Recently Added Images
Autumn 2009
Autumn 2009
Autumn 2009
Autumn 2009
Directory
Autumn Scenics 2009 Photographs of scenic autumn settings around Western North Carolina. 18 photos
The Grey Eagle Prom Formal photos taken at the The Grey Eagle Prom by Castell Photography. 33 photos
2009 Superhero 5K Here are scenes from the 2009 edition of the Superhero 5K road run, held by Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. 21 photos
Belly Dancing at Mela Indian Resaurant Belly Dancer Crystal Lewis dances at Mela Indian Restaurant. 16 photos
Contra Dance at the Grey Eagle Contra dancing held at the Grey Eagle every monday at 8pm. 18 photos
Blind Pilot show Blind Pilot performing a free show at UNCA. 23 photos
Hillcrest Apartments fire Nov. 9, 2009 Hillcrest Apartments building 21 went up in flames shortly after 11 a.m. on Nov. 9, 2009, after an explosion inside one of the building's six apartments. Nobody was injured in the fire. Police are investigating reports that the fire was intentionally set. 39 photos
Election Day 2009 Scenes from Election Day, Nov. 3, 2009. In the off-year elections, voters elected people to a variety of municipal posts, including Asheville City Council. 37 photos
Baseball and Beers 2009 The Asheville Tourists hosted the first-annual "Baseball and Beers" festival on Aug. 22 at McCormick Field. The event was being sponsored by the Asheville Brews Cruise and Wild Wing Café, with more than 30 vendors featuring hand-crafted beers from throughout the Southeast providing their products at the ballpark 30 photos
Pack Square Park, July 2009 Scenes from construction on Pack Square Park during July 2009. With the addition of sod and the crowning piece of a major fountain, the $20 million park is taking shape. 10 photos
Asheville 350 More than 200 people stood together to form the number 350 on Oct. 24 at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville to take part in the International Day of Climate Change. Thousands of people around the world participated by doing the same thing — talking up the importance of action to reduce carbon emissions and getting a picture of themselves forming the critical number. Currently, carbon dioxide emissions are approaching 390 parts per million, but some scientists say that 350 ppm is the most CO2 that the atmosphere can handle before triggering major human and environmental disasters. The worldwide event was led by author Bill McKibben and the environmental organization he started, 350.org. The Western North Carolina Alliance, an environmental organization, sponsored the Asheville event. 11 photos
Unofficial Asheville Zombie Walk 2009 Asheville held an unofficial zombie walk in October 2009 after city officials told organizers that the walk required a permit. The unofficial walk started at the Westville Pub in West Asheville. 20 photos
Barbara Kingsolver reading Author and New York Times best-seller Barbara Kingsolver launched the national book tour for her newest novel, "The Lacuna," in Asheville on Nov. 2 with a reading in the auditorium at Asheville High School. 12 photos
More Asheville Halloween 2009 These photos were shot on Halloween in Asheville at a masquerade bash at the Haywood Park Hotel, and at a party at Malaprop's Bookstore. 25 photos
LaZoom Halloween Tour Photographs documenting the LaZoom Halloween Tour 33 photos
WNC Blogapalooza 2009 Photos from Asheville 2009 Blogapalooza party, which took place October 30, at The Phil Mechanic building. 30 photos
The World's Most Wonderful Circus Performers of the supremely talented Runaway Circus will be putting on a dinner theatre at Posana Cafe on Nov. 5. 23 photos
Best of WNC Bash 2009 Here are scenes from the Mountain Xpress' Best of WNC 2009 party at the Orange Peel. The event spotlighted the winners in the newspaper's annual reader poll. 53 photos
Asheville Halloween 2009 Halloween, originally known as All Hallows' Eve, was a celebration of the spiritual, people would wear their costumes to ward off harmful spirits. Now, as a modern celebration people wear their costumes to embrace a more wild and fun side of themselves as revealed in these photos of some of Asheville's Halloween parties. 37 photos
Doubles Tennis Tournament & Benefit Hendersonville Racquet Club Tennis Tournament proceeds benefit Hands On!, Hendersonville children's museum. 23 photos
The Market Place restaurant These photos, courtesy of The Market Place Restaurant, were shot over a number of years. The restaurant's owner, who has a 30-year history with The Market Place in Asheville, recently sold it to a new owner. 26 photos
Lake Eden Arts Festival Fall 2009 Photographs of the Fall 2009 Lake Eden Arts Festival. 36 photos
HardLox Festival Photographs of the Hardlox Jewish Festival. 24 photos
The Art of Darkness Photographs documenting The Art of Darkness opening reception at Push Skate Shop. 18 photos
The Black Crowes The Crowes at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Oct. 2, 2009. Photos by Lydia See, www.LydiaSee.com. 44 photos
Truth & Salvage Co., Oct. 2, 2009 Truth & Salvage Co. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, opening for The Black Crowes 40 photos
Asheville City Council primary election 2009 Here are scenes from Asheville City Council candidate parties on primary election night, Oct. 6, 2009. 17 photos
Blue Ridge Parkway Summer 2009 Photographs of scenic settings along the Blue Ridge Parkway. 21 photos
Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival 2009 Photographs from the 2009 Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival. The event took place at Deerfields Retreat and Music Park, September 10 -13, 2009. 17 photos
Blue Rags Revival The Blue Rags at the Grey Eagle, Sept. 5, 2009. 13 photos
Faces of 2009 Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival III More faces of the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival 2009. The event was held on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville on Sept.6, 2009. 36 photos
