Mountain Xpress 04.30.25

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STUDIO CHAVARRIA Hair Salon

In Marshall, businesses up and down Main Street are scrambling to open in time for Marshall Magic Days, a downtown festival that organizers are billing as an “open house” showcasing the area’s recovery progress. The multiday happening runs Thursday-Sunday, May 1-4.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

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EDITORS: Lisa Allen, Gina Smith

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STAFF REPORTERS: Lisa Allen, Thomas Calder, Brionna Dallara, Justin McGuire, Greg Parlier, Brooke Randle, Gina Smith

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Braulio Pescador-Martinez

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REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Christopher Arbor, Edwin Arnaudin, Danielle Arostegui, Mark Barrett, Eric Brown, Carmela Caruso, Cayla Clark, Molly Devane, Tessa Fontaine, Mindi Meltz Friedwald, Troy Jackson, Carol Kaufman, Bill Kopp, Chloe Leiberman, Jessica Wakeman, Kay West, Clark Wilson, Jamie Zane

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Tax hike, targeted cuts needed at ACS

More to the story: I led the effort to change Asheville City Schools (ACS) from an appointment system to a democratic, elected board during the pandemic and started the Asheville City Schools District Wide Parent Group, a place where parents can share their concerns as well as post fundraising and school events. The membership consists of staff and parents.

I grew up in Asheville and attended both Claxton Elementary School and Newton School and began my early career as an art and theater teacher. Over the years, I have been privy to all kinds of complaints regarding ACS management in central offices. I’ve witnessed countless losses in staff leaving our district, turnover of principals and a multitude of superintendents who come and go with very little investment in our community and basically no change in the opportunity gap.

We currently are asking our community to support the 2-cent tax for our schools, which amounts to a bake sale. Why is it that our boots-on-theground staff are asked to sacrifice when we continue to see no cuts to central offices staff, several of whom are making six-figure salaries?

In the past four years, our district shut down two amazing schools, and countless families migrated to charter schools. It seems that everyone has made sacrifices with the exception of those with the highest salaries who hold questionable jobs in a shrinking and much smaller school district than Buncombe County Schools. Is anyone in power listening? The teachers and staff are tired. Summer can’t come soon enough.

— Honor Moor Founder, ACS District Wide Parent Group Asheville

Grassroots effort supports LGBTQ+ veterans

The recent rollback of protections for LGBTQ+ veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has reignited the struggle for dignity and respect, a fight that many thought was behind us.

As a veteran who had to conceal my identity before the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, I’ve witnessed firsthand how deeply these issues affect our community. It’s disheartening to see policies reminiscent of past discrimination reemerging, pushing transgender service members out and limiting access to necessary health care.

However, Asheville stands as a beacon of hope. At the Charles George VA Medical Center, a grassroots movement has emerged, with hospital staff and community members creating resource boards filled with uplifting messages and contact

Listen to public feedback on UNCA’s urban forest

I recently attended two meetings advertised as listening sessions related to UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus development, including the 45-acre urban forest known as The Woods. These meetings were informative and much appreciated, providing diverse stakeholders with the opportunity to voice their truths and concerns in a public forum.

information for LGBTQ+ support services. This initiative, though unofficial, challenges the narrative of exclusion and showcases how everyday people can make a difference.

True inclusion goes beyond policy — fostering a culture of respect and support for every veteran, regardless of identity. Current reports of staff being discouraged from using inclusive language highlight the urgent need for change. All veterans deserve recognition for their sacrifices, and we must advocate for a VA that reflects this commitment. The fight for equity requires action, advocacy and persistence.

To those persevering for inclusion in health care and history, thank you. And to every LGBTQ+ veteran questioning their value, your service matters. We must continue to push for a system that honors all our contributions.

— Kyle Turner Asheville

Questions remain for our state legislature, the UNC System office, political appointees and administrative agents who control the funding over development decisions for property held under its stewardship. What are their responsibilities and demonstrable regard for all public citizens and stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, alumni, community members, living earth/species and future generations)? Hosting these sessions does not subtract or deflect from their moral and ethical responsibility for decisions made that impact human health, community well-being and ecological sustainability. Tactics thus far already bring potentially negative impacts on the UNC brand, reputation and relationships with all stakeholders. The public asks: Who are we, as a public liberal arts and sciences university, and what is our future longterm impact on the community, environment and future generations? All living beings have intrinsic value and warrant our utmost dignity, respect and care. All are interdependent, highly connected parts of nature. Each of us is born from a woman, and all return back into Mother Earth when we take our last breath, taking nothing of monetary or material value with us. As are all beings, the woods are intrinsically valuable in

CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

their “undeveloped,” natural state, and they deserve our absolute best, nonviolent stewardship, respect, protection and care.

Consider the compelling arguments and ample evidence highly qualified people presented for pausing on development plans and considering sustainable development options in a fiscal emergency. Mitigating damaging reputational effects on UNC Asheville, and by extension, the UNC System and our state legislature requires stopping the alienation of our critical stakeholders.

A uniform consensus at the public meeting was that no one wants to clear-cut and develop the woods. We need moral, ethical leadership that consistently walks the talk, making the espoused values of our public institution translate into the values demonstrated in practice. I beseech elected and appointed leaders to empathetically listen to the feedback offered by all rather than using these sessions as a minimalist, performative exercise in virtue or reputational signaling and to not place short-term financial or political goals above ecological and ethical humanist considerations.

This process and the decisions made are recorded in our collective memory. The people are watching and listening, able to tell the difference between ethical, moral deci-

sions and their opposite, including the validity of the process and what criteria will ultimately be adopted in making such decisions. To quote Abraham Lincoln, who held faith in the people to keep leaders accountable for their actions, “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Please be truthful and transparent with all of us, elected and appointed leaders. We are not ignorant or powerless. There is a wide-sweeping, unified consensus that the process needs improvement to address the will of the public and critically impacted stakeholders. It is a moral imperative to function as ethical stewards and moral institutional leaders in your decisions regarding our public institution of higher education’s future development and its potential impacts. Thank you for the opportunity to express my heartfelt concerns.

— Susan Clark Muntean Asheville resident Associate professor of business UNC Asheville

The wealth contained in UNCA’s forest

Last week, I was clearing a white oak tree that fell on my land during

Tropical Storm Helene. The tree sprang to life around the same time as our U.S. Constitution, which, like the UNC Asheville woods, is currently under attack.

When I counted rings on one branch, I realized that this single limb had been growing since the Great Flood of 1916. This led me to think of UNCA’s significant but evolving role in our community, especially post-Helene. Since 2014, UNCA has had a revolving door of five chancellors, each serving for an average of two years. Imagine: One single limb on one fallen tree has been around 50 times longer than those empowered to make irreversible, long-term decisions that will impact Asheville forever.

I do not know what is to be the fate of the UNCA woods. I realize that there are calls for housing, performing arts centers, soccer complexes and all sorts of measurable symbols of “progress” that might bring a certain amount of “value” to certain groups. Frankly, I find it baffling that educated humans even consider razing an intact forest when they have acres of idle land at the old Health Adventure site that could be transformed to greater value right now.

More and more, I find myself pondering the immeasurable wealth that our few remaining urban for-

ests contribute to neighbors, visitors and also as a potential draw for the best and brightest that UNCA might attract to study ecology, sustainability, environmental sciences and so forth.

UNCA doesn’t exist without Asheville, and Asheville doesn’t exist without forests.

Forests work for us around the clock in myriad ways that we’re only beginning to grasp. Planting saplings is an honorable step toward greater resiliency, I suppose.

But a forest saved is a forest we won’t have to replace.

—

Robert McGee Asheville X

Word of the week recondite (adj.)

1. difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend

2. of, relating to, or dealing with something little known or obscure

In this week’s cover story, Joel Friedman, owner of Zuma Coffee in downtown Marshall, speaks to the town’s recondite spirit in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. Read more about it on Page 8. X

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

Keep on truckin’ Marshall charges

BY GREG PARLIER

gparlier@mountainx.com

Inside Zuma Coffee, it’s almost as if Tropical Storm Helene never ravaged downtown Marshall.

On April 17, seven months after the storm, a rotating cast of bluegrass musicians was on the mic, residents young and old were cuttin’ a rug, and the espresso machine was humming. With the walls repainted the same golden mustard yellow and red trim that’s welcomed patrons for decades, owner Joel Friedman ’s cafe was back to being the place where Marshall gathered.

That’s a massive achievement, Friedman reflects, given that the cafe was inundated with more than 8 feet of water, blowing out its windows and carrying nearly all of its contents down Main Street during the Sept. 27 storm.

“It’s humbling, and all at the same time it just felt like nothing ever happened, and it was just another Thursday jam,” Friedman told Xpress the next morning over coffee, glancing around the cafe. “It just felt like we’re back. This is what we do.”

The cafe’s return is a significant milestone for the town of 800. It joins Mad Co. Brew House, which reopened March 28, and On Your Bike Coffee and Cycles as the downtown’s only operating food and beverage establishments as of mid-April.

Many others up and down Main Street are scrambling to relaunch in time for Marshall Magic Days, a downtown festival that organizers are billing as an “open house” showcasing the town’s recovery progress, Thursday-Sunday, May 1-4.

forward with reopening plans

Plans for the gathering began in January, says Abigail Guyton , owner of OasisLtd. Records and co-organizer of the event. She notes how during these meetings, business owners decided, “Let’s reopen our doors together and show people that we’re all still here.”

The event kicks off with a ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in front of the iconic Madison County Courthouse. Live music will be featured at various venues downtown throughout the weekend, and an art walk sponsored by the Madison County Arts Council will showcase sculptures and other works made from reclaimed flood debris. The event will also include an interactive children’s art project, according to a news release.

LONG WAY TO GO

While many businesses hustle to reopen, parts of downtown are irrevocably damaged. Thirteen buildings were lost during the storm, says Town Administrator Forrest Gilliam . Meanwhile, several lots remain in disrepair with storm debris still scattered across them.

Marshall Town Hall, for example, which Gilliam says experienced a ceiling-high inundation,

remains as it was in the days after Helene. As the southernmost building still standing on the west side of Main Street, part of its roof remains collapsed in on itself, partially propped up by a utility pole that was wedged underneath by the French Broad River’s swollen current.

Gilliam moved electronics and historic artifacts off the floor and onto higher surfaces within Town Hall before the storm to no avail, he notes. Marshall lost countless paper records and a server backup during Helene.

Marshall’s wastewater treatment plant, located on Blannahassett Island across the bridge from downtown, was also devastated during Helene. The town was forced to “pump and haul” its sewage to Metropolitan Sewerage District in Woodfin for two months, costing the town $150,000 a week, Gilliam says. With help from a N.C. Department of Environmental

JAM ON: Zuma Coffee owner Joel Friedman enjoys the shop’s bluegrass jam April 17. It was the second jam since Tropical Storm Helene, and the first at which Zuma was able to sell drinks. Photo by Caleb Johnson

Quality loan, the town has been able to get its sewer plant functional again in the short term, though Gilliam acknowledges it’s not a long-term fix.

North of Town Hall on Main Street, downtown is dotted with hollow shops and storefronts in various states of repair. The former home of Nationwide Insurance remains empty, its sign dangling off the side of the building. Penland and Sons Department Store, a mainstay of more than 100 years, is targeting a summer return to business. Shady Side Florist still has plywood up in place of windows but has been selling flowers in its downtown space since late October, just weeks after the flood.

Important to locals, the post office remains boarded up at its location on the corner of Bridge and Main streets, and it’s unclear whether it will return downtown, Gilliam says. The U.S. Postal Service set up a temporary mobile office in the Farm Bureau parking lot on the U.S. 25/70 bypass after the storm.

Similarly, Gilliam is unsure what will happen to the iconic Madison County Courthouse in the center of downtown. The building has been cleared out and remediated, but no significant renovations have taken place. For years, Gilliam notes, the county has discussed moving the courthouse to a central location, making it more accessible to residents in Mars Hill and Hot Springs. In the aftermath of Helene, he continues, officials might take the opportunity to do so.

“To me, it’s always important to keep the essential, boring stuff down here too so that you have a few more people who need to eat lunch every day. We’re at risk of some of that not coming back,” Gilliam notes.

If the courthouse doesn’t return, Friedman hopes the building serves a community-oriented purpose rather than operating as a tourist draw to maintain the business district’s balance in serving both visitors and locals.

STAYING RELEVANT

The varied level of progress for downtown storefronts led some to push for a reopening event later in the year.

Gilliam has worries, for example, about welcoming hundreds of outsiders into a town that has condemned buildings throughout its business district. Additionally, the prevalence of debris is taking up usable parking spots.

Organizers are setting up a free shuttle on Saturday from the Madison Early College High School on the bypass to downtown that they hope will alleviate the parking problem.

Friedman says he and other business owners pushed to hold the town’s reopening the first weekend in June, which historically is when Marshall hosts its annual Mermaid Parade and Festival. The delay, he notes, would give the local contractor, Every Angle — which suffered significant losses from Helene — time to finish its many downtown projects.

But organizers landed on the beginning of May, in part, because Hot Springs is holding its Town and Trail Festival celebrating its own reopening the same weekend.

“We really wanted to do this as a whole Madison County thing,” Guyton says. “We’re coming back and doing it bigger and better than ever. We’re working with [the town of Hot Springs] to cross-promote, and hopefully people who come up for that will stop in Marshall on their way.”

Avia Perez , co-organizer of the event who also co-owns Main Street Comics and Games, says the goal is to ensure that Marshall remains relevant in the minds of those elsewhere in the region.

