Mountain Xpress 04.26.23

SINGLED OUT

River cleanup crews and single-stream recyclers liken single-use plastic bags to an everlasting infestation. Retail store advocates say they provide an affordable, convenient option for store owners and consumers. Should the city of Asheville become the state’s first municipality to pass a ban, risking potential legal challenge?

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COPYRIGHT

Antisemitism persists, even in Asheville

[Regarding: “A Jew in Asheville: The Gospel According to Jerry,” April 12, Xpress:]

Jewish paranoia hasn’t changed much since the ’40s. We still have to hire an off-duty police officer to protect us when we have Sabbath or Jewish holiday services. Before the service even starts, we are given safety instructions on where to exit the building should an emergency occur.

It shouldn’t have to be that way, but antisemitism is constantly rearing its ugly head, even in liberal Asheville.

— Name withheld Asheville

How green are electric vehicles?

In response to the April 5 Mountain Xpress cover story, “All Charged Up: Is Western North Carolina Ready for the Coming Electric Vehicle Surge?” I’d like to offer some important context to this topic of the EV “revolution.”

The Biden administration has set a goal to make half of all cars sold in the U.S. by 2030 to be EV. To meet these goals, it should be noted that an extreme quantity of natural resources will need to be extracted

Be Part

from the Earth, immediately, with very little time for oversight or sustainable strategy.

The global mining industry is rapidly expanding, with tragic ecological and humanitarian consequences. Approximately half a million tons of earth must be exhumed to find the material for one car battery. The metals mining industry is the single largest source of toxic waste in the U.S. (and approximately 80% of all critical minerals mines in the U.S. are within 35 miles of Native lands). Literal tons of toxic fumes are released in the mining process, and millions of tons of groundwater are polluted in order to successfully extract minerals.

In Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, the “Lithium Triangle,” where 60% percent of the world’s lithium is stored, they are experiencing extreme water shortages because of the 2 million tons of water need-

ed for every single ton of lithium. That’s only enough for about 100 EVs. Additionally, in terms of carbon, the amount of CO2 produced in the manufacturing of a typical EV requires that car to be used for eight years to make up for its initial production.

And what about the electricity that runs this “eco-friendly” vehicle? Sixty percent of our electricity comes from coal and natural gas. As India also switches to an EV culture, they are boosting China’s coal production.

At every turn, there is a major externality that needs to be reckoned with. Sixty-five percent of the global supply of solar panels are made at Uyghur slave labor camps in China. Currently, there are an estimated 35,000 children working in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are mining companies bypassing international bans on deep-sea mining and dredging up fragile seabeds.

So, by all means, we can do this EV thing, and perhaps we still should, but hopefully, we can be honest with ourselves about how green it really is.

The terrible costs of tick-borne disease

An infected tick bite can cost a fortune to families, cities and countries. This infection gets into the brain, causes rage, suicidal depression and overwhelming anxiety. The blood tests are not reliable, and there is no cure. If you are lucky to get an accurate test, the doctor will give you a couple of weeks of doxycycline, which only covers a few of the infections. The medical schools don’t feel that it’s important to train their doctors

about the dangers, yet people are dying every day.

I am sure most of the homeless in Asheville have tick-borne diseases. I suspect they had it before they were homeless because it causes drug addiction and helplessness. They sure have it now that they are sleeping in the grass. You won’t fix this; there is no cure, and after a couple of weeks when it has entered your entire body, you will have mental illness. I believe it is the cause of much of the suicide rate.

Every time I see a mass shooting, I wonder if anyone thought to check his depression and rage for Lyme disease. Violence is huge now. I’m convinced a lot of it is from ticks.

I have hundreds of friends with Lyme disease because I have suffered this nightmare for 28 years. I took up golf; couldn’t get out of bed from depression, exhaustion and anxiety; and it took 12 years for a blood test to find five deadly infections in my brain. I had a stroke two years later. It has cost me a fortune. I never could enjoy my retirement.

Also, we need to pay our police department, fire department, EMS, hospital staff, mental health counselors and all others who have to deal with this out-of-control “mental illness crisis.” The stress in their lives will take its toll, and they deserve so much monetary appreciation.

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

Their families will pay a big price. They should be our No. 1 concern. If these drug-addicted people have a tick-borne disease, they will only get worse. The violence can end up deadly.

Please see “The Monster Inside Me,” “The Quiet Epidemic,” “Bitten” and on May 30, “I’m Not Crazy, I’m Sick” done by Global Lyme Alliance to educate yourself on the very real hidden dangers killing our society.

Ask your representatives and senators for North Carolina free tick testing, an accurate tick count sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, education in the schools and public groups, and demand that Congress find a decent tick-borne test and cure. This infection crosses the placenta; don’t let children suffer anymore. It has been 48 years since Polly Murray blew the whistle in Lyme, Conn. Her whole town had juvenile arthritis, and she wanted to know why.

If you see an attached tick, send it out to be tested. Don’t throw it out; there are many infections in ticks now. You could wake up months from now and not be able to walk or think because of that bite. You need to know. I like tickreport.com in Amherst, Mass., but there may be others.

If you treasure your peace of mind, sleep, ability to eat tasty foods and

all the activities in your life, check for ticks.

We don’t need ‘Cop City’

The Atlanta Police Foundation is trying to build the largest police training facility in the U.S. in Weelaunee Forest, a watershed surrounded by primarily Black residents who overwhelmingly oppose the project.

The plans include military-grade training facilities and a mock city to practice urban warfare.

A precious and beautiful urban forest will be destroyed if this is built.

This facility will serve as a training center for militarized police forces throughout the U.S. For what purpose? Could it be aimed at the repression of poor people, BIPOC people, LGBTQ people and those who dissent? Given the experience of policing in this country, how could anyone think otherwise?

People are resisting in Atlanta and are committed to stopping this facil-

ity from being built. And they are being met by police and prosecutorial repression. One nonviolent forest protector, known as Tortuguita, has been shot and killed by the police, and 42 others have been falsely charged with felony domestic terrorism.

It is easy to see how the increasing militarization of police forces at home mirrors the use of U.S. armed forces around the world. In whose interest is all of this, we should ask? Many of us see it as the enforcement of white supremacy and the exploitation of land and people for the benefit of the wealthy class.

In Asheville, policing has been used to criminalize the homeless and those who act to provide mutual aid to them.

The Asheville Police Department will likely be invited to the Cop City training center if it is allowed to be built. We don’t need or want our local police getting such training.

Stop Cop City now.

For more information: [avl.mx/cml] and [avl.mx/cmm].

Correction

Every day needs a night

I have a T-shirt with text on the front that reads, “Every day needs a night.” I was thinking of this recently as I drove home from a friend’s house one night after 10 p.m. On my 30-minute drive, I traveled several winding, two-lane roads, through forest, field and farmland. Though each road may have had a different name and different kinds of houses and people, they shared a commonality: Many yards and houses were lit up like day. Between Duke Energy dusk-to-dawn lights on 25-foot-high poles, floodlights, mood lights, solar lights and everything in between, the night is no longer dark in most places in our corner of Western North Carolina.

Why must we humans light up the night? How can it be that we no longer value darkness or consider our impact on our indoor or outdoor neighbors? Many people are not aware that their lights are a problem. Many have never heard of the terms light pollution or light trespass. They simply do what’s always been done. Perhaps some do it because they know nothing about the night and thus are afraid of it, afraid of nocturnal animals or people with bad intentions.

But the International Dark-Sky Association and others have shown that bright outdoor lighting at night doesn’t make us safer. Criminals actually use the lights to their advantage, giving us a false sense of security. And nocturnal animals like bears, coyotes and bobcats only want to avoid humans; if we leave them alone, they will return the favor.

I beg anyone reading to consider the negative impacts their lights are having on the plants, animals and

people near these lights. According to the Astronomy Club of Asheville, “Human-produced light pollution mars our view of the stars, and poor lighting threatens astronomy, disrupts ecosystems and wildlife, affects human health and circadian rhythms, creates unsafe glare and light trespass, contributes to climate change, and wastes money and energy to the tune of $2.2 billion per year in the U.S. alone.” Scientists everywhere are sounding the alarm about light pollution, and what do we do? Install more and brighter lights.

Next time you step outside after dark, look around. Outdoor lights are everywhere, stealing the darkness, silently, little by little. We install them on every street corner, every highway, every building, junction, business and house. Even properties like mine, away from the city and in the woods, are not immune to light pollution. Just 100 years ago, the average person anywhere on Earth could look up and see the Milky Way stretched across a sky dotted with stars. Now most of us can’t even step outside of our own homes and have darkness, much less see the Milky Way.

I am heartbroken for the plants and animals that have no chance against this light pollution. People can shut out the lights with blinds, walls and doors, but animals and plants have no such luxury. When will we stop acting as if we are the only ones on this planet? Fireflies can’t compete with the bright lights. They fail to successfully reproduce, not able to find each other in the lit-up night. Bright lighting at night confuses migrating birds. They waste precious energy trav-

eling in the wrong direction and have collisions with buildings. Moths and other insects are attracted to the lights, flying around aimlessly, exhausting themselves and dying before ever reproducing. Bats avoid the lights, not wanting to risk predation, causing increases in mosquito populations. Trees exposed to constant night lighting have shorter lives. Light pollution is negatively impacting biodiversity and function of entire ecosystems.

It’s easy to contribute to the solution instead of the problem. Put outdoor lights on motion sensors so they come on only as needed. Point essential lights downward, install shields,

choose bulbs with a lower wattage, yellow wavelengths over blue or white, or best — and easiest—of all, just flick the switch to off when you’re not using them. It’s one simple thing everyone can do. Let’s start tonight.

With a passion for all things wild, naturalist and photographer Sharon Mammoser has made it her mission to inspire others to notice, appreciate and ultimately protect the plants and animals that share our backyards and wild spaces. For more information, including about blue ghost firefly tours in May, visit NatureForMySoul.com. X

Singled out

Asheville considers ban on single-use plastic bags

gparlier@mountainx.com

It’s in the creek, on the street, beneath your river tube and even in your secret swimming hole. Plastic litter, from bottles to bags, is everywhere.

Local environmental nonprofit MountainTrue has been documenting that fact for years, and is renewing its push to get single-use plastic bags banned from Asheville.

“A third of microplastics we’re seeing in the French Broad watershed is coming from these plastics that we might use for 12 minutes and end up throwing away. So anything we can do to curb the input of that into our daily lives the better,” says Anna

Alsobrook, watershed science and policy manager for MountainTrue.

The nonprofit is advocating for a full ban on single-use plastic bags given at point-of-sale and polystyrene foam to-go boxes, with an additional 10-cent fee on the use of replacement paper bags. They argue this would have the largest environmental benefit while only costing consumers a bit more than $3 annually on average in paper bag fees.

Customers using EBT, SNAP and WIC would be exempt from any fees under the proposal.

If passed, it would be the first time any city or county in North Carolina took action on plastic bags, although the General Assembly instituted a

ban for the Outer Banks that was later repealed, and Durham is currently considering regulation. Many cities and counties around the country, including several in South Carolina, have instituted bans or fees.

Advocates of the ban say the convenience of single-use plastic is far outweighed by the risks of having plastic film so prevalent in our waterways and bodies. Microplastics are found in every sampling taken monthly at various sites around the French Broad watershed by MountainTrue, according to data they provided to Xpress “Plastic turns into microplastics, and we’re ingesting them in our human bodies every day. The health effects of the chemicals that go into making plastics are being linked to human health impacts. So the more plastics we put out into the world, the more microplastics we will be ingesting and the more health impacts we will see to our reproductive and nervous systems,” Alsobrook says.

The city of Asheville is conducting a plastic reduction survey of residents and businesses to determine

the appetite for a ban, open through Sunday, April 30. Buncombe County has not yet considered any regulation, says Kassi Day, county spokesperson.

FREE TO USE, EXPENSIVE TO PRODUCE

MountainTrue used national data from the American Chemistry Council — a group that lobbies against climate regulation on behalf of the petrochemical industry — to calculate the impact of a plastic bag ban locally. Considering Buncombe County residents use 132.4 million plastic and 8.2 million paper shopping bags a year, according to the study, a ban with a 10-cent fee on paper bags would reduce fossil fuel consumption by 86% and solid waste production by 66%, with significant reductions for sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions as well as freshwater and energy consumption. This estimate is based on an assumed 10% increase of paper bags after a ban with a fee.

Alternatively, MountainTrue estimated that without a fee, paper bag consumption would go up 50%, resulting in a smaller but still significant impact, according to the study.

This data only takes into consideration the production costs of plastic bags, as it is difficult to quantify the environmental impact of bags after they enter the waste stream, Alsobrook says.

“The lightweight nature of plastic bags makes them more challenging to contain and keep in the appropriate waste stream. Plastic bags that are disposed of as trash, but that aren’t disposed of in a well-closed trash bag or container, or that are placed in an already overflowing container, can escape and become litter,” says Jes Foster, sanitation division manager for the city of Asheville.

It takes time and labor to clean up litter around the landfill and transfer station, primarily plastic bags. It’s estimated to take more than 1,200 hours and $21,000 worth of labor per year, according to the Buncombe County solid waste division, Foster says.

For similar reasons, single-use plastic bags are a burden at the single-stream recycling facility, Curbside Management.

“Plastic bags are a big problem for us. As the bags travel over our sort line, we must grab the bag, tear it open, shake it, and then dispose of the bag; 60 to 70% of what our sorters do on the line is pulling bags out of the recyclables,” says Nancy Lawson, co-owner of Curbside Management. “Not only do bags cause us great inefficiencies, but then we must bale the bag waste, and pay to dispose of them at the landfill,” she continues.

Curbie spends $10,000 a month in landfill fees just to dispose of plastic bags that are inappropriately put in recycling containers, Lawson says.

The bags are recyclable at retail stores that give them out, such as Ingles, Harris Teeter, Publix, Lowe’s home improvement and others. The

bags must be completely clean to be recycled in bins at these stores, then they are sent to a facility in Virginia where plastic lumber is made out of them, Lawson says.

Officials at Ingles did not respond to a request for comment on the plastic bag recycling program or what a plastic bag ban would mean for business.

No matter if bags wind up in the landfill or as litter in waterways or alongside roadways, they never break down, Alsobrook says.

According to a study of Western North Carolina watersheds completed in March 2021 by MountainTrue, microplastics were found in every

CONTINUES ON PAGE 10

sample from every water body tested, with an average of 19 particles per liter. While microfibers from synthetic clothes and fishing line were the most common plastic found, microfilms — which degrade from plastic bags and plastic food wrappers — accounted for more than a quarter of the microplastics found.

“A lot of people would assume that if you took a water sample in the middle of the national forest it wouldn’t have any microplastics in it but that’s not the case anymore. These microplastics are carried by wind and dust and rain and weather so we have found them everywhere,” Alsobrook says.

IS A BAN LEGAL?

Asheville City Council member Maggie Ullman says she supports a ban in an email to Xpress, but wants to proceed with caution because of possible repercussions from the state.

“We need to balance the march towards progress with the threat of putting a target on our backs for the state legislature,” she writes.

In 2009, the General Assembly passed a bill banning single-use plastic bags on the Outer Banks. It

was repealed in 2017, despite objections from the Dare County Board of Commissioners, several municipalities and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce, according to reporting by the Outer Banks Voice.

The N.C. Retail Merchants Association supported that repeal,

and is against any government regulation of plastic bags.

“Municipalities get their authority from the General Assembly, and the General Assembly has not given any authority to regulate these items,” says Andy Ellen, president and general counsel of the merchants association.

“From the business perspective, we think that it ought to be a market-based decision for consumers on whether they would like a plastic bag or a paper bag, or whether they want to bring their own reusable bags. We just think that’s a better mechanism,” Ellen continues.

MountainTrue and the PlasticFree WNC coalition, as well as Don’t Waste Durham, a group lobbying to place a fee on plastic bags in Durham, are using the N.C. Solid Waste Management Act to justify regulating the bags.

A white paper prepared by the Duke Environmental Law and Policy clinic argues the law compels local governments to take action to address deficiencies in service or disposal capacity to “meet local needs and to protect human health and the environment.”

“The N.C. Solid Waste Management Act not only empowers local governments to manage solid waste, but it impels them to take measures to reduce solid waste at the source. In addition, statutory grants of authority to local governments have to be interpreted broadly by N.C. courts,” says Susannah Knox,

senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center.

Ellen disagrees, saying that because single-use bags haven’t gotten to customers yet, they shouldn’t be considered solid waste, and can’t be regulated on those grounds.

“That’s like saying the city of Asheville can regulate lumber, or paint, or anything inside of a store that eventually ends up at the landfill. I mean, that’s the preposterous sort of argument that they’re using,” he says.

Ellen said he would consider a legal challenge if Asheville passed an ordinance banning or placing a fee on the bags. Knox knows that might come, but remains undeterred.

“We still think there is strong authority under state law as laid out in the Duke (white paper), and we haven’t seen any similar analysis from the (NCRMA) that would compel a different result,” she says.

Additionally, the Outer Banks ban repeal does not create legal precedence, Knox said, because it was initially imposed by the state legislature, and not a local governmental body, as the proposed bans would be.

CHARLESTON BANS THE WAY

Isle of Palms, S.C., became the first in that state to enact a ban in 2016. Other municipalities quickly followed, and Charleston passed a similar ordinance in 2018.

Shortly after the ordinance passed, Charleston Waterkeeper Andrew Wunderley saw a noticeable decline in plastic trash in the marshes and rivers during cleanup missions.

“[Before the ordinance], you get into the marsh during cleanup, and all of what you’re picking up was plastic bags, and Styrofoam. A lot of plastic bottles and bottle caps and food wrappers, all that stuff. It’s all stuff that’s designed to be used one time and then discarded,” he says.

Wunderley says he has collected a lot of post-ordinance data about plastic found in the waterways, but he doesn’t have a lot of pre-ordinance data to compare it to.

“We knew it was a problem anecdotally from experience because we were out there doing it. We are finding a lot less [single-use plastics] now. From when I first started 11 years ago to now, we’re finding a lot less of it,” he says.

FOAM IS NOT YOUR HOMIE

As a part of this proposed ordinance, MountainTrue also is advocating for a ban on polystyrene foam, commonly referred to as Styrofoam,

used for to-go food containers and cups.

The primary chemical component of Styrofoam — styrene — has been found to be carcinogenic by the National Institute of Health, and Alsobrook says that means it shouldn’t be anywhere near our food.

“[Styrene] can readily leach out into our takeout food, and then you’re ingesting it. So not only is it a huge litter problem and tied to the fossil fuel industry, but it’s a health issue because of this particular class of chemicals,” Alsobrook says.

Foam is also notoriously difficult to recycle, and Curbie does not accept it at its single stream facility. Henderson County residents can take their clean Styrofoam to the collection center on predetermined days after the county purchased a densifier to greatly reduce the volume of the foam, making it easier to ship to the recycler where it is converted into insulation, says Marcus Jones , engineer for Henderson County.

In Buncombe, GreenWorks accepts clean food-grade Styrofoam such as cups, egg cartons and clam shells as well as clean blocks of packing Styrofoam at their Hard2Recycle events — held occasionally at various

locations around the county. Packing peanuts and soft foam are not accepted at these events.

LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

The city of Asheville has been discussing regulation of plastic bags for more than a year. The Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment voted 5-2 to support a single-use plastic bag ban in July 2022.

In an effort to take a small step, Asheville City Council decided to first pass a ban on plastic bags for curbside leaf and brush collection that will go into effect in August 2023.

“I think a vast majority of the people of Asheville support a ban on single-use plastic bags, but there needs to be sensitivity in any transition to make sure that both store owners and operators as well as customers are aware of the change and are offered support,” says Mayor Esther Manheimer.