Faces of 2009 Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival II Here are more shots of folks who stopped by the Mountain Xpress booth during the 2009 version of the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival on Sunday, Sept. 6. 26 photos
Faces of 2009 Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival The 8th annual Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival was held in downtown Asheville September 6th, 2009. 57 photos
Transfigurations: Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Espers Photos by Daniel Coston 6 photos
2009 SEE Expo Photographs from the 2009 Southern Energy and Environment Expo. The event took place at the WNC Agricultural Center Friday, Aug. 21 - Sunday Aug. 23, 2009. 25 photos
Transfigurations, Day 3 Here are scenes from the Transfigurations music festival, an event organized by Harvest Records in West Asheville to celebrate its fifth anniversary. 27 photos
Transfigurations, Day 2 Here are scenes from the Transfigurations music festival, an event organized by Harvest Records in West Asheville to celebrate its fifth anniversary. 13 photos
Transfigurations, Day 1 Here are scenes from the Transfigurations music festival, an event organized by Harvest Records in West Asheville to celebrate its fifth anniversary. 22 photos
Bele Chere Festival Sunday, July 26, 2009 Photographs from day three, Sunday July 26, 2009, of The 31st annual Bele Chere Festival. 8 photos
Bele Chere Festival 2009 Saturday II More scenes from Bele Chere on Saturday, July 25, 2009. 35 photos
Bele Chere Festival 2009 Photographs from day one, July 24 2009, of The 31st annual Bele Chere Festival. 46 photos
Bele Chere Festival 2009 Saturday Photos from Saturday at the Bele Chere Festival 2009. 30 photos
Grandfather Mountain Highland Games The 54th Grandfather Mountain Highland Games were held July 9-12, 2009, at MacRae Meadows on Grandfather Mountain. 17 photos
62nd Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands The 62nd bi-annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands Guild which took place July 16-19, 2009, at the Asheville Civic Center. 15 photos
ABS Fest 2009 Scenes from the Americana Burlesque and Sideshow festival held in Asheville the weekend of June 13, 2009. 23 photos
Groovin' on Grovemont, July 2009 Groovin' on Grovemont was held on July 14 in the Grovemont community of Swannanoa. The event featured the music of the Barrel House Mamas. 8 photos
Firefly Gathering 2009 The Firefly Gathering was held the weekend of July 22-25 near Asheville. The event is aimed at people interested in connecting with nature, and it included classes on everything from bow-making and blacksmithing to hide tanning and soap-making. 17 photos
Asheville Tea Party Hundreds of people gathered at the steps of the Buncombe County Courthouse on Saturday to protest government spending and lament what they called out-of-control government spending and a move away from the values embedded in the U.S. Constitution. The gathering, organized by the Asheville Tea Party group, was held on July 4, 2009. The event was a replay of an April 15 Tea Party. 19 photos
The North Carolina Arboretum 2009 Scenes from the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville. 8 photos
Beer City Bash at The Orange Peel The first Beer City Bash was held June 26 at the Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. The event celebrated Asheville's tie with Portland in an online poll in which people were asked to pick the best beer city in the U.S. Mountain Xpress sponsored the event in conjunction with the Orange Peel, local beer store Bruisin' Ales and the Asheville Brewers Alliance. 16 photos
Sideshow Burlesque ABS Fest free Sideshow, in the Orange Peel/ Asheville Hardware Parking lot, on June 13, 2009. 12 photos
Pack Place sign dismantled A crew from Moss Sign Co. dismantled the electronic Pack Place sign on Pack Square on Thursday, June 11, 2009. The 11-year-old sign had fallen into disrepair, and Pack Place officials decided to have it taken down. The nonprofit plans to replace it with another electronic sign. 22 photos
Beastie Boys @ the Orange Peel Beastie Boys played a show at the Orange Peel on June 10, 2009. The rappers stopped in Asheville on their way to Bonnaroo. 18 photos
Biz Markie @ the Orange Peel Rapper Biz Markie opened for the Beastie Boys at the Orange Peel on June 10, 2009. With turntables and a microphone (and some computer equipment), Markie mixed and scratched. 28 photos
Phish concert 3 More scenes from the June 9, 2009, Phish concert at the Asheville Civic Center in downtown Asheville. 19 photos
Phish concert I The jam band Phish played a sold-out show at the Asheville Civic Center on June 9, 2009, but the party wasn't limited to just the arena. Thousands of Phish fans arrived for the show and lent downtown a party atmosphere throughout the day. 20 photos
Phish concert 2 The jam band Phish played a sold-out show at the Asheville Civic Center on June 9, 2009. Here are scenes from the show. 28 photos
Mountain BizWorks send-off for Greg Walker-Wilson Mountain BizWorks held a goodbye luncheon for Executive Director Greg Walker-Wilson on June 4, 2009, at the Steak & Wine restaurant in downtown Asheville. Walker-Wilson and his family are moving to South America to enrich their life experience and continue service work. Mountain BizWorks is an Asheville-based nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs develop businesses and find financial support. 40 photos
Mastodon at the Orange Peel Scenes from the performance of Mastodon at the Orange Peel on May 14, 2009 10 photos
Lake Eden Arts Festival Spring 2009 Photographs of LEAF Spring 2009. The festival took place May 7- 10 at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain, NC. 31 photos