“We’ve been working really hard, and we’re just ready to get together for something joyful,” Guyton adds.

EVEN MORE INVESTED

Given the significance of Marshall’s damage and its propensity to flood, some have questioned whether the town should rebuild at all on the narrow strip of floodplain wedged between the French Broad River and the steep slopes to the northeast of Main Street. But ultimately, Gilliam says there’s never been serious consideration for the town itself to embark on “mass scale change” for buildings that are still standing. He does acknowledge there are changes to consider, including ways to make the town’s properties more resilient.

For businesses, despite lingering questions about government-run services, most paused only briefly before pursuing renovations or rebuilding in the central business district.

“I feel even more invested in this community than I did before.

DIVIDED SKYLINE: Roughly 375 residents attended a drop-in meeting at the Renaissance Asheville Downtown Hotel April 24, where the N.C. Department of Transportation presented plans for the northern section of the Interstate 26 Connector project. The updated plans now include an overpass that will cross Patton Avenue, a change that has drawn criticism from hundreds of community members. Photo by Brooke Randle

You know, it was really scary to stand on Hill Street and watch our record racks float down the river,” Guyton notes. “It was hard to know whether we were going to reopen or rebuild, but seeing everybody down here 48 hours after the flood made us even more committed to staying here and being with this community.”

Perez, who lost most of her shop’s inventory in Helene, echoed Guyton’s commitment to Marshall. The sentiment is common.

At Zuma, Friedman didn’t initially think he was going to rebuild after 23 years in business. But when he arrived at the town’s makeshift resource hub at Nanostead, a tinyhome construction business, after a brief trip to Atlanta to see his mom, his car was quickly surrounded by neighbors happy to see him. They told him he was needed.

“When you have a community telling you they can’t rebuild without you, it’s pretty powerful,” he says. “That was the moment for me.”

ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE

It’s the town’s recondite spirit, Friedman continues, that keeps everyone going.

“It’s unnamed,” he says. “You can’t really quantify that. You just know when you get here that you’re somewhere where you feel differently. Whether it’s the people here, whether it’s the railroad that you connect to or the river, or the combination of all that; it’s intangible. So that’s what we’re trying to keep going. How do you keep that feeling alive when you can’t really put a name to it?”

One illustration is Zuma’s custom tabletops, designed by local artist Lois Simbach . During the storm, the tables were washed out of the cafe like almost everything

else. Months later, one was found 30 miles away in Del Rio, Tenn., and returned to Friedman. On Zuma’s first official day open, a second Simbach-designed tabletop was returned to Freidman after being found on Section 9 of the French Broad, just a few miles north of town.

Friedman had lots of emotion but “no words” to describe what it meant to get the tabletops back. While hard to describe, the feeling is prevalent at bluegrass night. Maybe it’s the ghost of legendary Grammy-winning fiddle player Bobby Hicks , a Marshall local who started the Zuma bluegrass jam more than a decade ago, who kept people dancing. Hicks passed away in August, just a month before Helene. Even without Hicks leading the jam, fiddle player Casey Driessen , who made the trip April 17 from Asheville, says his presence was felt.

The next morning, customer after customer stuck their heads in through the front door of the cafe, cautiously optimistic that Zuma had a cup of coffee for them.

“I’m not open yet, but for you, I’ve got coffee,” Friedman remarked to a dozen former regulars hoping to catch a mugful of coffee and an earful of good wishes at their community cafe. Friedman, who has rebranded Zuma from “coffee and provisions,” a holdover rebrand from COVID times, to “coffee and community,” couldn’t help himself. He kept pouring cups, and the customers kept coming.

“It just feels so good to get a cup of coffee at Zuma again,” one customer exclaimed while walking in the door.

“It’s good to see you,” Friedman responds with a twinkle in his eye, mug in hand. Helene has left its mark, but Marshall hasn’t lost its magic.  X

Buncombe combs budget for ways to come out even

It’s been a solemn budget season for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. At the end of a nearly four-hour budget work session April 22, reality began to set in that cuts to favored programs — and tax hikes — may be inevitable.

Commissioners took another look at the budget-in-progress, where staff presented predicted revenues and possible expenditures for the 2025-26 fiscal year based on last year’s spending and market conditions. That presentation showed the county has a $22.5 million gap, despite a relatively conservative approach to spending after Tropical Storm Helene.

“I think we said last year that last year’s budget was one of the toughest that we had been through. That’s not even close to where we are this year,” said Board Chair Amanda Edwards at the conclusion of the worksession.

The county typically uses the previous year’s budget — along with projected unrestricted revenue — to draft an initial spending plan, said County Manager Avril Pinder

Seven years ago, the county began posting the rate of unrestricted revenue increase or decrease compared to the previous year — much like how gross domestic product is expressed. For the first time since tracking began, unrestricted revenue will be less than last year, Pinder said.

General fund revenues are projected to fall $13.9 million compared to this year, to $415.5 million, according to a presentation from Buncombe Budget Director John Hudson. Now commissioners have to find the right combination of raising taxes and cutting programs to balance the budget.

Thus the budget draft does not include any of staff’s requested 55 new positions or eight reclassified positions. The budget also included just 13 of the 69 vehicles requested by various departments, according to a staff presentation.

The budget does include a 3.5% cost-of-living raise for county employees, Pinder said. Commissioners were adamant that this modest pay bump remained in the budget no matter what.

For the county’s largest expense, education, which makes up 28% of the county budget, Hudson budgeted $121.5 million for the county’s two school districts and AshevilleBuncombe Technical College. It’s $500,000 less than this year, which included a mid-fiscal-year clawback of $4.8 million collectively

from Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools.

The two school districts and A-B Tech are slated to present their proposed budgets to commissioners at a special work session Friday, May 2.

CREDIT HIT

One consideration for commissioners as they craft a budget is the county’s previously rock solid but increasingly insecure AAA credit rating. The rating, determined by credit rating agencies to signal the reliability of a county’s financial standing, weighs

heavily on its ability to borrow large sums of money for bond projects.

“I would be very shocked if we didn’t get downgraded,” said Finance Director Melissa Moore

Putting even further strain on the budget is the length of time the county might have to wait to get storm-related expense reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Thus far, the county has spent $19.8 million on Helene recovery that is expected to be reimbursed, but Finance Director Moore said the county likely won’t get reimbursed for three to six years, based on conversations with municipalities

that have gone through recent natural disasters.

CUTS OR TAXES

Hudson outlined $10.3 million in spending that could be cut or paused for a year, including early childhood education, affordable housing services, the reparations commission, conservation easements and various community grants for education, arts, health care and seniors. Commissioners agreed to cut around half of that.

“We can cut all of the discretionary we still wouldn’t have the number we want,” said Commissioner Martin Moore. “So how do we get to a balanced budget?”

Hudson outlined several other opportunities to slightly reduce expenditures, but ultimately the county appears to be headed for a property tax increase.

For each cent increase of the property tax rate — currently at 51.76 cents per $100 of taxable property value — the county can generate $5.23 million in revenue, Hudson estimated. He outlined balancing strategies that ranged from 1.44 cent increase to a 4.31 cent increase per $100 of property value, depending on how much the commissioners agreed to cut from the budget.

“We’re back in a spot where we need to make some really hard choices,” said Commissioner Moore.

This story was edited for space. For the full version, go to avl.mx/eqx. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.

— Greg Parlier X

Asheville school board seeks ‘no-cuts’ budget

The Asheville City Board of Education doesn’t want to make any cuts to its budget next year. For that to happen, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners may have to raise taxes. The city school board hopes it will.

The school board passed, 7-0, the most aggressive budget option — one free of cuts — presented by Asheville City Schools (ACS) Superintendent Maggie Fehrman on April 21 to fund schools in fiscal year 2025-26. Fehrman will present the budget at

a work session Friday, May 2, to the Board of Commissioners, which has the final say on the total allocation to local school districts.

The proposed plan spends $36.4 million. Where the revenue will come from is uncertain.

This year’s budget was $33.4 million after county commissioners clawed back more than $700,000 in January in response to Tropical Storm Helene.

To close the gap, the board is counting on county commissioners to

boost allocations by $2.45 million and raise the ACS supplemental tax from 10.62 cents for $100 of property value to 12 cents per $100 of property value. That tax hike would only affect residents who live in the Asheville City district and would cost the owner of a $400,000 home an extra $55.20 a year, if approved by commissioners.

For more reporting on the Asheville City Schools budget, go to avl.mx/eqw. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.

— Greg Parlier X

TOUGH DECISIONS: Amanda Edwards, left, chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, and Commissioners Martin Moore, center, and Drew Ball faced harsh reality checks about next year’s budget at a work session April 22. Photo by Greg Parlier

APRIL. 30 - MAY 8, 2025

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

 Online-only events

 Feature, page 21

 More info, page 24

WELLNESS

Free Community Functional Fitness

Build muscular endurance through exercises that focus on multiple repetitions with lower weights while moving in all planes of motion.

WE (4/30), 10:15am, YWCA of Asheville, 185

S French Broad Ave

Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement

Wednesday mornings are all about active games, physical activities, and sports adapted to accommodate all skill levels.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Qigong

Gentle form of exercise composed of movement, posture, breathing, and meditation used to promote

 More info, page 26 7th Avenue Street

health and spirituality.

WE (4/30), 11:15am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

Tai Chi Fan

This class includes partner work showing the martial application of the fans when they are used as a weapon and Flying Rainbow Double Fan form.

WE (4/0, 5/7), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Gentle Tai Chi for Balance

This class works on improving our balance through exercises that help you to think with your feet while strengthening your balance muscles.

WE (4/30), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Reiki Circle w/Valerie Holbert & Danielle Sangita

This will be a beautiful Reiki offering with Valerie Holbert and Danielle Sangita.

7th Avenue Historic District

Saturday, May 3 • 12pm to 5pm

A community celebration marking the grand reopening of 7th Avenue, following the completion of the highly anticipated streetscape project. It will feature live music, local vendors, craft beverages and family activities.

“As a Hendersonville resident, it was hard not to notice that traffic on 7th Avenue was closed to traffic most of 2024 due to a streetscape project. It’s been equally hard not to notice how great the historic district looks now that work is done. I plan to explore the beautifully redesigned street, enjoy some entertainment and support local businesses on Saturday.”

— Justin McGuire X

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

WEARABLE ART FASHION SHOW: Artist and designer Kira Bursky joins forces with Resurrection Studios Collective to host an art fashion show and celebration of the Asheville arts community on Friday, May 2, starting 5 p.m. The event at the former Moog Music building downtown will also feature live music by Anna Coombs, drinks, over 50 artists and various items of wearable art. Photo courtesy of Bursky

WE (4/30), 6pm, Be Well Black Mountain, 10 E Market St, Black Mountain

Tai Chi For Beginners Yang 10 & 24

In this Beginner Tai Chi class, the focus is on the Yang 10 and 24 forms as well as Qigong exercises for health.

TH (5/1, 8), MO (5/5), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Qi Gong for Overall Health & Wellness

Learn how to relax your mind and body through slow intentional movements.

FR (5/2), 9am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Intermediate Tai Chi Yang 37

A great class for those who have studied Yang 37 or would like a form that is a little bit more involved than Yang 10 or 24.

SA (5/3), 8:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Kirtan w/Mantra Mandala

A sweet meditative practice of chanting mantras and divine names while experiencing the healing power of bhakti yoga, the yoga of love and devotion.

SA (5/3), 7:30pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Yoga in the Park All-level friendly yoga classes based on Hatha & Vinyasa traditions.

SA (5/3), SU (5/4), 11am, W Asheville Park, 198

Vermont Ave

Barn Yoga

Community Yoga class with Fairview-based yogi Mary Beth, who teaches a

gentle and vinyasa flow.

SU (5/4), 10am, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview

Yoga Taco Mosa Donation based yoga with Clare Desmelik. Bring your mat, a water bottle, and an open heart.

SU (5/4), 10am, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Sound Bath & Gentle Flow

A gentle yoga flow that prepares your heart, mind, and body for deep relaxation to the live acoustic vibrations of various instruments.

SU (5/4), 7pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Tai Chi Open Clinic

All are welcome in this new curriculum course, regardless of the style of internal martial arts you practice, your skill development or age level.

SU (5/4), 7pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Medical Qigong

A moving meditation and an internal martial art for calming the mind and strengthening the body and spirit.

TU (5/6), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Nia Dance

A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts.

TU (5/6), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

SUPPORT GROUPS

Nicotine Anonymous People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using

Alan will be showing recent work that he has made on the streets of Asheville. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through May 4.

Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St

Anti Form: Robert Morris’s Earth Projects

The suite of lithographic drawings by Robert Morris presents a series of ideas for ten works of art shaped out of earth, atmospheric conditions, and built environments. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through May 2025.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Seeing Red Exhibition

This dynamic exhibit celebrates the powerful symbolism humans have long associated with red, from love and passion to danger, aggression, anger, and power. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10:00am. Exhibition through May 23.

Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State, St

nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.

TH (5/1, 8), 4:30pm, Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit 4

NAMI Connection

Trained peer facilitators guide you in learning how to empower yourself in a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope.

SA (5/3), 10am, NAMIWNC, 356 Biltmore Ave

Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group

A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.

SA (5/3), 2pm, First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St

Pet Grief Support Circle

The Pet Grief Support Group provides a compassionate circle for people ages 18 and over grieving the recent death of a beloved pet.

MO (5/5), 6pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Parkinson’s Support Group of Asheville

A monthly gathering for people with Parkinson’s and the people who support them.

