy for the delights of love and affection. Catullus wrote, “Give me a thousand kisses, then a hundred; then another thousand, then a second hundred; then yet another thousand.” I’ll add the following to Catullus’s appeal: Seek an abundance of endearing words, sweet favors and gifts, caresses and massages, help with your work and fabulous orgasms. If there’s no one in your life to provide you with such blessings, give them to yourself.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Elif Batuman writes that the Old Uzbek language was rich in expressions about crying. There were “words for wanting to cry and not being able to, for loudly crying like thunder in the clouds, for crying in gasps, for weeping inwardly or secretly, for crying ceaselessly in a high voice, for crying in hiccups, and for crying while uttering the sound ’hay hay.’” I recommend all of these to you in the coming days, as well as others you might dream up. Why? It’s prime time to seek the invigorating release and renewal that come from shedding tears generated by deep and mysterious feelings.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A blogger named MythWoven imagines an “alternate universe where I literally go to school forever (for free) so I can learn about art and literature and history and languages for 100 years. No job skills. No credit requirements. No student loans. Just learning.” I have longings like hers. There’s an eternal student within me that wants to be endlessly surprised with exciting information about interesting subjects. I would love to be continually adding fresh skills and aptitudes to my repertoire. In the coming weeks, I will give free rein to that part of me. I recommend you do the same, my fellow Cancerian.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 2016, the International Garden Photograph of the Year depicted lush lupine flowers in New Zealand. The sea of tall purple, pink and blue blooms was praised as “an elegant symphony” and “a joy to behold.”

What the judges didn’t mention is that lupine is an invasive species in New Zealand. It forces native plant species out of their habitat, which in turn drives away native animal species, including birds like the wrybill, black stilt and banded dotterel. Is there a metaphorically comparable phenomenon in your life, Leo? Problematic beauty? Some influence that’s both attractive and prickly? A wonderful thing that can also be troublesome? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to try to heal the predicament.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I often wonder who I am and where is my country and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all,” wrote Virgo author Jean Rhys (1890–1979). I don’t think you will be agitated by those questions during the next eight weeks, Virgo. In fact, I suspect you will feel as secure in your identity as you have in a long time. You will enjoy prolonged clarity about your role in the world, the nature of your desires and how you should plan your life for the next two years. If for some inexplicable reason you’re not already enjoying these developments, stop what you’re doing and meditate on the probability that I am telling you the bold truth.

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SEPT. 1-7, 2021

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Several states in the U.S. have statutes prohibiting blasphemy. Saying “God damn it” could theoretically get you fined in Massachusetts, South Carolina and Wyoming.

In the coming days, it’s best to proceed carefully in places like those, since you’ve been authorized by cosmic forces to curse more often and more forcefully than usual. Why? Because you need to summon vivid and intense protests in the face of influences that may be inhibiting and infringing on your soul’s style. You have a poetic license to rebel against conventions that oppress you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Everyone dreams at least three dreams per night. In a year, your subconscious mind generates over 1,100 dreams.

About this remarkable fact, novelist Milan Kundera writes, “Dreaming is not merely an act of coded communication. It is also an aesthetic activity, a game that is a value in itself. To dream about things that have not happened is among humanity’s deepest needs.” I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because September is Honor Your Dreams Month. To celebrate, I suggest the following experiments. 1. Every night before sleep, write down a question you’d like your dreams to respond to. 2. Keep a notebook by your bed and transcribe at least one dream each time you sleep. 3. In the morning, have fun imagining what the previous night’s dreams might be trying to communicate to you. 4. Say prayers of gratitude to your dreams, thanking them for their provocative, entertaining stories.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In her autobiography Changing, Sagittarian actor Liv Ullmann expresses grief about how she and a loved one failed to communicate essential truths to each other. I propose we regard her as your anti-role model for the rest of 2021. Use her error as your inspiration. Make emotionally intelligent efforts to talk about unsaid things that linger like ghostly puzzles between you and those you care about.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “I could do with a bit more excess,” writes author Joanne Harris. “From now on I’m going to be immoderate — and volatile,” she vows. “I shall enjoy loud music and lurid poetry. I shall be rampant.” Let me be clear, Capricorn: I’m not urging you to be immoderate, volatile, excessive and rampant every day for the rest of your long life. But I think you will generate health benefits and good fortune if you experiment with that approach in the coming weeks. Can you think of relatively sane, sensible ways to give yourself this salubrious luxury?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): While wading through the internet’s wilder terrain, I found a provocative quote alleged to have been uttered by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.

He supposedly said, “My ultimate goal is to look totally hot, but not be unapproachable.” I confess that in the past I have sometimes been fooled by fake quotes and I suspect this is one.

Still, it’s amusing to entertain the possibility that such an august personage as Socrates, a major influencer of Western culture, might say something so cute and colloquial. Even if he didn’t actually say it, I like the idea of blending ancient wisdom with modern insights, seriousness with silliness, thoughtful analysis with good fun. In accordance with astrological omens, I recommend you experiment with comparable hybrids in the coming weeks.

