Notepad

Weighing war

With the threat of an American invasion of Iraq looming on the horizon, many citizens are trying to figure out the rhyme and reason of such a decision. Hear one person’s perspective when Retired Brigadier General C. Jerome Jones presents “War Against Iraq? — Who Will Decide? Who Will Fight? Who Will Win?” on Monday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m. at UNCA’s Owen Conference Center. Admission is $5.

Jones is a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general and was deputy director for strategy and policy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Defense Department from 1989 to 1991. He served under then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell, now U.S. Secretary of State. Since retirement, Jones has settled in Asheville and is the assistant county manager and tax department director for Buncombe County.

For more information, call 251-6634.

UNC-TV’s independent film series showcases talent from around the state

The most innovative Tar Heel films aren’t necessarily available only at the local art house or on the shelves of the alternative video store — surprisingly, they may also be found on your TV screen. The state’s only small screen showcase for North Carolina independent films, UNC-TV’s North Carolina Vision’s series, returns for six consecutive Saturday evenings at 11 p.m., beginning Sept. 14.

The six episodes will spotlight 17 gifted, hometown film-makers from the mountains to the coast who have produced work in a variety of film mediums such as documentaries, narratives, experimentals and animated shorts.

The one WNC filmmaker featured is David A. Keller, a recent Appalachian State University graduate, who’s documentary telling of a successful family man’s fall into homelessness, Mike’s Story, will be broadcast during the Sept. 28 episode.

Keller says he chose Michael Masters, a good friend of several years, as the subject of his film because, “Over time he told me about different parts of his life, and I realized he has a powerful story and is a very unique person.”

When asked what he hopes viewers take away from watching the film, Keller says, “The video is meant to give a message about homelessness … to show what homeless people have to go through, and to hopefully make the viewer realize that there are many different reasons for becoming homeless.”

An extensive companion Web site for North Carolina Visions is available at www.unctv.org/ncvisions.

Local restaurants showcase locally grown food

More than 15 restaurants around the Asheville area will be showcasing dishes that feature and celebrate locally grown food through Sept. 14 as part of “Savor the Flavor — Appalachian Harvest 2002.”

The event aims to highlight the abundance of fresh and nutritious foods grown in the mountains of western North Carolina and is sponsored by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) — a WNC community-based collaborative focused on sustaining farms and rural communities.

All the participating eateries are ASAP’s “Get Fresh — Buy Appalachian” partner restaurants (establishments that support local farmers, have agreed to increase purchases of local sustainably grown food and to display the “Get Fresh — Buy Appalachian” logo.)

Joe Lilly, the chef at Trevi Restaurant, one of the partners, says, “There is no comparison to vegetables and herbs that are picked fresh every morning. I have cooked all over the United States and many areas lack access to locally grown food. We are honored to have local growers that produce such an amazing variety of foods.”

Other participants include Biltmore Estate Restaurants, City Bakery, Early Girl Eatery, Earth Fare, The Golden Horn Restaurant, Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa, Il Paradiso Steak and Chop House, La Caterina Trattoria, Laughing Seed Cafe, Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-Go, Market Place Restaurant, River Market Grille, Salsas Mexican-Caribbean Restaurant and West End Bakery.

Diners are encouraged to tell the restaurants they patronize that they appreciate them for buying from local farmers.

The event also kicks off the release of the Autumn 2002 Local Food Guide which features a directory of WNC family farms, tailgate markets, grocers, restaurants, caterers, bed & breakfast establishments and community supported agricultural ventures that sell locally grown farm products.

Charlie Jackson, ASAP Projects coordinator, says, “The overwhelming response to the guide shows that the people of Western North Carolina want locally grown food. ASAP is part of a national movement to support local farms and food.”

Free copies of the guide are available at participating restaurants, grocers, tailgate markets and local independent bookstores.

The Autumn 2002 Local Food Guide is also available on line at www.BuyAppalachian.org. For more information, contact Charlie Jackson at 293-3262 or charlie@asapconnections.org.

Evening walk to raise funds/awareness about blood-related cancers

With The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s third annual Light The Night Walk only a couple of weeks away, the Society’s Asheville office is signing up participants who want to help fight the battle against cancer.