Based on live results on the city’s plastic reduction survey as of April 13, 88% of respondents

support some kind of plastic bag ban. Of all survey respondents, 12% self-identified as business owners or representatives.

The survey is open until Sunday, April 30.

Thirty merchants in Biltmore Village signed a pledge to voluntarily discontinue the use of plastic bags in 2019.

Mark Harding, co-owner of the Village Wayside Bar and Grill, says he made the switch to paper in 2017, and it has been well worth the cost.

“I started to look at how the guest takes home our food. I wanted to make the dining experience just as enjoyable when they got home and unwrapped their to-go food. What are they going to do with ugly plastic bags? Paper looks better. It’s not necessarily cost motivated for us. It’s more about presentation,” Harding says.

Laura Rathbone , manager of the Olde World Christmas Shoppe in Biltmore Village, says she uses recycled plastic bags to help her customers take home the heavier festive wares she sells.

THINKING GREEN

Adaptiveness and resiliency

Roger Helm is an instructor on global climate change at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville.

What approaches do you find to be the most and least effective within environmental activism?

Most effective: using my energy, passion, knowledge and teaching skills to motivate inquisitive and concerned citizens to engage in addressing the existential challenge that is global climate change.

Least effective: making assumptions about a person whose ideas/perspectives I disagree with, or trying to sway a person’s opinion based on facts or data and arguing over whose facts are correct. Sometimes it’s best to just say, “I see,” and move on.

What motivates you to stay involved?

I now know way too much about the reality of the global climate change challenge to simply hand this existential burden off to my daughters, whom I love. The boat we live on is on fire: Either we burn to death, drown or we put the fire out; there are no alternatives.

How should young environmentalists be thinking about the future and their role within it?

Every generation has had to overcome significant challenges: finding food without being food; escaping attackers, plagues and contaminated water; economic calamities and world wars. Young environmentalists have been “blessed” with a real doozy in climate change. But by going all in to address this challenge, there is a reasonable expectation that a healthy Earth with all its beauty and wonder awaits in the future.

What gives you hope?

I take hope in the realization that it’s been bad, if not (depending upon your skin color, sex, religion and other factors) much worse in the past. The very same adaptiveness and resiliency that made humans such a plague on the Earth can be flipped on its head to reenergize people to restore, reclaim and rebuild that which is in peril. X

“It’s hard to find nonplastic bags that will support those items. I think it’s important that we address this and cut back on plastic consumption, but it will be a cost factor for us,” she says.

Kenny, manager at the South Slope Convenience store on Southside Avenue who requested that his last name be withheld, says the ban would affect his store tremendously because 99% of what he sells is carried out in plastic.

Kenny estimates it would cost $200-300 extra a month for paper bags instead of plastic, and if not offered a bag, people will buy less.

Similarly, Ellen says single-store grocery retailers have reported spending four times more on paper or reusable bags than they did on plastic bags in places with a plastic bag ban.

Additionally, paper cups cost far more than the $2 Kenny pays for 25 styrofoam cups, and coffee prices might go up if they have to switch, he says.

“The convenience store business is a penny game. Our profit margin is pennies, not dollars. There’s a lot more things they should be focused on than hurting us, like mental health services,” he says.

Ellen says the thin margins also apply to grocery retailers. Ellen says when a ban went into place in Beaufort County, S.C., in 2018, a retailer with four locations reported an expense increase of about $28,000 in the first four months.

Cognizant of the effect on businesses, Karim Oleachea, MountainTrue spokesperson, says the organization has proposed working with local business owners on a bulk-buying initiative to help offset increased costs of paper products.

In Charleston, Wunderley says after the ban went into place concerns from the business community unsure of how it was going to work quickly went away.

“The minute those ordinances went into effect, everybody just figured it out within a month. And, you never heard those sorts of complaints again, about how we are going to figure out how to do this,” he says.

If the plastic bag option was taken off the table locally, Oleachea predicts that over time, we wouldn’t miss them, and the convenience of single-use plastic is a convenience we don’t yet realize is unnecessary.

“It ends up doing more damage to our society with the production of more plastic and more trash. The plastic industry has hooked us on unnecessary convenience,” he says. X

Breathing easier

smurphy@mountainx.com

Western North Carolina’s mountain air has attracted people to the region at least as far back as Colonial America, when plantation owners in Georgia and South Carolina came to escape the hot, humid, mosquito-infested summers. In the late 19th century, Asheville was even dubbed “the Switzerland of America” for the potential of its air to soothe the lungs of tuberculosis patients.

By the turn of this century, however, air quality in the region was no longer so idyllic. Visibility from key lookout points in the Great Smoky Mountains could be as low as 1 mile on the haziest days. The primary culprits were fine particulate matter — composed of pollutants like emissions and better known as PM 2.5 — and ground-level ozone, which results when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react in intense sunlight. Statewide, ground-level ozone exceeded national standards an average of 100 days per year in 2000.

By 2017, however, that average had fallen to seven days per year. Here in Buncombe County, high ozone levels occur only one or two days per year, says Ashley Featherstone, AshevilleBuncombe Air Quality Agency director. Local air quality regularly measures between 0 and 50, or “good,” on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s official Air Quality Index scale. Anything above 151 is considered unhealthy for the general population.

Featherstone says that this improvement is the result of sustained efforts from federal and state clean air policies and local enforcement by agency officials. “It’s so much cleaner now, [but that] doesn’t mean we don’t need to keep it that way,” she says.

While Featherstone and agency staff focus on the big-picture aspects of collecting data to inform policymaking and implementing those regulations, university researchers in the region are increasingly focusing on local differences in air quality.

“We’re realizing that air pollution is a local issue, sometimes even a hyper-

local issue,” says Sara Duncan, assistant professor in the environmental health program at Western Carolina University. Her research has shown that air quality can vary significantly within as little as 300 feet.

In this article, Xpress looks at the variety of efforts to address air quality in the region, now and in the future.

MEASURING IMPROVEMENT

Buncombe County is one of only three counties in the state to set up a local enforcement arm and to assume oversight of EPA grants rather than rely on the state. The county also can issue federally enforced permits. (The other two counties with local air programs are Mecklenburg and Forsyth.)

BEST OF WNC Voting Ends

Buncombe County monitors ozone in Bent Creek, PM 2.5 at the Board of Education building and volatile organic compounds at AB Tech’s main campus. Featherstone says that one of the most important policies over the last 20 years is the 2002 Clean Smokestacks Act, which required the state’s 14 power plants to reduce nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions. By 2021, emissions of these two gases were reduced by 80%. Visibility on Purchase Knob in Haywood County grew by 30.1 miles from 2005-21 as a result, according to the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality.

As the power plants have become cleaner (and greener), mobile emissions are now probably the most important source of fine particulate matter in the region, according to Evan Couzo, associate professor of atmospheric sciences and STEM education at UNC Asheville. This includes not only vehicular emissions but also road dust and pieces of tire. When inhaled, PM 2.5 — solid and liquid droplets measuring 2.5 microns in diameter or less — can damage

the lungs and aggravate diseases like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and even heart disease, according to multiple studies.

UNEQUAL RISKS OF EXPOSURE

As important as the regulatory monitors are, they do not reflect local variations in air quality, says Couzo. “If we want to understand how different neighborhoods are impacted, we need a denser monitoring network,” he explains.

“Air quality improvement is a national success story. There’s no question that our air has become cleaner and less polluted,” he adds.

“The question now is: ‘Have improvements been distributed equitably?’”

Couzo recently received funding for two projects that will explore equity in air quality in Asheville. An EPA grant will enable Couzo and his students to build low-cost sensors and place them around Asheville City Schools in select neighborhoods. They plan to compare data from neighborhoods subject to historic discrimination in housing policy with

Air quality continues to improve, but vigilance remains essential

wealthier neighborhoods to see if there is a difference in air quality.

“This is going to allow us to understand if risk of exposure is different depending on whether you live in a neighborhood that was discriminated against or not,” he says.

The second project, funded by UNC Asheville, will place low-cost sensors, known as PurpleAir monitors, in both public housing and wealthier communities. These sensors will measure not only air quality but also temperature and humidity.

“Heat waves and periods of extreme heat and high humidity are deadly. When you look at public housing neighborhoods, you see a lot of asphalt; you don’t see a lot of tree cover,” he says. “So, you’ve got risk of exposure from local emissions and the potential for high heat stress.” Moreover, Couzo says that more frequent, more intense heat also increases the risk of ground-level ozone forming.

While Couzo’s efforts are focused on urban Asheville, Duncan is looking at the effects of air quality inequity in rural areas of the region, where “there’s a lot of poverty, low-quality housing, and difficulties in getting around because of lack of public transportation.”

“A lot of people assume, ‘We’re in the mountains. So, air quality is good, right?’” Duncan says. “It might be good on the other side of the bridge, but it might be bad where you are. You could be exposed to a completely different amount of pollution with a 500-foot difference in elevation.”

Her research focuses on the effects of prescribed burns on local PM 2.5 exposure, using data from the EPA, PurpleAir monitors and NASA’s Fire Information Resource Management System, all of which are open source and available to anyone. “Ideally, the smoke will move upward, so you get lots of dispersion quickly of that particulate matter. But that doesn’t always happen, so you can get really high localized exposures to particulate matter,” she says. (Ground ozone is less hyperlocalized in nature, she notes.) She is hoping that her research can pave the way for targeted warning systems to alert residents to prescribed burns “like a winter weather advisory,” she explains.

She also stresses that prescribed burns and forest fires — which she says are likely to increase with climate change — can impact indoor air quality. The poorer the insulation, the more likely it is that outdoor air can infiltrate. Over 90% of the average American’s time is spent indoors, Duncan says.

In fact, many calls to the Asheville Buncombe Air Quality Agency concern indoor pollution, says Featherstone. Specifically, people inquire about

wood-burning stoves. “You would be surprised how many stoves are out there today that are not meeting older [Clean Air Act] standards that went into effect around 1990,” Featherstone says. The agency often directs people to the EPA’s Burn Wise program, which offers tips and even funds to help people burn wood more cleanly.

THE FUTURE OF MOUNTAIN AIR

When asked to name the biggest threat to local air quality, Featherstone, Duncan and Couzo all

noted climate change. As summers get hotter and drier, the likelihood of more forest fires producing PM 2.5 and hotter summers creating more ground-level ozone increases.

Featherstone also believes that PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” will become an increasing concern and require more regulation. The challenge, she says, is that more advanced technology will be needed, since PFAS can be toxic in amounts as small as parts per trillion, as opposed to parts per billion for PM 2.5 and ozone.

On a more prosaic level, funding cuts have hampered the Air Quality

Agency’s work. “Our funding has been flat since 2004, which is about the equivalent of a 20% cut,” Featherstone adds. “So, we’ve got a lot less people than we had back then but more rules to implement and more work.”

Even so, the agency is working on a variety of new initiatives, many related to climate change programs enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act. “We’ve been working with Buncombe County Schools and looking at things like the electric school buses, [and] there’s money (available) for replacing diesel buses with electric buses,” Featherstone says. Other potential projects include implementing a proposed statewide Advanced Clean Trucks program. If adopted, this program would support investments in charging infrastructure and workforce development, as well as purchase incentives to offset the greater costs of purchasing electric ambulances and other large trucks.

Couzo also cites new federal funding as a reason to be optimistic about the future of the region’s air quality. “It’s going to take a lot to actually degrade our air quality,” he says.

“I honestly just don’t see things getting worse. As we electrify vehicles, those emissions will go away. I don’t think we’re going to build any more coal-fired power plants. So, since the Inflation Reduction Act passed last summer, I’ve actually been pretty optimistic.”

Chipping away

Canton mill closure may challenge sustainable forestry

dwalton@mountainx.com

Mark Yeager had a plan. He’d recently inherited about 14 acres from his father in Tuckaseegee, part of a larger parcel his family had been camping on for over 50 years. The land was covered with scrubby white pine, and Yeager wanted to transform it into a native hardwood forest. But that would involve cutting down a lot of trees, most of which had little value as timber.

Yeager was willing, but at age 61, he also recognized his limitations.

“If I was 30 years old and had all my crazy buddies that didn’t know any better, we’d go out there with chain saws and take care of it ourselves,” he says with a laugh. “Luckily, I’m married to a woman who goes, ‘No, Mark, you can’t do that.’ … I’m kind of accident prone, so it probably wouldn’t have ended well for me.”

With the help of EcoForesters, an Asheville-based nonprofit, Yeager found a way to have someone else do the work and make some money. In December, a logger was able to harvest the pine, turn it into wood chips and sell it as pulpwood for the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill in Canton. By February, Yeager had finished replacing those trees with seedlings of oak and walnut — his father’s favorite tree — that he hopes will grow into a more resilient forest providing much better wildlife habitat.

If Yeager had waited a year to carry out the project, however, he’d have been out of luck. In March, Pactiv Evergreen announced plans to shutter the long-running Canton facility by the end of June. Citing “a challenging market environment for our beverage merchandising business,” the company said closing a plant that had been in operation since 1908 would save tens of millions of dollars in capital and operating costs.

The closure will have major repercussions for the local economy. Roughly 1,100 workers at the Canton plant and a satellite facility in Waynesville are expected to lose their jobs, potentially increasing Haywood County’s unemployment rate by over 4 percentage points. But in addition to those human impacts, the loss of the mill will also harm sustainable

forestry in Western North Carolina, says EcoForesters Co-Director Andy Tait. The Canton facility, Tait explains, was WNC’s last remaining end user of pulpwood. Without that market, loggers have little incentive to harvest small, poorly formed trees that can’t be turned into timber. Instead, they’ll feel more pressure to “high-grade,” taking only the biggest and most valuable specimens. That practice, he says, leaves behind forests that are less diverse, worse for wildlife and more susceptible to fire.

“The ecology and economics of forestry were always coming up at odds,” notes Tait. “Now, they’ve kind of just crashed together.”

PULP FACTS

The pending closure represents the culmination of a trend that’s been decades in the making, says Tait. In the 1980s, dozens of paper producers and the wood chip mills that supplied them operated throughout the Southern Appalachians, attracted by cheap land and labor. But as costs increased, those businesses gradually closed. And with the Canton mill gone, the closest facility that makes paper from pulpwood (rather than recycled cardboard) is now over 200 miles away.

Even during the industry’s heyday, selling pulpwood was a marginal proposition at best, Tait explains. After factoring in the costs of logging and transporting the trees to a chip mill, landowners could expect to realize a profit of only about $1-$5 per ton, compared with $25 or more per ton for quality saw timber.

Some landowners would let loggers cut pulpwood gratis in an effort to develop more productive forests over the long run, he continues. Add in the fuel costs to ship pulpwood outside the region, however, and no one can make money even if the raw material is free.

In anticipation of the planned closure, notes Tait, the two local chip mills that supplied it, Suncrest LLC in Waynesville and Parton Lumber Co. in Rutherfordton, are no longer buying pulpwood. He says Suncrest expects to shut down entirely once the plant ceases operation, while Parton is searching for customers farther east but hasn’t yet lined up

any. Neither company responded to requests for comment.

It’s hard to quantify how much the Canton mill’s closure will curtail the demand for WNC pulpwood. Although Xpress reached out to multiple Pactiv Evergreen representatives in the company’s wood purchasing and communications departments, none responded to requests for comment.

Tom Tveidt , president of Waynesville-based consultancy Syneva Economics, is conducting an economic impact analysis of the Canton closure but says it’s too early to share results. A March 9 report by WLOS quoted Russ Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments, as saying the plant sourced “$150 million in chips annually from a 200-mile radius.”

UNHEALTHY HARVESTS

Pulpwood has little value ecologically as well. In the forest, says Tait, these trees behave like weeds, crowding out oaks and other keystone species that provide food and habitat for wildlife.

The small-diameter, highly branching structure of many pulpwood trees also puts forests at greater risk of out-of-control fires. In a healthy forest, Tait explains, fires generally just clear out undergrowth and unhealthy trees, with big trees surviving thanks to their large, straight trunks and thick bark.

But in a forest that’s overgrown with weedy pulpwood, those trees can

serve as kindling. “The problem with forest fires is the small trees catch fire and then can lead to the bigger trees catching fire,” says Tait. “The little trees around are too dense and thick and haven’t been thinned out.”

Rising temperatures and more severe droughts associated with climate change are predicted to increase WNC’s wildfire risk, and Tait says cutting small, low-quality trees can help make forests more resilient. Yet in a post-Pactiv Evergreen landscape, this will just be another shortterm cost for landowners.

Those who are still interested in improving their forests even without market incentives may be eligible for some government subsidies. The N.C. Forest Service’s Forest Development Program offers cost sharing for “the creation of the benefits associated with active forest management” on up to 100 acres annually, with a $10,000 cap per landowner. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service runs a similar initiative called the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

But neither of those is an adequate substitute for a regional pulpwood buyer, argues Tait. The N.C. Forest Service’s resources are limited — just $250,000 has been allocated for forest development projects across all of WNC in the coming fiscal year — and the service is struggling with the same staffing shortages that plague other branches of state government. Tait adds that a complicated application process discourages many people from participating in the USDA program.

FOR THE TREES

At least one local landowner has managed to benefit from federal support for forest improvement. Since moving to Yancey County from Alaska in 1996, Russell Oates has worked to restore native hardwoods across more than 200 acres he and his wife, Stacy, own between Pensacola and Burnsville.

Oates says it’s highly labor-intensive work: He’s hired crews to cut down fast-growing species like poplars, birches and maples; plant 1,500 seedlings of more desirable species like oak and hickory; and protect the young trees using metal cages he designed. So far, he’s spent roughly $40,000 on 8 acres, with the USDA program covering about half the cost.

A retired biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Oates feels called to make his forest more ecologically valuable, despite the considerable expense. He points out that hardwoods provide habitat for hundreds of insect species, which in turn makes them critical stopovers for migratory birds. “The trees are like fast-food joints for the birds, only the food is the best it could be and not the worst it could be,” he quips.

Meanwhile, Oates says he hasn’t sold any timber or pulpwood, aiming to avoid the potential disturbance caused by logging machinery. But as Yeager, the Tuckaseegee landowner, points out, not everyone who wants to improve their land has the financial resources to do so. He believes the loss of the Canton mill will make forest restoration work less likely across WNC.

“Folks like me who aren’t tree huggers, who are just trying to do a little bit to make it better down the line — that opportunity is not as easily met anymore because the options will require out-of-pocket expense,” says Yeager. “That would kill the motivation for somebody to do something like what I did.”

THINKING GREEN

Take heed

Anne Craig is an environmental activist.

What do you consider to be the top environmental issue facing WNC?

Determining what our community needs to do to mitigate the worsening effects of climate change, particularly in supporting infrastructure (e.g., water system, tree canopy, transportation alternatives, control of development, neighborhood support systems), support for rooftop solar, energy and resource conservation, lessening waste and emergency response procedures.

What are the most effective techniques for environmental activists to get their message out there and make real change?

If I knew the answer to that, it would have already happened. Our society is so far behind in doing what it needs to do. We need to educate people about the challenges we face and what we as individuals, families and communities can do to lessen our negative impacts.

What gives you hope for the future?

My hope is that more and more people will understand that we are at the juncture of whether we will or will not be able to sustain life on our planet and will take heed of the warnings of many, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said that militarism, racism and materialism are the evils of our time and are embedded in how we treat the natural world. X

Buncombe seeks new county park via partnership

Within the next few years, Buncombe County residents may have new public trails to roam close to downtown Asheville.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously April 18 to partner with the Ashevillebased conservation nonprofit Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to explore acquiring 343 acres on Deaverview Mountain for what could become the county’s largest park. The mountain, which according to long-term residents was formerly known as Spivey Mountain, is about 5 miles from downtown.

“It is a really unique opportunity to preserve such a significant piece of property so close to the heart of the Asheville metropolitan area,” said board Chair Brownie Newman “There is great value in having [a property that], for literally tens of thousands of people, will be accessible within a 10-15 minute, easy trip.”