TU (5/6), 10am, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd

Families Anonymous Meeting

Gain support from others who have had lived experiences with a family member or friends substance abuse and related behavioral

Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through May 10.

Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd

Open Art Studio

Bring your favorite medium and work in a collaborative environment to improve your individual talent.

TH (5/8), 1pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

COMMUNITY MUSIC

Americana Concert Series w/Alice Wallace Band

This outdoor concert series features Americana-folk to bluegrass and beyond that's filled with foot-stomping and heartfelt music. This week will feature the Alice Wallace Band.

health challenges. TU (5/6), 6pm, Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness, 350 Chadwick Ave, Hendersonville

DANCE

Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ Mtn Vibez

A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

Asheville Community Square Dance w/Live Old-Time Band

A night of community social dance, music, laughs and fun. All dances are beginner and family friendly.

SA (5/3), 7pm, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd

ART

2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial

This exhibition provides students and the community an opportunity to view recent work created by distinguished faculty members whose primary research output is studio-based. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through May, 2.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

Joanie Krug & Alan Wieder: The Incidental Moment

This exhibition will feature Joanie's gestural brushwork that conveys a lively energy and connection to her world.

An Artful Journey: Recent Exhibitions on Women Artists

In addition to examining three exhibitions, Caro will explore how women artists have navigated the artworld from the Renaissance period to the present, and introduce some of the major museum’s that celebrate women in art.

Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Asheville Strong: Celebrating Art & Community After Hurricane Helene

An exhibition of artwork by artists who live and work in the Helene-affected Appalachia region. This special, non-juried exhibition celebrates the strength and diversity of our regional arts community. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through May. 5, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Viewshed Exhibition

The exhibition highlights works that span painting, textile, sound, and performance, inviting viewers to consider the ways in which artistic methodologies evolve and reverberate across time. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through August, 16, 2025.

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Identitas Exhibition

The works in Identitas examine culture & heritage through personal narratives, reflecting each included artist’s distinctly unique perspective on self and experience. Gallery open

TH (5/1), 6:30pm, Peterson Amphitheater, 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon North Buncombe High School Chorus Presents: Let Our Voices Entertain You Presented by the Weaverville Music Study Club with a freewill offering for the 2026 North Buncombe Music Scholarship.

TH (5/1), 7pm, First Baptist Church of Weaverville, 63 N Main St, Weaverville Drumming Circle & Labyrinth

Whether you're a seasoned percussionist or have never touched a drum before, all skill levels are welcome.

FR (5/2), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

ACMS Presents: The Isidore String Quartet Celebrate the mastery of Mozart in this performance presented in partnership with Asheville Amadeus festival.

FR (5/2), 7:30pm, Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St Asheville Symphony Masterworks 7: Tall Tales

Step into the enchanted world of German legends, filled with tales of mysterious swan knights, magic bullets, and mischievous tricksters.

SA (5/3), 2pm and 8pm, First Baptist Church, 5 Oak St Blue Ridge Ringers & Queen City Ringers Concert This concert series will include favorite selections from their 30-year history, highlighting important moments in their journey through time, including works from several beloved composers important to the group’s history.

SA (5/3), 4pm, Fletcher United Methodist Church, 50 Library Rd, Fletcher

Cee Cee James & The Mission of S.O.U.L.

Cee Cee James and Rob “Slideboy”

Andrews play all original songs in a passionate performance that will draw you in as Cee Cee wields her well honed lyrical and vocal craft.

SA (5/3), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

The Dead Poets

Featuring musical interpretation to bring new life to the words of a few classic poets who happen to be dead.

SA (5/3), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Shape Note Singing w/ The Cherokee Choir

An invitation to singers of all skill levels for a unique singing event with the Cherokee Language Repertory Choir sponsored by WCU Cherokee Language Program and Cullowhee Baptist Church.

SU (5/4), 2pm, Cullowhee Baptist Church, 148 Central Dr, Cullowhee

Maya de Vitry Trio w/ David Wimbish

A genre-bending outdoor concert featuring Maya’s music weaving country, folk, rock, and pop elements through her vibrant storytelling and her extraordinarily dynamic singing.

SU (5/4), 4pm, Olivette Farm, 172 Old Macedonia Rd

Pianist Thomas

Keesecker

At this concert, participants will be able to sing along to delightful, and meditative piano arrangements of hymns.

SU (5/4), 4pm, Parish Hall of St John in the Wilderness, 1905 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

We Are Seeds: Songs of Rebirth

These songs will welcome the new life of Spring, especially in our storm-ravaged mountains, and it’ll include songs against hatred, as well as songs of deep

healing. Love donations will benefit Swannanoa Communities Together.

SU (5/4), 3pm, UUCSV, 500 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Majesty: Music for Kings & Queens

The Asheville Symphony Chorus cordially invites you to an evening of sumptuous music as they present great works composed for royalty.

TU (5/6), 7pm, Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St

LEAF Cultural Exchange Artists visiting the US and resident artists will come together to share a little bit about their culture and share a small piece of music.

WE (5/7), 4pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

ALT ASO: Cabaret

This program also is a part of Asheville Amadeus: The Art of Storytelling, and will seamlessly blend classical masterpieces and timeless French standards.

TH (5/8), 7pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

1-Hour Make Ahead

Freezer Meals for the Week

In this class, we’ll meal-prep 6 tasty and nutritious freezer meals that can be heated and eaten at a later point.

WE (4/30), 5:30pm, Madison County Cooperative Extension Office, 258 Carolina Ln Marshall

Embroiderers’ Guild of America: Laurel Chapter

Barbara Dexter-Smith will give an overview of the exchange of Asian textiles and embroidered costumes and household textiles from east to west, covering production techniques and design.

TH (5/1), 9:30am, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 Sixth Ave W, Hendersonville

Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

This free lunchtime food demonstration is open to all but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/or their caretakers.

TH (5/1), noon, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Stewards Of Children

Training w/Mountain Child

An important and impactful event designed to empower individuals to take action in protecting children from sexual abuse.

FR (5/2), 11:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

SCORE: Marketing Your Business

Gain insights to understand and reach your customer, analyze your industry and business environment and differentiate between branding, advertising, and grassroots marketing techniques.

SA (5/3), 9am, A-B Tech

Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Intro to Pickleball Players will learn the rules, and get the chance to develop a feel for pickleball. This program is not a clinic, but has an open play format.

SA (5/3), 10am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Erotic Shadow: A Jungian Psychology Workshop

An eye-opening workshop that blends Jungian psychology, shadow work, and spiritual insight to help you understand the unconscious forces shaping your sexuality.

SA (5/3), 2pm, Asheville Raven and Crone, 640 Merrimon Ave, Ste 107

Birding by Ear

A four-session introduction to the wonderful world of birding, the first two instructional sessions emphasize birding by ear. In the last two classes, participants embark on two birding nature walks.

MO (5/5), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

Yoga & 12 Step Recovery

Open to anyone impacted by substance use and behavioral health concerns. Learn coping skills to calm your mind, ease your pain, and handle life’s stressors with more grace, substance free.

TU (5/6), 8:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Therapeutic Recreation

Adult Crafting

A variety of cooking and crafts, available at two different times. Advance registration required. Open to individuals ages 17+ with disabilities.

TU (5/6), 11am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd

Youth Archery Archers learn the basics of archery such as range safety and proper shooting using techniques based around the USA Archery Explore Archery program.

TU (5/6), 5:30pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

LITERARY

Meter & Melody: Poetry Night

An open mic for poetry, hosted by Dill. WE (4/30), 7pm, Static Age Loft, 116 N Lexington Ave

Wayne Caldwell: Shadow Family

Author Wayne Caldwell will visit City Lights to share his new novel, Shadow Family SA (5/3), 3pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva

Cherokee History & Stories

Delve into Cherokee history and storytelling with Kathi Littlejohn in a free series held on the Qualla Boundary at the EBCI's tribal museum. SU (5/4), 3pm, Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee

Poet Quartet: Brit Washburn, Ed Falco, Lesley Wheeler & Jen Karetnick

Hosted by Mildred Barya, this month's Poet Quartet features Brit Washburn, Ed Falco, Lesley Wheeler and Jen Karetnick reading from their newest collections. SU (5/4), 4:30pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St

Compound Fracture

Paperback Release:

An Evening w/Andrew Joseph White

Bestselling Appalachian author Andrew Joseph White will be stopping at Firestorm on his paperback release tour for Compound Fracture MO (5/5), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd

Flooded Poetry

Each poet will be able to share 2-3 poems, and occasionally we will have local celebrity poets close out our night with a featured reading. MO (5/5), 6:30pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd Ste 1200

THEATER & FILM

King James Basketball fans and theatre lovers alike will enjoy this very funny and surprisingly moving play full of sports mania

and a strong storyline about male friendship and the powerful social currents beneath it.

WE (4/30, 5/7), TH (5/1, 8), FR (5/2), SA (5/3), 7:30pm, SU (5/4), 2pm, NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln CATS

Based on T.S. Eliot’s cherished collection of poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, this innovative production breathes new life into the beloved story.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 2pm,TH (5/1, 8), FR (5/2), SA (5/3), 7:30pm, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

369 Monologue & Short Play Festival Part 3: Hell & High Water Brace yourselves for thirteen fearless actors, six visionary directors, and fifteen searing stories ripped from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the tempestuous socio-political currents of our world.

TH (5/1), 7:30pm, Tina McGuire Theatre, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Death Comes To Play (A High-Stakes Comic Gothic)

On a dark, stormy night, in a remote location, the celebration of a 75-year-old’s birthday is upended by the arrival of a mysterious, uninvited guest who turns out to be...fun?

TH (5/1), FR (5/2), SA (5/3), 7:30pm, BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St

Terms of Endearment

Challenges in life and love test the resilience of a mother-daughter relationship in Dan

Gordon’s adaptation of Terms of Endearment

TH (5/1), FR (5/2), 7:30pm, SA (5/3), SU (5/4), Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St, Hendersonville

Gaspard & Dancers: Student Series

This renowned dance company, known for its works of haunting beauty and emotional force, dares to find out and to inspire your students to wonder the same.

FR (5/2), 10am, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Foreign Film Fridays

Every Friday visitors can enjoy a cozy movie night in the gallery featuring some amazing foreign films curated by film-buff Carlos Steward. FR (5/2), 7pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd, Ste 1200

Into The Woods

A captivating and whimsical musical that weaves together beloved fairy tales into a dark and enchanting narrative.

FR (5/2), 7:30pm, SA (5/3), SU (5/4), 2:30pm, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St

Asheville's Got Talent

Got a talent? Come show it off in this competition for anyone in the greater Asheville

area. Participants must register for an audition.

SA (5/3), 1pm, UU Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place

{Re}HAPPENING 13

A one-day event that is part art event, part fundraiser, and part community instigator, providing a platform for contemporary artists to share installations, new media, music, and performance projects. See p21

SA (5/3), 3pm, Camp Rockmont, 375 Lake Eden Rd, Black Mountain Asheville Vaudeville

This show features WNC's best comedy, juggling, magic, burlesque, acrobatics, aerial arts, short plays, puppetry, sideshows, music and more.

SA (5/3), 7pm, Sly Grog Lounge, 271 Haywood St

Gaspard & Dancers

Gaspard Louis, has earned international acclaim for his versatile and inventive choreography, drawing inspiration from the idea of believing in magic, the search for self-acceptance and the spiritual practices of his home country.

FR (5/2), SA (5/3), 8pm, Wortham Center For The Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Epic Tales of the Maya w/toryteller Carolina Quiroga

A thrilling adventure that invites audiences to meet unforgettable characters like the moon goddess of the Maya, the twin brothers that traveled to the underworld, and an old Maya healer in a gripping tale of love and greed that transcends time.

TH (5/8), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville

Kung-Fu Movie Night

A free movie night that will be showing Enter the Dragon. All are welcome and admission is free.

TH (5/8), 7pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

YouTube Academy for Small Business Owners

Full-day in-person YouTube and video training for Small Business owners who will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the training.

WE (4/30), 9am, A-B

Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Voices of Asheville

This dynamic event brings together some of the region’s most engaging voices to share real stories, bold ideas, and strategies that fuel leadership growth, personal development, and business success.

WE (4/30), 10am, The Country Club of Asheville, 170 Windsor Rd

Band Together Asheville: A Speed Band

Matching Event

Meet, greet and jam with various musicians.

All musicians and skill levels are welcome.

WE (4/30), 6pm, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd

Tarot Community Circle

Each week will cover different topics. Please bring a deck based on the system of the Rider Waite Smith tarot.

WE (4/30), 6pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Treks Hiking Club for Adults 50+

Senior Treks is a low-impact hiking club offering leisurely-paced hikes for active adults 50 or better.

WE (4/30), 9:30pm, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd

Therapeutic Recreation

Hiking

All hikes are between 1-2.5 miles with variable terrain. Transportation provided to site. Advance registration required.

TH (5/1), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd

Fiber Social Meet others with common interests while creating charitable projects for the community. Beginners, intermediate and experience crafters are welcome.

TH (5/1), 10:30am, First Baptist Church, 5 Oak St

IBN Biz Lunch: Hendersonville

All are invited to attend and promote their business, products, and services, and meet new referral contacts.

TH (5/1), 11:30am, Thai Spice, 220 S King St, Hendersonville

Chinese Tea & Tai Chi Foundations

Settle your Qi with Chinese tea while learning the fundamentals of Tai Chi to improve your health.

SA (5/3), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Nourish Your Body, Feed Your Soul: Food for Spirituality Chef and Wellness

Coach Laurie Richardone will guide us on a journey exploring the profound connection between the food we eat and our spiritual well-being.

