In a time when the music festival has turned into big business, the Flat Rock Music Festival has slowly but surely built its name around a casual, front-porch feel. For the past 12 years, the festival has built a reputation of providing some of the best music around, with beards and down-home attitudes included at … Read more
Instant karma Big Star jeans at Wink run about $95. Swap a pair of old jeans and take these home for $76. Most of us want to do the right thing. We want to give back, step up and change the world for the better. But face it: There are only so many hours in … Read more
At their two-hour Sept. 18 meeting, Asheville City Council members once again held off on rezoning portions of Merrimon Avenue and approving new rules governing development there after business and property owners reiterated concerns that the proposed changes were too stringent and would cause severe financial hardship. Merrimon’s future: Merrimon Avenue-area residents and businesses were … Read more
Laurel Knob, that mammoth dome of granite near Cashiers, isn’t necessarily distinguished within the climbing community by its size or the roughly two dozen routes traversing its face. What sets it apart is the way those routes came to be: first ascents marked by tales of adventure, boldness and ingenuity, the very substance of a … Read more
Flavor: Italian-style pastas, meats and cheeses Ambiance: Simple and restrained, just like the food It’s back-to-school season, which means mothers everywhere are shipping their little scholars off to college for the first time with the confident prediction “You’ll miss me when you’re gone.” And, undoubtedly, they will. Because as loathe as late-stage adolescents may be … Read more
Right about the time I’m getting sick of summer and longing to feel just a little nip in the air, up pops a pink or white bud, seemingly out of nowhere, to prop up my sagging spirits. This drought and the endless rounds of watering have gotten me down, but the colchicums don’t care if … Read more
Most chefs probably get their fill of whining, crying and screaming from their customers, but the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is trying to recruit a few local chefs to work with an even harder-to-please audience: children. The Growing Minds seminar on Thursday, Oct. 4, is designed to train chefs to create an engaging cooking curriculum … Read more
Highly recommended: Xpress contributor Danny Bernstein will lead a hike to Hemphill Bald this Saturday, Sept. 29, as part of the “Together We Read” program (togetherweread.org). Views from the scenic bald are to Cataloochee Valley on one side and Maggie Valley on the other. The hike will pass through forested slopes and emerge into open … Read more
Way back when: The Henderson County Curb Market will host its annual Ol’ Timey Day on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be live entertainment, craft demonstrations and antique farm equipment on display. All items sold at the market must be either hand made or locally grown. The market has … Read more
Nelda Holder’s recent article on immigrant labor (“Two Boys, Two Worlds,” Aug. 22 Xpress) was touching and well-written, but it only scratches the surface. As a Western North Carolina physician whose patients include migrant workers, I see examples every day of both children and adults who are exploited by employers. Every morning, various area residents … Read more
