Going up: Hotels, crowds and rent (Best of WNC: Part 2)
Volume
23
/ Issue 4
Cover Design Credit:
Scott SouthwickCover Photography Credit:
Thomas Calder
What’s behind the big price increases for downtown retail space? Xpress looks at the factors involved and the effects on local businesses. And be sure to check out part two of the 2016 Best of WNC “X” Awards.
arts
Asheville All Stars play fourth consecutive Downtown After 5
After the fourth annual showcase on Aug. 19, over 75 musicians will have represented their city as an Asheville All Star.Artist Andy Herod finds his muses on Facebook
The series will be on display at PUSH Gallery through Oct. 4, with an opening reception held Friday, Aug. 19.Smart bets: Hot Summer Nights
The party is at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall on Saturday, Aug. 20.Local playwright stages a satire about the manosphere
The production, a satire about the “manosphere” (or men’s rights movement), takes its name from the The Red Pill online community, hosted on Reddit, “where men go to air their…Brian Wilson brings final Pet Sounds tour to Asheville
In the 21st century, Wilson — working with his own group — doesn't shy away from his ambitious studio creations of the mid 1960s; in fact, he embraces them.Smart bets: River Valley Blues Festival
Salvage Station hosts the riverside shindig, which features six local music acts, on Saturday, Aug. 20.Smart bets: Erica Russo
The Mothlight hosts the release party for Erica Russo's new album Honey on Saturday, Aug. 20.Smart bets: Packway Handle Band
Packway Handle Band performs songs from their recent album, a collaboration with Jim White, at The Grey Eagle on Saturday, Aug. 20.food
Mix and mingle: A new workshop series educates home bartenders
With intimate, hands-on classes that spotlight classic cocktails, The Imperial Life mixologists Ben Johnson and Jasper Adams are empowering Asheville's home bartenders one drink at a time.Small bites: Asheville Wine, Food Fest changes
The Asheville Wine and Food Festival caps its eighth year with an updated Grand Tasting event; Gan Shan Station brings Charleston chef Daniel Heinze onboard for Sunday Supper, Appalachian Appetite…living
Advance directives help patients create end-of-life road maps
Advance healthcare directives help doctors and loved ones make end-of-life care decisions, but only if patients have prepared directives and communicated them ahead of time.movies
Screen scene: Local film news
The Grail screens a prison-based documentary with local ties, the West Asheville Library ends one film series and begins another and Wedge and Hi-Wire screen modern classics outdoors.news
Adelgid agitation
Slip, sliding away: WNC creek banks imperiled by erosion
Stream erosion is a growing problem in Western North Carolina. When a stream bank on your property erodes, more sediment enters the waterway and the area and appearance of your…Land of the sky-high rents
As commercial rents rise ever higher in Asheville’s downtown, local business owners and other community members hope the area's popularity won’t lead to increasing homogenization, the proliferation of national chains…Hungry for help: Is Asheville’s food and drink industry outpacing its employee pool?
Asheville and its surrounding area continue to see culinary expansion. While this is good news for residents and tourists, some businesses are struggling to stay staffed.Family Justice Center provides one-stop resource for domestic and sexual abuse victims
Buncombe County's new Family Justice Center will be a one-stop resource for victims of abuse. However, the Asheville area hasn’t always been as intentional about helping victims escape abuse.Conscious party: Slide the Fletch, take two
A multitude of outdoor water games, including a 20-foot tall slide, plus live music and food make the second Slide the Fletch fundraiser appropriate for adventurers and spectators alike. Hall…opinion
Letter writer: Fear doesn’t help young men
"The reproductive rights movement is being intentionally divided and conquered by gender."Letter writer: Why did Meadows skip forums?
"It has come to my attention that [Congressman] Mark Meadows will not participate in usual forums prior to this very important November election."Letter writer: City should reconsider Biltmore Avenue site for substation
"If the Western Carolinas Modernization and Expansion project was truly a 'modernization' project, then Duke Energy Progress would not be trying to cram 100-year-old, air-cooled, ugly substations into the downtown…Letter writer: Black people are denied justice and truth
" I would say the repeated, almost daily, killing of unarmed and nonviolent black men, boys, women and girls is absolutely heartbreaking, soul-destroying and completely depressing."