Mountain Xpress 09.08.21

OUR 28TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 28 NO. 6 SEPT. 8 -14, 2021

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C ONTENT S

FEATURES

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NEWS

NEWS

BUSK ‘TIL DAWN 8 UP FOR THE COUNT Census data paves way for WNC redistricting

12 CROSSING CITY STREETS Is Asheville failing residents with disabilities?

For decades, buskers have performed on the sidewalks of downtown Asheville. But for many current street performers, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continued development, rising crime rates and the city’s impending noise ordinance all spell trouble for Asheville’s busking community.

WELLNESS

FEATURE

COVER PHOTO Cindy Kunst 17 Q&A WITH CRAIG LEHOULLIER Local tomato expert shares his love of gardening

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

4 LETTERS 4 CARTOON: MOLTON 7 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

20 MENDING HEARTS Grieving doesn’t have to happen alone in WNC

8 NEWS 15 BUNCOMBE BEAT

A&C

18 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 25 PICTURE PERFECT Strength in Pride Project empowers LGBTQ+ community

20 WELLNESS 22 ARTS & CULTURE 32 CLUBLAND

A&C

38 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 26 DOC APPROVED MerleFest adapts with fall gathering

38 CLASSIFIEDS 39 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

Harriet Tubman statue resonates with WNC family’s history Apparently Sylva is leading the way by counterbalancing statues of the Confederacy with Symbols of Freedom. I loved the emblem of Harriet Tubman with her right hand protectively spread across the chest of a frightened little girl [“Long Overdue: Harriet Tubman Statue Comes to Sylva,” Sept. 1, Xpress]. It speaks volumes to me.

Three of my great-grandparents and three of my grandparents were born into slavery. My maternal grandmother, born in 1849, was manumitted around 1850, along with her mother and three older siblings. My freeborn maternal grandfather, born in 1838, and his six siblings were the children of a Cherokee mother and an African slave father. She had married him and subsequently identified herself as “mulatto” to escape the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of her people to Oklahoma Territory in 1830.

Both of my paternal grandparents were born on plantations near Grey Eagle, a place known as the town of Black Mountain for the past 128 years. My grandfather told my mother that he, his parents and their four other children were freed at the “Surrender” of 1865, when he was 16 years old. My grandmother repeatedly told me that she remembered hearing the Emancipation Proclamation read at her mother’s cabin door by a man seated on a horse. In January of 1863, she was only 5 years old.

Granny lived another 93 years, but neither she nor any of her siblings or their offspring —nor I — ever celebrated the reading of “that paper,” as she called it; nor did we know anything about Juneteenth, the date on which slaves in the Southwest were said to have been told the Civil War had ended and they were free.

Neither “that paper” nor Juneteenth meant anything to us.

I have written about these former slave settlers and their early descendants in my debut memoir, self-published in August of last year: The title is Lige of the Black Walnut Tree: Growing Up Black in Southern Appalachia. Most of its 22 chapters portray the lives of special characters I grew up with; the last chapter depicts the life of my paternal grandmother, “Aunt Mary Hayden: My Grandmother’s Prophecy.”

Mr. Thomas Calder has published a fine article about the book in Mountain Xpress [“90 Years in the Making: Mary Othella Burnette 4

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C AR T O O N B Y R A N D Y MO L TO N Writes of Growing Up Black in WNC,” Feb. 24]. I believe the article was read widely in Black Mountain, as I have heard that copies of your paper disappeared rapidly in my hometown that week. I trust that my memoir also will interest many other readers in that area of WNC particularly.

— Mary O. Burnette St. Clair Shores, Mich.

We don’t feel safe in Asheville I live in Asheville, and I’m wondering why people care more about the homeless than the police who are deciding to quit because of the people in charge not backing them up, and [people] running around shooting up places? Should we send mental health workers out on those calls and the break-ins?

Because I’m tired of these people getting away with shooting up places, people terrorizing everyone and turning Asheville into a slum place to live. They need to focus on the projects. I can call it that because I live in one. I’ve seen too many shootings to mention, but nobody wants to talk about it.

The Vance Monument taken down, riots, killings, a casket filled with poop [left at] the police station, yet everyone gets away with this, and the world still thinks Asheville’s this wonderful place to travel to. Carrier Park’s cars get vandalized by people all the time. We don’t feel safe. Is this not a subject worth writing about?

I want Asheville the way it was.

Beautiful, peaceful, but until the crime stops, it won’t be, and I won’t

recommend anyone to visit this once-beautiful city.

— Name withheld Asheville

Mission Health should require vaccinations I find it disturbing that Mission Health still has not mandated COVID vaccinations for staff. At least, vaccinations should be mandatory for staff that has hands-on contact with patients.

I commend Pardee UNC Health Care for making the decision to protect patients and staff by requiring vaccinations. How can we ever end this pandemic when even our health care providers remain lax and unwilling to make the hard choice to get and to require vaccinations? And what kind of example does it set for the rest of the community?

Mission Health, do the responsible thing!

— Gene Schweizer Asheville

Amazed by support for mask mandates It’s amazing to see all the letters in support of mask mandates, with no peer-reviewed scientific studies to back them up. The science says microscopic virus particles easily penetrate most masks. What don’t they get? Maybe they’re still listening to Dr. Fauci’s latest insights.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

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OPINION

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

Meanwhile, those forced to wear masks slowly suffocate as their oxygen intake is restricted and bacteria builds up in their face. God help the children and the old folks.

— Gardner Hathaway Asheville Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers data indicating that mask wearing reduces new infections, along with research that mask wearing has “no significant adverse health effects for wearers.” (avl.mx/acr)

When are we going to address community’s core issues?

There is so much finger-pointing and anger among everyday people and communities as the pandemic continues. On both sides, it has become an extremely polarizing issue, which has drawn us apart from one another. I have begun to wonder if the conversation will be

had about root causes of the pandemic and, more so, the severity of it in our country.

It is easy to blame politicians for their shortcomings, but when are we going to address the fact that our private, for-profit hospitals have been intentionally under- and defunded to “cut costs” in the name of enriching hospital CEOs? When are we going to talk about the fact that the animal feedlots, where many of our meals come from, are the ideal breeding ground for the next pandemic? When are we going to air our frustrations that not only politically, but socially, we were unprepared for and uneducated about the reality that a pandemic like this was not only predictable, but imminent?

What are we going to do to make sure that we aren’t in the same situation when this inevitably happens again as a function of our intentional dispossession of functioning community dynamics, an intentionally broken food and health system, and a growing world with increasing chronic disease and wealth disparity? Are we going to finger-point at one another about masks and vaccines and blame local politicians about their policies we agree with or disagree with, or are we going to look at these harsh core issues in the face and address them with the severity and intensity that they merit?

— Noah Poulos Asheville

How can democracy work without public schools?

[Regarding “Changing Classrooms: Buncombe County Schools Enrollment Drops as Nontraditional Options Grow,” Aug. 25, Xpress:] The public school system in the United States is what has made it possible for this nation of immigrants to learn about the lives of others and to learn about the foundations of our republic.

Most parents themselves do not have the knowledge or interest in American history, ethics or philosophy to enhance their children’s lives. All they do is pass on their own misconceptions of what they think they learned 10 or more years before and the limited horizons of their daily life, earning a living and residing among people just like themselves. How will their children learn about their peer group — the differences in the cultural life of their community or of people who have had different life experiences?

Schools, like military service, put a person into an environment in which differences of beliefs, history 6

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and experience become part of their knowledge. How else can a democracy work if we are all only in our pods, neighborhood, religious institution, club? If we don’t understand each other, how can we become a community and work together, united and working for the common good?

Without knowing each other, how will this nation survive — each group seeing everyone else as other and therefore a threat to one’s life?

The schools may need help, better-educated teachers, more money for students in every district, not just one’s own, but without some commonly accepted knowledge, how will our nation survive?

— Frances Myers Asheville

A win-win in BCS’ dropping enrollment [Regarding “Changing Classrooms: Buncombe County Schools Enrollment Drops as Nontraditional Options Grow,” Aug. 25, Xpress:] With fewer children in school because of home schooling, class size could now be an advantage for those who choose or have no choice but Buncombe County Schools.

It could be a win-win situation if folks decide it is. Children who need extra attention in a smaller class might now do better than with more classmates to distract them.

I say this as a retired elementary school teacher with 27 years in the classroom. Teachers, congratulations on your newfound, and most likely desired, smaller classes.

— Sara Mims Burnsville

Thoughts on home schooling [Regarding “Changing Classrooms: Buncombe County Schools Enrollment Drops as Nontraditional Options Grow,” Aug. 25, Xpress:] I’m a homeschooled recluse, not sorry for that, but don’t ask me to serve my country again (in this or my next life, if any).

— Chris Hayes Asheville

Public schools deliver more than academic learning [ R e g a r d i n g “Changing Classrooms: Buncombe County Schools Enrollment Drops as Nontraditional Options Grow,”

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN Aug. 25, Xpress:] I was a public schoolteacher for 35 years. While I see the need for some children to have an alternative education, I don’t feel that it is the best thing for most children.

Public education is more than a place for academic learning. It is a melting pot of diversity. It may be the only place that children mix with children of other ethnic or racial differences. I speak with experience, as I went to a private school through the sixth grade.

Everyone there was from the same upper-income level. It wasn’t until I went to public school that I was around children of different cultures, income levels, race and special needs. It took some getting used to, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to do so.

Children in public school learn to work with adults who are not their parents or family. They learn to follow rules and learn social skills and coping skills. I would say, as a mother of six kids, that parent participation in the school is the key to ensuring that your children are in a supportive learning environment. Some of the teachers were better than others, but our children learned to cope and achieve in public schools. All six went on to attend major uni-

versities and are now contributing members of society with children of their own.

If we take away support from our public schools, it will lead to wide inequity and discrimination.

Separate is not equal. It saddens me that it looks like that is where we are headed.

— Lynne Whitmire Swannanoa and Westminster, S.C.

Pandemic intensifies need for Medicaid expansion Paying for basic health care is out of reach for many in North Carolina. I know this firsthand, as I did not qualify for Affordable Care Act subsidies after a pandemic job loss, and unemployment benefits disqualified me for Medicaid.

My story is similar to millions of Americans who have lost their jobs since the pandemic hit, making the need for affordable and accessible care even more dire.

By refusing to expand Medicaid despite this increased need from North Carolina families, our state budget and residents’ health remains compromised. Not only are we leaving millions in fed-

eral funds from the American Rescue Plan on the table, but there are longer-term benefits as well. States that have expanded eligibility for Medicaid have significantly reduced the amount of uncompensated care provided by hospitals and other providers and improved access to care in rural communities.

The truth is we’re long overdue for the lifesaving benefits that would come from North Carolina increasing eligibility for the program. Medicaid has helped cover some North Carolinians, including kids and people with disabilities, helping strengthen our hospitals and our communities. At this pivotal moment in public health, Rep. Madison Cawthorn needs to make the right, commonsense choice for North Carolina families.

— Scott Blanchard Candler

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.

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NEWS

Up for the count

Census data paves way for WNC redistricting

BY BROOKE RANDLE brandle@mountainx.com Next time you’re sitting in traffic on Interstate 240 or attempting to make a nearly impossible left turn on Merrimon Avenue during rush hour, just know that it’s not your imagination: Asheville is getting more crowded.

The constitutionally mandated decennial count of every person living in the United States that is the U.S. census was completed in 2020. And the results show that Asheville’s population has grown 13.4% since 2010, from 83,393 to 94,589 residents. Buncombe County saw a similar increase of 13.1%, from 238,318 residents in 2010 to 269,452 tallied last year — the largest gain in all of Western North Carolina.

While North Carolina’s population grew about 9.5% overall, 51 of the state’s 100 counties lost residents, primarily in rural areas. WNC was mostly an exception to that rule, with many of the area’s rural counties growing in population.

Macon County, for example, grew by 9.1%, while Henderson gained 8.9% and Jackson 7%.

Census data also shows that Buncombe County grew somewhat more diverse. The county’s proportion of people who identify as white declined from 87.4% to 81.2%, while those who identify as biracial grew from 2.1% to 7%. The Hispanic or Latino population also increased from 6% to 8.1%. (The Census Bureau cautions that the latest numbers may reflect changes in how last year’s census asked about race; people were allowed, for the first time, to check more than one box when self-identifying, which may make comparisons with previous years inaccurate.)

The demographic data tells stories on their own, but politicians and analysts are turning their attention to what comes next: redistricting. The N.C. General Assembly must take census results into account as members create new voting district boundaries that reflect the state’s population growth and follow strict legal criteria.

BLURRED LINES

Redistricting, like the census, occurs every 10 years. Census data shapes boundaries for races in the U.S. House, as well as the General Assembly, because each district is required to contain a roughly equal number of voters.

The three districts for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners follow those for the N.C. House and would 8

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SHIFTING SENATE: Buncombe County, currently divided between state Senate Districts 48 and 49, will likely see new boundaries due to redistricting. Graphic courtesy of Buncombe County change if those district lines shift.

However, census data will not impact Asheville City Council, which voted in October 2019 to reverse a district election system sponsored by Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards.

Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, says that the General Assembly is required by a 2002 state Supreme Court decision to use the Stephenson Criteria.

The guidelines ensure that state legislative districts comply with the “whole county provision” in North Carolina’s constitution. All 100 North Carolina counties are grouped into clusters, consisting of either a single county or a number of adjacent counties, based on population equality in a way that minimizes the number of county splits.

Although Cooper says those criteria are unlikely to significantly change Buncombe’s state House or Board of Commissioners districts, larger shifts could happen in Senate representation.

Buncombe is currently clustered with Henderson and Transylvania counties

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to create Senate Districts 48 and 49.

District 48 holds the eastern third of Buncombe, along with Henderson and Transylvania counties, while District 49 contains Buncombe’s remainder.

Because of the region’s population growth, Cooper says that Stephenson provisions require the General Assembly to create a new grouping for the region, which could have new political implications. Edwards currently represents District 48, while Democrat Julie Mayfield holds District 49.

“Buncombe might be paired with Henderson and Polk, or Buncombe might be paired with Burke and McDowell [counties],” Cooper says.

“That’s going to produce some differences in the state Senate regardless of what the answer is. With that said, there’s no doubt that Burke and McDowell lean more heavily Republican than Henderson and Polk.”

Ashley Moraguez, a political science professor at UNC Asheville, says the most predictable change coming to North Carolina is the addition of a new

representative in the U.S. House — and therefore a new congressional District 14. The addition of a new district, which will most likely be centered in the Triangle region, will also force other districts to shrink, including WNC’s District 11, currently represented by Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn.

Cooper adds that since N.C. 11 grew in population, it would need to downsize anyway. “[General Assembly members] can completely redraw things in some ways that we don’t expect, which is possible.