SA (5/3), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Penalty Kick Social

A casual, outdoor LGBTQ+ women’s & NB/GNC meet-up. Expect an afternoon of penalty kick challenges, structured social rounds, and lots of low-pressure ways to meet new people.

SA (5/3), 4:30pm, Olde London Rd English Pub, 270 Depot St

Gratitude Serenity Sound Bath

When we vibrate at the frequency of gratitude, we align ourselves with the energy of abundance.

SU (5/4), 1pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Coloring w/Cats

Take 50 minutes for yourself and cuddle with the panthers, meet other cat-lovers, and color a beautiful picture of a cat from our adult coloring books.

SU (5/4), 2pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Family Open Gym

Weekly time in the gym reserved for all ages to shoot hoops and play other active games as a family.

SU (5/4), 4pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Alive After 55+

A program for active older adults to socialize, play board games and puzzles, create in group art activities, and more.

MO (5/5), TU (5/6), 10am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Walking the Great Lakes of WNC

This program is for any individual who is looking to get a good workout in while enjoying the scenery.

MO (5/5), TU (5/6), 10am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

First Wednesday w/Big Asheville Science Salon

Each month, a bona fide expert takes us on a thrill ride of science awesomeness. Afterwards, a lively Q&A segues into general mingling and chatting about why science is so cool.

WE (5/7), 6pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10 Science, Spirit & the Quantum Field

Explore how your thoughts and feelings can influence the quantum field and ultimately shape your reality.

WE (5/7), 6:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

NSA-WNC Meeting

Professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills, and knowledge.

TH (5/8), 10am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Marketing Minds

This is a group where marketers and entrepreneurs can share marketing insight without feeling like you’re in a work meeting. help your marketing.

TH (5/8), 5:30pm, Focus Coworking, 11 Richland St

Conquistadors in North Carolina: Excavating the Berry Site & the Exploring Joara Foundation

Mike Carpenter will discuss the Spanish exploration and occupation in North Carolina (1521 – 1587); discovery and excavation of the Spanish settlement of Cuenca and Fort San Juan in Burke County. TH (5/8), 6pm, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain

LOCAL MARKETS

RAD Farmers Market

Asheville’s only yearround weekly market, featuring 30+ vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, handcrafted items, beverages, grab-and-go meals, and more. EBT and SNAP accepted.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 3pm, AB Tech, 24 Fernihurst Dr Weaverville Tailgate Market

This market features a selection of fresh, locally

grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese, baked goods, artisan bread, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants. Open year-round.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville

Enka-Candler Farmer’s Market

A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, and even educational resources. Every Thursday through October 31.

TH (5/1, 8), 3:30pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

East Asheville Tailgate Market

Featuring over 25 vendors selling meat, seafood, produce, flowers, bread, eggs, baked goods, fruit, herbs, sweet treats, tamales, and more. Every Friday through Nov. 21.

FR (5/2), 3pm, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd

North Asheville Tailgate Market

Browse from over 70 vendors that will be offering sustainably produced produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, breads, honey, plants, prepared foods, crafts and more.

SA (5/3), 8am, 275 Edgewood Rd

Asheville City Market

A producer-only market featuring local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Every Saturday through December.

SA (5/3), 9am, 52 N Market St

Black Mountain Tailgate Market

A seasonal community event featuring organic and sustainably grown produce, plants, cut flowers, herbs, local raised meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheeses, eggs and locally handcrafted items. Every Saturday through Nov. 22.

SA (5/3), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Spring Craft Fair

Browse through a variety of unique gifts and crafts. From jewelry to home decor, there's something for everyone to enjoy.

SA (5/3), 9am, Words of Life Tabernacle, 815 Glenn Bridge Rd, Arden Swannanoa Farmers Market

This market will feature farm-fresh produce, local honey, eggs, baked goods, and delicious eats. You'll also find handmade jewelry, artwork, fiber crafts, wooden utensils, yard art, apothecary

essentials, and more.

SA (5/3), 9am, 216 Whitson Ave, 216 Whitson Ave, Swannanoa

Mars Hill Farmers & Artisans Market

A producer-only tailgate market located on the campus of Mars Hill University on College Street. Offering fresh local produce, herbs, cheeses, meats, eggs, baked goods, honey, body care and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 26.

SA (5/3), 10am, College St, Mars Hill

WNC Farmers Market

This year-round market features locally grown produce, fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, plants, shops, arts and crafts, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily, 8am. WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd

Vegan Market

Asheville

This pop-up features 10+ local vegan vendors offering vegan food including chocolate, hot food, bread, pastries, and snacks. Admission is free and all are welcome. See p24

SU (5/4), 11am, Bridge & Tunnel Cafe at AB Tech, 10 Fernihurst Dr Junk-O-Rama Vintage Market

Browse vintage clothing vendors, local crafters, antiques and more.

SU (5/4), 12pm, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

Meadow Market

This vibrant outdoor market features a curated selection of local makers and artisans. Browse a delightful array of one-of-a-kind textiles, handcrafted jewelry, beautiful pottery, and more.

SU (5/4), 1pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 West Asheville Tailgate Market

This market features an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs,

cheese, plants, specialty items, locally made art and crafts and more. Every Tuesday through November.

TU (5/6), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd

Leicester Farmers Market

A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats, honey, strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, ramps, a variety of plants and more. Every Wednesday through October.

WE (5/7), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

GAMES & CLUBS

Indoor Walking for Wellness Club

Weather doesn’t matter when you have a community gym. Let us crank up the tunes to get you motivated.

TH (5/1, 8), TU (5/6), 9:15am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Bid Whist

Make bids, call trumps, and win tricks. Every Saturday for fun competition with the community.

SA (5/3), 1pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Weekly Sunday Scrabble! Weekly scrabble play where you’ll be paired with players of your skill level. All scrabble gear provided.

SU (5/4), 1:30pm, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Level 256 Weekly Pinball Tournament This is a weekly group knockout pinball tournament. Food will be provided to players. All ages and skill levels are welcome.

SU (5/4), 5:30pm, Level 256 Classic Arcade Bar, 79 Coxe Ave

Therapeutic Recreation Walking Club

Get your steps in while making new friends around WNC. All walks are one mile or less with fully accessible paths. MO (5/5), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd Bingo!

Weekly bingo raises funds to place service dogs with people affected by Helene.

TU (5/6), 6pm, Wild Wing Cafe South, 65 Long Shoals Rd, Arden Bingo Night w/Self Help Credit Union

A special night of Bingo sponsored by our friends at Self Help Credit Union.

TH (5/8), 6pm, 12 Bones Smokebouse & Brewing, 2350 Hendersonville Rd, Arden

KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS

Tiny Tykes Wednesday Play Dates

Open play for toddlers to explore bikes, balls, inflatables, climbing structures, and more fun.

WE (4/30), 10am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Family Story Time

A fun and interactive story time designed for children ages 18 months to 3 years.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 10:30am, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain Kung Fu For Children Designed to begin with the foundations of these styles while also teaching application and self awareness.

WE (4/30, 5/7), 3pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Black Cat Tales: Story Time w/Cats

A special after-school workshop where families with children age 7 and under can relax and foster a love of reading while also socializing with the cats in the lounge.

WE (4/30, 5/7), TH

(5/1, 5/1), FR (5/2), 4pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Toddlers in the Park Come out for fun, themed-days as warm weather returns. This weeks features farmyard fun, but advance registration required. TH (5/1), 9:30am, Weaver Park, 200 Murdock Ave Baby Storytime A lively language enrichment story time designed for children ages 4 to 18 months.

TH (5/1, 8), 10:30am, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain Toddler & Me Time Out A high-energy performance showcasing an eclectic mix of original songs and popular covers at the Asheville Amadeus Festival.

FR (5/2), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Toddler Kickball Extravaganza Get ready for some pint-sized power and giggling galore at the Toddler Kickball Extravaganza, a super fun event designed especially for our littlest athletes.

SA (5/3), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Coloring w/Cats: Kiddie Edition

An artistic session with coloring books and markers for children ages 13 and under to relax by coloring as they pet cats to reduce stress and anxiety.

SA (5/3), 1pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

MoveAbility: Weekly Dance Class

Everyone is welcome to explore movement, creativity and self express through dance. Intended for kids ages 5 and up, though.

MO (5/5), 5:30pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Mini Movers

Let little ones burn off energy and develop essential skills with toddler gym games featuring safe and engaging activities designed to keep them entertained and active.

WE (5/7), 1pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Toddlers in the Park

Come out for fun, themed-days as warm weather returns. This weeks features water world, but advance registration required.

TH (5/8), 9:30am, Malvern Hills Park, 75 Rumbough Pl

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Food Waste Warriors of Black Mountain Tour

Tour the Dr. John Wilson Community Garden which features community composting and donates a percentage of grown food on plots to Bounty and Soul.

WE (4/30), 5pm, 99 White Pine Dr, 99 White Pine Dr, Black Mountain

Asheville Symphony: Amadeus Festival

Kickoff & Beer Release

Step into summer with the Asheville Symphony

as we herald the return of the Asheville Amadeus Festival plus special beer releases. Amadeus Festival will feature co-headliners Time for Three, Ranaan Meyer, Nick Kendall and Charles Yang.

WE (4/30), 6pm, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, 46 N Mills River Rd, Mills River Asheville Stands for the Rule of Law

Witness local lawyers as they retake their oath to defend the Constitution and host a non-partisan rally supporting the Rule of Law and Judicial Independence as part of a national day of action on Law Day

TH (5/1), noon, Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza

Kentucky Derby Party

Get ready for the ‘greatest two minutes in sports’ with southern snacks and drinks, memorable games, and sophisticated socializing. Bring your Derby hat or one to decorate for the hat contest.

TH (5/1), 2pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

Marshall Magic Days Marshall's beloved shops and restaurants will celebrate downtown's reopening with four days

of festivities. In addition to retail shops being open for business, the Marshall Magic Market will feature vendors selling a wide array of locally made goods.

TH (5/1), FR (5/2), SA (5/3), SU (5/4), 4pm, Downtown Marshall, Marshall

May Day Potluck & Movie Night

Celebrate May Day, a holiday rooted in working class and immigrant resistance to the power of oligarchs. We'll be screening an Appalachian labor history classic.

TH (5/1), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd

Smash Bros Tournament w/Nostalgic VG Live Music

An evening of Nostalgic VG music from Mana Meter and Horror-themed surf rock from Monster Wave, while you engage in a Smash Bros tournament.

TH (5/1), 8pm, Third Room, 46 Wall St,

Mars Hill First Fridays Celebrate First Fridays with live music, a vendor village, a kids corner, art, food, gifts and more.

FR (5/2), 5pm, Downtown Mars Hill, Mars Hill

AVL Hat Bar Grand

Opening

Celebrate the grand opening of AVL Hat Bar, a creative space where guests can customize their own hats, enjoy handmade jewelry, and connect with the community over light refreshments.

FR (5/2), 6pm, AVL Hat Bar, 157 S Lexington Ave

Art Fashion Show & First Friday Art

Celebration

Artist and designer Kira Bursky will be hosting a fashion show to celebrate the Asheville arts community. There will be live music by Anna Coombs, drinks, over 50 artists, and wearable art.

FR (5/2), 5pm, Resurrection Studios Collective, 160 Broadway St

Blue Ridge Orchestra's 25th Anniversary Season Finale

The 25th Anniversary Season Finale, part of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s bi-annual festival: The Art of Storytelling spans genres of jazz and classical in a highly collaborative program.

FR (5/2), 7pm, SU (5/4), 3pm, Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Ln

Annual Gigantic Sidewalk Yard Sale

Over 60 participating merchants and individuals. Come to the Historic Main Street and leave with bargains in hand.

SA (5/3), 7:30am, Historic Main Street Marion, Marion

Airing of the Quilts

The airing of quilts is a traditional rite of spring in the mountains. This annual event at the Appalachian Women's Museum honors this tradition with a quilt show.

SA (5/3), 10am, Appalachian Women's Museum, 100 W HomeTown Place, Dillsboro

Mills River Day Music

A free family festival that features live music, vendors, tractors, food, games, horses and more. Local bands, Lonesome Road, Izzi Hughes, and Finkelstein Three will provide music.

SA (5/3), 11am, N River Farms, 3333 N Mills River Rd, Mills River

4th Annual Spring Fling Plant Festival

This spring festival will feature a craft fair, the Smashville Food Truck, live music, mechanical bull and all the plant shopping you could ever want.

SA (5/3), noon, Ross Farm, 91 Holbrook Rd, Candler

Doggett Gap Tiny Music & Heritage Festival

A celebration of roots music, craft, and community with an intimate, family-friendly gathering that showcases a diverse lineup of artists.

SA (5/3), noon, Rare Bird Farm, 91 Duckett Top Tower Rd, Hot Springs

World Labyrinth Day

At exactly 1:00 PM, you’ll walk the beautiful labyrinth, joining a global wave of peaceful energy that circles the world, time zone by time zone. This is more than just a walk; it's a moving meditation for world peace and unity.

SA (5/3), 1pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Bring your family for a fiesta with traditional Mexican food, music, games, and more to celebrate culture and the importance of community.

SA (5/3), 4pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St Derby on the Roof Party

This Derby Day celebration is all about Southern charm, elevated eats, and unbeatable views.

SA (5/3), 5pm, Wildwood Still, 61 Biltmore Ave

Tiny Tykes Day

The free family festival features hands-on experiences and adventures

tailored for kids ages 5 and under including tumble and bounce houses, face painting, twisty balloons, craft making and more.

