Spring Break is just around the corner—her­e’s a sample of camp offerings

• Asheville Arts Center grabs the limelight this year with two spring-break performance camps. “Once Upon a Time …” is an exploration of fairy tales old and new for young ones age 2-6, and “Lights, Camera, Action!”, for kids 6-15, teaches movie-making from script to screen. Both programs will be held April 13-17. For rates […]

The Gospel According to Jerry

Ever wonder why Asheville is such a clown town when it comes to local politics? Our City Council works very hard with good and honorable intentions, but they seem to trip over their personal agendas, egos and lack of pragmatism. My conclusion is that this is because they’re elected by, and only hear the drumbeat […]

Congratula­tions, America

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had this to say in February 2003 about the upcoming war on Iraq: “It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months.” It has now been six years that the U.S. military has been occupying the country of Iraq. And Iraq has been destroyed. Millions of people […]

Small Bites

Looking Glass Creamery: With North Carolina’s reputation as a wine-maker region already well-established, Jennifer Perkins is hoping to add cheese to the state’s collective menu. “I would love to see Asheville become the Napa Valley of cheese, with lots of thriving cheese makers specializing in different types of cheeses and dairy products,” enthuses Perkins, who […]

More than just a festival: LEAF reaches out

LEAF International started on Jennifer Pickering‘s vacation. While staying on Bequia in the Grenadines, the executive director of the popular Black Mountain-based Lake Eden Arts Festival walked into the Caribbean island’s high school for underperforming youth and asked about its steel-drum program. The instruments, known as “pans,” are part of the island’s music tradition, but […]

SoundTrack

The vibe at the French Broad Brewery is “work in progress,” what with the bags of barley stacked behind what passes for a stage, the serve-yourself-pretzels and giant brewing vats standing sentry. But “work in progress” is not a bad thing. You’ll find some of Asheville’s finest craft brews at French Broad, and the general […]

R.I.P. “Popcorn” Sutton

Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, the legendary moonshiner, died March 16 at his home in Cocke County, Tenn. Photo by Michael Stock According to his wife, Sutton took his own life to avoid going to jail for 18 months under a looming incarcerations for moonshining and weapons charges. She found him dead of carbon-monoxide poisoning inside his […]

Big in Belgium

“I definitely had this experience—we all did—of stepping through the looking glass,” guitarist/composer Shane Perlowin recalls. He’s talking about avant-garde jazz/thrash group Ahleuchatistas’ November 2008 tour through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, France and Spain. Winning fans overseas: Ahleuchatistas guitarist Shane Perlowin practices in a German train station. The prog-rock band is one of several […]

A universal language

For White Dog ProjectX International, collaboration and artistic exchange can span any cultural barrier. “Dance is a universal language,” declares Artistic Director Susan Collard. “Travel is the best education there is, and it truly changes your work,” she continues, describing the inspiration that compels the recently named international touring arm of the long-running Asheville Contemporary […]

Primordial Tradition

Peter Kingsley Primordial Tradition is a nonprofit organization devoted to making the ancient western tradition of sacred wisdom available to people today. Its focus is on providing access to teachings and meditation practices used by the ancient Greek philosophers to create this culture we now live in. Primordial Tradition offers lectures and regular meetings for […]

Buncombe Commission­ers will not appeal zoning lawsuit: will restart approval process

Buncombe County will not appeal an N.C. Court of Appeals ruling that overturned its zoning and multifamily condo ordinances, the Board of Commissioners decided after a closed session today. Instead, the county will restart the zoning-approval process — and pursue a moratorium on “undesirable” property uses in the meantime.

Legislatur­e looks at absentee voting, animal tethering, mandatory testing in schools

Among the far-ranging topics of legislation submitted in the N.C. General Assembly over the past week were bills that would amend the absentee voting law, permit immediate euthanization of stray animals that bite humans, limit mandatory testing in the public schools, and provide written parental notification when a student is recommended for expulsion or suspension.