Livin’ La Vida Local: Venture Local Fair 2015
- Volume 22
- / Issue 8
Cover Design Credit:
Alane Mason & Elizabeth Bates
Cover Photography Credit:
The inaugural Venture Local Fair (Sept. 26-26) will offer “cutting-edge ideas for building the economy, democratizing wealth and building better businesses,” says steering committee member Franzi Charen. Xpress has the details.
arts
Lisa Wingate writes about Melungeon people and Federal Writers’ Project in new novel
The Sea Keeper’s Daughters is part history and part mystery. It follows the stories of three characters: present day restaurant owner Whitney; her grandmother Ruby, who lived in the Excelsior…State of the arts: Americans Who Tell the Truth at the YMI Cultural Center
Americans Who Tell the Truth, an exhibition of Robert Shetterly’s portraits of advocates and activists, opens at the YMI Cultural Center Saturday, Sept. 19.Smart bets: Pokey LaFarge
Nashville duo Escondido opens for LaFarge at the Grey Eagle on Friday, Sept. 18, at 9 p.m.Justin Ray shares first DVD and vocal album at The Altamont Theatre
Justin Ray performs a diverse two-set offering Friday, Sept. 18 at The Altamont Theatre. The evening begins with Ray's half-hour-long ensemble jazz composition, “Casanova and Cleopatra,” which hasn’t been performed…Smart bets: Earphunk
Earphunk’s May The Phunk Be With You tour, which also features performances by The Main Squeeze, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Modern Measure, stops at New Mountain Asheville on Saturday,…The Lone Bellow makes its Orange Peel debut
Less than eight months after the release of the band's acclaimed Aaron Dessner-produced album, The Lone Bellow plays Sunday, Sept. 20, at The Orange Peel.Smart bets: The Suffers
Local band Holy Ghost Tent Revival opens for the Suffers at Downtown After 5 — a free street festival held on Lexington Avenue — on Friday, Sept. 18, at 5…Smart bets: Thomas Wolfe mystery dinner theater
Lex 18 hosts an immersive historical dinner experience featuring Thomas Wolfe and other period characters on Sunday, Sept. 20.
food
Conscious party: getting Zen with Poetry and Pie
Poetry and Pie pairs sweets for the mind and body in support of Great Tree Zen Temple. The fundraiser takes place at Urban Dharma, 29 Page Ave., on Sunday, Sept.…Stay local: Area inns offer indulgent getaway options for foodies
“If you call yourself a bed-and-breakfast, you can’t skimp on the bed or the breakfast,” says local innkeeper Billy Sanders. Click through for the story, plus several recipes from Asheville-area…Small bites: HempX festival makes its debut
Hemp enthusiasts prepare for industrial cultivation legalization with the inaugural HempX festival. Meanwhile, Earth Fare celebrates its 40th year; Burial Beer Co. hosts a farmhouse ale-themed foodie event; and The…TacoBilly brings breakfast tacos to Haywood Road
Breakfast and lunch tacos inspired by the cuisine of Austin, Texas, and Mexico will be the focus at new West Asheville eatery TacoBilly.
living
Event celebrates mental health and addiction recovery in WNC
Western North Carolina's first recovery rally happens Saturday, Sept. 19, at Lake Junalaska, with a recovery walk around the lake. The event will draw together health care professionals, law enforcement…
movies
Screen scene: Local film news
This week's roundup includes a documentary series at the East Asheville Library, the annual Movies by Movers Festival at Appalachian State University, two special screenings of 20 Feet from Stardom…
news
Homework: Solving Asheville’s affordable housing crisis
It’s no secret: The shortage of affordable housing in the Asheville area is one of our community’s biggest problems. Contributing factors include a growing population, the high demand for both…Survey findings may help stem the loss of farms in WNC
Making a living as a farmer is tough anywhere, but it’s particularly true in the North Carolina mountains. Western North Carolina lost 18 percent of its farms — more than…One of a kind: Venture Local Fair celebrates Asheville’s unique character
There’s a crossroads between Buxton and Banks avenues, even though they don’t intersect. These blocklong, parallel, South Slope streets are lined with places to buy things, eat, drink and make…Stepping up to the plate: Local volunteers lead the fight against food insecurity
Charitable organizations, food pantries and community gardens are working hard to combat hunger in WNC. And at the heart of those efforts, are hundreds of committed volunteers.
opinion
Letter writer: Legalize — don’t penalize — short-term rentals
"It seems that legalization and good regulation is a much more reasonable approach to the situation than hiring a person to seek us out and impose hefty fines."Letter writer: Celebrate Peace Day in Western North Carolina
"Locally, my wife and I have started Papa and Mama Bear’s Peace Garden, a place where people can come and enjoy an experience of peace."Letter writer: Lindsey Simerly understands diversity benefits Asheville
"Lindsey gets it, and she’s proven she can get it done. Asheville needs Lindsey Simerly."Letter writer: Why has no one fixed potential death trap of Amboy Road ramp?
"Everyone I have ever talked to agrees that it’s a potential death trap."Letter writer: Special interests, not homeowners, are winning in short-term rental ban
"Knee-jerk legislation like the Airbnb ban in residential neighborhoods only helps the big hotel business and my Council should represent me, not Marriott."Message About a Bottle
After recently unearthing (unmonumenting?) a time capsule put there in 1897 from the now-refurbished Vance monument memorial in downtown Asheville, plans to place a new capsule into the rededicated monument…Letter writer: Julie Mayfield has taken lead on transportation issues
"[Julie Mayfield] is a valuable member of the city’s Multimodal Transportation Commission, where she has taken the lead on important issues, including improving safety for pedestrians and bicyclists."Hand in hand: Peace begins at home
"Many of us celebrate Asheville as Beer City, Bee City or Tree City, but what do we do to nurture peace among the people of all races and backgrounds whose…Letter writer: Mountain State Fair doesn’t reflect our community’s values
"If you see cruelty to animals at a state or county fair, you can file a cruelty-to-animals complaint."Letter writer: Simerly offers integrity, skill and commitment to serving community
"Lindsey has proven her commitment to serving as a political voice for many in this community that struggle to have their voices heard."Letter writer: Addicts need help, not judgment
"While I agree that addicts should be treated as people suffering from a lethal condition and not as criminals, I think that it is also as important to present addicts…