SU (5/4), 2pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St Indie Games Playground

Celebrate the launch of the indie video game

Da Paper Boy with Asheville's first-ever Indie Game Playground hosted by 3D Dojo Studios, Asheville's first Blackowned game studio.

SU (5/4), 3pm, Hatch Innovation Hub, 45 S French Broad Ave

Ring On!: Blue Ridge Ringer's 30th Anniversary Concert Series

This concert series will include favorite selections from throughout their 30-year history, highlighting important moments in their journey through time, including works from several beloved composers important to the group’s history.

SU (5/4), 4pm, Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, 249 East Main St, Brevard WNC Parade of Homes

Come take a free tour of more than 50 homes. Tours are in-person and virtual and feature a wide range of styles, sizes and price points.

SA (5/3), SU (5/4), 5pm, Builders Association of the Blue Ridge Mountains Parade of Homes, 1 Page Ave, Ste 280 Cinco de Mayo Cerveza Celebration

A Cinco de Mayo Cerveza celebration with live music from Para Gozar, food trucks and explore more drink options crafted for this special day.

MO (5/5), 2pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200 Asheville Improv Festival

Opening Night of the 2025 Asheville Improv Festival. See five fantastic teams: Asheville School of Improv, Hug Cult, Employees of the Month, Syndication, and the Law Firm of Jones, Stobbe and Richardson.

WE (5/7), 6pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Asheville Improv Festival

First night, second show, three teams: Old Man Toddler, Speakeasy Improv: What's in the Box?, and Adesto Improv Presents.

WE (5/7), 8pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Asheville Improv Festival

Night Two of this festival features: The Improvables, Big Cousin, Two-Sided, Sweepy Todd, and Touch Baseball.

TH (5/8), 5pm, Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway

Women for Women Grant Awards

Celebration

Come join Women for Women members and guests to celebrate incredible nonprofits strengthening Western North Carolina, following the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

TH (5/8), 5pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

AMS Sound Lab Grand Opening

This essential upgrade will propel AMS into the modern era of music education, enhancing their ability to provide students with the latest tools and technologies for music production and recording.

TH (5/8), 5:30pm, Asheville Music School, 10 Ridgelawn Rd

Asheville Improv Festival

Night Two of this festival features: Saturday Manitee, Succumb to Death, Gal Pals, and Joe and the Ether.

TH (5/8), 7pm, Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway

Asheville Improv Festival: Headliner Show

Second night of the fest, but first Headliner Show. Don't miss the Reasonably Priced Babies, Jill Bernard: Drum Machine, and Carla & Craig Cackowski as Orange Tuxedo.

TH (5/8), 9pm, Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Volunteer w/Energy Savers Network

Worksite volunteers perform energy-saving upgrades in groups for clients in and around Buncombe County. You will also learn helpful energy-saving measures like changing light-bulbs, weatherstripping doors, and insulating water heaters.

WE (4/30), 11am, Buncombe County Queer Cake Off w/ Apple Cider Vinegar, Girl Fairy Tomboy, Puppy Chain A benefit show for Fierce Flix and Girls Rock Asheville that features a queer cake off, cake auction.

WE (4/30), 8pm, Static Age Records, 110 N Lexington Ave

Mad Co. Rocks the AVL Madison County rock and roll to benefit the rebuild of Hot Springs and Marshall. It will feature the music of 75 Singlewide, a squatch rock and roll with a dash of funk.

TH (5/1), 7:30pm, Sly Grog Lounge, 271 Haywood St

Blue Ridge Bingo: Totally 80’s Bingo Party Fundraiser Guests can expect at least four rounds of fab-

ulous bingo, unbeatable throwback tunes, and dazzling prizes. Proceeds from this month’s Bingo go to Arms Around ASD. FR (5/2), 7pm, Hilltop Event Center, 21 Restaurant Court

Doggie Adoption Day w/Charlie's Angels Animal Rescue Come out for a meet and greet style adoption day; get to know the pups and work with the Charlie’s Angels volunteers to decide who’s the right addition to your family. SA (5/3), 1pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10 French Broad River Academy's Spring Splash Derby Bash Don your best Derby attire and help us reach the finish line as we raise funds for our school's Hurricane Helene recovery costs. SA (5/3), 6:30pm, French Broad River Academy, 1990 Riverside Dr. Asheville Give Back Drag Show This all-ages event brings together Asheville’s most vibrant drag performers for a lively and uplifting show. Proceeds from this event will benefit Healing Solutions Counseling. SU (5/4), 1pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St

WNC Walk MS Walk MS Walkers and Teams will come together, visit, socialize, rekindle friendships, and walk to raise funds for research to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

SU (5/4), 1pm, Bill Moore Community Park, 85 Howard Gap Rd, Fletcher

The Flood: Music for MANNA Fourteen songwriters created original music telling the stories of Helene and all proceeds will be going to MANNA. See p26 SU (5/4), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Community Blood Dr Light brunch provided plus donor gifts. Each donation provides blood to WNC communities and can help save up to 3 lives.

MO (5/5), 9:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Sip & Assemble w/ Babies Need Bottoms Help assemble Comfort and Care kits for NICU mothers, preemie parents and caregivers. WE (5/7), 5:30pm, Ernest Cowarehousing, 135 Sweeten Creek Rd

Southside Volunteer Day Volunteer with RiverLink to maintain the native ecosystem and rain gardens in the Erskine Community. TH (5/8), 10am, Herb Watts Park, 64 Erskine St

by Jessica Wakeman | jwakeman@mountainx.com

Appalachian Mountain Health debuts new dental RV

Appalachian Mountain Health (AMH) recently debuted its new dental vehicle in a ribbon-cutting on April 18. AMH is a federally qualified health center, which means it provides services regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. The recreational vehicle complements AMH’s two brick-and-mortar dental locations in Asheville and Murphy.

“The need for dentistry among the uninsured and underinsured is tremendously high,” says Dr. Alex Green, AMH chief dental officer. “There’s a lot of dentists in this community, but not necessarily those who take on the social safety net.” (AMH accepts Medicaid, Medicare and private health insurance.)

Tooth removal, replacement, extractions, fillings and crowns are the most common procedures for AMH’s dental services, and they are handled in the brick-and-mortar locations, says Green. The RV is best for preventive care like cleanings, sealants and fluoride treatments.

The RV contains three chairs, each with air and water delivery systems, a panoramic X-ray unit, “bitewing” X-rays and a sterilization area. The interior of the RV is outfitted with cinches to strap equipment to the wall during transit. It operates on a generator and carries a freshwater tank.

Green spearheaded the dental RV project with the assistance of Mission Mobile Medical in Greensboro. AMH debuted the dental RV in August, but due to complications from Tropical Storm Helene, it didn’t see its first patient until March.

One-quarter of its patients are children, Green explains. The RV has already visited Asheville High School and PEAK Academy charter school. It’s planning to expand this summer with visits to the Verner Center for Early Learning, which offers Early Head Start and prekindergarten education. For more information, contact Appalachian Mountain Health Dental at 828-676-3618.

Period shop opens in West Asheville

Period Nirvana, a shop dedicated to menstruation products, opened in mid-April at 315 Haywood Road. It’s the first brick-and-mortar location for an online business that began in 2020. The shop sells menstrual cups, discs, period panties, books, washes for cups and discs, and gifts, such as jewelry and sexual wellness products. Several cases in the shop display historical

menstrual items, such as vintage boxes of “sanitary napkins.”

Period Nirvana is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Learn more at avl.mx/eqs.

Independent monitor meetings

Dogwood Health Trust and Affiliated Monitors, Inc., the independent monitor for HCA Healthcare, recently announced two community meetings in May. HCA purchased Mission Health in 2019 for $1.5 billion.

The community meetings will provide updates about Affiliated Monitors’ work and information on how to share concerns and feedback about HCA. On Monday, May 12, Affiliated Monitors will meet 5:30-7 p.m. at McDowell Technical College, Building 11, Room 113, 54 College Drive, Marion. On Tuesday, May 13, Affiliated Monitors will meet at 5:30-7 p.m. A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Road. Doors open 30 minutes before each event.

Since April 2024, Affiliated Monitors has been responsible for monitoring HCA’s adherence to its 2019 asset purchase agreement of Mission Health.

The previous independent monitor was Gibbons Advisors; when Dogwood

Health Trust announced in 2024 it was accepting applications for independent monitors, Gibbons Advisors did not reapply.

Affiliated Monitors will also be available Monday, May 5-Wednesday, May 14, to meet with Western North Carolina civic groups and community members about HCA and Mission Health. To schedule a meeting, send an email to Mission@AffiliatedMonitors.com.

Safe Shelter hosts first fundraiser

Safe Shelter, a 20-bed shelter prioritizing families with children, is hosting its first fundraiser Thursday, May 15, at YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market St. Networking is from 5-6 p.m., and speakers, live music and an auction will take place 6-8 p.m. Local comedian Cayla Clark will emcee the event. Purple Pigs Catering, HomeGrown and AVL Cake Lady will provide the food. Tickets are $50 each and available at avl.mx/eqf.

Community kudos

• Mission Health has named Ruth Kain as its chief nursing officer, effective May 5. Kain comes to Mission Health

from MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas, which is owned by HCA, where she served as chief nursing officer.

• AdventHealth Hendersonville welcomed Laura M. Sullivan to The Baby Place. Sullivan comes to AdventHealth from the Prisma HealthBryan Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Hospital, Greenville, S.C.

Mark your calendars

• The Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St., will host Tiny Tykes Day on Sunday, May 4, 2-5 p.m. The free festival, hosted by Asheville Parks & Recreation, will include bounce houses, obstacle courses, biking and more. Participants are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. For details, visit avl.mx/eqt.

• Veterans Services of the Carolinas, 1845 Brevard Road, Arden, will host a mental health first aid training Friday, May 9, 8:30 a.m- 4:30 p.m. Participants will learn about common mental health conditions, de-escalation techniques and how to practice self-care. The training is free, but space is limited. Reserve a space at avl.mx/eqc.

• The N.C. Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, will host a free guided trail walk Saturday, May 10, noon-2 p.m. Trail walks cover 1-2 miles and are held rain or shine. Participants should dress appropriately for the weather. Groups are limited to 15 people, first-come firstserved, and are not recommended for people under 16 years old. Visit avl.mx/equ for more information.

• The Big Barn at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Road, Fairview, will host yoga classes on Sundays, May 11 and 18, 10-11 a.m. Participants should bring their own mat. Tickets are $10 each and available at avl.mx/eqb.

• Sistas Caring 4 Sistas will hold the Momma! Therapy Group at AmeriHealth Caritas NC, 216 Asheland Ave., on Monday, May 12, 3-4:30 p.m. Participation is free, and on-site child care is provided. For more about Sistas Caring 4 Sistas, visit avl.mx/eqv.

• Pardee Cancer Center, 805 Sixth Ave. W., Hendersvonville, will offer a free skin cancer screening with family nurse practitioner Kate Kennedy on Thursday, May 22, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The screening is open to the public, but an appointment is required. Call 828-698-7317 to schedule. X

MOLAR MAN: Dr. Alex Green, Appalachian Mountain Health’s chief dental officer, says the clinic’s new recreational vehicle will help bring preventive dental care to more underinsured and uninsured people in Western North Carolina. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

ARTS & CULTURE

‘The Collective’

Margaret Belk wins 2025 Xpress Poetry

BY THOMAS CALDER

tcalder@mountainx.com

Nearly 100 local poets submitted works to our 2025 Xpress Poetry Contest. That number is more than double the amount of entries we received last year. The theme for our latest contest focuses on life in Western North Carolina after Tropical Storm Helene.

This year’s judge, Michael Dechane, is the author of The Long Invisible, a poetry collection that was published in September. He had the task of selecting the top three poems.

Dechane chose “Climbing Trees” by Guy Mead (who won last year’s contest) as the 2025 third-place finisher. “This is such a beautiful, understated poem that handles a primary image of the loss and damage from the storm — fallen trees — in a slanted way I really

The Collective

by Margaret Belk

Since the storm, the sound of wind yanks limbs loose from its nightshirt sending them flying, slamming, splintering— its trunk laid to rest, roots splayed.

Contest

admire,” Dechane writes. “My favorite thing about this poem is how it manages to imply such an honest hopefulness without coming anywhere near the platitudes or saccharine assurances we’re often tempted to offer in the wake of unthinkable tragedy.”

Rose DiStefano’s “A Little Piece of Peace” placed second. “What a devastating elegy,” Dechane notes. “We’re all weighing the cost of Helene, even after the official rainfalls and damage in dollars have been totaled. This is a poem that carries the heft of our deepest losses, even as it raises quiet words of honor for the dead.”

The contest’s top prize went to Asheville resident Margaret Belk for her poem “The Collective.” In addition to writing poetry, Belk works as an N.C. Education Corps high-impact tutor at Lucy S. Herring Elementary

1st

Rain pit-pattering sputters into rolling waves gushing greedily creeping out of bounds; rising, rushing, staining. Images racing, running back to the end of September.

“That wind, that rain,” a neighbor says at the mailboxes— the silence of knowing tethering us.

AND THE WINNER IS: Margaret Belk is the winner of this year’s Xpress Poetry Contest, judged by poet Michael Dechane. Belk is featured here with her dog, Ziggy. Photo courtesy of Belk

School, volunteers with Our VOICE and is part of the 2025-26 racial justice facilitator cohort at the YWCA of Asheville. Additionally, Belk is an active member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church and notes that she enjoys “writing, creating art and spending time outdoors with people in our amazing community.”