But if they were to keep the basic shape of the 11th, one option would be to get rid of Avery and Mitchell counties and then slice back a little bit of Rutherford County,” Cooper postulates. “So we’ll see some shifts. We don’t know how big of a shift.”

Unlike state Senate and House districts, congressional lines don’t have to follow the Stephenson rules, Cooper adds. The General Assembly thus has more leeway in drawing those boundaries and splitting counties to do so.

ASHEVILLE-AREA

A FIERY HISTORY

The last time North Carolina embarked on redistricting, following the results of the 2010 census, it became a national example of how wrong the process can go, according to Moraguez.

“The past decade has been particularly controversial, contentious and messy when it comes to redistricting in North Carolina as a whole,” she says. “Our state has essentially been a lesson in what not to do when it comes to redistricting.”

Typically, a state only draws new political maps once a decade. However, North Carolina has had three different sets of districts since 2010 due to litigation around Republican lawmakers’ engagement in gerrymandering. The first set, developed in 2011, was struck down by a federal district court in 2016 as racially discriminatory.

But those lines, which divided Asheville and Buncombe County between Districts 10 and 11, were in place for the 2012 U.S. House elections. By diluting the area’s heavily Democratic vote, Cooper explains, Republican mapmakers all but assured that then-Rep. Heath Shuler, a “Blue Dog” centrist Democrat, couldn’t win his District 11 seat for a fourth term.

Shuler retired rather than seek reelection, paving the way for political unknown Mark Meadows. The Republican won the 2012 general election with 57.4% of the vote against his Democratic challenger, Hayden Rogers. Meadows was reelected three times before leaving Congress to become chief of staff to former President Donald Trump in March 2020.

“I think it’s no exaggeration to say that, whether you call it redistricting or whether you call it gerrymandering, the way the 11th Congressional District was drawn led directly to the rise of Mark Meadows,” Cooper explains.

The General Assembly redrew those maps in 2016, but in 2019, a state court rejected the boundaries as an unconstitutionally partisan gerrymander that favored Republicans. Lawmakers thus developed a third set of maps going into the 2020 election, which recombined Asheville and Buncombe County back into District 11.

Even after that Democratic stronghold was united in the district, however, Cawthorn handily won his election in 2020, taking 54.5% of the vote in a four-way contest with Democrat Moe Davis, Libertarian Tracey DeBruhl and Green Party candidate Tamara Zwinak.

Could Asheville and Buncombe County again be split in a way similar to that in 2010’s map? Kelly Fowler, co-chair of voter services for the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, says that’s unlikely for two reasons.

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME: Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, projects that Western North Carolina will see shifts to its state Senate and U.S. House districts through the redistricting process.

Photo courtesy of Cooper “One, [the General Assembly’s] criteria is to try to keep counties whole to the extent possible,” Fowler explains.

“Two, the state of North Carolina spent almost $11 million over the course of 10 years in litigation based on the 2010 map. I think they know that people are paying much closer attention now.”

Cooper and Moraguez say they agree with that assessment. But given how important district lines are to North Carolina’s balance of power, they predict that more litigation will accompany the resulting maps — whatever the results may be.

the legislative branch; the new maps will require only a simple majority in the House and Senate. “The majority party has a lot of leverage here,” she says.

While no explicit deadlines are in place for congressional redistricting, Fowler notes that the pandemic delayed the release of 2020 census data for several months, meaning that the General Assembly has a much tighter window than usual for completing the new maps ahead of the 2022 election filing deadline in December. Despite that shortened time frame, she says, public participation is crucial to ensuring fair elections — and hopefully fewer lawsuits — over the next decade.

“We have seen North Carolina be one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. Both sides do it. Maryland has been in court because Democrats have gerrymandered. So it is a nonpartisan issue,” Fowler says. “We truly believe that voters should pick their representatives, not the other way around.

Representatives need to be accountable to the people, and extreme partisan or other gerrymandering means that your voice just doesn’t count as much.

And these seats will be in place for 10 years.” X

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ON THE HORIZON

Fowler says that draft maps will most like be released by the General Assembly at the end of September.

Residents can then comment on the drafts in a series of forums to be held throughout the state. WNC’s forum will take place at Western Carolina University on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 5 p.m. in Jackson County, although Fowler says that the League of Women Voters is pushing for forums to take place in each of the existing U.S. House districts. Comments can also be submitted on the legislature’s website.

Ultimately, says Moraguez, state legislators will have the final say, because state law forbids the governor from vetoing the maps. And while Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper controls the executive branch, Republicans lead MOUNTAINX.COM

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NEWS

Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

Class in session COVID relief, free tuition help defray college costs

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com

DS R A W A X

2021

Publishes next week!

ISSUE ONE Sept. 15

Arts & Entertainment • Shopping Personal Services • Professional Services Kids • Health & Wellness • Uniquely Asheville Small Towns

Brevard • Hendersonville, Flat Rock & Mills River Sylva & Cullowhee • Waynesville, Maggie Valley & Canton

ISSUE TWO Sept. 22

Eats • Drinks • Outdoors • Farm, Yard & Garden Work & Business • Media • Pets • Small Towns Swannanoa & Black Mountain • Marshall & Mars Hill Weaverville & Woodfin • Hot Springs • Burnsville

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It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic is causing belts to tighten. But even at the best of times, the cost of a higher education can be out of reach for many. While college costs in Western North Carolina are generally lower than the nationwide average of $35,720 per year, according to EducationData.org, sticker shock can still come alongside the tuition bill.

At private Brevard College, tuition costs $28,400 for the 2021-22 school year. Fees, room and board push the total annual cost to $41,650. And while WNC’s public colleges are less expensive, tuition still isn’t pocket change.

UNC Asheville’s tuition and fees for 2021-22 come to $7,318.50 for in-state residents and $24,666.50 for out-ofstate students, not including housing and meal plan costs.

The effects of the pandemic are adding pressure. Job loss, reduced income, increased medical expenses and technology costs are the main financial hardships students have reported experiencing, Shannon Shepherd, UNCA interim associate director of financial aid, tells Xpress.

Research from the National Student Clearinghouse found that enrollment at two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions dropped 1.9% in North Carolina from fall 2019 to fall 2020.

Higher education institutions in WNC are responding with a variety of programs to defray the costs. Many are related to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III, a component of the federal American Rescue Plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, which provides $39.6 billion to colleges and universities. Other funds have been made available through foundations, the state of North Carolina and federal Pell Grants.

FREE TUITION

Haywood Community College’s Tuition Free Guarantee is in its third year of offering free tuition for two years to high school graduates from Haywood County, explains Michael Coleman, vice president of student services. To qualify, students must have an existing financial need that

FINANCIAL AID: Grants of $750 or more have helped students with the cost of college, says Mars Hill University provost Tracy Parkinson. Photo courtesy of Mars Hill University is not covered by federal aid or scholarships. But the Clyde-based college announced July 22 that it would expand free tuition to all students for 2021-22, citing support from coronavirus relief funds.

Some HCC students have also gotten financial help beyond tuition.

Previous rounds of COVID-19 relief, together totaling more than $614,000, were distributed as grants of up to $900 each. Those funds, which were expended by the end of July, helped students with “emergency costs” related to child care, housing, utilities, health care and food.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Coronavirus relief funding is also allowing A-B Tech in Asheville to help students through a program called Trailblazer Promise. Qualified students enrolled in the fall semester were able to receive $1,500 in grants for tuition and fees on a first-come, first-served basis. (Because applications ended on Sept. 1, the total amount allocated was unavailable as of press time.)

Scholarships paid for with coronavirus relief money are helping A-B Tech even more. The A-B Tech Works Scholarship is available for students whose income has been impacted by COVID-19; the $1,500 or $3,000 scholarships are funded from the $484,000

the school has budgeted for the program in the 2021-22 year. A-B Tech has also budgeted $209,000 for student debt relief based on how much debt each student incurred since the pandemic began, says spokesperson Kerri Glover.

At Mars Hill University, grants of $750 or more are available this fall for eligible students. Tracy Parkinson, the school’s provost, says 888 students of an estimated 1,000-plus student body qualify for some level of relief.

ENROLLMENT DOWN

But not even offers of free tuition or emergency grants can surmount some obstacles facing potential students — at least at HCC, which enrolled about 10% fewer students in 2021 than in 2020. “This is largely due to the pandemic,” confirms Coleman.

However, Coleman continues, prior to the July announcement about free tuition, enrollment was down approximately 25% from 2019. He believes the initiatives had a positive impact. “We have heard stories of individuals who would not have had the opportunity to attend HCC had these financial commitments not been made,” he says.

Coleman continues that HCC doesn’t have data to support any demographic group benefiting more or less than another. “With the information we have gathered, it appears that everyone is really benefiting,” he says. “This is truly a holistic opportunity for all.”

Kortni R. Campbell, UNCA vice chancellor for admission & financial aid, declined to give specifics on how enrollment has been impacted due to coronavirus. But she says COVID-19 relief funding has helped retention.

“We are grateful for the support in helping students move forward in their educational goals,” she adds.

Mars Hill University students are also being helped. In fall 2019, undergraduate enrollment was 1,042; preliminary enrollment numbers for fall 2021 indicate a 6% increase from 2019, Parkinson tells Xpress. “We’ve seen very encouraging numbers of students returning from semester to semester, and we know that these funds are helping make a college degree accessible to them,” he says. “When we have this kind of support for students, we know it can make a difference for them, their families, and their future.” X

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SEPT. 8-14, 2021

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NEWS

Crossing city streets

Is Asheville failing residents with disabilities?

BY BROOKE RANDLE brandle@mountainx.com Suppose you’re trying to cross a busy intersection: Most of us simply approach the crosswalk, push the button and wait until the signal says it’s safe.

Now imagine what it would be like to tackle that same task from a wheelchair. What if the button is just out of reach? Or if there’s not enough space on the sidewalk to maneuver while you wait for the light to change?

Transportation planner and consultant Don Kostelec says such issues are too often a reality for people living with one or more disabilities as they attempt to navigate public spaces that weren’t designed with them in mind.

Kostelec, who served on Asheville’s Multimodal Transportation Commission from 2014-18, says he frequently found himself notifying city officials about sidewalks, curb ramps and other examples of public infrastructure that didn’t comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. And while he now calls Boise, Idaho, home, Kostelec says a recent visit to Asheville revealed new issues with ADA compliance, this time in the just completed River Arts District Transportation Improvement Project. The multiyear, $54.6 million RADTIP connects local businesses, parks and neighborhoods along a series of roads and greenways flanking the French Broad River.

In a 14-minute video he shared with Xpress, the city of Asheville and other state and local leaders, Kostelec highlights issues such as sidewalk width, traffic signal timing and other Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

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LEFT OUT: Transportation planner and consultant Don Kostelec points out that some areas of the RADTIP development do not meet federal accessibility standards. Asheville city staff members say that they are aware of Kostelec’s concerns and are still working with design and inspection consultants to bring the project into compliance with the law. Screen capture courtesy of Kostelec failures to accommodate the needs of people who are vision-impaired, use wheelchairs or walkers, or are otherwise disabled.

“My grandmother is in a wheelchair and would not be able to experience the RADTIP sidewalk and pathway system without having her safety greatly compromised,” Kostelec wrote in a July 22 email to the city of Asheville. “I am saddened that people with disabilities in Asheville and those who visit the city will find their civil rights, freedom and safety compromised with this project.”

To Kostelec, these snafus in a brand-new major infrastructure makeover — and this despite his multiple attempts to draw attention to such problems in the past — underscore a broader pattern of city officials failing to address accessibility concerns for people with disabilities until or unless advocates point them out.

“These same issues that are here now on the city’s most marquee project are things their engineering leadership, the mayor, the city manager had been made aware of for many years, and no real action has been taken,” he maintains. “As much as Asheville talks about diversity and inclusion and it’s so much of their brand, why does this stuff get missed?”

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FALLING SHORT

Capital projects director Jade Dundas says that even though the grand opening of the RADTIP was announced back in April with great fanfare, the city is aware of Kostelec’s concerns and is still working with design and inspection consultants to bring the project into compliance with the law. “There are several construction-related punch list items that still need to be addressed, including but not limited to what Mr. Kostelec observed,” Dundas told Xpress. “We have continuously partnered with the Federal Highway Administration throughout this project, and they are aware of the work that is being done to ensure that the project is ADA-compliant.”

But that catch-up approach doesn’t explain why such lapses keep happening, advocates say. At press time, the city had not responded to multiple requests for comment on those underlying concerns.

Nonetheless, Eva Reynolds of local nonprofit DisAbility Partners says that while she wasn’t aware of Kostelec’s specific concerns, she’s not surprised. In Asheville’s public spaces, Reynolds asserts, inaccessibility is “more common than not.”

Although the ADA prohibits discrimination — meaning cities can be

federally fined or sued in class-action lawsuits if they fail to meet legal accessibility standards — it’s often left to people with disabilities or their advocates to point out where municipalities and private businesses fall short. What Asheville needs, she believes, is for local government to play a more proactive role in ensuring that public spaces are accessible to everyone.

“The letter of the law says you have to have an entranceway that’s 32 inches,” Reynolds points out.

“The spirit of the law is to eliminate barriers that prevent inclusion, and this is where Asheville, I hate to say it, doesn’t do a very good job at all.”

Topography, continues Reynolds, who is herself disabled, is part of the problem. “Let’s face it: We are where we are. But there are a lot of things we could do differently that would help facilitate inclusion of people in the community.”

Brad Stein, the city’s ADA coordinator, says that a planning process known as Close the GAP has begun soliciting input from residents about accessibility concerns as a first step toward updating the existing infrastructure in Asheville’s public spaces. Various departments, he says, are involved in the effort to develop an ADA transition plan for the city’s greenways and pedestrian areas.

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“There are a lot of things we could do differently that would help facilitate inclusion.”

— Eva Reynolds, DisAbility Partners “We’re engaging many community stakeholders to seek perspective,” Stein explains. “As a municipality, the city takes pride in delivering core services and ensuring that individuals across the city can access and benefit from city programs, services and facilities.”

INVISIBLE IN PLAIN SIGHT

For local artist Priya Ray, who is paralyzed from the waist down due to a 1999 spinal cord injury, ensuring accessibility goes beyond the nuts and bolts of infrastructure compliance: Ultimately, she believes, it’s a question of culture, and the facts appear to back her up. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 4 American adults live with at least one disability, making them the nation’s largest marginalized group. Yet they’re often excluded from conversations concerning diversity, equity and inclusion, and they frequently face prejudice, inequality and lack of access despite the 31-year-old federal law.

“The ADA is so young compared to the struggles for equal rights for people of color or the LGBTQ community or women,” Ray points out.

