A season of blessings I hadn’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life in many years. I remembered that it was a great movie, with the message that each person’s life is meaningful and we have choice — a soothing thought for these times. I sat in front of my wood stove and listened to the WCQS […]
Author: Webmaster
Showing 6742-6762 of 9872 results
Wait ‘til the midnight hour
It’s New Year’s Eve and you’ve got nothing to wear? We’ve got you covered. Glamorous, party-perfect looks from downtown Asheville boutiques are sure to make fireworks. Here, six New Year’s outfits modeled by Kathy Hoxit (of American’s Next Top Model, Cycle 6) and Adam Saur (of local break dancing group Hunab Kru). Hair styled by […]
Cartoons
A love supreme
Could there be anyone who loved North Carolina more? Months after his death, this question about Hugh Morton, from a book review in The News & Observer of Raleigh, keeps coming back to me. Since Morton’s passing, the lengthy list of his accomplishments and causes has been duly noted: the preservation of Grandfather Mountain, the […]
Keeping it in the family
Shiloh Mielke and Meadow Tarves are a local brother/sister duo who dominated this year’s Shut-In Ridge Trail Run. The 18-mile course follows the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from the North Carolina Arboretum to the summit of Mount Pisgah. Mielke, 26, ran cross country for Brevard College for two years before transferring to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, […]
New Year’s resolutions
It’s that time of year again when we have to endure the endless ramblings of friends, family and co-workers about all the positive changes they’re going to make in their lives in the coming year — not to mention the meaningless folly of people asking what our New Year’s resolutions are. But I really am […]
Letters to the editor
How green can you get? I appreciated Rebecca Bowe’s “Green Scene” [Dec. 13] about the proposed “peak-demand” plant in Woodfin. Just looking at the artist’s rendering before I read the article, I had two thoughts. The first was: Now that’s a visionary idea for solving our oil-dependency problems. The second thought was: Damn, that site […]
Sounding board for underground music
The man behind the Athens sound: Mitch Easter. A few decades ago, it seemed unlikely that a sleepy college town whose musical history reached an apex in the years after the Civil War, when nationally known minstrel acts appeared on local stages, would emerge as the hottest scene in the South, vying with cities like […]
Why the world music community is crazy for Asheville
From left, guitarist Justin Perkins, bassist David Pransky, percussionist Luke Quaranta, kit drummer Teal Brown and guitarist Drew Heller form the unique sound that is Toubab Krewe. Regular readers of the Xpress, who this year voted Toubab Krewe the best rock band in Asheville, are already onto the charms of this West African-influenced band. And, […]
Traveling man
“Castelli in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy” by Norman Seider, photographed in 2001. There are places in this world that grab our imaginations and won’t let go. Some we visited as children. Some we’ve never seen, but they’re built into our DNA: places that bring forth such strong feelings that we start to believe that we were […]
Cartoons
Words for the wilds
Need last-minute gifts for the hiker, naturalist, tree hugger or armchair ecologist in your life? Or more to the point: Need something to help you plan your own trips in the coming year? Here are some ideas. Brownstones and bears City Wilds: Essays and Stories about Urban Nature edited by Terrell F. Dixon (University of […]
Gallery gossip
Santa Claus is coming to town! What do our area artists want for Christmas? When asked what would be an ideal gift for the arts community, they provided some interesting answers. • Ursula Gullow, painter and host of Art Seen Asheville on URTV, asks for funding for a contemporary art center and wishes commercial galleries […]
My Spin
Within the past month, two university football coaches in North Carolina have been fired. They didn’t win enough games, and high-dollar supporters demanded that they be replaced. One could feel sorry for the coaches if their salaries weren’t greater than anyone else’s on campus. The new UNC coach will reportedly get $1.8 million per year; […]
The Jam to end all Jams
Click here to download A Jam-Mas Carol Cartoon (788K) The Jam to end all Jams Warren Haynes presents the 18th Annual Christmas Jam at the Asheville Civic Center on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. This year’s performers include: Dave Matthews, Gov’t Mule, The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic, New Orleans Social Club, Taj […]
The more styles, the merrier
“Ostara” by Fleta Monaghan. Now, with her daughter all grown up and a BFA degree from UNCA under her belt, Monaghan spends most of her time in her Riverside studio. Her only real distraction these days is teaching a few classes in her own space. Monaghan studied with Elma Johnson at UNCA, and apparently inherited […]
Cartoons
Letters to the editor
Protecting children from sexual abuse After reading [your] coverage of Asheville City Council’s Nov. 21 work session [“Just the Facts,” Nov. 29], I’m grateful that light is being shed on the issue of child pornography. However, child pornography, including the estimated 100,000 child-porn Web sites, is part of a much bigger problem: the sexual abuse […]
Welcome to the neighborhood
About every other month, it seems, I hear from a nonprofit that wants someone to represent the Latino community on their board. That’s all well and good, but first, those board members need to ask themselves this question: “Are we really ready and willing to welcome and be receptive to the Latino community and its […]
Gallery gossip
• Garry Grubbs, stretcher-maker for many of Asheville’s artists, reports some painters are ordering stretchers which stand out as much as 6 inches from the wall. We will watch for these paintings. • It’s great to have Paul Clark back in town to write for the expanded visual arts sections of the Asheville Citizen-Times. He’s […]
A tale of two Carols
A Christmas Carol is a classic holiday tale, but local productions of the story have begun to show their age. This year, however, the Montford Park Players have refreshed their aging script, while the Parkway Playhouse examines Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (pictured above). Launching Christmas spirits into uber-drive, the classic holiday play A Christmas Carol […]