It’s not all about triathletes and rock climbers, or four-wheel sidewalk surfing and running mountain bikes into a parked car, y’know. The third annual Mountain Sports Festival (Friday, June 6 through Sunday, June 8, 2003) has 14 slots scheduled for live music, though at press time, only six acts had signed contracts (several other local … Read more
John McKah’s “Full Moon” is all chilly solitude; the painting’s titular orb is pale and unassuming amid bare tree branches. But Jay Pfeil’s Oriental-influenced “Morning Magnolias” shows inky trees laden with delicate blossoms. This collection of outdoor scenes is as much a study of mood as it is of nature. “These artists are absolutely all … Read more
Don’t let Patch Adams hear you say that laughter is the best medicine. “That’s crap!” he snarls. If you’re planning to attend the Rolling Thunder Down-Home Democracy Tour and your impression of the 57-year-old Adams is based on the 1998 Hollywood movie in which actor Robin Williams caricatured him as a lovey-dovey doc in a … Read more
“Democracy tends to be long-winded.” — Citizens Planning Advisory Committee member Mike Lewis Democracy ain’t pretty; just ask anyone who attended the Asheville City Council’s April 22 formal session. In fact, that sentiment was actually expressed by both citizens and Council members during the six-hour meeting. Even veteran Council gadflies (who normally relish the opportunity … Read more
Nationwide, the AIDS epidemic has been hitting minority communities harder than the rest of the population. In 2001, ethnic minorities — which, collectively, make up about a third of the population — accounted for 64 percent of reported HIV cases, notes Carlos Velez, director of technical assistance, training and treatment at the National Minority AIDS … Read more
Jim Valentine drives a bus for the Asheville Transit Authority. He’s made the No. 18 loop around downtown Asheville about 40,000 times: eight times a day, five days a week for 30 years. He says he pretty well has it down now. Two blocks from my home on Highland Street, I board the No. 18 … Read more
The N.C. Department of Transportation has extensive plans for upgrading Buncombe County roads, Director of Engineering Jay Swain reported at the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ April 22 meeting. Swain presented the DOT’s secondary-road paving program for fiscal year 2003-04. In addition to about $1.17 million in local paving projects (two rural and five residential), … Read more
Hats off! Two weeks after opening Asheville North Carolina Home Crafts (their stall in the Grove Arcade), owners Judy Bryson Quinn and Marie Hendrix knew they were in trouble. “All our hats were gone!” Hendrix explains. Although they weren’t a hat shop, that was the item that was proving most popular with their customers. Recalling … Read more
Soccer moms: They’re a highly prized demographic on Madison Avenue, and a cliche for comedians. But when they show up in Asheville by the busload (or, more appropriately, the minivan-load), local businesses might just be laughing all the way to the bank. May 2-4, the Asheville/Buncombe Youth Soccer Association and the Highland Football Club will … Read more
My introduction to Sunset Mountain was warm and friendly. A few of my running partners and I were preparing for the Grandfather Mountain Marathon in 1992. We began a 20-mile training run with a gentle climb up Macon Avenue and then ascended the Old Toll Road to Town Mountain; the point-to-point rendezvous ended with a … Read more
