Asheville’s annual holiday parade has marched, motored, biked, skated, danced, twirled, drummed and sung its way through the city for 60 years, leaving candy and, more recently, compact-fluorescent light bulbs in its wake. Until this year, the event has been sponsored by the Asheville Merchants Association, but now that group wants to hand the happiness to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
“You’ve got to live the blues to play the blues,” the adage goes. In other words, experience matters—especially when it involves low-down feelings, physical infirmity, hard times, brushes with no-good men or women, and sometimes even drinking Sterno. Zeppelin Murray Photo By Jonathan Welch Zeppelin Murray would seem to defy this principle. First of all, … Read more
Despite a slew of candidates, a city with an abundance of political activists and several high-profile issues, when the Oct. 9 primary election rolled around, voter turnout was low—very low. In fact, it was the lowest recorded by the Buncombe County Board of Elections since nonpartisan elections began in 1994. The last two primaries, in … Read more
The brook trout, aka the speckled trout or “brookie,” is dwindling. Speaking at a recent summit devoted to protecting the endangered game fish, Bryan Moore of Trout Unlimited called the brook trout “emblematic of Southern Appalachia,” citing both its cultural and ecological significance. And since the brook trout is particularly sensitive to changes in water … Read more
The Asheville Film Festival, which runs Nov. 8 to 11, has several events focused on local filmmaking, including a slate of local works-in-progress, a series of spotlights and forums for local filmmakers. Down home at the ranch: The early days of protests at President Bush’s ranch are chronicled in Rebecca MacNeice’s Crawford, Texas. “The festival’s … Read more
Mountain Housing Opportunities will hold its 2007 Doors of Asheville fundraiser at the Orange Peel on Thursday, Nov. 29. This annual event will feature an auction of more than 30 works of art with doors and housing as the central theme. Four doors: The MHO auction includes Ian Brownlee’s “Special Delivery,” Jessica Redford’s “Moving down … Read more
A subcommittee of the Pack Square Conservancy held an Oct. 22 work session to evaluate developer Stewart Coleman‘s proposed Parkside project. The 11-story, mixed-use building would be built adjacent to the Asheville City Hall on a parcel that’s the subject of an ongoing legal fight. The Conservancy board, which is charged with reviewing all development … Read more
Chuck Tessier, lead developer of the Capital Center project on Patton Avenue, notes that the former First Union building will be stripped “down to the concrete” during the ongoing renovation. That means a lot of material removed from the seven-story building. Another man’s treasure: Some remnants from the First Union building — soon to become … Read more
