Since 1981, Oralene Simmons, founder and chair of The Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, has watched the organization’s annual prayer breakfast grow from 50 or so attendees to several thousand. Now in its 40th year, the association is preparing for its latest gathering. But unlike in the past, the 2021 […]
In this year’s Humor Issue, we return to Billy Borne’s cartoons. Though his work was published in The Asheville Citizen for over 20 years, our focus is on 1921. As his illustrations exhibit, the Roaring 20s did not actually kick off with a bang but rather an economic recession-turned-depression. By the end of 1921, however, […]
Editor’s note: The following story, unlike the rest of Mountain Xpress’s award-winning coverage of local news and events throughout the rest of the year, is 100% fake. Feeling a little sluggish after 2020? Curious how you’ll readjust once things eventually return to normal? These five fictitious classes might be your answer. Please and Thank You: […]
Amid the onset of COVID-19, Xpress took a deep dive into the city’s past response to the 1918 influenza. The series, which ran in our weekly history feature, Asheville Archives, examined the ways residents complied with, and later raged against, health restrictions, as well as the lasting toll the pandemic had on families who lost […]
In June, Ruth Pike-Elliot gave birth to her son, Ollie. She and her wife, Bren, have worked hard to stay safe while celebrating the life of their newborn son with family and friends.
This year, in response to the pandemic, Xpress launched COVID Conversations. We hope the series provides insights and glimpses into how our community has coped with the health crisis.
Reporter Thomas Calder reflects on his favorite stories of 2020.
In the spring, Gloria Pincu and her husband, Daniel, tested positive for COVID-19. Both were hospitalized; tragically, only Gloria survived.
Roy Parvin and his wife, Janet, relocated to Asheville in May. Roy’s reflection on the move sparked some controversy with Xpress readers.
COVID-19 continues to impact church services. But the Rev. L.C. Ray is optimistic things will improve in 2021.
As the year comes to an end, Xpress asked a handful of local historians to reflect on who from Asheville’s past would have been best suited to manage the many challenges and tragedies our community faced in 2020.
With 2021 on the horizon, Xpress spoke with several additional community leaders to discuss how residents and local officials responded to this year’s call for racial justice and what actions offer hope moving forward.
In her latest book, “We Gather Together: A Nation Divided, a President in Turmoil, and a Historic Campaign to Embrace Gratitude and Grace,” author Denise Kiernan examines the history of Thanksgiving as well as the psychological and physical benefits that come with showing gratitude.
This week’s Archives examines a pair of paranormal encounters described by local residents in the 1910s.
After threats of demolition, the Enka clock tower will be preserved. Local historians and advocates find lessons from it for future preservation efforts.
In her debut collection, local author Arlene Duane Hemingway creates stories in 100 words exactly.
Where the Jackson Building stands today, on the southeast corner of Pack Square, a monuments and tombstones business once stood. The business owner, W.O. Wolfe, died in 1922, but his life and personality were immortalized in his son Thomas’ 1929 novel, Look Homeward, Angel.
Despite the statewide shutdown earlier this year, local jewelry stores report a profit in sales. But the good times are not universally felt throughout the industry.
Starting in the summer of 1942, residents across Western North Carolina participated in a series of emergency blackout drills to prepare for potential air raids from the Axis Power.
Throughout 1955, local and national newspapers praised Wilma Dykeman’s debut book, The French Broad. A work of nonfiction, it earned the inaugural Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literature Award in October of that year.
After nearly a decade, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy has found a permanent use for the author’s former childhood home. In fall 2021, UNC Asheville intends to launch the site as part of its Writer-in-Residence program. Xpress spoke with some of the key players who helped turn the concept into a reality.
