The second annual Get in Gear Fest comes to Asheville’s River Arts District Saturday, March 19. Hosted by the Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina, a local trade group, the event will give attendees a chance to meet with representatives of over 20 local companies, helping them understand the passion and technology behind the […]
“There are many people looking for things to do that day for whom Black Friday is completely out of the question,” says RiverLink’s Dave Russell. “For them, fresh air, exhilaration and supporting causes such as RiverLink are a win-win-win.”
Last week’s heavy rainfall pushed E. coli levels in Asheville’s portion of the French Broad River past the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety threshold, posing a health threat to swimmers and tubers.
Meet the potamophilous visual artists during an opening reception at Sol’s Reprieve on Thursday, Oct. 15, or enjoy a free perusal until Sunday, Oct. 19.
Last September, 548 Ashevilleans joined together on the French Broad for the Tube-ocalypse Zombie Float, attempting to break the world record for most people floating in a line. Though last year’s participation fell 87 short of the goal, this year, organizers hope to breathe new life into the undead dream.
Transportation concerns and maintaining a balance between the old and new were the highlights of the latest round of discussions on the River Arts District form-based coding project, with plenty of unanswered questions left on the table.
City plans to improve infrastructure, expand public space, increase access and encourage private development in the River Arts District have triggered considerable controversy. Xpress reached out to the city, RAD business and property owners, and organizations involved in the now flourishing area’s revitalization to try to answer some key questions.
Paddling the French Broad does not come with Class 5 Green River adrenaline needles to the senses. It’s more a Zen-like opportunity to seize the moment and appreciate life as it happens.
Hundreds of humans and zombies alike joined together on the French Broad River Sept. 20 to try to break the world record for most linked tubers on the water.
As a recreational hub, the French Broad River has come back from the dead — and legions of zombies are eager to prove it. Conceived as a creative celebration of the river’s continuing revival, organizers of the first-ever “Tube-ocalypse” are aiming to break the world record for most tubers floating together. And they’re hoping to do it in style, encouraging participants to dress as the undead.
Over the next year, a seven acre patch of land along the French Broad River in Asheville will be transformed into a major new entertainment, recreation, food and beer hub.
Standing knee-deep in the Little Tennessee River, Haley Williams wears a broad smile as she and her classmates fill a bucket with temporarily stunned fish. “We’ve been waiting for this all year,” says Williams, sporting hip waders and a camouflage T-shirt. Amid the verdant north Georgia mountains, she and about two dozen other Franklin High […]
“When we pass by people on the river they’re like, ‘Wow, I’ve never even seen anything like that,” says Will Evert, co-founder of French Broad Boatworks. He’s talking about a new line of high-end, wooden drift boats that he and his business partner, Jason Brownlee, have started handcrafting at their Asheville shop.
Passing a new budget resolution and agreeing to hire additional legal counsel were the two top items at Wednesday’s meeting of the board of the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County. The $40-million budget reflects a $16.7 million capital improvement investment and a 2.5 percent rate increase for domestic users.
Many people were shocked when a malfunctioning pump sent millions of gallons of raw sewage spilling into the French Broad River April 30. While the issue was repaired the same day, MSD Manager Tom Hartye tells Xpress it never should have happened in the first place, asserting contractor Gilbert Engineering failed to follow a contingency plan.
A malfunctioning pump at the Metropolitan Sewerage District plant sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the French Broad River starting this morning. MSD crews hope to have the “horrible situation” repaired by early afternoon, said MSD Director of Engineering Stan Boyd, and shortly before 3 p.m. the leak was fixed. (Screenshot courtesy of a video uploaded by the nonprofit, French Broad Riverkeeper. The full video can be found in this post.)
The chance choice of a viewpoint leads to a rare — and memorable — encounter with our national bird. (Photos by Bill Rhodes)
The new day-long music/activities/vendors event, held the Asheville Outdoor Center, launches this Saturday, Oct. 13. Xpress will give away a family pack of passes. Pictured: headliners The Secret B-Sides.
I play in and around the French Broad River: rafting, tubing, hiking, gardening and partying. The French Broad is beautiful and brings people to enjoy our community. I am concerned that this important river is being contaminated slowly, daily and quietly by coal-ash ponds that leak poisons like arsenic, chromium and mercury into the groundwater. […]
For everyone following the battle over coal-ash regulation, the Democratic National Convention could not have chosen a better location. Right now, every politician staying in the Charlotte area is drinking the same water that 1.5 million local citizens drink. However, anyone arriving by helicopter might have lost their thirst! Right next to Mountain Island Lake […]