MerleFest 2009 The 2009 edition of MerleFest was held on the grounds of Wilkes County Community College from April 23-26. Here are some scenes from the festival, which showcases musicians in a range of styles, but in a blue grass/Americana context. 24 photos
Dickson Elementary School's urban chickens Dickson Elementary School in Asheville has three chicken coops and several chickens on school grounds. One class recently used the a few chickens for models for an art project. Here's a look. 18 photos
HATCH Asheville The first HATCH Asheville festival was held in Asheville April 15-19. Here are scenes from a few of the events. 21 photos
Wilco The ever-evolving band Wilco played a show on April 21, 2009, at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. 14 photos
Local Climbing Destination- Rumbling Bald Mountain Rumbling Bald Mountain which was recently acquired by the state parks system is a favorite local destination for Asheville climbers. 10 photos
Asheville Tax Day Tea Party A crowd of about 500 people gathered at the steps of the Buncombe County Courthouse on April 15, 2009, for the Asheville Tax Day Tea Party, a protest of wasteful government spending and government debt. 15 photos
Push Asheville Fashion (runway show) Photos from the Push Asheville Fashion show which took place March 27, 2009 at The Garage at Biltmore. 18 photos
Richmond Hill Inn fire Fire destroyed Asheville's historic Richmond Hill Inn in the early morning of Thursday, March 19, 2009. The structure dates back to 1889. 27 photos
Ozomatli & Chalie 2na play at the Orange Peel 3/11/09 L.A.'s Ozomatli and Chalie 2na of Jurassic 5 played at the Orange Peel to a packed crowd of fans. 9 photos
Burton Street neighborhood tour About 100 people turned out for a walk through the Burton Street neighborhood and a Q&A about the Interstate 26 Connector's impact on the community on March 9, 2009. The event was sponsored by the WNC Alliance and the Asheville Design Center. 36 photos
Graffiti vandals hit Tunnel Road Ten businesses along Tunnel Road were hit by spray-painting vandals who tagged walls and fences with graffiti. 10 photos
Monster X Games at WNC Agricultural Center 2/28/09 The Monster Trucks came to the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC this weekend with performances by Freestyle Motocross, Quad Wars, and Legend Cars. 29 photos
Crash at the Urban Trail's big iron A car struck the sculpture of a big iron on the Urban Trail in downtown Asheville, at the corner of Wall Street and Battery Park Avenue, on Feb. 28. 13 photos
Franti in concert at the Orange Peel Here are scenes from the Michael Franti and Spearhead concert at the Orange Peel on Feb. 26, 2009. 29 photos
Worldwide WNC: Pannavati Bhikkhuni Pannavati Bhikkhuni, abbot of Hendersonville's Embracing Simplicity Hermitage has taken her personal story, as one of the few African-American female Buddhist abbots, to Mongolia, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and China. 5 photos
Worldwide WNC: The Elumenati David McConville is a world traveler and a knowledge explorer. McConville is co-founder of The Elumenati, a design and engineering company that combines powerful software with an inflatable dome to project sound and images to create an "immersive environment." But that's really just the beginning. McConville seeks ideas, collaboration and solutions to real problems. 9 photos
Asheville-area weddings A look at some beautiful shots from local photographer Scott Lessing: www.scottlessing.com 19 photos
2009 Asheville Mardi Gras Parade Scenes from the 2009 Mardi Gras parade in Asheville. The "Riches to Rags" themed parade which took place on Sunday, February 22, was organized by the Mystic Mountain Krewe. 46 photos
Fault Line Artist Collective opening reception The Fault Line Artist Collective, featuring the work of six emerging artist from Warren Wilson College, celebrated an opening reception for their gallery show at BookWorks on Friday, Feb. 20, 2009. Artistic mediums represented ranged from Raku fired ceramics to woodcut prints, lino cut collage and bronze/marble sculpture. The opening also featured live music performed by Blue Ox Blue. Enjoy a photo gallery of the opening here. 24 photos
Denny's nurse-in A group of about 25 protesters, including several breast-feeding mothers and chanting supporters, held a nurse-in outside the Denny's restaurant off Patton Avenue in West Asheville on Sunday afternoon. 11 photos
Dark Star Orchestra plays at The Orange Peel 2/12/09 Dark Star Orchestra plays indistinguishable versions of Grateful Dead Songs at The Orange Peel on February 12 2009. 18 photos
Worldwide WNC: BiblioWorks The premise behind BiblioWorks is simple: Books build communities. Over the past four years, the nonprofit has opened six libraries across Bolivia, mostly in rural areas, with the help of Peace Corps volunteers and Bolivian churches, authorities and nonprofit agencies. BiblioWorks grew out of Biblio, an online bookseller launched in 2000 by Asheville residents Brendan Sherar and Allen Singleton. 7 photos
Worldwide WNC: Motherland International Relations There's no shortage of disease and poverty in Africa. But for Christopher Keiser-Liontree -- co-founder of Motherland International Relations -- there's another way to see the continent. "We're focusing on the richness of the culture and life in Africa. And we believe in the power of renewal through a collaborative spirit." It's an educational mission in the broadest sense, nursed by him and his wife, Debra Kiliru-Liontree, out of a tiny home office in Black Mountain. 13 photos
Worldwide WNC: Moldova World Children's Fund The Moldova World Children's Fund, a Hendersonville-based nonprofit, helps children in Europe's poorest country. 17 photos
