Best Of WNC 2014 (Part 1)

Volume
21
/ Issue
2
August 6, 2014

ONLINE VERSION

Cover Design Credit:

Laura Barry

Cover Photography Credit:

Tim Robinson
In this week's edition you'll find the first part of our annual Best Of WNC results -- the bars, poets, parks and media personalities who you say are No. 1. You'll also find out who, say readers, are our favorite heroes, best "worst villain" and more.

arts

  • Barrio style: Bonfires for Peace concert series is (not so) serious DIY

    -by Lea McLellan
    Pasckie Pascua may be a self-described career activist, but he says his long-running DIY concert series, Bonfires for Peace, isn’t about politics. “The mission is … gathering the community,” Pascua…

  • Smart bets: Wood & Wine

    -by Alli Marshall
    Grovewood Gallery recently added an exhibition space dedicated to fine wood art. And how better to celebrate than with a toast? That’s the idea behind Wood & Wine, a showcase…

  • Clay artist Shoko Teruyama works with form and decoration

    -by Steph Guinan
    Although the color palette is in pastels, the imagery is of a marionette girl wielding a hatchet at a chicken. Odd character drawings such as this often make appearances in…

  • Smart bets: Mark Morales

    -by Alli Marshall
    Veteran Broadway performer Mark Morales (West Side Story, Sunset Boulevard) is based in Asheville these days, but the stage and screen actor can still be seen in commercials. Soon he’ll…

  • Smart bets: Titus Andronicus

    -by Alli Marshall
    Shakespearean tragedy Titus Andronicus is considered to be the Bard’s bloodiest and most violent. Themes include sibling rivalry, murder and revenge. So gruesome is it that it fell out of…

  • Laugh Your Asheville Off comedy festival returns

    -by Edwin Arnaudin
    Wondering what comedic qualities make the best fit for the Asheville audience? Los Angeles television developer and live event businessman Charlie Gerencer has the answer. “We do our best to…

  • Between a rock and a soft place: Glamping sinks its fancy tent poles into WNC

    -by Xpress Contributor
    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…

  • Smart bets: Rich Robinson

    -by Alli Marshall
    As rock band The Black Crowes broke up, regrouped, went on hiatus and then back on tour, guitarist Rich Robinson — who co-founded that outfit with his brother Chris and…

food

living

  • Time to unwind: Wellness retreat centers in WNC

    -by Haley Steinhardt
    Western North Carolina has long been a healing mecca. From its early sanitarium days to the present, the area has been filled with many wellness centers where people can go to…

news

  • Asheville’s Little Free Libraries make a big community impact

    -by Alli Marshall
    Who knew that sharing a few used books could also build community, bring neighbors together, inspire youth, encourage fitness and spark recycling efforts? Fans of Little Free Libraries knew, that’s…

  • NC officials seek comment on fracking rules

    -by Susan Foster
    After passage of the Energy Modernization Act in June opened the door to fracking in North Carolina, the state’s Mining and Energy Commission is accepting public comment through Sept. 15…

  • Commissioner candidates split over teacher pay

    -by Cameron Huntley
    “It is the responsibility of the Legislature to fund teacher pay,” District 2 incumbent Democrat Ellen Frost declared at the July 30 Council of Independent Business Owners candidate forum. But…

  • Buncombe commissioner candidates debate

    -by Jake Frankel
    Differing visions for Buncombe County’s future collided July 30, as the Council of Independent Business Owners hosted the campaign season’s first candidate forum. Four candidates made their case for two…

opinion