Mountain Xpress 09.30.20

OUR 27TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 27 NO. 9 SEPT. 30 - OCT 6, 2020

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SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

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8 ALDERED STATE Black Mountain candidates share visions for town

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11 ‘PAY UP’ Residents at Hillcrest Apartments organize a rent strike, 1967-68

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14 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Stacie Saunders takes over Buncombe’s COVID-19 response

3 CARTOON: MOLTON 4 COMMENTARY 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 6 NEWS

16 COLOR SHOW Short fall walks lead to long views

11 ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES 12 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 14 WELLNESS 18 FOOD

18 WHAT’S NEW, PART 3 Soon-to-open and recently updated restaurants in WNC

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The St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church boasts a rich history in Asheville. Its 90-year-old building, however, is in dire need of repair — and church leaders hope Asheville comes through for this community resource. On the cover: the Rev. Brent La Prince Edwards at St. James

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22 SURVEY SAYS Candidates weigh in on arts policy topics

30 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

Wells has skills, values needed for county government

CARTO ON BY R A ND Y MOL T O N

Asheville is dead forever unless we wake up Our small city is great because it’s local. And it has a hometown feel. We support small business. (At least we did.

Until we started running for the hills.)

But if our small businesses are driven to the ground by the lockdowns (they’re close!), who do you think is going to swoop in? If the local economy is destroyed, it’s likely not going to be people in Asheville.

It’s going to be people most of you abhor. It’s going to be impersonal developers who don’t care about Asheville’s local culture. It’s going to be corporations buying buildings for a song and dramatically transforming this city into something it isn’t and never wants to be.

I know this virus is very serious to a lot of you. We didn’t know much in the beginning. Now, however, we know a lot.

One thing we know? The curve is flat. In six months, I haven’t been able to locate one city or county in the U.S., big or small, that was overwhelmed with COVID patients beyond capacity. In a pandemic, that’s unexpected.

Right now, as you read this, the vast majority of hospitals in America haven’t seen one COVID patient in weeks, sometimes even months. Not one.

Even during “outbreaks” … the odds of dying from COVID have been less than getting struck by lightning. …

One estimate out of a Stanford study claimed, for the average individual aged 50-64, your odds of dying from COVID-19 are 1 in 19.1 million. Getting struck by lightning? One in 1 million.

Through these lockdowns, we are allowing the destruction of our “we love local” economy.

The second wave is hypothetical. If lockdowns are needed again, they need to be hyperlocal, targeted, smart and thought-out. We can’t again selfishly demand those local businesses that want to stay open assuage our fears by going out of business.

I’ve been absolutely disgusted by the fact that Starbucks, Walmart, Krispy Kreme, Chik-fil-A and all of these deep pockets have had lines around the block all year, while we’ve demanded our backbone, the local entrepreneurs and businesses and their hardworking employees, struggle under most of the weight.

Reality check. Local businesses are dying. Asheville itself is taking a massive hit. Stop it with the false dilemmas.

It’s time to save our entrepreneurs and local business and open up. It’s time to wake up and save Asheville.

There are options. Prophylaxis?

Sheltering of vulnerable? Let’s get smart about this.

People won’t say this because they’re afraid of being bullied. But it’s the truth. And more people agree with me than the finger-waggers think.

Speak up!

— Chris Campbell Asheville Editor’s note: A New York Times Opinion piece published in May detailed problems in the Stanford study referenced above: “A Study Said Covid Wasn’t That Deadly. The Right Seized It.”

I believe Terri Wells has a unique combination of skills, roots, integrity and values that will be needed for our county government to navigate the coming years as we get through this pandemic and the recovery that will follow.

Terri comes from an intergenerational farming family and cares deeply about preserving our family farms and the rural communities they’re a part of. Terri is also an educator, and as such she very much understands our educational system and the educational disparities and needs of our kids out here in the county.

Terri has been committed to bringing broadband to our rural community for a number of years, and I believe if elected, she will work even harder to bring broadband to the rural corners of Buncombe County. In the age of COVID, with so much moving online, those of us living in these areas really, truly need broadband to thrive!

A vote for Terri is a vote for family farms, for education and for thriving rural communities!

— Tara Adinolfi Leicester

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Mourning loss of chapel at Mission

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In 2007, Mission Hospital commissioned a chapel on its Memorial campus. The chapel was specifically designed and furnished by local artisans, woodworkers and sculptors, and meant to be a place of peace and comfort and prayer for patients, families and staff. And it is just that: a universal sense of peace, quiet and refuge upon entering. Any symbols honoring the different religious traditions are found in a glass cabinet; all the five major religions are represented.

When the new building was completed last year, commonly called the K building, a small chapel was included.

But now the decision has been made to decommission the chapel in the original Memorial building to allow for more office space. The ramification of this decision is that patients, families and staff who desire the few moments of peace and perhaps prayer have to walk to the K building to that chapel. There is no direct way except going to the first floor, then walking to the new building to the other chapel, a journey long and inconvenient. There is sadness among

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OPINION

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

Support local election coverage

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ELECTION CREW: Xpress team members, from left, Able Allen, Virginia Daffron, Daniel Walton, Molly Horak and Laura Hackett are covering the 2020 elections. Photo by Scott Southwick Dear

reader,

Through the years, you’ve told us you depend on our local election coverage and voter guides to make informed decisions. You pore over candidates’ responses to questions that reflect local concerns and you mark the pages to use as a reference when completing your ballot.

You’ve also let us know how to make our voter guides better: Rather than spacing the content over multiple issues, print all the races together in one convenient package — and make it available by the start of early voting and through Election Day, as well as online.

This year, the stakes feel even higher than usual. With the contest for Asheville City Council taking place for the first time alongside a presidential election, the risk of local issues getting lost in the shuffle has grown. Add in a pandemic, misinformation spreading on social media and questions about the security and validity of election results — clearly, our independent and free local coverage is more important than ever before.

With that in mind, Xpress will produce the all-in-one guide readers have long requested, distributed in the print issue of Wednesday, Oct. 14, the day before early voting begins in Buncombe County. The guide will also be available online the same day.

But to produce that comprehensive guide and secure our ability to continue reporting through and beyond Election Day, we need your support. This year, we’ve been doubling down on our efforts, even as print advertising revenue has fallen almost 60% compared to last year.

As we scramble to cover the costs of this vital coverage, please pitch in to help us provide voters the information they need from a source they trust.

If we can raise $9,000 by Wednesday, Oct. 7, you’ll make it possible to distribute thousands of additional standalone voter guides to locations across Buncombe County from Oct. 14 through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Nearly 1,000 readers have stepped up to support Mountain Xpress since the beginning of the year. Join them — or make an additional gift — at supportmountainx.com to ensure that everyone in our Western North Carolina community can access dependable, fact-based election information.

With gratitude, The Mountain Xpress election coverage team

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the staff who are aware of this move due to the obvious.

We, as the Sabbath Circle at Servanthood House, a spiritual community which has functioned for more than 20 years as such, mourn the loss of the chapel and what it has meant.

We are praying that the hospital administration might be open to a new vision around this decision that will affect the spiritual support needed by so many, a loss for patients and their families, as well as for the staff who often find their respite there.

— Allan Campo, Arden; Chloe Atkins, Susan Luke, Jean Marie Luce, Tricia Hynes and Bill Jamieson, Asheville; Irma Howarth and Susan Sihler, Candler; Laura Brown, Fairview; Bruce Younkin, Flat Rock; and Ana M. Gómez, Weaverville Editor’s note: Xpress contacted Mission Health with a summary of the letter writers’ points and received the following response from spokesperson Nancy Lindell: “The original design of the new North Tower at Mission Hospital intended that many aspects and services from the Memorial campus would be moved once the tower was open, the chapel among them.

Patient care areas on the third floor of the Memorial campus near the chapel have also been moved to the new tower.

The items in the Memorial chapel have been relocated to three of the four other chapels across Mission and St. Joseph campus, many to the larger chapel space in the North Tower.”

Lindell also included comments from volunteer and spiritual care manager Judy Haney, which said in part: “At one time, the B-308 chapel was centrally located to a majority of our patients and their families. That is no longer the case. By relocating items that made that space such a place of peace and comfort to the North Tower chapel, we can recommission this ‘sacred space’ to meet the spiritual needs of many more of our current patients, visitors and staff.”

We can depend on Wells Over the last years, there has been a string of elected officials who have been indicted for one unethical behavior or another here in Buncombe County. It is good to know that we have one candidate that you can rely on — Terri Wells.

Terri Wells is running for county commissioner for District 1. I’ve known Terri for over seven years and have worked alongside her on numerous events. When people work on a project with Terri, they quickly learn that she expects them to follow the rules to the letter.

There has been a number of events at the Leicester Community Center in which I worked with Terri. One rule of the management of LCC is to leave the center as clean as when you found it. My husband and I would help with cleanup, putting folding chairs and tables away. Then we would sweep the floors. Terri would insist that the floors be mopped thoroughly. If there was no one to stay and mop, she would stay and mop all of the floors in every room.

This is the type of person she is.

She takes that extra mile to do the job right. If you vote for Terri Wells for county commissioner of District 1, you can expect an honest and hardworking person for your commissioner.

— Diane A-Akert Leicester Editor’s note: A-Akert reports that she is volunteering for Wells’ campaign.

Time to vote a straight Democratic ticket his year For much of the past year, Americans have suffered through a perfect storm of trouble — fires, floods, pestilence, civil unrest and a cratered economy that has put millions out of work.

We have 200,000 Americans dead of COVID-19, and we’re told there may be 200,000 more to come before year’s end. We’ve had more than 188,000 cases in North Carolina, with more than 3,000 deaths. We’re facing disasters of biblical proportions, leading some to say that we may be in the “end times.”

I think we should look a little closer to home for the causes of our current situation. Which is why this year, for the first time, I am voting a straight Democratic ticket.

You see, it’s not enough to vote Trump out. We must vote out his enablers in Congress and state governments. This election year, the down-ballot races are critically important. ...

I did not vote for Donald Trump, but when he won, I hoped that he would listen to competent, ethical, seasoned voices around him. Failing that, I relied on the legislative and judicial branches to play their constitutional role and keep his worst tendencies in check.

That has not happened. This poses a grave threat to our democracy — and our lives. ...

Sen. Tillis likes to play the role of a centrist. In truth, the senator writes reams of letters and tweets and signs on to a lot of innocuous bills, but when the chips are down, he votes with the president 93% of the time. ...

C AR T O O N B Y B R E N T B R O W N Americans need affordable health care more than ever, but Tillis has repeatedly voted to take health care away from millions of us by repealing the Affordable Care Act. As speaker of the N.C. House, he played a key role in preventing the expansion of Medicaid.

Tillis, like many other Republicans, promises to protect those with preexisting conditions through a mysterious plan that’s always right around the corner.

Tillis’ Democratic opponent is Cal Cunningham, an attorney, veteran, and lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. He supports protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act with a public option.

Candidates in the 11th Congressional District are vying for an open seat created when Congressman Mark Meadows left to become President Trump’s right-hand man. The Democratic candidate, Moe Davis, is a retired Air Force colonel, law professor, director of the Air Force Judiciary and former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay. He has pledged not to accept any PAC money.

Republican candidate Madison Cawthorn is a 25-year-old motivational speaker and real estate investor who touts his potential appeal to a new generation of voters.

The young people I know favor strong action to address climate

change because they have the most to lose. Most are also smart enough to want someone with experience representing them. Cawthorn has called himself a “green” conservative, but a review of his proposals and policies suggest that he will be the kind of “environmentalist” we have in President Trump. Maybe “member of Congress” should not be Mr. Cawthorn’s first real job.

He does seem to have plenty of conservative PAC money behind him.

On the state level, Gov. Cooper’s quarantine orders have resulted in a lower COVID infection rate in North Carolina than in other Southeastern states. Asheville’s tourist economy has taken a huge hit. Our unemployment rate has gone from lowest in the state to among the highest. Still, events in Florida and Texas have shown that it’s not enough to throw open the doors to bars and restaurants — the economy will not recover until we get this virus under control. ...

I think we can do better. I hope you’ll join me in voting Democratic this year.

— Cinda Chima Asheville Editor’s note: Chima reports helping in several progressive campaigns, including that of Moe Davis. A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx.com.

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NEWS

Keeping the faith

BY GINA SMITH

ginasmithnews@gmail.com The sermon the Rev. Brent La Prince Edwards delivered pandemic-style via conference call to his congregation on Aug. 23 was titled “It’s Renovation Time.” The pastor’s remarks were a call for spiritual restoration, but his message dovetailed neatly with a tangible and timely focus for the members of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church: the desperate need for repairs and refurbishing of the grand Gothic Revival brick structure that serves as the congregation’s physical home.

The current St. James AME Church building has presided from its hill on Hildebrand Street over Asheville’s predominantly African American East End neighborhood for nearly a century.

Although the building has historically been a nexus of community activity and a rallying point for racial unity and social justice events in Asheville, it now sits empty during Sunday morning wor-

ship, its façade partially obscured behind a web of fencing and scaffolding.

COVID-19 is partially to blame for the unoccupied pews, of course, as Edwards has joined other local pastors in transitioning his ministry to online platforms while his congregation rides out the pandemic. But the barriers around its exterior walls have been erected to protect congregants and visitors from potential harm as the aging brickwork crumbles.

Even before the coronavirus became a factor, Edwards says, services and other activities had moved from the sanctuary to the fellowship hall for safety’s sake. In fact, January marked the first time in 39 years that the church was unable to host Asheville’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace March and Rally.

“The mortar between the bricks has decayed because of age,” says Edwards.

“The way they make bricks now is upgraded, it’s different, so we have to get the whole sanctuary redone.”

The disintegrating bricks have allowed water to seep into interior structures, causing damage to the roof, and the bell

Despite decaying masonry, St. James AME Church remains a cornerstone of Asheville’s Black community

(RE)BUILD MY CHURCH: Repairs to the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, constructed in 1930, are expected to cost about $571,000. Photo by Cindy Kunst towers have started to pull away from the main part of the building. Additionally, sand that was used in installing the floor joists when the church was constructed in 1930 has caused significant erosion and buckling of the carpet-covered, wooden sanctuary floor, necessitating its removal and replacement.