“These three movements have been around for a really long time and

MAKING MOVES: Asheville artist and musician Priya Ray, who has been disabled since 1999, says that she wants to encourage a sense of community among disabled residents and their advocates with her new online group, DIYabled. Photo courtesy of Ray

have progressed a lot further, in my opinion, than disability rights have.”

That said, she’s well aware that until an individual or a friend or family member has a disability, it can be hard for them to recognize the extent of the problems. “It wasn’t until I became disabled that I was like, ‘Oh, my God, there’s this whole community of people that are really being left out, and it’s wrong!’”

The way Ray sees it, a key component of disabled people’s push for equity and inclusion must be building a sense of community and mutual support. To that end, she created DIYabled — a Facebook group aimed at helping disabled folks and their advocates connect and at changing the way the broader population views them. Eventually, she hopes to develop the group into a nonprofit that would educate business owners and other community members about the importance of accessibility, while facilitating a sense of empathy and understanding.

“When you tell someone you’re disabled, they’re immediately like, ‘Oh no, I’m sorry.’ There’s this negative connotation to it,” Ray observes. But thanks to advances in technology, “Today, even more so than ever before, disabled people can be — and need to be — a part of our community.”

Reynolds, who heads up DisAbility Partners’ Asheville office, points out that being disabled can overlap with other marginalized identities. “Not only can you be a wheelchair user, but you could be a Black woman in a wheelchair.” In that case, she notes, “You have three layers of intersectionality.” The nonprofit, which also has an office in Sylva, is a federally recognized Center for Independent Living under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Disability cuts across every demographic group: People of all genders, races, economic levels, sexualities, ages and more are affected when those rights aren’t protected. At the end of the day, she says, disability rights are civil rights.

In the U.S., continues Reynolds, “People with disabilities have a very powerful and long history of civil rights. Being able to participate in society without having to face barriers, whether they’re physical or other kinds, is a fundamental right.” X

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GREEN ROUNDUP

Ecusta Trail land purchase complete One of the longest greenway projects planned for Western North Carolina has now acquired all of the land along its 19-mile route. On Aug. 12, a subsidiary of nonprofit Conserving Carolina completed the $7.8 million purchase of the currently unused Ecusta rail line between Hendersonville and Brevard from the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad.

The nonprofit Friends of the Ecusta Trail had pushed for the greenway since 2009, but efforts intensified in 2019 after the N.C. Department of Transportation awarded a $6.4 million grant to the project. The remainder of the purchase funding came from the tourism development authorities of Henderson and Transylvania counties, as well as the Community Foundation of WNC. “Trails and greenways are no longer viewed as just community amenities; they are essential infrastructure for quality of life, for economic development in our community and for creating a tourism destination,” said Bill Lapsley, chair of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners, in a press release announcing the purchase.

Local governments and nonprofits believe the greenway will serve as a regional draw for outdoor recreation similar to the Virginia Creeper Trail in southwestern Virginia and the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, S.C. Construction on the trail, anticipated to cost $31.1 million, has yet to begin. Conserving Carolina estimates that, while much of the cost will be covered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately $6.5 million in local matching funds must be raised to access federal resources. More information about the project and an option to donate to the effort are available at ConservingCarolina.org/Ecusta.

Fred’s fallout

• The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Pisgah Forest is closed to the public, with all classes suspended until further notice. The facility suffered extensive water damage due to flooding from Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 17; the neighboring Bobby N. Setzer Fish Hatchery, also operated by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, lost hundreds of thousands of trout and remains closed to the public as well.

• The Community Foundation of WNC distributed $107,500 in grants for emergency flood relief, with awards including $75,000 to The Community Kitchen in Canton, $10,000 to the 14

SEPT. 8-14, 2021

NATURAL BEAUTY: Clockwise from top left, works by Annie Mariano, Eli Blasko, Roger Martin and David Boyajian earned honors at The N.C. Arboretum’s Wild Art outdoor sculpture showcase. Photo courtesy of The N.C. Arboretum 30th Judicial District Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Alliance and $10,000 to the American Red Cross. Donations to the nonprofit’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund may be made at avl.mx/add; organizations may apply for grants on a rolling basis at avl.mx/ade.

• The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is offering free crop testing to farmers whose fields were contaminated by flooding during Tropical Storm Fred. The federal Food and Drug Administration prohibits such crops from being sold for human food, and testing is required before they can be used as animal feed. More information is available through each county’s cooperative extension agents, listed at ces.ncsu.edu.

• Buncombe County has established a dedicated phone line for residents to report flood damage and be connected with resources and information.

The emergency call center is available at 828-844-5455 Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., with an after-hours voicemail option.

Community kudos • The city of Asheville’s North Fork Dam improvement project, completed in November, earned the Rehabilitation Project of the Year Award from the national Association of State Dam Safety Officials. The work, which included raising the dam 4 feet and constructing a new, auxiliary spillway, helped prepare the structure to handle big rain

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events that the N.C. Climate Science Report notes are becoming increasingly common due to climate change.

Leslie Carreiro, the city’s water quality division manager, confirmed that the dam “operated as designed” during Tropical Storm Fred and did not release water from its auxiliary spillway.

• The N.C. Arboretum announced the winners of the juried awards for its Wild Art outdoor sculpture show, on display through Sunday, Sept. 26. Annie Mariano earned first place for “Stillness Meets Trajectory,” a welded metal rendering of a great blue heron, while Eli Blasko, David Boyajian and Roger Martin took second, third and honorable mention prizes, respectively.

• On Aug. 26, Asheville Catholic School opened a $3.9 million expansion that will accommodate over 200 rooftop solar panels, providing renewable energy for the entire campus.

Patricia Guilfoyle, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Charlotte, notes that the diocese continues to adopt environmentally friendly building practices in response to “Laudato si’,” Pope Francis’ 2015 call to care for the Earth and mitigate climate change.

• The Community Foundation of WNC awarded a grant of nearly $50,000 to Local Cloth, an Asheville-based nonprofit working to grow the regional fiber economy. The money will help link farmers, processors, dyers and weavers to develop a locally sourced blanket, sales of which will be reinvested in the project.

Get outside

• To celebrate the 44th birthday of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is sponsoring a 44 Mile Challenge. Anyone who walks or hikes at least 44 miles on the trail during September will be eligible to win a prize pack from outdoor retailer REI. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/adg.

• The West Asheville Garden Stroll returns Saturday, Sept. 11, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Residents of the Vermont Avenue neighborhood will show off their yards, including permaculture designs, pollinator gardens and certified wildlife habitats. More information is available at WestAshevilleGardens.com or by texting Chas Jansen at 828-768-1449.

• Conserving Carolina opens its fall hiking series on Friday, Sept. 24, with a 6-mile loop hike near Lake Powhatan in Bent Creek. Four other hikes are scheduled throughout WNC on Fridays through Nov. 19. More information and registration are available at ConservingCarolina.org/ Calendar or by emailing Pam Torlina at Pam@ConservingCarolina.org.

Save the date

• The Creation Care Alliance, the faith-based arm of local environmental nonprofit MountainTrue, offers a weekly Eco-Grief Circle via Zoom each Wednesday at noon from Sept. 22 to Nov. 3. Led by counselors, pastors and environmental advocates, the group aims to explore “grief and sorrow, anxiety and fear, guilt and shame, anger and despair” around the current ecological moment. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/adb.

The Rooted in the Mountains • Symposium returns to Western Carolina University ThursdayFriday, Sept. 23-24. The theme of this year’s event is “Seeding Sovereignty: Sustainable Agriculture, Sustaining Culture and Health”; the keynote speaker will be Clint Carroll, a member of the Cherokee Nation and professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

More information and registration are available at avl.mx/adc.

• The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Flat Rock hosts a Blessing of the Animals at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 3. The event is tied to the annual feast day of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and ecology, on Oct. 4.

— Daniel Walton X

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Buncombe awards $9.3M in pandemic recovery grants More than five months after Buncombe County learned of a nearly $51 million federal allocation for COVID-19 relief, the money is on its way to the community.

During a special Aug. 31 meeting, the county Board of Commissioners unanimously approved over $9.3 million in grants from the funding pool established by the American Rescue Plan Act. The largest single grant of $4 million will support broadband infrastructure expansion in unserved areas of the county. Brownie Newman, the board’s chair, said that investment would leverage an additional $6 million from the state of North Carolina and private broadband providers.

Other allocations include $1 million for the county’s COVID-19 public health response, $500,000 toward small-business grants through the One Buncombe Fund, nearly $420,000 to the Verner Center for Early Learning for high-quality child care and $200,000 to the nonprofit Center for Agricultural and Food Entrepreneurship. Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina will receive an additional $1 million toward the renovation of a Tunnel Road hotel to provide permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness; on Aug. 3, the commissioners awarded $2 million, also from ARPA funds, to help the nonprofit purchase the property.

Also included is $1.04 million for one-time bonuses to Buncombe staff, including public health and emergency medical services workers, who faced a higher risk of COVID-19 exposure during the first year of the pandemic due to their interaction with the public.

Commissioner Parker Sloan said the money was well deserved given the tireless work of county employees to protect and serve residents.

“The easiest decision I’ll make all year is supporting premium pay for our folks that helped in this effort,” he said.

The commissioners did not set a timeline for awarding the approximately $39.4 million in remaining funds, but Newman noted that the board planned to seek additional public input before making more decisions. He said support for small-business, minority entrepreneurs and affordable housing would be key priorities in assigning the money.

MAKING CONNECTIONS: Buncombe County’s largest grant yet from its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds will support broadband infrastructure expansion. Photo by Pat Barcas COUNTY APPROVES $500K FOR EMERGENCY STORM RESPONSE While Haywood County saw WNC’s worst damage from Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 17, Buncombe did not escape unscathed. According to Van Taylor Jones, the county’s director of emergency services, residents made 201 reports of road damage, 147 of bridge damage and 107 reports of structure damage — with over 30 representing the complete loss of a building. He said Barnardsville and Candler were the two communities

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hardest hit by the storm, although impacts were observed throughout the county.

County Planning Director Nathan Pennington requested $500,000 to immediately address the most critical safety issues, including neighborhood access routes that had been washed away and remaining debris that could cause further flooding on waterways such as Cane Creek and Pole Creek. Commissioners unanimously approved the funding in anticipation of reimbursement from state or federal disaster relief.

Jones thanked the commissioners for their continued support of emergency responders but emphasized that more resources would be needed in the coming years due to the impacts of climate change. “There’s a new era of what we’re facing, not just in Buncombe, but all over the United States: this whole global warming issue,” he said. “Wildfires increasing, ice storms, severe weather like we saw in Texas last year. … Because we have these vulnerabilities, our preparedness and readiness level is very important.”

— Daniel Walton X

The Problem of Alzheimer’s

September 24, 2021 | 2:00–3:30pm Online event via Zoom To register: memorycare.org/9-24-21 A discussion with Dr. Jason Karlawish, internationally recognized speaker and author of “The Problem of Alzheimer’s,” as interviewed

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The SECU Center for MemoryCare 100 Far Horizons Lane, Asheville, NC 28803 828-771-2219

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BUNCOMBE BEAT

Citizen guide to land development coming in January Residents wanting more of a say in Asheville and Buncombe County’s development process may benefit this coming January from a new Mountain Xpress guide to local government decision-making.

“With hotels proliferating in downtown Asheville, infill construction booming in neighborhoods like Oakley and West Asheville and bulldozers grading soil for new homes and businesses in rural Buncombe County — we can see daily the impacts of development on the way Western North Carolinians live,” says Xpress Publisher Jeff Fobes. “Helping readers better understand how they can have a say in the region’s development seemed like a natural fit with the paper’s goals.”

The project is being undertaken as part of the paper’s mission to build community and strengthen democracy at the local level.

The idea recently received a major boost from the American Press Institute. As part of the Local News Ideas-to-Action Series, the Virginiabased national media nonprofit awarded Xpress a $9,300 grant to create a guide to local government decision-making for land development. Out of 74 applicants, 10 media organizations from across the U.S. received funding, including New Hampshire Public Radio, The Coloradoan in Fort Collins, Colo., and the Washington City Paper.

Similar to Xpress’ award-winning 2020 voter guide, the new guide will help residents navigate the sometimes daunting procedures and players of local government so they can better participate in the process. The guide will cover the many stages of review that different types of development projects face on their way from concept to final approval, what aspects

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DEVELOPING SITUATION: As projects such as the proposed mixed-use development at 101 Charlotte St. continue to reshape Western North Carolina, Mountain Xpress is developing a guide to help residents participate in local government decision-making. Photo by Cindy Kunst are considered at each step and what avenues exist for public input.

Xpress will distribute the document as an insert in one of the paper’s January issues, as well as partner with local institutions such as libraries and nonprofits to make it available throughout the year.

Readers are being invited to share their thoughts on how a development guide could best inform their efforts.

An online survey is currently accessible through Wednesday, Sept. 22, at

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avl.mx/ad1. Responses will shape the content and design of the publication, which will be developed in October and November.

“To create the most useful guide we can, we want to learn what challenges people face in making their voices heard, what frustrations they most often feel and what tools they think will give them the best chance at improving development projects,” explains Assistant Editor Daniel Walton, who is heading up the project.

In addition to the survey, three online conversations about the project are scheduled via Zoom for 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 13 (avl.mx/acy); 1 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 16 (avl.mx/acz); and 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 (avl.mx/ad0).

Advance registration is requested, but drop-in attendance is also welcomed.

Comments can also be sent directly to Walton at DWalton@MountainX. com or 828-251-1333 ext. 138.

— Xpress staff X

FEA T U RE S

Q&A with Craig LeHoullier, tomato expert Craig LeHoullier is consumed by tomatoes.

He has written two books about growing them: Epic Tomatoes and Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales: Easy Planting, Less Weeding, Early Harvests. He lectures about tomatoes at gardening conferences. He has been the Seed Savers Exchange tomato adviser for 30 years. He and his wife, Sue Angus-LeHoullier, founded Tomatopalooza, a tasting event in Raleigh. For 15 years, he has co-led a project to grow dwarf tomatoes. He writes a gardening blog on his website. And he taught a webinar with fellow gardener Joe Lamp’l about how to grow epic tomatoes.

But he wasn’t always known as “NC Tomato Man.” LeHoullier earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth and spent 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Although he has always been a gardener and tomato lover, his obsession is flourishing now. His retirement is devoted to organizing seeds, researching heirloom tomato history and planning, planting and tending his backyard garden in Hendersonville.

It should come at no surprise that this summer, LeHoullier grew 105 types of tomatoes. At its peak, his garden harvested 75 pounds of tomatoes a day for 30 days.

