Small Towns

The largest and oldest celebration of Latin American culture in the region returns this weekend. Swing Original Monks from Ecuador (pictured) performs, among many other acts.

With more than 50 published novels and hundreds of short stories to his name, author Stephen King is obviously prolific. He’s also proven to be quite versatile, taking the jump…

Growing up in Hendersonville, my friends and I would unkindly refer to our town as “God’s waiting room,” an allusion to its popularity among retirees. After high school, I went…

Magic words Just because there’s a princess, a witch and a guy called Dragon doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a fairy tale. Especially in the case of Lonely in the Heart…

Modern-day Brevard is like a smaller, more laid-back Asheville. You’ve got your independent record store, a few ethnic food restaurants, craft breweries and enough outdoor attractions to keep you occupied…

Black Mountain College is known best as an innovative, experimental liberal arts institution that attracted such luminaries as John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham and Willem de Kooning, among others.…

There’s nothing all that small about Waynesville, from its hopping Main Street to its dynamic arts scene (think heritage and contemporary crafts, public sculpture, theater and a certain annual folk…

At the lumbering speed of 2.5 miles per hour, the Rural Academy Theatre is making their second tour through Western North Carolina. The horse-drawn performance troupe loads all of its…

Sylva To the visiting outsider, the Jackson County town of Sylva epitomizes the western reaches of Southern Appalachia: soft but tall hills flush with blue-green hues, forming a horizon shrouded…

Longtime local Grateful Dead cover band Phuncle Sam celebrates 10 years together in March of next year. What better way to mark this approaching milestone than to headline a new…

North Carolina’s pottery tradition stems from the very makeup of its geography: lots of clay. While the clay-laden soil may be a challenge for gardeners, it also provides a rich…

New West Asheville listening room The Mothlight throws open its doors this Saturday! OK, the venue actually holds its inaugural show on Friday, Oct. 11, with singer-songwriter Richard Buckner. But…

Here's a show that's been a looooong time in the making: Luzius Stone (the music project of WNC-based artist Justin Miles) finally performs songs from new album Electric Dream. Miles…

Comedian, singer, actor and author Sandra Bernhard has spent most of the last 40 years answering interview questions about women's rights, gay rights, politics, fashion, pop culture and her friendship…

Saturday, Oct. 12, the Big Ivy Historic Society will offer a day-long trip back in time and a great opportunity for a free food adventure with its Fourth Annual Heritage…

Sometimes the outskirts of Asheville remind you of a different city entirely. The quirky, independent and free-spirited vibe of the town seems to fade into a haze of strip malls…

The same crew of tempeh enthusiasts who put on last fall's Epic Tempeh Reuben Challenge have decided to run for the border. Based on the popularity of the vegetarian sandwich…

“West Asheville is really poppin',” says Hosea Jackson, owner of the Haywood Lounge Bar & Grill. "I've seen it change a lot, especially over the past five years.” An Asheville…

Seminars on how to make different kinds of goat cheese — including old-fashioned clabber cheese (made without rennet or cultures) and mozzarella — will be among a wide range of…

Venturing into the orchard and filling baskets with fresh apples has been an Orris tradition since before we were married. One of our first dates involved crisp apples, hot doughnuts…

When the original Thirsty Monk opened in 2008, it was in the basement of 92 Patton Ave. downtown. As it became known as one of the nation’s best beer bars,…

ASAP's Farm Tour always brings out the crowds – and the cameras. Shutterbugs from near and far descended upon Western North Carolina's family farms on Sept. 21 and 22. They…

For 16 years, Kasey Cramer hid her disease in plain sight. She skipped meals; she binged and purged. When she did want to eat, Cramer experienced such severe panic attacks…

When Consumer Credit Counseling Service of WNC was founded 1973, the organization’s main focus was helping a few hundred clients to make sense of their new credit cards. As the…

Emmy Award-winning Trivette Images — founded by Asheville husband-and-wife team Dylan and Melanie Trivette — strives to dismantle stigmas with its recent film, A Unified Presence. “Documentaries are associated with…

Utility bills, student loans, rent checks and roommates can be an intimidating universe for Buncombe County teenagers and young adults to navigate. At the Oct. 1 Goodwill-sponsored, community collaborative Real…

Amid tense deliberations on Oct. 1, the Board of Commissioners named three of its own members and four other prominent community members to oversee a powerful new government entity that…

I-40, I-26 to close on Friday due to government shutdown

I hate to kick the Mountain Xpress when it's down in the wake of the fallout from the Leicester “gravel road” brouhaha, but another geographical snafu appeared in the the…

The Sept. 25 cover story, “Homing In,” failed to mention that birds ceremonially released sometimes die due to collisions with cellphone towers, power lines and high-rises, or are killed by…

It is not due to chance that, together, Pisgah and Nantahala national forests are the second-most visited parks in the country. No one lives in Western North Carolina long without…

In the context of the forest plan revision for Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest, it is important to understand that the vast majority of the last management plan has not been implemented.…

I write in support of Cecil Bothwell's candidacy for re-election to Asheville City Council. My initial meeting with Cecil took place when he first ran for City Council. I was…

Gwen Wisler is an outstanding candidate running for a seat on Asheville City Council. She is passionate about our city and will be an excellent addition to Council. Gwen is…