Worldwide WNC: WCU's Jamaica Program Western Carolina University has a remarkable 40-year history of teaching young teachers in Jamaica. 6 photos
Progress Energy's Asheville Plant Photographs from a tour Xpress went on at Progress Energy's Asheville plant, on Lake Julian. 13 photos
Worldwide WNC: Christian Friends of North Korea The Christian Friends of North Korea was formed in 1995 on the heels of severe flooding in the East Asian country, the Black Mountain-based group found a support network already in place right down the road at the nearby Montreat Conference Center. 11 photos
Worldwide WNC: Vision Nicaragua There's a long-standing relationship between Christian evangelism and providing material aid. Vision Nicaragua does both, attending to the spiritual needs of several Nicaraguan communities while also supplying shelter, medical aid and financial support. 8 photos
Worldwide WNC: Mundo Real Steven Slack and Marcos Burgos formed the secular aid group Mundo Real to help the people who live in the slums of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. 13 photos
Worldwide WNC: World Camp World Camp began nine years ago, when a group of 10 college students traveled the African continent researching teaching methods. World Camp conducts classes for primary-school students in Malawi that address such thorny issues as HIV/AIDS. 10 photos
New Climbing Shoe Resole Business in Asheville Rubber Revival climbing shoe resoler recently opened for business in Asheville. Cobbler Barak Shemai is resoling salvageable shoes at his home based workshop. 13 photos
48 Hour Dance Project Scenes from the 48 Hour Dance Project at the BeBe Theater. Five local choreographers were randomly matched up with a group of dancers from all different genres. Starting at midnight on January 29, 2009, they had 48 hours to create a dance piece. 19 photos
Phish Fans Wait For Tickets At Civic Center Scenes outside of the Asheville Civic Center as Phish fans camp outside, waiting for tickets for the Asheville Phish concert to go on sale. 12 photos
The Asheville FringeArts Festival 2009 Scenes from the Asheville FringeArts Festival. 16 photos
Asheville's Hot Chocolate 10k, Jan. 24, 2009 Seven hundred runners signed up to run the Hot Chocolate 10K and Kids Hill Climb on Jan. 24, 2009. The race was a benefit for Dickson Elementary School. 38 photos
Thomas Wolfe's home used as classroom for young writers Asheville writer Janet Hurley offers writing classes at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, with fourth-and fifth-graders grouped together and sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders grouped together. The young writers say their surroundings -- the boyhood home of a famous American author -- inspires them. 11 photos
Asheville Gun Show, January 2009 From antique bullets dating back to the Revolutionary War to hunting rifles, shotguns, handguns, dog tags, collectable coins and more, the Asheville Civic Center’s bi-annual Gun Show enjoyed a record-breaking turnout. An estimated two thousand buyers marched through the doors of the Civic Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, with many more following on Sunday. 46 photos
Asheville celebrates the Inauguration On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Here are some scenes from local inaugural celebrations. 86 photos
POPAsheville 2009 Scenes from POPAsheville 2009. The festival took place Jan. 18-21. Music rocked throughout the night at three local venues: The Rocket Club, Stella Blue and The Grey Eagle. The LaZoom bus gave a wild, live-music-filled shuttle adventure from venue to venue throughout the nights. 88 photos
Rodriguez performs at The Grey Eagle The little-known folk/soul/psychadelic artist Rodriguez performed at The Grey Eagle on Jan. 10, 2008, backed by local musicians. The opening act was Greg Cartwright. 24 photos
First Sundays at St. Matthias Concerts Jan 2009 Scenes from Asheville Chamber Players monthly Concert Series. "An Afternoon in Vienna" was performed Sunday, January 4th 2009. This chamber music concert series on the first Sunday of each month raises money for the restoration of the historic St. Matthias Church. 20 photos
2008 Year in photos 18 photos
Art Basel Miami Beach A crew of Asheville-based artists visited the prestigious Art Basel Miami Beach art fair earlier this month. Here's a taste of the wild things they saw. 20 photos
2008 Mountain Xpress Holiday Art Exhibit Here are scenes from the reception held Dec. 12, 2008, at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce for children who participated in the Mountain Xpress Holiday Art Contest. The exhibit will be on display through Jan. 2, 2009. 14 photos
Christmas Jam 2008 Day Two Scenes from the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam 2008, held at the Asheville Civic Center on Dec. 13. 52 photos
Christmas Jam 2008 Day One Photographs from day one of the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam 2008. 27 photos
Warren Haynes Christmas Jam, Pre-Jam concert The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam kicked off with the Pre-Jam concert on Dec. 11, 2008, at the Orange Peel. Musical acts included The Del McCoury Band and the Lee Brothers. 17 photos
Mountain Xpress Best Of WNC Showcase 2008 Scenes from the Mountain Xpress Best of WNC Showcase party, which took place at the Orange Peel on Sunday Dec, 7th. 19 photos
2008 Mountain Xpress Holiday Art Contest Here are entries in the 2008 Mountain Xpress Holiday Art Contest. 53 photos
Latin Dance Community Asheville Photographs from local companies and teachers: Salseros 828, Tango Asheville, Tango Gypsies and Afro-Brazilian Samba. 34 photos
2008 Asheville Holiday Parade Photographs from Asheville's annual holiday parade. 16 photos