As tomato season was winding down, LeHoullier spoke with Xpress about how he fell in love with gardening, how he named the most famous of all heirloom tomatoes and his recipe for the ideal tomato sandwich.

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

When did your love of gardening begin?

Since I was 3 or 4, I loved being in the gardens my father and grandfather planted in New Hampshire, where I was raised. When Sue and I married in 1981, we planted our first garden on land a local farmer allocated for graduate students.

The joy of harvesting from your own garden and then cooking and eating it is pretty addictive.

How did you become so passionate about tomatoes?

When we moved to Pennsylvania in 1986 for my first job, I did a lot of my early research and development of tomato varieties. In my book Epic Tomatoes is an appendix of a threeyear project comparing hybrids to heirlooms. It took a very short

amount of time to convince myself there was no need for gardeners to limit themselves to hybrids. The heirlooms are where the real interest is — the diversity of colors and flavors.

What’s the difference between a hybrid tomato and an heirloom tomato?

A hybrid is a variety that has to be created in some company’s greenhouse somewhere with a physical act of taking pollen from the male donor of the new variety and apply it to the flowers in the female. After that pollination, those are the seeds that end up in seed packets in garden stores and online. If you want to keep growing a particular hybrid like Big Boy or Sun Gold, you have to go back to the company and buy the seeds every year.

An heirloom, through years of growing, is genetically stable.

Heirlooms are the ones seed savers focus on and seed libraries have that can be passed on. If someone grows Cherokee Purple and saves seeds from it the next year, they will get Cherokee Purple again.

What’s the story behind your naming the Cherokee Purple tomato?

John Green from Sevierville, Tenn., sent me a packet of seeds and a letter that said, “Here is a purple tomato that originated with the Cherokee Indians over 100 years ago. I hope you like it.” In a further phone call, I found out he got it from a woman named Jean Greenlee, who lived in Rutledge, Tenn., who got it from her grandfather, who got it from the Cherokee tribe in the 1800s. In 1990, I slapped a name on it I thought was appropriate and sent it to the right seed company [Southern Exposure Seed Exchange] that started selling it.

And the rest is tomato history. For me, the Cherokee Purple story is so illustrative of how fragile any living thing is. If someone drops the ball along the way it can go extinct.

How do you organize your seeds and plan your garden?

I have samples of every seed I have ever received and save seeds from what I grow every year in glass or plastic bottles and coin envelopes. I also have seeds for the Dwarf Tomato Project, labeled 1 to 7,000-something in vials. All the descriptions are in Excel spreadsheets.

THE JOY OF TOMATOES: Craig LeHoullier, aka “NC Tomato Man,” holds an heirloom variety called Hugh’s he grew from seeds sent from Indiana in 1988. Photo by Kip Dawkins It takes weeks for me to figure out what I want to grow. But each garden has a section of our favorites to eat, a section of the Dwarf Tomato Project and a section of new things people send me. Four people last year sent me seeds that were in their families for generations — Bing, Fultz, Earl and Aunt Gladys.

We grow in straw bales or containers. I love growing on top because I can control disease better and have easy access. This summer was the best tomato garden I have had in my 40 years.

Can you share some tips to a successful garden?

It’s almost like as a tomato grower, the natural world conspires against you, so you have to be clever and persistent. Gardeners really need to watch their watering, especially if they are dealing with a lot of heat. People are afraid of overwatering but should be much more afraid of underwatering, because that’s where problems occur. If you

have good draining soil, if you grow in containers, straw bales or raised beds, you literally cannot overwater your tomatoes. People plant these big gardens but don’t have time for them and wonder why they’re not successful. Gardening is one of those things where you get repaid what you put into it.

Of all the tomatoes you have grown and tasted, do you have favorites?

I was on Lynne Rossetto Kasper’s radio show “Splendid Table” when my first book came out, and she asked if I could only take three tomatoes to a desert island, which three would I take?

I said Sun Gold, the little orange cherry tomato that to me tastes like a little burst of heaven; the Cherokee Purple, because I love the flavor and the story behind it; and the third is Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, a bright yellow tomato a fellow sent me that he got it from an elderly lady in Manchester, Tenn., named Lillian Bruce.

You said you picked 75 pounds of tomatoes a day for 30 days — that’s 2,250 pounds of tomatoes!

What do you do with them all?

We have canned 63 quarts of tomatoes, 30 pints of sauce and put lots of things in the freezer.

We eat fresh tomatoes all through the season, and when the last one is picked, that’s it. We don’t eat another fresh one until next year’s first. We have a favorite gazpacho recipe in my book, and we make caprese salad. We make and can cherry tomato pesto. One of the easiest ways to make sauce is fill two huge roasting pans with as many chopped tomatoes as will fit, one diced sweet onion, one diced sweet pepper, a little olive oil, salt and pepper, stick it in a 300 degree oven for six hours and stir every so often.

You get sauce with a concentrated tomato flavor to can or freeze.

The simple tomato sandwich with mayonnaise, salt and pepper on white bread is a summer staple.

Regional battles are waged over the best mayonnaise. Where do you stand?

I don’t like mayonnaise. My favorite tomato sandwich is good quality crusty bread, butter one side of two slices, put a huge slab of my favorite tomato that day with a slice of really sharp cheddar cheese and just grill it until the cheese melts and it’s really gooey. The tomato essentially melts into the cheese. But you need that good, crusty bread to provide the crunch contrast. It’s just delicious.

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— Kay West X SEPT. 8-14, 2021

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR SEPT. 8 - 16, 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 Soul Stretch Yoga w/ Anisha Fraser FR (9/10), 3pm, $15, Pisgah Brewing Company, 150 East Side Drive, Black Mountain Yoga in the Park Outdoor yoga group meets every Saturday and Sunday.

SA (9/11), SU (9/12), 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 (9/13), 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 (9/14), 2pm, Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Rd

ART Art of Emil Holzhauer A selection of work by noted German-American artist and one-time Asheville resident.

WE (9/8, 15), TH (9/9, 16), FR (9/10), SA (9/11), MO (9/13), TU (9/14), 12pm, BlackBird Frame & Art, 365 Merrimon Ave

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Olympics-themed Art Exhibitions Three exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s Collection in conjunction with the 2021 Summer Olympics.

WE (9/8, 15), TH (9/9, 16), FR (9/10), SA (9/11), SU (9/12), MO (9/13), 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Coco Villa’s How to Turn Poison Into a Meal A multisensory exploration into family history and the body as archive, told through video, movement, installation, textiles and participatory installation.

TH (9/9, 16), FR (9/10), SA (9/11), MO (9/13), TU (9/14), WE (9/15), 10am, Elizabeth Holden Gallery, 701 Warren Wilson Rd, Swannanoa Unearthing Our Forgotten Past Exhibit exploring the Spanish occupation of Fort San Juan and the native people who lived in the Joara area. Sponsored by the Western NC Historical Association.

TH (9/9), FR (9/10), SA (9/11),10:30am, Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Rd 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

SEPT. 8-14, 2021

Artificial/Art Official Solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by contemporary artist James Love.

FR (9/10), SA (9/11), 11am, Pink Dog Creative, 348 Depot St World's Best Tape Artist- Ninja Art w/ Stephen L Lange Demonstration of pixellism.

SA (9/11), 8am, Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St Contemporary Americana Painting w/Philip DeAngelo Demonstration by acrylic painter.

SA (9/11), 11am, The Wedge Studios, 129 Roberts St Fiber Art Demonstration w/Paige Houghton Artist will work on pieces created from loose, natural fibers, such as wool and mohair.

SA (9/11), 11:30am, 2nd Paige Studio, Trackside, 375 Depot St Collage Make & Take w/Bridget Benton Artist will demonstrate and let visitors create their own collages.

SA (9/11), 12pm, 310 ART, 191 Lyman St, #310 Dimensional Landscape Painting Demo and New Works Show Cindy Lou Chenard will demonstrate dimensional landscapes using unique technique of painting and assembling thin layers of wood.

SA (9/11), 1pm, 362 Depot Gallery, 362 Depot St Matter of Time exhibition opening Exhibition of award-winning fine art photographer Steve Fulghum’s work.

SA (9/11), 1pm, Trackside Studios, 375 Depot St

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GARDEN PARTY: The annual West Asheville Garden Stroll kicks off at the West Asheville Park picnic shelter Saturday, Sept. 11, at 10:30 a.m. Participants will see a mix of older, established gardens and newer ones, with such features as slopes and fencing, patios and pergolas, water features and wildlife habitats. Pictured is the Purple Cottage Garden on Brevard Road. Photo by Sarah Rubin ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS Midweek Market Weekly vintage arts and crafts market.

WE (9/8, 15), 4pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd 49th Annual Village Art & Craft Fair Outdoors, rain or shine. Over 80 vendors plus concessions.

SA (9/11), 10am, Free, All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St

COMMUNITY MUSIC Heroes Among Us A concert honoring first responders and essential workers, performed by the Blue Ridge Orchestra.

SA (9/11), 7:30pm, $5-20, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave Masters of Soul Selection of hits from Gladys Knight and The Pips, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Four Tops, Diana Ross and

others.

TH (9/16), 7pm, $20 $50, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD 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 by Jennifer Dasal

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 w/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

Shawn Sarles presents Mary, Will I Die?, in conversation w/Grady Hendrix The authors discuss the book by Sarles.

Hosted by Malaprop's.

FR (9/10), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/ace Swannanoa Valley Museum Book Club: The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell A discussion of Cornwell's thriller, which takes place in Black Mountain. Those who RSVP will receive the Zoom link ahead of time.

MO (9/13), 11:30am , avl.mx/acm Mystery Book Club Discussion of Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. Monthly event sponsored by Malaprop's.

MO (9/13), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/acg Amy Cherrix Launches Animal Architects in conversation w/Stacy McAnulty The authors discuss Cherrix's new book.

Sponsored by Malaprop's.

TU (9/14), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/ach Leigh Cowart Launches Hurts So Good Sponsored by Malaprop's.

WE (9/15), 6pm, Registration required avl.mx/aci Andrew Aydin and L. Fury present RUN: Book One The authors discuss their new book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

TH (9/16), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/acj Notorious HBC (History Book Club) Discussion of A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 by Alistair Horne. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

TH (9/16), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/9s9 Reader Meet Writer w/Margaret Renkl Discussion of Renkl's book Graceland, At Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South.

Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required.

TH (9/16), 7pm, avl.mx/ack

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

TH (9/9), FR (9/10),

SA (9/11), 7:30pm, SU (9/12), 2pm, $14-34, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

(9/10), 5:30pm, Free$13, NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way

Park picnic shelter.

SA (9/11), 11am, West Asheville Park, 11 Vermont Ave

Blippi The Musical Show featuring popular children's entertainer Stevin John.

FR (9/10), 6pm, $26-$66, Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St

Fall plant sale Two-day sale features natives, perennials, trees and flowering shrubs.

FR (9/10), 9am, Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville

Costume Drama: A Fashion Show Tenth anniversary, featuring local designers who create costumes from unconventional materials. Presented

by Asheville Community Theatre.

FR (9/10), 7:30pm, $25, avl.mx/adh

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 (9/10), 2:30pm, $20, The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave

Annual 9/11 Memorial Held in front of the fire station to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

SA (9/11), 5pm, Clyde Volunteer Fire Department, 8531 Carolina Blvd, Clyde

The Magnetic Theatre presents The Sparrow and the Whippoorwill: A Bluegrass Musical Bluegrass musical written by local playwright and musician Tom Godleski.

FR (9/10), SA (9/11), TH (9/16), 7:30pm.

SU (9/12), 4pm, The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St Pericles by William Shakespeake A Montford Park Players Production.

FR (9/10), SA (9/11), SU (9/12), 7:30pm, Free, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park Outdoor variety show every Tuesday throughout the summer. Bring your own chair.

TU (9/14), 7pm, $15-20, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change A musical revue celebrating the mating game, with eight cast members playing around 60 different characters.

TH (9/16), 7:30pm, $25, Tryon Little Theater, 516 S. Trade St, Tryon

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Introduction to Medicare The class will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties and ways to save money. Class held via Zoom.

TH (9/9), 2pm, avl.mx/a6x Arbor Evenings Stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens and experience the Wild Art outdoor sculpture showcase as live music plays.

TH (9/9, 16), FR

Black Mountain Fall Garden Sale Featuring trees, shrubs, native plants, perennials and ornamental grasses.

FR (9/10), 3pm, Free, Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St, Black Mountain Fridays at the Folk Art Center: A History of Appalachian Music A Parkway ranger leads an evening of cultural and song study following the history of Appalachian Folk Music.

FR (9/10), 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 (9/11), 8am, Jackson Park, 801 Glover St, Hendersonville Botanical Gardens at Asheville Fall Plant Sale Six local vendors offer native trees, shrubs and flowers.

SA (9/11), 9am, Botanical Gardens at Asheville, 151 W T Weaver Blvd WNCHA Outdoor Experiences: Paddle the French Broad The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) and Montreat College lead a guided paddle tour on the historic French Broad River.

SA (9/11), 9:45am, Amboy Road River Park, 180 Amboy Rd Weaverville 9/11 Ceremony The town of Weaverville's annual observance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Fr. Orion Davis will be the guest speaker.

SA (9/11), 11am, Lake Louise Park, Doan Rd, Weaverville West Asheville Garden Stroll Featuring a mix of older established gardens and newer gardens in West Asheville. Tour starts at the West Asheville

Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional Virtual gathering with readings, music, prayers and conversation. A Zoom link will be sent to those who register.

SU (9/12), 10am, avl.mx/a4t Better Together Discussion Group Group's goal is "to empower a racial awakening through building relationships and deepening our understanding of our true connection."

Meets second and fourth Sunday of every month.

SU (9/12), 12:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way Social Contract Bridge Group For more info, contact Stefano 727-481-8103.

MO (9/13), 12:30pm, Free, Senior Opportunity Center, 36 Grove St

FOOD & BEER RAD Farmers Market Weekly market.

WE (9/8, 15), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Jus' Runnin' Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome.

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

TH (9/9, 16), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville Clawhammer Beer Dinner With Buxton Halls chefs. 21+ TH (9/9), 6pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200 Hendersonville Farmers Market Weekly farmers market.

SA (9/11), 8am, Historic Hendersonville Train Depot, 650 Maple St Grape Stomp Chance to stomp freshly picked grapes from the vineyards,

plus winery tours, guided tastings, live music and more.

SA (9/11), 12pm, Burntshirt Vineyards, 2695 Sugarloaf Rd, Hendersonville Jackson Arts Market Weekly event every Saturday through Dec. 18.

SA (9/11), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva Meadow Market A rotation of local bakers, makers and artisans.

