Mountain Xpress added to the vibrancy of an already out-of-control energy level around Asheville in the ’90s. Events and causes finally had a voice, and everyone pitched in to get the word out. We knew it was a successful publication because you would go through downtown on a Wednesday and everyone was reading it. It’s […]
Dear Jeff… It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since you began publishing the Mountain Xpress. During that period of time, Asheville has changed a great deal and the Mountain Xpress has been a big part of that process. It is really hard to comprehend the changes that have taken place […]
In 1994, the renaissance of downtown Asheville was still in startup mode. Jeff Fobes and his family were recent arrivals to the mountains. Vacant storefronts were plentiful, and no one had to circle the block to find a place to park their vehicle.
People ask me how the Asheville of the ’90s compares to Asheville now. The easiest way for me to explain it is to tell them that, back then, if you were semi-employed (maybe a student or part-time bartender) you lived in a big Victorian house in Montford. Those who were unemployed or in a punk […]
In a nutshell, the political climate in Asheville/Buncombe County in the early ’90s was quite polarized. We had the good ol’ boy network in place and a growing progressive arts-and-political community wanting to assert itself. I served as the director of advertising for the Green Line newspaper in its last year before it morphed into […]
This weekend Asheville hosts Booktopia, an author-reader retreat. One of the authors at that Malaprop’s event will be Raleigh-based novelist Kim Church.
by Elspeth St. Paul Camping is wonderful. Except when it’s not. The stars in the night sky, the roar of the campfire, the birdsong at sunrise — all memorable. But then, too, there are the nagging mosquitoes, the potentially disease-bearing ticks, the ache of sleeping on the ground. For a novice, setting up the dreaded […]
Buncombe County usually ranks high in the state for healthy behaviors and quality medical care. Unfortunately there is one area where we are dead last: immunizations. The percent of Buncombe County kindergarteners who have not received all their required immunizations is about five times higher than the North Carolina average. Most of these children’s parents claimed a non-medical reason for not vaccinating their children. Our goal at Buncombe County Health and Human Services is to assure that parents and our community understand the benefits of immunizations.
The struggle to clean up the long-shuttered CTS manufacturing site on Mills Gap Road in South Asheville continues this Tuesday evening, July 29, with a town hall meeting organized by one of the community groups involved in the case — the POWER Action Group.
by Jordan Lawrence With a newly renovated arena complex in the U.S. Cellular Center and a number of theaters and rock clubs strewn throughout the city, Asheville books what would be an impressive array of musical entertainment for a town five times its size. We checked in with three of the city’s successful venues — […]
Longtime Xpress commentary writer Jerry Sternberg shares a story about the Langren Hotel and the ironies of “progress.”
by Tim Potts Singer-songwriter Richard Buckner doesn’t work a crowd. It’s pretty much out of the question that he will shout, “put your hands in the air” at any point during his living room show in Asheville on Sunday, Aug. 24. There is also a good chance that the songs Buckner chooses to play won’t […]
From a press release: Prohibition-era estate reveals secrets to public this October, by Anne Chesky Smith Black Mountain, NC. – July 24, 2014 – Nestled in the Swannanoa Valley of western North Carolina sits a winding Tudor-style country manor house. Known as “In-the-Oaks,” the 24,000 square foot home was built in the early 1920s for Franklin Silas […]
Veterans For Peace will present a special benefit concert featuring John McCutcheon as part of the 29th annual Veterans for Peace Convention.
by Brandon C. Bouchillon Trampled by Turtles is slowing down. Known for firing off punk-inspired bluegrass diddies, the group’s new album, Wild Animals, feels like a sea change. It’s more controlled than the ones before it. Gone are the torrents of fiddle and mandolin, the notes now sparse and atmospheric. There’s more standing around. And […]
Blue Ridge Food Ventures (BRFV) will host an evening full of Asheville specialties, including artisan food, craft beer, signature cocktails, wine and, of course, live music. Proceeds will support BRFV in their mission to aid aspiring food entrepreneurs as they move food product ideas from the test kitchen to the marketplace.
I just finished reading your long story on burglary in Asheville (“Home Sweet Target,” July 2 Xpress). What stood out most for me, because of its unexpectedness, was the caution against profiling from Sean Davis, identified in the story as a “community resource officer” for the Asheville Police Department. You quote him as saying, “In no way does race, gender, sexual orientation or religion make an individual suspicious.” This was in the context of advising citizens to be vigilant for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
Photography by Zaire Kacz Story by Melanie McGee Bianchi Styling by Sara Fields Before thong swimsuits, fringed half-shirts and other travesties of the modern seascape, beach beauties dressed with an eye for silhouette, achieving a certain sun-drenched élan. Figure-enhancing swimsuits, leisure-class sunglasses and an ankle-kissing caftan all nod to mid-century beach culture. And because of […]
From the Sierra Club: On Satuday, July 12, local activist group Yogis Beyond Coal joined with Sierra Club to co-host an event in Pack Square Park in Asheville, highlighting community concerns with the local coal-fired power plant. The gathering, called Move for the Movement, sought to underscore that healthy living and clean energy are two sides of […]
by Kat McReynolds When you see three didgeridoos set up onstage at a concert, stick around. Friday’s RiverMusic festival certainly proved this to be a good choice. Three-piece global-Americana group The Billy Sea played a free performance on July 11 for the third segment of RiverMusic’s five-part summer concert series. Early on, front man and […]
By Carol Thomas The hills of Western North Carolina will be alive with the sound of music this summer as St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Burnsville hosts a series of Sunday concerts — two of them at a new outdoor performance area. Families can bring picnic suppers, chairs and blankets or dine by tailgate while […]
