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For Xpress' last issue of the year, we present our picks of the stories, events, people and issues that defined 2018 in Western North Carolina
arts
Outstanding local theater
As this year comes to a close, it’s the perfect time to reflect on some truly extraordinary theater ranging from splashy musicals, moving dramas and locally written plays.Best of Asheville Comedy
Asheville's thriving comedy scene remains active with local artists while also attracting major touring acts.Noteworthy local album releases
The past year has brought forth a bumper crop of superb albums in every genre from artists local (or with strong connections) to Asheville and the surrounding region.Creative resistance
In Western North Carolina, 2018 held numerous examples of the arts-infused actions aimed at collective liberation.New Year’s Eve events around WNC
There are countless ways to see out the old year and welcome the new one. Read on for parties, concerts, dances and more.Asheville’s inclusive art exhibitions
While this city still has a long way to go to when it comes to equity and representation of diversity within the local art scene, 2018 showed strides in that…Six occasions when geeks ruled WNC
Costumes and comic books Batman: 2018 was a big year for geek culture in Asheville.Smart Bets: Jamie Laval’s Celtic Christmas
The holiday program of music, dance, poetry and stories from Scotland, Ireland, Brittany and Iceland returns to Asheville Community Theatre on Dec. 29.Social dance highlights
The Asheville area is blessed with opportunities to groove and shimmy, nearly every day of the week.Smart Bets: Jangling Sparrows Duo
Asheville-based roots rockers Paul Edelman and Dave Baker play Isis Music Hall on Dec. 29.UPDATED: Xpress seeks art, writing for 2019 Kids Issues
Each year, Xpress publishes the thoughtful, vibrant and engaging creative work of Western North Carolina K-12 students, along with listings of local and regional summer camps. The 2019 theme is…food
Year in review: Looking back at brewing industry news
From medals at prestigious national competitions to Asheville's oldest brewery changing its look after 24 years, 2018 was full of major brewing news.Year in review: Asheville food scene flashbacks
Landmark restaurants changed hands, established chefs experimented with new concepts and Asheville lost one food festival and gained a new one.Year in review: Notable Asheville food and drink events
In a city that's always hopping with food and drink events, here are a few that stood out from 2018.Year in review: Asheville beer and cider industry trends
From unexpected expansions to hemp beers, the local brewing industry overlapped in a handful of standout areas over the past year.Year in review: Creative new cocktail bars
Several bars focusing on the creative end of mixed drinks opened in Asheville in 2018.Small bites: Strada Italiano continues its New Year’s tradition
Feast of Seven Fishes returns to Strada Italiano. Also: New Year's celebrations at Postero, Golden Fleece, Jargon and Rustic Grape Wine Bar. Meanwhile Punk Wok returns to Buxton Hall Barbecue.living
2018 in review: 10 WNC health and wellness topics that mattered
Health and wellness are always important topics in the life of our community, and this year was certainly no exception to that rule. Though developments in the proposed acquisition of…Year in review: Noteworthy WNC farm and garden news
From hemp to herd shares, 2018 was a year of growth and change for WNC farmers and gardeners.movies
2018 in review: The best of a bad year in movies
Scott Douglas and Francis X. Friel pick their way through "a reasonable overview of a perfectly acceptable year at the movies." 2018, they said, involved watching many good films but…Screen scene: Local film news
“Roma” wins SEFCA’s Best Film of 2018 award, Asheville comedian Hilliary Begley stars in Netflix's "Dumplin’" and more.news
2018 in review: Conserving WNC’s natural treasures
Western North Carolina’s wild places and creatures lie at the heart of the region’s appeal, inspiring local artists and attracting visitors from across the globe. Events in 2018 promised to…2018 in review: 7 Asheville-area climate stories
Twelve years: That’s how long humanity has left to hold global warming below the key level of 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to an October report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel…Year in review: Locals we lost in 2018
Some community members who died in 2018 lived long and respected lives. Others met sudden ends by way of traffic accidents or illnesses, while some had their lives cut short…2018 in review: Turnover at the top of Buncombe County government
As the investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene ground on into 2018, Buncombe County witnessed steady turnover in many of its top positions.Xpress’ 2018 Instagram review
We are revisiting some of our best Instagram posts from 2018.Asheville Archives: Top views for 2018