(P.S.: One of your goals should be to look totally hot, but not be unapproachable.)

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “If you don’t know what you want,” writes Piscean novelist Chuck Palahniuk, “you end up with a lot you don’t.”

Very true! And right now, it’s extra important to keep that in mind. During the coming weeks, you’ll be at the peak of your ability to attract what you want and need. Wouldn’t you prefer to gather influences you really desire — as opposed to those for which you have mild or zero interest?

Define your wants and needs very precisely.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT REAL ESTATE LAND FOR SALE MOUNTAIN PROPERTY WITH VIEWS FOR SALE Beautiful mountain property located in Swannanoa. Private and 10 minutes from Asheville. 25.7 acres. $259,000.

Call Wayne at Purcell Realty at 828-279-8562 for more information.

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL JCC IS HIRING LIFEGUARDS The JCC is searching for lifeguards for its aquatics center. Certification opportunity available upon hire.

To apply, email your resume to wendy@jcc-asheville.org.

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE JCC IS HIRING A RECEPTIONIST This part-time position is performs the administrative, financial, and security functions of the JCC’s main reception desk.

To apply, email your resume to geri@jcc-asheville.org.

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE

CVOR - RN'S NEEDED $20,000 SIGN ON BONUS AVAILABLE COME BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIG!!

Hamilton Medical Center has an exciting opportunity for experienced CVOR RNs to come and be a part of our New Open Heart Program! Competitive Pay/ Medical/Dental/Vision/ Paid Annual Leave/Great Work Environment To apply please go to the following web address: https:// www.hamiltonhealth.com/ job-seeker/careers/

TEACHING/ EDUCATION HELPMATE SEEKS A FULL-TIME COMMUNITY AND YOUTH OUTREACH SPECIALIST Helpmate, a domestic violence organization in Buncombe County, NC seeks a full-time Community

and Youth Outreach Specialist to provide community education about healthy relationships and intimate partner violence. Primary responsibilities include delivering abuse prevention curricula to students in middle/high schools and colleges, as well as providing training to allied professionals. Strong communication skills required.

Qualified candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree or 2 years' experience in social work or related field, with preference for experience in domestic violence or related field. Qualified candidates must also have experience working with youth and public speaking/teaching.

Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. Email resume and cover letter by 5:00pm on September 7 to hiring@helpmateonline.org with Community and Youth Outreach Specialist in the subject line. No phone or in person inquiries please. http://helpmateonline.org/

COMPUTER/ TECHNICAL

ARE YOU THE WEBMASTER? WE ARE THE SITE KEEPER. Mountain Xpress is seeking the right person to continue the evolution of our online presence. You must have: 1) Excellent web development skills (PHP, MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, RWD) with at least 2 years of professional experience; 2) Strong problem solving skills with the ability to work independently; 3) Ability to manage in-house and outsourced projects; 4) Willingness to be a team player; 5) Commitment to a locally focused, social-media-engaged outlet. The ideal candidate will have WordPress development experience (templating, custom post types, taxonomies, widgets, hooks & actions), the ability to write custom database queries, as well as modify existing custom PHP applications. You will also need experience managing a LAMP infrastructure with high-availability principles. Salary for this part time position is based on experience and skill. Send cover letter (that demonstrates your passions,

how those passions would fit with Mountain Xpress’ mission and needs, and why you’d like to work with us) and resume to: xpressjob@mountainx.com

IN NEED OF A GEEK Mountain Xpress offers a part-time position in IT helping administer, develop and provide day-to-day support for the company’s IT systems in a multi-user, server-based Mac environment. This 15-25 hour/week position could be for someone newly entering the job market or taking the next step in an IT career or returning to IT after a hiatus.

The successful applicant should be strong on learning new systems and have a desire to contribute to our mission-driven organization.

Position will assist with the LAN, database systems (FileMaker-based) and website (WordPress CMS). Actual job description may flex according to skills of strong applicant.

Points for experience with Mac OS server admin, database-development and FileMaker server admin, management and configuration of network equipment, web development, network protocols, phone systems, printers, graphics (Adobe Creative Suite) and computer hardware. Send cover letter, resume and references to: xpressjob@mountainx.com

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DISH TV SPECIAL $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote.

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Promo Expires 7/21/21.

1-855-380-2501 (AAN CAN) HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147 (AAN CAN)

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LEGAL NOTICE TO CREDITORS RE: THE ESTATE OF CHARLOTTE JEAN BEACHBOARD Notice to creditors, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of Charlotte Jean Beachboard, aka Jean C. Beachboard, deceased late of Buncombe County, North Carolina. The undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned a the address below. This will run six consecutive weeks. If indebted by the mentioned deceased all debts need to be sent to Patricia Ann Beachboard, Executor of the Estate. Please mail all claims owned by Charlotte Jean Beachboard with marked debt and account numbers. If debts are owed they will be accepted

by Patricia Ann Beachboard at 89 Winston Avenue, Asheville, NC 28803. This is an address change that is current from 25 Harmony Lane, Asheville, NC 28803 (old address). Please be sure and use attention: Patricia Ann Beachboard. Written this day, August 23, 2021.

