Mountain Xpress 05.21.25

Magical Offerings

5/21:

After

On May 1, MountainTrue’s Hartwell Carson set out on a 10-day paddling venture to assess the condition of the French Broad River. He and a rotating crew of colleagues and river enthusiasts followed the 146-mile French Broad Paddle Trial, ending at Douglas Lake in Eastern Tennessee.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson

MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder

EDITORS: Lisa Allen, Gina Smith

OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose

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

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Braulio Pescador-Martinez

CONTRIBUTING

EDITORS: Jon Elliston, Mindi Meltz Friedwald, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak

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

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Caleb Johnson

ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson

LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Caleb Johnson, Olivia Urban

MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Emily Baughman, Sara Brecht, Dave Gayler INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick WEB: Brandon Tilley

BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler

OFFICE MANAGER: Mark Murphy

FRONT OFFICE: Caitlin Donovan, Lisa Watters

DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Kyle Ramser

DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Cass Kunst, Cindy Kunst, Henry Mitchell, Courtney Israel Nash, Joey Nash, Carl & Debbie Schweiger, Gary Selnick, Noah Tanner, Mark Woodyard

We all must pitch in for common good

[Regarding “Buncombe Inches Closer to a Property Tax Hike,” May 2, Xpress:]

I know that there has been immediate pushback on the county proposal to raise taxes. My suggestion is that those opposed take a breath, step back from the instant reaction and think about it for a minute. The region is still devastated from Helene, not to mention the hangover from the plague, as I refer to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery is likely to take years, despite the resilience of the citizenry.

Even before this pair of disasters, the county had been struggling to maintain its infrastructure, safety and services. And no thanks to Raleigh, the education system has been a joke for some time. There’s only so much can be accomplished under the taxing status quo. What are people thinking? It’s not just about you. Everyone is responsible for the common good.

As the story states, the requested increase is all of 6%, amounting to under $150 a year for most. One hundred fifty dollars a year! That’s barely $3 a week, people! And if your increase is more, your home value would indi-

cate you can probably afford it. Besides, the intended use of the money is for education, public safety and human services — exactly the primary responsibilities of local government, all things without which the local economy will surely continue to suffer.

Sure, hold the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners accountable, make noise if they don’t deliver, never let them forget what’s expected of

them and vote them out if they fail. But don’t forget your own responsibility to help make it happen.

— Jack Hafeli East Asheville (temporarily housed near Atlanta)

Raising our taxes isn’t fair

I read an article about Buncombe County being $15 million short on its

operation budget and was wondering why. Just asking. Is the county overadvertising and depleting the usable operation money? And is the City of Asheville wasting money by getting up a survey on ART (Asheville Rides Transit) ridership for a total of $300,000? Can they not just add up the daily fares they collect and get a good number for ridership? Just asking.

The hotel prices and lack of good parking have hurt the Asheville merchants and restaurants. Case in point: My wife’s friends were planning a long weekend trip to Asheville and wanted to stay in a hotel in Asheville. They were shocked at the prices of the hotel. There were five of them and they never came up from Georgia. If you live by tourist dollars, then you are going to die from lack of tourist dollars.

Then, to top it off, they are looking at increasing the homeowner tax, which is not fair to us. Maybe they should look into the reason of what they are spending money on and drop all these survey committees wasting our money. Tourist spending is just one of the problems we have, and it is time for the residents to take notice of the goings-on around us.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 5

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

We the residents can’t keep bailing out the county for their failures. We have a family to support, and with the raising prices, it is putting a hurt on our budget, and raising our taxes is not fair.

I have no problem paying for the services I use from the county and consider them a fair and just value, but asking me to pay for their misspending is off the tracks.

— Leonard Nickerson Swannanoa

Tax dollars should go to public schools

[Regarding “Two Cents: Parents Ask County to Raise Taxes for Schools,” April 23, Xpress:]

I am all for supporting our public schools. They are severely underfunded, and it doesn’t help that some of their cuts are due to the state legislature expanding private school vouchers in the state budget by cutting down on public school funding. It’s called North Carolina’s Opportunity Scholarship program, and it provides private school scholarships to K–12 students.

I am unhappy to learn that my state income tax payments are funding private school scholarships! None should be going toward private schools. Our public schools need all of the resources they can get!

— L. Gaudette Candler

False choice: education vs. housing

A recent letter [“Tax Increase Could Raise Rents,” May 14, Xpress] suggested that raising property taxes results in higher costs for renters. Buncombe County residents therefore have a zero-sum choice to make: Help out our kids or help out cash-strapped tenants.

This is a false choice. The idea that higher property taxes lead to significantly higher housing costs is the myth that won’t die. (It also appeared last year amid opposition to a Business Improvement District tax for Asheville.)

The idea appears to have been first used in California in the ’70s, during that state’s notorious “tax revolt,” which was itself initiated in part by white middle-class conservative rage following a 1971 court case that granted poor and minority schools more funding from the pockets of those wealthier property owners.

The actual research on the question of how taxes affect rents suggests that the answer is complicated, primarily because the specifics matter. In a depressed city where incomes and rents are both low, property tax hikes can indeed lead to negative spirals. (This is the reason that Detroit, for example, explored moving to a “splitrate tax” in recent years.)

However, in a housing market like ours, economists might say that property taxes are not “incident.” In

a highly constrained market, where landlords are said to be de facto monopolists, rents are determined by demand. Landlords will charge what they can get away with. Think about any other product where people form lines to get them. Would a relatively small cost in the price of paper actually increase the street price of a Taylor Swift ticket? Is the cost of manufacturing shoelaces incident on a pair of Air Jordan’s price tag?

If anything, new research suggests that raising property taxes where property owners have too much power is good for ameliorating housing costs. It puts pressure on land hoarding and encourages better land use. Speculators sitting on vacant property want nothing less than higher holding costs.

Research also suggests that taxes are “capitalized,” or absorbed, into a home’s sticker price, resulting in lower upfront home costs for younger, firsttime buyers.

We know the answer to helping our children get a decent education: funding schools. Since property taxes are a tax on wealth, they are the best local mechanism for doing so; they are more progressive than alternatives like sales taxes. (We’ll have to set aside our problem that Buncombe County cannot decide where its hotel tax proceeds are spent.)

And we also know the answer to alleviating high rents and housing precarity; Asheville’s 2023 Missing Middle Housing Study and Displacement

Risk Assessment as well as last year’s Affordable Housing Plan both present options that need urgent implementation on the city level.

Beginning with the premise that we can’t at once ease housing costs and fund public education is a nonsensical and defeatist position, one that will only harm working families in Asheville and Buncombe County. — Andrew Paul Asheville

Editor’s note: Paul is a lead organizer with the pro-housing advocacy organization Asheville for All. X

Corrections

Our May 14 article “When a Tree Falls: Artists Craft Beauty from Helene’s Downed Giants” should have noted that The N.C. Arboretum has agreed to display three-four pieces of public art created through the nonprofit Echoes of the Forest. The article misstated the number.

Our May 14 article “Local Businesses Band Together to Navigate Insurance Claims” should have noted that Devil’s Foot Beverage received a $2,000 grant from the business network B Local, atop a $5,000 grant from Explore Asheville. The combined total amounts cover about 1.4% of the businesses losses from Tropical Storm Helene. The article misstated the number of the B Local grant and total percent of losses. X

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

On the water

BY BRIONNA DALLARA

bdallara@mountainx.com

Climbing into a canoe loaded with camping gear, dry bags, books, games and enough stuffed animals and cooler snacks to tide over his 6-year-old son and sidekick, Wilder, MountainTrue’s clean water director Hartwell Carson set out May 1 on a 10-day paddling venture to assess the condition of the French Broad River eight months after Tropical Storm Helene flooded the region.

Launching from Headwaters Outfitters in Rosman, Carson and a rotating crew of colleagues and river enthusiasts followed the 146-mile French Broad Paddle Trail, ending at Douglas Lake in Eastern Tennessee.

Carson, who previously served as MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper for nearly 20 years, began his new position as the nonprofit’s clean water director earlier this year. His primary task is coordinating restoration efforts such as debris removal and bank stabilization.

He says the devastation he saw to parts of the paddle trail, campsites and river access points was difficult to process. “[It’s] kind of a bummer to see a good two decades of work wrecked overnight, but hopefully we’ll be back better than when we started,” Carson says.

A few days after completing his 10-day trip, Carson sat down with Xpress to share what he and his colleagues observed on their journey and what comes next for the nonprofit.

TESTING THE RAPIDS

Despite damage along the 146-mile stretch, Carson notes that he and his

FATHER-SON TIME: For a portion of his 10-day journey on the French Broad River, Hartwell Carson was joined by his 6-year-old son, Wilder. Photo by Kiana Crosby

team were surprised by how remarkably clean the water was, especially on their first day.

As the crew paddled north and the sun began its descent, “It just looked great,” Carson says. “The light was beautiful,” and everyone was amazed.

Still, debris and obstacles did appear, all of which Carson recorded as part of his overall assessment.

“We were looking at things, like, where are there jams? Where is it maybe a little dangerous to get

around? We documented those spots, and [next] we’ll work on cleaning those up,” Carson says.

Fortunately, no pathways were impassable, Carson adds, though a few areas, mostly through Henderson County, are tight to traverse and will likely require some attention. “I wouldn’t really say anywhere was dangerous,” he says. “There were a few spots that were a little tricky, but that’s always been the case in that stretch of river.”

In Hot Springs, Carson was joined by several river enthusiasts, who braved the rapids with him and tested a variety of watercraft.

“We had folks on rafts and kayaks and canoes and some … questionable choices in boats — like my co-worker paddling a flatwater lake canoe down Frank Bell’s rapids, which is a class 4 rapid,” Carson says. “But he styled it, and he came out just fine.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8 Serving donuts, pastries, cookies and decorated cakes for 94 years!

‘Worse-case scenario’

Pisgah Legal Services prepares for potential cuts

Pisgah Legal Services is keeping close watch on federal cuts that could impact its clients, many of whom are still in the throes of post-Helene challenges. “Hurricane Helene only exacerbated and added to the number of people who need our services,” says Executive Director Jackie Kiger.

Similar to COVID, Kiger continues, Helene has “exacerbated the poverty and the disparities that we see for marginalized and underrepresented people. And it impacted people who maybe were living on the brink and just making it. And it brought people into poverty who have never experienced it before.”

Last year, the nonprofit provided free legal aid to 25,842 individuals, according to its annual impact report — the most the nonprofit has ever served in a year, Kiger notes.

Expenses last year totaled roughly $13.5 million. The organization’s current projected 2025 budget is $14 million. But Kiger says the group is at risk of losing 25% — roughly $3.5 million — as result of federal cuts. This would impact all areas of Pisgah Legal’s services, she adds.

RECORD YEAR: Executive Director Jackie Kiger at Pisgah Legal Services says last year marked the highest number of individuals the nonprofit has served. However, with 25% of the nonprofit’s budget at risk due to potential federal cuts, she’s concerned about support for a growing client base. Photo courtesy of Kiger

Most recently, Kiger says, staff members at Pisgah Legal were busy helping people file their taxes amid Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deadlines and assisting clients as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator program, which helps people enroll and choose health plans.

Pisgah Legal is part of a statewide group that receives funds to carry out the program and receives a grant between $400,000 and $450,000, Kiger says. But since the ACA programs budget will be cut by 90% in August, she foresees a significant reduction to the grant, which would mean fewer navigators to assist people with language and legalese barriers and longer wait times.

There are “more people facing more barriers and less access to critical services they need,” Kiger says.

Pisgah Legal advocates for breaking those barriers, says Kiger. She points to the organization’s decadelong effort to expand Medicaid. With around 20% of North Carolinians on Medicaid, Kiger says the program funds most of Pisgah Legal’s client base.

Kiger says many of the nonprofit’s clients are worried about the unknowns. What happens, they wonder, if Medicaid is cut or if someone they love is deported?

“[Our job is] assuring people that right now you still have access to Medicaid so keep using it,” she says. “Or when it comes to families where there are questions about immigration and legal status, we help people understand what can be done should the worst case scenario happen.”

— Brionna Dallara X

70 MILES OF PVC PIPES

But it wasn’t all just wild rides. Recovery needs came into focus throughout the journey. On Huff Island in Madison County, for example, Helene’s impact was impossible to miss.

“It probably has two dozen piles of debris — trash, pipe, metal, refrigerator, you name it,” Carson says.

Meanwhile, another leg of the trip included a 70-mile stretch of PVC pipes washed away from Silver-Line Plastics in Woodfin.

“I think that’s the No. 1 site you’ll see as you float down,” Carson says, noting that MountainTrue has a scheduled meeting with Silver-Line to discuss the next steps in addressing the debris.

“Some of the sections [the PVC pipes are] in are kind of impossible to clean with just anybody,” Carson says. “You need a certain skill set and certain expertise to get to those areas and be able to remove it. Our crew right now is made up of all raft guides that were out of work after the storm, and so we have a good crew and a unique expertise to do this work.”

Despite these low points, Carson says he was surprised by the overall health of the river. Everyone involved assumed the waterways downstream of Asheville would be disastrous, he notes. But “it was a lot better than I thought it would be,” he says.

’LIGHTER TOUCH’

Since the storm, Carson estimates that MountainTrue’s crew has pulled nearly 2.9 million pounds of trash from the river — over 200,000 pounds of it by hand.

The service is one way the nonprofit has stepped in to fill the gaps missed by federal, state and local government efforts.

MountainTrue currently has a group of 12 members dedicated to the French Broad River and an additional five working on the Green River, south of Asheville. “We have people in the water pulling out chunks of metal and cords and cables and twoby-fours and all that kind of stuff,” Carson says.

He adds that MountainTrue’s crew has a “lighter touch” and more expertise than contractors, who, in some areas, are using heavy machinery that Carson asserts does more harm to the landscape than good.

A SHARED VISION

Carson notes that the 10-day paddle offered a comprehensive look into where the cleanup crew needs to go next.

“We’re trying to build out these cleanup programs,” he says. “We’re looking at where it needs it the most.”

The trip also offered river outfitters such as Headwaters Outfitters and Blue Heron Whitewater a chance to test the waters for summertime recreation.

“You can definitely tell in a lot of places that there was a hurricane — either, the banks eroded away or there’s trash — but it’s way nicer and better than I thought it would be. The beauty outweighs the negative,” Carson says. “So for folks who are kind of thinking, should I go on a river trip this summer? I think the answer is yes.” (As a headsup, Carson recommends close-toed shoes for river excursions.)

The journey also provided new insights to Carson about the community. “One of the things I’ve been very pleased to learn in the storm was, like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your political persuasion or your economic status, we all care about the river and want a clean river,” he says.  X

Spiking boom

BY GREG PARLIER

Amanda Woods has always played volleyball. The one place where life’s stresses can’t touch her is on the court. She even got engaged to be married at a volleyball tournament. But after having two children, Woods thought her competitive playing days were over.

But in 2022, Woods learned about the recently formed AVL Hoppers, a nonprofit competitive grass volleyball league. The group inspired the veteran indoor player to try grass doubles for the first time. And now, Woods is heading to Denver with seven other Asheville women to compete in a national indoor volleyball competition Monday-Wednesday, May 26-28.

“Competing as an adult — and a mom of two — feels incredible. When I was younger, I used to wonder how long I’d be able to play, and it seemed like having kids might mean the end of it. But here I am, still playing competitively, and I’m grateful for that — and for the support of my family that makes it possible,” she says.

The brand-new indoor team, also named AVL Hoppers after the league where the members all met, will compete in the women’s A division at the USA Volleyball Open National Championship. Divisions range from the open level, consisting of semipro and professional-level players to the B division, where those still developing skills should play. Only the top division gets a cash prize.

“As adults, getting the chance to prove we can still compete at this level

is something really special. This trip isn’t just another tournament — it’s a reminder that we’ve still got it, and it won’t be taken for granted,” says Amanda McCall, team organizer and libero, a defensive specialist position.

The group is part of a growing trend in Western North Carolina, where volleyball continues to expand its reach — from the sand to the hardcourt.