Edwards says that with gatherings now happening virtually, the pandemic offers an opportunity for the church to embark on the massive project without displacing worship services and other events. The plan is to accomplish the repairs and renovations in phases, with Phase 1 addressing the immediate danger of falling bricks and Phase 2 taking on the floor and roof projects. In total, the updates will cost an estimated $571,000, a daunting sum for a congregation of just 190 parishioners.

The church is seeking funding through various avenues, including the international nonprofit Nehemiah Project and a possible partnership with the East End/ Valley Street Neighborhood Association.

“The rest will come from just local donations so that we can get repairs done,” says Bernadette Thompson, church secretary and lifelong member of St. James AME. Thompson has set up a GoFundMe campaign to facilitate local fundraising.

ROCK OF AGES

Although the current building has existed for about 90 years, St. James 6

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has been an Asheville institution since 1887, according to detailed research Thompson has done on the church’s history. It first existed as Levy’s or Long’s Chapel in an unused streetcar barn on Biltmore Avenue, then called South Main Street. In 1889, the congregation moved to a building at its current spot on Hildebrand Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, which was then known as Pine Street. At this point, parishioners gave the church its current name.

Several years later, the congregation bought a nearby vacant lot and built a parsonage, which was moved in 1917 to make way for the basement of the new church. (The old church building was remodeled into the St. James Apartments.) Construction of the current church building was led

by James Vester Miller, a formerly enslaved master mason, St. James member and founder of Miller and Sons Construction Co. Miller was known at the time as both a civic leader and employer of some of the best brick masons in Asheville, according to biographical information from the UNC Asheville Ramsey Library archives. His company built many of Asheville’s historic churches and commercial buildings, including Mount Zion Baptist Church, Hopkins Chapel and St. Matthias Episcopal Church as well as the fire and police departments and the post office building on Otis Street.

Years later, a collection of books was donated to the church, prompting the construction of the Haith Educational Building. Dedicated in 1983, the project was led by associate pastor, local builder and Stephens-Lee High School teacher Lacy Haith, assisted by church trustee James Walker. Haith also built many of the houses on Haith Drive near A-B Tech, Thompson points out.

St. James AME is a handsome architectural landmark anchoring Asheville’s historically significant East End community, Edwards notes. “This whole neighborhood is historic, from the top of Martin Luther King Drive on down Valley Street, where Stephens-Lee [Recreation Center] is,” he says. “That whole area was a very strong center for African Americans in Asheville’s history. Now it’s very diverse, which we celebrate.”

‘BEDROCK OF THE COMMUNITY’ Throughout its history, St. James — the only African Methodist Episcopal church west of Morganton — has been central to interfaith and civic programs aimed at maintaining and bettering both the local Black community and Asheville as a whole, says Thompson. The building has served as the venue for educational health care workshops with the nonprofit Asheville Buncombe Institute for Parity Achievement, which addresses health disparities among people of color. It’s also a regular gathering spot for the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, National Alliance of Mental Illness, Gamma Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the Rosa Walker Advancement Initiative and the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association, among other organizations.

“The church has also hosted forums for the police and the sheriff’s department and when different shootings have occurred across the nation that have affected communities of color and disenfranchised communities,” Thompson adds. “Since we’ve been such an active meeting place and a place of worship, not having it available or in good repair means that it’s not available for community use. So, it really makes a difference for not only the parishioners but for any other organizations that would usually rent or utilize the church for other events.”

Communitywide, youth-focused initiatives are also a priority for the church, says Edwards. He mentions mentoring and anti-bullying programs and a recent STEM project done in partnership with the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association that engaged about 50 local children in

PREACHER MAN: The Rev. Brent La Prince Edwards says St. James has been “a bedrock of the community” since the congregation’s founding in 1887. Photo by Cindy Kunst online science, technology, engineering and math activities.

Edwards characterizes St. James as ecumenical, inclusive and interfaith. He says the congregation nurtures collaborations with the local Jewish community — particularly Temple Beth Ha Tephila — as well as local Methodist and Unitarian churches and nonprofits, including Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry and MANNA FoodBank.

“I think the heartbeat of St James is the community,” he says. “It’s always been a predominantly African American congregation, even though our congregation is mixed now, and I love it. We are now pushing for more diversity — that’s our desire. It has been a bedrock of the community since 1887.”

PLACE OF SOLACE

Thompson remembers St. James as a source of constant strength during the intense upheaval and uprooting that occurred in the 1960s and ’70s with desegregation and Asheville’s urban renewal efforts, which displaced countless Black residents from their homes and drastically altered the roads and landscape of the East End and the city’s other Black neighborhoods.

“Beginning with the Hill Street neighborhood in 1957 as the Cross-Town Expressway was built and moving on to Southside, Stumptown, Burton Street and East End, the fabric of each of these historic African American communities was torn apart,” wrote UNC Asheville

history professor Sarah Judson in a 2010 N.C. Humanities Council publication.

“The church provided some stability during that time,” says Thompson.

“I remember how the road went and Martin Luther King Drive was named by one of the members of the church.

James Walter spearheaded the renaming of the street at that time, but he actually got the petition signed to name the street after Martin Luther King Jr.” “When there are instances of problems happening in this community, people come to St. James,” says Edwards.

“They find strength and solace here, and also [a space for] planning strategy on how we can become a better community for our own African American brothers and sisters as well as people of all ethnicities.”

Doris Walker, a 25-year member and church steward, points out that many Asheville residents may have experienced that community vibe at St. James through participation in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Peace March and Rally. The event was held at the church every January for 38 years until 2020, when the need for repairs made it unsafe for crowds.

“That’s really why we thought the city might be interested in knowing what needs we have, because so many people have visited our church through that event,” she says. “That’s one way we feel kindred to everybody in the city is through that program.”

“I remember one year that we did the MLK, we had 3,000 people,” says Edwards, noting that the event draws an

average of 2,000 participants annually.

“And it was the most diverse crowd.

I wish that could have been aired on national television because I think it gave such a sense of hope to see that we can all get along. … To see all of these ethnic groups coming together peacefully under one roof — to me, that is amazing every year.”

As St. James looks for ways to fund its needed repairs, media outlets across the U.S. have spotlighted Asheville for approving a resolution in July that supported community reparations for Black residents and apologized for the city’s historical role in racist practices.

Edwards says that as the city forms a new commission to establish recommendations for ways to implement reparations, local African American clergy are being consulted.

“I applaud Asheville for leading the country in that aspect. I feel positive about it, and I’m hoping that it will — and I think it does need to — support churches. The church still is a nucleus in the African American community,” he says. “So, I think if reparations can help the church, in turn, it will be helping the community.”

And he reiterates St. James’ established commitment to supporting and enhancing Asheville as a whole. “We do that without discrimination, and we do that in the spirit of servitude,” he says. “So, giving to St. James is actually giving back to the community because that’s what we do.” X

How to help To learn more about St. James AME Church and how to donate to its restoration project, visit stjames-asheville.org or visit the project’s GoFundMe page at avl.mx/880. X

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Aldered state

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Black Mountain candidates share visions for town And Turner blasted what he called “the backdoor stuff” he’d observed on the board. “It’s legal, but I think that, as a member of the community, we can’t have it anymore,” he said.

Pertiller did not directly address the recent appointments but committed to making himself fully available to residents for discussions about their needs.

“I own my own company, and they’re amazed at, when they message me or call me at 12 or 1 o’clock in the morning, and I answer the phone,” he said. “I would do the same thing for this community.”

BY DANIEL WALTON dwalton@mountainx.com Outside of the race for Asheville City Council, Buncombe County’s municipal elections are often perfunctory affairs.

Longtime incumbents run unopposed cycle after cycle, and shake-ups of power are rare. Woodfin Mayor Jerry Vehaun hasn’t faced a challenger since 2003, while E. Glenn Kelly has been a mayor or town commissioner in Biltmore Forest for all but four years since 1981.

Not so for Black Mountain in 2020.

This year’s contest to fill three seats on the town’s nonpartisan Board of Aldermen initially drew nine candidates, a field that has since dwindled to six.

Former Alderman Larry Harris was taken off the ballot after being appointed to replace retiring Mayor Don Collins on Aug. 10; according to Black Mountain News, Mike Sobol, a former alderman and mayor, dropped out on Sept. 18 in response to the resignation of Collins, who had defeated him in the 2017 mayoral race. And candidate Justyn Whitson announced on Sept. 21 via Facebook that he was withdrawing to focus on his professional life.

The remaining candidates can be split into two camps: establishment figures and outsiders. According to The Valley Echo, Harris has endorsed current Aldermen Archie Pertiller Jr. and Jennifer Willet — both of whom were appointed to fill board vacancies and have not previously faced election — as well as Tonia Holderman, a recent chair of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce board of directors. The trio has produced joint campaign materials and will host a meet and greet on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Black Mountain Town Square.

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AT THE CROSSROADS: Voters in Black Mountain will pick three candidates from a pool of six to represent them on the Board of Aldermen. Photo by Max Hunt Challenging Harris’ choices are Pam King, development coordinator for Asheville-based nonprofit Helpmate; Doug Hay, owner of the Rock Creek Runner fitness website; and Matthew Turner, assistant manager at Henson’s Building Materials. Those three candidates, along with Pertiller, participated in a Sept. 21 candidate forum hosted through Zoom by Indivisible Black Mountain. Over 100 people watched the livestream, and a recording of the event posted to Facebook had over 1,500 views as of press time.

According to forum moderator Sarah Vekasi, both Willet and Holderman had previously agreed to participate but did not attend. Vekasi said Willet had dropped out of the event on Sept. 18, citing an unforeseen personal conflict, and did not respond to a follow-up email offering an opportunity to send a campaign surrogate. Willet subsequently shared her responses to Indivisible Black Mountain’s questions in a Sept. 21 Facebook post.

Vekasi added that Holderman withdrew on Sept. 15 after disagreeing with Indivisible Black Mountain’s plan to record the forum and stream the proceedings on social media. Holderman did not provide further details about her objections in response to an Xpress request for comment.

SUNSHINE REQUESTS

All four participating candidates said they would revise the Black Mountain town charter and explore changes to 8

SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

MOUNTAINX.COM

limit the terms of board appointments.

Like Asheville, Black Mountain appoints replacements to fill vacancies not just until the next regularly scheduled election, but for the remainder of an unserved term. Also like Asheville, the town moved its municipal elections from odd to even years in 2019, giving the current board an extra unelected year in office — a move the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-2 to criticize in a Feb. 18 resolution, with Republican Commissioners Joe Belcher and Robert Pressley opposed.

King said that concerns over a lack of transparency and public input on the board had motivated her own candidacy. She specifically pointed to Harris’ appointment, which took place without prior public notice immediately after Collins resigned, as an example of citizens not having an opportunity to be heard.

“As I understand it, filling a slot the same night it becomes vacant is very unusual, and really the only reason you can do it that way is if it had been pre-orchestrated beforehand,” King said. “I’d love to see a more open process.”

Hay also called transparency and openness “a huge problem for the town right now.” He said board agendas were often confusing, with uncertainty around whether items were merely being discussed or put up for a vote, which made it difficult for residents to engage with local government. Many decisions, he argued, “have already been worked out ahead of time.”

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Beyond their general agreement that the town’s government should be conducted with greater transparency, the candidates also shared many priorities for managing Black Mountain, including recreation facilities like greenways and handling stormwater runoff. The town’s economic health was also a joint focus, although approaches to achieving it differed.

Hay’s main proposal was enacting a Main Street America program for downtown revitalization. Through partnerships with local businesses, promotional events, beautification and other efforts, he said, Black Mountain could ensure a thriving commercial core as a base for its economy.

King emphasized the Black Mountain Commerce Park, a large site adjacent to Interstate 40 in the town’s southwest, as a catalyst for development. She said the board could incentivize “clean manufacturing” companies to create jobs at the park, which would help stem the loss of young people who move elsewhere seeking economic opportunity.

Asked to name three economic or development strategies for the town, both Pertiller and Turner struggled to articulate specifics beyond a general support for downtown businesses. Turner did list affordable housing as important to maintaining Black Mountain’s local workforce; Pertiller identified the conversion of longterm housing into vacation rentals as a threat to affordability but said restricting owners’ use of their properties would be a “sticky situation” for the town.

The complete recording of the forum is available to view on Facebook in two parts at avl.mx/8c7 and avl.mx/8c8. The Valley Echo has also published a Q&A with all of the candidates, available at avl.mx/8c9. X

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SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

9

BUNCOMBE

BEAT

Council adopts $770,000 cut to APD budget Asheville has become a cautionary “tale of two cities,” City Council member Sheneika Smith observed at Council’s meeting of Sept. 22.

There’s the city that sees Asheville Police Department protection as the only means to safety, Smith said, that claims “backing the blue” is essential to maintain order. And there’s the city that believes more police officers mean increased danger, that the only way forward is to divest from the APD and reinvest in partnerships that support the Black community.

Neither city was happy after Council members voted 5-2 to adopt a budget amendment that will cut APD funding by $770,000, a roughly 2.5% drop from the $30.1 million allocation originally proposed by City Manager Debra Campbell in May. Smith and Brian Haynes voted against the measure, claiming it did not do enough to address the community’s concerns. “It does not advance our stated goals and instead perpetuates systemic racism,” Haynes said, adding that even with the new reallocation, overall police spending had increased by $4.1 million over the last five years.

The vote marked the final step in the city’s lengthy budget process for fiscal year 2020-21. In July, Council passed a budget with only three months of funding for city departments; members had agreed to revisit allocations for the remaining $105 million in the general fund budget after residents had shared their ideas about public safety. That budget gave the APD more than $5.5 million to sustain operations through the end of September; an additional $2.4 million had been allocated to the department for July in an interim budget adopted June 23.