“The more people who walk, the greater the success of the event,” says Selena Rogers, Executive Director of the Society’s North Carolina Chapter. “Now is the time for people to start planning their walks and organizing family, friends and co-workers to join them.”

Participants in the Asheville walk will meet at City/County Plaza in Asheville at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26. From there, they will walk along a 2-3 mile course, many carrying illuminated balloons — white for cancer survivors and red for supporters — brightening the sky along the route.

Individuals and teams are welcome. There is no registration fee, but anyone who raises $25 or more will get to carry one of the Society’s illuminated balloons. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to honor or remember loved ones by placing their names on special dedication banners.

Funds raised through individual and corporate contributions support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. In 2001, the Society’s Light The night Walk raised $10.5 million for research and patient services. Organizers expect to exceed that amount this year.

For more information or to register, contact Lynda Bock of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at 254-4234. Additional information is also available at the event’s Web site (www.lightthenight.org.)

12-week program helps girls gain confidence

It’s not easy being a girl today. Girls are fifteen times more likely than their mothers were to begin using drugs by the age of 15, and fifteen per cent of young women will develop some kind of eating disorder.

Girls On The Run, a not-for-profit running program for girls ages 8-13, has arrived in Asheville with the aim of helping girls develop a stronger sense of identity, greater acceptance of themselves, a healthier body image, and an understanding of what it means to be part of a team.

The 12-week program is taught by certified Girls On The Run coaches, and combines training for a 5k (3.1 mile) running event, workouts designed for girls entering adolescence and choosing and completing a community service project as a team.. The mission of the program is to prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. It is currently operating in 25 states with over 20,000 participants in 2001.

On Sept. 16, Girls On The Run for 3rd-5th graders will be offered at Biltmore Park at One Town Square, and Girls On Track for 6th-8th graders will be offered at the YWCA in Asheville. Girls on Track will begin at the YMCA in Hendersonville the week of Sept. 17.

For more information or to register for Girls On The Run, or to work with the program as a volunteer, contact Rachelle Sorensen at 277-5277 or girlsontherunwnc@aol.com.

Gala will unveil high-fashion shoes with designs by WNC artists

Imagine designs by accomplished western North Carolina artists imprinted on pairs of supple leather shoes. Ten such new shoe designs will be unveiled at the Walkin’ On Air Gala on Saturday, Sept. 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Blue Ridge Motion Pictures Studio (12 Old Charlotte Highway) in Asheville. The event is a fundraiser for the Asheville Art Museum.

The gala will include a cocktail reception; a banquet; a techno-extravaganza of shoe fashion, art, dance, and music; a live auction and raffle of vacation trips and weekend getaways; a silent auction of works by WNC artists and specialty packages from various Asheville establishments; and Barefoot in the Park, and dancing under the stars from 9:30 p.m. until midnight, with music from Mavis and Buddy K.

Each of the featured artists was selected by a business or individual sponsor whose contributions benefit the museum. Designs submitted by these artists have been imprinted on high-fashion leather shoes by Munro & Company of Hot Springs, Arkansas and will be marketed as part of their Icon designer collection. Introduced in 1999, Icon’s shoes are imprinted with the paintings of such world-renowned artists as Gustav Klimt, Chuck Arnoldi and Peter Alexander, as well as Andy Warhol’s Campbells Soup image.

Asheville’s Walkin’ On Air Gala marks the first time these high-fashion shoes have been produced as a collection in partnership with a regional art institution, and licensing fees from any sales will benefit both the participating artists and the Asheville Art Museum.

Featured artists include Ben Long, Dr. Kathryn Philpott-Hill, Daniel Nevins, Susan Rhew, Kenn Kotara, Robert Johnson, Tucker Cooke; Pat Samuels, Betty Clark, and Patti Quinn Hill.

There are a variety of ticket options to the gala: Glass Slipper ($100 for Museum members/$125 for non-members); Ruby Slipper ($175 member/$200 non-member) which includes a handcrafted pin designed by Asheville artists Sara Jane Cecil and Lauren Ling; Diamond Slipper ($250) which includes the pin, one ticket to an elegant patron party the night before the gala and listing in the gala program. Barefoot in the Park is included in the price of the gala, but separate tickets are available for $25 for those who wish to attend only that event.

For more information or tickets to the gala, call the Asheville Art Museum at 253-3227.