POST-COVID BOOM

Before 2020, except for a few sparsely attended City of Asheville leagues, it was hard to find many volleyball touches in a mountain city known more for fishing, hiking and beer-drinking than team sports. The Asheville Sport & Social Club had various recreational leagues at venues such as a small sand court behind Creekside Taphouse in East Asheville, but there was very little for more competitive players.

Highland Brewing Co. changed that during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Co-owner Leah Wong Ashburn has been playing volleyball for decades and introduced the sport to her husband, Highland co-owner Brock Ashburn in 2010. They looked into adding professional-grade sand courts to their 40-acre East Asheville campus in 2018, consulting friends in Charlotte and Greenville, S.C., Brock Ashburn says. They had no idea how popular the courts would become.

After a quiet launch in late 2020, Highland added two more courts in 2023 for a total of five and routinely hosted nearly 200 players on Friday nights for pickup games. Now with

leagues six nights a week, the brewery hosts an average of 150 volleyball players per day, Brock Ashburn estimates, providing a boon for business and offering a hub for players of all skill levels.

“It’s a ridiculous number,” Brock Ashburn says when asked how much volleyball has grown at Highland in the past five years. “Our leagues fill up fast, and if there were more days in the week, or if we had more space for more courts, we could host more volleyball.”

Highland’s top-quality sand, nets and sports lighting, plus beer service, attract both experienced and newer players. Hungry for an even more competitive outlet outside of a social bar setting, Brenda Galvan co-founded AVL Hoppers. It held its first grass doubles leagues and tournaments in 2022.

Galvan and her team set up mobile nets at City of Asheville parks and donate a portion of proceeds from registrations to area nonprofits. The goal is to provide a space for more experienced players to work on their skills as newer players flocked to Highland.

Harrah’s Cherokee Center at Asheville (HCCA) got in the volleyball mix as well, hosting its first recreational indoor volleyball tournament in January 2024.

Matthieu Rodriguez, marketing director for HCCA, says the community’s growth gave him the idea to bring volleyball to HCCA’s Explore Asheville Arena during one of the complex’s slower months.

“Over the past few years, we have seen how a rise in sporting events such as basketball, wrestling, cheer, dance and volleyball is a great way

ROAD GAMES: The AVL Hoppers team, made up of women who met competing in Asheville’s AVL Hoppers recreational grass volleyball leagues, is heading to Denver for the USA Volleyball Open National Championships Monday-Wednesday, May 26-28. Photo by Steve Atkins | Fox Cove Photography

to drive sports tourism in Asheville. Since the original event, we have held over 20 microtournaments, a five-week league, and numerous adult and youth clinics,” Rodriguez says.

When events at HCCA were canceled immediately after Tropical Storm Helene, Rodriguez worked with AVL Hoppers to set up indoor tournaments and leagues in the venue to give locals something fun to do amid the destruction and raise some money. The events raised more than $12,000 for Always Asheville, AVL FAST, Asheville GreenWorks and River Arts District artists, Rodriguez says.

SETTING THE STAGE

There will soon be college volleyball to watch in Asheville as well. The Southern Conference, which has hosted its postseason basketball conference tournament at HCCA for the last 14 years, is bringing its women’s volleyball championship to the city’s largest venue in November. The event, originally scheduled for November 2024 before Helene rocked the region, marks the first time the event will be held at a neutral site, Rodriguez says.

“When the sports commission first approached the Southern Conference about the prospects of bringing its volleyball championship to Asheville, we thought it would be a great fit. We know it will be a success in Asheville,” says Chris Smith, executive director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, a co-organizer of the event. “With such an amazing volleyball community already in place, this tournament has tremendous room for growth.”

Organizers expect an economic impact of more than $500,000 from the nine visiting teams, school officials and fans, Rodriguez adds.

Additionally, HCCA is planning a four-team, two-day college volleyball tournament in September, which organizers hope will be the first of many “top-tier NCAA division I tournaments,” he says.

“Volleyball, namely the women’s game, is one of the fastest-growing sports sectors in the country right now. You can see that same ascension of the game here in Asheville across multiple platforms — indoor, beach and grass,” Rodriguez notes.

LOVE OF THE GAME

After becoming friends at and around AVL Hoppers events, Woods and her nine teammates started getting together for regular dinners in December. It was a way to build community and get to know each other better beyond the volleyball court, she says.

At a dinner in January, McCall mentioned her idea of playing in competitive tournaments outside the region with her friends.

“I was like, ‘Y’all, we should go compete at this age in a women’s sixes tournament. Like, how fun would that be?’” McCall says.

The players decided that if the national competition was in an intriguing location this year, they would consider entering. When they discovered it was in Denver, “We were all like, ‘We’re going,’” McCall remembers.

The eight who were able to commit to the trip, all in their late 20s and 30s, half of whom are mothers and several of whom are youth volleyball coaches, have been practicing together once a week since January and are rounding into form, McCall says.

Teams are seeded based on their recorded experience in national tournaments and individual player rankings, so the Hoppers are likely to get a relatively low seed, making them a wild card, McCall says. The Hoppers expect to show well and “surprise some people,” McCall says.

The significance of getting eight busy adults together for a trip like this, not to mention all the necessary preparation and financial commitment, is not lost on them.

“We’re self-financing this entire trip, so it’s something we all really believe in,” says team member and outside hitter Hannah Harris. “Saving up money for flights, hotels, registration and jerseys adds up. Plus, taking time off of work. Traveling as a kid, you’re hoping to get better so you can go on to play in college, but as an adult, we’re doing this for the pure love of the game.”

And also, a shared love for Colorado. They have side trips planned to see a Colorado Rockies game, hike in Rocky Mountain National Park and to see Brad Paisley in concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre before their games start on Monday, May 26.

That’s when the hypercompetitive group will buckle down and try to represent their mountain hometown with pride, McCall says.

“It’s nice to have that common goal of, like, ‘Yes, this is to have fun, but we also want to win.’” McCall says. X

Follow along

Follow the team on Instagram @ashevillewomensvb. For more information and to contribute to the team’s trip fund, go to avl.mx/esk. Games can be streamed via BallerTV at avl.mx/esm. X

Asheville City Council studies 2026 budget increases and cuts

Caught between storm-recovery costs and falling revenues, Asheville City Council was presented with a possible property tax hike at its May 13 meeting.

The fiscal year 2025-26 budget proposed by City Manager Debra Campbell also includes pay raises for city staff, police and firefighters.

“It’s been a very financially constrained budget we’ve been developing,” Tony McDowell, the city’s finance director, said during a presentation at the meeting.

The proposed overall budget would increase by $5.2 million — a 2.1% rise over last year’s $250.8 million budget. The general fund, which finances the city’s day-to-day operations, would increase by $2.95 million under the proposal. At the same time, property tax revenue is expected to be down 1%, or $750,000, based on Buncombe County Tax Office estimates, and sales taxes are projected to be down 5%, or $2 million.

To make up the difference, city staff is proposing cuts and a 7.9% property tax increase, taking the rate from 40.93 cents per $100 of assessed value to 44.19 cents, which would be a monthly increase of $9.51, or $114 annually for the owner of property assessed at $350,000.

RISING COSTS

In addition to storm-recovery costs, the city faces other expenses beyond its control, such as rising health care costs and state-mandated retirement contributions. At the same time, staff proposes spending an additional $3.2 million for raises for city workers and stepped-up compensation for police officers and firefighters.

For city staff, the budget proposes a hybrid model in which those making an average salary of $58,000 or more would get a 3% increase, and those earning less than that would get a $1,740 flat increase. The goal is to raise the salary of the lowest-paid employees to the living wage of $48,152.

The Police Department would move to a new pay structure that adjusts salaries based on officers’ experience and skills to prevent salary compression — a situation where employees with different levels of experience earn similar pay. Officers not receiving an adjustment under the new plan

would receive a lump-sum payment equal to 3% of their salary. The plan would cost an additional $1.1 million.

To increase firefighter pay, city staff proposes a 3% raise and adding a fourth shift, which would reduce each person’s workweek, thereby raising their hourly rate. The fourth shift would be phased in over a couple of years as finances allow. The proposed budget adds $205,000 to begin hiring supervisors for the added shift.

FINDING THE MONEY

In order to cover rising costs and less revenue, staff found ways to cut $5 million.

The biggest cuts were to future retirement trust fund contributions ($1.3 million) and human resources efficiencies using some of the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBGDR) funds for hiring expenses. Additionally, city staff proposes tapping into several one-time revenues, such as pulling from the Street Cut Fund ($600,000), Transit Fund ($900,000) and using the $5 million loan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Community Disaster Loan program.

However, McDowell warns that the city could be hit with another property tax rate increase next year when those one-time payments no longer exist.

“We will likely not be able to continue to utilize those sources of revenue and expense cutting in future budgets,” McDowell said. “So what that means is when we start the budget process next year, we’re going to have to have conversations about a potential tax rate increase next year as well.”

After the presentation, Council member Kim Roney requested that staff consider another budget work session before the public hearing Tuesday, May 27, to discuss what cuts could be possible in lieu of a property tax increase.

“I’m wrestling with deep concern in the community about property tax increases while recovering from Helene. I acknowledge that property tax increases impact businesses and homeowners while disproportionately impacting residential and commercial renters, and due to the county’s tax structure, weigh heaviest on Asheville’s historic Black and legacy neighborhoods,” Roney said.

Vice Mayor Antanette Mosley and Council members Sage Turner and Bo Hess were in favor of an additional conversation.

The budget is slated to be adopted at the council’s Tuesday, June 10, meeting.

MORE WORDS FOR THE WOODS

Most of the meeting’s public comment was dedicated to pleas to save the 45-acre urban forest at UNC Asheville.

The alarm bells went off through the Five Points neighborhood in January when a miniexcavator began clearing tracks in the near woods.

Joining five others during public comment, including UNCA alumni and fellow residents of the Five Points neighborhood, botanist and UNCA professor David Clarke spoke to the ecological importance of the woods.

“If you think about what we have, there’s such a reaction because there’s a lot of rumors swirling. So, I’d like to know what you know to dispel some rumors,” Clarke said, directing remarks at City Council members.

“[I hear] everything from affordable housing to tennis complexes to a hotel or something like that. But I would speak for the importance of those woods of their size and their proximity to other high-quality natural areas.”

The woods lead to Elk Mountain and the Great Craggy Mountains, which contribute to the sustainable population of bears and other charismatic wildlife in the city, Clarke said.

In other news

• Concerns over the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) I-26 Connector Project arose again during public comment. Three commenters expressed concerns over how the project will impact both the Courtland Place and East West Asheville neighborhoods and other critiques of the project’s design. Joe Minicozzi, urban designer for Urban3 and co-founder of the Asheville Design Center that helped develop an alternative overpass design, presented a press release from 2009 that included a statement from NCDOT agreeing to I-26 passing under, not over Patton Avenue. “Not only is it worse to have the highway up in the air, they also went against our agreements,” Minicozzi said.

• There was no public comment during a hearing on issuing bonds for McCormick Field Capital Improvement Project. The council agreed, 6-0, (Council member Sheneika Smith was absent) to authorize the city manager to issue $35 million in 20-year Limited Obligation Bonds (LOBs) bonds in June. They will be repaid by the city, Buncombe County, the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA), and the Asheville Tourists minor league baseball team. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.

— Brionna

Dallara  X

BUDGET OPTIONS: Council member Sage Turner, left, favors exploring more cuts to the city budget plan in lieu of a property tax increase. Also picutred is Council member Maggie Ullman. Photo by Brionna Dallara

Asheville school board frustrated over proposed Buncombe County budget

LEFT OUT: At their May 12 meeting, Asheville City Board of Education members said they felt left out of Buncombe County’s 2025-26 budget process. Image courtesy of Asheville City Schools

The recently proposed 2025-26 Buncombe County budget gives Asheville City Schools (ACS) no choice but to lay off staff, the Asheville City Board of Education discussed at its May 12 meeting.

Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman briefed the school board on the county’s draft budget, which became public May 6. She said County Manager Avril Pinder’s presentation was misleading in its characterization of recent education funding and felt the school district was disproportionately “singled out” in cuts.

“In their slides, it looks like we’re getting more than we got last year, but we’re really not. They put in the amended allotment, which is less than what we got last year,” Fehrman noted. In its budget summary, the county compared the proposed 2025-26 budget with the current year’s amended budget, which significantly changed in January when commissioners voted to claw back more than $700,000 from ACS after Tropical Storm Helene slashed revenues.

Fehrman argued that the comparison should be made to the initial 202425 budget that was passed last June. Compared with those numbers, the school district is slated to get $226,000 less, Fehrman said.

Additionally, Pinder did not recommend a property tax rate increase for the special ACS supplemental taxing district, as requested by the school district. Supported by Fehrman and a grassroots campaign led by parents group Families for Asheville City Schools, the board had asked for a 13% increase from 10.62 cents to 12 cents per $100 of taxable property value, or $55.20 per year for the owner of a home valued at $400,000. That would generate $1.5 million for the district, Fehrman estimates.

“That was very surprising to me, that that was not recommended for approval,” she said, noting that Pinder included requested tax increases from six county fire districts.

“I think we need to very much continue our advocacy to restore that supplemental tax,” she told the board.

Pinder did recommend a 3.26-cent countywide property tax increase, estimated to cost property owners an additional $130.40 per year for a home valued at $400,000.

Board member Pepi Acebo said he was asked by a county commissioner what district residents would get out of an increased supplemental tax rate for ACS. Acebo suggested the board could clarify that the district will use a large portion of the funds to increase investment in early childhood education, which is integral to closing any achievement gaps between student groups, he said.

“I think if we were to agree that the last cent of the 12 cents was going to go to support early childhood education, I think that’s something that the county commissioners could rally behind,” Acebo said.

Board Chair Sarah Thornburg said she is not comfortable guaranteeing how the district will use any funding because it has too big a deficit to make those promises.

“I don’t think I’m in favor of saying it will be used a certain way because we have a $3.9 million hole to plug. There’s still going to be a shortage if that’s all we got,” she noted.

Thornburg said that after all the talk from county commissioners about collaboration, she feels abandoned by them during budget season.

“We talked about collaboration. Yet somehow, when we come to budget

season, we’re sort of on our own,” she said, earning nods from other board members. “It’s very clear that some of them have concerns about how we spend money, and we know all their concerns, but they are focused on the county. Then we’re this stepchild, and

it doesn’t feel like it’s a collaboration. It feels like they’re going to take care of their personnel, and they don’t have to think about ours, because that’s on us.”

Board member Amy Ray encouraged Fehrman to explicitly share what types of staffing cuts will be made if the proposed budget is ultimately approved.

“I certainly think we should be making it very clear to them what we will potentially lose, especially in terms of student-facing positions. I think we should also make it really clear to them the extent of our cuts to our central office funding, staff, etc., over the last two years,” she said.

Board member Rebecca Strimer remains hopeful.

“I think many commissioners are curious,” she said. “They’re very curious to understand how we deal with this terrible situation forced upon us by the [N.C. General Assembly], and they are trying to be really good stewards of funds.”

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget at its meeting Tuesday, May 20. The budget is slated for a vote on Tuesday, June 3. This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.

—

Greg Parlier  X

BULLETIN BOARD

by Lisa Allen | lallen@mountainx.com

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, Buncombe County Commissioner Chair Amanda Edwards and Scott Elliott, deputy director for engagement with the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, will provide updates about Tropical Storm Helene recovery and relief efforts from 1-3 p.m., Friday, May 23, at Pack Memorial Public Library’s Lord Auditorium. The event, “Asheville and Beyond: Recovery and Resilience,” is sponsored by AARP North Carolina. Info: avl.mx/esd X

Unveiling

The first of three murals for the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail was unveiled May 9 on the west side of The Whale :: South Slope’s building, 21 Buxton Ave. The trail, which opened in 2023, celebrates the dignity, humanity and agency of Black people from all backgrounds who built resilient communities and fostered social change in Asheville, according to a media release. The mural, “Black Girl Magic,” was created by local artist Tommy Lee McGee, who was commissioned by Explore Asheville. The work “is my thank-you card to the Black and brown women both in my life and in this community, country and globally who have shown up tirelessly for their families despite feeling unseen and unacknowledged,” McGee said in a press release. X

Week of the Pet

Izzy is a sweet, loving girl looking for a home to zoom around, snuggle and be a puppy in. She’s a lap girl and adores cuddles while napping, according to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. She is still learning the ropes of doghood, but her love of treats and her smart noggin are helping her to pick up training like a pro! Visit her and other critters looking for homes at avl.mx/ckd.