10

SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

A MOMENT OF CALM: Asheville City Manager Debra Campbell stands with APD Capt. Jackie Stepp during protests on June 3. Photo by Virginia Daffron Although the newly passed allocation reduces funding managed by the APD, it does not eliminate any existing city services. Seven positions currently handling animal control, communications and park patrols will be reassigned; roughly $350,000 in savings from recent police resignations and unfilled vacancies will be distributed as one-time payments to city departments and partner organizations. Campbell emphasized that if

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other public safety programs become ready to implement before the end of the fiscal year, additional cuts to the APD budget will occur.

Priorities for the 2021-22 budget cycle include the creation of a rapid response team for mental health, homelessness and domestic violence calls, Campbell said, potentially modeled after the CAHOOTS program currently operating in Eugene, Ore. She also hopes to further consolidate the 911 emergency call center with Buncombe County, develop mentorship opportunities for school resource officers and enhance safety in Housing Authority neighborhoods.

Unlike several past Council meetings, which have overwhelmingly been dominated by residents calling for police divestment and reparations for Asheville’s Black community as advocated by the intergenerational collective Black AVL Demands, several commenters phoned into the meeting to express anger that Asheville officials would consider any cuts to the APD. (Starting with its meeting of July 28, the city introduced new rules for public comment that some activists argued were meant to stifle dissent.)

“I would beg of you to not decrease funding for the police department,” said Andrea Olson, a caller from East Asheville, who told Council her husband is a former Raleigh police officer. “I want to see an investment to increase the protection of all of us citizens who are disturbed by what’s happening ... Safety’s gone down; tourism is going to go down.”

Other public commenters, including Roland Williams of West Asheville, criticized Council for not doing more to protect all of the city’s residents.

“As a Black man in this city, I’ve been racially profiled here in Asheville as young as 12 years old,” Williams said.

“There’s a very deep-seated issue with the police force here in Asheville, and with the engagement of the Black and brown community and then to not do anything to directly affect that? It really makes me question the city’s commitment to this work.”

Keith Young, one of Council’s three Black members along with Smith and Antanette Mosley, ultimately supported the amendment. But he lamented a lack of input from the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, which he said Campbell (who is also Black) has generally disregarded. New policies must address the root of the issue and not just shift money around, he said, because at its core, policing is riddled with “huge disparities between Black and white residents.”

Smith dedicated her “no” vote to the Black community, thanking members for their continued engagement despite being “sick and tired” of the situation and the lack of citywide action.

“The path forward is not through reform. Reform is deferred maintenance; reform is what we should already have for basic protection,” Smith said. “From this point on, we’re going to look for something substantive, something that is worth our time, something that is worth our historic loss and something that is worth this occasion.”

After the vote, state Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, released a statement vowing to introduce a bill next year to defund cities that reduce their police budgets. “While municipalities have control over their local budgets, the state legislature also has control over its budget, and I intend to help create an environment where public safety is a top priority,” the statement read. “The far-left Asheville City Council’s decisions are reckless and endanger public safety.”

— Molly Horak X

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

FEA T U RE S

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

‘Pay up’ Residents at Hillcrest Apartments organize a rent strike, 1967-68 Inadequate maintenance, broken appliances, improper pest control and issues with the Asheville Housing Authority’s executive director, Carl Vaughn, were among the list of grievances that led 32 tenants to go on a rent strike at Hillcrest Apartments in December 1967. At the time, the 234-unit complex was one of two public housing projects built specifically for African Americans; the third and final complex, Pisgah View Apartments, was designated for low-income white families.

Carl Johnson, president of the Hillcrest Tenants’ Association and a retired employee of the VA hospital, led the movement.

“All you people going on this rent strike better save a dime or two so we can get some lawyers,” he asserted in a Dec. 5, 1967, article published in The Asheville Citizen. Along with improving living conditions, Johnson and fellow strikers demanded Vaughn step down from his position with the AHA. In the following day’s paper, Vaughn responded. “We don’t anticipate any real difficulty with this thing,” the executive director said. “It’s happened in other places. Solutions have been worked out there and there’s no reason to think Asheville will be any different.”

Within 48 hours, the AHA hired 11 additional temporary maintenance workers to address tenants’ needs. But the gesture did not end the strike. “These men have been hired for three to six weeks,” Johnson told The Asheville Citizen on Dec. 9, 1967. “[W]e don’t regard this as any step toward getting what we are asking for,” he continued.

Vaughn’s removal and issues with lease agreements were among the matters that remained unresolved.

The Asheville Citizen soon derided the tenants for their ongoing protest.

“Asheville is not the kind of community in which officials are likely to yield to organized pressure or the threat of pressure,” the paper wrote in a Dec. 12, 1967, editorial. “Members of the Tenants Association should give their ‘demonstration’ some sober second thoughts.”

But the group persisted. And they soon found allies — both Black and white — beyond the Hillcrest Apartments community. On Dec. 20, The Asheville Citizen reported that the Skylighters, an African American teenagers club, had filed a 150-signature notice to the city manager in support of the rent strike.

“We understand that 625 units of public housing will be built in our area in the next few years as part of the East Riverside Urban Renewal Project,” Larry Holloway, vice president of the Skylighters, told the paper. “We want it known that we will not live under conditions as people now do in public housing in Asheville.”

By Dec. 21, the AHA began repairing Hillcrest’s drainage issues. Robert M. Felkel, the organization’s vice chairman, told The Asheville Citizen the problem was a “legitimate complaint … that has probably existed since the housing was constructed.” Other repairs, including broken windowpanes, loose doorknobs and missing screens, were also being addressed.

Still, the strike continued into the new year. And by late January, after a handful of tenants from Lee-Walker Heights (Asheville’s first public housing project) joined in the movement, both Vaughn and Felkel announced their resignations.

TAKING A STAND: “We feel like the responsibility of this strike does not rest on our shoulders, and many of us are bitter because we have been forced to go through the ordeals of this strike,” the Hillcrest Tenants’ Association declared in a Jan. 29, 1968, statement. “When our grievances were presented in a less dramatic way, we were put off.” Photo courtesy of Housing Authority of the City of Asheville Records, Special Collections, D.H. Ramsey Library, UNCA In a wild twist, residents at the allwhite Pisgah View Apartments responded to Vaughn’s resignation by threatening their own rent strike unless he was reinstated. Ultimately, 43 tenants withheld their February rent. Vaughn, however, remained committed to his decision to leave the organization.

By mid-February, the AHA warned that all noncompliant tenants at all three public housing units would face eviction proceedings if they did not pay their rent

by Feb. 29.

“In the sense that they have focused attention on their plight, the strikers have ‘won,’” The Asheville Citizen conceded in a Feb. 16, 1968 editorial. “Now, however, they must pay up or find another home.”

On Feb. 27, W. Hennings Groome was named the new executive director of the AHA. Despite the organization’s earlier threat, there is no indication that eviction

notices were served on Feb. 29 to noncompliant tenants at Lee-Walker Heights and Hillcrest. (Those on strike at Pisgah View Apartments had since relented.)

Shortly after Groome’s arrival, the strike ended, when on March 7, the AHA put in writing the list of improvements it intended to make.

Five months later, on Aug. 4, the Sunday edition of the Asheville CitizenTimes reported that conditions had improved at all three public housing units. Johnson, the Hillcrest Tenants’ Association president, praised Groome’s leadership. “As far as I am concerned, the executive director is doing everything in his power to satisfy complaints that were raised during the rent strike,” he told the paper.

As a result of these improvements, the paper added, “[Johnson] said the climate at Hillcrest is better.” X

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR SEPT. 30-OCT. 9, 2020 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar.

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137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

In-Person Events = Shaded All other events are virtual

ART Slow Art Friday: Could Your Child Make This?

Discussion led by touring docent Megan Pyle at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (10/2), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8dm First Friday Art Walk Open galleries.

FR (10/2), 5pm, Free, Biltmore Ave/College St Meet & Greet w/ Artist Jeffrey Stoner SA (10/3), 11am, Free, Twigs & Leaves Gallery, 98 N Main St, Waynesville

2 200 20 02 • All-in-one pull-out guide that voters can take to the polls.

• Informed and balanced content will reach readers of many viewpoints.

• Reach the most informed, caring and savvy readers.

• Show your clients you care about civics and community.

• Readers of all political persuasions agree the stakes for this general election are higher than ever before.

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SVM: The Art of Hairwork Jewelry A history of the 19th-century technique by Gina Iacovelli.

MO (10/5), 6:30am, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8dh

Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8cu Stay Home & Write(rs) Group Community writing session with Firestorm.

WE (9/30), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/83c Malaprop's Book Launch Ashley Blooms presents Every Bone a Prayer.

TH (10/1), 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8an Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance: Reader Meet Writer Featuring Lisa Unger, author of Confessions on the 7:45.

TH (10/1), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8cv

Cultivating Collections: Ceramics WCU Fine Art Museum exhibition tour.

MO (10/5), 12pm, Free, avl.mx/8db

Book Signing w/ William Clark Author of the novel Seeing Beyond the Shadows and contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Magic of Cats.

SA (10/3), 11am, Bean Werks, 753 Haywood Rd

Slow Art Friday: Talking Animals Discussion led by touring docent Susan Oliver at Asheville Art Museum.

FR (10/9), 12pm, Registration required, $10, avl.mx/8dn

Malaprop's Book Launch Joe Berkowitz presents American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey through the Artisan Cheese World.

TU (10/6), 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8cw

MUSIC Posey Piano Hour Jazz and swing performance.

TH (10/1), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/7mx Kimathi Moore: Oliver's Tail [We the Fish] Electronic concert presented by Black Mountain College.

TH (10/8), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/8d6

LITERARY

WNC Historical Society: Lit Cafe George Ellison and Janet McCue present Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography.

TH (10/8), 2:30pm, Registration required, $5-$15, avl.mx/8dk

THEATER & FILM Magnetic Theatre in the (Smoky) Park Outdoor variety show.

TU (10/6), 7pm, $15, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

Malaprop's Author Discussion Erin Brockovich and Suzanne Boothby present Superman's Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It. WE (9/30), 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8am

Manhattan Short Film Festival Nine short films presented

by Grail Moviehouse.

FR (10/2), 8pm, $10, pleb urban winery, 289 Lyman St

CRAFT Authors in Conversation Featuring Susan Elizabeth Phillips, author of Dance Away with Me. WE (9/30), 7pm,

Asheville's Ugliest Dog Pageant Contest and vendor fair.

SA (10/3), 12pm, Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd

ANIMALS

Blessing of the Animals In memory of St. Francis of Assisi.

SU (10/4), 1pm, St. Marks Lutheran Church, 118 E Chestnut St

BUSINESS

Astronomy Club of Asheville: Guest Speaker Event Robin Hanson presents The Great Filter: Obstacles to the Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations.

TH (10/1), 7pm, Free, avl.mx/8dc

HCC: Basics of Bookkeeping tenBiz webinar for new business owners.

MO (10/5), 2pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8dr

AIA Asheville: Park(ing) Day Open House Viewing of newly-constructed outdoor parklets. Map: avl.mx/8ea.

SA (10/3), 1-5pm, Free, Downtown Asheville

Budgeting Basics for Small Businesses Western Women's Business Center webinar.

TU (10/6), 12:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8co

Say His Name: Healing from Collective Trauma in the Age of George Floyd Session 3 of 5: Developing Cultural Sensitivity and Understanding of Identity, led by Dr. Dana Patterson.

TU (10/6), 6pm, Registration required, $25, avl.mx/7qo

Incredible Towns Business Network General meeting.

WE (10/7), 11am, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/7g8 UNCA Economics Webinar Series III Featuring macroeconomic strategist Tomas Sedlacek.

TH (10/8), 12pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/86d

CIVICS & ACTIVISM Voter Registration Assistance Hosted by the League of Women Voters.

WE (9/30), 5pm, Free, Hillman Beer, 25 Sweeten Creek Rd

What to Do When Your Income Doesn't Cover Expenses OnTrack WNC webinar.

WE (10/7), 5:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8d5

ECO & OUTDOOR This Fall's Election: High Stakes for the Environment WNC Sierra Club webinar with Ken Brame.

TH (10/1), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8cn

Pisgah Legal Annual Justice Forum Featuring writer, poet and researcher Clint Smith.

TH (10/1), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8as

Appalachian Cove Series: Invasive Plant Management Forest Stewards Guild webinar.

FR (10/2), 1pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8dv

Asheville Women in Black Monthly peace vigil.

FR (10/2), 5pm, Free, Vance Monument, 1 Pack Square

Asheville Garden Club General meeting.

WE (10/7), 9:30am, Free, All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St

Buncombe County Board of Commissioners General meeting.

TU (10/6), 5pm, avl.mx/8d3

MountainTrue Green Drinks: A History of DuPont Forest Featuring author Danny Bernstein.

TH (10/8), 6pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/638

Blue Ridge Pride: What Are We Voting For? Panel discussion with Land of Sky Regional Council, Council on Aging and Equality NC. WE (10/7), 12pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8cp Vance Monument Task Force Weekly meeting.

TH (10/8), 5pm, avl.mx/85h Asheville Downtown Commission General meeting.

FR (10/9), 9am, avl.mx/85u

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Spanish Conversation Group For adults language learners.

TH (10/1), 5pm, Free, avl.mx/7c6

Organic Growers School: Homestead Dreams Workshop on land-based living and small-scale sustainability.

SA (10/3), 10am, $65, Creekside Farm & Education Center, 339 Avery Creek Rd, Arden

FESTIVALS & FAIRS Junk in the Trunk Market Outdoor vintage and handmade sale.

SA (10/3), 8am, 244 W Main St, Brevard LoveHendo Saturday All-day closure of Main St for an enhanced pedestrian environment.

SA (10/3), 8am, Downtown Hendersonville

OF F I C I A L L Y O PEN LEAF & YMI: REIMAGINE 2020 Fundraiser with live music, conversation segments and community resources.

Virtual access available.

