Walk any downtown Asheville street and you’re likely to encounter some quirky storefronts offering unusual products. Together, these “specialty shops” or boutiques, most of them locally owned businesses, are a key component of the city’s distinctive flavor, attracting thousands of tourists each year and helping fuel the economy.
Racers and organizers both had their fingers crossed as competitors zipped around the often muddied and frozen course on the Biltmore Estate during the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships, Jan. 5-10. In the end, the event drew high praise from all quarters. Adam Myerson, a 30-year-veteran bike racer and pro from New England, wrote: “Nationals course evaluation: best nats course I’ve ever ridden. Maybe best U.S. course ever, period.”
What started as an idea six years ago, is now reality: The USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships got underday Tuesday in Asheville. The championships, being held Jan. 5 – 10 at the Biltmore Estate, promise to draw thousands of racers, spectators and media representatives from around the country. The races are open to the public.
Asheville DJs Justin Mitchell and Marley Carroll will spin at the after-party for the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships in Asheville. Event planner Megan Archer has also arranged a bike-themed raffle to benefit Trips for Kids WNC.
“It’s a great way to kick off the year — starting right off the bat with a goal like a 5K,” race planner Daphne Kirkwood says. “Whether you run or walk it, it’s a way to build momentum. … If you’ve already done something on New Year’s, you’ve started out on the right foot.”
ART/CRAFT FAIRS Caldwell Arts Council 601 College Ave. SW, Lenoir, 754-2486 • Through WE (12/23) – “Satie’s Holiday Sale,” 75 crafters and artists exhibiting. Mon.-Fri.: 9am-6pm. Sat.: 10am-3pm. Free to attend. BENEFITS Dancing, Drums, and Dreams Benefit AshevilleRhythm.org • TH (12/31), 8:30pm – Tickets to this New Year’s Eve celebration with music by Free Planet Radio and Kevin Spears benefit […]
“I’ve lived here for six years and felt I truly understood this offbeat, dog-loving, music-playing, beer-drinking conglomeration of a city. Using the Fitbit, though, was like watching Asheville in slow motion.”
Asheville florist Janet Frye is headed to California later this month to help arrange thousands of flowers on four floats designed by award-winning Charles Meier for the Rose Bowl Parade. Frye was personally invited in September to join a four-person team of florists to work a week preparing the floats for the nationally-televised New Year’s […]
Tomorrow, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will welcome hikers and hiking enthusiasts to Black Dome Mountain Sports for Hiker Happy Hour, an evening of stories, networking and idea-sharing.
The memoir Approaching Ali is a collection of vignettes covering 27 years of friendship and even further back. Author Davis Miller will launch his book at Malaprop’s Tuesday, Dec. 1.
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a mural artist’s visual ode to bees, a local kayaking group’s instructional film and the sophomore album of country duo Letters to Abigail.
Crowdfunding platforms make it possible for individuals and organizations of any size to harness social networks and raise start-up capital for projects that might otherwise fail due to lack of funding. Each week, Xpress highlights notable Western North Carolina crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. An indoor studio […]
Putnam comes into this weekend’s Finals competition as the leading “All Around Cowgirl,” having scored more points in multiple categories than her competitors, in addition to being ranked fourth overall in barrel racing and ninth in breakaway roping. True to her family legacy, she has established herself as a top competitor in her chosen sport, translating her heritage of winning and love for speed from the asphalt to the cow-pen.
One of the oldest known forms of hunting and sport, falconry remains shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding, often seen as an arcane and sometimes brutal practice. But one local falconer wants to shed light on the exhilarating, breath-taking practice that has captivated him for years.
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a single mother’s sailing journey toward empowerment, a new hammock that holds 800 pounds worth of loungers and the third episode of Southern Songs and Stories, featuring Tellico.
Western North Carolinians looking to stay fit and blow off steam might turn to yoga or try outdoor activities like running, hiking or biking. But these days, growing numbers of area residents are taking their quest to a different level that includes armbars, takedowns and sometimes getting punched in the face.
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a project to equip a youth cheerleading team with uniforms and other supplies; a local film collective’s contribution to a global project; plus one parent’s quest to improve Oakley Elementary School’s playground.
Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features the second edition of Appalachian Trail-inspired board game Thru Hike plus nonprofit literary press Orison Books’ fundraising efforts for three new spiritually-inclined books.
Alleycat racing is a genre of bicycle racing that originated among urban bike messengers in the late 1980s in Toronto, Canada. Alleycat races are in many ways the antithesis of the highly organized gran fondo’s and tours which often dominate the cycling scene in Western North Carolina. Alleycats are at best informal, non-sanctioned events […]