Hear this

Chuck Lee, owner of Experience Music and a member of the band Human Nip, is compiling a 12-song album, “After the Flood.” According to a press release, Lee is seeking original songs that reflect on life, feelings and observations in Western North Carolina, post-Tropical Storm Helene. Rough demos must be submitted by Tuesday, July 15. The album is slated to be released Monday, Sept. 22. The album will be recorded and mixed at Landslide Studio in North Asheville beginning Monday, Aug. 4. For more information, visit avl.mx/esg. X

antique radios at its Saturday, June 7, fundraiser. The event runs 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Room 306 of the Elm Building at A-B Tech. Proceeds will enable the nonprofit museum’s all-volunteer staff to continue acquiring noteworthy and rare radios, audio equipment and accessories for public display and education, according to a news release. Many of the available items are fully functional; others require some work. Museum technical experts can provide information and, if necessary, guidance about restoration. Parking and admission to the fundraiser and museum are

Songwriters sought Artistic lifeline

ArtsAVL awarded $680,000 in Arts Business Relief Grants to 136 arts businesses in 19 Western North Carolina counties, according to a May 12 press release. Each recipient received $5,000 and 70% of recipients are in Buncombe County; 60% are located in the City of Asheville; 61% are for-profit organizations and 39% are nonprofit entities. The average economic loss was $90,255 per business and average physical damage was $53,848, according to ArtsAVL. Fields supported include craft, visual arts and performing arts. Grants are being used to rehire staff, cover rent and utilities, replace equipment, restart classes and performances, and support displaced artists. In October, ArtsAVL awarded $750,000 in Emergency Relief Grants to 1,500 artists. To date, ArtsAVL has reinvested over $1.4 million into the region’s creative sector for post-Tropical Storm Helene recovery. X

Hands in the soil Environmental nonprofits talk

BY BRIONNA DALLARA

bdallara@mountainx.com

“It was really dramatic to see,” says Renee Fortner, watershed resources manager at RiverLink.

In February, she and a number of volunteers from UNC Asheville convened at a private property alongside the Swannanoa River. While the home itself withstood Tropical Storm Helene, over 50 feet of its surrounding earth crumbled into the waterway.

That day, Fortner and her work group staked native plantings — silky dogwood and silky willow, elderberry, black willow and ninebark. Months from now, she notes, the native plantings’ roots will dig in and anchor the raw bank’s soil, halting further erosion.

“It was a really beautiful moment of collaboration and hope for what was to come once those plants get established and take off,” Fortner says. “But there was definitely still some sadness just knowing what was lost there.”

The efforts are part of RiverLink’s long-standing but recently repurposed Adopt-a-Stream program. It is one of several initiatives the nonprofit has reimagined in the aftermath of Helene. And as RiverLink continues its efforts to bolster weakened riverbanks, fellow local nonprofit MountainTrue is also in the process of safeguarding at-risk areas within the watershed, advocating for development outside the floodplain.

STREAMING SERVICES

For decades, RiverLink’s Adopta-Stream program focused on litter

best practices for building back

BUILD BACK BUFFER: Volunteers from a UNC Asheville ecology course convened with RiverLink at a private property alongside the Swannanoa River to repair a streambank with live plantings as part of the nonprofit’s Adopt-a-Stream program. Photo courtesy of RiverLink

cleanup of public streams. But in the wake of Helene, the nonprofit shifted its focus to flood-damaged stream banks on private properties. (Those interested can see if they qualify for this free service at avl.mx/epa.)

“With this program, we’re not doing any grading of the stream bank; it’s just kind of these small-scale repairs,” Fortner says. “We’re taking our staff and volunteers out, and we’re actually doing the work ourselves and repairing the stream bank. That’s something that we’ve been focusing heavily on since Helene.”

Since they began site visits in February, RiverLink staff and a cohort of nearly 50 volunteers have assisted 60 property owners with stream bank repairs — cleaning up debris, doing live stake plantings and offering mitigation advice.

While the program targets four counties, Fortner says that the majority of the RiverLink stream bank repairs have been in Yancey and Buncombe counties.

To fund the repairs, RiverLink received $35,000 from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, $5,000 from both The Center

for Native Health and the McClure Foundation and a $25,000 WNC longterm recovery grant from the Duke Energy Foundation, says Fortner.

This work is part of the nonprofit’s broader efforts along greenways to protect the riparian buffer — vegetated areas planted along waterways that intercept sediment and pollution.

“Ideally, from the top of the riverbank, we would have 30 feet of native woody vegetation growing there,” Fortner says. “But we’ve really got to bolster those riparian buffers so that we can prevent further erosion, and we can hopefully mitigate against the next storm event.”

FUTURE PRIORITIES

Following Helene, RiverLink also observed how projects with preexisting green infrastructure fared.

An example is the Southside Community Stormwater Project, completed in 2023. RiverLink partnered with residents of the Southside Community, Wildlands Engineering and the Asheville Housing Authority to construct green infrastructure, wetlands and rain gardens that capture and filter runoff before it reaches Nasty Branch (Town Branch) and the French Broad River.

Fortner acknowledges that while no amount of infrastructure could have mitigated the intense amount of flooding from Helene, the plantings from this project did survive the storm.

“Despite the many inches of rain that those practices received and managed, those [sites] didn’t experience any erosion or damage from the storm,” Fortner says.

Two stormwater wetlands were also planted on both ends of the Craven Street Bridge in the River Arts District. Although the wetlands were submerged by Helene’s floodwaters and sustained damage, they also survived.

“We’re going to continue to do projects like that. I think we’re still really kind of early in the recovery phase post-Helene. And so most of the focus has been on, understandably so, debris removal,” Fortner says. “I think once we get past this phase, then we can put more attention on where more green infrastructure can go, but we’ll certainly be prioritizing that as well.”

RiverLink is also raising awareness among property owners for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which allows the city to assume ownership of flood-damaged properties — FEMA covers 75% of the cost, and the state covers the rest. Once in the city’s hands, the properties are deed-restricted to passive uses like parks or other open spaces.

BUILD UP, NOT OUT

But in the areas where property owners are rebuilding, it’s important to be mindful, says Susan Bean, housing and transportation director at MountainTrue.

“Given the trajectory of climate change, these events are only going to continue to get more intense and more frequent,” Bean says.

Simply replacing what was lost, she continues, is unsustainable. Instead, she says, new regulations need to be implemented that require new construction to be built higher off ground or out of the floodplain.

At its Jan. 28 meeting, Asheville City Council adopted changes to Asheville’s Unified Development

Ordinance (UDO) that cleared up ambiguity in floodplain regulations to ensure the city is in good standing with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and aligned with state building codes.

However, the changes came after the Trump administration rescinded an executive order on Jan. 20 that no longer requires federally funded projects to be rebuilt 2 feet above floodplain elevation — the height anticipated during a flood, as determined by flood maps created by the NFIP and managed by FEMA.

It also strikes a requirement that critical facilities such as fire stations or hospitals be built 3 feet above the floodplain elevation level, according to reporting by Blue Ridge Public Radio

But the key is to build up, not out, says Bean, who has been working with city staff to implement recommendations from the Missing Middle Housing Study. The study examines barriers preventing smaller multiunit structures like townhouses, duplexes and triplexes to be built more frequently in Asheville.

Bean supports Asheville City Council’s March 12 vote on city zoning changes that make it easier, cheaper and faster to build regular and affordable housing along certain major thoroughfares.

“If we can build higher on the land that we have available, that does make sense … and [can] allow more affordable housing options,” Bean says.

The use of infill housing also encourages people to rely less on personal vehicles, Bean says, boosting bike use and public transit, which produce fewer carbon emissions.

In an ideal build-back, Bean envisions elevated structures that allow water to flow underneath them, as well as more property owners taking advantage of the FEMA buyout program so that existing structures can be converted to green space.

“That’s just a more sustainable path forward for our region. I hope that we can allow more development, greater residential density in the areas that are just outside of the floodplain,” Bean says. “We don’t want there to be no River Arts District anymore, right? But there’s space for that that’s also not in the floodplain.”

Fortner echoes Bean’s sentiment for a more resilient RAD.

“I think it would be incredible if we could help artists come back into the RAD, and help restore the vibrant economy that’s down in the RAD, while also gaining some more resiliency moving forward,” Fortner says. X

MAY. 21 - MAY 29, 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

 More info, page 30

 More info, page 32-33

WELLNESS

Therapeutic Recreation

Adult Morning Movement

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

WE (5/21, 28), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

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 (5/21, 28), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

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 (5/21, 28), 10:15am, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave

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 (5/21, 28), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Midweek Serenity Sound Bath

A sound bath can cleanse your soul, restore your balance, surround you with peace and tranquility and stimulate healing.

WE (5/21), 6:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

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 (5/22, 29), MO (26),11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Intermediate Tai Chi Yang 24

Slow, gentle movements that promote good health.

FR (5/23), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

PICK

Hi-Wire Brewing’s Rad Beer Garden Grand Reopening Bash

• Hi-Wire Brewing Rad Beer Garden

• 284 Lyman St

• Saturday, May 24 - 12 p.m.

Celebrate the return of Hi-Wire’s RAD Beer Garden with live music, food-trucks, circus acts, local vendors and plenty of beer.

“Unfortunately, I was only able to visit Hi-Wire’s RAD Beer Garden once before Tropical Storm Helene ravaged the River Arts District, so I wasn’t able to fully experience this fun location. Therefore, I will be attending its grand reopening with much anticipation.”

— Braulio Martinez X

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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 (5/24), 8:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

CIRCL Mobility Classes

Through specifically designed macro and micro mobility components, you’ll renew the body’s movement potential, achieve better performance, and recover quicker.

SA (5/24), 9am, World Dance Asheville, 1269 Tunnel Rd, Ste F

Yoga in the Park

Try out different styles of yoga taught by local YMCA instructors.

SA (5/24), 10am, Biltmore Park Town Square, Town Square Blvd.

Yoga in the Park

All-level friendly yoga classes based on Hatha & Vinyasa traditions.

SA (5/24), SU (5/25), 11am, W Asheville Park, 198 Vermont Ave

Sunday Morning Meditation Group

Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.

SU (5/25), 10am, The Lodge at Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Community Meditation

This 45-minute guided meditation is led each week by a different teacher, each offering a unique theme or focus, such as mindfulness, breathwork, or self-compassion.

SU (5/25), noon, Alchemy Yoga & Reiki, 900 Hendersonville Rd 101-A

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 (5/25), 7pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Free Community Athletic Conditioning Combining strength training, HIIT, plyometrics, kickboxing and step, this class offers a diverse, challenging training experience.

MO (5/26), 8am, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave

Medical Qigong

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

TU (5/27), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Yoga & Coffee Practice on the outdoor deck, get the body and mind balanced, and then you can hang out after for some coffee,

hosts an evening of live music, local food markets and community spirit on Thursday, May 29, starting at 6 p.m. The event features a free show from Steep Canyon Rangers (bluegrass and Americana), along with opening act Sam Burchfield and the Scoundrels. Photo courtesy of Asheville Downtown Association

tea and pastries.

TU (5/27), 9:30am, Cooperative Coffee Shop, 210 Haywood Rd Nia Dance

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

TU (5/27), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Free Community Integrated Restorative Yoga

This program offers both traditional yoga poses as well as guided meditation to help you relax deeply, release stress, and increase resilience.

TU (5/27), 5:30pm, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave

Community Yoga & Mindfulness

Free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga.

WE (5/28), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

SUPPORT GROUPS

Al-Anon

This support group meets on a weekly basis and anyone struggling with drinking can attend. For more information on Al-anon, visit www.alanon.org.

WE (5/21, 28), 11:30am, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave West, Hendersonville

Nicotine Anonymous

People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.

TH (5/22, 29), 4:30pm, Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit 4

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 (5/24), 2pm, First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St Connecting Conversations

Explore conversations built around curiosity, understanding, and openness to develop stronger connections, to be heard, and to empathize with different viewpoints.

MO (5/26), 12:45pm, Peri Social House, 406 W State St, Black Mountain Families Anonymous Meeting

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

TU (5/27), 6pm, Love and Respect Community for Recovery and Wellness, 350 Chadwick Ave Ste 300, Hendersonville NAMI Connection

Trained peer facilitators guide you in learning how to empower your-

self in a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope.

TU (5/27), 6pm, NAMIWNC, 356 Biltmore Ave

Disordered Eating/ Eating Disorders

This support group is peer-led and facilitated by licensed therapists & dietitians specializing in eating disorders.

Register at avl.mx/es6.

WE (5/28), 6pm, Online

Mad Hatter’s Collective: Hearing Voices Network

A group collective that gathers to talk about encounters with visual, tactile, sensational, or fringe experiences with life and the interaction of energy.

TH (5/29), 6pm, 12 Baskets Cafe, 610 Haywood Rd

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 (5/21, 28), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Free Bellydance Class

This class is meant to give attendees a taste of this beautiful art form in a supportive judgement-free class taught by Melanya Zerpa.

TH (5/29), noon, World Dance Asheville, 1269 Tunnel Rd, Ste F

ART

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, Black Mountain Tea in the Tempest

An evocative collaborative exhibition by mixed media artist Heather Divoky and textile artist Emelie Weber Wade. It features a creative partnership, the concept evolved in response to Hurricane Helene’s impact. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through May 4. Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St

Coatlicue & Las Meninas: The Stanford Edition

The focal point of the exhibition is Lasch’s newest addition, a ten-foot black mirror merging Diego Velázquez’s iconic painting Las Meninas (1656) and the monumental sculpture of the Mexica deity Coatlicue (1400s). Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through July 13.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Greetings from Asheville: Tourism & Transformation in the Postcard Age

This exhibition explores how the land, the people, and the built environment of Asheville and its surrounding environs were interpreted through early 20th century vintage postcards. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through May. 30, 2025. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Pushing the Boundaries: Exploring Texture in Art

This exhibition features 10+ local and national artists who will be using a multitude of mediums to explore a heavily textured body of work. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am and Sunday, noon. Exhibition through May 24.

Mark Bettis Studio & Gallery, 123 Roberts St Flora Symbolica: The Art of Flowers

The exhibition features the work of celebrated photographer and artist Edward Steichen, whose life-long infatuation with flowers deeply affected his artistic vision. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through July 28.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Iron & Ink Exhibition This exhibition focuses on a dynamic era in American history—the Machine Age—when industrialization and

PACK SQUARE PARK JAM: Downtown Asheville’s Pack Square Park

advances in technology transformed urban landscapes and redefined the nature of work and leisure nationwide.

Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 27.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Kate Colcaser: Waxing Artistic, Exploring Encaustic

This exhibit highlights encaustic’s potential for creating diverse works, from landscapes and abstracts to collages and portraits with the incorporation of watercolor, photos, oil paints and pastels. Gallery open daily, 11am. Exhibition through May 31.

Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave

Ursula Gullow: Nightbloom

Gullow’s artwork embraces the decorative arts while reframing the female presence in Western art and rescuing historical imagery from its patriarchal forebears. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through June 21.

Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd

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

COMMUNITY MUSIC

Americana Concert Series w/The Darren Nicholson 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 Darren Nicholson Band. TH (5/22), 6:30pm. Peterson Amphitheater, 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon Las Montañitas: A Latin American Musical

Experience

Las Montañitas draw heavily from the Chicha Cumbia scene that emerged in Peru in the late 1960s, featuring psychedelic surf guitar tone, Afro-Colombian dance grooves and Andean inspired melodies.

TH (5/22), 7pm, Folkmoot Auditorium, 112 Virginia Ave, Waynesville Concerts on the Creek: Shane Meade & The Sound Free concert series for the community with soul-infused folk-rock project Shane Meade and the sound providing

the tunes this week. These events are free with donations encouraged. There will be food trucks available on most nights.

FR (5/23), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva

An Evening of Soulful Music w/Bob Sima & Shannon Plummer

An inspiring and uplifting concert with the award-winning singer-songwriter Bob Sima and the mesmerizing vocalist Shannon Plummer.

SU (5/25), 12:45pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Americana Concert Series w/The Crosseyed Possum 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 Cross-eyed Possum Band.