SU (9/12), 12pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200 Introduction to Mead Making w/Marissa Percoco - a Firefly Gathering event Participants will learn about mixing honey with local fruit, flowers, roots and herbs to create mead.

SU (9/12), 2pm, $20-$65, Place TBA to registrants, Barnardsville Les-ter Farmers Market Weekly market.

WE (9/15), 3:30pm, Leicester Community Center, 711 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

Blair Mountain: America’s Largest Labor Uprising A lecture about the Battle of Blair Mountain, which took place 100 years ago. All registrants will receive a Zoom link.

MO (9/13), 6:30pm, $8-12, avl.mx/acn Hatch Homecoming & Pitch Party An evening of networking for entrepreneurs. The pitch session is open to anyone who would like to give a 1-minute pitch. Outdoors.

TU (9/14), 6pm, Free, Registration required, HatchWorks, 45 S. French Broad Ave Painting & Pints Attendees will be guided step-by-step on how to paint.

Presented by Asheville Wine & Design. Arrive 15 minutes early to sign in.

TU (9/14), 6:30pm, $37, Catawba Brewing South Slope, 32 Banks Ave, Suite 105 Baha’i Devotional: The Unity of Humanity Prayers, music and more. A Zoom link will be sent.

WE (9/15), 7pm, Free, Registraion required, avl.mx/acq

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SEPT. 8-14, 2021

19

WELLNESS

Mending hearts

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Losing a loved one is one of the few truly universal life experiences.

Despite its universality, however, grieving can feel totally unpredictable — and totally isolating.

Some bereaved people might already have mental health care providers or be able to rely on community resources like a school counseling office. But for many others, finding help means conducting a deep dive on Google or sifting through provider listings in Psychology Today, all while enduring the throes of grief.

That scenario, says Katherine Hyde Hensley, a psychotherapist and perinatal loss doula in Asheville, is “a nightmare for the grieving person to try to find help.”

Compounding those difficulties in recent months has been the coronavirus, which has caused 347 deaths in Buncombe County as of Sept. 2, according to N.C. Department of

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COVID-19 has upended the grieving process in ways society may not yet comprehend, suggests Brett McVey. “The pandemic has increased many people’s sense of isolation, fracturing support systems and disrupting collective grief rituals like funerals,” says McVey, a bereavement counselor for CarePartners Hospice. “Some bereaved clients have experienced a profound sense of alienation when their grief is not acknowledged. While grief is universally painful, the pandemic has made it significantly more difficult for many.”

Measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 have also prevented people from being able to spend time with loved ones near the end of life and, in some cases, from being able to say goodbye.

“Some people find great comfort in being present when the person dies, and that has not always been able to happen,” says Dan Yearick, grief services team leader at Four Seasons — The Care You Trust, a hospice serving 13 counties in Western North Carolina. He says the hospice staff have witnessed anger and “a greater sense of disbelief” surrounding coronavirus deaths.

Numerous resources, both individual counseling and group support, exist throughout Western North Carolina. Though the coro-

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STAGES OF GRIEF: Katherine Hyde Hensley, a perinatal loss doula and psychotherapist, says society often puts pressure on the bereaved to move on while in the early stages of grief. Photo courtesy of Hensley navirus has led to many providers transitioning their services online, they still support the grieving as compassionately as possible. While many services require payment or health insurance, others are available at no cost.

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Disbelief, fear, guilt, anger and sadness are symptoms of grief, which present as the bereaved is “adjusting to life without the person that’s been in their life before,” says Yearick. If a death was tragic in nature, the bereaved may “have symptoms of trauma, difficulty sleeping and fears that they never had before,” he says.

Grief can present differently in children. “Sometimes they revert to behaviors such as bedwetting or thumbsucking,” Yearick explains.

Children’s emotions may be different as well; death can bring confusion, as well as difficulty articulating feelings like anger.

For many people, even acknowledging a struggle with grief can be hard. “There’s stigma around saying, ‘I need help; someone died, and I’m not doing so well,’” Hensley says.

They might fear appearing weak or mentally unstable. It doesn’t help, she continues, that society often puts pressure on the bereaved to move on in the early stages of grief, when many are still in shock.

In some cases, Hensley notes, grief can evolve into complex bereavement, also called persistent complex bereavement disorder. The condition refers to prolonged emotional suffering, lasting for at least six months, that becomes debilitating to a person’s life. (Although the American Psychiatric Association has not officially recognized the disorder, the group lists it as a “condition for further study.”)

“You’re irritable, you’re crying, you’re not functioning in your dayto-day life skills, you’re ruminating over thoughts or longing for the person,” Hensley explains. She calls the condition “basically being stuck.”

SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITIES

Individual grief support can come from private practices, as well as school systems and community outreach centers. People with Medicaid coverage can seek services through Vaya Health, a managed care organization that serves 22 counties in WNC. Compass, a program at Four Seasons, works with children and teens to develop strategies to cope with grief.

But working one-on-one with a mental health care provider isn’t the only way to find help with grieving.

Grief support groups in Asheville

ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE YOUTH GROUP MOVIE NIGHT offer communities for sibling loss and pet loss, substance-related passing and perinatal loss, among others.

Most support groups at Four Seasons aren’t targeted to a specific type of loss; someone who lost a parent may sit side by side with someone who lost a best friend. The hospice also provides some specialized support groups. A pet loss support group meets the first Wednesday of every month, while on Thursday, Oct. 28, a Widow’s Breakfast Club takes place at the Dandelion Restaurant in Hendersonville. (Donations allow the hospice to provide grief support services at no cost to anyone in their coverage area.)

Some support services are affiliated with medical providers. Mission Health offers bereavement support in Buncombe, Macon, McDowell and Transylvania counties through its CarePartners HomeCare & Hospice. Although some services have been paused in response to COVID-19, JC Luckey Sadler, a Mission spokesperson, says, “Each local office has been making some services available.”

Mission Health also offers “perinatal navigator support for high-risk pregnancies and partners with a licensed clinical social worker who refers clients to external local agencies, based on the needs and location of the patient,” says Phillip Fritts, a spokesperson for CarePartners.

Until 2014, the system also offered a perinatal support group called A Love Not Forgotten, he says.

Hensley, who lost a child during pregnancy in 2005, says she has

benefited greatly from grieving with other bereaved parents. In her own practice working with perinatal loss, her clients feel validation and normalization from seeing others’ experiences similar to their own.

She works with clients on deciding how to describe their family after an infant loss, as well as learning what she calls “exit strategies” for baby showers or holidays.

Grief support services also exist for people whose loved ones are still alive. The nonprofit MountainCare is considering offering grief support groups for loved ones of those experiencing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“There’s a lot of grief in that slow loss,” says Executive Director Elizabeth Williams. (MountainCare paused its four grief support groups at the start of the pandemic; Williams says the nonprofit is looking to restart those groups in 2022.)

Support groups, whether paid or at no cost, can be a complement to individual counseling. Hensley offers sliding scale fees in her practice for clients with high health insurance deductibles, no insurance or Medicaid coverage.

There is no straight path through grief. But the healing journey does not have to happen alone. In fact, experts say it shouldn’t.

“One of the most effective ways of dealing with grief is being able to share experiences with people who have had similar experiences,” says Yearick. X

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21

ARTS & CULTURE

Busk ’til dawn

Street performers contemplate their future in Asheville

BY CAYLA CLARK caylaclark73@gmail.com When Asheville-based busker Lyle Rickards first drifted into town from Bucks County, Pa., in 2016, he was immediately taken with the local community. “It was like the heavens opened up,” he says. “It was Camelot; it was Mecca. There were musicians on every corner that were just like me.”

Busking, a long-standing component of Asheville’s cultural identity, is a fundamental part of what makes this decidedly “weird” Western North Carolina city so artistically unique. However, in more recent years, says Rickards, the scene has started to shift.

“We’re running out of spots to perform,” he says. “For the first time in five years I feel unsupported, unappreciated and used by the city.

We want to grow with the city, but we’re being marginalized.”

Along with feeling pushed out by construction projects and new developments taking up valuable sidewalk space, Rickards and others who spoke with Xpress say the COVID-19 pandemic, theft and potential issues posed by the city of Asheville’s new noise ordinance are among the greatest threats to the busking community. The question that remains is this: Can the group of street performers weather the storm, or will the scene become a relic of the city’s past?

PASSING THE TORCH

Lake Lure local Ginnie Waite, who has been busking in Black Mountain and Asheville since 1995, suggests the fate of the busking community lies in the receptiveness of the next generation. “As time goes on, we old buskers have taken on the responsibility of teaching the new ones respect,” she says. “You know — how to play nice, play by the rules.”

Waite credits former Ashevillebased busker Abby Roach (aka Abby the Spoon Lady) for getting the ball rolling with the 2014 launch of the Asheville Buskers Collective.

Formed in response to City Council’s proposed busking regulations, the group’s guidelines include limiting amplification, taking two-hour turns at a given location, being mindful of crowd size and cleaning up after each set. These efforts are in accor22

SEPT. 8-14, 2021

STREET SERENADE: Local busker Lyle Rickards performs in front of Mast General Store, toting his dulcimer and a canister of bear Mace, which he uses to scare off thieves. Photo by Cindy Kunst dance with the city of Asheville’s current rules, which require buskers to perform at least 40 feet away from one another, allow ample room for pedestrians and not sell CDs or other merchandise.

“We all got along because of it,” Rickards says of the collective’s beginnings. “We developed a code of conduct, and the city left us alone because our policy was working.”

New-to-town buskers such as Travis Lunsford, who arrived from Silver City in March, attributes his place within the scene to the built-in community fostered by the collective and the generational wisdom its leaders provide. “I learned everything I know from Lyle,” he says. “Once you learn the rules, it’s ultimate musical freedom.”

Fellow newcomer Antwon Small, a classically trained dancer who moved to Asheville in 2018, shares a similar enthusiasm. “I’ve gotten overwhelming support from the local community,” he says. “It’s like art therapy in a way. It’s improved my confidence so much.”

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In addition to busking roughly four days a week, Small works as a server and a freelance writer as he pursues a job in health care.

“It’s a great source of supplemental income,” he says of his weekly dance routines on the city’s sidewalks. “It isn’t an easy job. You have to consistently put effort and hard work into your craft and hope people can see your passion.”

However, both Small and Lunsford point out that there are risks tied to their craft, as well. Small has been robbed twice. Meanwhile, Lunsford and his musical partner, Jonathan Breedlove, regularly practice “theft drills.”

“We see how quickly we can unplug our guitars and chase someone down,” Lunsford explains.

“That’s life on the streets, you know?

It’s give-and-take. Put a dollar in the guitar case, take five.”

A TWO-WAY STREET

Hostility from fellow community members is another reality busk-

ers face. While performance spots are usually shared among buskers without contention, the arrangement isn’t always as cordial between street performers and those experiencing homelessness. “They’re not too fond of buskers because they feel as if we take money away from them,” Small reveals.

According to Rickards and Waite, unfortunate run-ins with individuals experiencing homelessness are nothing new, though both suggest the issue is of growing concern in recent years. According to the city’s 2021 point-in-time count, there were a reported 527 people experiencing homelessness in January of this year, a 4% decline from 2020. Both buskers admit to carrying Mace whenever they perform in light of past experiences.

“The scene around here has really changed,” says Waite. “I’m more cautious than ever before because of the level of public drug use. Buskers are losing their tip jars and their teeth. That never used to happen around here in the daytime.”

Rickards adds, “I’ve been assaulted several times and robbed twice” — including two years ago when he was beaten while busking on Biltmore Avenue in an assault that was not reported. “I got all of my teeth smashed in. .... I don’t want to set up in most of the places I used to because they’re overrun by the homeless and generally unsafe.”

Local business owners who spoke with Xpress shared a similar sentiment. “Most people love the buskers,” says Travis Moore, general manager of Mayfel’s. “I’ve had a few situations with a couple buskers being too loud, but after asking a few times, they’ll turn their music down.

The trash and homeless downtown is the biggest problem.”

That’s not to say all buskers have had similar experiences. “Hanging with the homeless is particularly fulfilling,” says Lunsford. “At first you’re like, ‘Ah, could be trouble.’

But they’re mostly amazing people that just live differently than us.

“The streets are an equalizer,” Lunsford continues. “You meet tourists, local business owners, homeless people — that’s part of the reason Asheville is so great. Everyone is allowed here.”

BUSKERS COLLECTIVE SOUNDS OFF

The revised noise ordinance, which officially goes into effect on Wednesday, Sept. 15, also poses concern for some local buskers. Asheville City Council voted July 27 to update the ordinance, which now includes an objective decibel standard. “We’re worried that the new ordinance will segue into permits,” says Rickards, who has been a member of the collective since 2016. “Then buskers will have to audition for the local arts council, and then it will start to matter what you look like.”

“I think the ordinance will be hard to figure out without people using bias,” adds Waite. “I sing pretty loud without amplification. But I am thankful to the Council members who listened and made the acceptable decibel level more reasonable.

The proposed ‘mark’ would’ve been really impossible.”

Andrew Fletcher, a board member of the Asheville Music Professionals and a member of the collective, has worked with the city on busking policy since 2018. “The first meeting with the city on the noise ordinance was in April of 2019,” he says. “A handful

of buskers showed up; it was very productive. We agreed that a universal ceiling on volumes was good for busking and residents alike, but also stated that an outright banning of amplification wouldn’t work. The city staff heard us, borrowed language and honored their commitments.”

Fletcher suggests the ordinance could benefit the busking community if enforcement is thoughtfully executed. “When one busker chooses to perform at an extreme volume, that creates a large sonic footprint when they could easily turn down and keep playing. It prevents other buskers from setting up anywhere near them, sometimes for blocks in every direction,” Fletcher explains. “Buskers then either move someplace else, putting pressure on the limited places where there is enough sidewalk space to perform, or engage in a volume war that nobody wins. That’s why having a reasonable ceiling on volume could create more busking, not less.”

When asked how enforcements would be implemented, the city’s Development Services Department

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A R TS & CU LTU R E

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DANCING FOR JOY: Although Antwon Small had no intention of busking when he moved to Asheville in 2018, encouragement from a friend led to a supplemental career in street performance and joy-spreading. Photo by Cindy Kunst

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Director Ben Woody states, “The DSD will enforce and respond to most noise complaints. The Asheville Police Department may enforce some after-hours complaints, depending on availability of staff and the nature of the complaint.”

Outside of the ordinance, Fletcher notes there is still some room for improvement. “The next way that the city could support busking is by permitting performers to sell their own music while they are performing.”

