Mountain Xpress 03.11.26

FEATURES

Incumbents advance in

KIDS ISSUE, PART 1

For this year’s Kids Issue series, Xpress asked local K-12 students to create art and writing around the theme of “My wildest, funniest or most important moment.” Students wrote and drew about life’s big and small turning points — from meeting new siblings or pets to wild encounters with bears and a variety of hilarious mishaps. Part 2 of the series will come out next week.

On the cover is a collage by Lila Peniston, a seventh grader at The Franklin School of Innovation.

Youth wrestling builds confidence and agility, local advocates say

“The story behind this art piece is that when I was little and at the beach a stingray came right in front of me and I was scared,” she writes.

Lila Peniston

Caleb Johnson

Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth headlines first Asheville show

PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson

MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder

EDITOR: Gina Smith

OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose

STAFF REPORTERS: Thomas Calder, Brionna Dallara, Justin McGuire, Gina Smith

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Braulio Pescador-Martinez

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Jon Elliston, Mindi Meltz Friedwald, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Emily Klinger Antolic, Christopher Arbor, Edwin Arnaudin, Danielle Arostegui, Mark Barrett, Eric Brown, Cayla Clark, Molly Devane, Ashley English, Merin McDivitt, Mindi Meltz Friedwald, Troy Jackson, Bill Kopp, Chloe Leiberman, Anabel Shenk, Jessica Wakeman, Jamie Zane

PHOTOGRAPHER: Caleb Johnson

ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson

LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick

46 TIME IS A FLAT CIRCLE

New book explores 19thcentury coded diary and its parallels to the present

news tips & story ideas to NEWS@MOUNTAINX.COM letters/commentary to LETTERS@MOUNTAINX.COM

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can be submitted to CALENDAR@MOUNTAINX.COM

try our easy online calendar at MOUNTAINX.COM/EVENTS food news and ideas to FOOD@MOUNTAINX.COM wellness-related events/news to MXHEALTH@MOUNTAINX.COM

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Caleb Johnson, Olivia Urban

MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Dave Gayler

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick WEB: Brandon Tilley

BOOKKEEPER: Amie Fowler

OFFICE MANAGER: Mark Murphy

FRONT OFFICE: Phillip Brock

DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Dave Gayler

DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Cass Kunst, Cindy Kunst, Courtney Israel Nash, Joey Nash, Carl & Debbie Schweiger, Gary Selnick, Noah Tanner, Mark Woodyard

Looking for Woodfin greenways in our lifetimes

Hello, Buncombe County greenway lovers! In 2016 — more than nine years ago — you may recall, 71% of Woodfin voters voted yes to passing the bond to fund the construction of our French Broad River and Beaverdam Creek greenways. Woodfin entered a trusting partnership with Buncombe County to begin what I am told is the largest project and partnership in Woodfin’s history.

Woodfin and Buncombe County have had an odd relationship over these nineplus years. As I understand, Buncombe County has never once presented an update to Woodfin’s Town Council or to Woodfin’s voters and taxpayers since the agreement was signed. Odd as this is, I am told that Woodfin Town Council had never issued a request for a presentation to Buncombe Parks & Recreation Director Allison Dains until this past month, following citizen nudging and encouragement.

We are thrilled that on Tuesday, March 17, at 5 p.m., at Woodfin Town Hall, Dains and her team are making their first presentation to Woodfin Town Council and to those Woodfin citizens who attend. The real issue, as I see it, is the actual agreement that was signed about nine years ago. This poorly crafted document could have been amended at any time, and because it has not, this has led to Buncombe County being defensive about basic project topics: greenway progress, project communications,

Word of the week

philostorgie (n.) the love of parents toward their children

In honor of our 2026 Kids Issue series, we bring you philostorgie, which Merriam-Webster notes is an archaic word “ripe for a comeback.” X

Parks & Recreation accountability and lack of town and citizen involvement. Specifically, the agreement, as I read it, includes no provisions for reporting progress to Town Council and Woodfin citizens or for project evaluation, staffing and qualifications, accountability or deliverables, which makes us ask what did the greenways cost in 2016 and what is the projection today — and will these two greenways be completed in our lifetimes?

A good example of a Woodfin partnership that works can be seen with the Woodfin Wave project, which is very successful, transparent and collaborative. The Woodfin Wave has had collaborative planning, transparency, engaged philanthropy, collaborative problem-solving, citizen leadership and

celebration of milestones and achievements. Would it be possible for our French Broad River and Beaverdam Creek greenways to model these best practices, too?

We encourage everyone to attend the Woodfin Town Hall presentation on Tuesday, March 17, at 5 p.m. This can be a positive game-changing point in time where collaboration, transparency, inclusiveness and a fresh start begin.

I was in my early 60s when I voted for the bond and am now in my 70s. Time is ticking as the project timeline and cost are stretched. Greenway voters and lovers can be appreciative of this March 17 opportunity, and I’m hoping to see you there!

— Wilson Sims Woodfin

Listen to community on UNCA fiasco

The last time we had a highly paid local leader push an agenda that was not in the public interest, Mission Hospital was sold to HCA. Maybe we should listen to the community and push back against the UNC Asheville woods fiasco.

— Paul King

Weaverville

Work with companies on traffic mitigation

[Regarding “Costco Withdraws Application for Highly Anticipated Asheville Location,” Feb. 19, Asheville Watchdog via Xpress, and “Costco Dropped Asheville Application Without ‘Any Sort of Discussion’ on Traffic Analysis, NCDOT Says,” Feb. 19, Asheville Watchdog:]

Large companies should pay to mitigate projected traffic problems and other infrastructure concerns when they move into an area. These companies also expand the tax base, and that has to be taken into consideration as to how much they are required to pay.