In selecting her work, Dechane writes: “So many poems never get beyond our sense of sight, but in ‘The Collective’ we find lines finely attuned to the sound of the storm. ‘Yanks limbs loose from its nightshirt’ is an

amazing image coupled with the perfect moment for its surprising layers and potential. I love that the speaker of this poem only needed to relate a tiny bit of conversation; a fragment that meant enough it could stand for so much of what is beyond anyone’s words. And best of all, I think, is the haunting way the poem leads us all back into a silence it both creates and that we’ve all shared before.”

Congrats to this year’s winner and runners-up. And thanks to everyone who submitted to the contest. This year’s contest meant a lot. X

A Little Piece Of Peace

by Rose DiStefano

Around the time that dusk turns to darkness, I’m driving downhill on the narrow road.

He’s driving up the road in a white van.

I’m angry, despondent, over the death of my son.

The man in the van points right towards the alley. I misunderstand, lose my temper, jump out, and berate this supposed stranger encroaching on Homeland Park. Suddenly I realize that this is no stranger. He is my neighbor, the painter. He is the father of two little girls who parks his van in the alley. I walk towards his window and apologize. Tired and spent, we part ways. He pulls towards home. I begin to drive out of the neighborhood.

Unexpectedly he appears from Cottage Drive walking in my direction. We don’t speak, yet he reaches out his right hand. I reach out with mine and we shake.

His hand is a working man’s hand, a hand that caulks and sands, that brings new life to weathered wood.

It’s a hand that checks his daughter’s forehead for fever, that paints rainbow clouds above his front door, that turns the pages of a good book, and flips pancakes on Sunday morning. He lets me know that we are ok.

He gives me a tiny piece of peace. I needed that.

The man whose hand had reached for mine, who had lived, loved, worked, and struggled, four doors down, was taken by the raging river, taken by the storm that slammed these mountains and left us standing in disbelief. And I can’t go by that river now without remembering his kindness.

Climbing Trees

by Guy Mead

3rd

Now that I am old, I notice baby oak trees. When I was young, I only noticed the massive old knurly ones, with their interesting limbs for climbing. Now that I am old I see the limbs of small trees fragile thin green with rain like the arms of babies my own arms and into this growth flows a new childhood I’ve never known.

2nd

RUNNER-UP: Rose DiStefano was born in Philadelphia, where she and her husband raised their seven children. She’s lived in Asheville for the past 16 years. Photo courtesy of DiStefano

REPEAT FINISHER: Guy Mead won the 2024 Xpress Poetry Contest. He placed once again with a third-place finish. Photo courtesy of Mead

Experimental time 2025 {Re}HAPPENING returns with inspiration from Helene

BY ARNOLD WENGROW

There will be plenty to hear and see when you enter the dining hall at Camp Rockmont during Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center’s (BMCM+AC) latest {Re} HAPPENING. The sights and sounds will be part of Meg Mulhearn’s and Kim Rueger’s interactive audio performance “Impulse,” which combines violin, live sampling and modular synthesis to create a continuously changing soundscape as the two artists respond to each other’s improvisations.

“We wanted to observe our own impulses and what happens when we have the impulse — what made us make that decision,” Mulhearn explains.

The audience will also be invited to get in on the process. “I don’t want to give too much away,” Mulhearn continues, “but we’re going to have certain physical ways in which audience members can start, interrupt and change the cycles and sounds.”

The performance is one of 26 projects at this year’s gathering, the 13th {Re}HAPPENING since 2010. The fundraiser and art event takes place Saturday, May 3, 3-10 p.m. and features local and international works.

EVERYTHING AT ONCE

From 1933-57, Black Mountain College spawned some of America’s most influential and experimental avant-garde artists.

Today, the BMCM+AC, located in downtown Asheville, works to preserve the college’s legacy through its collections and exhibits. The museum also celebrates its namesake by inviting contemporary artists to create new works in the spirit of Black Mountain College during the annual {Re}HAPPENING.

Kira Houston, outreach coordinator for BMCM+AC, explains that the event’s name references an August 1952 performance in the college dining hall by a number of Black Mountain College luminaries, including composers John Cage and David Tudor, poets Charles Olson and M.C. Richards, dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham and visual artist Robert Rauschenberg.

“They called it ‘Theater Piece No. 1,’” Houston says. “And it wasn’t a timed performance. It was a kind of multidisciplinary happening. One

GO WITH THE FLOW: Husband-and-wife team Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen will perform at the 2025 {Re}HAPPENING. Their work “slu” was inspired by Tropical Storm Helene’s flooding. Photo courtesy of Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center

thing would happen after the other, and everything was happening all at once. The experience surrounded you and opened up your perception.”

“Theater Piece No. 1” inspired the Happenings movement of the late 1950s and ’60s and was a pivotal moment in the birth of performance art. “People think of it as ground zero for experimental performance,” Houston continues.

INSPIRED BY THE STORM

The 2025 {Re}HAPPENING includes 26 projects selected from 75 applicants from around the world.

“We try to stay true to the community,” Houston notes, by making sure local artists are well represented.

According to Houston, two-thirds of this year’s participants are based in Western North Carolina. The rest are primarily located in the Southeast, with one artist coming from Austria, Houston notes.

Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen, the husband-wife team of Stewart/ Owen Dance, are among the Ashevillebased artists performing at the college’s former Lake Eden campus. Their piece, “slu,” will also feature local electronics artists and musicians Colston Byrd, Early Gima and Douglas Carr

According to Owen, the inspiration for “slu” began to percolate after Tropical Storm Helene forced the dance company to cancel its spring season.

“That opened up our schedule,” says Owen. “And our creative brains had a little bit of space as well to dream up something different.”

Stewart adds, “This was the first time since we lived here that we felt something would be appropriate for a setting like {Re}HAPPENING, something more experimental than we have done before.”

Though new to the event, the couple have worked with Carr, Byrd and Gima for several years.

The concept for “slu” came about during a conversation post-Helene. “One of the words that just kept coming to me as we were talking was the word sluice, which is a gate that’s used to control the flow of water,” says Carr.

“This idea of barriers breaking and things flooding” was top of mind in the storm’s immediate aftermath, adds Stewart.

“We kept playing with the concept, and then Gavin suggested shortening the word to slu,” Carr notes. The piece, he continues, will move in one direction like a river or a flowing body of water. “That’s intended to be represented in projections and also to some degree in the choreography.”

Inspired by the exploratory ethos of Black Mountain College, the group has not come together as a whole to rehearse “slu.” The plan, says Owen, is to convene the week of the event.

The aim, she adds, is to find “the sweet spot between planning and overplanning.”

Owen says they want the majority of the piece to feel improvisational. “We really do want to be authentically responsive to each other,” she notes. “But we also want to make sure that everyone understands how all of the components can work together. We want to maximize our impact together.” X

WHAT 2025 {Re}HAPPENING WHEN Saturday, May 3, 3-10 p.m. WHERE

The historic campus of Black Mountain College, Camp Rockmont, 375 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain, $15-$37

Music and mortality

BY THOMAS CALDER

Xpress’ latest installment of “The Playlist” has arrived.

For our April edition we reached out to hip-hop artist Davaion “Spaceman Jones” Bristol to tackle the latest theme: sustainable living. As in, what songs do you turn to to sustain yourself, whether it’s physically or emotionally.

From rap to metal to rock, this playlist doesn’t shy away from heavy issues. And the conversation with Bristol also takes a similar tone. You can download the latest playlist on Spotify at avl.mx/epy.

5/2: Reader: Krysta 12-7

5/3: Reader: Edward 12-6

Sexual Shadow Work 101 w/ Jacklyn 2-3:30

5/4: Reader: Andrea 12-4

Beltane Class w/ Lori 2-4

5/5: Aimee the Astrologer 1-7

Mediumship Monday w/ Abby 6-7

Xpress: What I found interesting about so many of the songs on this playlist is the presence of death — be it Juicy J’s line about being on “your back in a box inside a hearse” or Jay Electronica’s melancholy lament over numbers on his phone that will never ring again. Then of course, there are artists on here who died so young — from Tupac Shakur to Chris Cornell. As an artist, how does death factor into your inspiration and lyrical focus? And how does the reality of death sustain you?

ON LIVING AND DYING: “As I get older and closer to my own death, it is something I think about more,” says local hip-hop artist Davaion “Spaceman Jones” Bristol. “It actually makes me want to live more fully. In my writing it is a tool to create depth and weight to whatever line I’m writing.” Photo courtesy of Bristol

Bristol: Death is a natural part of life. When I was putting this playlist together, there were a couple of deaths in my family. That definitely made me include some themes of loss and facing mortality. As I get older and closer to my own death, it is something I think

about more. It actually makes me want to live more fully. In my writing it is a tool to create depth and weight to whatever line I’m writing. What is more serious, more worth contemplating when making decisions than death and its implications?

I’m sorry to hear about your losses. Your response brings to mind your song “Forever in A Day,” the title track from your latest album. The song strikes me as an anthem about making the most of the limited time we have on Earth. Lyrically, it also seems to be in conversation with “Henny Nights” — the opening track of your 2018 EP which is included on the playlist. “Henny Nights” has lyrical elements about making the most of your life, while also celebrating self-acceptance and being true to yourself. Could you speak to these ideas and concepts as it relates to both your writing and the music you seek out.

The music that I make is intensely personal. I’m generally talking to myself, giving me a pep talk from me. Writing lets me access my experiences in a deeper way. Its prophecy for me. I try to speak my future into existence through these verses and hooks. I feel

strongly that your mental condition is foundational to your experience in this life. I rap about how I have applied these experiences and how I want to apply these experiences. For me refining my thinking, feeling and actions are a continuous thing; daily practice is required. Of course, there will be times of being less skillful in our approach. But these are usually opportunities rather than penalties.

The second half of your playlist includes a few rock numbers, including track by Audioslave and System of A Down. Much of my musical tastes were shaped in the mid- to late-’90s. Back then, it felt like the way we listened to music was so genre focused. For example, I loved punk. And it felt like the only way to show you were a true punk back then was by listening exclusively to punk. Fortunately, we seem to have gotten beyond genre loyalty. I’m curious about your own experiences with cross-genre listening and how various types of music influence your style.

I have listened to rock music since I was a kid. I loved hair bands like Guns N’ Roses and Poison as well as metal like Metallica and Slayer. These two bands, Audioslave and System of A Down, were able to capture my attention with the songwriting. I’ve been a big fan of great lyrics no matter the genre. Some of my biggest influences are Bob Seger and Ronnie Van Zant I want to be able to write songs that

SUSTAINABLE LIVING

crystallize a moment in time and that would be easily understood by the most people. A turn of phrase here, a new way to say an old truth there, being myself totally, but embodying the truth as I have experienced it. I grab influence from where it springs up.

In terms of the playlist, which artist on here has been most influential on your own work and style, and what is it about their work that continues to speak to you as an artist?

All of these artists have had their influence on my work. But the biggest one has to be Tupac. When I was first trying to write raps, I wanted to have the same impact that Tupac had. He was great at invoking emotion; the music made me feel something. He spoke directly to the experience that I was having in my own life. That connection is something that I still try to achieve. He also spoke very plainly. It was not hard to figure out the points he was trying to make. His words were accessible. That’s something I still try to do.

Finally, what do you hope listeners take away from your playlist?

I hope that the playlist gives listeners a vibe. I hope they feel how I feel when I listen to these songs. I hope they remember; I hope they hope; and I hope they pop their sh*t. X

Download the playlist on Spotify at avl.mx/epy.

Could’ve Been Worse by Juicy J

A.P.I.D.T.A. by Jay Electronica

Until the End of Time by 2Pac

Only Weight I Feel by Big Hit, Hit-Boy, The Alchemist

Munyon Canyon by Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist

Henny Nights by Spaceman Jones and The Motherships

Santorini Greece by Rick Ross

13th Floor/Growing Old by Outkast

Southside by Scarface

Like a Stone by Audioslave Aerials by System of a Down Double 07 by Curren$y, The Alchemist

Diamonds & Wood by UGK, featuring Smoke D

25 Lighters by Lil’ Keke, DJ DMD, Fat Pat

Break ’Em Off Somethin’ by Master P

WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD

by Gina Smith | gsmith@mountainx.com

Married couple and local restaurant industry veterans Brandon Davis and Davie Roberts opened their 1970s-themed bar, DayTrip, on Amboy Road in August. Just 32 days later, Tropical Storm Helene permanently shut it down with catastrophic flooding that washed part of the building away. At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, Davis and Roberts will see their dream reborn with the relaunch of DayTrip at 174 Broadway in the former Moog building.

The new space, says Davis, is four times larger than the Amboy Road bar with ample parking, plenty of indoor seating in cozy nooks, an events area and a patio. The cocktail and mocktail menu, designed by Roberts, will be similar to DayTrip’s original with an expanded selection of wines and beers. Snacks will be available from AVL Charcuterie Co.

