Around the region: Hendersonv­ille, Woodfin, Brevard envision the future via comprehens­ive plans

When Hendersonville officials began developing the city’s new comprehensive plan, they set their sights far into the future. “We toyed around with the idea of a 100-year plan and trying to get people to really think long term,” says Matthew Manley, the city’s strategic projects manager. “This is a long-term vision, and the decisions that […]

Earl Hunter Jr. of Black Folks Camp Too

Green in brief: Black Folks Camp Too gains national partners, Hendersonv­ille kicks off bee mural project

Black Folks Camp Too founder Earl B. Hunter Jr. said new marketing collaborations would help him develop more interest in camping among the Black community. And later this month, Asheville-based artist Matthew Willey will begin work on a giant mural of honey bees at Hendersonville’s Hands On! Children’s Museum.

WNC Military History Museum opens “Operation Armed Forces” exhibit in Brevard Oct. 22

Using a vast array of artifacts, period newspapers and personal items from the time, combined with a series of lectures by military veterans and authorities, The WNC Military History Museum in Brevard hopes to educate a new generation on veterans’ contributions in an upcoming exhibit, “Operation Armed Forces,” which will open Saturday, Oct. 22, and run through Friday, Nov. 11, at the historic Aethelwold Hotel in downtown Brevard.

Main Street renaissanc­e: WNC’s small towns confront growth, change

Asheville may be a top dream destination for many folks, but for an increasing number of newcomers and old-timers alike, the No. 1 dream destination may be just down the road a ways. With the challenges of urbanization besetting Asheville, newcomers and locals alike are turning to surrounding towns and communities in search of cheaper […]

Beignets come to Brevard

If a Creole-inspired, French-named restaurant in a small town in Western North Carolina needs something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue for a lasting union, Louisiana-born chef Jaime Hernandez is covering all his bases. Pieces of painter’s tape — something blue — wink from every gleaming surface of Hernandez’s open-concept kitchen at Jaime’s […]

Beyond bluegrass: Brevard’s Mountain Song Festival continues to evolve

“We never intended this to be exclusively a bluegrass festival,” says John Felty, owner of Mountain Song Productions. He’s talking about the Mountain Song Festival, now in its eighth year, which takes over the Brevard Music Center for a September weekend. While bluegrass is a strong component to the music showcase, “We are definitely looking ahead to […]