TH (5/29), 6:30pm, Peterson Amphitheater, 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Walk & Bike Audit

Training Session

This session is for folks who will participate in the Lucy Herring Walk and Bike Audit.

WE (5/21), 7am, Lucy S. Herring Elementary School, 98 Sulphur Springs Rd

Simply Charmed Jewelry Workshop

This hands on workshop is drop in friendly and for ages 8 and up who are interested in jewelry making.

WE (5/21, 28), TU (5/27), 11am, Ignite Jewelry Studios, 191 Lyman St, Ste 262

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.

WE (5/21), noon, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

So You Want to Start a Farm...Now What?

This one-half day workshop is designed to assist new and aspiring farmers in taking the first steps in thinking through a farm start-up.

TH (5/22), 2pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Free Community Zumba Gold

This class introduces easy-to-follow zumba choreography that focuses on balance, range of motion, and coordination.

FR (5/23), 10am, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave

Unleash Your Inner Wordsmith

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just curious to explore your creativity for the first time, this is a welcoming space for you.

FR (5/23), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Cycle Smart: Safe Riding Class

This class is designed to help you learn basic bike maintenance to keep your ride in top shape, plan safe and efficient routes for commuting, errands, or adventure, and more.

SA (5/24), 11am, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave How to Do Business Financials

This seminar helps participants develop an understanding of cash flow and break even analysis and its relationship to business planning in addition to identifying financial concepts.

TU (5/27), 10am, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

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 (5/27), 10am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd

AI for Business Owners: Unlocking Practical Tools to Boost Productivity

This class will demystify artificial intelligence (AI) and show you how to integrate AI tools into your daily operations to save time, streamline tasks, and enhance your overall business strategy. Register at avl.mx/est.

WE (5/28), 10am, Online Access to Capital Whether you’re a start-up or interested in growing your business, this workshop is here to guide you through the process to secure a business loan. Register at avl.mx/esu.

TH (5/29), 11am, Online

LITERARY

Poetry Open Mic

This open mic welcomes any form of artistic expression from poetry to improv theatre to music to dance. Five and ten minute slots available.

WE (5/21), 8:30pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

Sage: Book Tour

An afternoon poetry reading with Palestinian poet Yaffa, who is doing a tour with their latest collection Sage. Funds raised at this event will support queer and trans

Palestinians.

SU (5/25), 2pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd

Poetry Slam

Expect cheers and jeers as the judges do their work. You must only slam your own work, bring three poems and keep it under three minutes.

SU (5/25), 7pm, Elevated Kava Lounge Downtown, 122 College St

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 (5/26), 6:30pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd Ste 1200

Meter & Melody: Poetry Night

An open mic for poetry, hosted by Dill.

WE (5/28), 7pm, Static Age Loft, 116 N Lexington Ave

THEATER & FILM

Bike-In Cinema: E.T

Asheville on Bikes and New Belgium Brewing host an outdoor Bike-In Cinema. The showing of E.T. will screen at 8:30pm and conclude at 10:30pm.

TH (5/22), 6pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St

Community Improv Jam Misfit Improv group leads a jam where everybody gets a chance to play. All are welcome for newbies to vets.

TH (5/22), 7pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Reasonably Priced

Babies: The Hasta La Vista Show

RPB is Asheville’s premiere improv comedy troupe having performed hundreds of shows over 14 years of performing together. This is the last show with Tom for who knows how long.

TH (5/22), 7pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

The Book of Will

The Book of Will follows the journey of William Shakespeare’s friends and fellow playwrights as they struggle to preserve his legacy after his death.

FR (5/23), SA (5/24), SU (5/25), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

Next to Normal

A powerful rock musical about a mother’s struggle with mental illness and its impact on her family, Next to Normal is an unflinching, deeply moving journey through love, loss, and healing.

FR (5/23), SA (5/24), 7:30pm, SU (5/25), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Foreign Film Fridays

Every Friday

Growing challenge Needs increase amid financial decline, says Bounty & Soul

Before Tropical Storm Helene, the nonprofit Bounty & Soul set up five weekly markets — parsing out boxes with up to 18 different items (think fresh kale, beets, oranges, bread, etc.) — and assisting nearly 9,860 individuals every month.

Since the storm, founder and Executive Director Ali Casparian says the nonprofit has seen a nearly 200% increase in food needs. The organization’s farmers market truck now journeys to 10 markets a week and serves nearly 26,000 people a month.

The challenge, says Casparian, is maintaining the level of financial support the nonprofit experienced in the immediate aftermath of the storm, especially as demand continues to soar.

“I want to believe that private foundations will potentially step up and donors that do have the capacity will lean in, but it’s kind of a perfect storm of an increased need and decreases in some of these support systems that support families — which now creates more need and less resources,” Casparian says.

FRESH FOOD NEEDS:

Dakotah Fozzard, food distribution associate for Bounty & Soul, loads up the nonprofit’s farmers market truck. Since Tropical Storm Helene, the number of individuals served at the nonprofit’s markets has grown exponentially. Photo by

Brionna Dallara

In early March, Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) cuts hit local organizations when the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it was eliminating more than $1 billion in funding for the Local Food for Schools and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs for 2025.

Bounty & Soul partners with MANNA FoodBank as part of the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program Plus (LFPA+), which only funds the purchase of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and any costs associated with transporting the food such as rental costs for delivery trucks or portable freezers.

Despite the cancellation of MANNA’s LFPA program, the partnership for LFPA+ will remain active until October, Casparian says. Through the partnership, Bounty & Soul receives over $100,000.

Bounty & Soul is also involved in Medicaid’s Healthy Opportunities Pilots program, which is federally funded and provides nonmedical services to eligible members in four key areas: housing, food, transportation and interpersonal violence.

“It all trickles down, whether it’s food that’s supporting kids in school or supporting food banks,” Casparian says. “If kids aren’t getting their food in schools, that’s increasing food insecurity now for kids; and if food banks aren’t getting those funds, then it’s all just less food going out while the need is increasing.”

Roughly 28% of the nonprofit’s $4 million budget is from grants, and 14% is from corporate foundations. The rest of the budget comes from individual contributions, program revenue and events.

“We come always with the glass half-full mentality of abundance, and there’s enough, and that has served this organization through the 10 years of its life, and I’d like to think that’s going to continue,” Casparian says. “But there’s also reality, and the reality is the need is increasing and the resources are decreasing.”

— Brionna Dallara X

films curated by film-buff Carlos Steward.

FR (5/23), 7pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd

Ste 1200

Outdoor Movie Night

Enjoy a film on the outdoor movie screen and theater-style refreshments.

SA (5/24), 7:30pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St .

Reel Obscura Mondays

A free weekly movie night that will be serving up a curated mix of cult classics, hidden indie gems and unforgettable films.

MO (5/26), 7pm, Eda's Hide-a-Way, 1098 New Stock Rd, Weaverville

The Little Mermaid Preview

Enjoy a sneak peek of ACT's Disney's The Little Mermaid and a Q&A session with the actors and creative team. This will be an entertaining night for adults and kids of all ages.

TU (5/27), 6pm, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St

MEETINGS

& PROGRAMS

EveryDay Strong

A program that equips caring adults with training and tools to support

the mental health and wellness of children aged 8 to 18.

WE (5/21), 10am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

ART Passport Program: Webinar for Employers

Did you know any employer in Buncombe County with over 50 employees is eligible to participate in the ART Passport Program?

Learn how businesses can provide free bus service for employees. Register at avl.mx/es5.

WE (5/21), 11am, Online

Up In the Air: Monitoring Our Mountain Air Quality

Local air quality staff will provide updates on post-Helene conditions, tips for protecting against pollution and wildfire smoke, and information on finding reliable air quality information.

WE (5/21), 5:30pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Treks Hiking Club for Adults 50+

A low-impact hiking club offering leisurely-paced hikes for active adults 50 or better. Bring lunch, water, good walking shoes, and dress for the weather.

TH (5/22), 9:30am, Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd

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

TH (5/22), 10am, free, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

IBN Biz Lunch: Woodfin

The meeting will consist of introductions by every guest, a discussion of future networking opportunities, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment, a time for gratitude and testimonials and more.

TH (5/22), noon, The Village Porch, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 113

Village Elders w/ NC Guardian & Care

Management

This program offers a unique approach designed to support seniors in maintaining their independence and quality of life as they age.

TH (5/22), 5pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Hiking Henderson County

Henderson County Parks and Recreation offers guided hiking opportunities to safely explore, learn, and exercise.

FR (5/23), 9am, Jackson Park, 801 Glover St, Hendersonville

Asheville & Beyond: Recovery & Resilience

Learn about the efforts of city, county, and state authorities to restore our community and enhance resilience in the aftermath of Hurricane Helen

FR (5/23), 1pm, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St Tarot w/Cats

This 1-hour workshop will include a brief history of the tarot, and how to incorporate a one- and three-card pull for daily guidance.

FR (5/23), 5:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Blue Ghost Tours

Experience an educational presentation starting at 8:45 pm and then use the cover of darkness and special flashlights to go in search of the Blue Ghost fireflies while hiking on a paved trail through the forest.

FR (5/23), 8pm, The Cradle of Forestry, 11250 Pisgah Hwy, Pisgah Forest

May Birding

The end of May marks the tail end of spring migration and is when breeding is in full swing. We hope to find a few late season passage migrants as well as many

nesting birds.

SA (5/24), 8am, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview Tantra Speed Date

A speed dating revolution with a 94% connection rate. Meet singles and ignite connections through fun, chemistry-building games.

SA (5/24), 5:30pm, WellSpring Wellness Center, 966 Tunnel Rd, 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 (5/25), 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 (5/25), 4pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Dharma & Discuss Meditation instructions will be given during a sitting which will last 20 to 30 mins. This will be followed by a recorded video talk. For those who wish to share, the last 15 minutes or so are open to comment or questions

MO (5/26), 6:30pm, The Lodge at Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

New Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse Circle

Facilitated by Sierra Hollister, author of Moon Path Yoga, these circles are held at each new moon and full moon and are open to all who wish to join.

MO (5/26), 7pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Tejido: Weaving in Herbal Support for Your Grief Journey

This course will provide an overview of herbs you can use when dealing with grief: tinctures, slaves, teas, and sprays

Thurs., June 12 11:00 - 1:00 PM

that are supportive.

TU (5/27), noon, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Tech Time w/Becca

This program guides you through the ever-changing digital world, one topic at a time to explore the latest technology and apps that make everyday tasks easier. This weeks features getting to know your android.

TU (5/27), 3pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

IBN Biz Lunch: West Asheville

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

WE (5/28), noon, Yao, 153 Smoky Park Hwy

Conservation Conversations w/MountainTrue

Come meet some of the organizations in your community working to recover and conserve the places we love and learn how you can help.

WE (5/28), 5:30pm, The RAD Brew Co., 13 Mystery St

Tarot Community Circle

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

WE (5/28), 6pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Shamanic Journey Circle

Bring a blanket and eye pillow for journeying, a journal to capture insights, and a water bottle.

WE (5/28), 6:30pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Ave

GAMES & CLUBS

Greenway Walking Club: Glenn’s Creek & Reed Creek Greenways

All ages, sizes, and cultural backgrounds welcome to connect with neighbors while walking as a group to better health.

WE (5/21), 5:30pm, Weaver Park, 200 Murdock Ave

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 (5/22, 29), TU (5/27), 9:15am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Grove Street Pool Tournament

A day of thrilling eightball action where you can chalk up your cues and compete for glory and some awesome prizes. Open to seasoned pool hustlers or beginners.

TH (5/22), 2pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St

Bid

Whist

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

SA (5/24), 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 (5/25), 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 (5/25), 5:30pm, Level 256 Classic Arcade Bar, 79 Coxe Ave

Ping Pong Tournament

Come by and shoot your shot against some of the best ping pong players in town. Free to enter and $50 bar tab to the winner.

MO (5/26), 6pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

Bingo!

Weekly bingo raises funds to place service dogs with people affect

ed by Helene. Hosted by Paws and Effect, a Black Mountain-based service dog organization.

TU (5/27), 6pm, Wild Wing Cafe South, 65 Long Shoals Rd, Arden Music Bingo w/DJ Spence Featuring 3 different themes of upbeat, family friendly music. It’s first come first serve, no tickets required and free to play.

WE (5/28), 5:30pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St

KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS

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 (5/21), 1pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Baby Storytime

A lively language enrichment story time designed for children ages 4 to 18 months.

TH (5/22, 29), 10:30am, Black Mountain Library,

Change of plans

Blue Ridge Pride pivots to new partnerships post-Helene

PIVOTING PARTNERSHIPS: Amy Upham, Blue Ridge Pride executive director, meets with Matt Farris, a ministerial intern for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (UUCA), which is now sponsoring the nonprofit. Members of UUCA have offered to volunteer time to expand the nonprofit’s food pantry hours. Photo by Brionna Dallara

At the Blue Ridge Pride (BRP) office in West Asheville, Executive Director Amy Upham apologizes to Xpress for double booking a meeting with Matt Farris, ministerial intern for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville (UUCA). Despite the mistake, Upham ushers the reporter in to take a seat and join the conversation.

The overlap might prove useful for the article, says Upham — a real-time example of conversations she’s been having with community members to broaden BRP’s pool of resources as current recovery funds are depleted.

The nonprofit, which operates on a budget of $400,000, received $60,000 in donations in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, all of which went toward disaster relief.

The largest amount, $40,000, was earmarked for direct financial assistance to individuals — either in rental assistance, gift cards or cash. The remaining $20,000 went to food and supplies for the in-office distribution center the nonprofit opened in October.

By April 30, the relief funds had all been spent, Upham says.

As a result, the nonprofit can no longer pay to staff a distribution coordinator at the pantry. This led to a significant reduction to the site’s hours in May — down from 24 hours a week to roughly six, Upham says.

“We want to keep it permanently because last year we did a health equity survey [of] 351 queer respondents, and more than a quarter of them are food insecure,” Upham says.

Stepping in as a new sponsor, Farris says his congregation is considering having volunteers from the church’s Pride group help staff the food pantry on Wednesdays. While the nonprofit does not receive federal grants, BRP does receive funding from Buncombe County. Cuts to the county’s budget, however, will have a direct impact on BRP’s Generation Plus program, which serves LGBTQ+ elders 55 and older. Last year, BRP received over $20,000 from the county for the program, plus an additional $2,500 in sponsorship. This year, due to Helene, the organization will not likely receive the funding.

In addition, Upham says other sponsors have reduced their budgets. Thankfully, she says, additional organizations have stepped up to fill some of the gaps. Meanwhile, she continues to apply for additional grants.

— Brionna Dallara X

Donate your car. Change a life.

We have launched two initiatives to help our community recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

First, in addition to seeking donated cars, we are also raising funds to purchase dependable used cars to replace vehicles that community members lost in the flood.

Second, we are providing free repairs for vehicles being used by local organizations for relief and recovery efforts. Keeping these vehicles on the road will ensure that vital support reaches those in need.

‘A major blow’ Conserving Carolina deals with DOGE cuts

AMERICORPS CUTS: The bulk of AmeriCorps members in the Project Conserve program worked in Western North Carolina on Tropical Storm Helene recovery, helping to clear fallen trees, fix trails that had washouts or landslides and help to restore flood plain areas. These positions were eliminated by recent DOGE cuts. Photo courtesy of Conserving Carolina

On April 23, during a call with Xpress, Kieran Roe, executive director of Conserving Carolina, a land conservation organization that works with private land and public trails, detailed his anxieties over potential federal cuts to a program that has been a pillar of his nonprofit’s work for 20 years.

AmeriCorps’ Project Conserve program, led by Conserving Carolina, places 25-30 full-time members in 11-month contracts to support work such as trail building, outdoor education, volunteer coordination, invasive plant control and wildlife habitat restoration.

The nonprofit administers the program through an annually renewed AmeriCorps grant, deploying members both on its own properties and at host sites, including other nonprofits and government agencies.

“The members that work for our organization, those positions would go away, and that would really hurt our ability to do work in land management, trail management, educational programming,” Roe said.

Seven days after that call, Roe’s fears became reality.

