Since crossing the finish line of my first 10K road race when I was 5 years old, I’ve only taken a few breaks from running. As a running coach, I’m always encouraging runners to cross-train to give their bodies and mind a break from pounding the pavement (or the trail), and I try to follow … Read more
I usually rely on a menu to guide my wine selection. But those of us living in North Carolina can now track down better-than-decent wines with the aid of a map. North Carolina, which led the Southern march toward Prohibition by banning alcohol in 1908 (“The sun will rise tomorrow on a state redeemed from … Read more
Seven new farms have joined the roster of participants in this year’s Mountain Farm and Garden Tour, the 12th annual edition of the two-day event sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. The self-guided tour runs from 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, and costs $25 per carload. For … Read more
What are cooks cookin’? The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project has received a grant from the Community Foundation for a program that will train local chefs to teach kids about cooking and food choices. ASAP’s Mixing Bowl project, which is expected to begin this fall, will connect restaurants that want to buy local to farmers wanting … Read more
Hilarity along the trail: Jeff Alt, author of A Walk For Sunshine (Dreams Shared Publications, 2000), will tell what it’s like to live in the woods for six months. He’ll do it through music, slides and personal narration on Saturday, June 23, at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Waterrock Knob visitors’ center. The event begins at … Read more
One of the most heated debates of the N.C. General Assembly’s current session hasn’t even come up yet in any committee discussion or floor debate in either the state House or Senate. Instead, it’s being fought via television commercials, slick and misleading direct mail, and preposterous claims on television talk shows. The issue is how … Read more
I have a question: Is it not ironic that the police and all other city employees and the rest of the work force have to give a urine sample to get a job, and they have to always have the threat of random drug screens, yet those who make the laws and run the government … Read more
Much is being said about immigration lately, and of course I have my opinion too. One of my many teachers taught me one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned. He taught me to look at important issues holographically, from many different angles. Let’s put this in perspective. To the Native Americans, those that … Read more
I enjoyed Alli Marshall’s article on WNC’s literary scene [“Literary Evolution,” May 30], but she left out whole genres of books and publishers. OK, so she didn’t include my book, Hiking the Carolina Mountains, maybe because it is a hiking guide—although a pretty literary one. But my publisher, Milestone Press, www.milestonepress.com , should have been … Read more
I feel compelled to respond to Mr. Butrum’s letter “Get a Grip on the Slippery Slope Issue” [May 30 Xpress]. Let’s get a grip on our environmental issues period! This isn’t just about people, folks! It is not just about economics or a number of homes sliding down a mountain. As we experience unusually hot … Read more