See what historical events captured readers' attention throughout 2018.Year in review: Evolving race relations in Asheville
Asheville has gotten whiter over the past two decades. The proportion of African-American residents in the city dropped from 17.6 percent in 2000 to 12.3 percent in 2016, a change…2018 in review: Developments in the Wanda Greene investigation
Even after a full year of developments in the criminal investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene, Buncombe County has still not reached the end of this tumultuous chapter in…Year in review: Local media highlights
Local media operations mostly held their own in 2018. While the Citizen Times staff are now tenants in their historic building in downtown Asheville, the paper bagged first place for…Year in review: The future of the car in WNC
Asheville’s human population growth has been matched by an increase in the number of vehicles on the region's roads. Efforts to accommodate the resulting traffic — or move people around…Year in review: Local activism makes a mark on WNC
Asheville is an activist’s town, and 2018 controversies in local government, including the ongoing fallout from the investigation into former County Manager Wanda Greene and the police beating of Asheville…Past meets present: Asheville discusses Confederate monuments, lynchings and Native American history
The history lessons and talks of 2018.2018 in review: Top 10 Buncombe economic accomplishments, by Kit Cramer
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Kit Cramer weighed in on the year's top economic development accomplishments in Buncombe County, starting with funding progress on the Interstate 26…2018 in review: Partisanship alive and well in WNC politics
As the Democratic Party retook control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections, Buncombe Dems managed to hold onto a few key positions in local elections…2018 in review: Shakeups in Asheville city staff
Change proved the only constant among staff members in Asheville city government during 2018. Firings, resignations, reassignments and new hires left the city’s bureaucracy radically changed from its makeup at…2018 in review: What mattered for affordable housing in WNC
With apologies to Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a resident of Western North Carolina in possession of little fortune must be in want of affordable housing.…Ceremony honors homeless community members who died in 2018
Terry Joe Self was one of 22 homeless and formerly homeless people in Asheville remembered at an interfaith service Dec. 19 at Haywood Street. At the climax of the ceremony,…Commissioners consider county manager prospects
On Dec. 19, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners met in closed session to winnow 33 applications it has received for the position to a more manageable number. The county…opinion
Letter: Hear, hear
"Well said, Martha S. Bradley, Esq. [“Women Didn't Kill Civic Clubs,” Dec. 12, Xpress]."Letter: I-26 questions lead to frustration
"They all know exactly where the improvements to I-26 should be made and when. With absolutely no idea how much their ingenious planning ideas will cost the taxpayers!"2018 in review: Ten notable Buncombe government accomplishments, by George Wood
Interim Buncombe County Manager George Wood summarizes some of the county's most notable achievements in 2018.2018 in review: 12 biggest impacts on Asheville neighborhoods, by CAN
Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods' Chair Amy Kemp shares her perspective on issues that had the greatest impact on the city's neighborhoods in 2018.Letter: Public deserves substantive answers on Dogwood Health Trust
"Why is it self-interested for people to work to preserve their medical services and ensure diverse representation on the DHT board, but altruistic for Mission board members to anoint themselves…2018 in review: Top Buncombe tourism accomplishments, by Stephanie Pace Brown
Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau's Stephanie Pace Brown makes her pitch for the area's tourism industry's top accomplishments of the past year.2018 in review: Why I chose Asheville, by new City Manager Debra Campbell
According to news reports, Debra Campbell could have had her pick of city or county manager positions in the Southeast. Xpress asked why she chose Asheville.2018 in review: Best things about being Asheville’s mayor, by Esther Manheimer
The pay (just kidding). I get to represent the awesome people of Asheville, who are compassionate and truly care about making our community a better place to live for everyone…On our minds in 2018: The year in Opinion
Readers, you had a lot to say about local politics and civic goings-on in the region this year. From tourism and development to bears and the county government scandal, here’s…Top pick of 2018: An engaged, empowered community
Your continued participation in this locally focused journalistic conversation — this project of growing and sustaining a healthy, vibrant community whose members speak up for the changes that matter to…