The AmeriCorps Project Conserve was abruptly terminated at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“We were sad to see that we were on that list. It was pretty arbitrary. I think the press release that we sent out says that there was no real justification for what they were doing. I mean, obviously we have a binding contract that we signed with the government saying that we’ll do this work,” Roe says, noting that attorneys general across the country are suing for what they deem as unlawful acts by DOGE.

An email from DOGE to AmeriCorps members said the federal grant money paying for their services “no longer effectuates agency priorities,” as reported by Blue Ridge Public Radio

DOGE slashed eight out of the 19 AmeriCorps programs in North Carolina and all of the AmeriCorps programs based in WNC.

Now, Conserving Carolina is figuring out how to carry out the work it’s been doing without help from AmeriCorps members who were contracted through the end of July.

Roe says the bulk of these individuals working in WNC were focused on Helene recovery, helping to clear fallen trees, fix trails that had washouts or landslides and help to restore flood plain areas.

“Consider that a total of 14 conservation organizations had one or more fulltime Project Conserve members, and you can see how much of an impact this program was having for conservation in WNC. Losing Project Conserve is a major blow, especially when we have so much work to do as we recover from Hurricane Helene,” Roe stated in the press release that announced the cuts.

— Brionna Dallara X

Toddlers in the Park Come out for fun, themed-days as warm weather returns. This week features superheroes, but advance registration required.

TH (5/22), 9:30am, West Asheville Park, 11 Vermont Ave

LOCAL MARKETS

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 (5/21, 28), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester 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 (5/21, 28), 3pm, AB Tech, 24 Fernihurst Dr 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 (5/22, 29), 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 (5/23), 3pm, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd

Mills River Farm Market

Browse fresh produce and pasture-raised meats to homemade breads, fresh flowers, and artisan goods. Every Saturday through October.

SA (5/24), 8am, Mills River Elementary School, 94 Schoolhouse Rd, Mills River

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 (5/24), 8am, UNC Asheville Lot P28

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 (5/24), 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 (5/24), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

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 (5/24), 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. 570 Brevard Rd

Junk-O-Rama Vintage Market

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

SU (5/25), noon, 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 (5/25), 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 (5/27), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd

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 (5/28), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville

Didanisisgi Gadagwatli Native Art Market & Exhibit Opening Reception Shop handmade art, traditional crafts, and unique items from Cherokee vendors at Museum of the

Cherokee People during this Exhibit opening reception.

TH (5/29), 11am, Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee

Biltmore Park Farmers Market

This market features fresh seasonal produce, delicious homemade pastries, premium meats and seafood, beautiful vibrant flowers, and more.

TH (5/29), 3pm, Biltmore Park Town Square, Town Square Blvd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Ride of Silence: AVL

This international event promotes sharing the road with cyclists and honors those injured or killed in road collisions. Participants are asked to wear white, follow all Rd rules, and ride silently.

WE (5/21), 6:30pm, City of Asheville, 70 Court Plaza

Wilma Dykeman's 105 Birthday Celebration

This special event features an evening of performance, dancing, and heavy hors d’oeuvres as we celebrate what would have been Wilma Dykeman’s 105th birthday.

TH (5/22), 5pm, A-B Tech Mission Health Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Dr

3rd Annual Hope is in Bloom

Enjoy a vibrant evening filled with live music, delicious bites, and meaningful connections with others who share a passion for mental health support in WNC.

TH (5/22), 5:30pm, The Event Center at Highland Brewing, 12 Old Charlotte Hwy Ste 200

ABSFest: Thursday Speakeasy Show Opening Party

The festival kicks off with the ABSFest Speakeasy. Local sweethearts Drayton & the Dreamboats play jazz all night with bellydancers, sword-swallowing and more.

TH (5/22), 8pm, Crow & Quill, 106 N Lexington Ave

Short Film Screening w/DJs & Rap Show

This special event features short films from AB Tech students while DJS play between sets. There will also be performances from Arawra, DJ Tommy M, Zander & Akimbo.

TH (5/22), 8:30pm, Static Age Records, 110 N Lexington Ave

ABSFest Friday FandDom Nerdlesque

Featuring national burlesque, a sideshow and variety artists. See your favorite Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Music and Pop Culture FanDoms flying

their freak flags. FR (5/23), 8pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Memorial Day Weekend: Gemini Camo Party Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend with a late night Gemini Camo party with DJ Blake. There will be a cash prize for the best Fatigue Outfit.

FR (5/23), 10pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10 Beer City 20k relay & 5K

Make sure to register all team members under your chosen team name. Enjoy a race after-party and a free beer for all participants of legal age.

SA (5/24), 9am, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St

Hi-Wire Brewing’s RAD Beer Garden Grand Reopening Bash Celebrate the return of Hi-Wire’s RAD Beer Garden with live music, food trucks, circus acts, local vendors, and plenty of beer to raise a glass to resilience. See p30 SA (5/24), noon, Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St ABSFest 2025 Legendary artists from across the country light up the stage, bringing live music, empowering burlesque, sideshow stunts, and more. See p33

SA (5/24), 8:30pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave

4th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Festival of the Arts

Enjoy a scenic stroll amongst sparkling jewels, one of a kind paintings, exquisitely crafted glasswork, stunning sculpture and every medium of hand-made art. See p32

SA (5/24), SU (5/25), 10am, Downtown Asheville, 80 Court Plaza Kirkin' of the Tartan This event celebrating our Scottish heritage with bagpipes and drums outside of the Auditorium. A church service will start at 11:00 a.m. beginning with a parade of tartan banners.

SU (5/25), 10:15am, Anderson Auditorium, Lookout Rd, Montreat Memorial Remembrance Celebration Bring a cherished photograph of your beloved to place on our remembrance altar. There will also be a selection of flowers available for you to create a personal memorial bouquet.

SU (5/25), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

ABSFest Brunch Church of Decadence

A breakfast buffet of empowered debauchery with burlesque,

sideshow, and creativity galore. Feel free to wear your Sunday best, party hats, or your pajamas.

SU (5/25), 12:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Shiloh Fun Day

Attendees can enjoy sounds from a live DJ, delicious food, community booths and a kids' zone to keep the little ones entertained with fun games, activities, face painting and more.

SU (5/25), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

SnoozeFest

A full afternoon of luxurious live music in a serene, nature-soaked setting with hot saunas, ice plunges, delicious food, local makers, and more. See p33

SU (5/25), 1pm, Drip Sauna, 12 Flow State Vis

Asheville Jazz Orchestra Memorial Day Performance

Guests will experience performances of great big band charts from the 40’s to the present day to celebrate Memorial Day.

MO (5/26), 2pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Crawfish Boil w/ All Crawfish Go To Heaven

A special Memorial Day, All You Can Eat Crawfish featuring live music from All Crawfish Go To Heaven. It will also benefit the town of Hot Springs.

MO (5/26), 5pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Jazz for Justice

Connect with friends old and new, as you enjoy gourmet food, delicious drinks, and the vibrant sounds of live jazz performed by talented local artists.

WE (5/28), 5:30pm, The Event Center at Highland Brewing, 12 Old Charlotte Hwy Ste 200 Community Concert w/The Steep Canyon Rangers

This event will feature Steep Canyon Rangers, one of the most renowned names in bluegrass and Americana music. In addition to the music, it will also feature a variety of local food vendors, a marketplace and a gear swap presented by Second Gear.

TH (5/29), 6pm, Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Rock for Relief Presents The Black Tie-Dye Ball w/Susto

An organization of WNC locals who donate their time and efforts to raise money for locals in need by hosting events with a heavy focus on live music.

FR (5/23), 7pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave

Pete’s Thing: A Fundraiser for Beacon Village

This event will feature a day full of joy for a good cause with live music, food-truck, badminton tournament, a raffle and more. The goal of this event is to raise funds for the residents impacted.

SU (5/25), 2pm, Pisgah Brewing Co., 2948 US Hwy 70 W, Black Mountain

Beer & Hymns Benefiting Hammer & Heart Beer & Hymns brings people together to raise a glass and a voice while raising funds for organizations that change the world. This event aims to provide funds for Hammer and Heart.

MO (5/26), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Authors for Literacy Fundraiser w/David Baldacci

6th annual Authors for Literacy Fundraiser featuring New York Times bestselling author, David Baldacci. This is a night to promote the power of literacy within Buncombe County.

TH (5/29), 5pm, Crowne Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Dr

Spring Bloom Gala: Farm to Table Dinner & Waldorf School Fundraiser

This year’s gala celebrates the sacred work of raising children, feeding communities, and healing the land. Together, we honor the sanctity of childhood and cultivate a future rooted in food sovereignty, resilience, and hope.

TH (5/29), 5pm, Treska's on Highland Lake, 211 Rhett Dr, Flat Rock

Dine w/Divas Drag Dinner Show

Enjoy a star-studded evening of drag queen celebrity impersonators, a tasty dinner, and community joy—all in support of PFLAG Asheville.

TH (5/29), 7pm, Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top, 2A Huntsman Place

water + shiatsu = watsu

Enjoy a therapeutic aquatic practice that combines gentle movement and support in warm water, fostering deep relaxation and emotional healing.

WATSU® SESSIONS with Sarah Eisenstein NCLMBT #16530

certified watsu® practitioner (828)620-9861 saraheisenstein32@gmail.com covewatsu.com

Why I support Xpress: Xpress

“I depend on Mountain Xpress every Wednesday for keeping me in the know. Can’t imagine life without it!” – Susan Roderick

Join Susan and become a member at SupportMountainX.com

Blazing a trail

North Carolina hemp bill promises positive changes for local industry

BY GINA SMITH

gsmith@mountainx.com

State legislation introduced this spring could have a significant impact on Western North Carolina’s hemp scene. Introduced in the N.C. Senate on March 11,

S.B. 265 proposes to regulate the sale and distribution of hemp-derived consumable products and limit access to those products to ages 21 and older.

Asheville-based cannabis attorney Rod Kight writes in his Kight on Cannabis legal blog that S.B.

265 focuses on several important areas: defining hemp products in a way that promotes safety while supporting the industry; requiring full-panel, high-performance liquid chromatography testing on products and a 12-month expiration on certificates of analysis;

HIGH HOPES: N.C. Senate Bill 265 proposes regulatory changes for the state’s hemp industry, including mandated permitting and licensing, product testing requirements and setting 21 as the legal age for purchasing hemp goods.

Photo by Adobe Stock

mandating permits and licensing fees among various supply chain categories; setting 21 as the legal age to buy hemp products; and granting authority to N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement to enforce hemp laws and regulations.

Jacob Moses , who works with local hemp product manufacturer Mellow Fellow, believes the regulations around safety, product testing and licensing proposed in the bill would be a boon to the hemp market in WNC and beyond. “We are one of the largest manufacturers in the country and have been fighting for sensible regulation in many states,” he says.

“Many states are banning these products, and others are regulating the industry to death,” he continues. “North Carolina has decided to regulate in a sensible way that will result in a safer standard of products for consumers and allow retailers and manufacturers to thrive in the market. We’re hoping other states will follow North Carolina’s lead and protect the hemp market.”

Likewise, Kight notes in his blog that S.B. 265 could blaze a trail nationally. “North Carolina’s new hemp bill should serve as a model for states currently struggling with how to regulate hemp.”

For a summary of the bill and to track its progress, visit avl.mx/esq. Read the full bill at avl.mx/esp.

NEW HOME FOR THE GREEN ROOM

The Green Room will leave its downtown home at 51 College St. on Friday, May 30, and relocate to a new space at 1104 Hendersonville Road. The business will continue offering delivery via its website and is building an invitation email list for more cannabis-infused cuisine pop-ups, such as the comedy

events it’s produced with Slice of Life Comedy, says Green Room owner Kitty Love .

The Green Room, which is also a local arts collective, will offer affordable studio spaces and retail opportunities for locals at its new location, Love adds. “Everything we sell is made, manufactured or grown locally or regionally,” she says.

Learn more about The Green Room at avl.mx/ess.

SKY HIGH TOUR

Local food writer and tour guide Stu Helm will offer a special Sky High Tour aimed at Asheville hospitality workers on Monday, June 16. The three-hour walking tour, says Helm, is “specifically geared toward people who work in the food and beverage industry and might have Monday off.” Participants will visit six downtown hemp and cannabis businesses — three for smoking, three for edibles — and each guest will receive a gift bag filled with snacks, local products and more. The tour runs 2:30-5:30 p.m. Tickets are $85 each, two for $150 or three or more for $65 each. For more details and to reserve a spot, email Helm at stuhelmavl@ gmail.com.

MEETUP WITH MELLOW FELLOW

Vapor World at 640 Merrimon Ave. will host a free, drop-in event with representatives from the Mellow Fellow hemp product manufacturing and distribution company from noon-5 p.m. Friday, May 30. Attendees can mingle, learn about Mellow Fellow products and access exclusive deals, samples and swag.

For more information, visit avl.mx/esr.  X

ARTS & CULTURE

Federal fallout

Local arts organizations hit by NEA grant terminations

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

On May 2, just after 8 p.m., the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) sent emails to grant recipients informing them that their awards had been terminated, effective Saturday, May 31. Among the organizations that received these letters were Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), LEAF Global Arts and the Penland School of Craft, each of which were told that their NEA-funded projects do not align with the Trump administration’s new objectives.

“The NEA will now prioritize projects that elevate the Nation’s HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support the military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful and support the economic development of Asian American communities,” the email stated. “Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the Administration’s agenda.”

On May 13, ArtsAVL and the Asheville Art Museum — the two other NEA grant recipients in Western North Carolina — also received letters that their awards would be terminated on Sunday, June 15. All five recipients were given a week to appeal and provide documentation that their projects aligned with these specific priorities.

TAKING A STAND

The news came as a surprise to ACA co-founder and producing director Abby Felder, whose organization received a $15,000 grant in 2024 in support of the development and production of Petit Mondrian. The world premiere, created by local artist Edwin Salas, invites audiences 5 years and younger to explore shapes and colors inspired by the work of artist Piet Mondrian.

“Grasp of geometry is an important concept in developing literacy, so not only is this show entertaining, it also helps littles and the caregivers in the audience practice some foundational skills that are important for academic success later in life,” Felder says.

The award was authorized in summer 2024 and the funds for the approved activities have been spent. The ACA will not have to repay the grant. Still, the organization appealed the decision, arguing that byproducts of Petit Mondrian include supporting recovery from natural disasters and supporting health outcomes. Felder views the appeal as ACA’s “way of making a statement about the importance of work like Petit Mondrian and the work of the arts sector at large.”

Felder continues: “Our appeal is because we want to advocate for our community here in Western North Carolina, which deserves arts and culture that reflect our multiple stories and experiences. It’s done in solidarity with our fellow arts and cultural organizations, and our colleagues at the NEH, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and whichever other group that stewards culture and knowledge

FAN

Attendees enjoy a performance at one of LEAF Global Arts’ twice-yearly festivals. The organization lost significant funding after National Endowment for the

[that] is next in line to be defunded due to changing priorities.”

Felder does not expect future NEA awards, noting that even if the agency isn’t shuttered as the president’s draft budget for the fiscal year 2026 has proposed, the termination letter that ACA received indicates a narrowing of the type of work that will be supported by federal dollars. And despite the inclusion of multiple minority groups in the list of new priorities, Felder says it’s tough to take it as a sincere gesture considering the Jan. 20 executive order “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”

Particularly telling for her is the line about “projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” She notes that NEA applicants historically have to demonstrate how the project serves the public and prove its artistic excellence, and that proposals are reviewed by a panel of industry professionals, laypeople and a representative from the government.

“Focusing on the singular vision of an executive is a huge departure from the way the NEA has served to democratize culture, and I think is meant to intimidate artists by undermining the value of work as neither reflective of our nation’s many cultures nor as creative,” Felder says. “It’s meant to sow chaos and intimidate us so that we are afraid to use our toolkit to create the vibrant civic spaces that foster democracy. Personally, we at Asheville Creative Arts are resolved to not only continue to serve audiences of all ages in Western North Carolina but to expand our reach.”

Doing so, however, will involve finding alternative revenue streams to contin-

ue making ACA programs accessible. According to Felder, NEA funding allows her group to offer performances for free or at very low cost while still paying artists and administrators a living wage. The grants also make it possible for ACA to bring arts to remote communities in the region at very little expense to the institutions that host performances.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

LEAF Global Arts received $35,000 from the NEA for performance art. According to Jennifer Pickering, LEAF co-executive director, the NEA has been the nonprofit’s primary source of funding for over 20 years with this particular grant going toward headlining artists for its twice-yearly festivals and the visiting teaching artists who work in local schools and the community before the festival.