Smokey Park Highway needs to be improved, and I wonder if more could have been done to work with Costco. One article alludes to other “hoops” that the city has been requiring Costco to jump through that also soured the deal. The article reads as if Costco just got tired of all the roadblocks put up to allow it to bring its store to this area.

As for the N.C. Department of Transportation’s concerns, they seem to pick and choose what they care about. There is a new Wave facility to be opened on the French Broad River at Woodfin Riverside Park, bringing increased traffic to the already problematic Highway 251 (Riverside Drive). NCDOT does not seem at all concerned about the increased traffic that facility will cause.

—

Nancy Kehr Woodfin X

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

UNCA’s future will not be secured by standing still

BY KIMBERLY VAN NOORT

Like public universities across the country, UNC Asheville is facing enrollment shifts, rising costs and uncertainty in government funding. If the university is going to remain a strong educational and economic force in our region, we need to act now to continue to strengthen both the student experience and the university’s long-term financial health. That work is already underway. The university is expanding the Access Asheville financial aid program to attract more out-of-state students and investing in a state-ofthe-art performance auditorium at Lipinsky Hall. We are launching new degree programs designed to lead to stronger career outcomes and designing programs that respond directly to regional needs and priorities. These efforts are not about change for change’s sake. They are about keeping UNC Asheville competitive, accessible and positioned for the future, thereby strengthening Western North Carolina as a whole.

As we do this work, we also need to find ways to increase our revenues and enhance the campus experience

as we look to attract students. We are lacking in student housing and in providing places for students to gather outside the classroom. State appropriations can’t provide the resources we need to address these challenges, so we are looking to take bold actions designed to secure our long-term sustainability as an institution.

But big moves come with big responsibilities. One of them is how we manage and care for university-owned land, including the South Campus property and other properties with Millennial Campus designation. These parcels hold great promise as opportunities to attract investment, address campus and community housing shortages, provide much-needed amenities, and create a more vibrant experience for our students and our broader community.

We want to explore future uses of this land that could better connect the campus with both our neighbors and the larger regional community we serve. But those conversations must be grounded in planning, safety and long-term stewardship.

That is why decisions about the future of the South Campus are following a deliberate and consultative

process with clear communication at each stage. The Millennial Campus Development Advisory Committee, made up of community, university and business leaders, has begun evaluating potential long-term uses of the property. The committee’s role is to

objectively weigh different perspectives and recommend options that meet institutional needs and build a more vibrant community for all. We understand that change is hard. Conversations about the future of the campus, including the South Campus property, continue to raise real questions and strong emotions, and those reactions are understandable.

At the same time, ensuring UNC Asheville’s long-term viability as a community member and good neighbor requires us to look ahead with clarity and care. The goal is straightforward: to build a stronger UNC Asheville that serves both the university and the region it calls home. That means making thoughtful decisions guided by careful stewardship, a commitment to long-term responsibility and the safety of our campus and community. Standing still is not a path forward.

Kimberly van Noort, Ph.D., is UNC Asheville’s chancellor and brings extensive higher education experience to the role, including leadership roles with the University of North Carolina System and earlier academic and administrative positions at the University of Texas at Arlington. X

Election results

Incumbents advance in Asheville City Council primary race

BY THOMAS CALDER

The unofficial primary election results are in. Nearly 55,000 voters cast their ballots in Buncombe County, representing just over 25% of the total number of registered voters. Buncombe County Election Services now enters the 10-day auditing process known as canvass. Official results will be released Friday, March 13.

“Election Day is no small feat, but today went really well, and I couldn’t be more proud,” said Buncombe County Elections Director Corrine Duncan in a press release.

Statewide, former Gov. Roy Cooper is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. He will face Republican Michael Whatley in the November midterm. Current Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis is not seeking reelection.

The largest local race in the primary — in terms of total candidates — was Asheville City Council. There were 20 residents vying for three open seats. The following six candidates have moved forward to the November general election, including all three incumbents:

• Drew Ball (16.54%)

• Maggie Ullman (16.24%) — incumbent

• Jeffrey Burroughs (7%)

• Keith Young (6.5%)

• Antanette Mosley (6.34%)

— incumbent

• Sheneika Smith (6.15%)

— incumbent

U.S. 11th District Rep. Chuck Edwards defeated his primary challenger Adam Smith, earning just over 70% of the total votes. On the Democratic ticket, Jamie Ager won his primary with nearly 65% of the votes in a five-way race. Edwards will face Ager in November.

Gary Parris won the Republican primary race for Buncombe County sheriff, defeating Vic Morman by more than 5,000 votes. Parris will face Sheriff Quentin Miller in the November general election.

The only contested primary race for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners occurred in District 2. Lonnie Israel defeated Terry Threadwell by 1,526 votes. Israel will face Republican candidate Greg Park, who ran uncontested, in the November election.

Republican Michael C. Byrne defeated Matt Smith for N.C. Court of Appeals Judge, Seat 1. He will face Democrat John S. Arrowood in November.

Democrat Christine Marie Walczyk defeated James Weldon Whalen in the Seat 3 race. Walczyk will face Republican Craig Collins this fall.

