UPDATE: This morning, city officials, crews unloading hay bales, state troopers and Asheville Police were swarming the Craven Street property rumored to be under contract for sale to craft brewer New Belgium. Troopers told Xpress they were part of Gov. Bev Perdue’s advance protection detail. The governor may be at the new Linamar in south Asheville later today and is said to be planning to stay overnight at the Western Residence in north Asheville.
There’s no confirmation yet that Perdue will be taking part in an announcement on Craven Street. Although it’s rumored that the property — once the Western Carolina Livestock center — is under contract for sale to New Belgium, no sale has yet been recorded. In 2006, the property was sold to a locally based private corporation, the French Broad River Group.
EARLIER: Asheville’s Twitterverse has been abuzz with unconfirmed but reliable (so they say) reports that craft brewer New Belgium will indeed build an East Coast facility in town, possibly at the old WNC Livestock center on Craven Street. Word is, there will be an announcement later this week. But so far: nothing but the buzz.
A few tweets from the Twittersphere about New Belgium
1:30 p.m. Russ Bowen: @RussBowenNews: Multiple sources say New Belgium is coming to Asheville. Announcement coming possibly this week. #avlnews #avlnews
1:31 p.m. Russ Bowen: @RussBowenNews: New Belgium says Asheville and philly still on list not ready to comment but does say very interested in Asheville #avlnews #avlbeer
3:51 p.m. Anne-Fitten Glenn: @Brewgasm: Hear that @newbelgium’s East Coast Brewery WILL be built in #Asheville. Formal announcement Thursday 4/5. #avlbeer #ncbeer #craftbeer
“Once when I was reporting, Lyndon Johnson’s top guy gave me the word they were looking for a successor to J. Edgar Hoover. I wrote it and the day it appeared Johnson called a press conference and appointed Hoover head of the FBI for life… And when he was done, he turned to his top guy and the President said, ‘Call Ben Bradlee and tell him fuck you.'”