SA (10/3), The Block, 20 Market St

• ASAP Farmers Market at A-B Tech. 9am-12pm, 340 Victoria Rd

Crafts After Dark: Night Market Handmade items from local crafters.

WE (10/7), 5pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

• Enka-Candler Tailgate Market. 3:30-6:30pm, 70 Pisgah Hwy, Candler

WEEKLY MARKETS

• Flat Rock Farmers Market. 3-6pm, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville

Saturdays • North Asheville Tailgate Market. 8am-12pm, UNC Asheville, Lot C

Tuesdays

• Hendersonville Farmers Market. 8am-1pm, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville

• West Asheville Tailgate Market. 3:30-6:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd

• ASAP Farmers Market at A-B Tech. 9am-12pm, 340 Victoria Rd

• The Whee Market.

4-7pm, 563 N Country Club Dr, Cullowhee

• Black Mountain Tailgate Market. 9am-12pm, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Wednesdays • Asheville City Market South. 12-3pm, Biltmore Park Town Square • Weaverville Farmers Market. 2:30-6pm,17 Merrimon Ave, Weaverville • RAD Farmers Market.

3-6pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St • Jackson County Farmers Market. 3:30-6:30pm, Innovation Station, 40 Depot St, Dillsboro Thursdays

• Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market.

9am-12pm, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

KIDS & FAMILY

ecology and history of the Swannanoa Valley.

SA (10/3), 10am, $5, Black Mountain UMC, 101 Church St, Black Mountain NC Symphony: Music Discovery Music demonstration and play-along. Activity bags available for pickup at Black Mountain Library.

SA (10/3), 10:30am, Free, avl.mx/8cy Decolonize Your Bookshelf: Curating Children's Literature Discussion led by writer and educator Gayatri Sethi.

MO (10/5), 7pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8ct

WELLNESS Adult Eating Disorder Support Group Hosted by Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders. Register: groups@crcfored.com.

WE (9/30), 6pm, Free, avl.mx/82e

Miss Malaprop's Storytime Ages 3-9.

WE (9/30), 10am, Free, avl.mx/73b

Black Mountain Library: Losses & Invitations During Transitional Times Led by Jeannie DuBose.

WE (9/30), 6:30pm, Registration required, Free, avl.mx/8b4

SVM History Explorers: Life on a Farmstead Outdoor activities on the

Recovery Support Meeting Hosted by First Contact

Ministries.

TH (10/1), 6:30pm, avl.mx/7ko Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free educational material, naloxone, syringes and supplies.

TU (10/6), 2pm, Firestorm Bookstore Co-op, 610 Haywood Rd

VOLUNTEERING Community Garden Workday Pruning, mulching and weeding.

SA (10/3), 10am, Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Circle

Joyful Nature Healing: Smoking Cessation

Conserving Carolina: Kudzu Warriors Invasive plant management. Tools and gloves provided. Directions: avl.mx/8dd.

MO (10/5), 9am, Registration required, Norman Wilder Forest, Tryon

A modern, affordable and effective approach to guide you to a tobacco free life. Hypnotherapy: Quickly and effectively clear unhelpful subconscious habits. Coaching: Daily support to hold you accountable and provide encouragement. Stress Management: Relaxation techniques in your daily life that really work. Nicotine Replacement: Makes your quitting process more pleasant and doable.

Literacy Council of Buncombe County: Volunteer Orientation Meeting Information on ESOL and adult and youth literacy programs.

TH (10/8), 10am, Registration required, litcouncil.com

Call or Text for a Free Consultation: 828-713-0433 Virtual and In-Person Appointments in the Asheville Area www.joyfulnaturehealing.com wyatt@joyfulnaturehealing.com

Sovereign Kava Sovereign Kava wants to change your head, and we’re very, very good at it. Kava comes from the roots of a pepper plant (piper methisticum) that has rocked faces in the S. Pacific for 1000s of years. It provides an unmissable, unmistakable buzz. Nobody buys weird-tasting drinks that don’t do anything. Lots of people buy our weird-tasting drinks. Often with kava, it takes a few experiences (or one big experience) to feel its signature headchange. Our bartenders can get you “there.”

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WELLNESS

In the spotlight

AYURVEDIC Winter Prep Package

Stacie Saunders takes over Buncombe’s COVID-19 response

3 sessions of Ayurvedic Counseling including guided seasonal cleansing and Marma Point therapy to target your immune system, helping it reset & recharge for the upcoming months

More info and booking at trilliumtherapies.com

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BY MOLLY HORAK mhorak@mountainx.com Stacie Saunders has always loved puzzles.

She loved the puzzle presented by her clinical lab work, the way a single drop of blood could reveal so much about a person’s health.

And she loves the puzzle presented by public health, the way individual problems link together to form a complex web of risks. Instead of looking at the microlevel pieces, she sees the image on the front of the box.

Now, Saunders is tackling her largest puzzle yet: COVID-19. As Buncombe County’s new public health director, she joined the Department of Health and Human Services in August to head the county’s coronavirus response.

“This is an opportunity for me not only to grow in my leadership and grow professionally in my career, but also to provide an opportunity for my family to grow in a really dynamic and diverse city,” Saunders says. “I love the idea that my family will grow up appreciating the energy of not only a really active city, but the energy of rural and natural spaces.”

BACK TO HER ROOTS

Saunders might be new to Asheville, but the Blue Ridge Mountains run deep in her blood. She grew up in Parrott, Va., a town of about 400 nestled in southwest Virginia’s Pulaski County along the New River. “It was a very old-school mountain town,” she says with a smile. “I grew up with the river below me and the mountains above me.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, Saunders first worked in clinical lab sciences, studying blood diseases and reproductive hormones. In 2007, she received a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in family and population health.

Saunders then made her way to North Carolina’s Alamance County, where she worked a grant-funded position for the county health department’s family planning clinic — a job that allowed her to better understand how public health departments can expand access to primary care, she

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WELCOME TO ASHEVILLE: Stacie Saunders started her new role as the Buncombe County public health director in August. She and her family have enjoyed hiking in Pisgah National Forest, watching the sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway and trying takeout from local restaurants. Photo courtesy of the Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services says. In 2014, she was promoted to public health director.

Western North Carolina was on her radar long before a job became available, Saunders explains. Early in her career, she was fascinated by the collaborative approach WNC counties were taking to monitor regional indicators, such as birth outcomes and disease mortality rates, to assess community health.

“That type of collaboration not only allows for the county-specific approaches to combating public health issues, but it really opens the door up for regional approaches to improving health in our whole geographic area,” she says. “It’s that type of collective impact work, both at a local and regional level, that really excites me.”

‘PATIENT, NIMBLE, FLEXIBLE’

COVID-19 is by far the longest and most intense infectious disease outbreak that anyone in public health will be a part of, Saunders says. But many of the core public health tenets for handling the pandemic remain the same as for recurring diseases like the flu.

“The whole piece of public health preparedness is that we practice and

exercise these things well in advance so that we’re prepared when it happens,” Saunders adds. “We hope it never does, but we’re prepared when it does.”

When COVID-19 began spreading statewide, Saunders was at the helm of a health department supporting nearly 170,000 residents; she now works for a county of over 260,000. But no matter the size, Saunders notes, the county-level approach to fighting COVID19 is essentially the same across North Carolina.

Many of Buncombe’s policies, including contact tracing and encouraging residents to wear face coverings, are similar to what she was doing in Alamance. So far, she says, her main challenge has been learning about the composition of the community and strengthening working partnerships.

COVID-19 has taught health officials to be patient, nimble and flexible during a constantly evolving situation, Saunders explains. With that comes transparency; she referred to Buncombe’s COVID-19 dashboard as a way health officials are working to keep open communication with the public.

“I think that public health has tried really hard over many years to be

as transparent as we can, within the guardrails of federal laws that make sure that we don’t jeopardize someone’s privacy, to get the information out as quickly and as timely as we can,” she says. “It’s definitely an interesting time with so much public-facing information and getting that out as quickly as we can while still doing the work.”

BEYOND THE PANDEMIC

COVID-19 has taken the spotlight, but other functions of the health department haven’t stopped. “We’re still doing restaurant inspections; we’re still having our family planning clinics.

Those things continue, pandemic or no pandemic,” Saunders says.

To do that work effectively, Saunders says, Buncombe must work with other North Carolina counties to advocate for additional resources.

State and federal public health spending in particular, she adds, “could use some work.”

According to reports found on the Buncombe County Health and Human Services website, the state provided just over $1 million in 2010 to help support public health. In 2017, the

most recent report available, the state allocated $707,642 — despite more than 18,000 residents moving to the county in that time span, per the U.S. Census Bureau.

“Our populations are growing,” Saunders explains. “Having the same type of state allocation as our state population grows is not likely to support the infrastructure of public health well.”

Less than two months into her new position, Saunders says it’s still too soon to have a clear vision for the direction of the department. Right now, she’s working to get to know county staff, partner agencies and community members, learn the institutional history and hear from local leaders to better understand their hopes for the county.

“Pandemics bring public health to the forefront, but I want folks to understand the importance of public health outside of that experience,” she says. “I want to have public health embrace its role as the health strategist for a community to help explore the intersection of health and wealth and education and how all those things are intertwined.” X

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15

GREEN SCENE

Color show

Short fall walks lead to long views

The rock face is on the left, about a mile from the trail junction, and the trail briefly runs atop its highest edge. To complete the loop, continue for another mile, then bear left at a T intersection onto Slate Rock Creek Trail. Descend sharply at first, then walk through a beautiful, nearly flat hardwood cove with an understory of ferns to the starting point.

• Distance: 3.4 miles.

• Starting elevation: 3,115 feet.

• Viewpoint elevation: 3,720 feet.

• Maps: National Geographic Trails Illustrated Pisgah Ranger District map or Pisgah Map Company’s Pisgah Ranger District map.

In the neighborhood: The hike from Gloucester Gap, a few miles’ drive west of John Rock, to Pilot Mountain is steep but offers great views.

WAIT AND SEE: Hikers look west from a rock dome on the Pilot Cove Loop Trail. The green leaves beyond them will turn red, orange and yellow during October. Photo by Mark Barrett

BY MARK BARRETT markbarrett@charter.net On a clear and crisp October Sunday a few years ago, I climbed the Clingmans Dome observation tower in the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the end of a backpacking trip.

The tower was so busy that, to get to the railing to take in the view to the north, I had to wait in line behind three or four people. Then I had to repeat the process three times to gaze east, south and west.

Not even the, er, aroma generated by a sweaty week in the woods yielded a clear path.

Somewhat similar experiences may be in store for people visiting the Blue Ridge Parkway, parts of the Smokies and other

prime spots for fall color over the next few weeks. Many parks, overlooks, waterfalls and trails in Western North Carolina have been exceptionally busy since the coronavirus pandemic began: The number of recreational visitors to the Smokies for June, July and August was up 6.9% over the same months in 2019, according to preliminary park figures, and were the highest recorded in at least 41 years.

Odds are that WNC’s wild areas will also be busy in October, already one of the most popular times to visit the region.

The following suggestions for short hikes with a view should improve your chances of getting a little elbow room while leaf looking. Don’t expect to have any of them all to yourself — in these days of social media and high visitation, few places on maintained trails haven’t been

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“discovered” by someone. But expanding your horizons to some lesser-known places might reduce the need to mingle with the masses and lessen the strain on some of WNC’s most popular outdoor spots.

PILOT COVE

This loop hike in Pisgah National Forest northeast of Brevard takes you across a rounded rock face, similar to the better-known Looking Glass Rock and John Rock but smaller and less visited.

From the top of the rock, you can see a hardwood cove below you and much of the south side of the Pisgah Ledge. The two other hikers who were there when I visited pointed out that no man-made structures are visible other than a few transmission line towers in the distance and a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway The drive: From the U.S. Forest Service’s North Mills River Recreation Area in northern Henderson County, stay straight on Yellow Mountain Road (F.S. 1206), which turns to gravel just past the campground. The road is a beauty, and like all those mentioned in this article, easily passable for a standard passenger car if you slow down for potholes. The trailhead is on your right at 6.6 miles, immediately before a small concrete bridge. A small trail sign reads “Slate Rock Pilot Cove.”

The walk: Walk past the sign, then take Pilot Cove Loop Trail, which veers uphill and to the right after about 0.1 miles. The trail has no sign, but yellow blazes and the path itself make the turn obvious.

HAWKBILL ROCK

This outcropping on Snowball Trail has outstanding views to the west and southwest that reach to the eastern edge of the Smokies. Don’t be fooled by the similar starting and viewpoint elevations — you’ll climb Snowball Mountain, elevation 5,335 feet, in between.

The drive: Between Blue Ridge Parkway mileposts 368 and 367 northeast of Asheville, turn onto the access road for the Craggy Gardens picnic area. Park at the three-way intersection in Bee Tree Gap at 0.3 miles.

The walk: Take the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, marked with a white-dot blaze, to the west (left as you come from the parkway.) Turn right onto Snowball Trail at 0.1 miles. After ascending, then descending, Snowball Mountain, you’ll start climbing again. Hawkbill lies at the top of this short climb, helpfully marked by a new sign.

Return the way you came.

MAGIC CARPET: Ferns cover the forest floor underneath hardwood trees in Pilot Cove in Pisgah National Forest. Photo by Mark Barrett

MILES AND MILES: The view from Hawkbill Rock northeast of Asheville stretches from the upper Reems Creek Valley, foreground, west to the Great Smoky Mountains. Photo by Mark Barrett • Distance: 3 miles round trip.

• Starting elevation: 4,880 feet.

• Viewpoint elevation: 4,918 feet.

• Map: Pisgah Map Co.’s Grandfather Ranger District map.

miles one way to a mountaintop field with good views.

In the neighborhood: Continuing on the MST from the Snowball Trail intersection will bring you to rock outcroppings overlooking the Swannanoa Valley in 2 miles. You’ll have a little less climbing but more company.

DuPont State Recreational Forest boasts much more than waterfalls. You can see much of the forest from its highest point.