In two local races, the winner of the primary will run uncontested in

FINAL SIX: This year’s Asheville City Council primary race included 20 candidates. The top six vote-getters, featured in the order of votes received, will compete for three open seats in the November general election. Top row, starting left: Drew Ball, Maggie Ullman (incumbent) and Jeffrey Burroughs. Bottom row, starting left: Keith Young, Antanette Mosley (incumbent) and Sheneika Smith (incumbent). Photos provided by the candidates

the November general. These include the following:

• Buncombe County District Attorney (DA): Current Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore earned just over 39% of the votes, defeating Courtney Virginia Booth (36%) and Katie Kurdys (25%).

Todd Williams, the county’s current DA, did not run for reelection.

• N.C. District Court Judge — District 40, Seat 3: Ben Scales won with just over 51% of the vote, defeating James H. Mills

For additional information on tonight's primary, visit avl.mx/fe1. X

Earn while you learn

New program creates career routes for area youths

BY BRIONNA DALLARA

bdallara@mountainx.com

This month, the nonprofit Hood Huggers International is tapping into grant funding to launch a free workforce program for young people that will provide paid construction experience, educational opportunities and support during their transition into the workforce.

The program, YouthBuild CORE2, serves individuals ages 16-24 who have dropped out of high school and/or face barriers to education or employment, including those from low-income households, foster care, the juvenile justice system or migrant families, as well as individuals living with disabilities or with incarcerated parents.

M.Z. Yehudah , executive director of Hood Huggers, says the program speaks to the foundation's greater mission to create enterprises that engage young people in the arts, environment and community.

“The youth are going through leadership training classes. They're learning how to interact with members of their community and with one another in ways that are productive and meaningful,” Yehudah says.

This program is funded through a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, which covers 67% of the project's cost. The remaining 33% will be supported through nonfederal sources.

“They’re gaining the skill sets through this program so that they can go out and build those things

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: Youths ages 16-24 who face barriers to education or employment will have the opportunity to get free hands-on construction experience and education through the YouthBuild CORE-2 program. Pictured are Ricky Austin, left, and Aljour Edgerton. Photo by Brionna Dallara

that are relevant to them," Yehudah continues. "Not what someone tells them they need, not what someone imagines that they need — what they actually need.”

Hood Huggers is joined by WORX Project, a local nonprofit focused on educational programming and workforce placement.

HOUSING BLUES

Starting Monday, March 16, the first cohort of 33 members will dedicate 30 hours a week for six months to educational programming that offers free preparation for GED exams and the opportunity to earn

direction. He’s currently a part of Hood Huggers’ Under Instruction, an additional workforce program.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, and I feel like this program gave me an idea of what I wanted to do,” Austin says.

Austin sees both YouthBuild and Under Instruction as pathways to higher-paying jobs in the construction industry and as a way to give back to the community.

“Housing in Western North Carolina is a huge elephant in a room,” Yehudah says. “Our priority is our community.”

However, Yehudah notes, the program is flexible and aims to work with people “wherever they are.”

BEYOND HARD HATS

While on-site construction work is required for the program, it’s not the only option. Each participant will be assigned a case manager, who will offer career guidance to each cohort member.

an industry-recognized construction certification.

The team will gain vocational experience through construction work on Blue Note Junction, a mixed-use hub that will feature a cultural center, neighborhood spa, event venue, retail and affordable housing units on Burton Street in West Asheville. The future site is the latest project by DeWayne Barton , founder and CEO of Hood Huggers. Construction is projected to take five years and will break ground this summer.

For 17-year-old Ricky Austin , the program, which pays participants up to $7,500, offers a sense of

“Construction is the gateway,” says Yehudah. “But really, primarily, we're looking at construction-adjacent industries.” From careers in flooring to electrical, he continues, "We're opening pathways toward that.”

After participants complete the program, they will be placed in either a job, an apprenticeship, a college degree program or a trade school. Over the subsequent year, they'll meet with their YouthBuild case management team once a month.

The program, continues Yehudah, allows participants to establish themselves in the career of their choice. “I think it's just an opportunity that I hope no one passes up on,” he says.

To learn more about the program, go to avl.mx/fdt  X

‘Every kid deserves an adult who believes in them’

Zoe Zelonky is the education director at Asheville Community Theatre and has directed and choreographed over 45 productions, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Little Mermaid, Hadestown: Teen Edition, Matilda and Seussical Jr. You may have also seen Zoe on the ACT stage in Fairy Tales & Fables (Princess), Bat Boy (Bat Boy), Bright Star (Lucy) and Elf (Jovie), or at Hendersonville Theatre in Something Rotten (Bea) and Legally Blonde (Serena). When she’s not at the theater, Zoe loves baking and reading.

Xpress: A common complaint about Asheville is that it doesn’t have a ton of kid-friendly activities for children, especially downtown. Are there any overlooked, affordable opportunities that you wish more parents and guardians knew about?

Zelonky: Yes! At Asheville Community Theatre, we have been working hard to provide more affordable options for kids to be able to attend theater. One thing we’ve done is add pay-what-you-can community shows, where we do child-friendly productions at a cost you choose. It’s a great way to introduce kids to the theater and have fun as a family. Our next one will be in April and is called Captain Cumulus and the Cloud Crew . What is one popular and useful activity you conduct with the kids you work with, and what lessons can this activity provide in how to engage young people in the learning process?

At the end of a rehearsal, we often sit in a circle and tell the person next to us one thing that they did well. Then we turn to the other person and tell them something that they did well. This encourages community connection and reminds us that it’s important to not just focus on ourselves in rehearsal, but to look out for how everyone else is succeeding in the room. It helps you become a great cheerleader and an even better teammate.

