Wish you were here…  Small Towns #2

Fletcher artisan Scott Waldrop crafts balsamic vinegar in the footprints of his wine-making ancestors. And what he produces ... is worth waiting for.

LEAF is held this weekend, Thursday, Oct. 17-Sunday, Oct. 20, at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain. Today is the last day to buy tickets.

Two of Asheville’s neighbors to the north — Woodfin and Weaverville — have truly come into their own in the past few years. Ensconced squarely between Asheville and Weaverville, Woodfin…

Lying at the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment, Black Mountain and Swannanoa are known as "the front porch of the mountains." These towns have long served as a resting…

In keeping with its commitment to producing provocative work, the company will present The Decent Women of Calle 58, a performance that strives to recreate the struggles and courage of…

Locals say that Hot Springs is where Mayberry meets the Twilight Zone. And neighboring town of Marshall is the kind of place where people shout out "happy birthday" to their…

For all of its charms, the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother doesn’t excel when it comes to music references. Ted Mosby, the protagonist searching for his true love,…

Thanks to a brand-new widened highway, Ashevilleans are now less than an hour away from a trio of distinct towns that offer a broad range of mountain living. Burnsville, Celo…

“Nobody who sees us isn’t entertained,” says Shawn Kilroy, frontman for Philadelphia rock outfit Weird Hot. The band was a long time in the making, partly because Kilroy also stays…

It would seem that shipping containers are becoming a staple in the River Arts District. The Lego-like, steel behemoths, often temporary, are finding permanency in the neighborhood — for extra…

"Your home movies are probably a lot more interesting than you remember," insists a press release for the 11th annual Home Movie Day, a worldwide event. It originated as "a…

Local author Tommy Hays, known for adult fiction Sam’s Crossing, In the Family Way and The Pleasure Was Mine, just published his first young-adult novel. The new book, What I…

Motown soul, '60s girl-group harmonies and Canadian indie-pop all meet in Chic Gamine. The powerhouse ensemble, from Winnipeg, has opened for Smokey Robinson and shared a stage with Mavis Staples.…

Local indie-rockers Comet West (Samuel Robbins, Shane Bennet, Nick Rodriguez and Britt Benson-Greer) are set to release their new EP, Weaker Things. The six tracks range from the ardent "Strong…

On Oct. 2, Western North Carolina Vote Tracker launched. It's an online service that aims to help area voters follow legislation pertaining to six categories: economic security, education, environment, health…

For well over a year, quirky and artistic downtown Marshall was without a full-service restaurant. The old stone building at 18 N. Main St. — which used to house Bacchus…

For one day only, local residents can grab a real Coney Island knish without hopping a plane to New York City. Organizers of the HardLox Jewish Food and Heritage Festival,…

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and in an effort to raise money for Helpmate, a local nonprofit dedicated to serving women and children in Buncombe County, the Chocolate…

For 10 years, Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian Restaurant owner Eric Scheffer has been making his grandmother’s chopped-liver recipe to be served up at the HardLox Festival. The recipe for the festival…

The bounty of summer is over, but that doesn't mean that fresh veggies are a thing of the past. When the sun sets early and the nights get chilly, there…

A list of resources for dealing with tenant issues, including mold. These government agencies and private organizations may be able to provide legal assistance or professional censure.

Concerns about substandard rental housing in Asheville are nothing new. But assessing the extent of the problem has proved to be a slippery slope: Although tenant complaints are a matter…

Multiple complaints about mold, rot, and other woes at a Merrimon Avenue apartment complex earlier this year casts doubt on the ability of local governments to deal with what many…

In the Asheville area and across the country, far too many people are living with an abusive spouse. Besides the physical danger to themselves or their children, they’re afraid of…

Editor’s note: This summer, Cameron Huntley explored a niche in the Asheville-area economy — comic-book and gaming stores. In this installment, he takes a close look at one store’s weekly…

"It's on fire," says Carrie-Welles Craven about the business growth near Wood & Spoon, the store she and her husband Mark Craven opened in September. Located on Clingman Avenue, close…

What: “Trapped by Poverty, Trapped by Abuse: Pursuing Justice for Victims of Domestic Violence,” a forum and fundraiser presented by Pisgah Legal Services. When: Reception at 5:30 p.m., forum at…

Cast your ballot EARLY VOTING begins Thursday, Oct. 17, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2 Residents can register to vote during this period. For more information, visit buncombecounty.org/vote or call…

Friends doubt recent breakup between Fed, Pisgah Inn will stick following Inn’s back-and-forth compliance/defiance of government shutdown

As the seasons turn to fall, many of us here in North Carolina typically head to the mountains of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests before the cold rolls in.…

I advise the city of Asheville to cancel the “topless women" meeting between city officials and downtown business owners planned for Oct. 21. This meeting will be yet another obvious…

I am writing in support of Esther Manheimer in her run to for mayor. I met Esther when she first ran for City Council four years ago, and I was…

Ladies and gentlemen!!!! From the producers of “Murdock Madness,” “Kimberly KonKrete Kar Krushers” and “Macon Mayhem” now comes their final (we hope) chapter: “Charlotte Street Constipation,” featuring “multimodal” (which sounds…