Inside several specialty shops along the mile-and-a-half stretch from UNC Asheville to Beaver Lake, hawkers of shoes, homebrew equipment, crystals and haircuts continue to sell their wares and services, building community amid the slower traffic, and their opinions — like their specialties — vary widely.
“Brevard has a uniqueness and a whole different vibe than existed 10 years ago in a really cool way,” says Dee Dee Perkins, owner of the outdoor supplies and gear shop D.D. Bullwinkel’s. She credits new breweries and Transylvania County Tourism’s focus on mountain biking.
Michelle Weitzman, the only trustee to speak publicly about employee complaints of mistreatment at the Asheville Art Museum, was removed from the museum’s board Nov. 15.
The East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association celebrates the neighborhood’s legacy and heritage on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Also: The Asheville Symphony Orchestra’s new season launches; Western Carolina University hosts its latest exhibits; and more!
The three-day gathering reconvenes for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic at The Grey Eagle from Friday, Aug. 19-Sunday, Aug. 21. Plus: Tyger Tyger Gallery opens in the RAD; local poet Diamond Forde is a finalist for national fellowship; and more!
The Gray Rock Inn Writers Project calls on local authors to contribute fiction and nonfiction pieces. Also: Dark City Poets Society celebrates one-year anniversary of Poetry Night; LEAF Down By the River celebrates youth performers; and more!
A local attorney pens a new children’s book. Plus, UNCA hosts the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, a new art exhibit highlights creatures of the Serengeti and the Mount Mitchell Crafts Fair returns to Burnsville’s town square.
J Art Show explores work of prominent Jewish artists, BMCM+AC reimagines 1951 dance and music performance, Anything Fiber Yard Sale features leftover studio finds, and more!
After more than a year of lockdowns and hesitant restarts, the Madison County college town of Mars Hill is feeling the effects of shifting trends. “People have decided they want to have a less congested life but still have access to restaurants and shopping,” notes real estate agent Angela Morgan.
Dog & Pony Show and more than a dozen other locally owned, independent specialty shops joined the Go Local Card program in 2021. More than 500 businesses overall participate in the effort, now entering its 11th year, which has helped to raise nearly $200,000 for Asheville City Schools.
Originally from North Carolina, Katherine de Vos Devine found herself uprooted at a young age when her father moved the family to New York City for a new job. In many ways, this transplant shaped Devine’s life. “I grew up in a diverse and bohemian apartment building, surrounded by actors, dancers, artists and elderly Ziegfeld […]
Growing up, Shana Bushyhead Condill frequently visited museums with her family. Whether in Montana where she was born or in Milwaukee where she graduated high school, Condill had exposure to a broad range of collections. But as a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, what she did not see was an accurate representation of […]
Western North Carolina is grappling with a controversial part of its history: monuments erected in commemoration of Confederate figures. In May, after months of debate and consideration by a specially appointed task force, Asheville began removing the Vance Monument, an obelisk honoring the late Confederate military officer and former Gov. Zebulon Baird Vance. And in […]
Mars Landing Galleries opens in Mars Hill. Plus: Yolanda Rabun takes the stage after a hiatus, Shindig on the Green returns and summer workshops for writers begin.
Lonesome Station music series partners with American Vinyl Co. for a new music series. Plus, two exhibits celebrate Juneteenth all month long; the return of the Blue Ridge Orchestra; and more!
Some predict high demand for residential and retail space, as illustrated by several development projects planned or under construction. There are also fears that rising real estate prices may eventually push out some of the artists who have helped make the RAD a magnet.
Burnsville resident Katherine Savage feels a unique kinship with a small patch of ground on the campus of Warren Wilson College. The 5-foot by 60-foot plot was home this year to a crop of flax, a traditional Southern Appalachian fiber plant, which she is helping process into linen that she will someday wear as her burial shroud.
Thanks to new grant funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, says BRNHA Executive Director Angie Chandler, counties in WNC’s High Country are next on the list for craft tourism development and its projected economic benefits.
Organizers reflect on the highs and lows as they consider planning for future events.
“Many artists, creatives, musicians and performers are leaving due to the rapidly increasing cost of living, putting Asheville’s culture at risk,” says Stephanie Moore of the Center for Craft, Creativity and Design. Despite a flurry of concern and initiative, local leaders and developers are finding that providing affordable living and working space for the area’s working artists remains a difficult challenge as property values and rents continue to climb in the city.
The musical shares the story of misfit refugees and performers who band together for survival in a war-torn world.