What’s the most inspiring thing a young person has said to you?

This is a tough one because the students inspire me every day. When they help each other, when they succeed in a new goal, when they find the fun in something that used to be a challenge. But one of my favorite things they have said is “Thank you for believing in me.” It’s something I’ve heard a lot over the years, and it always touches my heart, because that’s what we educators are here for. And every kid deserves an adult who believes in them. X

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Back on track?

Optimism builds for Asheville passenger train revival as funding challenges loom

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

jmcguire@mountainx.com

More than 50 years after the last passenger train pulled away from Asheville’s Biltmore Station, rail advocates say Western North Carolina may finally be approaching a turning point.

On Wednesday, March 18, leaders from across region will gather in Morganton for the Railroads and Regional Economic Development Conference, focused on restoring passenger service between Asheville and Salisbury, strengthening freight corridors and expanding tourism by rail.

“It gives us a chance to stand back and talk about the importance of rail service in general,” says former state Rep. Ray Rapp of Mars Hill, co-chair of the WNC Rail Committee, the nonprofit group that is organizing the conference.

The timing of the meeting reflects a rare convergence of opportunity and urgency, Rapp says. Recent studies have put a price tag and measurable economic impact on the proposed restoration, federal infrastructure funding remains available and key players — including Amtrak and Norfolk Southern — are aligned for the first time in years.

With local governments now facing the prospect of providing a 20% funding match and Amtrak projecting possible service by 2035, advocates say the question is no longer whether the idea is viable but whether the region is ready to act.

LONG HISTORY

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, trains ran north-south from

Charleston, S.C., through Hendersonville toward Cincinnati, and east-west from Salisbury through Asheville to Murphy. For roughly 75 years, rail defined the city’s role in regional commerce and travel, Rapp explains.

Then came interstates 26 and 40, which arrived in WNC in the late 1960s. As highways expanded and automobile travel surged, train ridership dwindled. By the time the final train departed in 1975, passenger demand had all but evaporated, with an average of 17 riders a day, according to a contemporary story in the Asheville Citizen-Times

Now, with congestion mounting along mountain highways and truck traffic increasing, rail proponents argue it is time to rebalance the transportation network — shifting some freight from roads back onto rails and reconnecting WNC to the rest of the state and nation.

The proposed line would carry riders from Asheville to Salisbury in an average of about 3 1/2 hours, according to the N.C. Department of Transportations’s (NCDOT) 2023 Western North Carolina Passenger Rail Feasibility Study, with projected travel times ranging from three hours and 25 minutes to three hours and 48 minutes; the study projects three daily round trips and ridership of about 100,000 local trips a year by 2045.

“Many people in Western North Carolina need alternatives to long car commutes, especially seniors, students, workers and families managing transportation costs,” says Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer, who will be a panelist at the March 18 conference. “Service would connect Asheville residents to jobs, education, medical

ALL ABOARD: Amtrak operates passenger rail service in North Carolina cities including Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham. Western North Carolina officials hope to add Asheville to that list within a decade. Photo courtesy of NCDOT

care and regional destinations without depending solely on highways.”

Two recent studies estimate the cost of restoring passenger service along the 139-mile corridor between Asheville and Salisbury at roughly $650 million to $665 million. The figure includes upgrading tracks to passenger standards, building or improving stations, acquiring rolling stock and developing maintenance facilities.

The 2025 Economic Impact of a Salisbury-to-Asheville Rail Corridor study, conducted by N.C. State University researchers for the NCDOT, estimates the project would:

• Generate 5,280 construction jobyears, with $360.5 million in wages and $1.05 billion in total economic output from project buildout.

• Create 305 permanent jobs supported annually, producing $19.9 million in yearly earnings and $59.8 million in recurring economic output.

• Produce nearly $34 million in combined state and local tax revenue from one-time construction and ongoing operations.

Jason Orthner, director of the Rail Division at NCDOT, says the 2023 feasibility study confirmed significant demand along the corridor, including in small towns such as Marion and larger population centers like Asheville. In fact, it found that Asheville was the most requested location in the state not currently served by Amtrak passenger rail service.

“We’ve sponsored intercity rail in North Carolina for more than 35 years, including the high-frequency Raleigh-

Charlotte route and the Carolinian, connecting New York to Charlotte,” Orthner explains. “Ridership has grown significantly in recent years, and communities across the state — especially in Western North Carolina — have asked for similar service in their regions.” North Carolina’s state-supported routes operate in partnership with Amtrak, including the Carolinian, which links Charlotte to the Northeast. Restoring Asheville service would reconnect the mountains to Charlotte, Raleigh and the broader national rail system for the first time in half a century.

MONEY NEEDED

But paying for the expansion remains the central hurdle.

Federal discretionary grants could cover up to 80% of the project’s cost, leaving state and local governments on the hook for roughly $130 million. Much of the potential federal funding stems from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law championed by then-President Joe Biden, which included $61 billion nationwide for rail investments.

The Asheville-to-Salisbury corridor is among several North Carolina routes that have been accepted by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, which was created by the 2021 law.

NCDOT has had conversations about the projected route with U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards and other elected officials. Tillis was one of the

key Republican supporters of the infrastructure bill.

“We certainly have been talking to those offices,” Orthner says. “They reach out to us. They have lots of questions. They’re very interested in learning about the project. The engagement is great from our congressional members as well as our state representatives.”