According to Dana Frankel, the city’s downtown specialist, “City staff have been working with representatives from the busking community for the past several years to consider options for expanding merchandise sales for street performers and artists. Operationally, there are some challenges with management and enforcement of a program of this nature, but we intend to continue exploring those details and further gauge how much of a priority this is for the busking community and the city as a whole.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR BUSKERS? Some local buskers remain optimistic about Asheville’s future; oth-

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SEPT. 8-14, 2021

MOUNTAINX.COM

ers, like Rickards, plan on setting sail in pursuit of safer opportunities. “People have accepted that we are a part of the town’s mystique, but Asheville is losing the best of the buskers. I don’t want to leave Asheville, but I don’t have a choice.

I shouldn’t have to worry about getting beaten up or robbed in a town that promotes me.”

Of course, the lingering pandemic poses its own hurdles, as well.

“The collective itself hasn’t had a meeting since before the pandemic,” says Fletcher. “We form up as needed, usually when there’s a threat to busking and we have common cause to work together. Many of the other leaders of the collective have moved out of town since we formed six years ago, including Abby. I stuck around.”

Waite adds that it’s challenging to perform and stay safe amid the current health crisis. “I’m vaccinated, but I still hold my breath when someone walks by and coughs.”

Despite concerns, Waite continues to busk. “I think music is necessary for the emotional and mental health of the community and should be supported as such,” she says. “In these times we are even more needed, just the same as all of the arts.” X

VISUAL ART

Picture perfect

Strength in Pride Project empowers LGBTQ+ community

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com The video-sharing app TikTok has officially been around long enough for its creations to inspire complex art projects — and possibly new callings.

Such is the case for Ashevillebased photographer Lauren Merrell’s Strength in Pride Project, which was prompted by a video from Katie Margaret. In it, the New York-based TikTok creator uses an eye pencil to write discriminatory words on her face that have been said to her about being queer. Then in an act of self-acceptance, she wipes off the hateful words and draws celebratory imagery to reflect the shift in attitude.

“It was really interesting and powerful and made me wonder what I could do with it,” Merrell says.

“Then I just started brainstorming ideas.”

BOTH SIDES NOW

Merrell saw Strength in Pride as a creative way to explore not just discrimination, but inner dialogue within the LGBTQ+ community — which she notes experiences a lot of internal discrimination as well. Taking a cue from the TikTok video’s transformation, she decided on a two-photo “before and after” presentation.

“People have to see that there’s more to being queer than just those negative pieces,” Merrell says. “So that’s where the positive piece came from.”

She then began having conversations with fellow queer friends about participating in the project. Tiffany Rothstein, owner and lead artist of Brushes and Braids, volunteered to provide hair and makeup services for the shoots and began looping in more models and makeup artists.

Merrell also recruited community members through the Asheville Equality and Queer Asheville Exchange Facebook groups.

“It started off as kind of a self-portrait project where I was going to get a couple people involved, and then it turned into a small group of people, and then it evolved into a 30-day campaign,” Merrell says. “It was no longer something we could do in a weekend.”

PICTURE PERFECT: Lauren Merrell’s Strength in Pride Project captures a range of experiences and emotions from the LGBTQ+ community. Photos by Merrell

EMOTIONAL CONNECTION

As the photographer juggled scheduled shoots in her downtown Studio 15 AVL, she quickly realized funding was necessary to obtain the proper supplies. After looking for recommendations of queer community allies, Merrell contacted Western North Carolina Community Health Services and Bottle Riot; both joined as sponsors to help the project get through its production phase.

“Everyone has a voice and right to express their true self,” say Bottle Riot owners Lauri and Barrett Nichols in a joint statement. “Lauren’s photography is thought-provoking and can be the catalyst for meaningful conversation. We’re honored to be part of this community project.”

The shoots took place over a string of three-day weekends, beginning April 14 and ending May 2, with two additional production days tacked on for participants who had to reschedule. Part of the process involved interviewing each person, which wound up ranging from 15-90 minutes apiece.

In that respectful, nurturing environment, the subjects opened up about their coming-out stories and shared the positive and negative experiences they’d had with relatives, friends and colleagues. The exchanges proved powerful for interviewer and interviewee alike, though Merrell admits she wasn’t prepared for the impact it would have on either party.

“I look at things from that perspective of just trying to create art, and

sometimes you don’t realize the emotional connection that comes with that,” she says. “Experiencing it and going through it was probably one of the most momentous things I’ve ever done in my life.”

Merrell wasn’t the only person positively impacted by the project.

During the in-between moments when no interviews or photographs occurred, she says people were hanging out, talking and connecting on rare, vulnerable levels.

“This community sprung from this project, where most of these people still keep in touch and hang out and talk and have dinners,” she says. “It became this support system, which is beautiful.”

COMMUNITY EFFORT

Every day in June, aka Pride Month, a different Strength in Pride installment was shared on Instagram.

The initial, more emotional photo was posted in the morning, followed by its joyful counterpart in the afternoon, both of which consistently attracted numerous supportive comments.

Merrell was originally planning to display the entire series in a single gallery but credits Tina White, executive director of the Blue Ridge Pride Center, with unlocking the project’s full potential. White was brought in as a photo participant, made a personal donation toward the series and suggested that local businesses be recruited as sponsors and exhib-

itors to encourage larger community involvement and support of the LGBTQ+ community. Sponsorship pays for the printing and framing of a photo set or subseries (e.g. “Love is Love,” featuring couples who participated), which will be outfitted with a QR code that the public can scan with their phones to hear a subject’s story.

Though the Pride Art Walk connecting these businesses was originally slated to run throughout September, the recent rise in COVID-19 infections due to the delta variant has temporarily delayed plans. As of press time, project organizers were looking for additional local businesses to become sponsors. Once full sponsorship is secured and after the future monthlong exhibit concludes, the photos will be auctioned off to benefit local LGBTQ+ nonprofit Youth OUTright.

“We’re also working with a local media company to put together TikTok-style videos to create more content for the project and show some of those transitions that the original TikTok inspired,” Merrell says. “I’ve had conversations with Katie [Margaret], and she’ s been following along the whole time and was really excited to see it all happen.”

ABOVE AND BEYOND

Strength in Pride has additionally caught the attention of allies in larger cities. Merrell and her collaborators have been invited to attend and possibly exhibit at Atlanta Pride in November. Meanwhile, “some pretty interesting people [are] asking us to come to Nashville and do a project there,” Merrell notes.

The artist has also received plentiful messages from people saying that the project empowered them to come out to their families, work through their trauma with a therapist and otherwise embrace their true selves.

Through these and other experiences stemming from the project, Merrell feels that stigmas within the LGBTQ+ community are being shattered, and a platform is being given to people who rarely receive such an opportunity. In turn, she can’t see the project being limited merely to Pride Month.

“Once I did this, it made me not want to do anything else,” Merrell says. “I’ve gained this passion for helping people tell their stories and creating art from that. It’s a very personal experience.” X

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ART S & C U L T U R E

MUSIC

Doc approved MerleFest adapts with fall gathering

“It’s been an interesting 18 months,” Ted Hagaman says. “No doubt about that.”

Over that time, the MerleFest festival director and his staff have dealt with the melancholy of the annual music event’s first cancellation in its 33 years, plus the rampant uncertainty as they waited for conditions to improve with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, with Wilkes Community College ready to welcome musicians and fans back to Wilkesboro for the long Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 16-19, weekend, Hagaman & Co. face new challenges. In response to the recent increase in coronavirus infections caused by the delta variant, the festival announced on Aug. 17 that all attendees must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of entering the event, and that additional safety measures will be implemented throughout the festival.

The morning that news went public, Hagaman spoke with Xpress about the difficult past year and a half, and the decision to proceed with the updated protocols — a stance that’s receiving support from this year’s performers, including multiple Asheville-area artists.

SEASONAL SHIFT

When it became clear in March 2020 that MerleFest would need to be canceled, the first calls the staff made were to the musicians who were slated to perform, informing them of the decision and inviting them to remain in the lineup for whenever the

next MerleFest could occur. Hagaman says roughly 50% of the artists were able lock in to the September dates when they were announced in midApril 2021, with the other half forced to decline due to prior commitments.

The openings allowed for new headliner additions in Sturgill Simpson and Tedeschi Trucks Band, as well as other fresh faces.

“Naturally, we’re going to have the crowd favorites, but we’re going to have a lot of new artists that have never played at MerleFest before,” Hagaman says.

But as COVID-19 infection rates began to climb and events including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival were canceled, it became clear to Hagaman and his colleagues that MerleFest would need to adapt if it was going to take place this year. In turn, they began working closely with local and state health departments, whose leaders have provided guidance on how to proceed.

“And then on top of that, we started getting calls from a lot of artists and, in some cases, their agents, stating, ‘We need you to [put in stricter protocols] in order for us to play,’” Hagaman says.

“We also started seeing a lot of our sister festivals [enacting those protocols], so we realized that this is the new norm, at least for a while, and if we’re going to be a part of it, we need to do the necessary things to take care of people.”

With children under 12 currently not approved to receive the vaccine, many of MerleFest’s youth activities have been dropped or scaled back.

As further protection for the artists and to reduce crowding, side-stage seating and backstage tours have been eliminated. Other precautions include a daily attestation for staff, volunteers and food service workers to ensure that none of them are experiencing COVID-related symptoms or have been exposed to the virus.

“We won’t please everyone with this,” says Hagaman, who encourages attendees to have their vaccination or negative test documentation ready for a quick, seamless festival entrance.

“But everybody knows now what the protocols are going to be, so we ask for their support and patience.”

VETERANS AND ROOKIES

Carol Rifkin wasn’t at the inaugural MerleFest in 1988 due to work 26

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GENERATIONAL APPEAL: Carol Rifkin, pictured left with Doc Watson at the 2011 MerleFest, has performed at nearly 30 of the annual events. For sisters Whitney and Caroline Miller, right, of The Maggie Valley Band, the 2021 edition marks their festival debut. Photo of Rifkin by Tom Watts; photo of The Maggie Valley Band by Michael J. Bowen responsibilities, and she also stayed home the years when her two children were born. But the Asheville-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has performed at all other iterations, during which she’s become an integral part of the festival.

“It started with a purpose,” she says.

“To celebrate Doc [Watson], who’s probably North Carolina’s best-known musician. And I think because it’s him, there was just this standard of what it was going to be. It’s always been well organized, and everyone has always wanted to play at it. And it’s a gathering for the performers as much as the audience.”

Thinking back over highlights from the festival’s history, Rifkin says it’s “tough to beat The Avett Brothers on a Saturday night,” Emmylou Harris’ many performances or the honor of introducing Linda Ronstadt on the main stage. But her most memorable experiences were with the late, great festival founder himself — including Watson’s final performance in 2012, shortly before his death.

In addition to partaking in this year’s Doc Watson Performing Arts Showcase on Friday, Sept. 17, Rifkin will host her annual Women Who Sing & Play Traditional event on Sunday, Sept. 19. This year’s featured artists are Sheila Kay Adams, Kelli Mae Redmond, Deborah Jean Sheets, Kelly Sheets Snider, Mary Flower and Lucy Allen.

Along with veterans like Rifkin, the 2021 edition will welcome such debut attendees as Haywood County’s The Maggie Valley Band, fronted by sisters Caroline and Whitney Miller.

According to Caroline, her sister

vowed to hold out going to the annual gathering until the band was invited to perform; Caroline remembers worrying that it would mean they’d never get to go. But in 2020, the invitation arrived. Though news of that year’s cancellation was disheartening, it wound up being somewhat of a blessing in disguise.

“It gave us time to get our ducks in a row,” Caroline says. “Everything we’ll play, we’ve released since the pandemic, except one song from 2018. We’ve kept expanding and feel like we’re truly The Maggie Valley Band now, so we’re going to MerleFest more confident than we would have been a year ago.”

The Millers are sad not to see John Prine, who had been scheduled to headline the festival last year but died from COVID-19 complications in April 2020. But like Rifkin, Caroline is thrilled that Mavis Staples, whom she identifies as one of her favorite singers, was able to commit to the 2021 festival.

Caroline is also excited to witness the evolution of Margo Price, whom she saw at an intimate, 100-person show in 2014 when Price was with her band The Pricetags.

In addition to their own Sept. 18 set, The Maggie Valley Band says they’re looking forward to being there with fellow local musician friends the Moore Brothers, Balsam Range and Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats.

“It’s fun to see that Western North Carolina representation,” Caroline says.

For this year’s full lineup, visit avl.mx/ac1.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

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AR T S & C UL TU R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

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TOMAHAWK RIBEYE N ow a t WNC Fa rm e rs M a rke t!

Benne on Eagle hires a new chef Cleophus Hethington is known by many names. Most people call him Cleo. His Instagram handle is @Chefophus. Some refer to him as Ophus. And when he’s in trouble, Hethington notes, his mother goes full-on Cleophus.

But more recently, local diners have come to know him as the new chef de cuisine for John Fleer’s nationally acclaimed Benne on Eagle at The Foundry Hotel Asheville.

Hethington joined the eatery in August, succeeding chef de cuisine Malcolm McMillian, who moved to Charlotte, where his teenage son lives.

Hethington, a Miami native, turned to professional cooking in 2011, after previous stints in health care and the Navy. Gaining an eclectic culinary education in restaurants across the country, he created Ębí Chop Bar in 2017, a pop-up dinner series exploring the foodways of the African diaspora. Two years later, he launched Triangular Traded Spices, a line of small-batch organic spice blends inspired by his ancestral and cultural roots.

“Cleo’s pop-ups were the clearest indication regarding where his heart and head were with food,” says Fleer.

“It was immediately apparent a lot of Benne resonates with him, and he resonates a lot with me in terms of what we want the next steps for Benne to be.”

Currently, Hethington says he is focused on familiarizing himself with his staff and local purveyors and wading in with specials such as creamed collards with shrimp and pickled fennel. Come early October, though, he anticipates an entirely

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MAKE WELCOME: Cleophus Hethington, the new chef de cuisine at Benne on Eagle, brings new ideas to the nationally acclaimed restaurant. Photo by Brittany Wages new dinner menu, which will always include variations of his Grandma Daisy’s sweet potato pie.

Furthermore, Hethington notes big changes planned for the current breakfast menu. “Right now, Benne serves a traditional hotel American breakfast,” he explains. “Then at 5 p.m., [it] changes to a restaurant that serves food of the Black culture. I want to do more of a daily brunch menu that brings the whole concept together and not just be a part-time lover of Black food.”

Fleer is confident in Hethington’s vision and plans for the restaurant.

“All three of the things he tasted us on were phenomenal: complex in flavor and deeply layered,” Fleer says. “Rooting things in the West African culinary experience and the

rest of the diaspora and its path to Eagle Street will be educational and informative, and I think that’s what our staff is looking forward to. I am really excited to see what he does.”

Benne on Eagle is at 35 Eagle St. To learn more, visit avl.mx/8qq.

