What does it take to ensure that all of Asheville’s water customers have safe, potable drinking water every time they turn the faucet? In short, three water-treatment plants, 152 employees, a system consisting of approximately 1,625 miles of main lines, 52,000 water meters and a great deal of maintenance, monitoring and adjusting to meet greater … Read more
Durant proposes balanced budget Digital billboards get green light The Oaks residents to get city water Swannanoa’s push to become an incorporated town met another delay when Asheville City Council members postponed a decision on the controversial proposal during their May 13 formal session. ZIP it: City Council prefers a scaled-back western border for a … Read more
“I think they’re surprisingly receptive,” says Silver Mt. Zion’s Efrim Menuck when asked how live audiences have been responding to the lengthy songs on the band’s fifth and latest album, 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. With four pieces of moody—even dreary—orchestral rock that run upward of 13 minutes each, the material certainly takes its time … Read more
Question: How do you keep a small regional music festival viable? Answer: Invite top-notch talent, keep your core audience happy and stress the local economic impact of the festival. Sounds familiar: Ex-Biscuit Burner turned solo artist Shannon Whitworth makes her presence known at AMJam. That appears to be the path for the Asheville Music Jamboree, … Read more
Though actress Barbara Bradshaw is quick to point out that “people shouldn’t come to this play expecting Dancing with the Stars,” there’s a good chance popular dance shows will boost appreciation for Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. Two to tango: Flat Rock Playhouse introduces the odd couple of dance. Photo By Mike Dirks The … Read more
It’s spring again in the mountains, and my daughter, Karoline Lucinda Johnson, is almost 1 year old. It’s hard to believe. She came in the month of May, when the mountain laurel was blooming. People tried to tell me how profoundly giving birth would change my life, but I could never have fathomed the incredible … Read more
At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss Firestorm Café & Books, slated to open May 24, as just another downtown java spot in a town that’s swimming in them—not to mention that it’s tucked away in a corner of downtown with little visibility where previous businesses have gone belly-up. “This town is filled … Read more
Bright white tufts of fur with pale bushy tails in tow scamper down the streets of Brevard, clambering up tree trunks, sprinting across clipped green yards and pausing to reel in the occasional nut. No, these aren’t optical illusions, and relax—you aren’t having a heat stroke, either. They are Brevard’s white squirrels, caught in their … Read more
In a country that’s grappling with an economic downturn, rising food costs and a surge in requests for food assistance, it might seem absurd that about one-quarter of the food produced nationwide gets thrown away. Yet, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, that’s exactly what’s happening: From farmer’s fields to commercial kitchens to markets … Read more
One of the best parts about the summer festival season is getting gussied up in flamboyant alter-ego-inspired apparel. Tie-dyes, colorful sundresses and dramatic hats are pulled from closets along with devil sticks and hula hoops. But shouldn’t a festival also be a good place to shop for those inner-child-pleasing wardrobe pieces? At the biannual Lake … Read more