Blessing of the Animals at Abernethy United Methodist Church The Rev. Tony Sayer of Abernethy United Methodist Church in West Asheville conducted a pet blessing in October in conjunction with the observance of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, known as the patron saint of animals. 16 photos
Asheville artist's studio demolished The art studio of Asheville artist George Handy was demolished on Oct. 27 when the 17-year-old driver of a minivan struck the wooden structure at the corner of Lynn Cove and Webb Cove roads in Beaverdam. Handy is a well-known artist who has worked in the studio for 30 years. 10 photos
2008 Asheville Film Festival Scenes from the 2008 Asheville Film Festival. 6 photos
Asheville Mural project update The Asheville Mural Project, a branch of the Arts2People nonprofit, has been working this summer to transform the concrete columns of the Interstate 240 overpass that spans Lexington Avenue from a dark passageway to a brilliant mural that reflects Asheville. Here's how the mural looked in October 2008. 14 photos
Zombie bank protest A group of people dressed as zombies and protested outside the Bank of America office on Patton Avenue in downtown Asheville on Oct. 31, 2008. The protesters were critical of the bank's investments in coal-fired power plants. 15 photos
Foothills Highland Games and Festival Scottish Clans of the South held its eighth annual Foothills Highland Games and Festival at Hendersonville's Jackson Park on Saturday, Nov. 1. The all-day event celebrated Scottish heritage with music (traditional marching band Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums and Celtic rockers Coyote Run performed), food (haggis, scones, soda bread and fish and chips were served), demonstrations (country dance and border collie trials) and competitions (a wrestling clinic for kids, a "bonnie knees" contest for men in kilts and plenty of opportunities for big men to toss heavy objects). 14 photos
Election night returns II More photos from the Election Night parties held by the Buncombe County Republican Party and Democratic Party. 37 photos
Election Day scenes Here are scenes from Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008, in and around Asheville 14 photos
Election night returns Photos from the gatherings of the local Republican Party and Democratic Party on Nov. 4, 2008. Republicans gathered at the Grove Park Inn, while Democrats gathered at the Crowne Plaza Resort. 16 photos
Sarah Palin rally 3 More photos from the Sarah Palin rally on Oct. 26 at the Asheville Civic Center in downtown Asheville. Palin, the governor of Alaska, is the Republican candidate for vice president running with Sen. John McCain, the presidential contender 28 photos
Sarah Palin rally 02 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP candidate for vice president, held a rally at the Asheville Civic Center on Oct. 26, 2008. Here are scenes from the event. 19 photos
Sarah Palin rally Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP candidate for vice president, held a rally at the Asheville Civic Center on Oct. 26, 2008. Here are scenes from the event. 14 photos
James Taylor concert for Obama James Taylor performed a free concert for about 7,000 people at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Asheville on Sunday, Oct. 19. Taylor planned to hold a series of the concerts across the state in support of presidential candidate Barack Obama 15 photos
Asheville Aerial Arts Here are scenes from a backyard practice of members of the Asheville Aerial Arts group. The aerialists perform gravity-defying moves while hanging from strands of stretchy material. 21 photos
Obama Rally 3 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally in Asheville High School's football stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5. Thousands came out to see Obama in his first Asheville appearance 30 days before election day. 14 photos
Obama Rally 2 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally in Asheville High School's football stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5. Thousands came out to see Obama in his first Asheville appearance 30 days before election day. 17 photos
Obama Rally 1 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally in Asheville High School's football stadium on Sunday, Oct. 5. Thousands came out to see Obama in his first Asheville appearance 30 days before election day. 19 photos
Obama speaks at Vance-Aycock Dinner U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president, dropped in at the annual Vance-Aycock Dinner at the Grove Park Inn on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008. Obama was in Asheville to prepare for his upcoming debate against U.S. Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee. 6 photos
Black Mountain College Here's a collection of archival photos from Black Mountain College, an influential educational experiment in the 1940s and '50s. Its campus was on the site of the current Camp Rockmont in Swannanoa. 11 photos
Brewgrass 2008 The annual Brewgrass beer festival was held Sept. 20 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Asheville. 27 photos
Sebelius visit Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius visited Asheville on Sept. 19, 2008, on a campaign visit to support U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential bid. Sebelius visited Mountain Java in north Asheville. 10 photos
Mountain BizWorks' Showbiz 2008 The Asheville non-profit Mountain BizWorks held its Showbiz 2008 fund-raising event on Sept. 18, 2008, at the Orange Peel. The event included musical performances, food and a benefit auction. Proceeds of the event will be used to help train local entrepreneurs. 18 photos
Pack Square Park construction Here's a look at the construction of Pack Square Park in September 2008. ValleyCrest Landscape Development is the contractor working to finish up one of the last phases of construction of the new park in central Asheville. 16 photos
Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival 2008 Scenes from the 2008 edition of the annual Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. 36 photos
Faces of LAAFF at Mountain Xpress booth The Mountain Xpress invited passersby at the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival on Sept. 7, 2008, to stop by and have their picture taken. Here's a look. 37 photos
Tall bike ride attempt at LAAFF Michael Mooney attempted to set a Guiness World Record on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008, at the Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival with a harrowing ride on a four-story tall bicycle. Mooney fell off during his second attempt, and made it about half way to his goal on his second attempt before falling and appearing to get shaken-up. 10 photos
2008 North Carolina Mountain State Fair Scenes from the 2008 North Carolina Mountain State Fair. 20 photos
Flower carpet at Biltmore Estate The Biltmore Estate unveiled its first ever flower carpet on Aug. 29, 2008. Biltmore's gardening crew recently spent a week creating the carpet. It took six days, eight crew members and 144,000 flowering plants - this following almost a year of planning, engineering and plant growing. 23 photos
REO Speedwagon at the Biltmore Estate REO Speedwagon, the power balladeers that gave you “Keep on Loving You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” played an Aug. 9 show at the Biltmore House as part of the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series. 10 photos
Flying Cloud Farm Harvest The morning harvest at Flying Cloud Organic Farm, one of the many produce farmers that sell at the Asheville farmer's markets. 18 photos
888 Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival Scenes from the Trinumeral Music and Arts Festival, which took place Friday August 8th through Sunday August 10th at Deerfields, NC. Photos by Jonathan Welch 18 photos
B.B. King at the Biltmore Estate Blues legend B.B. King brought his music to the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series on Aug. 8. 32 photos
The StepCrew at the Biltmore Estate The StepCrew, a group of performers who fiddle, dance and sing, offered up a high-energy style of Celtic music during their show at the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series on Aug. 6 18 photos
Gladys Knight at the Biltmore Estate R&B legend Gladys Knight played a concert on Aug. 7 as part of the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series. Here are scenes from Knight's performance. Knight lives part time in Western North Carolina. 14 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 8 Scenes from Bele Chere 2008, the 30th anniversary of Asheville's summer street party. 18 photos
KC and the Sunshine Band at Biltmore Estate KC and the Sunshine Band played an Aug. 2 concert as part of the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series. The Village People had been lined up as the opening act, but bad weather thwarted the band's air travel plans. 22 photos
Steven Curtis Chapman at the Biltmore Estate Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman performed at the Biltmore Estate's Summer Concert Series on Aug. 1. Chapman's concert was emotional -- he told the sold-out crowd of 3,000 gathered that he was still grieving the loss of his 5-year-old daughter, who died after being run over in the family driveway by one of her old brothers who was pulling out in an SUV. 17 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Sunday at the Mountain Xpress Stage Scenes from Sunday July 27, at the Mountain Xpress Stage on Lexington Avenue. Photos by Jonathan Welch 10 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 7 Scenes from the 30th edition of Bele Chere, Asheville's annual summer street party. 15 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 6 Here are more scenes from the 30th edition of Bele Chere 2008 in downtown Asheville. 16 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 5 The streets of downtown Asheville were alive July 25, 26 and 27 for the 30th anniversary edition of Bele Chere. 32 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 4 Scene's from Bele Chere 2008, the 30th anniversary edition of Asheville summer street party. 14 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 1 Here are photos from Friday afternoon, as the 30th anniversary edition of Bele Chere got started. The summer festival fills the streets of Asheville with food, music and people looking for fun. 13 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 3 Photographs from Saturday July 26, day two of Bele Chere 2008. Photos by Jonathan Welch. 16 photos
Bele Chere 2008: Gallery 2 Scenes from Friday July 25, day one of Bele Chere 2008 . Photos by Jonathan Welch 27 photos
River Arts District summer activity A summertime visit to people and places in the River Arts District. 45 photos
Skate Camp Beginner's week at Asheville Parks and Recreation Department's skate camp. 22 photos
Custard Pie at the Grey Eagle July 18, 2008 Custard Pie played the Grey Eagle on July 18, 2008. The band members are: vocalist Rhett McGahee (formerly of Menage); drummer Jamie Stirling (formerly of The Merle and DrugMoney); guitarist Aaron “Woody” Wood (frontman for Hollywood Red, and formerly of The Blue Rags); and bassist David Connor Jones. The show was the first since the band took a break from playing in fall 2007. 7 photos
The Real Families picnic The Real Families Picnic was hosted by the Asheville chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Equality NC and Food Lion on July 19 at Buncombe County Recreation Park. It was the final event in a weeklong series of activities under the theme, “You’re Fine Just the Way You Are.” The picnic was held in response to Exodus International conference being held at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain. The ministry says it helps gays and lesbians change their lifestyle. 16 photos