If federal money is made available — and state and local and state matching funds are secured — service could begin within seven to 12 years, Orthner says. That would roughly align with Amtrak’s long-range planning target of 2035.

“The timeline for Asheville service depends almost entirely on solving the funding equation,” he explains.

Local governments and planning organizations — including the Ashevillebased Land of Sky Regional Council — are exploring ways to assemble the needed money, Rapp says. Metropolitan and rural planning organizations can allocate transportation program funds, while communities can consider options such as sales tax revenues, targeted state appropriations and other local investment mechanisms.

The financial conversation, however, comes at a challenging moment. Tropical Storm Helene strained public budgets and diverted resources toward recovery.

“When you get down to talking [to local government officials] about the cost and the 20% match, people start looking down at their feet,” Rapp says.

WHAT CAN ASHEVILLE CONTRIBUTE?

While expressing support for continued planning, Manheimer emphasizes that the City of Asheville’s immediate priority remains passing a balanced budget and maintaining core services amid post-Helene recovery efforts. The corridor project will need to be driven largely by federal and state investment, she points out.

“The city’s role is to help build strong regional alignment, working with NCDOT, neighboring communities and our state and congressional delegation to demonstrate local commitment and readiness,” she says. “By coordinating land use, transit connections and community support, Asheville can help make a compelling case that this investment improves affordability, mobility and economic access for [the region].”

Rapp says other local governments are interested in the project. In 2018, every county and municipality along the proposed route passed resolutions supporting a planned Amtrak “thruway” bus that would have connected Asheville to Salisbury as a test of ridership demand.

“It was unanimous, 100% support,” Rapp says. “But they weren’t asked to commit any money at that point.”

The pilot was later scrapped amid political opposition in Raleigh.

In retrospect, Rapp sees a silver lining. Had the service launched in 2019, it would have collided with the COVID-19 pandemic the next year, when public transportation ridership nationwide plummeted by as much as 90%.

ALIGNMENT ALONG THE LINE

One critical piece of the puzzle is freight operator Norfolk Southern, which owns much of the Salisbury-toAsheville corridor. Rapp says the company estimates it will spend $40 million to $50 million restoring track along the Old Fort Loops, a mountainous stretch essential to reliable service that was badly damaged by Helene.

“Had Norfolk Southern not committed to restoration of this, we wouldn’t be talking about service to Asheville,” Rapp explains.

For the first time, he adds, Norfolk Southern, NCDOT, Amtrak and the WNC Rail Committee are working in coordination. An Amtrak senior analyst based in Raleigh has been assigned to work directly with state officials and communities along the route.

Beyond passenger service, advocates stress the interconnected benefits of freight and tourism. Industrial development in Robbinsville depends on reliable freight connections, while tourist operations such as the Bryson Citybased Great Smoky Mountains Railroad demonstrate rail’s draw as an economic engine in mountain communities.

“The whole point is the interconnectedness between all these rail lines,” Rapp says. “Preserving them and developing them so that we can have passenger service, we can have tourist rail, and we can have expanded freight rail.”

RENEWED MOMENTUM

The scale of the undertaking is substantial. Yet Rapp urges perspective, noting that the state is spending more than $1 billion on the I-26 connector bridge over the French Broad River.

With feasibility studies complete, demonstrated ridership demand, freight partners investing in infrastructure and federal dollars available — at least for now — rail advocates see an opportunity that did not exist a decade ago.

“What we want to do is continue to build the momentum,” Rapp says. “We have interest. We’ve had background funding. Now we’ve got to move to the next stage.”

For more information about the Railroads and Regional Economic Development Conference, go to avl.mx/fe7. X

More than a takedown

Youth wrestling builds confidence and agility, local advocates say

BY BRIONNA DALLARA

bdallara@mountainx.com

Since Chris Sherman signed up his two sons, Liam and Rafa, for the Asheville Parks & Recreation's Let’s Wrestle youth program, he's observed less roughhousing at home and an improvement in their physical and interpersonal skills.

“They’re learning to do drills, figuring out how their bodies move and work, and the concept of defeat and winning,” says Sherman, who also volunteers as a coach. “No one’s really winning, no one's really losing out here — we're all part of the team.”

Teamwork is just one of the foundational skills young wrestlers gain from the experience, adds Bob Jackson, who leads the program. “Often I get asked, ‘What changes when my child wrestles?’ And my answer is, ‘Everything changes.’ Wrestling builds these amazing positive habits that go from the mat to the classroom to the home life.”

Parks & Recreation approved the program in 2023. Since that time, Let's Wrestle has seen signups soar to more than 100 participants, ranging from ages 6-16, with sessions occurring each season.

EVERY BODY CAN WRESTLE

The program is held at Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center’s indoor gymnasium. On a recent evening, JJ Frid sits in the

Sign up for spring sessions

Interested participants can sharpen their wrestling skills and learn pinning combinations, takedowns and escapes during the weekly sessions for spring, which begin Monday, March 30, and run through Wednesday, May 27. Sessions are held every Monday and Wednesday, 5:30-7 p.m., for ages 6-12. Each session is $15. The program is also offering a weeklong summer camp, ages 10-14, June 8-12, at Asheville High School for $70. Learn about upcoming sessions at avl.mx/fdi. X

bleachers, crochet in hand, watching their 10-year-old son, Grace, run up to greet Coach Bob. Frid says that since enrolling Grace in the program this past fall, their son has become more confident in his body and spatial awareness.

