In our annual Best Of WNC poll, what was one of the most common choices for what residents and visitors alike love about the small towns of Western North Carolina? Friendly people. In this issue, we highlight some of those folks -- the Best Of winners in Brevard. Stay tuned for other small town in the coming weeks.
arts
Beyond bluegrass: Brevard’s Mountain Song Festival continues to evolve
“We never intended this to be exclusively a bluegrass festival,” says John Felty, owner of Mountain Song Productions. He’s talking about the Mountain Song Festival, now in its eighth year, which takes…Smart bets: Bradley Martin and Justin Bruns
The 2014-15 season of the Asheville Chamber Music Series opens with a program by pianist Bradley Martin and violinist Justin Bruns. The two musicians come with impressive resumes — Martin,…Farm to fashion: Project Handmade Fashion Show returns on Sept. 11
This is not your typical catwalk event: “The fashion show is about showcasing the use of local materials, local models and local fashion and textile artists,” says Melanie Wilder, supervisor…Smart bets: The Tills
Asheville four-piece The Tills could absolutely call their music “grit-pop” if they didn’t live in a region where fans might confuse that label with a culinary term. The group’s latest…Smart bets: Fruition
The sweet sounds of Portland quintet Fruition will be ripe for picking when the band’s national tour stops to soak up some vitamin D at Asheville’s RiverMusic festival. And there’ll…Smart bets: Antique Firearms bon voyage show
After three years of local shows, two album releases and a third recording in the works, the indie-rockers in Antique Firearms are about to take a really big step —…101 Runners brings Mardi Gras Indian funk to Goombay
New Orleans is rightly acclaimed as the birthplace of jazz, that most American of art forms. But the city’s rich, multiethnic heritage gave rise to an even earlier musical style.…The Get Right Band makes its full-length debut with the help of crowdsourcing
For the follow-up to their 2013 EP, Shake, the members of Asheville’s The Get Right Band knew their goals were bigger than what their checking accounts would allow. “Our vision…Bandleader David Mayfield gets personal on new album, “Strangers”
After his second record, David Mayfield already had a metaphor for his third: the Indiana Jones trilogy. “I used to say … that my first record was Raiders of the…Major new music venues, restaurant planned for Asheville’s Riverside Drive
Over the next year, a seven acre patch of land along the French Broad River in Asheville will be transformed into a major new entertainment, recreation, food and beer hub.Black Mountain College Museum receives Windgate grant
The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center announced on Tuesday afternoon, Sept 2, that it has received a $646,685 grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation. The award places the…food
Meet and eat: Asheville food and drink meetups nourish community
Everybody has a thing. And regardless of whether that thing is Boston terriers, hiking with small children, drinking wine or paranormal activity, Meetup.com offers a way for strangers with similar interests to…What’s in the pot: A peek at Asheville’s fresh and seasonal teas
Western North Carolina’s coffee culture is alive and thriving, with a seemingly ever-expanding array of coffee dispensaries — including shops, roasters, coffee trucks and drive-thru options. If you look closely,…Spreading the love: Culinary partnership builds relationships
Just over a year ago, Cúrate co-owner Liz Button introduced an initiative to bring a fine-dining experience to the city's homeless and food insecure. Once each month since last June,…Beer Scout: South Slope gets tasty
Some people have taken to calling the South Slope area of downtown the Brewery District. With the newest business set to join its neighbors on Banks and Buxton, it may…living
Cheers to your health: Drinking tea for wellness
Tea the Chinese way The teas a Chinese medical practitioner might recommend are rather a departure from the box of Lipton tea bags in your pantry — but it’s well worth…SeptemberFest celebrates the community harvest
The growing season is winding down, which means it’s time for gardeners to celebrate their harvests. In that spirit, Waynesville’s Frog Level will host the inaugural SeptemberFest on Saturday, Sept.…news
Buncombe commissioners approve $1.3 million for Enka/Candler sports complex
After an hour-long discussion and seven stipulations, Buncombe County commissioners approved donating $1.3 million to help fund a new sports complex in Enka-Candler — although one commissioner described the proposal…opinion
Is Moffitt lying or out of touch?
In his current television ad for re-election to the state Legislature, Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, states: “Obama has tanked our economy.” According to the Wall Street Journal, this year’s second-quarter gross…Most Quirky
How did Asheville find its groove? (part 2)
Ask anyone who’s lived or worked in Asheville since the ’80s or ’90s, and you’re likely to get a different answer. We offer some responses in this week’s retrospective, such…Article on Drew Reisinger shows media’s slant
It is difficult to read, watch or listen to the news these days because of the media’s slant on every issue. Case in point is your article last week [“Hot Seat: Buncombe…Making a difference: a decade of activism
The ‘90s in Asheville were definitely a decade of activism — of all sorts. One of the earliest projects was the revitalization of downtown, which took courageous leadership. The Green…Before we succumbed to the modern world
Downtown Asheville in the 1990s had a small-town America feel reminiscent of my own rural upbringing. You could count the chain stores on one hand, and quirky, lost-in-time businesses seemingly…The early days of Blue Spiral 1 and the best years of my life
I’d often arrive to open the building and have to step over a homeless man, curled up with his bottle, in the entrance vestibule.Support growing for improved transportation options
Public support for improving our access to safe, active transportation options continues to grow in Asheville. Last week’s “Long Walk Ahead,” [Aug. 27, Xpress] by Jake Frankel pinpointed specific sidewalk…The Gospel According to Jerry: Fighting city hall
From the level of scrutiny this project received, you’d have thought we were planning a neurosurgery facility instead of just a metal shell on a concrete pad in an industrial…Hydraulic fracturing threatens WNC’s beauty, water
Western North Carolina has it all: picture-postcard scenery with pristine water. Unfortunately, hydraulic fracturing threatens it. Fracking is an industrial process using millions of gallons of our pure mountain water…Fracking chemicals are no secret
I would like to respond to the letter from Fred Flaxman [“How Do We Know If Fracking Chemicals are Safe?” Aug. 27, Xpress]. Fracking chemicals are no secret. Anyone can go…From housewife to activist to mayor
In late 1976, Asheville was quiet and downtown was mostly boarded up. We lived in Swannanoa and I got involved with the folks trying to close the Chemtronics plant. That…Investing in downtown’s future through our children
A year ago, I happened upon a young father with his wife, two children and in-laws on the sidewalk on the corner at the Haywood Park Hotel. Standing behind them,…Why I won’t be attending Mountain State Fair this year
I’ve had an ongoing issue with the North Carolina Mountain State Fair for the last three years. After 18 years with no dress code sign or any specific rules about how people…The challenges we faced in the ’90s
The Mountain Xpress was born in a decade — the 1990s — that produced major challenges new to Asheville and Buncombe County. First challenge: Two large construction projects — a…Asheville Disclaimer 9/10/14
Mysterious woman moves to Asheville for 'job'Consider joining fracking discussion on Sept. 12
I’m concerned about fracking coming to Western North Carolina, so I’m going to a hearing about it in Cullowhee on Friday, Sept. 12. Please consider joining us. (See wncfrackfree.org.) Fracking…Time of the Signs