Celebrate the Season
Volume
21
/ Issue 20
Cover Design Credit:
Lori DeatonCover Photography Credit:
Pat Barcas
The holidays are upon us. And while five-plus weeks if festivities can feel like a marathon, it's also over in a flash. So take in a parade, visit a craft fair, sample a Christmas cookie, deck the halls, sing a carol, light a menorah, fire up the yule log and make merry.
arts
Cool Craft Market at HandMade in America
“This is one of my favorite events of the year because it’s all about mindfully deciding where to spend holiday dollars,” says Lindsey Mudge, communications and operations manager of HandMade…“Emily Dickinson Unplugged” Chautauqua performance benefits Pan Harmonia
“Presentiment is that long shadow on the lawn / Indicative that suns go down,” wrote Emily Dickinson. “The notice to the startled grass / That darkness is about to pass.”…Holiday events around WNC
Looking to deck the halls, sing a carol, give a gift, take a stroll, see a play, make a craft or pass a wish list on to a man in…State of the arts: Reliquaries and mummified animals at Edge of Asheville
Nearly two dozen chameleons, iguanas, frogs, eels, fish and birds make up the central cast of a theatrical exhibition on view through Tuesday, Dec. 23, at Edge of Asheville Gallery…Smart bets: American Babies
Although Tom Hamilton counted himself among the many men preoccupied with “chicks and partying” during his 20s, the American Babies frontman found himself “digging deeper” for musical and personal inspiration…Smart bets: TAUK
Forget hibernating. Instrumental rockers TAUK are making a full-fledged national tour this winter, and Asheville fans have two chances to catch the band live. TAUK, oft-praised for its ability to…Jam by Day complements the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam
Though it’s in many ways an informal affair, the Warren Haynes Christmas Jam has been growing in a deliberate fashion. Thanks both to concertgoer demand and the long line of…Prolific producer Chris Rosser takes time for first solo album in eight years
When eight years passes between a musician’s albums, it’s natural to wonder what he’s been up to during that time. For Asheville songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser, however, it’s almost…Permit by numbers: City offers public art contracting classes
“Putting artists to work” may sound like a WPA-era poster slogan. But it’s also the fundamental basis of a new series of public art contracting courses hosted by RiverLink and organized…food
Asheville cocktail spots raise the bar on bar food
Bar food in Asheville has turned swanky. After all, noshes have to be as elegant as Asheville’s increasingly classy craft cocktail offerings. Think Fred Astaire in coattails dancing with Ginger…Beyond the chocolate chip: Local bakers share their favorite holiday cookies
Local bakeries are busy making tempting and festive cookies for the holiday season. Click through for the story followed by several recipes from members of the Asheville Bed & Breakfast…Beer Scout: Asheville breweries spice up winter with new hoppy offerings
If Simcoe, Citra and Cascade all sound familiar, chances are you’re either a brewer or a really, really big fan of IPAs. But while some hops gain household name status…living
Conscious Party: Fighting hunger with words
WHAT: 2nd Annual Food For Thought: The Slam Against Hunger WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 13, 7 p.m. WHERE: Rainbow Community Auditorium, 60 State St., Asheville WHY: Inspired by the participation in…Distant energy healing resonates in the Asheville area and beyond
Many practitioners of the healing energy arts — including reiki masters, sound healers and shamanic practitioners — say they can “send” healing energy to a client anywhere in the state,…news
Ingles Giving Tree stands against hunger in WNC
An 18-foot tree made of nonperishable food items and assorted household products, in a mall decked out in artificial candy canes: It’s as natural a fit as highlighting poverty in…By the bark: Josh Kelly looks to the future of WNC’s forests
What’s the future of Western North Carolina’s public woodlands, particularly the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests? Public lands biologist Josh Kelly has worked with the Asheville-based nonprofit, WNC Alliance, since 2011,…Accelerating Appalachia helps nature-based entrepreneurs get funding
Last year, Accelerating Appalachia orchestrated the transfer of about $505,000 in investment funds toward sustainable, nature-based ventures in Western North Carolina. This year, the Asheville-based nonprofit — the region’s first social-impact…Buncombe commissioners swear in DeBruhl and name Belcher vice chair
New and smiling faces populated the crowd at the Buncombe County Commissioners meeting on Dec. 1, as four winners of the Nov. 4 elections took their oaths of office and…opinion
Autopsy Cuts
No Business Like Snow Business
Reader says cartoon perpetuates troubling view of supply and demand
It takes a lot for me to write a letter to the editor, but the cartoon by Brent Brown in the Dec. 3 Mountain Xpress was the last straw in…Ogden: Two officers drive false narrative about chief of police
It saddens my heart to know that William Anderson, the first African-American chief of police of Asheville, is retiring. How did we get to this point? In my professional opinion, the…The gospel according to Jerry: Rebutting RiverLink
A recent Mountain Xpress article (“Realizing the Full Value of Our Rivers and Greenspaces,” Sept. 26) by my good friend Karen Cragnolin, the brilliant visionary and advocate who can proudly…