Musique Automatique Asheville's local music festival 28 photos
Stop Parkside rally Local residents held a rally beneath the magnolia tree in front of Asheville City Hall on July 15 to rally against a building, known as the Parkside condos, planned for the site. The rally coincided with an Asheville City Council work session, during which Parkside developer Stewart Coleman presented his plan to council. Outside, residents heard music and speakers and signed petitions asking local officials to stop the development. 19 photos
Cherokee July 4, 2008 Pow Wow Photographs of the annual July Pow Wow in Cherokee, NC. Photos by Jonathan Welch 21 photos
WPVM 103.5 : On the air and behind the mic A look into the WPVM studios, and faces of the radio voices. 28 photos
ABSFest II The Americana, Burlesque & Sideshow Festival came to Asheville June 27, 2008. The Spectacular Cabaret and after-party featured burlesque performances and sideshow freakiness with a vaudeville flair. Performers included Trixie Little & the Evil Hate Monkey, Bendy Lindsey, Syrens of the South, Panty Raid, Big Mama D and Renea Le'Roux. The show was emceed by Mab, Just Mab. The show was held at the Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. 25 photos
Asheville City Market Grand Opening The official ribbon cutting with the mayor at Asheville's new City Market. The market is located at 161 Charlotte St. in the parking lot behind the city building every Saturday from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. 20 photos
Mountain Farm and Garden Tour 2008 Appalachain Sustainable Agriculture Project's annual local farm tour took place June 28, 29. 26 photos
Staples sign changes Workers armed with cordless drills and a boom Tuesday afternoon, July 1, 2008, took down the massive white letters of the Merrimon Avenue Staples store sign, the latest chapter in a years-long battle between city residents and Asheville City Council over the city's enforcement and interpretation of its Unified Development Ordinance. 15 photos
ABSFest The Americana, Burlesque & Sideshow Festival returned to Asheville the weekend of June 27, promising tons of fun. Here are scenes from the festival's red carpet gala at the Fine Arts Theatre in downtown Asheville on Friday, June 27, 2008 14 photos
48 Hour Film Project Photos from the 2008 48 Hour Film Project: following a team from start to finish. 29 photos
Time for Our Power! Conference The first Time for Our Power! Conference was held in Asheville on June 20-22. It was organized by Maureen McDonnell, who works as a conference coordinator, and Lisa Watters and Patty Levesque, both Mountain Xpress staffers, and included three days of talks and workshops on topics ranging from health care and business to environmental issues and the arts. The group is considering making the conference an annual event. 13 photos
Ashevillage Building Convergence Photographs of the Ashevillage Building Convergence sustainability projects, which took place on Saturday, June 21, 2008. Photos by Jonathan Welch 30 photos
Asheville Music Jamboree, 2008 The Asheville Music Jamboree was held the weekend of May 23-25 at the Deerfields property in Henderson County. 17 photos
Bobby Medford trial A jury found former Buncombe County Sheriff Bobby Medford guilty of corruption on May 15 after about a two-week trial in federal court. These are photos of Medford leaving court after the decision. 10 photos
Lake Eden Arts Festival Spring 2008 Snapshots from spring 2008 LEAF. All the photographs were made with a Polaroid One600 camera. 32 photos
South Wings flight for Evergreen students On Tuesday, May 7, the non-profit organization South Wings took three Evergreen Community Charter School students for a flight over Asheville as a reward for the students' winning land-use planning project. Eighth-grade students Skyla Delerme, Syvanah Bennett and David Steinhoff comprised the winning team. Their teacher is Stuart Miles. SouthWings is a non-profit conservation organization that provides flights to further conservation efforts across the Southeast. 19 photos
Primary election night On Tuesday, May 7, 2008, North Carolina held its primary elections. For the first time in decades, the election had an impact on the presidential primary. The primary election also whittled the field in a number of local races. 15 photos
Hanson's walking tour in Asheville From the Peel to the park and back: a barefoot walk with Hanson promotes an international cause. 28 photos
May Day parade A band of brightly clad people, many with their faces painted, gathered at Pack Square in downtown Asheville around 1:15 p.m. on May 1 to celebrate May Day. The gathering attracted the attention of the Asheville Police Department. Using a megaphone, APD officers warned the ragtag crowd to stay out of the street. At least six police cars, including a police-transport van, pulled onto Page Avenue and blocked off the street when the group amassed there in front of the Grove Arcade. At that point, one participant was handcuffed and led into the prisoner-transport van. 14 photos
Merlefest 2008 Merlefest 2008 was held April 24-27 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. More than 75,000 people attended the four-day festival, dubbed the largest folk music festival in the U.S. 17 photos
Hillary Clinton in Asheville U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, who is running against U.S. Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president, spoke in Asheville Thursday, April 24, at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown. 26 photos
Clay Oven Students at Isaac Dickson Elementary built a clay oven in April 2008 with artisans from Kleiwerks International, an Asheville-based organization that promotes natural building techniques. 16 photos