Moon shot

We Give a Share, a local nonprofit that supports local farmers through the purchase of produce and products, recently named JP Chalarca as its first executive director.

“JP is an excellent fit,” says Mark Rosenstein, a founding member.

“It’s one of those great serendipities when you get that important piece

Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

of an individual fitting into a bigger scheme.”

Launched in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization continues to assist area farmers as well as economically disadvantaged community members.

WGAS provides fresh produce to the Southside Community Kitchen, which under Rosenstein and chefs Kikkoman Shaw and Tarell Burton, has served over 120,000 meals to date, mostly to homebound, disabled and elderly City of Asheville Housing Authority residents. More recently, the kitchen also began producing two daily meals for Asheville PEAK Academy and will soon add Verner Center for Early Learning to its client list.

According to Chalarca, We Give a Share is in negotiations to lease the Southside Community Kitchen from the Asheville Housing Authority. The target date is Oct. 1. “From that point on, we will have ownership of the operation of that space,” he says.

Among Chalarca’s additional future goals is to expand the organization’s volunteer network to serve more clients experiencing food insecurity. He is also interested in opening the space for additional community uses.

Meanwhile, Rosenstein says he’s shooting for the moon. His ultimate vision for the kitchen is to turn it into a stand-alone cooperative. “I have a goal of 1,000 meals a day for this kitchen,” he says. “It’s an amazing thing we are pulling off now, and we have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to get to the moon. JP is another part of getting there.”

For more information on We Give a Share, visit avl.mx/9bg.

Fit to be fried

Restaurateur Charlie Hodge may have temporarily closed Sovereign Remedies for renovations, but members of the craft cocktail bar’s culinary team haven’t slowed down.

Instead, the group has migrated to one of Hodge’s many other establishments, Getaway River Bar, where Sovereign Remedies chef Burt Sheffield recently launched the Fish Camp Pop-up.

“We thought we’d do a fish fry thing at the Getaway, be outdoors on the river and just have some fun,” says Hodge.

The pop-up’s simple menu, adds Sheffield, hearkens back to his roots in Baton Rouge, La. “It’s what I grew up on — Cajun-style fried fish in cornmeal batter with a mustard hot sauce dredge, fried nice and crispy.”

Sheffield goes on to describe the pop-up’s North Carolina-sourced fish and seafood, served alongside hushpuppies, hot sauce remoulade and dill pickle sauce as “old-school classic stuff.”

Meanwhile, Hodge’s other bar, Asheville Beauty Academy, is feeding the cravings for some Sovereign menu classics with a late night popup that runs Thursdays-Mondays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. The pop-up will continue at least until the reopening of Sovereign Remedies, which is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 23, in conjunction with its eight-year anniversary. If Fish Camp remains popular, Hodge says, he’ll keep the fry baskets going at the Getaway as well.

Fish Camp Pop-up is at Getaway River Bar, 790 Riverside Drive, 2-8 p.m. daily. To learn more, visit avl.mx/abz.

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Gardens party

Attendees of the West Asheville Garden Stroll on Saturday, Sept. 11, will be the first to taste Blueberry Purple Basil ice cream, the limited-time flavor developed as a collaboration between The Hop Ice Cream and Bountiful Cities, using purple basil from Bountiful Cities’ gardens. Weather permitting, it will be sold during the stroll, and then through The Hop’s online platform.

The partnership will raise funds for Bountiful Cities’ FEAST Garden at Hall Fletcher Elementary School with The Hop donating a portion of the flavor’s online sales Sept. 13-19.

The garden stroll kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at 198 Vermont Ave. and runs until 4 p.m.

Participation is free. For more information, visit avl.mx/ac0.

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Around Town

Paved Paradise music pop-up stops at Archetype Brewing

A positive twist on the caustic opening line of Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” the Paved Paradise tour seeks to turn parking lots across the Midwest and East Coast into joyful spaces throughout September.

Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Road, is among the venues selected for the 15-stop adventure, which organizers describe as “equal parts pop-up shop, block party and roadside fruit stand.” The Asheville gathering takes place Sunday, Sept. 12, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

The concept was forged in 2020 when Secretly Group — a consortium of revered indie record labels of Secretly Canadian (Whitney; Cherry Glazerr), Jagjaguwar (Bon Iver; Angel Olsen) and Dead Oceans (Phoebe Bridgers; Kevin Morby) — added Ghostly International (Phantogram; Mary Lattimore) to its roster.

“We were thinking about ways to work together on a project with all of the labels and also find ways to have a presence in different cities where maybe we don’t have as much representation or as many opportunities to connect,” says Amanda Colbenson, Ghostly International special projects director.

The Secretly team drew inspiration from archival record label The Numero Group, which has been conducting traveling pop-up shows for over five years, and brought them on as collaborators. Together, they charted a circuitous route from Secretly’s Bloomington, Ind., base to Milwaukee, looping in dates at Third Man Records in Nashville and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Each stop will feature two tents full of LPs, 45s, cassettes, CDs and limited-edition merchandise from across the labels’ catalogs. DJs from West Asheville staples Asheville FM and Harvest Records will also be spinning records throughout the day, and local electronic instrument makers Moog and Make Noise will offer demos. Colbenson says Archetype has been a joy to work with and that the brewery’s entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to the local community and artistic interests — namely, its weekly Sunday Sessions live music series — make it an excellent partner.

“The most rewarding part of this experience has been working with all these different local businesses and venues that are really on the pulse of their town,” Colbenson says. “And now I get to meet them in person.”

Learn more at avl.mx/ac3.

Marking history Rafael Guastavino was born in Spain in 1842 and immigrated to New York City in 1881 but ultimately decided to call Western North Carolina home. Now the state will recognize the influential building engineer and architect with a N.C. Highway Historical Marker.

The marker, located at the Interstate 40 interchange in Black Mountain (Exit 64), will be dedicated on Monday, Sept. 13, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

“Guastavino came to North Carolina to work at the Biltmore Estate — [George] Vanderbilt only hired the best,” says Suzanne Fisher, co-chair of the Guastavino Alliance.

“The beauty of the mountains and the climate led him to build his home in Black Mountain.”

Guastavino’s work includes 11 sites in North Carolina, notably the Basilica of St. Lawrence on Haywood Street, which is the largest elliptical dome east of the Mississippi.

Guastavino, who died in Asheville in 1908, is interred at the site.

Anne Chesky Smith, executive director of the Western North Carolina Historical Association, initiated the request for the marker while at her previous position with the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center. The process was delayed a few years because of budget issues and the pandemic.

Those attending the dedication ceremony should meet on the sidewalk at the stoplight on the southwest corner of the intersection. A reception and tour will take place after the event at Christmount Conference Center, 222 Fern Way, Black Mountain.

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

Chance to shine “It can be tough to get a foot in a gallery or art-showing space,” says local artist Zander Stefani.

Taking matters into his own hands, Stefani launched the pop-up gallery ZanZan earlier this year. The

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:

’TIL IT’S GONE: Brooklyn Flea Record Fair Director Amanda Colbenson, pictured, brings her organizing experience to the inaugural Paved Paradise traveling label expo, which stops at Archetype Brewing on Sept. 12. Photo courtesy of Colbenson first show ran in April. The second series, Back 2 Basics, debuts Friday, Sept. 10, inside blu29, a clothing and apparel store on Church Street.

“People can expect to see evocative artwork, some that has a clear narrative, some that is quite abstract, some portraiture, pottery, printmaking and painting, among other mediums,” Stefani says.

Along with Stefani, additional participating local artists include Andrew Mastriani, Betsy Kendrick, Caleb Clark, Cyrus Glance, Daniel Bradley, Jodi O’Hara and Lisa Blackshear.

The opening reception runs Friday, Sept. 10, 5-8 p.m. at blu29, 146 Church St. The show will remain on display Mondays-Saturdays, Sept. 10-25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, go to avl.mx/aby.

Music to remember The Blue Ridge Orchestra will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — and thank essential workers who sacrificed through the pandemic — with a concert at the Diana Wortham Theatre, Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.

The program, Heroes Among Us, pays homage to everyday men and women who made sacrifices for the greater good, according to a press release. Anyone who was an essential worker in 2020 or 2021 can attend the performance for $5, a $15 discount from the general admission price.

The event, the first performance of the full orchestra since the pandemic hit in 2020, will feature works

by Beethoven, Mahler and Edward Elgar. Local cellist Franklin Keel joins the orchestra as featured soloist in Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor.

The Diana Wortham Theatre is at 18 Biltmore Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/wordcap6.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS: The intelligent writing and strong characterization that define co-writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton’s previous work (namely Short Term 12 and Just Mercy) are likewise present in his first foray into big-budget action filmmaking.

Marvel’s latest entry is nevertheless overreliant on exposition, but the wealth of creative visuals and the comedic rapport between stars Simu Liu and Awkwafina more than compensate for that weakness.

Grade: B-plus. Rated PG-13

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

Industrial arts

Craft Your Commerce, a Mountain BizWorks entrepreneurial program run in partnership with Center for Craft and UNC Asheville, will offer a series of online workshops designed to educate artists on legal, insurance and financial issues Friday, Sept.

10-Friday, Oct. 8. Beyond a $5 placeholder, participants can pay what they consider a fair price based on their individual, economic situation.

“These six workshops intentionally set creative businesses up to thrive by helping creatives gain an understanding of best business practices and how to gain more profit,” Gwynne Rukenbrod Smith, the group’s project manager, says in a press release.

Craft Your Commerce will hold an informal mixer via Zoom for those interested in the workshops on Friday, Sept. 10, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit avl.mx/aaj.

— Edwin Arnaudin and Justin McGuire X MOUNTAINX.COM

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CLUBLAND

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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 8 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Bluegrass & Brews w/ Knob Creek Incident, 6pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Carmen Morales, 7pm •Move On Up: Soul/R&B 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

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night, 9pm RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 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

CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE Hawktail (instrumental acoustic quartet)k, 8pm

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 HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm

SEPT. 8-14, 2021

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

BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm

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

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

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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 185 KING STREET Unspoken Tradition (bluegrass), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

SHAKIN’ BACON: Asheville-based Appalachian funk-rock band Dr. Bacon will play at Asheville Music Hall Friday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. The six-member group, formed in Boone in 2013, are, from left, Matt Gornto, Ben New, Michael Crawford, Rory Joseph, Myles Dunder and Jesse Talbott. Photo courtesy of Dr. Bacon ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray and the Space Cooties (rock), 7:30pm

RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Consider the Source (progressive metal, rock), 9pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Fifth Year Flood, Miami Gold, Echo Moon (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 ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Brenda Nicole Moorer: Marrow Tour (jazz vocalist), 7:30pm 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 •Life Like Water (contemporary folk), 6pm •Smooth Goose (acoustic), 9pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Travers Brothers & Friends (jam, blues, rock), 6:30pm PURPLE ONION CAFE Roots and Dore (roots, blues), 8pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic, 6pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective (jazz, acoustic), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE flipturn, Stop Light Observations w/Hotel Fiction (indie, Southern electro-rock)k, 9pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 185 KING STREET Oliver Wood (roots), 10pm ALOFT ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN Riyen Roots (blues, soul, roots), 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Everybody Free Dance Party, 10pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Friday Night Blues w/ Mr Jimmy, 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Dr. Bacon w/Pluto Gang (Applachian funk, rock), 9pm BEN'S TUNE UP DJ Kilby Spinning Vinyl (throwback dance party), 10pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS Pickin’ on the Porch w/ The Intentional String Band (folk), 5pm BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing (acoustic duo), 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Eric Congdon (acoustic), 5pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Stephen Evans & the True Grits (rock), 7pm CORK & KEG The Uptown Hillbillies (honky tonk), 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Cloutchaser w/Bill's Garage & Boat Command (indie)k, 8pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Mx. Hot Legs AVL Comedy Contest, 8pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Phibian (folk, indie, Americana), 7pm GUIDON BREWING Sunlight Drive (acoustic duo), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 •Acoustic Eidolon (Celtic, Americana, Flamenco), 7pm •Tim Easton (jazz, folk), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB The Well Drinkers (bluegrass), 8pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Chris Jamison (acoustic), 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 8pm

SALVAGE STATION The Movement (with Tropidelic + Signal Fire), 6:30pm SAWYER SPRINGS VINEYARD Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 2:30pm SILVERADOS Ying Yang Twins (hip hop), 7pm ST. PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS IN FLAT ROCK Friday Night Jams w/ Wiregrass (bluegrass), 6pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Record Prophets (funk, soul, rock), 6pm THE BLACKBIRD Spiro & Friends (acoustic), 10pm THE DUGOUT Twisted Trail (rock, country), 8pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Hot Club of Asheville (jazz), 8pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Virginia and the Slims w/Sugah and Thuh Cubes (jump swing blues), 7pm THE GREY EAGLE •Leisureville (indie soul, hip-hop)k, 6pm •Malcolm Holcombe w/Ed Snodderly (country, folk)k, 9pm THE ODDITORIUM Immortal Guardian w/ Paladin & Tombstone Highway (metal), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Hippo Campus (indie rock)k, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. The Jonny Monster Band (blues), 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Riyen Roots (Americana, acoustic), 7pm

Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

DS R A W A X

2021

Publishes next week!