DayTrip 2.0 LeDeluge cider release

Asheville Vegan Market

Bridge & Tunnel Coffee Co. will collaborate with Vegan Market pop-up organizers Michael Bianco and Laura Dannhauser to host the inaugural Asheville Vegan Market on Sunday, May 4. Around a dozen vendors, including Wadadli Dessert Oasis, The Smokin’ Onion, New Moon Donuts and Back Porch Baking Co., will gather 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Bridge & Tunnel in the Coman Student Activity Center at 10 Fernihurst Drive on the A-B Tech campus. Vendors will be indoors and outdoors. Plenty of seating will be available. Admission is free. For more information, visit avl.mx/eqg X

The dramatic interior is full of vintage ’70s furnishings — “everything your grandma used to have,” says Davis — including some hanging lights and art salvaged from the original DayTrip. Hours will be 4 p.m.-midnight daily. Visit avl.mx/eqj for updates. X

Cider Wine & Dine Weekend

Henderson County’s vineyards, wineries and orchards will kick off N.C. Wine Month in May with the 2025 Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, happening FridaySunday, May 2-4. The festival’s tastings, tours, pairing dinners, orchard and vineyard hikes and other events will take place at dozens of locations across the county. For the full list of events, prices and venues, visit avl.mx/cl4 X

Pictured, from left, are Elizabeth, Margaret, Jessica and David Bowman of Black Mountain Cider and Mead and Alison Hargus of Appalachian Community Relief.

On April 26, Black Mountain Cider + Mead released Le Deluge, a new cider with its own Tropical Storm Helene story. The cidery’s Black Mountain brewing facility, equipment and taproom were flooded during the storm. Two weeks later, Appalachian Community Relief (ACR) brought the cidery a truckload of apples donated by a local orchard. “We used our old, small press to press these apples once we got water back,” says co-owner David Bowman. The result was two barrels of Le Deluge, a “light, medium-dry cider with a round, buttery mouthfeel,” he says. A portion of proceeds from sales will go to ACR. Black Mountain Cider + Mead is at 104 Eastside Drive, Black Mountain. Visit avl.mx/eqo for taproom hours. X

French Broad River Brewery resurfaces

After taking on about 6 feet of river water during Tropical Storm Helene, French Broad River Brewery in Biltmore Village reopened its taproom on April 17 following a major rebuild. Owner Paul Casey announced the relaunch on Facebook in mid-April, noting that while much of the building had to be replaced, most of the design and décor remain similar or the same. Work still continues, he added, on the taproom’s stage, outdoor deck and furnishings. The brewery is at 101 Fairview Road. For updated hours, visit avl.mx/eqq. X

Photo courtesy of Henderson County Tourism Development Authority

Photo courtesy of Black Mountain Cider + Mead

Back in business

Baba Nahm returns with larger space, table service and more

RESTAURANT REDUX: After shuttering Baba Nahm’s original Grove Arcade space last summer, owners Laura and Brian Smith have reinvented their Mediterranean concept with a larger footprint at 60 Biltmore Ave. Photo by Caleb Johnson

BY KAY WEST

kswest55@comcast.net

On April 16, Baba Nahm — the popular downtown Middle Eastern street food restaurant that closed in July 2024 — posted a reel on social media featuring chef/co-owner Brian Smith skillfully juggling three lemons.

The intent of the attention-grabber was to announce that Baba Nahm is again open for business, relocated from its former 1,400-square-foot spot on the Page Avenue side of the Grove Arcade to a much larger space at 60 Biltmore Ave.

Smith says juggling — a skill he’s had since youth — is easy-peasy compared to what he and his wife and business partner, chef Laura Smith, have been through to get the new site up and running. “We planned on September, but installing a commercial kitchen with a 16-foot hood system in a historic building with tenants above and below us it the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Brian says. “Then there was [Tropical Storm] Helene.”

It’s not the Smiths’ first restaurant rodeo. In 2015, the couple took over ownership of Rezaz, a Mediterranean fine-dining mainstay in Biltmore

Village; the debilitating effects of COVID-19 caused its demise in February 2021. They then shifted their focus to Baba Nahm, which they had opened with chef Reza Setayesh in 2017.

“We loved that little space, but the kitchen really limited what we could do, and the seating only worked for counter service and grab-and-go,” Brian says. “It was time for us to get back into a big restaurant.”

In addition to supersized kitchen capacity, the new Baba Nahm doubles the previous footprint, with seating for about 75 at the bar, banquettes, tables and sofra the custom-made community table that was a focal point at Rezaz.

Full service for breakfast, lunch and eventually dinner is the new protocol; from the bar, expect wine by the glass, local craft beer and Medstyle cocktails.

Did someone say breakfast? “This is a new thing for us,” Brian says. “We wanted to ease into it and be sure we know what we’re doing.”

Starting at 7 a.m., diners will find eggs (sourced from Dry Ridge Farm) fried in olive oil, a breakfast laffah wrap (herbed scrambled eggs, Baba

fries, crumbled pork sausage, feta and hot or sweet sauce), Turkish bagels (knot-shaped and topped with black and white sesame seeds), Moroccan doughnuts and more baked goods from Laura, who trained in pastry.

An all-day menu runs 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., featuring some of Baba Nahm’s greatest hits, such as Baba fries, buildyour-own Baba Bowls, pita sandwiches and wraps. New additions include kebabs (chicken and lamb/beef), a Lebanese pita burger, mezze platters, fish of the day and grilled “piece of cow,” which means a rotating cut of beef.

Eventually, the Smiths will add a mezze platter (like a Mediterranean charcuterie, Brian says), daily specials and, in addition to baklava, more of Laura’s plated desserts, including her famous lemon coconut cake and a chocolate ganache torte.

“We had very loyal diners at the Grove Arcade who ate there a couple times a week,” Brian says. “They have already come by to say hello and welcome back. That’s why we do this, right?”

Baba Nahm is at 60 Biltmore Ave. Hours are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday; later hours and Saturday service will be added soon. Check for updates at avl.mx/eqa. X

Music for MANNA

KNOWLEDGE IS ON THE MENU THURSDAY, MAY 22ND FROM 11-1 PM CONTACT US TODAY

Reimagining retirement has never been easier. Come enjoy a presentation about Givens Gerber Park: a more affordable rental retirement option (55+) and enjoy lunch on us. Monthly fees are all-inclusive based on income. RSVP required.

Music feeds the soul, but people have to eat, and thousands of households in Western North Carolina count on MANNA FoodBank for assistance. Even when Tropical Storm Helene destroyed the nonprofit’s Swannanoa Road headquarters and warehouse, the organization continued feeding those in need. To help MANNA meet its need to rebuild and carry on with its work, Asheville singer/songwriter Guy Smith reached out to 14 of his fellow local artists and invited them to write a song reflecting their experience with Helene. Smith, in turn, compiled all the songs (some recorded in his home studio) into the album The Flood: Music for MANNA, scheduled for a Wednesday, April 30, release. All proceeds from album sales will go to MANNA, and the songwriters are donating an average of 50% of their publishing royalties to the organization as well. The album’s website (avl.mx/eqi) includes each writer’s thoughts on the disaster and the lyrics to the songs. See the album performed live at 7:30

WNC Yarn Crawl

Love a good yarn? Tuesday-Sunday, May 6-11, the 13th annual WNC Yarn Crawl knits together 12 shops and businesses from Western North Carolina’s fiber community, offering games, drawings, photo opportunities and a showcase of products. This year’s theme, “After the Storm,” is intended to highlight WNC’s post-Tropical Storm Helene recovery and celebrate all the colors of post-Helene rainbows. Luckily, most of the stores on the self-guided tour did not suffer great physical damage, though they did face financial loss. Local Cloth’s building in the River Arts District was fully flooded, but it will participate by hosting a Fiber Festival on Saturday, May 10, noon-6 p.m., at Lutheridge Camp and Conference Center. Fiber farm and artist vendors, food, music, demonstrations and a clothing swap are on the festival’s agenda. Throughout the Yarn Crawl, daily door prize drawings will take place at each location, and crawlers can participate in a Rainbow Bingo game to collect stamps and complete fun challenges at Yarn Crawl stops (cards are available at each shop). avl.mx/eqh X

p.m. Sunday, May 4, at White Horse Black Mountain. Like all shows at the venue, admission is on a paywhat-you-can basis, with a suggested donation of $20. avl.mx/eqm X

Photo of new Yarn Crawl participant Briar Patch Fibre Co. courtesy of Elizabeth Schell

Photo of Guy Smith by Sophia Phillips

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30

12 BONES SMOKEBOUSE & BREWING

Trivia Night w/King Trivia, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

PSK Pole Dancing w/ Karaoke, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Well-crafted Music

Series: Ed Jurdi w/Zach

Smith & Matt Smith (multi-genre), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

DJ Badonkey Kong (R&B, hip-hop, disco), 10pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

Watkins (post-grunge, alt-rock, psych-pop), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Stillhouse Junkies (bluegrass, blues, rock), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT

DOOR

Circus Mutt (folk, Americana), 7pm

THE ODD Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Sold Out: Rhiannon

Giddens & the OldTime Revue (Cajun, country), 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Open Mic Night, 6pm

VOWL Cheap & Trashy Comedy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Dark City Songwriter

Round w/Beth Lee, Amanda Anne Platt & Planefolk (multi-genre), 7pm

THURSDAY, MAY 1

12 BONES SMOKEBOUSE & BREWING

Doctor Delia (folk, blues), 5:30pm

CROW & QUILL

Russ Wilson & The Kings of Jazz, 8pm

EDA RHYNE

DISTILLERY & TASTING ROOM

The Gilded Palace of Metamodern Sounds, 6pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Gringo Star, Yellowbellies & Hunter Begley (indie, garage-rock, punk), 9pm

FLOOD GALLERY

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead Thursdays (Grateful Dead & JGB tribute), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Darren Nicholson & Shawn Lane Open Jam, 7pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

Old Time Jam, 6pm

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

It's Trivial w/Divine, 5:30pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Isaac Hadden's Thursday Throwdown (multi-genre), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Kate Leigh Bryant & Alma Russ (folk, country), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Asheville Mountain Boys (bluegrass), 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/Franco Nino, 9pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Auto-Tune Karaoke w/ Who Gave This B*tch A Mic, 10pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

LAKE, Little Champion & Joshua Carpenter (indie-rock, pop, elevator-punk), 8:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Patio: Laurel Canyon East (folk-rock), 5:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Lefty Carmean & Friends (Americana, folk), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Drunken Prayer (Americana), 6pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

TF3’s Jukebox w/Time for Three (Americana), 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Trivia Night, 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Anne Coombs Company Swing & Friends (swing, jazz, funk), 7:30pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

Andy Ferrell (folk, country, Appalachian), 5pm

CLUBLAND

LA-BASED INDIE ROCK: On Sunday, May 4, Static Age Records hosts Los Angeles-based band Mamalarky for a special indie-rock show, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Kennedy Mann will also share her unique take on classic dream pop. Photo courtesy of Vionery

FRIDAY, MAY 2

27 CLUB

Blistering Dissonance, Red Die Number Nine, Junk Punk & Skewer Rat (rock, punk), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Bumpin Uglies w/ Sons of Paradise & Rockstead (reggae, punk, Ska), 7:30pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba: Naomi Karavani, 5pm

CROW & QUILL

DJ Dr. Filth (soul, R&B, jazz), 9pm

DSSOLVR

• JORTS! Standup Comedy Showcase, 7pm

• Penguin Tax: A Nonsense Comedy Show, 9pm

EULOGY

John Moreland w/ Ramsey Thornton (Americana, folk, electronica), 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Rudy’s Bluegrass Revue (bluegrass, Americana), 8pm

LEAF GLOBAL ARTS

Jazz Jam, 6pm

LOBSTER TRAP

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6:30pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE

Paint Rock (rock'n'roll), 5pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

King Garbage (soul, funk, R&B), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

Aaron Lane (multi-genre), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Doss Church & The Unholy Noise Album Release Show w/The Feels Trio (Americana, soul), 7pm

SHAKEY'S

• Big Blue Jams Band (multi-genre), 9pm

• Total Gold w/DJ Abu Disarray, 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Dirty Dead (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Daddy Deem's R&B Night, 10pm

THE BURGER BAR

Burger Bar Comedy, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Riyen Roots & Kenny Dore (blues, roots, soul), 5:30pm

• Sold Out: John Craigie w/Cat Clyde (folk), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

The Project (rock, blues), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Carpal Tullar (rock, art-pop), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

The Polish Ambassador w/Castanea (dance, electronic), 8pm

THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

THIRD ROOM FOMO Presents: Ozztin w/Furtha, Enki & Anomaly (bass, dubstep, edm), 9pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Hiroya Tsukamoto (folk), 7:30pm

SATURDAY, MAY 3

27 CLUB

TinyTVs, Bad Fidelity & Holley 750 (punk, rock'n'roll, garage), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Brother Ali w/DJ Abilities, Murs & Jabee (hip-hop), 9pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5:30pm

OMG, Debbie! First Wave is playing our songs in Asheville! Classic to Modern Punk, New Wave, Garage, and Surf! Thurs: 5pm Sat: Noon & 11pm

Made Globally Heard

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE Comedy at Catawba: Naomi Karavani, 5pm

CROW & QUILL

Hearts Gone South (country, honky tonk), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Chris McGinnis & Mamaw's Angels (country), 8pm

EULOGY

Drag Me To Your Rodeo w/Josie & the Pussycats (country), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Starseer, East Ritual & Lucky Flip (rock'n'roll, psych), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

Eyes Up Here Comedy Mother's Day Edition, 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Nobody’s Darling String Band, 4pm

• Rhythm Rockits (soul, R&B), 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Congdon Griffin Band (Southern-rock, blues, Americana), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

• Riyen Roots (blues, Americana), 6pm

• Solar Circuit (electronic, pop), 10pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

Acklen Walker (hip-hop, R&B), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

• Invitational Blues Showcase w/Peggy Ratusz & Daddy Long Legs Band, 4pm

• Saturday Sessions w/ Matt Silliman, Caleb Wheels, Jon Owen & Peri Meters (edm, house), 8pm

OUTSIDER BREWING

Alla Prima, Indoor Condor, Kyle Gordon & Junior Ranger (rock), 5pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

King Garbage (pop, hip-hop, R&B), 2pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Sanctum (dark-dance, goth, dark-wave), 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Pons, Tombstone Poetry, Fruit Trip & DJ

Tommy M (noise-rock, pop, new-wave), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Shellac Bash (jazz, blues, country), 11am

• Spellling w/Smut (experimental, pop), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Laron Huntley & Friends (rock, country), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

• Reedy River String band (bluegrass, Appalachian), 1pm

• Dr. Bacon (funk, rock), 6pm

THE ODD Party Foul Drag, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Sold Out: Shakey Graves w/Ruby Waters (country), 8pm

THIRD ROOM

Late Night Radio, Tripp St. & GurtyBeats, 9pm

WICKED WEED WEST

Even the Losers (Tom Petty tribute), 5:30pm

SUNDAY, MAY 4

FLEETWOOD'S Anarkuss, JD Pinkus & Busy Weather (punk, indie), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• The Bluegrass Boys, 12pm

• Traditional Irish Music Session, 3:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Highway 52 Duo (soul, Americana, blues), 3pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Shakedown Sunday (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Suns of Stars Sunday Residency (bluegrass), 2pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6:30pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE Open Mic w/Mike Andersen, 6:30pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Mamalarky & Kennedy Mann (indie-rock, poprock), 8:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Danielle Nicole (soul, blues, roots), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

• Peggy Ratusz & Daddy Longlegs (blues), 2pm

• May The Fourth Be w/Empire Strikes Brass (funk, rock), 7pm

THE MULE Light Side Dark Side: May the 4th Star Wars Inspired Trivia, 3pm

THE ODD

Destroy All Music w/ Jimbo, 1pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Sold Out: Shakey Graves w/Ruby Waters (country), 8pm

THE RAD BREW CO.

