To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Asheville’s 2014 Peace March and Rally began today around noon, starting at the St. James AME Church, winding through downtown to Pack Square and concluding with music and speeches.

To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Asheville’s 2014 Peace March and Rally began today around noon, starting at the St. James AME Church, winding through downtown to Pack Square and concluding with music and speeches.
It’s amazing how different each year can be as the ever-changing seasons unfold before our eyes. You may remember that the spring of 2012 was warm — very warm, with average temperatures last March that were over 9 degrees above normal in Western North Carolina. This year has been significantly different.
No doubt about it: March is off to a chilly start so far. Today’s sunny skies are almost enough to fool you into thinking that spring has arrived … until you step foot outside and the brisk breeze and cold air reminds you that it’s still late winter. If the clouds cooperate, I encourage you to bundle up and take the opportunity to spot the comet PanSTARRS low on the western horizon after sunset for the next week.
Around 100 friends and supporters of LBGT issues marched from Montford to Pack Square this afternoon. Photos by Bill Rhodes
Organizers of the “Occupy Asheville” protest held an organizational consensus meeting in Pritchard Park, followed a few hours later by a march. Here’s what it looked like.