Gary Eblen calls himself a gateway drug to the outdoors. "I take people on walks, then they get excited and want to do more walks, then we start doing hikes," says Eblen, community outreach director for Diamond Brand Outdoors. The company has been in Western North Carolina since 1943, but its outfitter tradition stretches back … Read more
While local-food advocates have conditioned eaters to “buy local,” they haven’t yet persuaded them to “splurge local.” Market insiders, who admit they still haven’t fully deciphered consumer behavior, fret that tailgate markets’ hard-earned reputation as friendly meet-and-greet spots flush with local color may ultimately spell trouble for their commercial success.
When I was 25 years old, I lost a boyfriend but gained a lifelong passion. As Karel Capek writes in the essay "How a Man Becomes a Gardener," "From such beginnings the gardener yields more and more to this newly awakened passion, which is nourished by repeated success and spurred on by each new failure; … Read more
Keep government out of URTV Just a question here, folks. What in the world are the city of Asheville and Buncombe County doing authorizing funding for URTV in the first place? If URTV is funded by special charges on Charter Cable TV bills, it seems to me that 1) Charter would have more say about … Read more
Last year, I submitted a letter about the protesters in Pritchard Park during Bele Chere — about how I and many festival-goers felt unsafe due to the lack of control over the crowd. I was very pleased to see how the city handled things this year. I don't feel as if we should infringe on … Read more
I am a new resident to Asheville, and the 2009 Bele Chere was my first of many to come. To the organizers, I thank you for putting on a great festival with amazing musical performances. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this year's event, I was a little disappointed with a few aspects. I have come to … Read more
I want to help spread the word about the young and amazing band Skinny Legs and All. I and many others who heard them perform on Sunday at the stage on Biltmore Avenue were awe struck with their incredible performance. These kids range in age from 14 to 19 but are as professional and well-practiced … Read more
For the seventh time since I have lived in Asheville, the Asheville Transit System has been unable to get me to a job, resulting in my being unemployed again. This time it was Bele Chere that did it. The first day of Bele Chere, buses seemed to be mysteriously cancelled, with no reason given. None … Read more
Bands tour with other bands. Some follow a festival circuit. And there are fans (often in vintage VW microbuses) who tail certain bands. But, as actor/screenwriter Andy Stuckey puts it, "No bands that I know of have ever been on the road with a movie they did the soundtrack for. And no movies that I … Read more