The drive: Take DuPont Road south for 0.8 miles from its intersection with Crab Creek Road between Hendersonville and

STONE MOUNTAIN

BEARWALLOW MOUNTAIN

This hike is particularly well suited for families with kids. The grade is gentle, there are no cliffs to fall from, and the large pasture at the top provides plenty of room to run around and socially distance.

The pasture is in use, so keep dogs on a leash — and watch for cow pies.

The drive: Starting on Asheville’s east side, take U.S. 74A about 12.5 miles east from Interstate 40 through Fairview to Gerton, turn right (south) onto Bearwallow Mountain Road and park after 2 miles, where the road turns from gravel back to pavement. The trail begins on the left.

The hike: The trail exists because of the kindness of the Lyda family, which owns the property, and Conserving Carolina, the Hendersonville-based nonprofit that secured a conservation easement for the land. It winds up through open woods to the pasture, where you can see Hickory Nut Gorge, much of Henderson County and southern Buncombe County and peaks beyond. Return via the gravel road that runs through the pasture.

• Distance: 2 miles.

• Starting elevation: 3,660 feet.

• Viewpoint elevation: 4,230 feet.

• Map: Online at avl.mx/8dp.

In the neighborhood: The Trombatore Trail, another Conserving Carolina project described on the nonprofit’s website, begins across the road from the start of Bearwallow Mountain Trail and leads 2.4

Leaf-looking tips • When leaves reach their peak is a function of weather, latitude and elevation, says Beverly Collins, a biology professor at Western Carolina University. This year, trees at elevations of 5,000 feet or more should peak around the first week of October in WNC, while it might take until nearly the end of the month for those in the lowest part of the region, she says. Let elevation guide your trip planning.

• Hike on weekdays and/or get an early start to avoid the largest crowds.

• Don’t limit yourself to the hikes listed above. Books like The Best Hikes of Pisgah National Forest, Hiking the Carolina Mountains and Hiking Trails of the Great Smoky Mountains or Hiking Trails of the Smokies have many other options.

Among the best online resources are AllTrails.com, HikingProject. com, HikingUpward.com and HikeWNC.info.

• Hunting season for bear, squirrel and some other small game opens Monday, Oct. 12. These trails are not prime hunting spots, but wearing blaze orange remains a smart idea. X

Brevard, then turn left onto Sky Valley Road. A small parking area is on the left at about 3 miles, or 1.4 miles past the Guion Farm parking lot.

The hike: Located in one of DuPont’s quieter corners, the hike has a Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde character. From the parking lot, take Rocky Ridge Trail, a broad, gentle path cushioned by sand and pine needles, for 0.4 miles, then go right for 0.2 miles on Stone Mountain Trail. Turn left at the intersection with Switchback Trail, where Mr. Hyde takes over. The rocky and eroded Stone Mountain Trail travels very steeply 0.7 miles from here to the top, which features several viewpoints. Return the way you came.

walk 0.1 miles on Corn Mill Shoals Trail.

Then bear left on Big Rock Trail, right on Cedar Rock Trail, right on Little River Trail and right on Corn Mill Shoals Trail for a 2.8-mile loop. A collapsed bridge on Little River Trail may require you to wade a small stream, or you can return the way you came instead of crossing.

• Starting elevation: 2,720 feet.

• Viewpoint elevation: 3,060 feet. X

• Distance: 2.6 miles total.

• Starting elevation: 2,970 feet.

• Viewpoint elevation: 3,600 feet.

• Maps: Both National Geographic Trails Illustrated and Pisgah Map Co. sell good DuPont maps.

In the neighborhood: The hike over Cedar Rock on DuPont’s western side is a good alternative if Stone Mountain sounds too tough: It’s prettier and less steep, but also busier. From the Corn Mill Shoals parking lot about 0.5 miles south of the Staton Road/Cascade Lake Road intersection, cross the road and

UPON THIS ROCK: Much of DuPont State Recreational Forest is visible from the rock outcroppings around the peak of Stone Mountain, the forest’s highest point. Photo by Mark Barrett

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FOOD

What’s new, Part 3

Soon-to-open and recently updated restaurants in WNC

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A successful, decadelong run is hard to achieve in the restaurant world. Harder still? Refreshing a successful, 10-year-old restaurant to attract new diners without hurting long-term relationships.

Avenue M is undertaking that challenge, while some new faces in Fletcher and Candler take on the equally difficult task of opening businesses during the ongoing pandemic.

AVENUE M

Ralph Lonow’s history with Avenue M goes way back — all the way back, in fact, to when the Merrimon Avenue space was a popular industry bar called Usual Suspects. There, as a young and single member of the service industry, Lonow spent many a night after work.

Fast forward 10 years to 2019 when Lonow, now a married family man and certified sommelier with a decade under his belt at the Grove Park Inn’s Horizon and Vue 1913, learned that his friends, Avenue M owners Teri and Greg Siegal, were ready to retire. He heard opportunity knocking and reached out to industry veteran and longtime friend Tony Creed with the idea of a partnership. The pair signed the lease in June 2019.

Taking over an established and beloved restaurant — one with framed awards covering a wall — can be more difficult than starting from scratch, so the partners eased into it. Lonow started with revamping the wine program. “I wasn’t going for a Grove Park Inn 500-label list, but we’ve brought in a lot more choices for guests.

Instead of one cabernet by the glass, we have four in a wide price range.”

The menu was another story. “In a 10-year-old neighborhood restaurant, everybody has their favorite thing,” he says. “We’d get on the computer and see what wasn’t selling and take those off, and people would get very upset with us.”

For months, the menu remained the same, but when the restaurant closed in January for an interior makeover, chef Andrew McLeod entered the picture.

An Asheville native, McLeod’s culinary experience includes years in kitchens run

by A-list chefs, including San Francisco’s Joshua Skenes and Michael Tusk and, closer to home, Sean Brock.

McLeod met Lonow working at the Grove Park Inn, where he also met Brock,

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TOP CHEF: Chef Andrew McLeod brings arms loaded with ink and an apron full of experience working with A-list chefs at nationally known restaurants to his new post running the kitchen at Avenue M. Photo by Bren Photography who had been invited by chef Duane Fernandez to guest-chef a wine dinner.

“I was used to working in a very proper, white-toque resort restaurant, then Brock came in with a ball cap, red Vans and carrying a jar of pickles, and I was like, ‘I want to be that guy.’”

When Avenue M reopened after renovations in February, McLeod encountered his own menu conflicts with regulars. “I didn’t realize the depth of feeling a lot of our longtime guests had for that menu,” he says. “It was a big learning experience.”

It was one he had plenty of time to think about when COVID-19 closed Avenue M again in mid-March. “Shutting down turned out in some ways to be helpful,” says McLeod. “It gave us time to think about details, communication and the culture of the restaurant without having to swim upstream against the current of a full dining room.”

The restaurant reopened June 1 for reduced-capacity indoor dining in the spacious 6,000-square-foot building and on the patio. Favorites like spicy ginger tofu, beef medallions and blue crab Rangoons remain, but McLeod’s impact is evident in the addition of fresh pasta and salumi.

“Two things I love to do more than anything is making salumi by hand and pasta by hand,” he says, pointing to the ricotta cavatelli with ’Nduja ragu and pork cracklins as an example. He is also intent on locally sourcing the vast majority of the evolving menu, introducing new dishes via daily specials and bringing in whole hogs for his salumi program.

“There are dishes we will always have,” he assures. “But I also look forward to the kitchen being more dynamic, reactionary and market driven. I’m glad to be home and contributing in Asheville.” For

hours of operation and menu details, visit avl.mx/89x.

GRIFF’S KITCHEN & BAR

When Gina and Ian Griffin met five years ago working in a restaurant in Hillsborough — she was front of house, he was cooking — their first conversation ended with a handshake promise to open a restaurant together one day. At that time, Ian was on his way out the kitchen door, embarking on a three-month trip to Japan, Korea and Thailand.

The pair later reconnected on a more personal level, spent a year in Chapel Hill, then moved to Asheville with the intention of realizing their original plan.

A wedding, a house, a stint at All Souls Pizza, a baby and a pandemic later, they are finally opening Griff’s Kitchen & Bar at 1390 Sand Hill Road in Candler.

The couple signed the lease in January with plans to open in May, but the pandemic altered both their timeline and their approach. Their original concept of seasonally driven, contemporary American cuisine with global influences from Ian’s travels remained the same.

But the operating plan was modified by COVID-19.

In fact, it was modified more than once.

Initial plans to open in early October for dine-in dinner service pivoted to offering only takeout lunch due to construction and inspection delays. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Griff’s will launch order-ahead/ curbside pickup lunch service Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

By late October, Griff’s intends to begin dine-in service on the same five days, implementing two reservations-required seating blocks at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. With only 20-22 guests allowed per block, the dining room will be well under 50% capacity.

“One of the bigger things to us, with a 4-month-old baby at home, is safety,” Ian Griffin says. “For us, our staff and guests.”

He suggests keeping an eye on the restau-

rant’s social media for a firm date on when the dining room will open. For more details and the menu, visit avl.mx/8bo.

cafe & juice bar

PB & JAY’S

Even before Kirsten Fuchs opened Baked Pie Co. in South Asheville in April 2017, she was intrigued by a space in the corner of The Garage on 25 in Fletcher, an artisan market with more than 80 booths rented by makers, collectors and vintage dealers. “I wondered if I could do something in there, but then I opened Baked Pie in Arden and the second in Woodfin, so I was busy,” she says.

The little coffee shop that did go into The Garage at 3461 Hendersonville Road carried some of her baked goods, and when the space became available again in July, the landladies of the building called Fuchs, who had long had an idea to open a peanut-butter-and-jelly eatery. “I know it seems like a strange time to open a new business,” she says. “But it’s a great location with built-in shoppers, a lot of industrial parks nearby and very few breakfast and lunch options.”

She did a minimal remodel of the interior and added a walk-up window and outdoor seating. Extensive menu testing and several unscientific but helpful Facebook surveys led her to develop a menu of sandwiches featuring a variety of nut butters and jams with a choice of breads, toasted or not. Optional additions include marshmallow fluff, bananas, crushed strawberries, honey and candied bacon.

Fuchs intends to offer some Baked Pie muffins, bars and galettes for breakfast, as well as hot oatmeal and possibly waffles.

There is a commercial coffee maker for espresso, cappuccino and other specialty drinks that, she admits with a laugh, she needs to learn how to operate before her planned opening date of Friday, Oct. 2.

She notes that she named the business after her father, Jay. “He’s 89 years old, and I really wanted to do this for him.” For operating hours, check here avl.mx/89z X

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FOOD COURT

by Kay West | kwest@mountainx.com

Getting personal If I had known March 11 would mark my last full-service meal eaten at a table inside a restaurant, I would have had a second order of wood-fired octopus at Golden Fleece Slow Earth Kitchen, the cozy fairy-tale cottage nestled in the woods near the Omni Grove Park Inn. We were a table of four — an Asheville native, her husband and a mutual friend from Nashville staying with the couple in their home just blocks away. The Fleece was one of Leslie and Daniel’s favorite restaurants, and, naturally, they wanted to share it with friends.

Because there was still a chill in the air that evening, I had what I thought might be my last Negroni of the season (that turned out to be true). And because the memory of the delectable octopus I had on my first visit to the Fleece the summer before had not faded, I knew how I wanted to start my meal.

Sadly, in a hindsight-enhanced regrettable choice, I ordered a vegetable side as my entrée. The cauliflower cas-

serole gratin with gruyere and mornay sauce was good, but I should have had the braised lamb shank, always my go-to main on any Greek menu. What the heck was I thinking?

Though the emerging and mysterious pandemic came up in a conversation that was primarily focused on catching up on news of kids and colleagues, none of us were overthinking it. At that point, we couldn’t even imagine the deadly havoc and full-blown economic crisis it would wreak, shutting us away in our houses and shuttering restaurants for months.

In mid-March, when restaurants were ordered closed and my editors and I were adjusting content for the Food section of the paper, one email exchange mused on how long the situation might last. An attendee at an emergency meeting called by the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association reported, “Right now, restaurants are holding onto hope that the closure will end by April 1,

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Beloved local restaurants serve memories that linger beyond the meal

MEMORIES OF MENUS: In the latest Food Court, writer Kay West recalls her dining life before COVID-19. Photo by Thomas Calder; design by Scott Southwick and their businesses can start trying to rebuild at that point. But who knows?”

I printed out and kept that email in my binder full of restaurant news; each time I reread it, I’m struck by our collective naivete.

As it turns out, “who knows?” has become the repetitive theme of this ongoing disaster. Interviewing restaurant owners the last few months as they have struggled desperately to find a way to save their businesses and move forward, I have often felt like the first reporter on the scene in the aftermath of a tornado, asking people standing in front of the one wall that remains of their home how they’re doing.

In late April on a small piece of scrap paper, I began keeping a handwritten list headed “Closed,” meaning restaurants that had come to the gut-wrenching decision to shutter permanently.

Topping that list were Fuddruckers, which had been open for more than three decades, and Futo Buta, open less than a year.

Following those were Rustic Grape Wine Bar and Addissae Ethiopian restaurant (which may be reopening under new owners — stay tuned). As the list grew, I scribbled in corners and margins, adding Rezaz, Broth Lab, Korean House, AUX Bar and others.

What turned out to be my last meal inside a restaurant was also one of the last dinners served by Golden Fleece

owner Giorgios Bakatsias and cooked by chef George Delidimos. On Sept. 1, I received a press release stating that the restaurant would not reopen, and I sadly added it to my list. It felt so personal.

That’s what our beloved, memory-triggering local restaurants are: deeply personal keepers of happy experiences. Wherever your last BC-19 meal was, think about your favorite local restaurant, which might still be closed or on the brink of closing — a place that you dream of sitting down at once again with family and friends because the chef’s unforgettable wood-fired octopus makes you so eager to dive in that you forget to take a photo. Wherever you are on your back-to-normal scale for restaurant dining, it behooves us all to do all we can to support our local restaurateurs’ Sisyphean efforts, whether that means dining safely distanced indoors or outdoors, ordering takeaway, generously tipping the waitstaff and delivery drivers or buying gift cards.