The potential parkland was purchased in March for about $7.3 million by Deaverview Mountain LLC, a Raleigh-based legal entity. According to presentation materials from Allison Dains, Buncombe’s parks and recreation director, the “conservation-minded” owner has given the SAHC a three-year option to buy the property, at which point the nonprofit would donate it to the county.

Commissioners did not commit any county funds to the project. Instead, they directed staff to partner with SAHC to seek state and federal funding to complete the purchase, as well as conduct due diligence on the property’s use as a park. The total cost of the land acquisition is estimated at nearly $8.9 million; SAHC

has so far applied for roughly $4.4 million in state grants.

Michelle Pugliese, land protection director for SAHC, expressed her support for the project during public comment at the April 18 meeting. But she warned commissioners that there was more work to be done.

“The development threat has not disappeared as it stands right now. [We are] working to purchase the land. If we are not successful, the current owner will have to recover his investment in the land and put a subdivision there.”

More than a dozen other residents also spoke to show their support for preserving the property. Jamie Ervin, who has lived in the area for about 15 years, said he used to hike the mountain regularly. He lost that access around 2010 when the property changed hands, he said.

“I’ve always thought that was one of the best opportunities to go hiking within the immediate area of Asheville, and I still think that, now that this is getting considered as a park. This is Buncombe County’s best opportunity to have a worldclass hiking park,” he said.

Benjamin Gilmer said he lives five minutes from the base of the mountain. His family and others in the neighborhood, he continued, would take an active role in protecting the park if it became public.

“This place is a true jewel. It would be a travesty to not secure this land for our people.

Our neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks; we don’t have parks. If we lost it, it would be something we would regret forever,” he said.

Several residents touted the property’s proximity to a bus line and

the lower-income neighborhood of Deaverview as key reasons to prioritize conservation.

“This Deaverview Mountain project is one of the best opportunities I can think of for an equitable access to recreation opportunity,” said Ervin, who works to improve access to recreation through policy with the national nonprofit Outdoor Alliance. “This could be a place where a lot of people experience nature for the first time and increase their connection to the mountains here.”

Kim Plemmons represents the Erwin District, where Deaverview Mountain is located, on the Buncombe County Board of Education. She said a potential park could provide unique opportunities for neighborhood schools like the nearby Johnston Elementary. “Being able to take those kids outdoors to Spivey Mountain, or Deaverview Mountain Park, would be amazing,” she said.

Before the vote, Commissioner Parker Sloan remarked how uncommon it was to hear so many direct neighbors support the establishment of a park.

“When a parcel is going through a change, you don’t always hear immediate neighbors come out in support of that change,” he said. “That’s really cool, and it means a lot.”

If the county does acquire the land, Dains said there would be opportunities to build a parking lot, restrooms, educational kiosks and multimodal trails. Construction could start as early as 2027.

ACS board recommends pay raises for school employees

After roughly two years of petitions, rallies, public comments and more, employees at Asheville City Schools are one step closer to longsought pay raises for teachers and other employees in the district.

During a more than four-hour meeting April 17, the Asheville City Board of Education approved budget recommendations that include a 7% increase to each pay level for certified staff, which includes teachers, and starting pay for all hourly employees, including bus drivers and custodial workers, to $20 per hour.

The boardroom at 85 Mountain St. reached capacity during the meeting, when 14 school district employees, including teachers and bus drivers, spoke of the need for raises during public comment.

“We live in a city where the cost of living is high and where the focus is more on accommodating tourism versus our own community. We are asking for an affordable, living wage,” said Ana Hernandez, a kindergarten teacher at Claxton Elementary School. “The amount of work that we do and the amount of work that is pushed and expected of us does not match our pay.”

While initial compensation recommendations from interim Superintendent Jim Causby included a 3.5% increase for both salaried and hourly workers, the board requested additional budget configurations to meet the demands of employees.

The approved raises for salaried staff will include a 7% increase in supplemental pay. Supplements are paid by each district to reflect local costs of living and are calculated as a percentage of the state base pay and vary by years of experience. Currently, a firstyear teacher’s salary in North Carolina is $37,000, and Asheville City Schools adds 9% to that rate.

That brings pay for a beginning Asheville City Schools teacher to $40,330. The state also is expected to boost base salaries by 4.25% next fiscal year. That, plus the recommended supplement increases, would bring starting pay for teachers to $44,744.

The recommended budget will bring starting pay for all hourly staff to $20 per hour, just below the $20.10 living wage set by Just Economics this year. Currently, the

lowest-paid hourly position pays $15 per hour, plus a local supplement depending on years of service that starts at 9% of base pay. The recommended framework would increase base pay to $18.35, bringing total pay to at least $20 per hour for the lowest-paid employees.

The board also approved a recommendation to reduce the district’s central office budget by roughly $869,000 through staffing and other cuts. A recommendation to cut student-facing positions was rejected, with the board instead calling for the positions to be funded through the district’s fund balance.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will decide whether to fund the pay raises as a part of its 2023-24 budget. The compensation package means the district seeks

$7.7 million more than last year’s allocation of $15.2 million, a 49% increase. The county already projected an additional $1.5 million for the school district next fiscal year. The school board also will request that Buncombe County increase the Asheville City Schools property tax from 10.62 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 12 cents to help cover the costs of the raises. For residents with homes valued at $200,000, it would mean $27.60 more in property taxes per year.

Buncombe County commissioners have tentatively set Tuesday, June 20, to vote on next fiscal year’s budget. If approved, the pay raises for school employees would take effect July 1.

Q&A: A developer’s perspective on value of conservation

Andy Baker has spent the last 17 years building a home for himself, his family and many others through his development projects in Western North Carolina. Originally from Michigan, Baker graduated from Purdue University with a degree in forestry before pursuing a career in real estate development.

Earlier this year, the Southeast Regional Land Conservancy awarded Baker the 2023 Land Stewardship of the Year award for his conservation efforts. Located between Asheville and Hendersonville, his most recent development, Sprout, protects nearly 400 acres of land in perpetuity.

In a telephone interview for Mountain Xpress, Baker talked about the importance of conservation as both a developer and a resident of the Asheville area.

This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Xpress: The Southeast Regional Land Conservancy awarded you the Land Stewardship of the Year award for your conservation efforts. What inspired you to partner with the SRLC, as well as the North Carolina Beekeepers Association?

Baker: I talked to a bunch of different conservation groups and ran across SRLC. I had some conversations with Karin Heiman, who is now [deputy] director, and we began exploring what that might look like. What we’ve chosen to do is set very limited uses on conservation easement areas. It’s pretty much just some trails, and maybe an overlook, or a little 10-by-10 wooden platform deck where you can take a break. It’s superlimited – so no hunting, no fishing, no timbering, obviously no development. We’ve done a handful of easements over the past seven years or so, and it’s been a great relationship.

In regards to the North Carolina Beekeepers Association, about 10 years ago I became a little bit more aware about the declining bee population. Just from my background [in forestry], I had some knowledge on the

contributing factors of bees as pollinators and their role in the overall environment. It was just interesting to me. There’s some simple things we could do to try to support bee populations. That could go anywhere from setting up hives and apiaries and managing those, to setting aside large areas that contain great habitat for bees.

So I started thinking about ways to try to incorporate that into a community, the idea being not only to attract people that were into bees, but more to educate people and try to spread the message, and bring in the people that were qualified to do such.

Your latest development, Sprout, sits atop Rich Mountain between Asheville and Hendersonville. Would you mind sharing a bit about the history of that site?

On the northeast side of Rich Mountain, there’s a pass. Between Rich Mountain and Hightop there’s what’s called Baldwin Gap, and Baldwin Gap

was a Native American trail that cut between the mountains. In later years it became a drovers’ road. At one point, there were even automobiles that would travel it, and there’s remnants of old Model Ts and that sort of thing. That whole section is a big part of the conservation easement.

There’s a lot of rock faces and rock outcroppings, and there are a few salamander species that are very unique and found in very small areas, and this is one of them. The other aspect that’s unique are the number of Carolina and Eastern hemlocks that are found on the property. After talking with [the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and SRLC] I put together a hemlock restoration program. We bring out a biologist, and he does what’s called a CoreTect treatment, treating for that woolly adelgid that’s wiping out hemlocks.

Sprout encourages more thoughtful architecture in terms of integrating homes with the environment. Does that extend into the landscaping?

100 percent. We don’t allow for non-native planting. We’ve got native plant lists that have been [reviewed] by biologists here locally. A big focus of our design review is how you’re handling water. I think that stormwater management in mountain communities is often overlooked, or at least not addressed appropriately. So that’s a big part of the design process. Prior to design, we require you to do a tree survey. We require your team to have a landscape architect because that’s as critical as the overall design.

How do your conservation efforts help preserve local communities and the natural landscape?

[Conservation] adds value to the greater community because oftentimes it protects viewsheds and that sort of thing. When folks are looking back on a community or back at a mountain, obviously it helps to be able to preserve a large portion of that and not see homes or rooftops in the future. Putting together these large corridors for wildlife – I’ve got the conservation easement here at Sprout, and it’s contiguous with another 140-acre conservation easement that I did outside of Sprout. Sprout’s conservation easement is contiguous with another conservation easement that Conserving Carolina has, so it ties together these other protected areas. You start to create these larger, contiguous corridors and areas for wildlife as opposed to having these patchwork [developments].

Are there any sort of tax incentives associated with land conservation?

Yes, there are. At times you’ll hear about conservation easements and they have kind of a bad name. They’ll be exploited. There are different ways to establish the value of the easement. The easement is viewed by the IRS as a gift, and so you can determine the value with an appraiser. And that gift value is just like any other gift you give in a tax sense. The problem is how you determine the value of that gift, and I’m superconservative on that value because the goal of this is not the monetary side. There are some developers and some groups that just try to do conservation easements, and they try to max out the value of the gift.

Buncombe and adjacent counties are experiencing rapid development. How can developers play a better part in conserving the environment?

I struggle when I see that density just maximized. I try to generally go between a quarter to a third of the density that’s actually permitted. A lot of developers struggle with conservation because the tax incentive isn’t that great, and it is a business after all. I hope that there are some developers that can change that mindset, that there’s a bigger benefit to just the monetary side of it.

I’m not a native North Carolinian. I’ve been here for 17 years though, and I’ve raised my children here. I am part of the community, and I think that changes your mindset a little bit when you’re looking at development – as opposed to someone from out of town or someone that doesn’t really have any stakes in the ground here. Lowering density, setting aside large tracts for preservation, welcoming the wildlife resource commission onto your property – and whatever they identify, whether it be hemlocks or salamanders, that you put processes in place to protect those.

What do you love the most about the Appalachian Mountains?

I’m very much outdoor-oriented. I love to mountain bike, I love to be outside, I love to fish, I love to hike and paddle, as does my family. So the greatest draw I would say are the recreational opportunities. I’ve got a couple of Labradors that love the woods. They’re big dopes, but they’re fun. That, and I also would say the people. Maybe I’m just fortunate enough to surround myself with kind and thoughtful people. It seems like the mountains draw some really great folks.

Q&A: Woman creates Mon-stors to ‘eat’ toys

Canton native Cody Bauchman’s idea to create storage monsters, or Mon-stors, came out of necessity.

In 2009, the single mother and her then 3-year-old child, Gauge, moved to Kansas City, where she found herself in a one-bedroom basement efficiency apartment without storage space. Bauchman wanted to teach Gauge to clean up on their own, but also wanted to make it fun — and that’s when she came up with the idea of a monster to which they could “feed” their toys. After designing and sewing the first bag from cotton and burlap, with no prior design or sewing machine experience, she posted the finished result on Facebook. All of a sudden, she had a full notebook page of orders. That’s when her online business, named Lu & Ed (Lu after “Lucretia,” a character from the video game Final Fantasy 7, and Ed after “Radical Edward,” a character from the anime Cowboy Bebop), was born.

It wasn’t until Bauchman started working at a fabric store six months later that she was inspired to begin making more sustainable bags.

“[I] quickly saw how detrimental purchasing new materials is to the environment — pallets of fabric wrapped in layers of thick plastic, grouped into smaller boxes that were wrapped in plastic, and each individual bolt inside of that box also wrapped in plastic,” she tells Xpress. “When seasons changed and clearance sales ended, the remaining fabric was ripped or drawn on, so it couldn’t be taken from the dumpster to be used.”

Bauchman decided to leave that job quickly and started to use items found at salvage centers, textile misprint and refuse places, and thrift stores,

as well as donated materials. In late 2015, she moved back to Western North Carolina. Bauchman spoke with Xpress about being a single mom, now with two children, making monsters and saving the world.

This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity.

Xpress: Tell us more about how you ensure your products are zero waste.

Bauchman: Blankets, robes, pajamas, curtains, sheets and things like that with a small rip, broken zipper, little stains — I cut them up to create usable materials and then turn those materials into the biggest monster I can. From those scraps, I make smaller monster toys until they are so small, I can’t make any more monsters from them. Then they become eyes, mouths, horns, noses ... and when they are too small for even that, I dice them up and blend them with Poly-fil (made from recycled plastic bottles) and use them for stuffing. Sourcing postproduction materials and using this closed-loop recycling process diverts over a ton of landfill waste annually.

Why monsters?

As a young single parent, I knew that if I wanted my child to use whatever toy storage solution we had, it needed to be fun and like a game. I thought feeding a giant monster would be a blast. “Can you feed the monster everything on the floor before the timer goes off?” Or “Can you feed the monster all the dolls for a snack so they aren’t hungry while you’re at school?” are ways I get the kids to pick up. Chores don’t have to be boring or a struggle.

Do your children clean up after themselves more often with the bags?

Yes, definitely! With regular use, they create lifelong tidying-up habits. My youngest is 6, and she is more of a chaos cleaner, grabbing everything and shoving it into a Mon-stor at the end of playtime. We go through once every few weeks and empty the Mon-stors in her room to reorganize all the toys back into some semblance of order, but I really appreciate that Mon-stors work like a toy box when everything is lumped together ... dump them out and [there are] endless possibilities for open-ended play.

Speaking of children, how do you manage raising two as a single mother, plus having your own company?

It is definitely not easy. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. I love being here to see all their milestones, spending every day with them. We also home-school, so we do whatever we can to make it work. Lots of super early mornings for me to cut out monsters (rising around 4 a.m. some days) and some pretty late nights to finish sewing. I do a lot of 10-plushour workdays with loads of breaks in the middle for home schooling, play dates, making meals, going to the park or hiking. I work when the kids are self-entertained, before they’re awake in the morning or after they go to bed. It’s often exhausting, but it allows us to live a really fun life together and see our friends a lot, and I love it.

What feedback have you gotten from other parents who have bought your products?

A lot of caregivers have reached out after purchasing monsters to thank me for creating sensory-friendly toys and for making cleaning up less of a struggle. I’ve heard that they really help lighten a caregiver’s mental load by making a task that can cause a lot of friction way more fun.

How, if at all, has your client base changed over time? Are you seeing a larger number of parents interested in purchasing zero-waste toys?

While I would love to say that I’ve seen an uptick in the concern for zero waste, my particular market has actually shifted over time to people that are more interested with the postproduction local sourcing of my materials, and the positive effect that has on local economies. It’s been interesting to see that organic shift in consumption among caregivers and people shopping for children — or themselves.

Your motto is “saving the world — one monster at a time.” What makes you want to save the world?

We’re only here for a short time. I’ve always wanted to leave the world a better place than I received it, and I’ve always been really conscious of buying postproduction stuff for myself and my family, even before launching my monster business — because every purchase has an impact. Our entire wardrobes are mostly from thrift stores, almost every piece of furniture in my house was purchased secondhand. I’ve always tried to shop locally whenever possible to keep money in our local community. I also collect boxes from neighbors and friends to flip inside out and ship monsters in. While what I’m doing alone isn’t much in terms of a global impact, I have definitely seen the ripple effect of other makers switching to using postproduction materials and recycled packaging after interacting with me. That makes my heart really happy and hopefully creates a bigger ecological impact as more and more creative people turn to postproduction materials and resource sharing.

— Andy Hall X

Managing tiny but formidable flea beetles

Sunny smiles in the midst of a gloriously greening world! I’m back with talk of bugs and dirt this month. Also, I wanted to let you know that Wild Abundance, the Earth-based skills school that I work for in Weaverville, has a free online class available this month. It’s called “Top 10 Vegetables to Plant That Will Really Feed You.” In it, my friend and co-instructor, Natalie Bogwalker, and I share which vegetables will give the most bang for your buck when it comes to feeding yourself from the garden. Just go to the Wild Abundance homepage (www.wildabundance.net) and click on online classes in the top bar. Don’t forget to send in your gardening questions so I can answer them in next month’s feature. My email is gardening@mountainx.com.

TEENY TINY HOLES

What to do about flea beetles?

The living world always exists in dynamic balance. This beautifully complex process means that, as we rejoice with spring warmth, flowering trees and opening leaves, so do the bugs. Insects that have been wintering beneath the soil are emerging everywhere, and they’re hungry. One of the first garden pests that get going in the spring is the flea beetle (Chrysomelidae family, several genera).

This tiny beetle can spring from leaf surfaces with impressive force, similar to how fleas move, hence the name. We’ve got a few kinds in the mountains here, most notably the Crucifer flea beetle (Phyllotreta cruciferae), which loves to eat plants in the Brassicaceae family (formerly Cruciferae, also known as crucifer-

ous vegetables — botany can be a little confusing). Another significant flea beetle in our area is in the Epitrix genus. It loves to eat plants in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, especially eggplant and potatoes.

Since flea beetles are so small, the damage they inflict looks like teeny-tiny holes on leaf surfaces, sometimes just on the backs of leaves where you may not notice it until the problem has escalated. When they attack very small plants, it can seem as though the leaves have been munched into nothingness. On larger

plants, leaves can take on a lacy look. In most cases, as you examine damaged leaves, you will find flea beetles careening off in every direction, which confirms who’s to blame. If you don’t see the beetles themselves but do notice the characteristic collection of tiny holes on susceptible plants (cabbage, arugula, mustards, collards, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplants, potatoes, peppers) in the early to midspring, it’s very likely that flea beetles are to blame.

In my experience, the most effective way to manage flea beetles is with a

combination of cultural practices and physical barriers. Since early spring is so hectic, I usually lean more on the cultural practices (what to plant when and where), rather than the more resource-intensive barriers (clay and row cover). I’ve tried to kill flea beetles with various kinds of organic pesticides (neem oil and safer soap), with very disappointing results. There are other organic sprays and powders that claim to kill flea beetle adults and larvae, but I’m not very motivated to try them. In our area, the population of emerging flea beetles can be massive, and it tends to rain pretty regularly. Both of these factors would mean frequent spraying of a purchased input, which I personally don’t have the time or budget to manage.

So, getting a little deeper into cultural practices, one thing I’ve noticed is that flea beetles only inflict lasting damage on small plants. They do turn the bottom leaves of larger plants into doilylike shadows of their juicy, verdant selves, but they won’t usually kill the whole plant if it’s big enough. These tiny, bouncy pests seem to stay close to the ground and won’t reach taller leaves once a plant is about a foot tall. One simple practice for mitigating flea beetle damage, therefore, is simply

to transplant instead of directly sow susceptible plants. For best results, allow transplants to grow fairly large before putting them in the ground. This can mean feeding your transplants extra yummy fertilizer so that they really fill out their pots, and/ or “transplanting up” (moving them to a bigger pot to grow even larger before putting them in the ground). In my garden, eggplants tend to be the hardest hit by flea beetles, so I transplant them up twice, eventually into quart-sized pots where they can get seriously big before setting them out. Fertilizing well once your plants are in the ground also will help them outgrow the inevitable damage done by flea beetles.