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THE N EW Y OR K TI M ES C ROSSWORD P UZ Z LE HOME IMPROVEMENT ELECTRICIAN ELECTRICAL SERVICE Power to the People!

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Motorcycles & RV’s , too!

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Speak to a Relocation Specialist, call 855-947-2919 (AAN CAN) NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department: electronic equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous items. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property has 30 days from the date of this publication to make a claim. Unclaimed items will be disposed of according to statutory law. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property and Evidence Section, 828232-4576. NOTICE OF DISPOSITION The following is a list of unclaimed and confiscated property at the Asheville Police Department tagged for disposition: audio and video equipment; cameras; clothing; lawn and garden equipment; personal items; tools; weapons (including firearms): jewelry: automotive items; building supplies; bikes and other miscellaneous. All items will

be disposed of 30 days from date of posting. Items to be auctioned will be displayed on www.propertyroom.com.

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COUNSELING SERVICES ASTRO-COUNSELING Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions.

Stellar Counseling Services.

Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 258-3229.

education, workshops and sessions. Positive Hypnosis—re-learning thru positive reinforcement, Emotional Freedom Technique, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Birth Mix Personality Assessment, Past Life Regression.

HEALTH & FITNESS AQUANATAL & AQUABABY (PRENATAL & POSTPARTUM MOVEMENT IN THE WATER) Aquanatal classes: Breathing,Being & Letting go! relieving common discomforts of pregnancy while preparing physically & emotionally for childbirth. Aquababy classes: A nurturing space for mom's self-care & postpartum well-being while bonding with baby and providing gentle stimulation saraheisenstein32@gmail.com

SPIRITUAL ROMANIAN HEALER I am from Romania certified in Introspective Hypnosis, Theta Healing, Reiki, Thai Yoga, Tarot Card and an intuitive healer. I can help identify and resolve blockages affecting your present self and help discover a new self. Ramona Manea 214-684-7178

AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES POSITIVE HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., D.C.H., Author | 828-681-1728 | www.MichellePayton.com | Mind Over Matter Solutions books, online and in-person

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash!

NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)

edited by Will Shortz | No. 0728

ACROSS 1 Buds that are very close 5 “For those who think young” sloganeer, once 10 Drainage collector 14 Cookie that has been deemed kosher since 1997 15 Walled city of Spain 16 Sports event in which athletes try to avoid being touched 17 Porky’s significant other 19 Gillette razor handle 20 Make wise through experience 21 See 53-Across 23 Exceedingly 26 Letters at a bar 27 Signal that a reply is coming in a messaging app 30 Accept responsibility for 31 Terrific 34 Diatribe trigger 35 Official proceedings 37 Attempt to block 38 Original ___ 39 Make art like 53-/21-Across (as suggested by this puzzle’s circled letters?)

41 Suffix with quartz 42 Pat who wrote “The Prince of Tides” and “The Great Santini” 44 Male hedgehog 45 Homer’s neighbor on “The Simpsons” 46 Source of some rings 47 Industry that encourages strikes?

48 Modest reply to a compliment 49 Biol. or chem.

50 Oklahoma’s state tree 53 With 21-Across, artist known to 39-Across pigments back and forth onto canvases

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PUZZLE BY ALEX ROSEN AND BRAD WILBER 6

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29 35

38

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45 48

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56 62

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1 Conks 2 Unoccupied 3 Cheese in a spanakopita 4 Boozehounds 5 Noted colonial pamphleteer 6 Señora Perón 7 Small hard seed 8 Moccasin, e.g.

9 False friend in Shakespeare 10 Babe in the Arctic 11 Somewhat 12 Chicago exchange, in brief 13 Like times that are the most expensive

33

37 40

46

56 Melodic passage 60 Removal from danger, informally 61 ___ station, Central London railway terminal 64 Long ride?

65 Suffered a wipeout 66 Leaning to the right: Abbr.

67 Org. for Lt. Columbo 68 Jetés, e.g.

69 One leaning to the right

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19 21

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53

9

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8

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18 Veterans Day mo.

22 Daffy Duck, notably 24 Indian flatbread 25 Low-ranking sailor 27 What you need some wiggle room to do?

28 Betelgeuse’s constellation 29 Where you might find love away from home?

32 Fragrant compound 33 Like an oboe’s sound 35 Dreamboat of a guy 36 Weep 37 Greeting in Rio

40 “Be ___” (motto for Wikipedia contributors) 43 Pacific food fish 47 Highly decorated 48 “That’s cool, daddy-o!”

51 Taunts so as to get a reaction 52 Samovar 53 Come together 54 Running shoe brand 55 Gem that’s a woman’s name 57 Palindromic guy’s name 58 Succeed and then some 59 “Recycle ___” (sign on a bin) 62 Narc’s org.

63 Tango flourish

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

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