As much as I miss dining inside a cozy restaurant at a table filled with friends, in my (advanced) age group and out of an abundance of caution (to call back an early pandemic response term), I’m fine to wait as long as it takes to return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy. And when those glorious opportunities return, I will remind myself to savor every experience as if it might be my last. X

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SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

21

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Survey says

Asheville City Council, Buncombe County board candidates weigh in on arts policy

0 20 02 2 20

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Candidates for Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners support an increase in funding for local arts projects, arts education and arts businesses struggling to stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — and aren’t as sold on a pricey renovation as they were earlier in 2020, according to a recent survey conducted by the Asheville Area Arts Council.

Eleven of the 13 local candidates on the Nov. 3 general election ballot completed the arts questionnaire — a follow-up to the candidate survey that the AAAC published at the start of February to coincide with the primary election. According to AAAC Executive Director Katie Cornell, the goal of the questionnaire is “so that local residents can better understand each of [the candidates’] stances on these important policy topics impacting the arts.” The AAAC did not receive a response from District 1 candidate Glenda Weinert or District 2’s Jasmine Beach-Ferrara.

THE BEST POLICY

Cornell developed the seven questions with the AAAC’s arts leadership council, which she describes as composed of “arts leaders who have really done something to enhance and fight for the sector.” Despite the concerning

CIVIC DUTY: Eleven of the 13 local candidates on the Nov. 3 general election ballot completed the Asheville Area Arts Council’s latest survey. Graphic courtesy of the AAAC revelation that “some of the candidates didn’t understand the role of the arts council or why we would be the ones to receive arts funding when one of our major roles is to regrant that funding out to other arts organizations,” she’s encouraged overall by the results.

“It feels like they were more honest.

There’s a few of them that I can tell are saying what they thought I wanted to hear, but for the most part, I felt like we got really genuine, honest answers,” Cornell says. “I think we’re at a point where people are really frustrated, and our candidates understand that [voters] don’t want B.S. They want real answers. They’re fed up ... and they want to see real results.”

Cornell notes she was especially interested in responses concern-

ing the Asheville Buncombe Hotel Association’s proposed changes earlier this year to the county’s occupancy tax, which would reduce the funding dedicated to marketing Buncombe County to tourists from 75% to 67% and increase funding available for community projects to 33%. Asked if they support the occupancy tax changes as presented, including funding for local arts projects, 18.2% strongly agree, 54.5% agree, 9.1% disagree and 18.2% are undecided. Many candidates express a desire for a more equitable split, with City Council candidate Kim Roney (the lone “disagree”) calling for representatives to “leverage this change for a lot more.”

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derful for the arts,” Cornell says, referring to the proposed occupancy tax redistribution. “I think additional funding would be fantastic, but what’s being offered is not that bad for the arts, either. So, some insight there is helpful.”

THE COVID-19 FACTOR

Though only explicitly mentioned in one question, the pandemic proved a major factor in numerous responses.

Presented with data from the recent Buncombe County Arts Business Impact Survey — in which local arts organizations reported $18.7 million in losses and 70% job losses, with 40% of the 100-plus responding organizations facing closure within six months or less without aid — candidates were asked if they’d support business interruption grants for these organizations through local CARES Act funding and/or additional recovery funding sources. Among respondents, 54.5% strongly agree, 36.4% agree and 9.1% are undecided. Incumbent Brownie Newman, running for commission chair, is the sole “undecided,” citing hope for “a safe and effective vaccine in the coming months that will help end the pandemic” and prioritizing assisting at-risk residents “meet their most basic life necessities” in the wake of federal relief funding being discontinued.

The pandemic has also shifted perspectives on the proposed $100 million renovation of Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville, a plan that would significantly overhaul Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. In the February survey, Anthony Penland (District 2) and Roney were among the few respondents who opposed or strongly questioned the renovation, with Parker Sloan (District 3) expressing a need for more information before weighing in on the matter.

Seven months later, when asked if they would support changes to the proposal to directly support local artists and arts organizations, Sloan and Terri Wells (District 1) are the lone undecideds — again citing a desire for greater details on the plan and its goals — while the rest agree (45.5%) or strongly agree (36.4%) with rerouting the funds. City Council candidate

Rich Lee and Council member Keith Young, both of whom previously supported the renovation, now favor the redistribution of those funds, with Lee wanting to see them used for “permanently affordable housing and workspace for Asheville artists in the [River Arts District],” plus “a downtown-RAD circulator shuttle, funding for public art by local artists and funding art-educational programs like LEAF in Schools and Streets.”

“I actually felt better seeing their responses,” Cornell says. “[The $100 million proposal is] a huge investment in arts and entertainment that does not benefit artists or arts organizations in Buncombe County at all. What I was afraid was going to happen is there was going to be this large investment made, and the city and county would be able to say they invested in the arts without helping the arts at all.”

PROMISE KEEPERS

Cornell is also thrilled to see the widespread support for arts education in a year when she says budgets have been “slashed significantly.”

The survey shows 72.7% of candidates strongly agree with providing additional funding for the enhancement of middle and high school arts programs in order to meet a new state law requiring students to have one arts credit between grades 6-12 in order to graduate from high school, beginning with those entering sixth grade in 2022. The other 27.3% agree with the proposal.

As for whether the candidates who are elected will follow through on these responses, Cornell is adopting a “waitand-see” mindset but is encouraged by responses to introductory questions about their arts backgrounds and general experience with the arts, which show a strong connection to the sector.

From active musicians and visual artists to frequent patronage of venues across the area, Cornell believes that these deep ties to the arts suggest that the candidates can better “understand and appreciate” their importance to the community and therefore hold true to their word.

Read the full survey results at ashevillearts.com X

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A&E

Mountains of monsters Asheville-based horror writer Nathan Ballingrud discusses Hulu adaptation, debut novel

Asheville-based author Nathan Ballingrud is unapologetic about being labeled a horror writer.

“It’s not a thing I consciously think about. I grew up reading it — I just love it,” Ballingrud says. “That’s just the natural bent of my imagination.

I don’t think, ‘I’m going to write a horror story.’ I think, ‘I’m going to write a story,’ and usually that’s how it comes out.”

Following through on those instincts has earned Ballingrud widespread acclaim, and yielded some impressive results on the small screen. In 2019, Wounds, a feature film adaptation of his novella, The Visible Filth, premiered on Hulu and internationally on Netflix. And on Friday, Oct. 2, his Shirley Jackson Award-winning horror anthology North American Lake

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Meanwhile, Ballingrud’s first fulllength novel, The Strange, is slated for publication in 2021, and he says the story is “very different” from his prior work. It takes place on Mars in the 1930s, when colonizers from Earth — including protagonist Anabelle Crisp — lose contact with their home planet.

“The novel kicks off with some raiders from outside the city robbing the diner where [Anabelle] works, beating her father and stealing, among other things, the last recording she had of her mother,” says Ballingrud, adding that the matriarch was visiting Earth when communications between the two planets ceased. “So she goes out after them to get it back. It’s about losing things that feel like it’d kill you to lose, and about changing to fit into a world you never thought would come.

It’s not a horror novel, strictly — I think of it as a dark fantasy. And even though the protagonist is a teenager, it isn’t a YA book.”

MR. ADAPTATION: Asheville-based author Nathan Ballingrud’s Shirley Jackson Award-winning horror anthology North American Lake Monsters has been turned into an eight-episode Hulu series called “Monsterland.” The series will be released in full on Friday, Oct. 2. Photo by Max Cooper Monsters is scheduled for release on Hulu under the title “Monsterland.” “[‘Monsterland’] was a direct result of Babak Anvari, who directed Wounds,” Ballingrud says. “When they were getting the movie ready, he read ... North American Lake Monsters and decided to option that, too, with the idea of turning it into a series.”

Starring Kelly Marie Tran (The Last Jedi), Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Jonathan Tucker (Showtime’s “City on a Hill”) and Taylor Schilling (Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black), “Monsterland” is about flawed people whose lives intersect with supernatural horrors, forcing them to face demons both figurative and literal.

The eight-episode anthology features four stories adapted from North American Lake Monsters, as well as four complementary stories by other writers. Ballingrud’s contributions are “You Go Where It Takes You,” “The Good Husband” and “The Monsters of Heaven.” “S.S.” also makes it to the screen, though as what the author calls “a loose adaptation” — part of an overall collaborative adventure of translating his material to a different medium.

“Last year, [Hulu] brought me out to the writers’ room for the first two

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weeks,” he says, where he discussed the stories and helped map out the proper pacing and consistent internal logic. “And that was extremely cool. I was really impressed and inspired by the unselfish way that all these writers were just throwing ideas out there as fast as they could.”

As for the four as-yet unfilmed stories in North American Lake Monsters, Ballingrud says fans will just have to cross their fingers for a series renewal: “If there’s a second season, it’s likely that a few of them will be selected for adaptation, along with more original stories. That’s speculation on my part, though. Those decisions will be made by the showrunner, Mary Laws. There hasn’t been any official talk about it.

The first season has only very recently been finished, and getting that done has been everyone’s sole focus.”

The 49-year-old author says he’s still new to the filmmaking process and that witnessing his creations move from the page to the screen is a unique thrill. “I think the first time it struck me was when I was visiting the set [of Wounds], and Armie Hammer was there saying words that a couple of years earlier I’d written while sitting on my couch,” he says. “That was kind of surreal.”

BRAVE NEW WORLDS

NOTABLE ASHEVILLEAN

Ballingrud has lived in Asheville for much of his life. He graduated from Asheville High School, and although he moved to New Orleans after attending college at UNC Chapel Hill, the mountains were never far from his mind. The area continued to feature in his prose, and, in 2005, he returned to the region to be closer to his family.

“The title story of North American Lake Monsters was set in Appalachia,” he says. “I wrote that while I was in New Orleans, but I think of myself kind of like a sponge in a sense that I kind of take on the flavor of wherever I am, so I started writing a lot more about [Western North Carolina] once I moved back here. My second novel, Moon Country, despite the title, is an Appalachian story. At least it starts in Appalachia.”

Ballingrud says that although the bulk of the work-in-progress is about a road trip across the U.S., he wanted to write a story about Southern characters and dwell on the flavor and culture of Southern Appalachia in particular.

“I like the people here, I like the way the language sounds and I love the way the land itself looks and feels and smells,” he says. “I’d like to translate some of that sense into the book, to give people who don’t live here an idea of it — one that isn’t a TV caricature.”

— Timothy Burkhardt X

A&E ROUNDUP

by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com

Appalachian Barn Alliance perseveres with annual fundraiser Appalachian Barn Alliance’s annual art exhibit fundraiser of barns and rural settings — this year titled A Pastoral Palette Resized: Rural Spaces for the Soul — opens Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., in Studio #234 on the second floor of Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St. The show features work from 14 members of the local artist collective, The Saints of Paint, including Chris Bell, Tony Biddix, Cecil Bothwell, Christine Enochs, Mark Henry, Dana Irwin, John Mac Kah, Ruthanne Kah, Rebecca KingHawkinson, Susan Kokora, Bryan Koontz, Cathy Mandeville, Deborah Squier and Jane Voorhees.

The exhibit will be on display through Saturday, Oct. 31, and proceeds from sales (in-person and online) support the nonprofit, which has been working since 2012 to help save the rural agricultural heritage of the southern Appalachians.

Masks are required, and attendance will be limited in accordance with state guidelines. Reservations for specific 15-minute periods from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. may be made online. appalachianbarns.org

STILL STANDING: Chris Bell’s painting “The Tobacco Barn” is one of the featured works in Appalachian Barn Alliance’s art exhibit fundraiser, A Pastoral Palette Resized: Rural Spaces for the Soul. The show runs Oct. 4-31 in Riverview Station’s Studio #234. Photo courtesy of Appalachian Barn Alliance

Bumps and rhymes

Urban Combat Wrestling rings in its first anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 4, 5-7 p.m., with “Rap and Wrestling 5: It’s a Celebration B!%@#*$.” The pop-up show will be held at Cars and Bars, 2847 Asheville Highway, Canton.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. COVID-19 standards for safety will be followed with temperature checks and masks required at the door. Organizers stress that the event is not family-friendly. avl.mx/8d4

abuse, mental health and sexual abuse, as well as addiction, a theme that Kimbrell explored in her previous work of fiction, Drunks, Monks and Mental Illness: ... Based on a Lie. “Most importantly,” she says, “it is a story about redemption.” dorrancepressroom.com/paper-planes And though not an area resident, Alden Jones reflects on her time as a 19-year-old in the Western North Carolina wilderness with the N.C. Outward Bound School in her new book, The Wanting Was a Wilderness.

The “critical memoir” started out as a critique of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, but the Boston-based writer gradually shifted its focus as the project developed. aldenjones.com

Live at the hospital

Asheville-based actors Laurie Jones and Paul Vonasek are starring in Heartbeats, a new hospital drama on the online streaming broadcast website Twitch. The live, improvised show debuted Sept. 25, continues each Friday at 10 p.m., and lets viewers influence each week’s story by interacting with the cast during the broadcast. Director Jessica Lynn

Verdi describes the show as a cross between “Whose Line is it Anyway?”

“Grey’s Anatomy” and “Dungeons and Dragons.” The cast includes veteran improvisers from The Groundlings, The Second City and Impro Theatre. twitch.tv/ripleyimprov

Artful animals

Woolworth Walk spotlights 17 local artists whose work features native wildlife in the exhibit Take a Woolworth Walk on the Wild Side, which runs Thursday, Oct. 1-Saturday, Oct. 31. Each artist is donating a percentage of sales to Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit that provides care for injured and orphaned wildlife, supports Western North Carolina’s wildlife rehabilitation network and provides wildlife conservation education to the community. woolworthwalk.com

Three to read

Recent published works by Asheville-based authors include Cecil Bothwell’s Waist Not, Want Knot: Yet a Further Collection of Tangled Confabulations. According to the author, his latest batch of short stories “revolve around midriffs, rope, recycling, anchors, fishing, kookaburras, Greek coins and Incan quipus — kind of the usual range of his slightly twisted view of humanity.” cecilbothwell.com

Elsewhere, Barbara Willis Kimbrell’s novel Paper Planes chronicles “one woman’s journey through the legal and prison system after taking a human life due to unforeseen circumstances.” The author is a former substance abuse counselor at the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women and notes that the protagonist struggles with child

Popcorn proud

Marshall-based rocker Michelle Leigh won Female Entertainer of the Year for the third consecutive year at the 2020 Josie Music Awards, and added Southern Rock Song of the Year for “The Legend,” her tribute to the late moonshiner Popcorn Sutton.