Another cultural practice is simply choosing what to plant when. For example, many people in this area plant potatoes as soon as the ground can be worked. This is great because it means fresh potatoes earlier in the season. However, if you’ve got a heavy load of flea beetles, it can be a disappointing battle. Potatoes can do well planted as late as May or June, and by that time, flea beetles have calmed down a bit. Another example is mesclun mix, a yummy blend of tender greens that are mostly, if not all, in the flea-beetle-susceptible Brassicaceae family. This can be a real challenge in the early spring in our area, so I just choose not to grow it then. It’s a fabulous choice for fall planting, when flea beetles are a thing of the past, and cooler temperatures increase the sweetness in these sometimes-spicy leaves.

Physical barriers, if you have the time and resources to manage them, can be very effective for mitigating flea beetle damage, too. Notice that I say “mitigating,” and not “preventing.” Flea beetles are here to stay, are tiny and will have some impact on your garden if you’ve got them. Organic gardening is about finding balance, not controlling nature for our benefit alone. Using floating row covers (also known by brand names Remay and Agribon) to cover young plants can protect them from flea beetles. For this to work, you’ll need to make sure that the row cover is quite snug, with little to no open space at the edges for flea beetles to enter. Using some dirt to hold down the row cover on either side of the hoops that support it can help with this.

Another physical barrier is an organic product called Surround (kaolin clay). This fine clay can be mixed with water and either sprayed onto plants or used as a dunk for transplants before they go into the ground. It’s very effective but will need to be reapplied as new leaves emerge to protect them, too.

I just moved into a new house and want to get a garden going, but the soil seems like pure red clay. What can I do?

Soil health is the foundation of a successful garden. I cannot stress this enough. It’s well worth the wait to focus on soil building now and planting vegetables later, rather than trying to grow a garden where the soil is not capable of supporting such abundant giving. If you’ve got red clay and want a garden now, the best thing to do is get a container garden going while you work on building up the native soil to support a garden in the coming seasons.

Red clay actually is a great blessing in the garden, though too much of it can be problematic. Clay particles help with water retention and the movement of nutrients around the soil and into plant roots. Ideally, garden soil will be about 10%-20% clay particles, with the rest being equal parts sand and silt (larger-sized particles). Of the total volume of soil, about 2%-6% should be organic matter like compost, manure, decomposing plant roots, etc. These are all ideals.

Some techniques for transforming clay into rich garden soil are adding mineral amendments, adding bulk materials and cover cropping. If you can swing it, a mix of all three of these approaches is best. Two mineral amendments that can help loosen clay soils on a chemical level are greensand and gypsum. Only small amounts of these are needed, but it’s most effective to till them in. They’re available at garden centers and will have instructions on their packages. Bulk materials that can help loosen clay include sand, compost, soil conditioner, manure and other bulk organic materials. Sand is only effective if you have the means to mix it into the soil, whereas the others can be mixed in or simply added atop the clay. Cover cropping is a practice of growing “green manure” crops to protect and feed the soil. Instead of harvesting these plants to eat yourself, you cut or crimp them and allow their roots to die back and nourish the soil. Different types of cover crop are appropriate at different times of year. Fifth Season Gardening Supply is a good local resource for bulk cover crop seeds.

After a season or two of care, heavy clay can transform into gardenable soil. Even as you begin to grow vegetables, keep engaging in these soil-building practices and you’ll continue to improve the texture of your garden soil over time.

— Chloe Lieberman X

The Learning Garden

Buncombe County Extension Center

Gardening Education Programs

Saturday Seminars 10 - 11:30am

Selected Saturdays, February - September

Free In-person Classes. Registration required.

Thursdays in The Learning Garden

Selected 2nd and 4th Thursdays, February - October Free In-person Classes. Registration required.

Gardening in the Mountains On-line Programs

Free Online Educational Classes. Registration required.

For more information and to register: buncombemastergardener.org/upcoming-events

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

 More info, pages 46-47

 More info, pages 48-49

WELLNESS

Sparkle Time Holistic

Exercise

Aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibility.

WE (4/26, 5/3), MO (5/1), 10:30am, Avery's Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SEm Arden

Tai Chi for Balance

A gentle exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. Donations appreciated. For more information: (828)350-2058.

WE (4/26, 5/3), noon, Stephens Lee

Recreation Center, 30

George Washington Carver Ave

Youth Archery for Beginners

This 4 week beginner class will teach the basics of archery and is open to individuals 9-12 years old. Archers will learn the basics of archery: range safety and proper shooting techniques.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 5:30pm, Montford Community Center, 34

Pearson Dr

Homemade Health & Wellness Series w/ Ashley English

A class series focusing on homemade health and wellness items with

author, teacher, and homesteader, Ashley English.

WE (4/26), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

West African Dance Class

Traditional dance from the ancient Mali empire that helps to improve your health and tone your body through a dance workout. All levels welcome.

WE (4/26), 6:30pm, Stephens Lee

Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Tennis Clinic

Join APR instructors and other locals looking to improve their tennis game for a four-week skills clinic for beginner to intermediate players.  Advance registration is required. For more info, contact myoung2@ ashevillenc.gov or (828) 251-4026.

TH (4/27), 10am, Murphy Oakley Park, 715 Fairview Rd

Old School Line Dancing

Old school dances, and some new.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 6:15pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

WELLNESS FESTIVAL: Offering up hip-hop, soul and New Age music, Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise headline The Resilience Festival Saturday, April 29, at The Outpost. The festival kicks off at 2 p.m. and features musical acts, wellness demos and food trucks, with 100% of the proceeds going to Resilient Voices, a nonprofit that supports victims of sexual trauma.

Please

Swing Dance Lesson and Dance

Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

Asheville Aphasia Support Group

Every Friday in Rm 345. No RSVP needed.

FR (4/28), 10am, WCU at Biltmore Park, 28 Schenck Pkwy, Ste 300

Family Education Workshop: Routines for Healthful Sleep

Learn easy ways to achieve the best night’s sleep. All classes will be the last Friday of each

month.

FR (4/28), 10am, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Yoga For Everyone

For all ages and abilities. Instructors are trained to facilitate classes for people standing, or in a chair. Classes are in English, instructor can speak Spanish if needed. Bring your own mat, water bottle and mask. Registration required. SA (4/29), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Goat Yoga on the Farm

Move through your sun salutation in a wide open field as baby goats frolic nearby.

SA (4/29), 10am, Round Mountain Creamery, 2203 Old Fort Rd, Black Mountain

KidCycle Club Tiny Tots Stride & Glide

A social way for your little one to learn to

ride a bike. SA (4/29), 10am, KidCycle Club, 503 Stone Ridge Blvd

Guided Meditation

A six week series for adults to explore the gentle practice of meditation, sampling from a variety of traditions and tools.

SA (4/29), 10:15am, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group

Free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. Email depressionbipolarasheville@gmail. com or call or text (828) 367-7660 for more info. SA (4/29), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd

Healthy Kids Day

Featuring activities such as games, healthy cooking demonstrations, arts and crafts,

and competitions to motivate and teach families how to develop and maintain healthy routines at home. Free and open to the public.

SA (4/29), 2pm, Mills River Park, 124 Town Center Dr, Mills River

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class

A conscious movement experience in a 100year old building with a community of women at all life stages.

SU (4/30), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Yoga Taco Mosa

Yoga practice led by Clare Desmelik. Bring your mat, a water bottle and an open heart. After class, the taqueria will be open for tacos and drinks.

SU (4/30), 10:30am, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Rooftop Yoga w/Down Dog

This class will strengthen, challenge, and cleanse the body and mind. Set to fun music, students will feel energized as they flow, linking breath to movement at a faster pace.

SU (4/30), 11am, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy Spring Flow w/Jamie

Photo by Jovell Spring

Designed to release heat stored in the body, release excess kapha, and prepare the body for summer. Expect strength building with long stretches. Class is held inside. Bring your mat.

SU (4/30), 11am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Yoga in the Park

Each class is unique, intertwining movement with breath, with a different focus of strength and release. All-levels

welcomed, bring your own props and mat.

SU (4/30), 11am, 220

Amboy Rd

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

This class is centered towards creating an affirming and inclusive space for queer and gender non-conforming individuals.

SU (4/30), 1:30pm, West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Rueda de Casino

Salsa dancing for all skill levels.

SU (4/30), 2pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

NCMTR Bent Creek

Trail Run

Multiple pace and distance groups are available to cater to all experience and ability levels, three to six miles. Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome.

MO (5/1), 6:30pm,

Hard Times Trailhead, 375 Wesley Branch Rd

WNC Prostate Support

Group

All men, family members, partners and supporters are welcome to attend.

TU (5/2), 6:30pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St

Zumba Mask and social distancing required.

Registration not necessary. Por Favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (5/2), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Narcotics Anonymous

Meetings

Visit wncna.org/ basic-meeting for dates, times and locations.

ART

Luzene Hill: Revelate

Hill's drawings seek to communicate themes of feminine and Indigenous power across her entire body of work. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through May 15.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Daily,

10am

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

Altruistic Genius: Buckminster Fuller’s Plans to Save the Planet

This exhibition brings the inventions and designs of R. Buckminster Fuller to Western North Carolina and introduces visitors to Fuller’s strategies for the sustainability of humans and the planet relating to housing, transportation, mathematics, and engineering. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through August 21.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Pulp Potential: Works in Handmade Paper

The works in this exhibition reveal the breadth of possibilities and unique qualities that exist when artists choose to employ and even create handmade paper. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through July 14.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Valley Viewpoints: Images from the Swannanoa Valley Opening Reception

With music and light

refreshments. This exhibit will remain open and available to the public throughout the month of May.

FR (4/28), 5pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Weaverville Art Safari

One of the original studio tours in the Asheville area, a self-guided free event that offers a unique look at the artist’s work in their working environment, featuring artists who specialize in handmade pottery, glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry, furniture, painting, drawing, fiber art, wood art and more.

SA (4/29) & SU (4/30), 10am-5pm, Various Locations

Reflections of Nature: The Art of Robert Gregory Gross

An exhibition of Plein air master’s lifetime of work in watercolors, oils, etchings, ink and pencil sketches. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am, and Sunday, 1pm. Exhibition through June 3.

Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Rd, Ste A-13, Black Mountain

Too Much Is Just Right: The Legacy of Pattern and Decoration

Featuring more than 70 artworks in an array of media from both the original time frame of the Pattern and Decoration movement, as well as contemporary artworks created between 1985 and the present. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through May 29.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Open Studio w/ Asheville Art Museum

This free drop-in program aims to expose and engage participants with the museum’s collection and changing exhibitions. Attendees must be 21 or older to participate. Instruction, supplies, and materials provided.

TH (5/4), 6pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd Ste 101

COMMUNITY MUSIC

The Rodney Marsalis

Philadelphia Big Brass

A large brass ensemble made up a diverse group of men and women that break the usual barriers between genres and strive to create a connection between the audience and performers.

TH (4/27), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard

The Asheville Rock Academy

Asheville Music School student performance of a wide variety of musical styles and songs of various genres including blues, classic rock, hard rock, punk, surf, and more.

SA (4/29), 6:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

WellSpring & Richard

Gans

An evening of soulful and acoustic music with folk duo Wellspring and folk artist, Richard

Gans. SA (4/29), 7pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

Dom Flemons

Grammy award winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, historian, actor, slam poet, record collector, and WSM radio producer who is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones.

SA (4/29), 7:30pm, Owen Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

Weekly Sunday potluck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. It's a family friendly community day - bring a dish to share.

SU (4/30), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

The Seipp/Sheets

Trumpet & Organ Duo Custom musical arrangements of virtuoso, beautiful, entertaining, humorous and patriotic selections enhance the exquisite blend of their instruments.

SU (4/30), 4pm, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 10 N Liberty St

Jazz Jam

Hosted by LEAF Global Arts every Thursday, with Thommy Knoles on keys, Felix Pastorius on bass, and Paul Gladstone on drums. This event is followed by an open jam session. Dropins are welcome so bring your instruments and jam.

TH (5/4), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St

LITERARY

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer

Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring 90 seconds of material

that isn't working.

WE (4/26, 5/4), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

The Myth of Normal Book Club

A community discussion of Gabor and Daniel Mate’s latest opus

WE (4/26, 5/3), 5:45pm, East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Rd

Poetry Open Mic

Hendo

A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night.

18+

TH (4/27, 5/4), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave East, Hendersonville Carolina Mountain Club: 100 Years Book

Discussion

Author and avid hiker Danny Bernstein has written a definitive history of Asheville’s Carolina Mountain Club. This book tells the story of the Carolina Mountain Club from its 1923 founding to today. Bernstein will discussing the book at UNC Asheville’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. See p48 FR (4/28, 11:30am, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, 300 Campus View Rd

Mandy Monath in Conversation w/ Catherine Carter

Discussing and sharing poems from Monath’s debut collection, This is Like That SA (4/29), 3pm, Henderson County Tailgate Market, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

An Afternoon w/ Mildred Kiconco Barya

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a reading of The Animals of My Earth School SU (4/30), 3pm, Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St Shut Up and Write!

Join fellow writers to write, together.

There’s no reading or critiquing, and no real talking, except for the optional socializing

afterwards.

MO (5/1), 2pm, Dripolator, 909 Smokey Park Hwy, Candler

Monthly Poetry

Critique Meeting

Bring your poems and writing to the Dark City Poets Society’s critique meeting.

TU (5/2), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

The Power of the Mind Book Discussion

A modern guidebook to the Buddhist practice of lojong, or mind training, based on ancient techniques for transforming emotional pain, anxiety and stress into mental well-being. See p49 WE (5/3), 6:30pm, Mary C. Jenkins Community and Cultural Center, 221 Mills Ave, Brevard

THEATER & FILM

Act Up! Staged Stories

A creative and collaborative program designed for ages 8-14 to explore the theater stage in a new way. The program runs for six sessions, April 18 through May 4, ending with a public showcase. For more information contact, lhudson@ ashevillenc.gov or (828)259-5483

TH (4/27, 5/4), TU (5/2), 5pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Asheville Flamenco Festival

Performance showcasing what students from beginner and advanced classes have learned. There will also be a special presentation of professional dancers and musicians.

TH (4/27), 7pm, , Wortham Center For The Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Cyndi Williams: Fish When two characters connect unexpectedly in a lonely bar, they wind up playing a dangerous game. Who will survive, and how can they forgive them-

selves in the process?

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30pm; Sundays at 4pm. Runs through April 29.

The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St

A Moment's Notice

A powerful story about a young girl who accidentally comes out to her very religious and conservative mother.

The play explores the struggles and challenges that the girl and her mother face as they navigate through this unexpected revelation. Written by a senior of the Mars Hill University Theatre Arts Department.

FR (4/28), 6pm, Owen Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill

Monte: Won't Stop.

Can't Stop

This Patagonia film follows Warren Wilson student Monte Cosby, who grew up in the public housing projects of Richmond, VA feeling that his future was limited -- until mountain bikes offered him a different route forward.

SA (4/29), 5pm, Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Rd, Swannanoa

Alice In Wonderland

Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and join her on her adventures through Wonderland. Meet the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts, as well as a host of other fantastical characters.

Various dates and times through May 7. Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

Bright Star: A Folk

Musical

A sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40s. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, they discover a stunning secret with the power to transform their lives. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm

and Sundays at 2:30 pm. Runs through May 4.

Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St

Jerry Slaff Presents: Lies

The play revolves around Benny, a freshout-of-law-school public defender assigned with a compelling case: trying to win the parole of a notorious German World War II radio propagandist who has a hard time telling the truth.

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm. Runs through April 30.

Attic Salt Theatre, 2002 Riverside Dr, Ste 42-O Barcelona Flamenco Ballet

A magnificent merger of classic flamenco, authentic Catalan music, and the lively percussive sound of Spanish guitar.

TH (5/4), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Building Our City Speaker Series: Enabling Missing Middle Housing

The free series is focused on housing for 2023 with feature speaker, Jennifer Settle, whom has led numerous community design charrettes and played a critical role in neighborhood, city, and regional master planning projects.

WE (4/26), 5:30pm, The Collider, 1 Haywood St

Vegetable Series: Planting Root Crops

Extension Master Gardener Barb Harrison will cover the nuances of leeks, onions, carrots and parsnips. The class will begin indoors with an introduction on how to best grow these vegetables and will continue outdoors where the root vegetable will be planted.

TH (4/27), 10am,

Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 49 Mount Carmel Rd, Ste 102

Parent Teen Cooking Class

Each week the students learn cooking skills, receive nutrition education, and take home all ingredients to recreate the recipe.

Grades 9 to 12.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 3:30pm, Black Mountain Montessori School, 101 Carver Ave, Black Mountain

Adaptive Outdoor Adventures: Fishing Fun

Fishing 101 skills will be shared with new anglers, but seasoned anglers are welcomed too. Fishing poles and bait will be provided.

TH (4/27), 5pm, Azalea Park, Swannanoa River Rd

Preservation Society Presents: Asheville's

Automotive History

Heath Towson will be covering some of Asheville's early automotive pioneers, , racing and hot rod history, as well as an in-depth look at the filming of Thunder Road with Robert Mitchum - and what it left behind in local culture and lore.

TH (4/27), 5:30pm, Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St

Southside Card Game Night

Families and community members can play card games like bid whist/spades, Apples to Apples, Uno, and more. Light refreshments served.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Community Choice

Open House Free time for the community to enjoy the community center. Relax while painting on a canvas, walking on the treadmill, playing a game of cards, shooting some hoops, and more.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 6:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Project Mind Lab

Adult science night with Asheville Museum of Science. Intellectual stimulation through discussions, crafts, beer, and science.

TH (4/27), 7pm, DSSOLVR, 63 N Lexington Ave

Buncombe County

Veteran Stand Down

Bringing community providers and resources together in one place for at-risk or homeless ceterans and their families to access. Resources available include health screenings, dental services, housing assistance, employment and more. Breakfast and lunch provided. Veterans will need to present proof of veteran status: DD-214, veteran ID, or be verified on-site

FR (4/28), 9am, Veterans Restoration Quarters - The Acts Building, 1401 Tunnel Rd

Tea & Tarot Fridays

Play with Tarot and Tea Leaf readings. Bring your cards, tea cup, and other favorite divination tools. All styles and experience levels welcome.

FR (4/28), 10am, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Purpose Alignment w/ Tracey Greene-Washington

Focusing on purpose alignment for executive directors. Each session is approximately two hours and includes testimonials from recent LREDI participants, an interactive networking activity and an interview to extend the equity advocacy conversation.

FR (4/28), 3pm, LenoirRhyne University, 36 Montford Ave

Saturday Morning Art Class Students will learn various stitches. Each

class will build up to creating a pattern and sewing their own original felt creature. All ages are welcome. Register at avl.mx/prx6

SA (4/29), 9am, Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St

Wildflower Hike

Led by Joe and Mary Standaert, local historians and members of the Western Carolina Botanical Club, this hike will take a short, leisurely walk in diverse woodlands.

SA (4/29), 9am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain

Divide and Plant

Bring your excess divided plants, pots, soil, bulbs and flowers to share with others. The free exchange will take place in the parking lot.

SA (4/29), 10am, Mills River Presbyterian Church, 10 Presbyterian Church Rd, Mills River

Southside Community

Clean Up

Each participant will be provided gloves, masks, and trash bags or recycle bags to help pick up trash and recyclables. For more information contact (828)259-5483 or grantcenter@ashevillenc. gov.

SA (4/29), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Intro to Magic:

Sympathetic Magic & Kabbalah

This class is designed to whet your appetite and give you resources to explore the topics further.

SA (4/29), 10am, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave Black Tie Affair

Put on your party best and join friends ages 40 and better for a night of music and dancing.

SA (4/29), 4pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Game Day: Perspective Café

Traditional game day with board and card games as well as refreshments.