Purple Ball Fashion Show The Purple Ball Fashion Show in April 2008 served as a fund-raiser for The Asheville Area Arts Council. It also comes in advance of the group's June 14 annual ball featuring the color purple. 57 photos
The art of taxidermy In this photo gallery, Xpress takes you into the beating heart of one of the country’s most in-demand taxidermy companies, which happens to be right here in our backyard. 13 photos
The Innersouls The Innersouls were Asheville’s pre-eminent funk band in the early 1970s. Check out the full article here. 12 photos
Paws with a Purpose Since 1999, the Asheville-based nonprofit Paws with a Purpose has been asking the question: “Just what can a good dog do?” The volunteer-staffed organization provides animal-assisted activities and therapies to individuals ranging from elementary-school age to Golden Age. Visits are provided free of charge. Visit www.pawswithapurpose.org for more information. 12 photos
2007: Year in Photos Xpress takes its annual look back at the year that was, in quotes and photographs. Read the full article here. 19 photos
2007 Asheville Flim Festival A few snapshots of the festivities from the Asheville Film Festival's 2007 events. 12 photos
2007 Holiday Parade The 61st annual Asheville Holiday Parade, which took place on Saturday, Nov. 17, has been hailed as one of the biggest and best such parades in recent memory. Shown here are some of our favorite moments from the parade. 12 photos
2007 Holiday Cover Submissions What’s your favorite part of the holiday season? When it snows? Eating so much you have to take a nap? Sitting near a fire? Drinking hot cider? Spending time with your family and your pets? We asked our readers to create artwork for our Holiday Guides - and here a few of the submissions. 57 photos
Hard Lox Cafe Festival The Hard Lox Cafe is an annual food and heritage festival presented by the Congregation Beth HaTephila in Asheville. This year’s event, which took place in late October, was held outside of the Grove Arcade. 5 photos
Reflections in Cherokee Thanksgiving is one of the rare holidays to acknowledge the contribution of the native people in American history. Of course, seen from the Native American perspective, the holiday is considerably more bittersweet. Conflicts with European settlers would soon see the once-strong native nations shunted into reservations, struggling to retain their language and culture. To get a hint of the modern-day Native American perspective on the holiday, Xpress photographer Jonathan Welch spent some time with residents in Cherokee, N.C., home to some 446 full-blooded Cherokees left in the reservation. 8 photos
Mushroom Foragers Images from Kent Priestley's "Fruit of the earth" article in the 10/17/2007 Xpress. 9 photos
AMP Sketches Design art that's being considered for the murals on the Lexington Avenue bridge. 3 photos
Karl Rove at the 11th Congressional District GOP Convention Photographs of Karl Rove's speech at the 11th Congressional District GOP Convention in Henderson County. Photos by Jonathan Welch 12 photos
The Poetix Lounge: reBIRTH Saturday April 21, 2007 Catalyst Productions latest effort "The Poetix Lounge: reBIRTH" featured spoken-word poets from across the region (including members of the Asheville Slam Team from the late 1990's, students from Western Carolina University, and Asheville High School). The event was a benifit for the Poetix arts-in-education program, Serving disadvantaged youth, as part of the regional Gang Violence Prevention Program. For more information, contact Graham Hackett via email: playwize@gmail.com Photos by Jonathan Welch 21 photos
WNC Scenics Photographs made in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Photos by Jonathan Welch 30 photos
Momentary Musings Photographs of commonplace scenes found throughout Asheville. Photos by Jonathan Welch 40 photos
Street Poetry Photographs of random self expressions found in Asheville. Photos by Jonathan Welch 30 photos
Where In Asheville? How well do you know Asheville? Photographer Zen Sutherland asks viewers to guess where in town he took these photos. 29 photos
Asheville Graffiti Local photographer Zen Sutherland shows us his collection of Asheville street art. 50 photos
"Stop The Harm" Flashlight Vigil City Councilman Carl Mumpower and others held an anti-drug use flashlight vigil on Thursday, Feb. 22. Xpress staff photographer Jonathan Welch was on the scene. 19 photos
Asheville Mardi Gras Photos by Jonathan Welch of this year's Asheville-style Mardi Gras 19 photos
Buncombe GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner Photos from the Feb. 19 event. Photos by Jonathan Welch. 27 photos
Asheville Street Scenes Vol. 3 The third installment of Xpress photographer Jonathan Welch’s ongoing series on the faces of Asheville. 25 photos
Art Cars of Asheville Zen Sutherland’s photo essay on the most mobile canvas of all. 31 photos
Some Asheville Faces Keeping Asheville quirky are the faces of artists, shop owners, hippies, families and homeless. Zen Sutherland photographs people just being themselves, from downtown to West Asheville. 33 photos
Asheville Street Scenes Vol. 2 Xpress photographer Jonathan Welch's ongoing series captures the faces of Asheville. 26 photos
Biltmore Underwater Zen Sutherland's photo documentary of the 2004 flood in Biltmore 13 photos
New Year's Eve 2006 Xpress photographer Jonathan Welch wanders from party to party to capture the last night of 2006. 32 photos
Asheville Street Scenes Vol. 1 Xpress photographer Jonathan Welch captures the faces of Asheville. 21 photos
North Carolina Arboretum Scenes from the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville. 0 photos
Downtown After Five, July 17, 2009 Scenes from Downtown After Five on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville on July 17, 2009. 0 photos