Deep Dive: Into the heart of Ashevilles low-brow bar scene
- Volume 31
- / Issue 25
Cover Design Credit:
Scott Southwick
Cover Photography Credit:
Caleb Johnson
Asheville’s colorful dive bars offer camaraderie and community along with the fun and cheap drinks, say longtime local bartenders Elijah Wayne, Jennie Lou Nelson and Catherine Meriwether, pictured clockwise from upper left on this week’s cover.
arts
Smart Bets: Comedian Joe Gatto at Thomas Wolfe
The star of the solo standup comedy special "Messing With People" appears with opening act Mark Jigarjian at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on Jan. 30.Smart Bets: Queer Girls Literary Reading
The Jan. 26 event at Eulogy features original essays, prose and poetry from seven local and regional writers.Smart Bets: ‘The Rebirth of Kool’ premiere
Shot in Hendersonville, Brevard and Asheville, the pilot depicts real events from 1940s Los Angeles.Smart Bets: Ghost of Asheville
The Jan. 24 show at the LaZoom Room features comedy, puppets, clowns, music, burlesque and other things that used to make Asheville weird.
food
Dive bartenders reveal the soft, warm — and often kooky — underbelly of Asheville’s bar scene
The city's low-brow watering holes serve love and community spirit along with the cheap drinks and good times.A Year in Beer: Jack of the Wood and Green Man Brewery
Exploring the origins and evolution of Asheville's second oldest brewery.What’s new in food: Sisters open Crown & Thistle Tea Room in Waynesville
Classic afternoon tea is on the menu at the recently opened spot. Also in this week's food news: Eldr closes, Asheville Restaurant Week expands into February, local businesses offer Dry…
news
One community’s quest to manage its downed trees, post-Helene
A group of neighbors saw their forest toppled by Tropical Storm Helene’s winds. It’s getting reshaped again, this time by salvage logging.Local author’s latest book sheds new light on early U.S. history
In his latest book, A Perfect Frenzy, local author Andrew Lawler reexamines the American Revolution and spotlights a lesser-known story from the United States' founding.Around the Region: Holiday sales give some small-town merchants reason for hope going into 2025
The holiday shopping season was a huge success from some small-town merchants still reeling for the effects of Tropical Storm Helene. And even those who had less success said local…The Orange Peel sues partner in Rabbit Rabbit venture
The Orange Peel and Public Interest Projects are seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages in an amount to be determined by a jury and are asking the judge to keep…Buncombe faces up to $25 million revenue drop post-Helene
To offset a loss in revenue, county staff proposes 4% cuts to the county’s general fund, including a 4% cut in K-12 education.School district consolidation not recommended
“Based on the literature review, constituent input, local environmental factors, the current operations and academic outcomes of each school system, Prismatic does not recommend consolidation of ACS and BCS,” concluded…Asheville City Council approves BID provider, postpones vote on changes to the city’s building code
Asheville City Council had a lot to bite off at its Jan. 14 meeting. Much discussion arose over choosing a manager of a controversial Business Improvement District (BID), post-storm changes…Debris removal will take ‘a long time,’ according to Buncombe County
After the storm, officials estimated that Helene created about 10 million cubic yards of debris in Buncombe County alone. County Manager Avril Pinder says "It's going to take a long…Buncombe’s new trash-service provider says all carts have been delivered
FCC Environmental says workers have delivered nearly 76,000 trash carts to 38,500 residents, but complaints about service continue to percolate through the community.
opinion
Letter: Change in permits would help local artists
"I am looking to get the county to be open to allowing studios and other creative spaces to apply for conditional use permits."Letter: Thank you for sharing tips for loved ones
"Thank you, Duncan Grosboll, for your thoughtful idea about leaving instructions for your wife."Reflections: Jerry Sternberg, a treasure lost
"Very few people contribute as much to our community, especially for people in need, as long and as much as Asheville native Jerry Sternberg did."Showing hands
Letter: Watch out for sewage treatment bill
"I talked to a bunch of people, and they were all surprised by the amount they are paying on their water bills this cycle."Letter: ‘Remote learning’ isn’t good enough for our kids
"I’m frustrated by the repeated closure of our city schools without an adequate plan for making up lost learning time."Winterizing
