It was the land immortalized in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ The Yearling. Now it’s a land increasingly overrun with skyscraper condos and superhighways headed south. “Florida, I know you’re out there hiding from me/You get harder and harder to find. Everyday she keeps slippin’ away/Florida, please don’t fade on me now,” singer John “J.J.” Grey of … Read more
Of note Maggie Valley-based hard-rock band Vic Crown has announced plans to release a new CD in late April. The album, Long Time Coming, will contain 12 songs. For more information, visit www.viccrown.com. Asheville-based heavy-metal band Redshift has recently parted ways with keyboardist Nate Juraschek. The split was apparently a friendly one. For more information, … Read more
Far from being just an entertaining diversion, “storytelling,” insists Peninnah Schram, “is the most human activity we do.” Schram became an award-winning professional storyteller as an adult, but she’s been telling stories since childhood, when she learned the craft from her parents. “As a child, I listened to my parents telling me stories, and I … Read more
David Craig Starkey, artistic director of the Asheville Lyric Opera, admits that the historical Annie Oakley was probably much simpler and less glamorous than her stage portrayal — but since Annie Get Your Gun was written for Ethel Merman, the role is forever imbued with that actress’s flamboyant presence. Although the musical is loosely based … Read more
I was out in the greenhouse recently, watering and thinning salad greens. I was also kicking myself for my springtime dereliction of duty. I’d had a fine crop of greens going: kale, arugula, lettuce, spinach and turnip tops, all in the advanced-seedling stage. They had been growing like gangbusters under a second layer of floating … Read more
On March 26, the Asheville City Council held a public hearing to discuss the future of the Civic Center — in less than an hour. City leaders listened to the public, displayed a remarkable grasp of the complicated issues surrounding the multimillion-dollar proposal, and staked out positions that reflected a genuine concern for the community, … Read more
“Buy local” food campaign chosen for national initiative It was nearly a year-and-a-half ago that Mountain Partners in Agriculture (a community-based collaborative working to develop sustainable farming and food systems) publicly launched its “Get Fresh, Buy Appalachian” campaign, aimed at encouraging WNC consumers to buy locally grown food. The campaign, part of the organization’s Appalachian … Read more
North Carolina is broke. In case you haven’t heard, the state is facing a deficit of nearly $1 billion. To stem the rising red tide, Gov. Mike Easley has declared a state of fiscal emergency and has withheld more than $200 million, all told, in scheduled payments to cities and counties around the Tar Heel … Read more
Both Vice Chair Gary Semlak and At-Large Member Leslee Thornton cited personal reasons for their sudden resignations from the board of the Regional Water Authority of Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson. In the past year, however, both have been outspoken about their frustrations over several pending disagreements between Asheville and Henderson County. For more than a … Read more
Up until last Friday, you could walk into Bed Tyme Stories on Hendersonville Road and pick up videos with titles that included Eager Beavers, Anal Cravings #6 and Flesh of the Lotus You also could procure copies of Big Bazooms and Man’s Man magazines (though a sign warned customers against removing the plastic magazine wrappers … Read more