The organization honors independent and up-and-coming musicians in all genres and touts itself as the world’s largest independent music award organization. Leigh, who now has 10 total JMAs, splits her time between Madison County and Jacksonville, Fla., where her band is based. michelleleigh.com X

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WOMEN IN BUSINESS

COMING 10/21 advertise@mountainx.com SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

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CLUBLAND

Online Event= q WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Woody Wood (folk, blues), 6pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm 185 KING STREET Team Trivia & Games, 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8:30pm, avl.mx/76w THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 9pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/ Lyric, 10pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 8pm BALSAM FALLS BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 8pm

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Friday (Grateful Dead tribute), 5:30pm TURGUA BREWING CO. Mr Jimmy (blues), 5:30pm

LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Open Jam, 5pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL q Tom Paxton & the DonJuans, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. The Last Full Measure (folk, blues), 6pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Brandon Quinn (solo acoustic), 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Tin Roof Echo (solo acoustic), 7pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL Lawn Concert w/ Peggy Ratusz & Daddy LongLegs (blues, oldies), 6:30pm

MAGGIE VALLEY FESTIVAL GROUNDS The Grey Eagle: Drive-in Concert w/ Mandolin Orange (indie), 6pm

TRISKELION BREWERY InterActive TriskaTrivia, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Moonfish 2 (classic hits), 7pm

OLIVE OR TWIST Hope Griffin (solo acoustic), 6pm

MOUNTAIN SPIRIT q Adam & Chris Carroll (folk), 7pm, avl.mx/8b0 RABBIT RABBIT Slice of Life: Rooftop Standup Comedy Show, 7pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL Lawn Concert w/ Country Pour (honky tonk), 6:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE Patio Show w/ Room Twenty-Seven (rock, folk), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Western Carolina Writers (music in the round), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm

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

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 APPALACHIAN RIDGE ARTISAN HARD CIDER Bob Zullo (solo acoustic), 3pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Patio Show w/ Wiregrass (bluegrass), 3pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Random Animals (indie, soul), 6pm SMOKY MOUNTAIN EVENT CENTER Asheville Music Hall: Drive-in Show w/ Mt. Joy (rock, folk), 6pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL Lawn Concert w/ Kristy Cox (bluegrass), 6:30pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Western Carolina Writers All-Gal Showcase, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY The Bill Mattocks Quartet (rock, blues), 7pm MAGGIE VALLEY FESTIVAL GROUNDS The Grey Eagle: Drive-In Concert w/ Del McCoury Band (bluegrass), 7:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Kid Billy (solo multi-instrumentalist), 8pm WILD WING CAFE Karaoke Night, 9:30pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke Show w/ Billy Masters, 10pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 APPALACHIAN RIDGE ARTISAN HARD CIDER Letters to Abigail (country, Americana), 2:30pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Eric Congdon & the Acoustic Trio, 2:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Human Ladder (solo acoustic), 4pm

West Asheville Mon-Thurs: 2pm-8pm Fri-Sat: Noon-10pm Sun: Noon-8pm

south slope Mon-Thurs: 2pm-8pm Fri-Sat: Noon-10pm Sun: 2pm-8pm Masks & Social Distancing Required 24 BUXTON AVE • 210 HAYWOOD RD

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ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Outdoor Show w/ Jake Burns (reggae), 5pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER COMPANY Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia, 5pm 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam, 6pm TRISKELION BREWERY JC & the Boomerang Band (Irish trad, folk), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Lawn Concert w/ Russ Wilson & the Wrong Crowd (jazz, blues), 6:30pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS UniHorn (funk), 7pm

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia Tuesday, 6pm HOMEPLACE BEER CO. Moonlight Street Folk, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm SMOKY MOUNTAIN EVENT CENTER Asheville Music Hall: Drive-in Show w/ Yonder Mountain String Band, 6pm 185 KING STREET Team Trivia & Games, 7pm TRISKELION BREWERY InterActive TriskaTrivia, 7pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic w/ Thomas Yon, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Disney Villains Trivia Night, 8pm SOVEREIGN KAVA q Poetry Open Mic, 8:30pm, avl.mx/76w THE PAPER MILL LOUNGE Karaoke X, 9pm THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/ Lyric, 10pm

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Open Jam, 5pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Josh Dunkin (solo acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL Lawn Concert w/ Random Animals (indie, soul), 6:30pm TRISKELION BREWERY Jason’s Technicolor Cabaret (music, comedy), 7pm

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 7pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Old Time Jam w/ Banjo Mitch McConnell, 6pm

BEN'S TUNE UP Comedy Open Mic w/ Baby George, 9pm

WE’RE HERE FOR YOU Free Support Services for Loved Ones of Homicide Victims

Court Support

Court Accompaniment*

Grief Counseling

Online Support Groups

Information & Referrals

Travel Reimbursement for Court Hearings

*Offered in select counties.

The North Carolina Victim Assistance Network is a statewide non-profit that supports the rights and well-being of loved ones of homicide victims in North Carolina.

For more information, please visit www.nc-van.org or call 800-348-5068.

This project was supported by grant number 2017-VA-GX0050 - PROJ 014478 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, NC Governor’s Crime Commission.

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SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

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MOVIE REVIEWS THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS

Hosted by the Asheville Movie Guys EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com HHHHH

BRUCE STEELE bcsteele@gmail.com

= MAX RATING

H PICK OF THE WEEK H

most important film I’ve encountered in 2020 thus far.

REVIEWED BY JOSH MCCORMACK JMCCORMACKJOSHU97@GMAIL.COM

The Boys in the Band

The Disrupted HHHHH

DIRECTORS: Sarah Colt and Josh Gleason PLAYERS: Donn Teske, Cheryl Long, Pete Velez DOCUMENTARY NOT RATED Directors Sarah Colt and Josh Gleason (PBS’ “American Experience”) have crafted a wonderful, eye-opening documentary about the lifelong struggles of the American worker with The Disrupted.

Focusing on a fifth-generation farmer (Donn), an Uber driver (Cheryl) and a factory worker (Pete) over the course of two years, Colt and Gleason connect these seemingly dissimilar individuals in brilliant fashion through their shared struggles of trying to fight for a better life for themselves and their families in the midst of the ever-expanding corporatization of the American workforce.

Each of these three key players is engaging, and the glimpses of their work- and home lives are full of brutal yet beautiful honesty. The scene-stealer is Cheryl, who’s first introduced sitting for hours in an airport parking lot alongside countless other ride-share drivers waiting for a well-paying fare.

Having regretfully not explored the work conditions of Uber drivers before viewing the film, moments like this shook me deeply.

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As The Disrupted continues, viewers are introduced to the family members of the three featured subjects — and they prove to be just as fascinating in their own rights. I would be hard pressed to think of anyone who couldn’t identify with at least some aspects of each of these characters’ own anxieties and personal family dynamics, regardless of one’s own political viewpoint.

The feature also largely avoids the “talking head” style of documentary filmmaking that hampers so many nonfiction products. Instead, Colt and Gleason opt more for more of a “flyon-the-wall” approach, which I greatly appreciated.

The Disrupted further proves to be a marvel of editing with beautiful montages that intertwine the three separate characters’ stories. One Independence Day sequence in which the film cuts among all three families viewing fireworks displays in different parts of the country is one of the most touching and harmonious moments I’ve seen in any recent American documentary.

The Disrupted is a film that deserves to be seen, even if you typically avoid nonfiction works. In the midst of a tumultuous election year, these voices of the disenfranchised need to be heard. In that respect, it’s arguably the

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Josh McCormack

Melissa Myers

Ian Casselberry

clever character. To his credit, Quinto tones down the role to fit his more measured style, but the effort also drains Harold of some of his power. It’s not a bad performance, just the most labored work among a strong cast.

Available on Netflix starting Sept. 30

HHHHS

REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

DIRECTOR: Joe Mantello PLAYERS: Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer DRAMA RATED R

The Glorias HHHHS

The 2018 Broadway production of Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band was touted as the first major staging of the groundbreaking 1968 play with a cast of all openly gay actors. That’s the ensemble that returns for the new Netflix movie version, and the casting is impeccable. The characters are an assortment of 1960s gay archetypes — the straight-acting guy, the promiscuous one, the flamer — but the 2020 cast imbues each of them with humanity and depth, keeping Crowley’s often over-the-top drama from spinning off into eye-rolling territory.

As someone who has many times seen William Friedkin’s 1970 movie version — with the original off-Broadway cast — it’s hard for me to judge what a first-time viewer will make of this well-preserved nugget of pre-Stonewall gay life. It’s set at a birthday party for the acerbic Harold (Zachary Quinto), held in the apartment of the embittered Michael (Jim Parsons). The arrival of a distraught college chum, Alan (Brian Hutchison), gradually turns Michael into a nasty attack dog, snarling and nipping at all his guests. Keep in mind, this is not a slice of life. It’s a piece of entertainment that makes everything about that life bigger, funnier, sadder and more dramatic.

Parsons plays the quintessential Michael — charming yet brittle — and he handles the character’s increasing vile behavior with an undercurrent of regret. But it’s the supporting cast that fully keeps the second act from repulsing viewers. They simultaneously play Michael’s vicious game and provide emotional anchors that ground the melodrama in deeper feelings.

The weak link — and it’s not a fatal flaw — is Quinto’s Harold, a role forever fused with actor Leonard Frey, who embodied the haughty, judgmental,

DIRECTOR: Julie Taymor PLAYERS: Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe, Julianne Moore BIOPIC/DRAMA RATED R Gloria Steinem is the feminist icon of a generation, and the timing of Julie Taymor’s The Glorias on the cusp of an election and in the midst of political turmoil revolving around women’s and civil rights couldn’t be more fitting.

Steinem championed these movements at a time when barriers for women were significant — and while the film is foremost a Steinem biopic, it’s also a lesson on the history and intersectionality of feminist movements over the last 80 years.

Taymor is no stranger to films about strong, trailblazing women — namely Frida (2002), which gifted audiences an intimate portrayal of the life and politics of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Some of the whimsical fantasy scenes in The Glorias seem better suited for Frida’s surrealistic backdrop, but other off-the-wall techniques fit right in. Most successful is the film’s framing device: a sepia-toned bus journey taken by the four differently aged Steinems — played by child actors Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Lulu Wilson, and Academy Award winners Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore, each representing a different crucial stage of the subject’s life. As the Glorias peer out the vehicle’s windows at their many milestones happening outside, they share regrets, triumphs and failures. It’s a fascinating approach — as if the viewer is sitting in on a therapy session in which Steinem communicates with her past selves in hopes of achieving closure and clarity.

Still, the strongest element of this film is not the fantasy, but rather the connection to reality. Taymor forges this link through a mixture of faithful re-creations of notable Steinem

interviews and archival footage of civil rights movements throughout the course of her life in a way that gives the film greater credibility than the typical biopic. The writer/director also spotlights other feminist icons and their effects on Steinem, such as Dorothy Pitman Hughes (Janelle Monáe) and Bella Abzug (Bette Midler). Their inclusion expertly establishes the vital importance of sisterhood across racial, cultural and political beliefs. And if all that isn’t appealing enough, there’s the inspired casting of Moore as the fourth Gloria, who’s so spot on in channeling Steinem’s distinct demeanor, voice and appearance that viewers will no doubt find themselves doing more than a few double takes.

The Glorias is inspirational and uplifting, but it also brings with it a tinge of hopelessness for sympathetic (and empathetic) viewers who know all too well that these hard-fought struggles for women’s equality are currently under attack. Nevertheless, once the despair wears off, the film imbues these same viewers (and possibly others as well) with a call to vigilance and action so that no personal liberties will be taken for granted.

Available on Amazon Prime Video starting Sept. 30 REVIEWED BY MELISSA MYERS MELISSA.L.MYERS@GMAIL.COM

The Ground Between Us HHH DIRECTORS: Zeppelin Zeerip and Galen Knowles DOCUMENTARY NOT RATED The Ground Between Us is the kind of documentary that pops up on PBS on any given night, intermittently holding your attention with the occasional striking image or sound bite, but otherwise leaving plenty of time for you to flip through a magazine or doze off and still grasp its core message.

Blessed with crisp drone and ground-level nature photography that’s frequently cheapened by ill-fitting, amateurish narration, directors Zeppelin Zeerip and Galen Knowles explore public lands issues in Alaska, Oregon and Utah with varying degrees of success.

By interviewing people with opposing views about protecting ancestral Alaskan lands from oil drilling, Oregonian forests from logging and Utah’s Bears Ears area from receiving monument status, the filmmakers feign objectivity and oddly come off as somewhat pro-logging as a result of their excessive focus on a family that whines

about not being able to cut down as many trees as it would like.

But make no mistake: The Ground Between Us is a pure conservationist advocacy doc — and ultimately a call to vote. The repeated cuts to pristine, undeveloped landscapes confirm the filmmakers’ commitment to their cause, and their attempts at even-handedness ultimately backfire as their subjects who oppose government preservation “overreach” look like fuddy-duddies for their dependence on unsustainable industries.

REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

Herb Alpert Is... HHS DIRECTOR: John Scheinfeld PLAYERS: Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach, Lou Adler DOCUMENTARY NOT RATED Trumpet virtuoso Herb Alpert is a cultural singularity. There’s never been another instrumentalist with his string of hit singles and albums, his enormous celebrity and his ability to launch and support other popular music artists (via his enormously successful A&M records).