ISSUE ONE Sept. 15

Arts & Entertainment • Shopping Personal Services • Professional Services Kids • Health & Wellness • Uniquely Asheville Small Towns

Brevard • Hendersonville, Flat Rock & Mills River Sylva & Cullowhee • Waynesville, Maggie Valley & Canton

ISSUE TWO Sept. 22

Eats • Drinks • Outdoors • Farm, Yard & Garden Work & Business • Media • Pets • Small Towns Swannanoa & Black Mountain • Marshall & Mars Hill Weaverville & Woodfin • Hot Springs • Burnsville MOUNTAINX.COM

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C LU BL A N D WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Commodore Fox (rock, dance), 8:30pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Cosmic Reaper, Space Weed, Hempire (metal), 8pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Two Grits (folk rock), 6pm

185 KING STREET The Wildmans (bluegrass), 10pm

THE BLACKBIRD Sister Ivy (jazz, soul), 10pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Totally Exhausted Womxn of Atlanta (comedy), 7pm

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Jazz Soul Trio, 8pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB Kyle Corbett (acoustic), 6:30pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR The Travelling Pilsburys (rock), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Supertask w/Thought Process, Garuda & Blacknote (dance, electronic), 9pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm BLANNAHASSETT ISLAND Music by the River w/Fields of Grace (gospel), 6pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 2pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Twisted Trail (rock, country), 7pm GUIDON BREWING Tribute to Elvis Presley, 7pm

THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE The Baggage Brothers (progressive Americana), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE The Dead Tongues (folk-fusion)k, 9pm TURGUA BEWING CO Cast Iron Bluegrass, 5pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ Phantom Phantone, DJ Strongmagnumopus, & DJ RexxTepp, 2pm

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Sunday Dance Party w/ DJ RexxStep, 10pm

BEN'S TUNE UP Good Vibes Sunday (reggae), 6pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Dark City Kings (rock), 2pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Michael Reno-Harrell (singer-songwriter), 7pm

BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Rush Morgan (folk rock, Americana), 2pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Drayton & the Dreamboats (swing, Latin, jazz), 8pm

FBO AT HOMINY CREEK JLAD (Doors tribute), 4pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Blue Ridge Pistols (rock), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Adam Knight's Buried Alive (Phish tribute), 9pm ORCHARD AT ALTAPASS Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express (bluegrass), 2:30pm SALVAGE STATION Cosmic Charlie: Dark Side Of The Dead (Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd tribute), 7pm SILVERADOS The Karma Mechanics (rock), 8pm

RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia w/Allie & Alex, 5:30pm SALVAGE STATION The Infamous Stringdusters w/Red Clay Revival (bluegrass, rock, jam), 7pm ST. PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS IN FLAT ROCK Sunday Funday w/ Geriatric Jukebox (60s & 70s), 2:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING AcousticENVY (blues, classic rock, soul), 4pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL Daniel Shearin (acoustic), 6pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Tools on Stools (electric, acoustic), 3pm THE GREY EAGLE •Brunch of Jokers (18+ comedy)k, 12pm •Katie Sachs w/Ben Brill (acoustic, rock) k, 5pm •Dustin Sims (comedy) k, 8pm

THE MAGNETIC THEATRE Modelface Comedy w/ Will Abeles, 7:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Aquanet: Goth Night, 9pm

THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bruce Lang (guitar, vocals), 7pm

LITTLE JUMBO The E.Normus Trio (jazz)k, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Lydia Lunch Retrovirus w/VIA, 7:30pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Avatar (metal)k, 7:30pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason Whitaker (acoustic), 3pm TURGUA BEWING CO Finn Magill & Ian Taylor (jazz standards), 5pm

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia Mondays w/Jess, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Freshen Up (comedy, open mic), 7pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic Mondays w/ Taylor Martin, 6:30pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Monday Night Trivia w/Mitch Fortune, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. House of SYNth, 6:30pm 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 Blunt Bangs w/Jeremy Boger & The Golden Eagles (indie, Americana, rock)k, 8pm

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 185 KING STREET Sarah Siskind & Friends (folk, Americana), 6:30pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ANTIDOTE The Little Posey Trio (jazz, swing), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Turntable Tuesday, 10pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Grass at the Club (bluegrass), 8pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Team Trivia, 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Inside Out Stand-Up Comedy Showcase, 6:30pm SILVERADOS Texas Hippie Coalition w/Jasmine Cain (metal, Southern rock), 7pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Special Themed Trivia Night, 6:30pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB Vaden Landers (country blues, honky tonk), 3pm

HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Oktoberfest, 12pm

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

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Pisgah Sunday Jam w/The Paper Crowns (rock, jam, Americana), 6pm

GETAWAY RIVER BAR Drag Show, 9pm HOME GROUND COFFEE BAR & DELI Bluegrass Brunch Shindig w/Supper Break, 11:30am

Clubland Listings Are Back!

mountainx.com/ clubland

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Jazz in the Night w/ Peggy Ratusz, 7:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Human Ladder (rock, pop), 4pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Andrea and Mud (surf western), 5pm ORCHARD AT ALTAPASS Greg Speas & Steve Griffith (traditional, country), 2:30pm

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CLU B LA N D THE GREY EAGLE Ron Gallo & Becca Mancari w/Chickpee (indie, classic folk-rock) k, 8pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Dave Waite, 7pm •Move On Up: Soul/R&B 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

EXPERIENCE WNC’S NEWEST OUTDOOR CONCERT VENUE Tickets On Sale NOW SilveradosWNC.com FRI 9/10 TUE 9/14

Ying Yang Twins Texas Hippie Coalition w/ Special Guest Jasmine Cain

FRI 10/1 SAT 10/16

Easton Corbin Rumble in the Valley

Live Professional Wrestling & Halloween Costume Contest for Adults & Kids

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

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MOUNTAINX.COM

CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm

MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Blooming Bass w/DJ Ephcto (cultural bass), 6:30pm Latin Night, 9pm RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm SALVAGE STATION Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue w/ DJ Logic(jazz, funk), 6:30pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Church Girls w/The Smoky Mountain Sirens & The Half that Matters (alt rock, post-punk, pop-punk), 7:30pm 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 SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Forest Sun (Americana), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Swing Step (jazz, swing), 7:30pm ATTIC SALT THEATRE The SuperHappy Trivia Challenge, 7pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm DOWNTOWN HENDERSONVILLE SOUTH MAIN STREET Rhythm & Brews Concert Series w/Mike & the Moonpies (neotraditional country, Americana), 5:30pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Wildlife Trivia w/WNC Nature Center, 6pm

HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE Jill Andrews (Americana)k, 8pm

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

THE ODDITORIUM Odd Fest w/Bumpin' Uglies (EDM dance party), 8pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Will Overman (Americana, folk rock), 7:30pm

ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm

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

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

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Ryan Furstenberg (Americana), 5pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Kid Billy (Americana, roots), 8pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY King Garbage (soul), 6:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Hirie (reggae pop), 7pm, SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic, 6pm THE FOUNDRY HOTEL The Foundry Collective (jazz, acoustic), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE •The High Divers (rock)k, 6pm •Mo Lowda & The Humble w/Pink Beds & Little Bird (indie, new wave, Americana)k, 9pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm THE ORANGE PEEL Clutch (rock)k, 8pm OPEN MIC NIGHT, 7PM WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/Adi the Monk, 6pm

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We need to become more unreasonable, but in an intelligent way,” says Aries politician Jerry Brown. Yes! I agree! And that’s especially true for you right now, Aries. To Brown’s advice, I will add this message from Aries fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: “Intelligence is composed mostly of imagination, insight — things that have nothing to do with reason.” Here’s one further suggestion to help you take maximum advantage of cosmic rhythms, courtesy of Aries historian Arnold J. Toynbee: “The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “I have become whole and complete, like a thundering cloudburst in summer,” wrote Taurus poet Miklós Radnóti. I love that metaphor for fullness: not an immaculate icon of shiny, sterile perfection, but rather a primal, vigorous force of nature in all of its rumbling glory. I hope you like this symbol as much as I do, and I hope you use it to fuel your creative spirit in the coming weeks. P.S.: Keep in mind that many indigenous people welcome rainstorms as a source of fertility and growth.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Pandiculation” is a word that refers to when you stretch and yawn at the same time. According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you will benefit from doing a lot of pandiculations in the coming days. I also recommend gazing lazily out the window and looking at the sky a lot. Keep your shoes off as much as possible, get a massage or three and let yourself sleep more than you customarily do. Did you know that sighing deeply is good for your lungs’ health? Here’s your homework: Dream up all the things you can do to relax and renew yourself. It’s prime time to indulge in generous acts of self-healing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): The ancient Roman author Pliny’s 10-volume Natural History, written in the first century, was a monumental encyclopedia of the natural world, unprecedented in its own time and for centuries afterward. It offered compilations of facts about astronomy, geography, zoology, botany, mineralogy and many other subjects. There was one big problem with it, however. It contained a great deal of erroneous information. For example, Pliny described in detail many non-existent animals, including dragons, flying horses and giant serpents that swallowed bulls and snatched birds out of the sky. My reason for telling you this is to inspire you to be extra discerning in the coming weeks.

Be especially skeptical of authorities, experts and other know-it-alls who are very confident despite being inaccurate or erroneous. It’s time for you to increase your trust in your own authority.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “There are those fortunate hours when the world consents to be made into a poem,” writes Leo poet Mark Doty. That’s great for a poet. But what about for everyone else?

My variation on Doty’s comment is this: There are fortunate hours when the world consents to be made into a holy revelation or a lyrical breakthrough or a marvelous feeling that changes our lives forever. I expect events like those to come your way at least twice in the immediate future.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Between 37 and 41 BCE, Virgo-born Caligula served as third Emperor of Rome. To do so, he had to disprove the prophecy of a renowned astrologer, Thrasyllus of Mendes. Years earlier, Thrasyllus had predicted that Caligula, despite being well-connected, “had no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Bay of Baiae” — a distance of two miles. Once in power, Caligula arranged to have a series of pontoon boats arrayed across the bay, enabling him to ride his favorite horse Incitatus from one shore to the other across the Bay of Baiae. I foresee the possibility of a comparable turn of events for you, Virgo. Is there a curse you want to undo? A false prophecy you’d like to cancel? Someone’s low expectation you would love to debunk?

The coming weeks will be a favorable time.

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MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): College student Amelia Hamrick studied the right panel of Hieronymus Bosch’s 15th-century painting The Garden of Earthly Delights. It depicts a hellish scene. Cities are on fire. Weird beasts devour sinful humans. There are demons and torture chambers. Hamrick did what no one in the history of art had ever done: She transcribed the musical score that the artist had written on a man’s naked hindquarters. Her work inspired a composer to create a recording entitled “500-Year-Old Butt Song from Hell.” In the coming weeks, I invite you to perform feats comparable to Hamrick: 1. Explore the past for useful, overlooked clues.

2. Find or create redemptive transformations out of stressful situations. 3. Have fun telling stories about your past misadventures.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Born on one of the Galapagos Islands, Diego is a giant tortoise who has lived for over 100 years. He’s a member of the Hood Island species, which had dwindled to a population of 15 by 1977. That’s when he and his tortoise colleague, whose name is E5, became part of a breeding program with 12 female tortoises. E5 was reserved in his behavior, but Diego was a showboat who vocalized loudly as he enjoyed public mating rituals. Together the two males saved their species — producing over 2,000 offspring in subsequent years.

According to my astrological analysis, you could be as metaphorically fertile as Diego and E5 in the coming months — even if you prefer to adopt an approach more akin to E5’s.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “The meaning of my existence is that life has addressed a question to me,” wrote psychologist Carl Jung. “Or, conversely, I myself am a question that is addressed to the world, and I must communicate my answer, for otherwise, I am dependent upon the world’s answer.” These are superb meditations for you Sagittarians during the coming weeks. Between now and October 1, I invite you to keep a journal where you write about two subjects: 1. What is the main question that life asks you? 2. What is the main question that your life asks the world?

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com REAL ESTATE 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 828-2798562 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 .

XCHANGE

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Poet and translator Anne Carson periodically joins with her husband Robert Currie to teach a workshop called “EgoCircus.” It’s an ironic title, because the subject they teach is the art of collaboration. To develop skills as a collaborator, of course, people must lay aside at least some of their egos’ needs and demands. In accordance with current astrological potentials, I encourage you to stage your own version of EgoCircus in the coming weeks. The time is ripe for you to hone your creative togetherness and synergistic intimacy.

MOUNTAINX.COM

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HUGE COMMUNITY YARD SALE - SEPTEMBER 25 Dozens of sellers and hundreds of buyers - something for everyone! Saturday, September 25, 8am-1pm, Swannanoa Ingles parking lot, 2299 U.S. Highway 70.

To reserve a seller space, call 828-581-9707 or email SwannanoaYardSale@ gmail.com. Sponsored by Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS), www.

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Mountain Xpress 27th Annual

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): North Korea’s Capricorn leader Kim Jong-un has an amazing résumé. Official reports say he learned to drive at age three and was an accomplished sailor at nine.

As an adult, he developed the power to control the weather. He’s a skilled musician and artist, as well as a scientist who developed a miracle drug to cure AIDS, Ebola, cancer, heart disease and the common cold. Most impressively, Kim is an archaeologist who discovered a lair where magical unicorns live. Is it possible you have unexpressed powers like these, Capricorn? If so, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to identify them and start tapping into their potential.

It’s time to develop your dormant talents.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Toni Morrison testified, “I think of beauty as an absolute necessity. I don’t think it’s a privilege or an indulgence. It’s almost like knowledge, which is to say, it’s what we were born for.” I urge you to adopt her perspective during the next four weeks, Aquarius. In my astrological opinion, a devoted quest for beauty will heal exactly what most needs to be healed in you. It will teach you everything you most need to know.

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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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edited by Will Shortz | No. 0804

ACROSS 1 ___ alphabet 5 Dream big 11 ___-Signal 14 Mystery writer?

15 Place to hide in hide-and-seek 16 Donkey Kong, for one 17 Classic song that starts “I was working in the lab late one night” [2003, 1970] 19 Hwy. 20 Viking beverage 21 Popular New Orleans dessert 23 Start of the Depression [1987, 2004] 27 ___ vera 28 Bequeaths 29 Works of Picasso y Goya 30 Gotham inits.

31 Small wind instrument 32 Gamblers’ calculations 33 Line at the top or bottom of a website [1997, 2019] 36 Help up a slope 38 Popular depilatory 39 Busy body?

42 It was cool in the ’90s 43 Search blindly 45 Strives (to) 46 Commuter’s headache [1998, 2000] 49 1986 #1 hit for Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald 50 Throne material on “Game of Thrones” 51 Lovelace of early computing 52 Editing device suggested by 17-, 23-, 33and 46-Across?

57 Crossed 58 Michelle Obama or Jill Biden, informally 59 Request accompanying puppy dog eyes, maybe 60 ___ Lankan 61 Mac-versus-PC and others

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DOWN 1 “Full Metal Jacket” setting, in brief 2 Surprise for a statistician 3 “Funky Cold Medina” rapper 4 In the bargain bin, say 5 Tennis feat 6 Nikon D3500, e.g.

7 Certain lap dog, informally 8 Allende who wrote “City of the Beasts” 9 Goes back to square one 10 Moral code 11 Alma mater for Martha Stewart and Joan Rivers 12 Hurdles for many honor students, in brief 13 Something most babies do at around six months 18 The Rams scored none of these in the ’19 Super Bowl, and the Chiefs none in ’21 22 Ex-seniors 23 Sickly-looking

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24 Mattress size 25 Big break 26 58-Across between Lou and Bess 31 Supporting 32 ___ Lady of Guadalupe 33 Often-frazzled comics character 34 Rank below adm.

35 Seating section 36 What the N.B.A.’s SuperSonics became in 2008 37 Type of rice 39 Like some glasses 40 Highly respected

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41 Help button 42 Some celebrity sporting events 43 Rampage 44 Dwindle 45 Birthplace of Homo sapiens 47 So-called “Godfather of the Teamsters” 48 Be bedridden, say 53 Big Apple subway inits.

54 Opposite of norte 55 Email addenda, for short 56 Vegas hotel and casino that is the longtime host of the World Series of Poker

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