“It’s been really fun to see his confidence grow,” Frid says. “I think this has also opened the door for him trying new things. He has tried bouldering recently as well.”

Giddy for the wrestling session to begin, Grace says he feels stronger since joining the team and can now successfully tackle people.

Participants like Grace are paired according to their weight class, Jackson explains. “There’s a quote that ‘everybody can wrestle,’ and that's a double meaning: Everybody can wrestle, but every body can wrestle,” Jackson says, noting that unlike

other sports where a person's stature can determine chances of success, wrestling offers an even playing field.

Often, more than half the kids on the mats are girls, Jackson continues. He says this reflects the sport’s growing popularity among women.

Jose Ruiz’s 7-year-old daughter, Amelia, is one of those girls. Drawing from his own wrestling background, Ruiz is enthusiastic about the sport opening up to more people.

“They didn’t really have that when I was in high school in the ’80s,” Ruiz says. “It’s incredible. It opens the sport up for a lot of people like Amelia to come out here and wrestle.”

IF YOU BRING A MAT, THEY WILL COME

During sessions, Jackson combines a number of activities — from wrestling games to new moves and drills — to keep participants engaged.

Gearing up to get back out on the mat, 9-year-old Liam Sherman cracks a smile when talking about his favorite part of each practice. “King of the mats,” Sherman says, describing an activity where all the program's participants compete until one champion reigns supreme.

Meanwhile, his 7-year-old brother, Rafa, says the half nelson, a swift lockin move that gets opponents on the floor, is his favorite thing to practice.

Despite the sport's physicality, Jackson says the program prioritizes safety on the mats.

“It’s not the professional wrestling you see on TV. It's not UFC Ultimate Fighting. It’s one of the safest sports. We're on a mat. Everything we do is very purposeful toward being safe and adding these skills to be a top wrestler,” Jackson says.

Meanwhile, older participants will sometimes bring in skills they've learned from their schools’ wrestling teams to help guide the younger members. The mentorship element helps boost confidence, says Nick Haskell, an assistant wrestling coach at Asheville High School and the person who advocated for the city to launch its youth wrestling program.

Haskell also works with Jackson on curating practices that teach the basics and build agility. The two see these foundational skills as a way to help participants advance to a higher level of wrestling in middle and high school, if they continue with the sport.

“I always laugh about the quote, ‘If you build it, they will come.’” says Jackson. “We got this mat in 2023, with the hopes of building a wrestling program. And, you know, it’s the same idea. ‘If you get a mat, they're going to come.’” X

KID CONNECTION

Bring literature to life

Ashley Allen is co-executive director of Read 2 Succeed Asheville/Buncombe (R2S), a local nonprofit that advances community-powered literacy to expand equity and access in education. After a decade teaching in Asheville City Schools, Allen joined R2S leadership in 2023, following service on its board of directors. Allen leads educator and tutor training, data-informed interventions and cross-sector partnerships with local schools, housing communities and early childhood providers. She says she is committed to closing the race-based opportunity gap by engaging children, families and community partners through high-impact literacy programming.

Xpress: What is your greatest concern for our area youths, and what can we as a community do to address it?

Allen: One of our greatest concerns is that systemic barriers, including housing instability, inequitable access to high-quality instruction and chronic underinvestment in public education, make it harder for many children to acquire the literacy skills they need to thrive. Early reading proficiency shapes confidence, academic success and long-term opportunity. The good news: This is community work. Read aloud daily. Volunteer as a tutor. Learn about the Science of Reading. Donate culturally responsive books. Support local education justice efforts. When families, schools, community partners and neighbors align around evidence-based reading support, we strengthen opportunity for all of Asheville’s children. What are some unique strategies for making education something kids embrace?

Children are wired for curiosity. Brain science shows they are intrinsically motivated to learn when they feel safe, connected and capable. Every child wants to learn, and all families want the very best for them. Start with relationship. Make learning relational, not transactional. Let kids choose books that reflect their interests and identities. Read with them, not just to them; ask questions, invite predictions, laugh together. Celebrate small wins and treat mistakes as part of growth. When children feel trusted, encouraged and seen, their confidence rises, and confidence is the engine that drives real learning. What’s the most popular activity you do with kids, and what makes it so engaging?

Hands down, our reading carnivals and guest author visits bring literacy to life. These no-cost community events connect families to free books and education resources while giving children direct access to Black children’s book authors and their stories. As access to diverse books is actively being challenged, we celebrate them boldly. We intentionally hire local BIPOC-owned businesses, including DJs, caterers, face painters and performers, reinvesting in our community. Children light up as they hop, rhyme, sing and read through interactive, evidence-based games that strengthen literacy skills. When reading feels vibrant and communal, children build identities as lifelong learners. X

The truth is out there

BY MERIN M c DIVITT

Growing up, Barry Markovsky experienced the same sense of wonder that we all do as kids — spotting a supposed UFO in the night sky while camping or reveling in the magic of the tooth fairy before bed. In his case, however, these early mysteries forged a lifetime of questioning why people believe these things.

This curiosity led him into an illustrious career as a sociologist at Stanford University, the University of Iowa, the National Science Foundation and, ultimately, as distinguished professor emeritus in sociology at the University of South Carolina. Along the way, Markovsky went down countless research rabbit holes to understand how beliefs in ghosts, psychic powers and quack science, among many other ideas, become widely accepted.