So, it’s no wonder that the documentary Herb Alpert Is... offers an often-fascinating recounting of his remarkable life. When it drills down on a subject — A&M’s artist-friendly headquarters or Alpert’s discovery of The Carpenters and Sergio Mendes — it’s great. And there are some fine interviews with people close to Alpert (Jerry Moss, the other half of A&M) and celebrities who owe their careers to him (Paul Williams, Sting), as well as countless vintage clips and photographs.

What director John Scheinfeld fails to settle upon, however, is a guiding structure for his movie. There’s chronology, sure, but the most frequent refrain here is the film’s gimmicky fillin-the-blank title, which generates a lot of talking heads trying to summarize Alpert in a couple of sentences — an exercise antithetical to insight.

There are also huge information gaps, including the date and location of nearly every clip and photo; the origins and personnel of Alpert’s band, The Tijuana Brass (one guitarist gets a couple of sound bites); and Alpert’s reliance on a series of largely unknown songwriters (exception: Burt Bacharach, who gets a cameo) for many of his smash hits. And don’t even think the words “cultural appropriation” (mariachi experts weren’t invited).

There’s also much more coverage of Alpert’s second career as an abstract

artist than is needed — good for him, but it’s not what made him famous, and for good reason.

Fortunately, Alpert himself gave Scheinfeld a generous and often revealing series of interviews at his home and locations important to his biography, and these chats make the film must-see viewing for anyone who admires Alpert’s accomplishments.

Plus, all those pre-MTV music videos are remarkable, and the music is as sweet and buoyant as ever.

REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

The Keeper HHS DIRECTOR: Marcus H. Rosenmüller PLAYERS: David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw, Harry Melling BIOPIC/DRAMA NOT RATED With its uplifting tale of redemption, The Keeper attempts to maintain a balance between inspiring sports drama and difficult subject matter.

German director/co-writer Marcus H. Rosenmüller tries to address tough questions within the true story of Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann yet hurries past them in favor of a predictable romance and a conventional sports movie narrative.

Trautmann (David Kross, The Reader) is a German soldier captured during World War II and sent to a British prison camp. There, bleak settings of war followed by the misery of shoveling latrines are alleviated when the prisoners play soccer in their free time.

The film’s tone lightens when Trautmann’s talents as a goalkeeper are noticed by local grocer Jack Friar (John Henshaw), who also manages the town’s soccer club. Additionally, Friar has a feisty daughter, Margaret (Freya Mavor, The Sense of an Ending), with whom Trautmann is immediately enamored.

These developments set up the central conflict of the story with the community outraged that Friar is employing a German whose army was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. Margaret shares that animosity yet soon develops romantic feelings for Trautmann, conveniently sensing that he’s a good man who was forced to do very bad things.

The script by Rosenmüller and Nicholas J. Schofield needs villains for dramatic purposes. Yet Sgt. Smythe (Harry Melling, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), who runs the prison camp and is understandably cruel toward his prisoners, becomes a sympathet-

ic character when it’s revealed what the war has cost him. And the otherwise likeable Bill (Michael Socha), whom Margaret eventually ditches for Trautmann, is apparently worthy of scorn because he doesn’t like to dance.

Furthermore, The Keeper can’t reconcile its themes with the narrative.

Does someone deserve redemption after committing (or failing to stop) unspeakable atrocities? Should people forgive others for those actions?

Meanwhile, the story must also show the progression of Trautmann’s relationship with Margaret and his soccer career upon being recruited to play for Manchester City, along with tragedies that occur amid those developments.

Attempting to cover all of that requires big jumps in the timeline, and that approach causes some confusion.

Trautmann’s story is fascinating, yet it might be too complex and nuanced for a two-hour movie trying to appeal to a wide audience.

REVIEWED BY IAN CASSELBERRY IANCASS@GMAIL.COM

AVAILABLE VIA FINEARTSTHEATRE.COM (FA) GRAILMOVIEHOUSE.COM (GM) At the Video Store (NR) HHHHS (GM) Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint (NR) HHHS (FA) Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock ‘n’ Roll (NR) HHHHS (GM) Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Magazine (NR) HHHH (GM) Critical Thinking (NR) HHHH (GM) Desert One (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) The Disrupted (NR) HHHHH (Pick of the Week) (FA) Driven to Abstraction (PG) HHS(FA) Epicentro (NR) HHHH (GM) F11 and Be There (NR) HHHH (FA) Fantastic Fungi (NR) HHHH (FA) Flannery (NR) HHHH (FA) God of the Piano (NR) HHHH (GM) The Ground Between Us (NR) HHH (FA) Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful (NR) HHH (FA) Herb Alpert Is... (NR) HHS (FA) I Used to Go Here (NR) HHHHS (GM) Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President (NR) HHHHH (FA, GM) John Lewis: Good Trouble (PG) HHHH (FA) The Keeper (NR) HHS (FA) Made in Bangladesh (NR) HS(GM) Meeting the Beatles in India (NR) HHS (FA) The Mole Agent (NR) HHHH (GM) Mr. Soul! (NR) HHHHS (GM) My Dog Stupid (NR) HHHH (FA) Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (NR) HHHH (GM) Out Stealing Horses (NR) HHHHS (FA) Proud (NR) HHH (FA) RBG (NR) HHHH (FA, GM) Represent (NR) HHH (GM) River City Drumbeat (NR) HHHHS (GM) Starting at Zero (NR) H (FA) The Tobacconist (NR) HHHS (FA) Vinyl Nation (NR) HHHS (GM) We Are Many (NR) HH (FA) You Never Had It: An Evening with Bukowski (NR) HHHS (FA)

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I am, indeed, a king, because I know how to rule myself,” wrote 16th-century author Pietro Aretino. By January 2021, Aries, I would love for you to have earned the right to make a similar statement: “I am, indeed, a royal sovereign, because I know how to rule myself.” Here’s the most important point: The robust power and clout you have the potential to summon has nothing to do with power and clout over other people — only over yourself. Homework: Meditate on what it means to be the imperial boss and supreme monarch of your own fate.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems become the very place to discover wisdom and love.”

Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield made that brilliant observation. It’s always worth meditating on but it’s an especially potent message for you during the first three weeks of October 2020. In my view, now is a highly favorable time for you to extract uplifting lessons by dealing forthrightly with your knottiest dilemmas. I suspect that these lessons could prove useful for the rest of your long life.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “My business is to love,” wrote poet Emily Dickinson. I invite you to adopt this motto for the next three weeks. It’s an excellent time to intensify your commitment to expressing compassion, empathy and tenderness.

To do so will not only bring healing to certain allies who need it; it will also make you smarter. I mean that literally. Your actual intelligence will expand and deepen as you look for and capitalize on opportunities to bestow blessings. (P.S. Dickinson also wrote, “My business is to sing.” I recommend you experiment with that mandate, as well.)

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “I’m the diamond in the dirt, that ain’t been found,” sings Cancerian rapper Curtis Jackson, also known as 50 Cent. “I’m the underground king and I ain’t been crowned,” he adds. My reading of the astrological omens suggests that a phenomenon like that is going on in your life right now. There’s something unknown about you that deserves and needs to be known. You’re not getting the full credit and acknowledgment you’ve earned through your soulful accomplishments. I hereby authorize you to take action! Address this oversight. Rise up and correct it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The author bell hooks (who doesn’t capitalize her name) has spent years as a professor in American universities. Adaptability has been a key strategy in her efforts to educate her students. She writes, “One of the things that we must do as teachers is twirl around and around, and find out what works with the situation that we’re in.” That’s excellent advice for you right now — in whatever field you’re in. Old reliable formulas are irrelevant, in my astrological opinion. Strategies that have guided you in the past may not apply to the current scenarios. Your best bet is to twirl around and around as you experiment to find out what works.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have,” says motivational speaker Robert Holden.

Hallelujah and amen! Ain’t that the truth! Which is why it’s so crucial to periodically take a thorough inventory of your relationship with yourself. And guess what, Virgo: Now would be a perfect time to do so.

Even more than that: During your inventory, if you discover ways in which you treat yourself unkindly or carelessly, you can generate tremendous healing energy by working to fix the glitches. The coming weeks could bring pivotal transformations in your bonds with others if you’re brave enough to make pivotal transformations in your bonds with yourself.

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SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2020

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In her high school yearbook, Libra-born Sigourney Weaver arranged to have this caption beneath her official photo: “Please, God, please, don’t let me be normal!” Since then, she has had a long and acclaimed career as an actor in movies. ScreenPrism.com calls her a pioneer of female action heroes. Among her many exotic roles: a fierce warrior who defeats monstrous aliens; an exobiologist working with indigenous people on the moon of a distant planet in the 22nd century; and a naturalist who lives with mountain gorillas in Rwanda. If you have ever had comparable fantasies about transcending normalcy, Libra, now would be a good time to indulge those fantasies — and begin cooking up plans to make them come true.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio-born Prince Charles has been heir to the British throne for 68 years. That’s an eternity to be patiently on hold for his big chance to serve as king. His mother Queen Elizabeth just keeps going on and on, living her very long life, ensuring that Charles remains second-incommand. But I suspect that many Scorpios who have been awaiting their turn will finally graduate to the next step in the coming weeks and months. Will Charles be one of them? Will you? To increase your chances, here’s a tip: Meditate on how to be of even greater devotion to the ideals you love to serve.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Inventor Buckminster Fuller was a visionary who loved to imagine ideas and objects no one had ever dreamed of before. One of his mottoes was, “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” I recommend that you spend quality time in the coming weeks meditating on butterfly-like things you’d love to have as part of your future — things that may resemble caterpillars in the early going.

Your homework is to envision three such innovations that could be in your world by Oct. 1, 2021.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): During World War II, Hollywood filmmakers decided it would be a good idea to create stories based on graphic current events: for example, American Marines waging pitched battles against Japanese soldiers on South Pacific islands. But audiences were cool to that approach.

They preferred comedies and musicals with “no message, no mission, no misfortune.” In the coming weeks, I advise you to resist any temptation you might have to engage in a similar disregard of current events. In my opinion, your mental health requires you to be extra discerning and well-informed about politics — and so does the future of your personal destiny.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Pretending is imagined possibility,” observes actor Meryl Streep.

“Pretending is a very valuable life skill, and we do it all the time.” In other words, fantasizing about events that may never happen is just one way we use our mind’s eye. We also wield our imaginations to envision scenarios that we actually want to create in our real lives. In fact, that’s the first step in actualizing those scenarios: to play around with picturing them; to pretend they will one day be a literal part of our world. The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to supercharge the generative aspect of your imagination. I encourage you to be especially vivid and intense as you visualize in detail the future you want.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “My own soul must be a bright invisible green,” wrote author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Novelist Tom Robbins suggested that we visualize the soul as “a cross between a wolf howl, a photon and a dribble of dark molasses.” Nobel Prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska observed, “Joy and sorrow aren’t two different feelings” for the soul. Poet Emily Dickinson thought that the soul “should always stand ajar” — just in case an ecstatic experience or rousing epiphany might be lurking in the vicinity. In the coming weeks, Pisces, I invite you to enjoy your own lively meditations on the nature of your soul. You’re in a phase when such an exploration can yield interesting results.

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1 Redding who wrote “Respect” 5 New York’s ___ Lawrence College

10 Scoundrels 14 Blowout 15 Sauce that’s heavy on garlic … and vowels

16 “Thirtysomething” actor Ken 17 Investment for a humorist?

edited by Will Shortz 19 Word before curriculum or meltdown 20 Mila of “Bad Moms” 21 Insubstantial beverage … or argument 23 Vacation goal, in brief 24 Investment for a butcher?

26 Constitution or Independence, in D.C. 27 Prepared to be knighted 29 Election winner of 1908 30 Lucretia ___, pioneer in women’s rights 32 T-Mobile competitor: Abbr.

33 The Diamondbacks, on scoreboards 34 Collection that demonstrates job skills … as suggested by 17-, 24-, 48- and 55-Across 39 What makes car care?

No. 0826 40 Gardner of old Hollywood 41 Strategic objective soon after the D-Day invasion 43 Science fiction award 45 Part of Wonder Woman’s outfit 47 “Aaron Burr, ___” (song from “Hamilton”) 48 Investment for a physicist?

50 Tequila source 52 Like some gift bows 53 Working stiff 54 Ditch 55 Investment for a restaurateur?

59 In a bit 60 Devilishly clever insults, in slang 61 Adidas competitor 62 Repair 63 “The final frontier” 64 Phone nos.

DOWN 1 Dungeons & Dragons meanie 2 Solemnly promised 3 Unaffected by

puzzle by Carl Larson 4 Lighten one’s wallet, so to speak 5 Simon ___ 6 Big inits. in finance 7 Aussie animal 8 Completely offbase 9 Like advanced screens, informally 10 “Dinner” preceder on a dinner invitation 11 Much 12 Proceeding by the shortest way 13 Underhanded sort 18 Old-fashioned weapon for handto-hand combat 22 Dodger beater in the 2017 World Series 23 Zodiac animal after fishes 24 Texas politico O’Rourke 25 Chicago transport choice 28 It may get hot under the collar 31 What Hamlet meets in Act V of “Hamlet” 33 Way yonder

35 Unwanted engine sound 36 It might be muted 37 Horror movie cry 38 Staple of Mediterranean cuisine 42 Material collected in Minecraft 43 Scorcher 44 A group of carolers may sing in it 45 Build some muscle

46 50 or more letters?

48 Its founder was born in Mecca 49 Box-office busts 51 Intimated 53 Do some modeling for artists 56 New Deal program with the slogan “We Do Our Part,” in brief 57 The Tar Heels of the A.C.C. 58 Rapper Lil ___ X

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

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We couldn’t have done it without you!

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Cubans, Burritos, Fish Tacos, Ceviche, Mussels, Margaritas, Local Drafts 50 N. Merrimon Ave., Suite 101, Asheville, NC 28804 828-333-9230 • www.chupacabralatincafe.com MOUNTAINX.COM

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