In Photos: Barnaroo Music Festival 2016

Andrew Scotchie is a steady force in the local music scene. Frontman of Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats, Scotchie is one of the most active touring musicians in town and the founder and coordinator of Asheville Barnaroo Music Festival, a three-day event held at Franny’s Farm in Leicester. “First and foremost, it’s a big […]

Buncombe County’s Farm Heritage Trail supports an agricultur­al legacy

Out-of-towners who flock to Asheville for mountain views, world-class dining and a taste of Appalachian culture probably don’t often make a point of including a drive to northwest Buncombe County on their travel itineraries. Sparsely populated rural communities like Sandy Mush, Leicester, Newfound and Alexander tend to be pretty far off the radar for tourists — and even for […]

Let there be (regulated­) light

Sometime ago I wrote a letter highlighting how light pollution was beginning to affect the night sky here in the mountains [“Let's Do Something About Leicester's Growing Light-Pollution Problem,” Oct. 27, 2009, Xpress]. I am very gratified and satisfied to learn of the restrictions that the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has placed on this […]