Like Felder, Pickering received a termination letter on May 2. Then she was hit with more troubling news.

“There are several other grants we get from other organizations that are funded by the NEA grants, so we’re losing those as well,” Pickering says.

“We’re probably looking in the $75,000 to $90,000 range [of total losses of LEAF’s $1.5 million operating budget], which is significant for us, especially right now.”

LEAF’s programming regularly features Black, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian American artists, and the nonprofit also has numerous veterans on its staff. Pickering did not appeal the decision.

“The pieces that they are choosing to support in the letter of termination, we don’t fall into those,” she says.

FAVORITE:

Arts grants were terminated. Photo by Steve Atkins/LEAF Global Arts

“And because of the range of dedication to diversity and multicultural [values] and all the things that allow people to be themselves — LGBTQ to diversity, equity, inclusion, all those pieces — we’re definitely not a match at this moment. And we’re not interested in compromising our values and what we are.”

The NEA news arrived less than a week before the Spring LEAF Retreat, which Pickering viewed as “a love letter to the community. But she also says going forward with the festival was a questionable decision. LEAF does not receive NEA funding in advance and has to do ”fairly extensive“ reporting ”that will judge what we get — if anything,“ says Pickering.

The festival’s fall edition marks the nonprofit’s 30th anniversary, and while Pickering says some smaller pieces of the celebration occurred over the May 9-11 weekend, the bigger components are slated for October. With budgetary issues now looming, she and her colleagues are hard at work finding new funding sources and local partners.

“We’re not very aggressive about our fundraising,” she says. “We’re much better giving away tickets and giving away things. But we’re hopeful, too. There’s a lot of LEAF love out there.”

CLOUDY FUTURE

ArtsAVL, the designated arts agency for Buncombe County, received a $75,000 NEA grant. According to Executive Director Katie Cornell, ArtsAVL’s grant contract was already set to end on Monday, June 30. Similar to ACA’s situation, her organization will not have to repay any of the funding — all of which has already been received and subgranted through its Grassroot Arts Program (GAP) grant.

Eighteen of the 43 GAP recipients received part of this NEA funding, and additional funding from the NC Arts Council and Buncombe County Arts & Culture Block Grant rounded out the program’s funds.

Though Cornell is disappointed with the NEA grant terminations in WNC and has requested further information to help ArtsAVL decide whether to appeal since its project is complete, she’s more concerned about the next funding cycle as GAP was already slated to take a hit from the N.C. General Assembly.

“It likely means reduced Grassroots Arts Program funding for 2025–26, compounding the loss already caused by the state’s tier-based restriction on state arts funding,” she says. “Forty

percent of NEA funding also goes directly to the State Arts Agencies. It is unclear how [the priority changes] will impact future NEA funding to the North Carolina Arts Council, which will in turn impact arts organizations across the state.”

The Asheville Art Museum notes cuts to its NEA funding grant totaled $145,000 and went toward curatorial programs.

As for broader efforts, Arts N.C., a statewide advocacy organization, is conducting a survey of North Carolina arts organizations that have received NEA funding in the last year to see how many had grants terminated. And on May 13, hours before the second wave of NEA termination letters were sent, Arts N.C. announced its NC Needs the NEA campaign. The call-to-action provides North Carolinians with resources to send emails and make phone calls to Congress to share their support for the NEA. North Carolina arts organizations are also encouraged to sign on to a letter to the North Carolina congressional delegation, “urging them to support this federal agency and all that it does to support and grow local economies and communities.” X

This is (still) pop

BY BILL KOPP

The music of one of the most creative bands of the Rock Era is back. The band itself is not. But a new project brings the music of XTC to the stage for the first time in 43 years.

Led by the band’s original drummer, EXTC has the blessing of Andy Partridge, the original band’s primary songwriter and de facto leader. EXTC comes to The Grey Eagle on Tuesday, May 27.

Swindon, England’s XTC was one of the brightest lights on the New Wave music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. Originally launched as Helium Kidz, the group featured guitarist Partridge, bassist-songwriter Colin Moulding, keyboardist Barry Andrews and drummer Terry Chambers. Signed to Richard Branson’s Virgin Records, XTC started out making nervy, artrock-flavored punk. Idiosyncratic vocals, angular rhythms and bracing keyboard runs coupled with the group’s quirky, uptempo music set the band apart from its contemporaries.

STUDIO RATS

Early XTC albums White Music and Go 2, both released in 1978, earned critical praise but sold modestly. Drums and Wires in 1979 brought a measure of success to the group, fueled by a Moulding-penned hit single, a sardonic look at British privilege in the Thatcher era, “Making Plans for Nigel.” The band’s fourth LP, 1980’s Black Sea, finally cracked the U.S. market, reaching No. 41 on the Billboard album chart.

ARE YOU RECEIVING ME? More than four decades after XTC ceased touring, original drummer Terry Chambers leads EXTC, a trio that celebrates the music of his old band. Pictured, from left, are Steve Hampton, Chambers and Terry Lines. Photo courtesy of EXTC

Yet with fame came difficulties. On tour in 1982, Partridge suffered a nervous breakdown onstage in Paris; soon thereafter, XTC ceased public performances. Save for occasional in-store and radio appearances, the group’s era as a live unit was over.

The music, however, only improved. With versatile guitarist Dave Gregory, XTC continued as a studio project, crafting better and more intricate albums with each passing release. Their studio rat working methods had no place for a permanent drummer, so in 1982 Chambers left the band, eventually relocating to Australia.

Even in the absence of public appearances, XTC flourished creatively, moving in more baroque, art-rock and even

Andy, I’d like to go out and continue with this.’ And he said, ‘Yes, and I think you should call it EXTC.’”

The name clearly references yet distinguishes itself from the old band and includes Chambers’ initials. “That was good enough for me,” says Chambers. EXTC premiered in 2019, but almost as soon as the group began, COVID-19 put things on hiatus. The trio resumed in 2021, playing across the U.K. (including a high-profile set at the Isle of Wight Festival) and Europe to great acclaim.

EXTC makes effective use of the power trio format. Guitarist Steve Hampton and bassist Terry Lines both sing, and the trio blends songs like “Life Begins at the Hop,” the oddball love paean “Statue of Liberty” and “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” into the streamlined setup.

The substantial musical backgrounds of the three musicians equip them well to tackle the tricky (and deceptively straightforward-sounding) tunes from XTC albums like Oranges and Lemons, Nonsuch, English Settlement and the Todd Rundgren-produced quasi-concept album Skylarking.

progressive directions while crafting memorable pop melodies. The group scored hits with “Senses Working Overtime,” the controversial “Dear God” and 1989’s “Mayor of Simpleton.”

Always at loggerheads with their label and sometimes forced to take on odd jobs to make ends meet, the members of XTC grew apart, and the band ceased operations in 2006. But the group’s body of work has influenced countless artists, sometimes even drawing comparisons with The Beatles.

Many bands of the Rock Era have mustered reunions or kept things going long after their music’s sell-by date. Not XTC: Even beyond Partridge’s distaste for touring, the prickly nature of relationships among the band’s former members make a reunion exceedingly unlikely.

Yet interest in XTC’s music endures. In 2017, drummer Chambers teamed up with bassist Moulding as TC&I, crafting a well-received album that bore some of their old band’s spirit. Moulding wasn’t interested in touring, but over a few beers with Partridge, Chambers received his former bandmate’s blessing for a new project that would celebrate XTC’s music.

POWER TRIO

“Nobody’s more surprised than me, to be fair,” Chambers says, explaining how it all went down. “I said, ‘Look,

A veteran of the touring lineups of other ’80s sensations like The Vapors and Joe Jackson’s band, Hampton has been with the group since 2019. “Steve came up to Swindon and said, ‘I’ll give you a run and help out for a short time,’” Chambers says with a laugh. “He’s been with me ever since.”

When the group’s original bassist had to bow out due to EXTC’s packed concert schedule, Hampton brought in Lines, who, Chambers says, is a longtime fan of XTC’s music. “Steve, however, wasn’t originally a fan,” he adds. “But once we got going, he thought, ‘Well, yeah. It’s not too bad a thing!’”

The chemistry among the three players has brought forth some unexpected benefits. “Once we get some time off the road, we’ve got some stuff of our own that we can throw into the arena,” Chambers teases.

Though plans are in the works to record some of that original EXTC material, Asheville concertgoers shouldn’t expect to hear any of it on the current tour. “People are here to listen to XTC songs,” Chambers emphasizes. “And even with two hours, we’re still having to leave quite a few great ones out.” X

Mission implausible

Yeast protocols at White Labs Brewing Co.

BY CHRISTOPHER ARBOR

On Jan. 1, Christopher Arbor and his friends pledged to visit one Asheville brewery each week for all of 2025 in the order that they opened, then share the experience with Mountain Xpress readers. Read about their recent trip to Zebulon Artisan Ales at avl.mx/esl.

“Stay frosty,” I said through clenched teeth as we deftly breached the perimeter of White Labs Brewing Co. on South Charlotte Street. Burke had to pause to tie his shoe.

“Leave him!” I bellowed to the others.

I held the front door and yelled, “Go! Go! Go!” as my squad casually strolled in.

Jeff was distracted by a sign at the bar. “$3 pints every Wednesday?!?!”

He pulled out his phone to add it to his running list of the best beer deals in Asheville.

I swatted it out of his hands. “There’s no time for that! Eyes on the prize, soldier!”

And the prize? Our ultimate objective? What could be better than a $3 pint of stellar beer? I’m so glad you asked.

Brewing 101: Beer is made from four glorious ingredients — water,

malt, hops and yeast. I think most beer lovers understand how the malt and hops affect the flavor of beer. A nice dark porter uses well-roasted malt; an IPA is packed with lots of hops.

The water is more subtle, but I can tell you that some brewers can get very nerdy about the quality of their H2O. That’s one of the reasons so many breweries have come to Asheville. We have clean, cheap water.

However, I don’t think many of us spend much time thinking about that fourth essential ingredient: yeast. The company White Labs opened in San Diego in 1995 as a producer of brewer’s yeast. It opened a brewery in the same city in 2012, then another in Asheville in 2015.

And here’s the thing White Labs does that’s so extraordinarily cool: Every time the company brews a beer, it brews it twice, keeping all the ingredients the same except for the yeast.

So, what’s better than a $3 pint of stellar beer? Ordering a flight so you can taste the sibling beers side by side. For example, White Labs’ nut brown ale brewed with an English yeast is bready, while the one brewed with an Irish yeast has hazelnut notes.

YEAR BINEER

Words can’t adequately capture the experience, but tasting the two side by side is both delicious and educational, as it really illuminates the profound impact the yeast makes. Whether you’re a beer nerd or just a casual consumer, it’s definitely worth checking out.

When I got to the front of the line, I ordered a flight for me and a flight for Jeff — to compensate him for breaking his new phone.

“I’m sorry about that,” I said when we settled in with our crew.

He tasted both versions of White Labs’ doppelbock.

“Worth it,” he said.

Mission accomplished. Cheers to fermentation education!

Come join us on another adventure. We gather at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. You can email me at yearinbeerasheville@gmail.com or just show up.

• May 28: New Belgium Brewing Co.

• June 4: Whistle Hop Brewing X

FLIGHT OF FANCY: Burke Rogers educates himself on yeast and fermentation with a White Labs Brewing Co. beer flight. Photo by Christopher Arbor

Openings

WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD

by Gina Smith | gsmith@mountainx.com

Short Sleeves Coffee — After launching as a roastery in 2021, Emily and Daniel Lancaster’s Short Sleeves Coffee opened a café on May 15 at 222 Whitson Ave., Swannanoa. The couple had planned a November 2024 launch but were delayed by Tropical Storm Helene. The restored historic space, originally home to a 1920s gas station, features indoor and outdoor seating and an area for small children. In addition to house-roasted coffees, drinks include teas, house-made ginger ale, lemonade and more. Breakfast sandwiches and pastries are available from local makers. Hours are 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Learn more at avl.mx/esf.

Pho Real — Vietnamese restaurant Pho Real opened May 6 at 640 Merrimon Ave. in the Merrimon Square shopping center. The menu offers pho, banh mi sandwiches and more. Hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. For the full menu, visit avl.mx/esh.

Bud’s Kolaches and Texas Fare — On April 29, Bud’s Kolaches and Texas Fare opened inside BattleCat Coffee Bar at 373 Haywood Road, offering sweet and savory kolache pastries. Bud’s replaces Tiger Bay Café, which had operated in the space since 2012 but did not reopen after Tropical Storm Helene. For more, follow BattleCat at avl.mx/esi.

Leadership change at Asheville Brewers Alliance

Asheville Brewers Alliance (ABA) Executive Director Karis Roberts will step down from her role on Thursday, May 29, following the conclusion of Asheville Beer Week. After Roberts’ departure, the ABA board of directors will engage with members to determine the best way forward for the organization, according to a May 12 press release. “This is an opportunity to listen closely, recenter our mission and rebuild in a way that reflects the resilience and creativity of our brewing community,” said ABA board President Aaron Wilson in the announcement. Roberts joined the ABA as director in December 2022. Visit avl.mx/e7v for more information. X

Taste of Black Asheville

Black Wall Street AVL’s annual GRINDFest returns this month with multiple events, including the Taste of Black Asheville brunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, May 23, at the A-B Tech/ Mission Health Conference Center. The brunch celebrates women leaders, says a press release from organizer Joseph Hackett. The keynote speaker is diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility leader Alaysia Black Hackett Food will be provided by Addissae, Kente Kitchen, Deep Time Coffee and other local Black-owned businesses. Live music will be performed by Lyric. Tickets are $25. Visit avl.mx/eso to learn more. X

Oak and Grist wins gold

Black Mountain-based Oak and Grist Distilling Co. brought home a gold medal from the recent 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its Descendent single-malt whiskey, the company announced in a May 8 press release. The whiskey, made with 100% locally grown and malted barley, received the award in the American Single Malt Whiskey category. For more on Oak and Grist, visit avl.mx/esc. X

Asheville Beer Week(s)

Launched in 2011, Asheville Beer Week has supersized this year, stretching from its kickoff on May 15 through Thursday, May 29. The packed schedule includes tastings, beer releases, live music, comedy performances, the Beer City 20K Relay race, Battle of the Brewery Bands and a collaborative Pintxo Party with chef Katie Button Jess Reiser of Burial Beer and Jael Skeffington of French Broad Chocolates. For the full schedule, visit avl.mx/esb. X

reopened for business

Hi-Wire Brewing — After its taproom and offices were destroyed by flooding from Helene, Hi-Wire Brewing’s River Arts District Beer Garden and Distribution Center at 284 Lyman St. will host a reopening celebration noon-9 p.m. Saturday, May 24. The event will feature music, food trucks and a makers market, according to a press release. The lineup of 24 draft beers includes three World Beer Cup silver medal winners. Attendees can view a new mural in the Beer Garden by local artist XCVI that visually depicts community resilience in the wake of the flood. For more on the event, visit avl.mx/esj.

Grind AVL — Black-owned River Arts District coffee shop and co-working space Grind AVL held its post-Helene reopening on May 10 as part of the RAD Renaissance celebration. “After being hit hard by Hurricane Helene, we didn’t know what the future held for Grind,” reads an Instagram post announcing the relaunch. “But one thing we did know — entrepreneurship is about resilience. And today we’re standing tall.” Grind AVL is at 346 Depot St. Learn more at avl.mx/esn. X

Photo of Alaysia Black Hackett courtesy of GRINDFest

Photo of Roberts by Brenden Almand

Photo of Descendent whiskey courtesy of Oak and Grist Distilling Co.

ButterPunk rocks the block

Coffee, biscuits and baked goods are hot at the new Depot Street shop

BY KAY WEST

kswest55@comcast.net

The early birds get the biscuits at ButterPunk. The new Depot Street coffee shop and bakery held its grand opening on May 10 as part of the upper River Arts District’s RAD Renaissance celebration.