After publishing a number of articles on the topic for a general audience and retiring to Asheville, he penned Everyday Extraordinary: A Scientist Ponders a Lifetime of Magical, Bizarre, and Paranormal Experiences

“Each of the book’s chapters tells a true story of a strange experience that happened to people close to me or to me personally,” Markovsky explains. “Following the story, I dig below the surface to uncover the underlying causes of the experience.”

Everyday Extraordinary will be available locally at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, where he will celebrate the book’s launch with an event at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 17. (RSVP for the event at avl.mx/fe3.) The book is also widely available online.

Xpress recently spoke with the author to discuss the book’s creation process and upcoming publication by Prometheus Books.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for brevity and clarity.

Xpress: You have a long, distinguished background in social psychology. What first fascinated you with this field?

Markovsky: I can trace it back to a chapter of an introductory psychology text that I stumbled across in high school. The chapter was about perception. I was especially struck by how easily optical illusions trick our brains into seeing things that aren’t there.

I also had a book of magic tricks, and that reinforced the idea that while our brains are wired for survival, they’re not always so adept at interpreting reality. I started college as a psychology major and quickly expanded into sociology as a second major.

As a social psychologist, what led you to write Everyday Extraordinary, exploring why we believe in the most unbelievable phenomena?

I taught a college-level course, Sociology of the Paranormal, for many years. Half of the course focused on critical thinking and on properly testing extraordinary claims using scientific methods — things like UFOs, ESP, ghosts, astrology, Bigfoot, faith healing, cults and conspiracy theories. The other half of the course wove psychology and sociology into these discussions to help explain their popularity despite poor evidence and, at times, total disproof. I decided a few years ago to draw on some of that material, but to make it more personal, fun and accessible to everyone.

We seem to be living in a golden age for conspiracy theories, from the political to the supernatural. Is there something about the present moment that helps even the most outlandish ideas find an audience — or has it always been this way?

The research generally shows that the proportion of people in a population who believe in conspiracy theories has been relatively stable over time. But thanks to social media’s pervasive reach, conspiracy theories travel faster, farther and more efficiently across these platforms, making more people than ever aware of their existence. My sense is that

A SKEPTICAL EYE: “Skepticism doesn’t mean rejection. It means considering alternative explanations, not necessarily trusting authorities and not necessarily trusting our own impressions and gut feelings,” says sociologist Barry Markovsky, discussing his recently released book. Images courtesy of the author

the conspiracies are more frequent than in the past but also have shorter lifespans as older ones are crowded out by newer ones.

What worries you the most about these unproven or fantastical concepts entering the mainstream?

People ask me all the time, “What’s the harm in believing in psychic powers or astrology, for example?” Usually, there isn’t any.

But believing false claims incurs harm as soon as people start to invest in them financially or emotionally. Psychics use known tricks to play on emotions and fool people into paying large sums of cash to remove curses or communicate with deceased loved ones. This is just one of many possible examples. Another would be the rise in illnesses and deaths in the U.S. and globally that are directly attributable to false information, causing unfounded hesitancy toward vaccines.

What has it been like to write for a general audience after a career in academia?

It’s been a dream come true, to be honest. I spent decades learning about human and group behavior. Much of that work was aimed at understanding the basic building blocks of groups and societies — but all that was written for other social scientists.

I always felt that more people could get interested in this stuff if it were framed and written in more relatable ways. Almost a decade

ago, I began trying to do this. I wrote articles for general audiences alongside the academic writing I was already doing. It was a great challenge, and I’ve learned a lot from the process.

What led you to bring in personal stories, and were there certain memories you knew you had to include?

A central point of the book is that we all have experiences that feel special and extraordinary. But these are far more common than most people realize, and there’s lots of great research to help unlock their mysteries and unite us in sharing these common experiences.

The stories I selected for the book were ones that had the greatest emotional impact on me and that I felt would be relatable to readers: recalling my own magical thinking in early childhood; my openness to crazy ideas in adolescence; and the angsty need for connection.

If the readers of Everyday Extraordinary leave with one thing, what do you hope it is?

I would love readers to come away with a more skeptical attitude toward extraordinary claims, even those they themselves might believe. Skepticism doesn’t mean rejection. It means considering alternative explanations, not necessarily trusting authorities and not necessarily trusting our own impressions and gut feelings. Science learns from its mistakes, and so can we. X The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Practical/Vocational Nursing Program is pursuing pre-accreditation candidacy status from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20037; phone 202-909-2487

Interested parties are invited to submit third party comments in writing directly to NLN CNEA (cneaaccreditation@nln.org) no later than April 22, 2026.

Garden Camp!

Fresh starts Appalachian Growers

The Appalachian Growers Seed Collective (AGSC) celebrates its third year with the expansion of retail sales efforts. A program of the Ashevillebased nonprofit Utopian Seed Project (USP), AGSC now offers 16 seed varieties at local brick-and-mortar locations in addition to online sales.

AGSC is a collective of 10 Southern Appalachian farms that grow seeds proven to thrive in the local climate. Seed varieties are further adapted to local conditions through a multiyear selection process.

The collective has more than 30 varieties available, ranging from beans and okra to sesame seed and sorghum. New varieties this growing season include LD Reel hot pepper, Wandering tomatillo and three new types of tomato.

“There is very little seed that is grown in the South and bred for our challenging growing climate,” says Yanna Fishman of USP in a press release. “Most seed in the USA is grown in cooler, drier parts of the country where they don’t deal with the same stresses on plants from extreme heat, humidity, and pest pressure.”

