Day: June 20, 2010
Twelve years ago: A split Hillcrest and City Council struggled with the closed pedestrian bridge
“What to do about the Hillcrest walkway?” was the subhead of a May 1998 Xpress news article detailing residents’ views on whether to close the pedestrian bridge leading over I-240 from Hillcrest to West Asheville.
The article begins: “‘Tell me your gut feeling,’ Asheville Mayor Leni Sitnick asked Hillcrest resident Lynnette Maybin on May 5. The mayor wanted to know whether the Hillcrest pedestrian bridge over Interstate-240 should be reopened or left closed. In February, late one evening, a young man was killed trying to cross the interstate. But four years ago, Hillcrest residents urged the city to close that bridge, to stem the tide of drug dealing in their community. …”
Cranky Hanke’s Screening Room: Sweet Betty
I was 18 years old when I got my first dose of Betty Boop. It was at a three day film festival at the University of South Florida where cartoons and shorts had been programmed to screen between the movies. I remember the first encounter was Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)—and let me tell you, it was your proverbial love at first sight.
Busk Break: Ben
Not every downtown busker is seeking popularity and fame. Some just love performing, and aren’t particularly seeking to promote themselves. Take the Asheville-based blues busker known only as Ben. He wasn’t interested in giving out his last name, doesn’t have a website or social media page for his music, and insists that the only way to hear more of his playing is to randomly encounter him performing for kicks and tips on the street. In this clip, he’s covering the classic Jimmy Reed tune “High And Lonesome.”