SU (4/30), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Headshot Photoshoot

Event

Join Modelface Comedy and Konutko for an afternoon of headshot photography catered to Asheville's comedians and performers.

SU (4/30), 2pm, Ginger's Revenge South Slope Lounge, 32 Banks Ave

Sew Co./Rite of Passage Factory Tour

On this 30 minute micro-tour, learn about sustainable and

transparent business practices and hear about production processes and client collaborations.

MO (5/1), 11am, Rite of Passage Clothing & Sew Co., 240 Clingman Ave Ext

Chess Club

Open to all ages and any skill set. There will be a few boards available, but folks are welcome to bring their own.

MO (5/1), 4pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain AniMondays Join the club to watch anime movies, play anime video games, and make anime arts and crafts. This is a free program for kids and teens ages 6 to 16. MO (5/1), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Cribbage Club

The first Tuesday of the month. For more information call (828) 254-1942.

TU (5/2), 5pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St

Astrology: Through

The Cosmos

In this nine series workshop, you will learn to cultivate rich relationships with the planets using the language of astrology ease-fully, invoking the planetary guides with ritual and learning how to translate their guidance intuitively.

TU (5/2), 6pm, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

World Affairs Council: UN Sustainable Development Goals Educator and researcher Victoria Thoresen will be speaking on the UN's Agenda 2030, with its 17 sustainable development goals created as a framework for dealing with the rapidly escalating dangers of climate change.

TU (5/2), 7pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

Spanish Club

Spanish speakers of all ages and levels are welcome to join together for conversation to practice the language in a group setting. Every Wednesday.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

RAD Farmers Market Providing year-round access to fresh local foods, with 25-30 vendors selling a variety of wares. Handicap parking available in the Smoky Park lot, free public parking available along

Drive.

Also accessible by foot, bike, or rollerblade via the Wilma Dykeman Greenway.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

Weaverville Tailgate Market

A selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, fire cider, coffee, pickles, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, and garden and landscaping plants.

Open year round.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr

Etowah Lions Club

Farmers Market

Fresh produce, honey, sweets, flowers, plant starts and locally crafted wares. Every Wednesday through October 25.

WE (4/26, 5/3), 3pm, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

Flat Rock Farmers Market

A diverse group of local produce and fruit farmers, craftfood makers, bread bakers, wild crafters, art-crafters, and merrymakers. Every Thursday through October 26.

TH (4/27, 5/4), 3pm, Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Henderson County

Tailgate Market

Join local farmers and crafters rain or shine for Henderson County’s finest seasonal fruits, fresh mushrooms, vegetables, local honey, meat, eggs, garden plant starts, perennials and much more. Every Saturday through October 28.

SA (4/29), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

North Asheville

Tailgate Market

The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors offer fresh Appalachian grown produce, meats, cheeses and eggswith a variety of baked goods, value added foods, and unique craft items. Weekly through Dec. 16.

SA (4/29), 8am, 3300

University Heights

Asheville City Market

Local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Weekly through Dec. 17.

SA (4/29), 9am, 52 N Market St

Transylvania Farmers Market

Dozens of vendors offering fresh, locally-grown produce, meat, poultry, eggs, honey, cheeses, mushrooms, juices, fermented vegetables,

plants, herbs, cut flowers, baked goods, jams and jellies, prepared foods, and a variety of locally handcrafted and artisan items. Open every Saturday year-round.

SA (4/29), 10am, 190 E Main St, Brevard

WNC Farmers Market

High quality fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily 8am, year-round.

570 Brevard Rd

Meadow Market

Browse goods and gifts from local makers and artisans with different vendors every week, you’ll find specialty items. Shop for handmade jewelry, housewares, vintage goods, and crafts.

SU (4/30), 1pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy

Tuesday Creative Market

Browse the wares from local makers and creatives.

TU (5/2), 4pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd

Leicester Farmers Market

Leicester’s only community-led farmers market with local produce such as meat, cheese, veggies, crafts, plants, flowers, body soaps and lotions, eggs, and more.

WE (5/3), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy

Plant Show

Sustainable nursery showcasing native wildflowers as well as complementary plants such groundcovers and herbs. TH (4/27), FR (4/28), 1pm, and SA (4/29), 11am.

M R Gardens, 441 Onteora Blvd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

This event is to help introduce new people to the various forms of Tai Chi or Taiji with free outdoor classes.

See p49 SA (4/29), 10am, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd

Hood Huggers Annual Spring Fling

A day filled with live music, local vendors, food trucks, and lots of plants available on sliding scale honor system. See p 47 SA (4/29), 11am, Peace Gardens & Market, 47 Bryant St

Ross Farm Spring Fling 2023

With unique plants, live music, a mechanical bull, hemp goodies, and vendors, free to

the public.

SA (4/29), 11am, Ross Farm, 91 Holbrook Rd, Candler

12 Bones Brewing

4 Year Anniversary

Blowout

With live music and an outdoor picnic. See p46-47 SA (4/29), noon, 12 Bones Brewing, 2350 Hendersonville Rd, Arden

Oskar Blues Brewery's Spring Shakedown w/ The Hip Abduction

A spring festival with a lineup of music, food, drinks, and a pop-up market. SA (4/29), noon, Oskar Blues Brewery, 342 Mountain Industrial Dr, Brevard

Altar of Brunch: Block Party

Live music from Arbor Labor Union, Shane McChord and Sarah Louise. SA (4/29), 1pm, Burial Beer Co. Forestry Camp Taproom, 10 Shady Oak Dr

Outpost: The Resilience Festival

A wellness festival with national music acts, live hip hop from Philly, stand-up yoga with live music, kids hip-hop, breath work, tai chi, zumba, on-ite wellness practitioners, local craft arts, and food trucks. All the proceeds will benefit Resilient Voices, an organization doing amazing things to support victims of sexual trauma.

SA (4/29), 2pm, The Outpost, 521 Amboy Rd

The Block Party

The event will feature live music from several performers, including Red Clay Revival, The Larry Keel Experience, DJ Logic, and an interactive drum performance by Billy Zanski. There will also be over 15 local craft vendors, food, and fun activities for the whole family. The event is free to enter, but a recommended donation at the door is encouraged, with all donations going directly to benefit The Pisgah Conservancy.

SA (4/29), 2pm, Liberty Street Block, 237 S Liberty St

2023 Taste It, Don’t Waste it

Some of Asheville’s favorite chefs will share creative dishes made from foods we might otherwise throw away. Guests can sample all the competing bites and vote for their favorite to crown our 2023 Taste It Don’t Waste It champion.

See p47 SU (4/30), 2pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd

Drive Electric Earth Day Spectators will be able to view and ride

in a wide range of electric vehicles, with a "vintage" section, a chance to test the latest electric bikes and scooters, and learn about solar and the expanded solar tax credit.

SU (4/30), noon, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Benefit for Aston Park Defendants & Asheville Survival Program

With band performances by Studda Bubba, Roamck, and Lo Wolf.

DJ Nex Millen and DJ LC Tamagotchi will be spinning tunes as well. WE (4/26), 7pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

Dining Out For Life

An easy and fun way to raise money for WNCAP’s life-saving program by dining out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at over 60 restaurants. This organization has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support HIV prevention, education, and care in our region.

See p46 TH (4/27), 7am, multiple locations

Asheville FM & Mad Hat Present: Voices

A celebration of community, poetry and language to benefit Asheville's FM diverse talk shows and youth programming. Featuring Nathaniel Mackey with musician Vattel Cherry. FR (4/28), 7pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd

Dog Adoption Event

In collaboration with Mountain Pet Rescue. SA (4/29), 1pm, Urban Orchard Cider Co. South Slope, 24 Buxton Ave

House of Yoga

Asheville Fundraiser

Bringing satsang, yoga asana, meditation and mantra together with live music to create a one-of-a-kind spiritual experience. This event will also include a community gathering with vendors SU (4/30), 9:30am, The Venue, 21 N Market St 14th Annual Authors for Literacy Dinner & Auction

Proceeds benefit Literacy Together’s programs, which provide comprehensive literacy and English language skills to 300 students and over 4,900 book recipients in Buncombe County annually.

TH (5/4), 6pm, Crowne Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Dr

Bridging community and environmentalism

LaKyla Hodges is the equity and education manager of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

What’s a local sustainability initiative that you think is going well or on a successful path?

The countywide initiative to incorporate farming and gardening is on a very successful path. This is something that combines sustainability and community building. I strongly believe that bridging community and environmentalism is one of the most effective ways to address issues. Asheville, being known as an eco-friendly city, wouldn’t hold much value if there weren’t continued efforts to engage communities in sustainable practices.

What is one piece of environmental legislation or policy change that you would like to see the city of Asheville or Buncombe County make?

Asheville does a great job at normalizing individual efforts to benefit the environment such as shopping local, reducing waste and outdoor recreation. That being said, I feel that we could benefit from stronger legislation around urban development. Asheville is growing at a rapid rate, and it’s important to remember that a large part of the appeal to our area is the lush green space and accessibility to parks, greenways and preserves.

What is your organization’s preferred method for educating the community about your mission?

Myself and my organization are passionate about a hands-on approach to community education. My role is to implement educational programming for groups around Buncombe County, focusing on our organizational issue areas, which are water quality, habitat, outdoor recreation, local food production and scenic views. We also host public educational hikes and events that are often free to the public, and we do lots of tabling events.

Where is your favorite outdoor space in WNC?

My favorite conservation area in WNC would have to be the Highlands of Roan. SAHC started as the Roan Mountain Preservation Committee, which means the Highlands have a special place in our organization. I’ve been so fortunate to be able to learn about the rich history of the area as well as enjoy recreation out on the lands. X

Donate your car. Change a life.

Mental health maze

Editor’s note: The following is an abridged version of Asheville Watchdog’s April 17 article, “Down Town, Part 6: The Mental Health Maze.” For the full version, visit avlwatchdog.org.

On a busy day, some 300 people visit the AHOPE day shelter on the western outskirts of downtown Asheville for a free meal, a chance to shower or to collect their mail. They all share the same plight: homelessness.

It’s not unusual for arguments to break out and for conversations to turn delusional and paranoid, because almost all of the people at the gray, two-story AHOPE shelter share something else, local experts say: They have some form of mental illness.

“Ninety-plus percent of our folks have SPMI [severe persistent mental illness],” said Luc Gay, a manager with Homeward Bound, the nonprofit organization that runs AHOPE.

“And maybe 50% have access to care,” Gay said. “But how often they access it is a whole other question.”

Untreated mental illness is the nexus of many of the problems contributing to a perception that downtown Asheville has become less safe. As Asheville Watchdog previously reported in the series “Down Town,” mental illness often goes hand in hand with drug use — mainly methamphetamine and fentanyl — and meth often causes bizarre and aggressive behavior.

But someone with ongoing mental health needs in Western North Carolina sometimes must wait weeks or even months for an appointment for treatment, The Watchdog learned. And because many of the people living on the streets don’t have health insurance, or money for treatment, any treatment they get is often inadequate.

Sometimes, when psychotic episodes play out in public, the only option is jail.

That’s because Asheville’s homeless shelters have entrance restrictions including sobriety — no

active drug or alcohol use — and Buncombe County doesn’t have a 24-hour mental health crisis center, a successful response that some cities have adopted.

“The reality is the detention facility is the low-barrier shelter for Buncombe County,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Aaron Sarver said on a recent tour of the jail’s medical wing.

According to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, each day hundreds of people in the state wait inside hospital emergency departments for behavioral health care. As Asheville Watchdog reported in Part 4 of this series, that often means nurses in the understaffed emergency department at Mission Hospital struggle to provide care to mentally unstable patients, some of whom get violent.

“I think anyone would tell you we’re kind of in a crisis right now, without enough treatment options,” said Pam Jaillet, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Western North Carolina. “And it’s a very difficult process to

navigate the system. There’s so many hurdles to go past.”

STATE SHIFT LIMITS OPTIONS

Two decades ago, North Carolina, like many other states, moved to privatize the treatment of mental health, in the widely shared belief that patients would be better treated in the community, in less restrictive settings than state-run psychiatric hospitals.

But in refusing to expand Medicaid for years, the legislature also failed to provide incentives for the privatization of mental health care, health care experts said. At the same time, state lawmakers did not approve enough money to fund alternative community care options or to replace the number of beds lost when state hospitals were shuttered.

What was supposed to become a more efficient system that provided care to people in their communities instead of institutions quickly devolved into the opposite: a system where demand for mental health and

In Asheville, options for treating mental illness are limited

drug treatment, especially for crisis care, outstripped supply.

One-in-five adults in North Carolina have a mental illness — some 1.5 million people — and more than half of those are not receiving treatment, according to a report, “2022: The State of Mental Health in America,” by the nonprofit Mental Health America. Nationally, 49.6 million people have a mental illness, the group says.

NOWHERE ELSE TO GO BUT JAIL

With treatment options lacking or involving long waits — Jaillet said sometimes it takes three to four months for a person needing mental health care to get an appointment — those in need often end up in the county jail.

“I think since the state system went away from mental health years ago, we started seeing those people here because they had nowhere else to go,” Executive Lt. Alex Allman, a supervisor in the Buncombe County Detention Center, said during a recent tour of the medical wing. “And then they were having interactions on the outside with law enforcement, and that’s how we ended up here.”

The jail typically houses about 400 inmates. Allman estimated that 75% or more of those have a mental health disorder, a drug problem or a combination of the two, but the official numbers are lower.

Sarah Gayton, Buncombe County Detention Center’s Medical Assisted Treatment program coordinator, said the jail relies on inmates to self-report, and some are reluctant to disclose drug use for fear of more charges, or they have other maladies that they disclose instead.

Still, the official intake data shows a significant portion of the jail population has drug and mental health issues. From October 2022 through January 2023, the jail conducted 1,343 interviews with incoming inmates and found:

• 43% reported a history of drug use.

• 56% reported a mental health diagnosis.

• 43% arrived with an acute mental health issue, according to a registered nurse’s assessment.

• 22% reported they would be homeless upon release.

With the number of unhoused people in Asheville — 637 according to the year-old 2022 point-in-time census — that translates into more people living on the streets with mental illnesses, addictions or often both.

Nationwide, in 2021 an estimated 14.1 million people ages 18 or older, 5.5% of the adult population, had a

serious mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Locally, even those with access to mental health care struggle to get treatment, said Gay of AHOPE and two of his co-workers, outreach case managers Hillary Jones and River Hachet. That’s because people with such serious mental illnesses as schizophrenia often have severe paranoia, and they have trouble maintaining a train of thought long enough to concentrate on catching buses on time or remembering where treatment offices are, they said.

Jones said the No. 1 barrier to treatment for folks with serious mental illness is insurance. If they have not qualified for federal disability insurance or the state Medicaid program, they’re unlikely to receive meaningful treatment, he said.

“Then the only thing they can really be offered is group therapy,” Jones said. “And for people with serious,

persistent mental illness, that’s not the adequate treatment.”

‘I’M OFF MY MEDS RIGHT NOW’

SPMI refers to severe mental disorders that tend to be disabling. They include major depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. Typically, they require pharmaceutical treatment with antipsychotic drugs, but that’s also unlikely without health insurance. Even those who have health insurance sometimes stop taking their medications.

“I need to get my stuff,” said Chris, a tall, lanky 41-year-old man with schizophrenia who had stopped by AHOPE on a recent Monday morning. Asheville Watchdog is using only his first name to protect his privacy.

“I’m off of my meds,” Chris said. “I’m off on my meds right now.”

Having lost his wallet and identification, Chris needed to get to the Division of Motor Vehicles office on Patton Avenue. With no ID, access to his meds would be problematic.

AHOPE staff had a bus pass waiting for him, but Chris seemed confused and wanted to call his sister, his attorney or a friend for a ride.

For many in Asheville going through a psychotic episode, the first stop is Mission Hospital and its 82-bed Copestone Behavioral Health Unit.

Chris said he’s been to Copestone before, and he’s had “both good and bad experiences there.”

“Whenever you take the medications, it seems like it’s all right,” Chris said. “You just sit there and sleep all day. Whenever you don’t want to take the meds, it’s bad.”

Originally from Atlanta, Chris said he’s been in Asheville for about 10 years and receives federal food stamps, disability income and health insurance. His mother died a few years ago, he said, but he still has his sister in the area.

Chris has a tattoo on his chest that honors his mother — the letter “M” in a star.

Previously, he said, he had an apartment, but recently he has been without a place to live. Still bundled up in two coats at 10 a.m., Chris said he spent the weekend sleeping outside.

Asked if it’s hard to stay on his medications, Chris said, “People really don’t do that. Only when they’re at the hospital.”

NAVIGATING A LABYRINTHINE SYSTEM

Chris Fink, a retired management consultant, chairs the Community Inclusion Committee of the local National Alliance on Mental Illness, Western North Carolina chapter, and serves on NAMI’s state board. With

CONTINUES ON PAGE 34

a loved one diagnosed with schizophrenia-affective disorder, he’s also navigated the mental health system for 10 years.

Schizophrenia-affective disorder is “marked by a combination of schizophrenia symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions, and mood disorder symptoms, such as depression or mania,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Fink said his loved one has depressive symptoms.

Fink, who’s lived in Asheville for a decade, said he believes the people downtown behaving erratically are likely dealing with more serious mental illnesses — and with trying to find consistent treatment.

“It becomes a real journey of trying to find care, and finding care that is insurance-covered, or affordable, or the individual over time has become eligible for community health care” typically covered by Medicaid, Fink said. “You could talk to any number of families in and around Asheville who have spent fortunes getting care for their children.”

Fink said he breaks the local treatment system into “columns,” noting that hospitals are in the first column, providing care to people in danger of harming themselves or others, or

who are unable to function on their own. Hospitals essentially provide crisis treatment and move patients out in a matter of days, he said.

The next column includes community health providers that typically are eligible for Medicaid reimbursements. As Mental Health America notes, “Medicaid is the largest payer for mental health services in the U.S.”

After the privatization shift two decades ago, North Carolina split the state into seven zones, which were subsequently reduced to six.

“And each zone is run by what’s commonly referred to as an MCO, or managed care organization,” Fink said, noting that the state calls them local management entities. “They are responsible for the dissemination of behavioral health services in the public system, within their operating geography.”

In Western North Carolina, the MCO is Vaya Health. On its website, Vaya Health states it “oversees publicly funded behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability services across a 31-county region of North Carolina,” managing Medicaid, federal, state and local funding.

Fink, who serves on Vaya Health’s Human Rights Committee, puts it this

way: “Anybody around town who is not a private practitioner, they’re in the Vaya system one way or another.”

Fink identified the third column as “everyday people with health insurance, and they’re seeking treatment.” They were helped during COVID because health insurers started to provide more acceptance and a greater level of benefits to people seeking mental health support, but that also put more pressure on providers, he said.

Lastly, the fourth column is what Fink called “concierge care,” or people who are in the private payment system and have health insurance, “but they have the means to pay for personalized mental health services.” This typically involves care at high-end treatment centers.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTED

Buncombe County, as Fink described it, is “replete with mental health professionals.”

The state Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses mental health and substance abuse providers, has a breakdown of providers by county, excluding private practice doc-

tors and hospitals. Some facilities provide both services, but in Buncombe County, substance abuse centers vastly outnumber mental health treatment facilities. The state’s website lists seven mental health facilities in Buncombe with a total of 30 beds, compared with 32 substance abuse treatment facilities with 244 beds.

“Substance abuse, alcohol treatment rehab — those services for the past 10 to 15 years have been widely covered by personal health insurance,” Fink said. “That’s why those facilities have cropped up all over the place.”

Experts say illicit drug use often accompanies mental illness as people seek to self-medicate or to escape their circumstances.

At Vaya Health, spokesperson Allison Inman said, the pandemic “really pulled back the curtain on the connection between mental and physical health, as well as the lack of accessible screenings and services for people seeking mental health care.”

