To keep you current in 2006, we’ve divined from our (admittedly dubious) sources those trends cresting next year’s horizon — and those that need to be sent straight to bed. Out: SUVs Tom and Ray Magliozzi of “Car Talk” gave SUVs the thumbs down years ago, but these days, with gas prices soaring and environmental … Read more
More than many filmmakers who emblazon their work with the phrase “a film by” or “a so-and-so film,” Tim Kirkman has a pretty good claim on a label he refuses to accept: auteur. The connectivity between his works so far is inescapably the expression of a strong, single vision. In a telephone interview about his … Read more
Gratuitous End of the Year List Due to surliness brought on by excessive holiday cheer, I’ve forsaken originality in favor of worn-down tradition. Yes, like many pioneers before me, I’ve come up with a “Best Of” list. My minuscule offering regrettably omits many great bands I’ve neither seen nor heard. Feel free to grumble incessantly. … Read more
Flavor: Creature comforts and community Ambiance: Funky and cozy The Bodega Community Market on Lexington Avenue is not your average “corner store.” For starters, even though that’s precisely what its owner, Wells Lowery, calls it, it’s not on a corner. And when this particular shopkeeper looks you in the eye and tells you that his … Read more
A Cellar celebration: The Cellar Door in Black Mountain is ready to kick off 2006 with a bang. Chef Chris Dole is preparing a special four-course, prix-fixe menu on New Year’s Eve that will include a champagne toast. Also available will be the restaurant’s “Fork and Cork” menu — small bites designed to be enjoyed … Read more
Purls of wisdom • Who she is: Molly McGovern • What she’s wearing: Hat crocheted by local artist Jean Strickland, sweater made by her mother, knit striped skirt, cuffed jeans. • Why we love it: Though the word “cute” is wildly overused, it’s an apt summation — in the very best sense of the word … Read more
Concerned about Western North Carolina’s immediate and long-term future? A Land Imperiled: The Declining Health of the Southern Appalachian Bioregion (University of Tennessee Press, 2005) may not make you feel better, but it will give you a much better handle on the situation — and perhaps inspire you to take action. Compiled by professor John … Read more
Tunnel Road has seen its share of change over the years. But there’s one long-running business that seems untouched by time: The Mountaineer Inn, one of the cheaper motels on the strip leading east from the tunnel to the Asheville Mall. The neon sign, erected in the 1950s, depicts a barefoot, threadbare hillbilly with a … Read more
In the summer of 1587, somewhat more than 100 English settlers staggered ashore at Roanoke Island in the Outer Banks — and into the teeth of the worst drought to strike the region in more than 400 years. It was, patently, a bad time to relocate to the New World. Game was scarce; the surrounding … Read more