Radical Comedy w/ Gabbie Watts, 7pm

VOWL Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic, 7pm

MONDAY, MAY 5

27 CLUB

27 Club Karaoke, 10pm

FLEETWOOD'S Best Ever Karaoke, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Trivia Night w/Two Bald Guys & A Mic, 6pm

LITTLE JUMBO The CORE (jazz), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Downtown, 6:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/ JLloyd, 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

The Hot Seat Comedy, 7pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Prison, Sleepy Doug Shaw & Powder Horns (psych, folk, rock), 8:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr. Jimmy & Friends (Blues), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Local Live Presents: Tom Keever & Chris Wilhelm (multi-genre), 7pm

TUESDAY, MAY 6

12 BONES

SMOKEBOUSE & BREWING Leather Britches (old-time, Appalachian), 5:30pm

ARCHETYPE

BREWING Trivia Tuesdays w/Party Grampa, 6:30pm

CORK & KEG

Jesse Lege Cajun Dance Party, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Turntable Tuesdays, 9pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

LITTLE JUMBO

Jay Sanders, Will Boyd, Zack Page & Alan Hall (jazz), 7pm

LOOKOUT BREWING CO.

Team Trivia, 6:30pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

• Tuesday Early Jam, 7pm

• Uncle Lenny's Krazy Karaoke, 10pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday w/DJ Tamagotchi, 10pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE F*cking Nothing, Bryan Raymond, Bad Ties & East Ritual (rock'n'roll), 8pm

WED

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Open Jam, 8pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Trivia, 9:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Vincent Neil Emerson w/Leon Majcen (country, folk), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

The Lads AVL (rock, blues), 6pm

THIRD ROOM

Open Decks, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

White Horse's Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7

CORK & KEG

The Fuax Paws (bluegrass, jazz), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

PSK Pole Dancing w/ Karaoke, 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam Wednesdays, 6:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Lady & The Lovers (soul, rock), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Emerald Empire Asheville Showcase (multi-genre), 6pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

PJ Moon (funk, soul, rock'n'roll), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 7pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Rod Sphere (soul, rock, reggae), 6pm

THE MEADOW AT

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Well-crafted Music Series: Whitney Monge & Matt Smith (multigenre), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Open Mic Night, 6pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Straight Ahead Wednesdays w/Alex Taub (jazz), 7:30pm

THURSDAY, MAY 8

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Grateful Shred (Grateful Dead tribute), 8pm

ASHEVILLE YARDS

Michael Franti & Spearhead w/The Elovaters (alt-rock, pop, reggae), 7pm

AYURPRANA

LISTENING ROOM

Florist w/Allegra Kriegar (folk), 7pm

CROW & QUILL

Mar & The Marmaladies (cumbia), 8pm

EDA RHYNE DISTILLERY & TASTING ROOM

The Gilded Palace of Metamodern Sounds, 6pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

EULOGY

Santiago y Los Gatos w/Safety Coffin & The Lost Torpedo (rock, dark-folk), 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S

The Midnight Devils, Bombay Gasoline, John Kirby & the New Seniors (glam-rock, punk), 9pm

FLOOD GALLERY

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead Thursdays (Grateful Dead & JGB tribute), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7pm

LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA

Eyes Up Here Comedy Presents: AVLGBTQueer Comedy, 7pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

Irish Session, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Free Whenever (psych, dub-reggae, funk), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

The Regulars (rock), 6:30pm

REVOLVE

Untethered w/Okapi (avant-garde, experimental), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/Franco Nino, 9pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

• Brian Ashley Jones (blues, country), 2pm

• The Motet (funk, soul, rock), 6pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Auto-Tune Karaoke w/ Who Gave This B*tch A Mic, 10pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Frank Hurricane, Superflower & Michael Potter (blues, folk), 8:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Solar Hearts

Acoustic (folk-pop), 5:30pm

• Nolan Taylor w/Laurie Anne & The Hill Country Devil (country), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Lock, Stock & Teardrops (country), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Trivia Night, 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

The B-Sides (rock, soul, R&B), 7:30pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

Mike Hollon (roots, blues, Americana), 5pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): To create microgardens, you plant vegetables and herbs in small containers placed on your porch, balcony, window sills and kitchen counter. Lettuce, peas, spinach and basil might be among your small bounties. I encourage you to use this practice as a main metaphor in the coming weeks. In other words, gravitate away from huge, expansive visions and instead work creatively within existing constraints. For now, at least, “less is more” should be your operative motto. Meditate on how apparent limitations might lead to inviting innovations. Seek out abundance in unlikely places.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus author Nellie Bly (1864–1922) was a trailblazer. It was almost impossible for a woman to be a journalist in the 19th century, but she did it anyway. One of her sensational groundbreaking stories came when she did an undercover assignment in New York’s Women’s Lunatic Asylum. Her reporting on the neglect and brutality there prompted major reforms. I nominate Bly as your role model for the foreseeable future. You are, I believe, poised for epic, even heroic adventures, in service to a greater good. (P.S.: Bly also made a solo trip around the world and wrote 15 books.)

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini painter Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) never saw a jungle in person. In fact, he never left his native country of France. But he painted some of modern art’s most vivid jungle scenes. How did that happen? Well, he visited zoos and botanical gardens, perused images of tropical forests in books and heard stories from soldiers who had visited jungles abroad. But mostly, he had a flourishing imagination that he treated with reverent respect. I urge you to follow his lead, Gemini. Through the joyful, extravagant power of your imagination, get the inspiration and education you need. The next three weeks will be prime time to do so.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): No, ruby-throated hummingbirds don’t hitch rides on airplanes or the backs of geese. They make their epic migrations completely under their own power. To get to their wintering grounds, many fly alone from the southern United States to the Yucatan Peninsula, crossing the 500-mile expanse of the Gulf of Mexico in 20 hours. I don’t recommend you attempt heroic feats like theirs in the coming weeks, Cancerian. More than usual, you need and deserve to call on support and help. Don’t be shy about getting the exact boosts you require. It’s time to harvest the favors you are owed and to be specific in articulating your wishes.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The golden pheasant is dazzling. Among the bright colors that appear in its plumage are gold, red, orange, yellow, blue, black, green, cinnamon and chestnut. In accordance with astrological omens, I name this charismatic bird to be your spirit creature for the coming weeks. Feel free to embrace your inner golden pheasant and express it vividly wherever you go. This is a perfect time to boldly showcase your beauty and magnificence, even as you fully display your talents and assets. I brazenly predict that your enthusiastic expression of self-love will be a good influence on almost everyone you encounter.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo poet and visual artist Dorothea Tanning (1910–2012) had a few mottoes that endlessly nurtured her abundant creative output. Here’s one: “Keep your eye on your inner world and keep away from ads, idiots and movie stars.” As excellent as that advice is, it’s a challenge to follow it all the time. If we want to function effectively, we can’t always be focused on our inner worlds. However, I do believe you are now in a phase when you’re wise to heed her counsel more than usual. Your soul’s depths have a lot to teach you. Your deep intuition is full of useful revelations. Don’t get distracted from them by listening too much to ads, idiots and celebrities.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is essential for the functioning of your body and every other animal’s. It carries instructions about how to build proteins and your cells are full of it. We humans can’t edit this magic substance, but octopuses can. They do it on the fly, enabling them to adapt quickly to changing environmental conditions. Even though you Libras can’t match their amazing power with RNA, you do have a substantial capacity to rewrite your plans and adjust your mindset. And this talent of yours will be especially available to you in the coming weeks. Your flexibility and adaptability will not only help you navigate surprises but may also open up exciting new opportunities.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Is there a sanctuary you can retreat to? A relaxing oasis where you can slip away from the world’s colorful madness? I would love for you to be bold enough to seek the precise healing you need. You have every right to escape the rotting status quo and give yourself full permission to hide from pressure, demands and expectations. Is there music that brings you deep consolation? Are there books and teachers that activate your profound soul wisdom? Keep that good stuff nearby. It’s time for focused relief and regeneration.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The chemical element known as arsenic is notoriously toxic for humans, but has long been useful in small amounts. Ancient Chinese metallurgists discovered that blending it with copper and tin made the finest, strongest bronze. In modern times, arsenic fortifies the lead in car batteries. People in the 19th century sometimes ingested tiny doses as a stimulant. In this spirit, Sagittarius, I invite you to transform potentially challenging elements in your life into sources of strength. Can you find ways to incorporate iffy factors instead of eliminating them? I assure you that you have the power to recognize value in things others may neglect or reject.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Renowned Capricorn author Henry Miller (1891–1980) had to wait far too long before getting readers in his home country, the United States. American censors regarded his explosive texts as too racy and sexy. They forbade the publication of his books until he was 69 years old! His spirit was forever resolute and uncrushable, though. In accordance with astrological omens, Capricorn, I recommend you adopt his counsel on the subject of wonders and marvels. Miller wrote, “The miracle is that the honey is always there, right under your nose, only you were too busy searching elsewhere to realize it.” Here’s another gem from Miller: He advised us “to make the miracle more and more miraculous, to swear allegiance to nothing, but live only miraculously, think only miraculously, die miraculously.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): For now, everything depends on your foundation, your roots and your support system. If I were you, I would devote myself to nurturing them. Please note that you’re not in any jeopardy. I don’t foresee strains or tremors. But your graduation to your next set of interesting challenges will require you to be snugly stable, secure and steady. This is one time when being thoroughly ensconced in your comfort zone is a beautiful asset, not a detriment to be transcended.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The coming weeks are a favorable time for you to build symbolic bridges. I hope you will link resources that aren’t yet linked. I hope you will work to connect people whose merger would help you, and I hope you will begin planning to move from where you are now to the next chapter of your life. I advise you to *not* model your metaphorical bridges after modern steel suspension bridges, though. Instead, be inspired by the flexible, natural, and intimate bridges made by the ancient Incas. Woven from ichu grass via community efforts, they were strong enough to span rivers and canyons in the Andes mountains.

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EMPLOYMENT

SALES/ MARKETING

SENIOR SALES ASSOCIATE

Work for a local company that has covered the local scene for 30 years! Mountain Xpress newspaper is a supportive, team-oriented environment serving local readers and businesses. We are seeking an experienced and enthusiastic advertising sales representative. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present our company with confidence. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and

self motivation. Experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position’s responsibilities include account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent media organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@mountainx.com. This is a noncommissioned position. There is potential for a performance-based annual bonus. Salary: $22 per hour.

SALON/ SPA

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STUDIO CHAVARRIA - 17

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ACROSS

1 “Mama” of the Mamas & the Papas

5 Swallows nervously

10 Motown song played at many a wedding

15 “That’s hysterical!,” online

Paragon

Keats and Yeats

Tiny amount

“I’ve done this before”

It doesn’t pay, they say

Short retirement?

Lighter giant

Not so sure about a wedding, say

31 She, in São Paulo 32 N.L. East or A.F.C. West 34 Some privately held businesses: Abbr.

Pale

Yearned (for)

You might have one to pick

Take care of everything … or a hint to what four squares in this puzzle do

Hand or foot

Sleep with

Image format, familiarly

Road repair goo

Alternative to a Stella or Sam Adams

Thoroughly interrogates

Portfolio holding, for short

Popular R&B group composed of T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli

Kind of pole

Rave over, metaphorically

Polo of “Meet

69 Pre-covenant name for a biblical father

Up on 71 West African staple crop 72 Frivolous 73 Prepare, as tea 74 Campus site for 30,000+ Iowa students

1 Hackneyed 2 Lacking all scruples

Cannabis variety

“Likewise”

Juniper-flavored spirit

Noodle variety

Set loose on

Handouts from street preachers

Like a fox

Portions of parsley

Ref. work that’s been available electronically since 1988

“Terrible” ages

Not mad

Fabric that George Costanza