“And although there’s been a noticeable reduction in the stigma, normalizing mental health doesn’t equate to available, accessible treatment,” Inman said. “So, what can — and does — happen is that some individuals seek relief from their

FESTIVAL

mental health conditions through substance use, which can lead to physical health issues and/or substance use disorders.”

Inman said studies have shown an increase in substance use and drug overdose deaths since the pandemic began.

“The surge in demand for behavioral health services has put an immense burden on health care workers in those fields, so there’s been significant burnout and attrition throughout the behavioral health care world,” Inman said.

‘95% OF THE PEOPLE WE SEE HAVE NOBODY’

From his own experience, Fink well knows that those with mental illness have vast fluctuations in mood and symptoms. Medication helps but ebbs and flows in effectiveness, he said.

This is often exhausting for families, as it “creates a lot of disruption,” Fink said. And when the money runs out, so too, do care options because of inadequate insurance.

Complicating matters, Fink said, if a parent helps a grown child pay for rent to fend off eviction, or for a cellphone to keep in touch, that could disqualify the person from publicly funded coverage in some cases. He said he feels fortunate that his loved one is living on his own in an Asheville group home.

“What I hear all the time from people is, ‘Oh my gosh, your [loved one] is so lucky, because you’re supporting him,’” Fink said. “‘What you don’t understand is that 95% of the people we see have nobody.’”

Families either run out of money and patience, “or they’ve just given up hope,” Fink said.

“Whatever combination, the individual is out here on their own, trying to figure out how to navigate their life and get the services they need in a system which is very complicated to understand,” he said.

At AHOPE, Jones said the “mental health resources we do have are spread very thin,” and providers have very large caseloads. She sees a need for mobile treatment teams on the streets.

Hachet, Jones’s co-worker, offered a simple solution, albeit one that may sound like wishful thinking.

“We need 630 housing units,” she said, referring to Asheville’s homeless population and the theory that health care, including mental health care, starts with having a place to live.

NO OTHER OPTIONS

FEELING STRESSED: “I think that what we’re seeing in the homeless community is, to be truthful, kind of a reflection of how we’re all feeling so stressed, and so pushed to the margins in so many ways and really overwhelmed with a lot of things that are going on in our community,” says Meredith Switzer, executive director of All Souls Counseling Service. Photo courtesy of Meredith Switzer

Service in Asheville, formerly served as executive director of Homeward Bound. All Souls provides counseling for the uninsured and underinsured.

Clients “come to us because they don’t have other options in the community,” Switzer said. “A lot of times, if there are mental health services available in the community, they’re cost prohibitive. We also found we have a much shorter wait list than a lot of other providers in the community.”

The average wait time is about two to three weeks, she said. With private insurance, Switzer said, patients can often wait a month to get services, “and the truth is, when you are trying to access services, you’re trying to access them because you need them right away.”

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing dearth of treatment services, while it also created a spike in stress. On top of that, Asheville’s housing market is typically the most expensive in the state for renters, adding to anxiety levels, Switzer noted.

Meanwhile, drugs remain plentiful on the streets, and the nation’s suicide rate is up.

“I think when you look at all of these things, it’s just a perfect storm,” Switzer said. “I think that what we’re seeing in the homeless community is, to be truthful, kind of a reflection of how we’re all feeling so stressed, and so pushed to the margins in so many ways and really overwhelmed with

a lot of things that are going on in our community.”

Meanwhile, the state’s move toward privatization two decades ago “dramatically reduced services” for those with substance abuse and mental health issues, Switzer said.

“That’s why this organization started in 2000,” Switzer said. “Two psychologists got together and said, ‘What are we going to do? How are we going to fill this gap, now that these major hospitals, these mental health providers, are shuttering?’ And so, we started as a nonprofit, to respond to the need for those who desperately needed mental health services and had really no options in the community.”

Mental health and substance abuse problems ultimately affect everyone, Switzer said. She said since the pandemic, counseling providers have seen more unpredictable behaviors from clients, including more delusions and extreme behavior.

In short, it’s about vulnerability, said Dr. Shuchin Shukla, a family medicine faculty member and opioid educator at MAHEC Family Health Center in Asheville.

“And the vulnerability in Asheville is the most pronounced in the state,”

Shukla said. “It’s the highest cost of living, and I think this is pointing to why we have such a problem with substance use, mixed with homelessness, in our community.”

Like Switzer, Shukla said the stress, anxiety and social isolation of the pandemic worsened the mental health crisis. On top of the shortage of mental health and addiction providers and a housing crunch, some support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous stopped meeting during COVID.

“I think what we’re seeing downtown.” Shukla said, “is a combination of substance use” and “untreated mental health conditions, all exacerbated by a supervulnerable population that just can’t get food, shelter, transportation, and their medical and behavioral health needs met,” Shukla said.

Watchdog investigative reporter Sally Kestin contributed to this article. Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and surrounding communities. John Boyle has been covering western North Carolina since the 20th century. You can reach him at 828-337-0941, or via email at jboyle@ avlwatchdog.org.

4/29: Reader: Edward 12-6pm

Orisha 102 Class w/ Babalosha Jacob 1-3pm

4/30: Beltane Class w/ Lori Jenkins 3-5pm

5/1: BELTANE

5/3: Reader: Jonathan 12-6pm

5/5: FULL MOON in Scorpio

5/6: Reader: Edward 12-6pm

Earth Magick: Dandelion & Plantain w/ MJ 1-3pm

100 + Herbs Available!

‘What Stars See’

Joe Fishleigh wins 2023 Xpress Poetry Contest

tcalder@mountainx.com

Over 60 local poets submitted works to our semiannual Xpress Poetry Contest. That is more than double the number of entries for the 2021 contest. (Xpress did not host the contest in 2022.) This year’s competition asked writers to draft an original, previously unpublished piece on the theme of hope. Winners, as you’ll see, took the concept in a variety of directions.

This year’s judge, Michael Hettich, retired to Black Mountain in 2018 after serving as professor of English at Miami Dade College for 28 years. Hettich is an award-winning poet, with collections that include The Frozen Harbor (2017), Bluer and More Vast: Prose Poems (2018), To Start an Orchard (2019), The Mica Mine (2021) and The Halo of Bees: New & Selected Poems, 1990-2022 (2023).

Asked to select the top three poems, Hettich chose “temperance” by Tyler

What Stars See

Hughes as this year’s third-place finisher. “This spare, elusive poem impresses me with its powerful evocation of a kind of presence-in-absence and with its attempt to communicate a sense of things that is ultimately beyond communication,” says Hettich. “I admire this writer’s use of white space to modulate tone and cadence and ultimately to evoke emotions that are intimately tied to specific moments of awareness.”

“Al Fresco” by Kim Hayes earned second place. “In this exuberant, fivepart poem I particularly admire the beautifully evoked joy of good food, wondrous bird life and human — humane — companionship,” Hettich notes. “I like also the formal structure here, the juxtaposition of five distinct moments of experience and observation fused into one coherent poem, the fact that the whole is truly larger than the sum of its individual parts. Finally, I like the quiet, honest closure.”

The contest’s top prize went to Hendersonville resident, Joe Fishleigh. A retired broadcaster,

WORTH THE WAIT: Though Joe Fishleigh has been writing poetry since the age of 16, it wasn’t until after he retired from his career in broadcasting in 2021 that he’s begun spending more time with the form. Also pictured is Fishleigh’s sheepdog, Archie. Photo courtesy of Fishleigh

Fishleigh says his winning piece, “What Stars See,” was inspired by his many nights outside, contemplating the stars and recognizing his own minor role within the broader world and galaxy. “Somehow being small and unimportant connects me to everything and comforts me to my bones,” he says. “I hope those who read this poem can have a similar experience.”

“... the stars, we are their children.” — Carl Sagan

A rockabilly band jukes and jams on stage next to the ancient French Broad River. Slide guitar licks drift downstream; flash mobs of blue ghosts weave a dance of hope, tree frogs croak the blues. A man walks away from the show; he carries a weight of worries, the kids, his job, the bills. He sits on the bank of the dark, moving water, tilts his head back like a child, thirsty to be kissed by the clear night sky, basks in the pouring shine of distant suns.

What do stars see when they look at us?

The briefest of flickers, then gone. He draws a breath, lets it out.

The certainty of his insignificance, the blackness of the void, they sing him a chorus in that luminous moment, harmony with all there is, all that will ever be.

On stage, the drummer pounds a pulsing solo, “Train-Kept-A-Rollin.” The old river wanders north to Tennessee.

Hettich selected “What Stars See” as this year’s winner for many reasons. “This is a lovely, well-turned poem that is beautifully tuned to the joys, wonders and aching concerns that intermingle constantly in our rushing-forward lives,” the judge explains. “The beauty in the poem lies partly in the juxtapositions of its images and tones, which lend an authenticity of lived experience to the vividly rendered scene and its meditation on time, mortality and the teeming life that sings all around us, all the time.”

Congrats to this year’s winner and runners-up. And thanks to everyone who submitted to the contest! X

temperance

there will always be rooms of far-gone tomorrows with bright, chipping paint a house is only a dwelling if something lives there I suppose the mildew holds a microbe or two the walls an errant spirit so I’m more careful now which windows I light someone might cling to the flame like it’s everything.

I sit on the porch writing a note to a friend: Thank you for the fresh greens! We made stir fry last night ... and here she must imagine me holding the pinched-together fingers of one hand to my pursed lips, head thrown back, eyes closed, then tossing my thank-you kiss up into the sky; she must imagine it flying to her ... Sometimes, things are too good to say without using my hands.

A hawk slices past, flying fast, and I think she is on the hunt, but then the crow flies in faster, and another crow and another. They shout: “Get out! Now! Get out! Now!” And the hawk, annoyed, catches a thermal, spins away, conceding defeat. For another half hour, the victors keep croaking their husky insults. What makes that song, I wonder, watching the little bird perched in the fern. Notes gurgle up, rapid little bird patois, too fast and shrill to really hear, just a feeling of music, a feeling of music repeated again and again.

Hummingbirds hover at my feeder and lift off, unimpressed. I make my nectar from a recipe of clear, pure water and sugar. The store-bought nectar in my neighbor’s feeder is sweet and red and seductive, the Cherry Coke of hummingbirds, irresistible.

Tonight, we dine outside; you grill pork chops, and I make slaw and sweet potatoes. We talk thoughtfully, respectfully, skirting topics that might flare into debate. We are tired after a busy day and in no mood to save the world.

WITH MORGAN BOST

morganbost1@gmail.com

Dear readers, each month I work moderately hard to bring you the hottest takes on all things Western North Carolina from my favorite Asheville funny folks. But now that the Western Carolina well of talent has seemingly run dry, I’ve turned to out-of-towners to hear what they have to say about our area.

April Fools! (About the dried-up well part, at least.) There are still plenty of untapped Western North Carolina funny folks dying to grace the pages of “Best Medicine.” (Or so I assume.) However, I did want to mix in some new fools this April, if only to keep things spicy. So, I called up a few out-of-town comics to find out what non-Western Carolinians think of our fair city: Are we too crunchy? Not crunchy enough?

One of our contributors this month, Katie Hughes, actually grew up in Flat Rock and cut her teeth in the Asheville comedy scene before moving to Atlanta, where she has performed for several years. She’s spent the past few months temporarily back home as she prepares for a move to Los Angeles, giving her plenty of time to get reacclimated with her Appalachian roots (for better or for worse).

Our other two contributors, David Bakker and Alexis Ramirez, hail from Greenville, S.C. David and Alexis are regulars in the Asheville comedy scene, often escaping the grips of their home community to venture up the mountain to our kombucha-soaked city — listening to each other’s respective podcasts on the drive, I imagine.

Bost: This month Xpress is all about sustainability. While I know my editor is craving comedic takes on paper straws and electric vehicles, for most comics, sustainability refers to how to survive on drink tickets, exposure and a quarter-tank of gas for two weeks. Out-of-towners, how does one sustain any kind of lifestyle on a comedian’s “salary”? And do you think Asheville lives up to its crunchy reputation of hugging trees and criminalizing plastic?

Bring on the out-of-towners

sustainability mantras. But as someone who may have killed a lot of sea turtles, I’m not the best person to ask.

Alexis Ramirez: I pride myself in not needing much to be happy, probably because I’ve never had that much. It’s not hard to sustain a life driven by nicotine and self-hatred. I mostly rely on favors from guys that can’t really decide if they like being around me (cough, David, cough). My car literally burns oil (sorry Earth), so just by riding with someone else, I feel like I’m doing sustainability like Asheville’s crunchiest granola type.

Bost: The secret to financial savings is to take full advantage of free openmic pizza. (Note: I said financial savings, nothing of your digestive system.) This really cuts down on grocery store excursions, though Ingles’ subs are another cost-saving solution. (I refuse, however, to continue referencing Ingles in this column until they respond to my multiple requests to become a brand ambassador.) For the over-30 comedian like myself, remember that choosing a Ninja Turtle diet requires a steady supply of Lactaid … so be sure to include that when balancing your budget.

Bost: Speaking of reputations, if you were hired to lure tourists to the city of Asheville, what would you say? Despite our, at times, contentious relationship with out-of-towners, tourism drives a lot of our area’s economy. Since you all have had the tourist experience here yourselves, how would you sell WNC to potential visitors?

Katie Hughes: If you want to be a touring comedian, I highly recommend getting a Prius. It cuts down on the cost of gas when I’m on the road by myself. And if I’m traveling with friends, they’d rather take their car. It’s a real win-win situation.

It feels like the folks I know in Asheville lead lifestyles that are committed to consuming less, but it’s hard to tell if that’s a personal choice for the greater good or due to a financial hardship. Either way, it’s nice to be around people who shower as infrequently as I do.

David Bakker: Sustainability isn’t a word I think about a lot. I don’t even know how to recycle. (I’m

sorry, Asheville.) In fact, sustainability is the opposite of how I live. I get obsessed with things and overdo them. Performing stand-up is one of those things. Cook Out drive-thru at 2 a.m. is one of those things. Norm MacDonald YouTube rabbit holes are one of those things. Sleep and grocery shopping are not.

Comedy doesn’t feel sustainable, but fortunately, I love it. That’s why I haven’t imploded yet. If I had to survive on a comedian’s salary, I’d be dead. Thankfully, I’m employed at a good corporate day job, so I’m doing “fine” (though I’m not so sure about my soul).

I love Asheville’s crunchy reputation, and I’m sure it lives up to its

Hughes: I would lure tourists with legal marijuana. So ... I guess I’d legalize marijuana, open some dispensaries and watch as Asheville raked in that sweet, sweet weed tourism money and tax dollars. Then we could fix the roads. OMG, did I just announce my campaign for mayor? My day job is in advertising, but I don’t think I could do a better job of selling WNC to the rest of the world than whoever’s currently in charge of that now. The sprawl is here and unstoppable. (Is that too bleak? I’m gonna go eat at Culver’s to feel better,

Bakker: If I were hired to lure tourists to Asheville, I would start with the kava. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was terrible. It made my tongue feel like it was growing hair, and I was sure I had broken my sobriety. But the smiling face of the bartender who handed it to me would make a good postcard.

Bost: It seems I should skip this question entirely, but when have I ever shied away from sharing my unwarranted opinions with the masses? As an Asheville local and lifelong North Carolinian, I will harken back to my perspectives of the city as a mere tourist, prior to becoming Western Carolina’s favorite print media comic.

I’ve been visiting WNC since my youth, though I was always jealous of the affluent kids that jet off to Myrtle Beach for the holidays. While a student at Appalachian State, I’d often make the journey to the big city of Asheville to take in what felt like “Big Boone.” That’s how I viewed Asheville before moving here; the bigger, wealthier, sister city to Boone — with more crystals and fewer college kids.

Turns out I was half right. In Asheville, there is certainly no shortage of crystals or college kids, often

found together! Prospective residents beware: Prior to moving to Asheville I had no interest in astrology or crystals, but now, nearly seven years later, I have yet to write one column without mentioning something like the fact that we are currently in Mercury retrograde.

Bost: WNC has a thriving comedy scene. Once described by only me as “the Chicago of the Appalachians,*” it’s to be expected that others would flock to Asheville, eager to drink from the well of talent, creativity and wiener humor. With live comedy happening nearly every night of the week, no wonder funny folks frequently make the trip up the mountain to join our humble comedy scene (some more willingly than others). I want to know: How does Asheville comedy stack up against your hometown comedy scenes? Better? Worse? Or is it a real, apples-to-cat-food situation? What draws you to Asheville comedy? Or better yet, what keeps you away? *I have never been to Chicago

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All hands on deck

Joe Franco is a senior at UNC Asheville, majoring in international studies with minors in political science and environmental studies. After graduating, he hopes to move to a bigger and more bikeable city where he intends to work in either climate justice or urban planning.

What sustainability initiative at your school are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the Campus Recreation Bike Shop. The bike shop offers free commuter rentals and repairs to all students, while faculty and staff can rent rides for an affordable price. The shop also offers mountain bikes and even has an electric bike available to rent.

How is your generation’s approach to sustainability different from that of other generations?

I think our generation is very aware that sustainability is an idea of the present and not just the future. We realize that changes need to be made now and not tomorrow. We have seen firsthand the catastrophic effects of climate change and understand that it is our responsibility to make a change and that we cannot rely on previous generations to get us out of this crisis.

What is one step people in WNC can take to promote sustainability?

Connect with other like-minded people and start talking about these issues. Through this, not only will you build meaningful connections, but in groups you can really make a difference. From food justice organizations like Bountiful Cities to climate justice groups like the Sunrise Movement, there are countless organizations doing great work to promote sustainability in all its forms.

Is the educational system doing enough to inform people about longterm environmental concerns like climate change?

While many educators are doing great work on this subject, overall, I do not think our educational system is doing enough. Far too much of my education about long-term environmental concerns has come through my own research. If we are going to truly face issues like climate change, we need all hands on deck, and for that to happen, we need an informed and motivated population, which I don’t think we have reached yet.

Hughes: I love doing comedy in Asheville. Audiences are there for the weird, which works for me since I’m a li’l comedy freak. The Odd and Asheville Music Hall are just as good as open mics in Atlanta, if not better than many. But if we’re going to compare the Asheville and Atlanta comedy scenes, there are fewer mics and paid shows here, which makes it hard to get good as quickly or make money for your time and talent.

If we’re talking about comedy scene sustainability, I think having more comics starting their own paid shows would benefit the Asheville comedians as well as those in the surrounding areas. Having out-oftown comedians travel to Asheville to do a great show and get paid will only serve to benefit the Asheville comedians when it comes to networking and touring for themselves.

Bakker: I love Asheville and its comedy scene. As a straight, white, evangelically raised male from Michigan, I don’t really fit the mold, but that hasn’t stopped everyone from being very nice to me. (Christian Lee even lent me a yo-yo.) My comedy home is Greenville, S.C., and the senior comics in Asheville always make fun of it to hurt our feelings.

As much as I hate to admit it, Asheville is a cut above. The average comic is better, the average show is better, the joke writing is interesting, and they have free pizza. Where else can you hear Larry Griffin rant about plastic cup shavings and meet a cute girl your mom would hate — and all in one night?

So, Asheville is better than Greenville. I said it. But as long as you’ll tolerate us, we’ll keep coming up the mountain. Bless our hearts.

Ramirez: I’ve only lived in Greenville for two years. My first impression of the comedy scene there was awesome because everyone’s always excited when a woman starts doing comedy. I think both comedy communities have their strengths

and weaknesses. But deep down, everywhere is the same. The things that make places great or bad are how the people there are living their lives. I try to add to both communities by doing my best to be in the moment and enjoy where I’m at, whether it’s The Odd or Coffee Underground.

This may seem like a PC answer because it is. I love comedy and all the interesting people and places it’s helped me discover. I will say I’m a sucker for thrift; and right now, Greenville has the upper hand. (Unless Morgan can share some Asheville thrift stores that have items under $35.) But who knows which is better? Not me. I’m just happy to be here!

