It’s that time of year, when the days are long and the nights are cool. School is out, and work seems to get easier and easier to blow off when there is a good time to be had instead. There’s something about a long weekend enjoying the sights, sounds and even the smells of downtown […]
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The Dirt: What makes a gardener?
I don’t just like gardening—I love it. And on that basis, I call myself a gardener. (My dictionary backs me up on this, defining the word as “a person who likes or is skilled at working in a garden.” No particular skill level required.) In fact, I believe my passion gives me a leg up […]
Outdoors: Home stretch
Day Seven began at 7 a.m. to ensure that I didn’t miss my ride. The sunrise was beautiful, and the closer to Mount Mitchell’s summit I climbed, the more beautiful it became. The wind was blowing a near-constant 30 mph, resulting in a wind chill of 19 degrees. I was cold, but when I reached […]
The Yellow Brick Road not taken
The display in Blue Spiral 1’s street-level gallery has a definite weight to it. Interconnected ceramic works by Kenneth Baskin hold a somber dialogue with Ward H. Nichols’ hyper-realistic paintings, creating a muted and sparse feel. Micah Sherrill’s “Evidence of Things Unseen” is just one of his series exploring the iconic characters and situations in […]
SoundTrack
Ambushes can be vastly underrated. Worthy waylays include surprise birthdays (sans the weak heart), a shot of whiskey in coffee and occasional opening-act rock bands. I headed to the Grey Eagle on Saturday, July 5, to review local upstarts The If You Wannas, with supporting acts The Baker Family Band and The Royal Bangs. The […]
Take another look at hillside regulation
Rebecca Bowe’s “Green Scene” on July 9 shed some light on the upcoming changes in the Buncombe County Subdivision Ordinance. However, the article [appeared] skewed towards increasing fear and igniting controversy instead of factual reporting. It seems that [everyone] quoted in the article was either misquoted or truly misunderstood what regulations are currently in place […]
Summerlane series was a jolt
We had quite a jolt reading [Jon Elliston’s] research on Camp Summerlane [“Cruel Summer” series, June 18 and 25, July 2 and 9 Xpress]. Thank you very much for [telling us] about that terrible attack on innocent youths, most of whom were wanting to go to a nonregimented camp. The details and pictures from a […]
Save that smile for the unmelancholy Danes
In her cheerful July 2 Xpress article, “Welcome to the Happiest Place in America,” Alli Marshall didn’t mention joy expert Eric Weiner’s conclusion that Denmark is the happiest place on Earth. Here are some of the reasons why, according to my research. The Danish maximum workweek is 37 hours, with a minimum of six paid […]
Feeling secure in the dark
Thank you for the article about light pollution [“Dusk to Dawn: The Hard Work of Saving the Night Sky,” July 9]. I want to go on record as saying that this is an issue that concerns me, and I am grateful to the people who are trying to do something about it. I grew up […]
Train wreck pending in downtown Asheville
Hal Millard’s article “Haywood Park Project Clears First Hurdle” [“The Buzz,” July 9] was such a brief overview of the coming train wreck in downtown Asheville that I was left frustrated and wanting more. I am a Haywood Street merchant already adversely impacted by the dramatically increased rent charged by Mr. Fraga’s FIRC, and by […]
The Mumpower metamorphasis
Like Al Gore before he found global warming, Carl Mumpower has struggled to develop a signature public persona. Remember the time when he was Asheville’s crime-fighting drug czar? Or his short-lived attempt to become its number-one patron of the arts? Or the voice of reason and moderation he once offered to City Council, before he […]
Shuler and Mumpower: no comparison
As a liberal, I sympathize with the frustrations felt by many liberals in the WNC area at some of the conservative stances taken by our Democratic congressman, Heath Shuler. However, I’m not sure what letter writer Ben Smith hopes to accomplish when he urges liberals and like-minded progressives to vote for neither Shuler nor Mumpower […]
When the heat is on
In the two years I’ve lived here, I’ve noticed how much people appear to love their companion dogs. People take their pups everywhere. But canines are not welcome everywhere, and these same caring people constantly leave their dogs in cars. It’s summer now: It’s hot, and even a 70-degree day can be dangerous. Dogs’ body […]
Stepping up to the food plate
The Buncombe County community successfully generated 31,000 pounds of food and $39,500 (to buy food) on July 10th. Our neighbors’ willingness and collective efforts to make Western North Carolina a better place to live made the difference. The media stepped to the plate and hit a home run for us with a remarkable amount of […]
Weekly Asheville Disclaimer Page: 07/23/08
• Tourist recovering from mob attack
• News Briefs
• Hot Spot Harriet
• Bele Chere 2008 vendor rules
• Budweiser changes
Forget the Chuckle Hut
Since last summer, Laugh Your Asheville Off has been challenging Asheville’s reputation as an uptight little artist’s village and attempting to turn it into a bustling burg of comedy. For its sophomore effort, the festival has stretched to three days and, according to organizers, has thus become the largest comedy festival in the Southeast. (Take […]
Can you say tensegrity?
Public sculpture has long played a role in Asheville’s ability to market itself to art-loving tourists. From Dirck Cruser’s “Energy Loop” (currently being restored) to the newly installed aluminum “Deco Gecko,” and from the various works on the Urban Trail to Albert Paley’s “Passage” in front of the Federal Building, sculpture seems to be everywhere. […]
Let freedom ring
“It seems like every summer, something else is going on. I guess that’s because our music is so summery,” says Jason Brewer, singer and guitarist for Charleston, S.C.-based rock outfit The Explorers Club. The sounds of summer: They may not be rich or famous, but the Explorers Club do know how to make a catchy […]
Second helping
Don’t even think about calling them a cover band. “I think that cover-band label is pretty lame in the first place,” says David Connor Jones, bassist for local rock band Custard Pie. Sure, the band does exclusively perform Led Zeppelin covers—but Jones sees their take on the music as something far removed from Elvis impersonators […]
Outdoors: The middle way
Milepost 216 marked the Virginia/North Carolina border. This portion of the ride is relatively flat, and for that reason, it was much appreciated. But the nine-mile climb to Doughton Park convinced me that I deserved dinner and a stay at Bluff’s Lodge and Coffee Shop. I pulled into the eatery at 7:29 p.m.—one minute before […]
The Dirt: Shelton Farms
When William Shelton was still in college, he would plant a few rows of corn on his father’s land in Jackson County to sell to the local supermarkets. On summer mornings he would harvest a few hundred-dozen ears of the sweet corn before dawn. He would drive the corn to the local Ingles market himself. […]