ButterPunk rang the breakfast bell two hours before the festival’s 10 a.m. kickoff — good news for the people at the door eager to get their hands on one of pastry chef Beth Kellerhals’ butter bomb biscuits, made famous during her four years of residency at local tailgate markets.

Standing at the register was Kellerhals’ partner, friend and fellow pastry chef, Dana Amromin

“Opening day was a zoo!” recalls Amromin with delight. “People all over the dining room, out the door and down the sidewalk. It was wild.” By noon, everything was sold out; the second day of business was a repeat of the first.

Kellerhals moved to Asheville in 2019 after attending college in South Carolina, studying abroad in China, then going to pastry school in Chicago, followed by a stint in Los Angeles, where she worked for (now celebrity chefs) Brooke Williamson and Roy Choi. Quite unintentionally, she found her biscuit groove at Smorgasburg open air market in LA and developed a pimento cheese scone with a chef from Raleigh. Scones and biscuits went on hold when Kellerhals moved to Asheville to help develop French Broad Chocolates’ ice cream program. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she pulled out her specialties and debuted as Good Gravy Bakes in 2021 at the East Asheville Tailgate Market. “I brought everything in packs of four and sold out in half an hour. I didn’t see that coming,” she recalls.

Kellerhals gave Amromin her first job out of Le Cordon Bleu’s pastry program at Williamson’s Beechwood restaurant in 2010. A few years later, Amromin moved to Seattle to run the creamery program for Cupcake

Royale, then was pastry sous chef for Rachel Yang’s restaurant group.

Amromin gave Asheville a short whirl in 2022, returned to LA then moved to WNC permanently with partner Leo Zimmer (also a pastry chef) in 2024, finding her sweet spot at Potential New Boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Kellerhals had tired of markets. “I wanted a place where people could come inside, and I could hold their baby,” she says with a laugh.

The place — 372 Depot St. — presented itself in February 2024. She signed the lease in July, Amromin became a partner in August, and they began the buildout shortly before Tropical Storm Helene stepped in. Fortunately, they had not yet installed equipment, decorated or furnished the first-floor space, which took on 5 feet of water when the RAD flooded. After cleanup was completed in January, the team began the transformation

People arriving at ButterPunk are greeted with cheery bursts of color, whimsy and kitsch — “Betsy Johnson was our design North Star,” says Kellerhals. The main room is awash in pink, with nods to Kellerhals’ love for all things Chinese and British, an enormous octopus chandelier strung with paper lanterns (installed by Zimmer), retro bar stools, wooden chairs sourced from Zambra’s basement (refurbished by Zimmer) and a large community table. A giant pink-framed mirror in the bathroom evokes a portal to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

The menu offers four biscuit sandwiches with more to come, while the antique pastry case displays sweet and savory scones, cookies, shortbread, cakes and pies. Kellerhals says the strong coffee program, which features beans from women-owned roasters, was crucial to her vision.

“The day we opened, so many of my market customers came in, and I was teary all day,” she says. “I really feel the love here.”

ButterPunk is at 372 Depot St. Hours are 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Thursday-Monday. Follow ButterPunk at avl.mx/e9k. X

BUTTERED UP: From left, pastry chefs Dana Amromin and Beth Kellerhals launched their biscuit and coffee concept, ButterPunk, this month on Depot Street, eight months after the space was flooded by Tropical Storm Helene.

Photo by Caleb Johnson

by Edwin Arnaudin |

You Are Here Festival of the Arts

Though no longer the epicenter of consumerism, the Asheville Mall endures and is home to the new artist collective the Mall R.A.T.S. (Radical Artists Taking Up Space), whose members transform its unused spaces through exhibitions, craft pop-ups, immersive installations and educational opportunities.

On Saturday, May 24, the collective presents You Are Here, a one-day open call and same-day-install exhibition. Any artist living in Western North Carolina is invited to bring ready-to-display work that’s suitable for audiences of all ages to the gallery space, located in the main corridor beside JCPenney, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Mall R.A.T.S. will prepare and hang every submission possible until the walls are filled. An opening reception will be held that night, 5-7 p.m., and the exhibition will remain up through Friday, Aug. 22.

In addition to celebrating the resilience of local artists, You Are Here

seeks to highlight the importance of creative expression in the wake of disasters like Tropical Storm Helene. To learn more, visit avl.mx/es7  X

Outdoor event season is fully upon us, and with it the fourth annual Downtown Asheville Memorial Day Weekend Festival of the Arts returns. The showcase of local art and works from artists based across the U.S. takes place Saturday-Sunday, May 24-25, in Pack Square Park. The event runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days.

Jewelry, visual art, handcrafted apparel and more mediums will be represented, and artists will be on-site throughout the weekend to discuss their work with attendees.

According to a press release, the original creations were selected by “an independent panel of expert judges from hundreds of applicants.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to showcase the brilliant work of local artists,” says event founder Howard Alan. “The annual festival brings thousands of visitors and patrons into local businesses, hotels and restaurants while providing inspiration and beauty to the Asheville community.” Free to attend. To learn more, visit avl.mx/es8. X

Liz Williams, left, and Erik Mace. Photo courtesy of Mall R.A.T.S. Painting by Leicester-based artist Joe de Sousa. Image courtesy of the artist

As resilient as any art form, if not more so, burlesque has a rich local history that’s feted each year during ABSFest. Western North Carolina’s original burlesque and variety festival returns for its 16th edition Thursday-Sunday, May 22-25, with a curated selection of national, international and regional talent at venues across town.

The 2025 headliners include Oregon-based glam metal showgirl Natasha Riot and Virginia-based Jo’Rie Tigerlily. Among the other acts are the FanDom Nerdlesque Show, where everything from sexy Star Wars to sassy Super Mario

Snoozefest

Ever been to a music festival that included a Nordic sauna and cold plunge? Welcome to Snoozefest. Its inaugural edition takes place Sunday, May 25, 1-6 p.m., at The Overlook at Drip Sauna in North Asheville.

The brainchild of longtime local musician Juan Holladay, the event includes performances by Pink Mercury, Boat Command, Eli Kahn and Ben Hovey (plus Holliday’s band, The Secret B-Sides), as well as a DJ set from the organizer under his alias, DJ Aoli. Local vendors will also be on-site, food will be available to purchase, and Holladay promises that “hammocks, giant bean bag chairs and canvas outdoor beds will be plentiful.”

“The people of Asheville deserve a chance to chill and let the time go by unnoticed after everything they’ve been through this past year,” says a

are brought to life onstage, and the ABSFest Speakeasy, in which local band Drayton & the Dreamboats play jazz while belly dancers, sword-swallowers and additional artists perform. Belly dance, burlesque and drag workshops will also be offered.

“Year after year, ABSFest brings incredible performers and teachers to town, ready to charm and disarm our audiences,” says Lauren “Madame Onça” O’Leary, founder of the festival. “Empowerment is always our goal, and at this point in history, empowerment is essential.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/col  X

press release. “Juan and friends are hoping to provide that experience and foster a sense of genuine community through music, wellness and simply hanging out by the French Broad River.”

Tickets are $40. To reserve your spot and learn more, visit avl.mx/es9  X

Grand Re-Opening Bash! River Arts District Beer Garden

Noon - 9pm Sat., May 24th 284 Lyman St, Asheville

Live Music • Food Trucks Maker Market Visual Performers

ABSFest performers Paolo Garbanzo, left, and Madame Onça. Photo courtesy of ABSFest

Juan Holladay. Photo by Benjamin Ellis

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

CAMDEN'S COFFEE

HOUSE

Open Mic Night, 7pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Songwriters Open Mic w/Miriam & Drayton, 7pm

ELUVIUM BREWERY

The Candleers (country), 5pm

EULOGY

Buffalo Nichols (blues), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

PSK Pole Dancing w/ Karaoke, 9pm

FOOTHILLS GRANGE

Trivia Nights, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam Wednesdays, 6:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

LEVELLER BREWING

CO.

Hard Beer Trivia & Blind Taste Test, 6pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Slim Pickin's (bleugrass), 10pm

PULP

Julianna Jade & The Wild w/McKinney & Eli Kahn (pop, rock, funk), 7:30pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

Angel Chantel & Underbrush (bluegrass, swing, roots), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Richard Shindell w/ Many a Ship (acoustic), 8pm

THE MULE

Wednesday Jazz Sessions, 6pm

CLUBLAND

THE ODD

Radian, Silent Monolith & Sunbearer (rock, sludge, doom-metal)), 8pm

THE RIVER ARTS

DISTRICT BREWING CO.

Bottoms Up! Comedy Showcase, 8pm

THIRD ROOM

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Open Mic Night, 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Straight Ahead Wednesdays w/Tim Fischer (jazz), 7:30pm

THURSDAY, MAY 22

12 BONES

SMOKEBOUSE & BREWING

Alma Russ (folk, blues, bluegrass), 5:30pm

27 CLUB

Bruschetta Delorean (dark, psych-synth, rock), 9pm

BOTANIST & BARREL TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP

Comedy Show, 6:30pm

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

The Cheeks & DJ Bird Flu (dark-surf, 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

YIKES! Dating Disaster Comedy w/Sarah Love, 7:30pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

Irish Session, 6pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Felonious Monks (blues, funk, rock), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Cannon Rogers (psychfolk, blues), 9pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

Andy Fontenot (acoustic-soul), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Charlotte Bluegrass Allstars, 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/Franco Nino, 9pm

SIERRA NEVADA

BREWING CO.

The Infamous String Dusters (prog-bluegrass), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Bios+a+ic, Rotovator & Half Blind Eyes (synth, metal, acoustic), 7:30pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Stand Up Comedy Night, 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

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

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Hope Griffin (folk), 7pm THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Kimberly Morgan York (country, pop), 6pm

THE ODD

The Hi Helens (indie), 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Trivia Night, 6:30pm

TWIN WILLOWS The Candleers (country), 6pm

WICKED WEED BREWING Owen Walsh (acoustic), 5pm

FRIDAY, MAY 23

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Friday Night Fever: Dance Through The Decades, 8pm

BURIAL BEER CO. FORESTRY CAMP TAPROOM Future Islands (alt-indie, synth-pop), 7pm CORK & KEG Joe Troop's Truth Machine w/Daniel Ullom & Emma Rast (old-time), 8pm

CROW & QUILL Firecracker Jazz Band (swing, jazz), 8:30pm

DSSOLVR Crushing It! AVL Beer Week Comedy Show, 10pm

EULOGY

Divas & Disco: Drag & Dance Night, 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S The inhibitors, Blissful Thoughts w/Puppy & the Dogs (indie-punk, garage), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE Comedy at Catawba: Kate Willett, 7pm

HEMINGWAY'S CUBA Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Blaggards (Irish, rock'n'roll), 8:30pm LEAF GLOBAL ARTS Jazz Jam, 6pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE

Newfound Gap Band (bluegrass, old-time), 6pm

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO. Abby Bryant & The Echoes (Americana, soul-rock), 5:30pm

BILL’S GARAGE BIRTHDAY SHOW: On Friday, May 23, indie-rock band Bill’s Garage performs at Static Age Records, starting at 9 p.m. The show will also ring in the last year of Bill’s 20s with local bands Paprika and Chilltonic joining the lineup.

Photo courtesy of Joanna Guy

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

The Big Throwback (jazz, R&B, funk), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Alligator Pear (multigenre), 10pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

C.J. Brewer (acoustic), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

The Wobblers (blues, roots, soul), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

Asheville Guitar Tribute to Jeff Beck, 6:30pm

REGINA'S WESTSIDE

IBN Breakfast Club: West Asheville, 9am

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Bill's Garage, Paprika & Chilltonic (grunge-folk, indie-rock), 9pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Soul Blue (soul, blues, R&B), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

TrancEnd (prog-rock), 7pm

THE ODD

Porcelain Parrot, Rhinestone Pickup Truck & Curbside Loveseat (indie-rock, emo, punk), 8pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Ashley Heath (Americana, blues, country), 6pm

THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

THIRD ROOM

Kursa Live Hardware

Tour w/Luma & Dagget (electronic, bass), 8:30pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

Daniel Shearin (acoustic), 7pm

WICKED WEED WEST

Kevin Dolan & Paul Koptak (folk, Americana), 5:30pm

SATURDAY, MAY 24

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Machine Funk (Widespread Panic tribute), 9pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5:30pm CORK & KEG

Resonant Rogues (folk, jazz), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Meschiya Lake & The Moodswingers (blues, jazz), 8:30pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Alma Russ (folk, blues, bluegrass), 8pm

EULOGY

• Modelface Comedy Presents: Billy Wayne Davis, 7pm

• Dance Underground w/In Plain Sight & BLK

SVN & Ana Leja (electronic, house), 10pm

FLEETWOOD'S Bad Bad Luck, Fashion Bath & Starseer (indierock), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Laughs On Tap: Improv Comedy Show, 7:30pm

HATCH AVL

AMPHITHEATER

Battle of the Brewery Bands, 1pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Nobody’s Darling String Band, 4pm

• Blaggards (Irish, rock'n'roll), 8:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

The Abbey Elmore Band (soul, indie-pop), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

• Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachian, soul), 6pm

• Carson Moore (bluegrass, jazz), 10pm

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

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Cast Iron (bluegrass), 4pm

• Dirty Bird w/Reggie Headen & Nightime Noon (rock, alt-jazz), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Jerry’s Dead (Grateful Dead tribute), 4pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

Unspoken Tradition (bluegrass), 2pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Alligator Pear (multigenre), 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT Time Lapse (house), 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Split Silk, Serrate, amorebeautifulversionofyou & d0shin the Giant (screamo, post-hardcore), 8pm

THE FUNKATORIUM Funk DJ Series w/Hot Bread Selectors, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Blue Country Line Dance's Giddy-Up Brunch, 11am

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

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Roots & Dore (Americana, blues, rock), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Jon Nolan & Good Co. (Americana, pop), 6pm

THE ODD Party Foul Drag, 8pm

THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN

Rod Sphere (soul, rock, reggae), 5pm

THIRD ROOM

Resueño w/Mose, Lyakuh & J. Pool (multigenre), 7pm

SUNDAY, MAY 25

27 CLUB

New Variants, In Dog Year, Forfeiture & Old Dead Gods (metal, rock'n'roll), 8pm

CORK & KEG

• Milonga Del Barrio (Argentine-tango), 3pm

• Amis du Teche (Cajun), 7pm

EULOGY

Teathyme Takeover (jazz, disco, house), 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S Bloodletting: Gothic Dance Night, 8:30pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Sunday Jazz Jam, 2:30pm

HATCH AVL

AMPHITHEATER

Phuncle Sam (Grateful Dead tribute), 3pm

HEMINGWAY'S CUBA

Sunset Sunday's w/Para Gozar (Appalachian, Latin), 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• The Bluegrass Boys, 12pm

• Traditional Irish Music Session, 3:30pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

Cajun Jam, 3pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

TrancEnd (trip-hop, electronica, prog-rock), 6pm

Rice Pilsner w/ Cherry Blossoms Czech Amber Lager

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Shakedown Sunday (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Suns of Stars Sunday Residency (bluegrass), 2pm

• One Love Sundays (reggae), 7pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6:30pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

Chillbilly (Southern-rock), 2pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Open Mic w/Mike Andersen, 6:30pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Carolina Bluegrass Style (bluegrass), 2pm

THE ODD

Ape Vermin, Bog Monkey & Canopy (sludge, metal), 9pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Sunday Afternoon Club (multi-genre), 5:30pm

THE RAD BREW CO. RAD Comedy w/Chris Martin, 7pm

THIRD ROOM

Post The Wave w/DJ

Taz, Rashid, Numatik & Momentology (multigenre), 8:30pm

VOWL

Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic, 7pm

MONDAY, MAY 26

27 CLUB

27 Club Karaoke, 10pm

EULOGY

Emery w/'68 & FLAKE (emo, post-hardcore, rock'n'roll), 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Best Ever Karaoke, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

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

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 6:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Mashup Mondays w/ JLloyd, 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Memorial Day w/The MUG Band (roots-rock, blues), 2pm

SIERRA NEVADA

BREWING CO. Congdon Griffin Band (rock'n'roll, Americana, folk), 2pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

The Hot Seat Comedy, 7pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

TUESDAY, MAY 27

ARCHETYPE BREWING

Trivia Tuesdays w/Party Grampa, 6:30pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Eda's Bluegrass Jam w/ Alex Bazemore, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 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

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Open Jam, 8pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Trivia, 9:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

EXTC: XTC's Terry Chambers & Friends (post-punk, new-wave), 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 28

27 CLUB

Bryan Bielanski w/Aaron Lane & Ben Balmer (rock'n'roll), 8pm

CAMDEN'S COFFEE

HOUSE

Open Mic Night, 7pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Songwriters Open Mic w/Miriam & Drayton, 7pm

ELUVIUM BREWERY

The Candleers (country), 5pm

EULOGY

Maggie Koerner w/Julie

Odell & Claire Whall (alt-indie, rock, folk), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S PSK Pole Dancing w/ Karaoke, 9pm

FOOTHILLS GRANGE Trivia Nights, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam Wednesdays, 6:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL After Ours (jazz), 10pm PULP

Asheville Guitar Bar Presents: MGBS & Rhythm Rockits (Americana, R&B, country), 7pm

PISGAH BREWING

CO.