Bost: I’ll be honest, what drew me to Asheville comedy was watching an open mic for the first time in 2018 and thinking, “Hey, I could do that!” Turns out, I was again only half-right in that I could do stand-up, but it was not nearly as easy as it seemed. It took years and years to get even remotely not terrible. And I realized in the process that good comics make it look easy, that’s why every drunk person in the audience thinks they can do it.

But one of the longest walks of a think-they’re-funny person’s life is from the audience to the stage. If I had a nickel for every time a man told me he has “thought about doing stand-up,” I’d finally have a path to homeownership! But to all prospective stand-ups out there, we welcome you! We are a very open comedy scene (though it may take us a while to warm up, we aren’t exactly social butterflies). But be ready to fail and fail and fail and fail and fail and fail some more, and I’m not sure if you ever really stop failing, tbh. (For all the boomer Medicine Heads out there, “tbh” means “to be honest.” Note: Along with comedy, I also offer lessons in deciphering your grandchildren’s texts — just saying.) X

Look Homeward

The following conversation with local author Terry Roberts marks the launch of “Look Homeward,” a new monthly feature focused on writer Thomas Wolfe. The series is inspired by the show “One True Podcast,” which is hosted by author Mark Cirino and invites fellow writers, historians, artists and scholars to discuss the work and life of Ernest Hemingway . “Look Homeward” strives to do something similar, albeit with a Western North Carolina bend.

Born Oct. 3, 1900, Wolfe chronicled much of his life in Asheville through his autobiographical fiction. His best-known novel, Look Homeward, Angel (1929), is a coming-of-age story about a young boy raised inside his mother’s boardinghouse. For readers new to the area, the property that inspired the tale — the Old Kentucky Home — still stands in downtown Asheville and can be toured Tuesday-Saturday.

Though Wolfe will be the initial focus of the “Look Homeward” feature, the monthly column will eventually shift focus to other celebrated writers with ties to WNC. Future candidates include Wilma Dykeman, John Ehle and O. Henry.

Xpress: In the spirit of “One True Podcast,” let us begin with your one true sentence from author Thomas Wolfe.

Roberts: It turns out that I know Wolfe only too well. Way too many sentences came to mind, so I ended up choosing one that is more personal. The following is from Chapter 5 of Look Homeward, Angel:

“Eugene watched the sun wane and redden on a rocky river, and on the painted rocks of Tennessee gorges: the enchanted river wound into his child’s mind forever.”

What is it about this sentence that speaks to you as a reader, and what does it reveal about Wolfe as a writer?

Like Wolfe, I grew up in Buncombe County, and I traveled with my family along the French Broad River gorge to points west and north. And like

Wolfe, I was mesmerized by the wild beauty of the “rocky river, and ... the painted rocks of Tennessee gorges,” such that the river will always live in my mind’s eyes as I saw it when a boy ... right along with how I see it today.

And I think that’s one of Wolfe’s enduring gifts as a writer. He is able to juxtapose the fierce reality of memory with the sensual reality of the current moment. And he is able to do so in a way that calls out of us, as readers, a similar response. The past and the present fuse into one experience. It’s very complex and very difficult, and yet it was perhaps his primary gift.

As a writer myself, I often try to replicate this effect in my own fiction, but rarely — if ever — with the same intensity. Whatever else we may think about Wolfe as seen through the current cultural lens, we

can never deny his power to compel us into the past of our own lives.

That gets at another topic I’m interested in discussing: Wolfe’s legacy. Why do you suppose his writing isn’t as widely read today as some of his contemporaries, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway?

First, he is often stereotyped as the author of long and not necessarily well-made novels. The primary thing readers tend to know about him is that he is the author of Look Homeward, Angel, which they assume is long, undisciplined and autobiographical. Of Time and the River [Wolfe’s second novel published in 1935] is even longer.

The second problem for contemporary readers is his style. He rarely used five words when 25 would do and so stands in stark contrast to Hemingway, for example. Unless you love language for the sake of language — which many writers do — it can be hard to swallow. We live in an age of brevity — both in the length of our books and in the length of our sentences — and so Wolfe is currently out of fashion.

Sadly, what most contemporary readers don’t know about Wolfe is that he was a brilliant short story and novella writer and that much of his very best work is in those genres. They should begin with “Web of Earth” and “Child by Tiger,” not Of Time and the River and You Can’t Go Home Again [Wolfe’s final novel, published posthumously in 1940].

We should also address the current charge that Wolfe is a racist, which is also one of the controversies that haunt his reputation, especially in the academy.

Yes — let’s discuss.

The starting place for anyone who takes this question seriously is Paschal Reeves’ important 1968 book, Thomas Wolfe’s Albatross: Race and Nationality in America. An important thing to note is that for Reeves and other careful readers of Wolfe, the issue is his attitude toward characters of a wide variety of racial identities, not just Black Americans. In addition, Wolfe’s attitude toward Jews was at the core of his life and work, primarily because of his well-documented relationship with his mistress, Aline Bernstein. To go deeper on this issue, you should find online Morton I. Teicher’s wonderful 1998 essay, “Was Wolfe an Anti-Semite?” Teicher, who was Jewish, takes on this important topic with a clearheaded insight into the entirety of Wolfe’s career.

There are two things worth saying on this topic. The first is reasonably straightforward. Wolfe came from an overtly racist background. There is ample evidence in his early,

autobiographical work of racist attitudes. As he matured, he changed. His experiences in Germany during the 1930s along with his evolving attitudes toward America led to a sea change in his attitudes. Two important works — “Child by Tiger” and “I Have a Thing to Tell You” — were the result of his growing understanding of the plight of Black Americans and European Jews. Simple fact: Wolfe changed, and that change is evident in his writing.

The second important thing to say on Wolfe and racism is that there is ample evidence that Wolfe’s white, male contemporaries — especially Fitzgerald — were thoroughgoing racists. But unlike Wolfe and [William] Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Hemingway didn’t write about Black America. Their attitudes were rarely, if ever, exposed in their work. Wolfe, on the other hand, focused a harsh light on everyone he saw around him, including the members of his own family. No one, regardless of race, was exempt.

The last thing I would say here is that many sensitive Black and Jewish readers find the world portrayed in Look Homeward, Angel a

CONTINUES ON PAGE 44

WHEN: May 5th, 4:30 to 6pm

WHERE: 21 Restaurant Court, Asheville, NC 28805

WHAT: NAR Spire Information SessionFood & Drink Provided

EATS & DRINKS

frightening place. A place that is hard to endure upon first reading and all but impossible to revisit. I can’t say that I blame them. When I first tried to read it, I was too young, and I found it terrifying. I would counsel us all to read the work Wolfe produced in his 30s and to consider just how much he evolved — both as a writer and a man.

Would you mind speaking a little more on Wolfe’s time in Germany?

Thomas Wolfe had a complex relationship with Germany. When he visited there in the early 1930s, he was lionized. He was a literary celebrity in Berlin and elsewhere, and he felt at home there in a way that he seldom had in the United States. By the time he visited in the summer of 1936, however, it had become obvious that Germany was under the bootheel of the Nazis, and it was impossible for him to ignore the increasing evidence that Germans were living in a police state.

He attended the 1936 Olympics — think Jesse Owens — where Wolfe saw Hitler worshipped by thousands of people, and when he left Germany that year by train, he saw a frightened Jewish man arrested at the border. He later captured these events in the novella, “I Have a Thing to Tell You,” and after its publication, he was never allowed to return [to Germany]. These events are part of what caused Wolfe to examine his own antisemitism during the 1930s, when he began to think in radically different ways about the poor and outcast members of all societies, including America.

In 1937, Wolfe returned to Asheville to visit family and friends. If you could go back in time and meet Wolfe, where would you two convene, and what might be your beverage of choice?

I think we’d be drinking homemade corn liquor that he had stashed away in the cabin at Oteen. I would ask him what he’s learned about writing since his Chapel Hill days

and his first novel. What does he know about himself as a writer that he didn’t know when he began?

Can you tell readers more about the Oteen cabin?

Thomas Wolfe returned to Asheville in 1937 after years of living alone in New York City and traveling extensively in Europe. He had alienated many people in his hometown eight years earlier by writing about recognizable, local “characters” in Look Homeward, Angel, and he was uncertain of the reception he would receive, including from his own family. Most, if not all, was forgiven, however, and he received a warm welcome.

You can read about Wolfe’s visit home in Joanne Marshall Mauldin’s wonderful book, Thomas Wolfe: When Do the Atrocities Begin? In fact, Wolfe’s welcome home was so warm that he had to find a place outside of town where he could write. That place was the cabin in Oteen that has become famous in Wolfe circles. The city owns that cabin today, but sadly, it has fallen into extreme disrepair, and urgent action is needed from the

city of Asheville and from all of us who care about writers and writing. A feasibility study and master plan for the property was completed prior to the pandemic, but it’s time now to act on that master plan.

Lastly, as an author of several books, how has Wolfe influenced your own writing?

I think that Wolfe has influenced me as a writer in two ways. One, he has helped make me extraordinarily conscious of language, especially the language one commits to print. Even in a novel of 400 pages, every word is, in essence, a choice that the writer makes. Certainly, I feel this way about my own work. When I reread a published novel, I realize that I didn’t always make the right choices, but each word was a choice. The second way that he has influenced me is that with all his flaws — and Lord knows there are many — he still had the courage to write what he saw and heard. He took chances as a writer, and for me, there has always been a lesson in that.

Nonprofit issue

What’s new in food

Dining Out for Life returns

On Thursday, April 27, over 60 restaurants will participate in this year’s Dining Out for Life.

“Now in its 21st year, Dining Out for Life has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the fight against HIV/AIDS in our region,” says Bellamy Crawford , development director at Western North Carolina AIDS Project. “It is the oldest ‘dining out’ fundraiser and the largest fundraiser for HIV/AIDS in our region.”

Bone & Broth, Jettie Rae’s Oyster House and Tastee Diner are among the dozens of participating restaurants that have pledged 20% of sales from breakfast, lunch and/or dinner on the day of the event. Guests who dine out at these establishments are also encouraged to make a donation, either through a QR code or by check.

“This fundraiser has allowed WNCAP to provide HIV prevention and care to thousands of people and their families across our 18-county service area,” says Crawford. “The event supports our organization’s ability to provide emergency financial assistance to prevent homelessness for our clients, as well as care coordination for complex health conditions many clients experience. It helps fund client transportation to medical appointments, food box deliveries, peer support programming, HIV and hepatitis C testing and condom distribution.”

With a total fundraising goal of $100,000, WNCAP, in partnership with the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association, hopes to dramatically impact the effectiveness of the organization’s services, as well as help fight the persistent HIV-related stigma contributing to barriers to care.

“We of course want to raise money to be able to continue providing our lifesaving services to those in our community who need them, but the event is also an important way to educate our community about the fact that HIV still exists, and for many who are newly diagnosed, their experience is marked by considerable isolation and loneliness, especially in rural areas, where there is often a shortage of medical professionals able to address the needs of our clients,” explains Crawford.

“The Asheville restaurant community has been so generous over the decades; we can’t thank them enough for all they do to support HIV prevention and care,” adds Peggy Weil, WNCAP’s chief operating officer. “We

know they have many great charitable options in our community, and we appreciate that these restaurants and Asheville Independent Restaurant Association continue to choose to support WNCAP.”

Visit avl.mx/clx for a full list of participating restaurants, additional information and donation opportunities.

12 Bones Brewing birthday blowout

Raise a glass and help 12 Bones Brewing say cheers to four years during a three-day anniversary blowout beginning Thursday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m.

The festivities kick off with a five-course dinner pairing food and beer ($70 per person).

12 Bones Smokehouse chef Joe Lewis has planned a menu ranging from smoked shrimp with glazed carrots, tempura asparagus and Korean barbecue to pork “wings” with roasted sweet potato and malt vinegar agrodolce. 12 Bones Brewing head brewer Brandon Audette will pair these dishes with five unique anniversary beers brewed in collaboration with six local/regional breweries. “We chose these specific breweries to collaborate with based on their storied histories [and] consistently fabulous beer, [and for] igniting our creative spirit, but mainly for being good friends and fabulous humans,” says Audette in a news release.

One beer in particular, the citrus wheat ale with coriander and orange zest, is a 12 Bones staff collaboration.

“As we started talking about beer releases for the anniversary, collaborations with other breweries felt like a no-brainer, but we also thought a staff collaboration would be a great way to foster unity among our brewery and restaurant employees and acknowledge our awesome people who show up and do great work every day,” says brewery operations manager Leah Rainis

All five new beers will be released on draft and in cans on Friday, April 28. The extended party culminates on Saturday, April 29, with an outdoor picnic from noon-5 p.m. and live music from 1-8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person and include three 8-ounce beers, a complimentary anniversary glass and a barbecue plate piled high with ribs, kabobs, sausage, potato salad, slaw and cornbread, as well as dessert.

12 Bones Brewing is at 2350 Hendersonville Road, Arden. Visit

avl.mx/clv for tickets and additional information.

Honoring Cherokee heritage

The Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Orchard hosts its grand opening on Arbor Day, Friday, April 28, 4-6 p.m.

Some of the first apple varieties developed in North America were grown by Cherokee farmers, and since 2020, Barbara McRae and Nikwasi Initiative Executive Director Elaine Eisenbraun have sought to honor this Cherokee heritage through the development of the orchard. Now the orchard is ready to welcome the public and share the agricultural history of 18th- and 19th-century Cherokee farmers.

“This orchard is established near the Noquisiyi (Nikwasi) Mound and is likely on land that had once been farmed by Cherokee women,” explains Eisenbraun. “Bringing back the apple trees is like restoring a small fragment of the Cherokee agronomic lifestyle that residents enjoyed.”

While the native trees aren’t yet mature enough to bear fruit, guests are invited to visit the trees and learn about them from the Nikwasi team and members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Music, speakers educating on ancient foodways and culture, apple treats, including a caramel apple dipping station, apple pie

bites and more, will also be included during this free experience.

“We hope that people walk away knowing about a whole new aspect of Cherokee heritage and a sense of what it was like to sustain a rich population prior to the arrival of explorers,” says Eisenbraun. “We also hope people will better understand the Cherokee people who live here today and still study and practice traditional ways. In addition, it would be great if people leave understanding that they have visited the first and only Native American heritage apple orchard. That is huge and a wonderful highlight for Macon County, Cherokee people and Western North Carolina.

The Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Orchard is at 573 E. Main St., Franklin. Visit avl.mx/b1v for additional information.

Hood Huggers celebrates 20 years

For 20 years, Hood Huggers International has dedicated itself to rebuilding Affrilachia (a term coined by author Frank X Walker to honor the Black Appalachian experience) through arts, environmental stewardship and the launching of social enterprises. To mark the anniversary, this award-winning organization will host a daylong, free-to-attend celebration on Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., at the Peace Gardens & Market.

In a news release, Hood Huggers founder and CEO DeWayne Barton

reflects, ”Twenty years is a significant milestone, especially when you’ve been operating from the grassroots level. We’ve been able to weather challenges and are proud to have done so in order to create opportunities for individuals and organizations throughout the city and the country, and even globally. These include the CAP Model, Green Opportunities, Hood Tours, the development of the Burton Street Neighborhood Plan, and now, we are working toward opening The Blue Note Junction, an adaptable model for communities around the nation. This will take our work from over the past 20 years to the next level in terms of its positive impact.“

The festive event will feature entertainment for all ages, including a puppet show, bounce house and basketball tournament for children, as well as live music and performances for all. Food trucks and vendors, including Cooking with Comedy, The Hop, Daddy D’s On Wheels and Mr. Anderson’s Hot Dogs, will be on site, and a number of different plants and artisan crafts.

Peace Gardens & Market is at 47 Bryant St. Visit avl.mx/clw for additional information about Hood Huggers International.

Taste It, Don’t Waste It! returns

April is Food Waste Reduction Month, and nearly one-quarter of

Buncombe County’s commercial and residential landfill waste each year and an estimated 57,500 tons of food, nearly one-quarter of commercial and landfill contents, is thrown away.

To help raise awareness about the pressing need for food waste reduction, Food Waste Solutions WNC will host its second annual Taste It, Don’t Waste It: Asheville Chefs Challenge — an in-person competitive culinary event highlighting creative ways to utilize food scraps. The event will be hosted in partnership with Devil’s Foot Beverage Co. on Sunday, April 30, 2-4 p.m., at The Mule.

Participating chefs will create dishes from foods that might otherwise be thrown away, and then guests will sample the offerings before voting to determine a winner. Last year’s champion, Steven Goff of Tastee Diner, will return to compete against Clarence Robinson of Cooking with Comedy, Don Paleno, executive chef, owner and head pickler at DJ’s Pickles, and Keith Novell, an Asheville private chef and culinary consultant specializing in Southeast Asian cuisine.

Guests are also invited to enjoy live music, a look at Devil’s Foot Beverage’s waste-reducing Full Fruit Life program, demonstrations from local food-waste-reducing organizations and opportunities for raffle prizes. The Mule’s full bar will have beverages available for purchase.

Admission is free, but guests are encouraged to consider a donation of $10-$20. The Mule is at 131 Sweeten Creek Road. Visit avl.mx/970 for additional information.

The Meadow reopens

The Meadow, Highland Brewing Co.’s expansive outdoor space, reopens Friday, April 28, with a weekend of live music, volleyball tournaments and, of course, outdoor beer sipping.

“We are kicking off ‘Meadow Season’ with an absolutely incredible weekend,” says Marissa Burns, Highland’s events and programming manager. “The most exciting additions to the Meadow this year are two additional sand volleyball courts —making five total — and the completion of the back nine of our 18-hole disc golf course.”

New and returning vendors will help commemorate the first weekly Meadow Market on Sunday, April 30. Guests can expect jewelry, arts, woven crafts, pet goodies, candles, oils and much more.

The Meadow is directly behind Highland Brewing at 12 Old Charlotte Highway #200. Visit avl.mx/8ze for additional information.

Around Town

Book chronicles Carolina Mountain Club’s 100-year history

When Danny Bernstein realized the Carolina Mountain Club’s 100th anniversary was approaching, she decided it was time for someone to write the comprehensive history of the oldest hiking and trail-maintaining club in Western North Carolina. And that someone, she knew, should be her.

Bernstein, who has been active with CMC since moving to Asheville in 2001, has authored several hiking guides, a book chronicling her walk across North Carolina on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and a history of DuPont State Recreational Forest.

“And so, frankly, I was the obvious person to do it,” she says.

The result is Carolina Mountain Club: One Hundred Years, which tells the story of the club from its 1923 founding as a spinoff of the Southern chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club to today. The nonprofit group leads hikes, builds and maintains trails — including sections of the Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail — and works with public and private partners on conservation efforts.

The club has had an enormous impact on hiking in the region, Bernstein says. In the 1920s and 1930s, it built much of the Appalachian Trail in the South. Later it established

the Art Loeb Trail through Pisgah National Forest, created a portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the mountains and worked to protect Max Patch, a bald mountain on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, from development.

To research the book, Bernstein spent countless hours at the Buncombe County Special Collections Room at Pack Memorial Library. She also interviewed longtime members, including Lew Blodgett, who joined the club in 1972 and turns 100 next month. “Not only did he have stories, but he also had kept every bit of paper, every newsletter, every hike report since he joined the club,” she says.

Other members wrote essays for the book on such topics as WNC geology and the importance of trail maintenance.

“The club’s history is really the story of hiking and maintaining the trails in Western North Carolina,” Bernstein says. “But it is also [about] people. I try to emphasize that we are a group of friends. We have people who kind of run their lives around CMC. It’s a big sense of community.”