Rick Hornyak & The Highway Companions (Americana, rock), 6pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Andrew Duhon (pop, blues, folk), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

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

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Well-Crafted Music Series: Matt Smith w/ Phil Barker, Zach Smith, Rick Cooper & Evan Martin (multi-genre), 6pm

THE MULE

Wednesday Jazz Sessions, 6pm

THIRD ROOM Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm

VOWL Cheap & Trashy Comedy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

• Irish Session, 5pm

• Melissa McKinney's Bad Ass Blues Jam, 7:30pm

THURSDAY, MAY 29

12 BONES

SMOKEBOUSE & BREWING

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

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Steely Dead (Steely Dan & Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

CROW & QUILL

Meschiya Lake & Whitney Moore (swing, jazz), 8:30pm

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

Found Footage Fest: 20th Anniversary Show (comedy), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Holland Negative, Timothy Eerie, Places & Yawni (indie, psych), 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

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Julianna Jade (indiesoul), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Protogiraffe (funk, jazz, rock), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Mountain Medicine Duo (Appalachian, folk), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Watkins (indie-rock, psych-pop), 6:30pm

ROCKY'S HOT CHICKEN SHACK SOUTH Wings & Strings: Acklen Walker, 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/Franco Nino, 9pm

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

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Osprey Orchestra Acoustic (bluegrass, rock, Americana), 5:30pm

• Red Baraat (hip-hop, jazz, punk), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

All Female Singer-Songwriter Night, 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Fancy & the Gentleman (Americana, honky-tonk, rock), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Trivia Night, 6:30pm

TWIN WILLOWS The Candleers (country), 6pm

WICKED WEED BREWING Beer & Loathing (rock, funk, country), 5pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I think you’re ready to establish new ways of nourishing and protecting what’s valuable to you. Your natural assertiveness will be useful in setting boundaries and securing resources. Your flourishing intuition will guide you to implement adjustments that safeguard your interests while remaining flexible enough to permit legitimate access. Be extra alert, Aries, for when you need to balance security with accessibility. Your best defenses will come from clever design, not brute force. Do what you need to feel secure without feeling trapped.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In July 1971, 26-yearold Taurus poet Bernadette Mayer kept a scrupulous diary. Every day, she shot a roll of 35 mm film, wrote about the day’s events, and recorded herself reading her accounts. By Aug. 1, she had accumulated 1,100 photos and six hours of readings. One of her goals in doing the project was to learn more about how her memory worked. What was worth remembering and what wasn’t? She also hoped to gain an objective perspective about her routine rhythm. Years later, she acknowledged that though this was a narcissistic experiment, she had no shame about it. Inspired by Mayer, and in accordance with astrological omens, you might find it worthwhile to lovingly and thoroughly study the details of your daily life for a while. It’s an excellent time to get to know yourself better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini writer Raymond Carter (1938–88) established a reputation as a master of terse minimalism. One critic noted that he practiced the “Theory of Omission”— an approach to writing fiction that mandates the elimination of superfluous narrative elements. But it turns out that Carver’s editor Gordon Lish had a major role in all this. He deleted half of Carver’s original words and changed the endings of half his stories. Years after his death, Carver’s widow, Tess Gallagher, published the original versions with the omitted material reinstated. I believe the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to make comparable restorations, Gemini. In every way you can imagine, tell the full story, provide the complete rendition and offer elements that have been missing.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Even if you don’t regard yourself as a psychic or prophet, I suspect you now have an uncanny knack for deciphering trends. Your intuition is operating at peak levels, especially when you focus it on the big picture of your long-term destiny. As long as you’re not overconfident about this temporary bloom of expansive vision, you can trust your ability to see the deep patterns running through your life story. To make the most of this gift, take a loving inventory of where you have been and where you are going. Then devote relaxed meditations to adjusting your master plan.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): River deltas form where rivers meet the sea, creating fertile and complex ecosystems that nourish abundant life. Some of my favorites are the Rhône River Delta in France, the Po River Delta in Italy and the Shinano River Delta in Japan. In the coming weeks, Leo, I will visualize you as the metaphorical equivalent of a river delta. I’ll call you the Leo Delta, trusting you will be inspired to celebrate and cultivate the rich intersections that characterize your life — areas where an array of ideas, paths and relationships converge. Be open to synergizing different aspects of your world: integrating emotions and logic, connecting with diverse people, blending personal and professional goals.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your natural inclination is to solve problems through detailed planning and careful analysis. On occasion, that process dead-ends in overthinking, though it often works pretty well. In accordance with current astrological omens, however, I suggest an alternative approach for you in the coming weeks. Instead of trying to figure everything out, how about if you simply create a relaxed spaciousness for new things to emerge? Experiment with

the hypothesis that progress will come not from doing more, but from allowing more.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As they climb, mountaineers carefully assess every handhold and foothold. Unfailing concentration is key. I recommend adopting their attitude in the coming weeks, Libra. You are entering a phase when ascension and expansion will be among your main assignments. The best approach to your adventures is to make steady progress with precision and thoughtfulness. Rushing rashly ahead or taking needless risks could be counterproductive, so be scrupulous about planning and preparation. Trust that the most efficient path to the summit will be via small, deliberate steps. Your winning combination will be ambition leavened with caution.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): At age 42, Scorpio painter Georgia O’Keeffe left her busy New York art career and traveled to New Mexico for the first time. The landscape’s beauty overwhelmed her. She wandered around the desert for three months, creating no art at all. A few critics accused her of wasting time. She rejected their ignorant misunderstanding of her process, replying, “To see takes time. I had to learn the country first before it would let me paint it.”

Her most iconic paintings emerged after this phase of pure observation. I’m recommending a similar period for you, dear Scorpio. While your instincts may tempt you toward a flurry of activity, I believe now is a time to wait and see; to pause and ponder; to muse and meditate.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): By the 20th century, the 483-mile-long Seine River in France was so polluted that most of its fish were gone. But clean-up efforts have been successful. Now there are 32 fish species, including the Atlantic salmon. The Seine is also very close to being completely safe for humans to swim. I would love it if you were inspired by this success story to undertake a comparable project in your own life, Sagittarius. What would you most like to see revived and restored? Now is a good time to begin the effort.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Until she reached her 70s, Capricorn visual artist Louise Bourgeois was a peripheral figure in the art world, modestly respected but not acclaimed. Then New York’s Museum of Modern Art presented her work in a major show. In response, the New York Times reviewed her work, saying it was “charged with tenderness and violence, acceptance and defiance, ambivalence and conviction.” I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I suspect the coming months will also bring you recognition for labors of love you’ve been devoted to for a while — maybe not in the form of fame, but through an elevated appreciation by those whose opinion matters to you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The name of the old Talking Heads album is Stop Making Sense. One of its many implications is that we periodically derive benefit and relief from being free of the pressure to sound reasonable and be consistent. According to my detailed, logical, in-depth analysis of your astrological omens, now is a perfect time to honor this counsel. I hope you will give yourself a sabbatical from being sensible, serious and overly sane. Instead, please consider a sustained pursuit of pure pleasure, fun foolishness and amazing amusement.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be on high alert for fleeting intuitions that flow through your awareness. Really good ideas may rise up only briefly and only once, and you should be ready to catch them in the ripe moment before they fade away. Do you hear my urgency? Pay special attention to passing thoughts or sudden insights. They may contain more value than initially apparent. I will even speculate that seemingly ephemeral inspirations could become foundational elements in your future success. Document your hunches, even if they seem premature.

MARKETPLACE

Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE SERVICES

WESLEY FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC TIMESHARE CANCELLATION EXPERTS

Over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and fees canceled in 2019. Get free informational package and learn how to get rid of your timeshare! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 844-213-6711. (NC Press)

EMPLOYMENT

GENERAL

JOIN OUR MISSION: SENIOR FINANCE MANAGER AT UNITED WAY United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County seeks a Senior Finance Manager to lead accounting, reporting, and grants. Must excel in coaching, systems, and compliance. If you’re analytical, proactive, and process-focused, join our mission-driven team shaping long-term community impact. For more information and to apply, visit unitedwayabc.org/ employment-opportunities

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 walkins, 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.

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES

MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN

LEVEL 2 The LightEn Center of Consciousness & Action (LCCA) is a new 489-acre retreat center in Marshall, NC, set to open in September 2025. LCCA is hiring a Maintenance Technician Level 2. If you are interested in learning more please email cirwin@light-en.org for the full job description.

HOTEL/HOSPITALITY

DIRECTOR OF HOUSEKEEP-

ING The LightEn Center of Consciousness & Action (LCCA) is a new 489-acre retreat center in Marshall, NC, set to open in September 2025. The Director of Housekeeping will report directly to the Deputy General Manager and will manage a team of Housekeepers and Campus Attendants to create an exceptional guest experience. For the full job description please email cirwin@ light-en.org. Annual salary range: $112,000-$118,000

RETAIL

PART-TIME SALES/GALLERY

PERSONALS

MISSED

me, Carl Melissas. 828-551-6000

ASSOCIATE Kress Emporium in Downtown Asheville is hiring for a part-time Sales Associate. We are looking for a friendly, energetic addition to our team to assist with customers and our artists/ vendors. Weekend availability is essential. Please email your resume to kressemporium@ yahoo.com

HOME IMPROVEMENT

ELECTRICIAN

ELECTRICAL SERVICE Power to the People!  Serving Asheville and abroad. Troubleshooting, fixture hanging, can lights, generators, car chargers, remodels, new construction, we do it all! Licensed and insured.  Free Estimates. 828-551-9843. Vote for us in the Best Of awards!

HANDY MAN

HANDY MAN 40 years experience in the trades, with every skill/ tool imaginable for all trades with the exception of HVAC. No job too small. $35 an hour. Carl (828) 551-6000 electricblustudio@ gmail.com

NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM DAMAGE? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-833889-1843. (AAN CAN)

BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES in as little as one day. Superior quality bath and shower systems at affordable prices. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Call Now! 1-833-540-4699 (AAN CAN)

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY

DISABILITY? APPEAL! If you’re 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help. Win or pay Nothing! Strong, recent work history needed. 877-553-0252

[Steppacher Law Offices LLC

Principal Office: 224 Adams Ave Scranton PA 18503] (NC Press)

DO YOU OWE OVER $10,000 to the IRS or State in back taxes?

Get tax relief now! We’ll fight for you! 1-833-441-4783. (AAN CAN)

GET A BREAK ON YOUR

TAXES! Donate your car, truck, or SUV to assist the blind and visually impaired. Arrange a swift, no-cost vehicle pickup and secure a generous tax credit for 2025. Call Heritage for the Blind today at 1-855-869-7055 today! (NC Press)

GET DISH SATELLITE TV +

INTERNET! Free install, free HD-DVR upgrade, 80,000 on-demand movies, plus limited time up to $600 in gift cards. Call today! 1-877-920-7405 (NC Press)

GOT AN UNWANTED CAR?

Donate it to Patriotic Hearts. Fast free pick up. All 50 states. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans find work or start their own business. Call 24/7: 1-833426-0086. (AAN CAN)

HEARING AIDS High-quality rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and nearly invisible! 45-day money back guarantee. 888-970-4637 (NC Press)

NEED NEW WINDOWS? Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energy efficient

windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & FREE quote today. 1-833-890-1293 (AAN CAN)

PEST CONTROL Protect your home from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833-4066971. (AAN CAN)

REPLACE YOUR ROOF With the best looking and longest lasting material – steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited time offer – up to 50% off installation + additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders). Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-855-585-1815. (NC Press)

SAFE STEP. NORTH AMERICA’S #1 WALK-IN TUB.

Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-855-931-3643. (NC Press)

STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show you how much you can save. Call now for a no obligation quote: 1-833-3991539. (AAN CAN)

TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 1-833-641-6577. (NC Press)

WANTED ANTIQUES Estate collections, old tools, pottery, glass,farm, primitives, advertising signs, cast iron, rifles, military, folk

art, stoneware, decoys, license plates, canes, carvings, toys, books. Call/Text Steve 828 582-6097

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION A small amount of water can lead to major damage and mold growth in your home. We do complete repairs to protect your family and your home’s value! For a free estimate, call 24/7: 1-833-880-7762. (AAN CAN)

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION A small amount of water can lead to major damage in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family and your home’s value! Call 24/7: 1-833-928-1861. Have zip code of service location ready when you call!

WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH AS IS! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy three step process: Call, get cash offer and get paid. Get your fair cash offer today by calling Liz Buys Houses: 1-888-247-1189. (NC Press)

WE BUY VINTAGE GUITARS Looking for 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. These brands only! Call for a quote: 1-833-641-6624. (AAN CAN)

YOU MAY QUALIFY For disability benefits if you have are between 52-63 years old and under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now! 1-833-641-3892 (AAN CAN)

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOS FOR SALE

2017 VW PASSAT SEL FOR SALE 4dr grey, 1 owner, 83k miles, excellent condition, $12,000. 28801. 828-712-5548

MARKETPLACE

HOME

IMPROVEMENT

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as one day. Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military discounts available. Call: 1-877-560-1844. (NC Press)

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING FOREVER LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a free LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off entire purchase. Plus 10% Senior & Military discounts. Call 1-877-649-1190. (NC Press)

ACROSS

1 Like some colors or Zoom users

6 “___ it go?”

10 Matterhorn, for one

13 Drink with ground nutmeg

15 Like most TV broadcasts, now 16 Mauna ___

17 Heavy hitter?

18 Flying Cloud and Royale, for two

19 Threw one’s hat in the ring

20 Sight next to a barn, often

21 General Mills brand

23 Damage, so to speak

24 Goes to hell

26 Strengthens, as a relationship

28 Gag costume

31 Skier’s transport

32 Exercised authority over

34 Form of solitaire won when only the four highest cards remain

38 ___ rage (risk of certain drugs)

39 N.B.A. coach Popovich

41 First razor to feature a pivoting head

42 Workers’ rights grp.

44 Delicacy in France and China

46 Word before tight or time

48 Structures commonly seen at ski resorts

49 Conspirator

52 Spittoon sound

53 Essence

54 Meal in which a cup of wine is poured for the prophet Elijah

56 Have bottled-up anger

60 “Nelson’s blood”

61 “Sure”

62 Files taxes in June, perhaps

64 Ballyhoo

65 Like Solomon, famously

66 Former Nissan S.U.V.

67 ___ diem

68 Old flames

69 Old long-haul hwy. from Detroit to Seattle DOWN

1 Rat’s nest

2 Lumpy fruit

3 Neutrogena shampoo with a slash in its name

4 Came out in favor of a certain breakfast product?

5 Follow relentlessly

6 Grammy-winning trumpeter Al

7 Like Ionesco’s play “The Bald Soprano”

8 Sugary bulk breakfast purchase?

9 Certain calculus expert, for short

10 Home of minorleague baseball’s RubberDucks

11 Merest

12 Is nearly out of breath

14 Doing some shopping for

Not just my

Indian tourist destination

Sound in a disappearing act

Morally contemptible

For sure, for short

One might be cut at an angle

Words of affirmation

Softhearted supervillain of “Despicable Me”

“___

Products with peak sales before Easter, say

Lip-puckering

Raison d’___

Move to solid food, say

Be in debt

“The Fifth Beatle”