Bernstein will discuss the book at 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 28, at UNC

Asheville’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, 300 Campus View Road. For more information or to buy the book, visit avl.mx/cly.

Black Mountain in the spotlight

The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry, a new environmentally themed young adult novel by author Rebecca Laxton, is set in Black Mountain — kind of.

Laxton describes the Black Mountain in the book as a fictional reimagining of the town she has grown to love.

“I wrote many of the scenes while sitting at the top of Kitsuma Peak, overlooking the valley, using real landmarks and creating others from my imagination,” explains Laxton, who lives in Charlotte. “Other scenes were written after eating at Trailhead Restaurant, walking down the aisles

of the general store, strolling in and out of the town shops and sitting on benches in town.”

The Metamorphosis of Emma Murry, published by Warren Publishing in March, tells the story of a celebrity who grew up in WNC and returns to buy property for a ski resort. But the title character and her middle school environmental club understand the huge environmental impacts the ski resort will have, including the destruction of the town’s monarch butterfly garden and meadow.

“The Asheville area is the perfect backdrop for this novel because it was the first Bee City USA, the first city in the nation to champion pollinators and educate residents and businesses about the essential role pollinators play in supporting a healthy ecosystem,” Laxton says.

An educator and school psychologist, Laxton first got to know Black Mountain when her son was attend-

ing Camp Ridgecrest for Boys and her daughter Camp Crestridge for Girls each summer as teens.

“They came home with the best stories, which I borrowed for my novel,” she says. “The book begins with Emma and her best friend, Sophie, watching the sunrise from a mountaintop, and that scene is based on my daughter Gracie’s sunrise hiking experience when she was 13.”

For more information or to buy the book, go to avl.mx/cm1.

Mind matters

Tibetan Buddhist monk Khentrul Lodrö T’hayé Rinpoche will discuss his book The Power of Mind at two upcoming community events. He will speak from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, at the Mary C. Jenkins Community and Cultural Center in Brevard and from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

The Power of Mind is a modern guidebook to the Buddhist practice of lojong, or mind training, based on ancient techniques for transforming emotional pain, anxiety and stress into mental well-being.

Khentrul Rinpoche is the abbot of Mardo Tashi Choling Monastery in Eastern Tibet, where he established a retreat center and monastic college.

Both events are free, and registration is not required.

The Mary C. Jenkins Community and Cultural Center is at 221 Mills Ave., Brevard. For more information, go to avl.mx/cm2. Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville is at 1 Edwin Place. For more information, go to avl.mx/cm3.

Songs of the South

Garden & Gun magazine has partnered with Explore Asheville to release its first limited-edition album, which was pressed at Citizen Vinyl.

Asheville folk artist Julia Sanders is among the musicians featured on “G&G Vinyl Vol. 1,” a compilation curated by the magazine’s contributing music editor, Matt Hendrickson

The album also features songs by The Prescriptions, singer/songwriters Tommy Prine and Kelsey Waldon, hard rock duo Larkin Poe and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

“This ... was the perfect opportunity for our city to shine a spotlight on the talented voices and creative manufacturing in our own backyard and across the South,” Vic Isley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, says in a press release.

The Charleston, S.C.-based Garden & Gun reports on the South’s

culture, food, music, art, literature and more.

A limited number of copies of the record are available at Citizen Vinyl, 14 O. Henry Ave. It can also be ordered at avl.mx/cm4.

Enter the dragon

Dragon Phoenix, a Woodfin martial arts school, will present a celebration of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Carrier Park.

Classes will be held in the grassy area just outside the park’s pavilion. No experience is needed to participate in the free event, which is meant to introduce people to the various forms of tai chi.

Carrier Park is at 220 Amboy Road. For more information, go to avl.mx/cm6.

Art competition

The office of U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards is accepting submissions for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition from high school students living in North Carolina’s 11th District. The winners of the competition will have their art displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

“This competition is an opportunity for all those who visit the Capitol building to see the incredible talent from our mountains,” Edwards says in a press release. “I’m excited to see all of the artwork and how our high school students use their creativity for this competition.”

Submissions are due by Thursday, May 4. For information about how to enter, visit avl.mx/cm5.

MOVIE REVIEWS

Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include:

BEAU IS AFRAID: Writer/director Ari Aster channels Kaufman, Lynch and Cronenberg in this surreal, three-hour masterpiece about a paranoid man (Joaquin Phoenix) visiting his domineering mother. Grade: A

— Edwin Arnaudin

1-year 5.0

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For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

BIER GARDEN

Geeks Who Drink: Trivia, 7pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Queer Comedy Party w/Tamar Rubin, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Open Mic Wednesday Night, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Bluegrass Jam Wednesday, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SHAKEY'S Sexy Tunes w/DJ EK Balam & Mad Mike, 10pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

The Band of Heathens w/Them Coulee Boys (rock'n'roll), 8pm

THE SOCIAL Wednesday Night Karaoke w/LYRIC, 9pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, APRIL 27

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

Kiki Thursday: Drag Party w/DJ RexxStep, 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The Tallboys (rock, reggae), 7:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

David Reynolds (acoustic), 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S Powder Horns, Sweet Fiend & Dirty Sally (garage-rock, indie-folk, grunge), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER

BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE LOUNGE Modelface Comedy: Liz Greenwood, 7pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

Homage to Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Ryan Perry (country), 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Andrew Wakefield (bluegrass), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Due Amiche: Anne Coombs & Siyanna (jazz), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Black Sea Beat Society (rock'n'roll, Balkan, Turkish-psych), 8pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Stand Up Comedy for Your Health, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Power Ensemble, Super Flower, Evan Lipson & Plurabel (experimental, noise, ambient), 8pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Afton Wolfe (country, blues, rock'n'roll), 5pm

• Jack Marion & The Pearl Snap Prophets w/ Lord Nelson (country), 8pm

THE ODD Graveyard Shift: Mini Goth Convention, 9pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra and Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WICKED WEED BREWING

Trivia w/Kipper, 6pm

FRIDAY, APRIL 28

27 CLUB

Assimilation (multigenre dance party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Venus (dark house dance party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Dirty Logic (Steely Dan tribute), 9pm

BEN'S TUNE UP

EK Balam (reggaeton, hip-hop), 8pm

BOTANIST & BARREL

TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP

Industrial Coffee Pot

Jazz Trio, 6pm

BURGER BAR

TinyTVs (punk-rock), 9pm

CORK & KEG

The Gypsy Swingers (jazz, Latin, bossa nova), 8pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Zachary Warren (folk), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Pink Beds, Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise (indiepop, disco, new wave), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Claire Hoke Trio (pop, jazz), 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Short Stop (soul, latin, dance), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Honky-Tonk Fridays w/Jackson Grimm, 4pm

• Jackson Grimm Band (Appalachian, Americana, folk-pop), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

NEW BELGIUM

BREWING CO.

Speakeasy Improv: What’s In The Box?, 7pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Free Dead Friday w/ Gus & Phriends, 5pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

5J Barrow Friday Nights (folk), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Rhythm Nomadic (Southern funk, rock, African), 8pm

RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY

BEER CO.

Fresh Phish Friday, 5:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

Michal Menert & Late Night Radio (edm), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

East Coast Dirt (rock, psychedelia), 9pm

SILVERADOS

The Cadillac Three w/ Colby Acuff (country, Southern rock, blues), 5pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Zzzahara w/Tombstone

Poetry (indie-pop, shoegaze), 8pm

THE BUSH FARMHOUSE

Tonti & The Hot Pulses (blues, soul, rock), 6:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Eleanor Underhill & Friends (jazz, rock, soul), 6pm

• Wyatt Flores w/Jonathan Peyton (Americana, country, folk), 8pm

THE ODD

Asheville After Dark

Presents: Perversions (adult & kink-friendly), 8pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

The Hill Climbers (Appalachian), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Tuatha Dea w/Eireann’s Call (Americana, rock, Appalachian), 8pm

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

305 LOUNGE & EATERY

Johnnie Blackwell & Joe Roads (classic rock), 2pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

80s MAXimum Overdrive w/DJ Nato, 10pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Vince Junior Band (Appalachian, blues, surf), 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Esseks & Tiedye Ky (dance, electronic, bass), 9pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (gypsy jazz), 5:30pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Pocket Strange (Southern rock, psych rock, indie), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Gringo Star, The Silver Doors & Vandiver (indie rock, garage rock), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Urban Soil (Americana, rock'n'roll, soul), 4pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Akita (funk), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

The Dan Clare Duo (bluegrass), 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Nex Millen (hip-hop, funk, R&B), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

• Nobody's Darling String Band, 4pm

• Nordmoe & The Rodeo (country), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Tom Waits: The Early Years (Tom Waits tribute), 8pm

REEMS CREEK GOLF

CLUB

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 5pm

SALVAGE STATION

Thurston Howell (yachtrock), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Mood Ring (R&B, hiphop, soul), 9pm

SILVERADOS

The Scars & Stripes Tour (hip-hop, rap, country), 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party (Appalachian, country, folk-pop), 9pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Lavender Blue, Aunt

Ant & Just Married (indie-rock,grunge, shoegaze), 8pm

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke w/ KJ Thunderk*nt, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Buck Curran (folk, rock), 5pm

• The Criticals w/Sweet

Spine, Connor Kelly & The Time Warp (rock, rock'n'roll), 8pm

THE LOFT CAFE & PUB

Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 6pm

THE ODD

Party Foul Drag: Saturday Night Tease, 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

The Garden w/T.S.O.L (punk, dnb), 7pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

DJ Molly Parti, 7pm

SUNDAY, APRIL 30

27 CLUB

The Masquerade for the Undead (dance party), 9pm

ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO.

The Hometown Show, 6:30pm

BEN'S TUNE UP

Dub Kartel (reggae, ska), 8pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba: Scott Eason, 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S

The Ritualists w/Machine

13 & Half Blind Eyes (psych-rock), 7:30pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Queen Bee & the Honeylovers (swing, jazz), 2pm

HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Mr Jimmy Duo (blues), 1pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING

CO.

Hustle Souls (soul, rock), 3pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

WEST

Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachia, soul, Americana), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Acoustic Light Brigade (electric-acoustic), 4pm

• Deb Talan (pop, rockfolk), 7pm

THE ODD

• Weirdo Rippers (post-punk, new wave, power-pop), 5pm

• Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm

THE OUTPOST

Phuncle Sam (Grateful Dead tribute), 4pm

WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. StumpWater Sunday (Celtic, folk, classical), 5pm

PLĒB URBAN WINERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, MAY 1

27 CLUB

Monday Karaoke, 9pm

5 WALNUT WINE BAR

CaroMia, Rahm, Daniel

Iannuci & Jaze Uries (soul, R&B, folk), 8pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Short Stop (soul, latin, dance), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm

NOBLE CIDER & MEAD DOWNTOWN

Freshen Up Comedy Showcase, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Carrie Morrison & Andrew Thelston (rock, psychedelia, blues), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Monday Mashup w/The JLloyd MashUp Band, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Covet w/Altopalo (Midwest-emo, progressive-rock, shoegaze), 6:30pm

TUESDAY, MAY 2

CATAWBA BREWING

SOUTH SLOPE

Don't Tell Comedy: South Slope Asheville, 7pm

D9 BREWING

COMPANY

Malus Mons (electronic), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute, jam band, rock), 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Weekly Open Jam hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Late Night Trivia, 9:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

I Draw Slow (Americana, Appalachian), 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Tuesday Night Trivia, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Music To Your Ears w/ Jody Carroll (roots, blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S Open Mic Wednesday Night, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Bluegrass Jam Wednesday, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL

Shed Bugs (rock, blues, funk), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Anne Coombs & Siyana (jazz), 4pm

• Pert Near Sandstone & The Way Down Wanderers (midwest-roots, country), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Lucinda Williams (rock, blues, folk), 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, MAY 4

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Jody Carroll (Americana, roots, blues), 7:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

The Blushin' Roulettes (folk), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm

SALVAGE STATION

The String Cheese Incident (bluegrass, rock-electronica, funk), 5:30pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Laveda, Felt Out w/ Gummy & Bendrix Littleton (indie-pop), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

James McMurtry w/ BettySoo (rock, roots, country), 7pm

THE ODD

Star Wars: May The Force Be With You Rave, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

I Love Space (dance party), 6:30pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

The Couldn't Be Happiers (Americana), 7:30pm

WRONG WAY

CAMPGROUND

Don't Tell Comedy: West Asheville, 7pm

MARKETPLACE FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to a study by Newsweek magazine, 58% of us yearn to experience spiritual growth; 33% report having had a mystical or spiritual experience; 20% of us say we have had a revelation from God in the last year; and 13% have been in the presence of an angel. Given the astrological omens currently in play for you, Aries, I suspect you will exceed all those percentages in the coming weeks. I hope you will make excellent use of your sacred encounters. What two areas of your life could most benefit from a dose of divine assistance or intervention? There’s never been a better time than now to seek a Deus ex machina. (More info: https://tinyurl.com/GodIntercession)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After the fall of the Roman Empire, political cohesion in its old territories was scarce for hundreds of years. Then a leader named Charlemagne (747–814) came along and united much of what we now call Western Europe. He was unusual in many respects. For example, he sought to master the arts of reading and writing. Most other rulers of his time regarded those as paltry skills that were beneath their dignity. I mention this fact, Taurus, because I suspect it’s a propitious time to consider learning things you have previously regarded as unnecessary or irrelevant or outside your purview. What might these abilities be?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m turning this horoscope over to Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. She has three messages that are just what you need to hear right now. 1. “Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have.” 2. “You must let the pain visit. You must allow it to teach you. But you must not allow it to overstay.” 3. “Write a poem for your 14-year-old self. Forgive her. Heal her. Free her.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Historical records tell us that Chinese Emperor Hongwu (1328–1398) periodically dealt with overwhelming amounts of decision-making. During one 10-day phase of his reign, for example, he was called on to approve 1,660 documents concerning 3,391 separate issues. Based on my interpretation of the planetary omens, I suspect you may soon be called on to deal with a similar outpouring. This might tempt you toward over-stressed reactions like irritation and self-medication. But I hope you’ll strive to handle it all with dignity and grace. In fact, that’s what I predict you will do. In my estimation, you will be able to summon the extra poise and patience to manage the intensity.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is it even possible for us humans to live without fear — if even for short grace periods? Could you or I or anyone else somehow manage to celebrate, say, 72 hours of freedom from all worries and anxieties and trepidations? I suspect the answer is no. We may aspire to declare our independence from dread, but 200,000 years of evolution ensures that our brains are hard-wired to be ever-alert for danger. Having provided that perspective, however, I will speculate that if anyone could approach a state of utter dauntlessness, it will be you Leos in the next three weeks. This may be as close as you will ever come to an extended phase of bold, plucky audacity.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Dear Sunny Bright Cheery Upbeat Astrologer: You give us too many sunny, bright, cheery, upbeat predictions. They lift my mood when I first read them, but later I’m, like,What the hell? Because yeah, they come true, but they usually cause some complications I didn’t foresee. Maybe you should try offering predictions that bum me out, since then I won’t have to deal with making such big adjustments. —Virgo Who is Weary of Rosy Hopeful Chirpy Horoscopes.” Dear Virgo: You have alluded to a key truth about reality: Good changes often require as much modification and adaptation as challenging changes. Another

truth: One of my specialties is helping my readers manage those good changes. And by the way: I predict the next two weeks will deliver a wealth of interesting and buoyant changes.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Pablo Neruda wrote, “Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world on the blue shores of silence.” That might serve as a good motto for you in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you’ll be wise to go in quest for what’s secret, concealed and buried. You will generate fortuitous karma by smoking out hidden agendas and investigating the rest of the story beneath the apparent story. Be politely pushy, Libra. Charmingly but aggressively find the missing information and the shrouded rationales. Dig as deep as you need to go to explore the truth’s roots.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): We’ve all done things that make perfect sense to us, though they might look nonsensical or inexplicable to an outside observer. Keep this fact in your awareness during the next two weeks, Scorpio. Just as you wouldn’t want to be judged by uninformed people who don’t know the context of your actions, you should extend this same courtesy to others, especially now. At least some of what may appear nonsensical or inexplicable will be serving a valuable purpose. Be slow to judge. Be inclined to offer the benefit of the doubt.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I completely understand if you feel some outrage about the lack of passion and excellence you see in the world around you. You have a right to be impatient with the laziness and carelessness of others. But I hope you will find ways to express your disapproval constructively. The best approach will be to keep criticism to a minimum and instead focus on generating improvements. For the sake of your mental health, I suggest you transmute your anger into creativity. You now have an enhanced power to reshape the environments and situations you are part of so they work better for everyone.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the 17th century, renowned Capricorn church leader James Ussher announced he had discovered when the world had been created. It was at 6 p.m. on October 22 in the year 4004 BCE. From this spectacularly wrong extrapolation, we might conclude that not all Capricorns are paragons of logic and sound analysis 100% of the time. I say we regard this as a liberating thought for you in the coming weeks. According to my analysis, it will be a favorable time to indulge in wild dreams, outlandish fantasies, and imaginative speculations. Have fun, dear Capricorn, as you wander out in the places that singer Tom Petty referred to as “The Great Wide Open.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): We often evaluate prospects quantitatively: how big a portion do we get, how much does something cost, how many social media friends can we add? Quantity does matter in some cases, but on other occasions may be trumped by quality. A few close, trustworthy friends may matter more than hundreds of Instagram friends we barely know. A potential house may be spacious and affordable, but be in a location we wouldn’t enjoy living in. Your project in the coming weeks, Aquarius, is to examine areas of your life that you evaluate quantitatively and determine whether there are qualitative aspects neglected in your calculations.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Dear Dr. Astrology: Help! I want to know which way to go. Should I do the good thing or the right thing? Should I be kind and sympathetic at the risk of ignoring my selfish needs? Or should I be a pushy stickler for what’s fair and true, even if I look like a preachy grouch? Why is it so arduous to have integrity? — Pinched Pisces.”

Dear Pisces: Can you figure out how to be half-good and half-right? Half-self-interested and half-generous? I suspect that will generate the most gracious, constructive results.

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ACROSS

1 “All right, already!”

5 Actress Swinton

10 Lemon meringue pie ingredient

14 Singer Aguilar with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

15 Decorate

16 Crushing on

17 Oracle

18 What a captcha tries to detect

19 Exam for jrs.

20 “Malcolm X” or “Milk”?

23 “Not in a million years!”

24 Shushes

25 “Titanic” or “Jaws”?

30 QB protectors, for short

31 Run, as dye

32 Max

35 Instrument prominently heard in both Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” and Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe”

36 Change

37 Prefix with syllabic

38 Completely miss the ball

39 Bozos

40 Live tweeters, of a sort

41 “Wild” or “The Road”?

43 Commit an illegal act

46 Some pub orders

47 “Freaky Friday” or “The Parent Trap”?

52 ___ bean

53 Loved from afar, say

54 ___ pyrite (fool’s gold)

56 “You said it!”

57 Direction at the beginning of a stage script

58 Firm communication?

59 In case

60 Attentionhoarding, say

61 Members of a flock

DOWN

1 Covert ___

2 Stay fresh

3 Classic kids’ game that tests motor skills

4 Lamp oil

5 Duty

6 K-pop star, e.g.

7 Section of the brain

8 Delete

9 Many treasured heirlooms

10 Plastic fastener

11 Follow

12 Be on the A-team, say

13 Popular gifts in pledge drives

21 Sack

22

What falls by the wheyside?

25 Sound from one at the end of one’s leash

26 Actress Jessica

27 Novel novel format

28 Suspect’s need

29 Anxious

32 Move in spirals

33 “Me, myself ___”

34 Something you might have to sit still for

36 “S.N.L.” sketch that kicks off the show

37 Important number for a middledistance runner

39 Count (on)

40 Island near Java

41 Words shared by forbidden lovers, maybe 42 Tacky and loud

Meat market

Olympic