Seed racks can be found at West Village Market and French Broad Food Co-op in Asheville and The Farm Connection garden center in Marshall.

To learn more and order seeds, visit avl.mx/fdf

The Hubbub spotlights local farms, food hubs

ble and fruit Share Market 3-5 p.m. the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the William Randolph School gymnasium, 90 Montford Ave. The markets are open to all, and all produce is free. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own bags.

Local home growers and community gardeners are invited to share their harvests at the market. “The goal is for the Share Markets to be supported by community agriculture,” says Cathy Cleary of Bountiful Cities. “And the ultimate goal is for this to increase urban agriculture and access to fresh food.” In the past four months, the markets have shared 8,500 pounds of food, Cleary adds.

To learn more, or to sign up as a Share Market grower, visit avl.mx/fdj.

HOT STUFF: The LD Reel hot pepper is one of several new vegetable varieties available from the Appalachian Growers Seed Collective this year. Photo courtesy of AGSC

and entertainment will be provided by Free Planet Radio with Anya Hinkle The after-party, 9-11 p.m., includes a cash bar and raffle along with music and dancing with DJ Lil Meow Meow. Tickets for the main event and after-party are $100 each and include two free drinks. After-party tickets are on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Hope Grows Community Garden kicks off in Waynesville

Hope Grows Community Garden, a new Waynesville nonprofit garden dedicated to growing produce for organizations serving food-insecure individuals and families in Haywood County, will launch its first growing season in May. In addition to vegetable production, the volunteer-led garden will include pollinator spaces and an on-site compost station.

Local farms and food hubs are the focus — and the beneficiaries — of WNC Food Coalition’s inaugural fundraising event, The Hubbub, on Saturday, March 21, 7-11 p.m. at Highland Brewing’s Event Center. Proceeds will benefit Western North Carolina food hubs, organizations that support local farms and community members through buying, selling, storing and distributing food across the regional food system.

“This group regularly buys from over 350 small farm businesses across WNC,” says Megan Martell of the WNC Food Coalition. “These hubs, along with the others in our Food Hub Collaborative, form a powerful force for easing hunger, building a strong local economy and keeping farmers farming.”

For the main event, 7-9 p.m., WNC Food Coalition partner Equal Plates Project will collaborate with area food hubs and farms to create locally sourced appetizer grazing tables. Brunk Auctions will host a live auction,

To learn more and buy tickets, visit avl.mx/fdg.

Learn about biochar

Researcher and educator Alex Gray and Bountiful Cities will host a biochar workshop at 1 p.m. Friday, March 27, at the Pearson Garden Food Hub, 408 Pearson Drive. The workshop will explore what the charcoallike soil amendment is, how to make it and how it can help with soil regeneration and improved crop yields. Participants should dress for the weather and bring a bucket to take home their own compost sample. Free to attend; donations are appreciated.

Learn more at avl.mx/fdh.

No-cost veggie Share Market

Bountiful Cities and MANNA FoodBank partner to host a free vegeta-

“Hope Grows provides a space where people of all experience levels can work side by side planting, tending and harvesting crops while learning practical growing methods,” says organizer Rachel Lopez. Community members are invited to volunteer; an interest meeting is being planned for early April.

Learn more at avl.mx/fdk.

Plant sales

• Spring Cold Season Plant Sale:10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, Peace Gardens & Market, 47 Bryant St. Honor-system sales, sliding scale $5-$8 per unit. Learn more at avl.mx/fdm.

• Spring Equinox Cob Oven Pizza Party and Greenhouse Plant Sale:15 p.m. Saturday, March 22, Long Branch Environmental Education Center, 278 Boyd Cove Road, Leicester. Learn more at avl.mx/fdl.

• Spring Native Plant Sale: Noon-5 p.m. Friday, May 15, and 9 a.m.2 p.m. Saturday, May 16, Asheville Botanical Garden, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd. Learn more at avl.mx/fdn.

— Gina Smith X

Children notice more than adults think

Kiley Pritchard is a program leader with Asheville Parks & Recreation. Since May 2023, she’s worked in community outreach, specializing in Rec ‘n’ Roll, the city’s mobile recreation unit that brings activities to neighborhoods and local parks. She also supports special events, creating fun, accessible opportunities for individuals and families.

Xpress: For readers who don’t regularly interact with young people, what might surprise them about Generation Alpha (those born between 2010 and 2024)?

What may surprise people about Gen Alpha is how thoughtful and self-aware a lot of kids are. They notice more than adults think — how people treat each other or when something feels unfair.

I also think people assume they only care about screens, but when we visit parks or neighborhoods with Rec ‘n’ Roll and put out crafts, games or anything hands-on, they dive right in. They still love to play, be silly and use their imagination.

One thing I’ve noticed is how much they appreciate being heard. Taking the time to listen and ask questions goes a long way. At the end of the day, they’re still kids — they just have a little more awareness of the world around them.

A common complaint about Asheville is that it doesn’t have a ton of kid-friendly activities for children, especially downtown. Are there any overlooked, affordable opportunities that you wish more parents and guardians knew about?

Asheville Parks & Recreation offers a variety of affordable, high-quality programs for kids of all ages just minutes from downtown. Programs range from summer camps and options dedicated to homeschooled students to youth cooking classes and teen pool parties. Our toddler programs are a huge highlight, with themed activities and creative play offered all year long.

Larger events like Tiny Tykes Day at the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center and Truck City at Tanger Outlets Asheville are also perfect for families. I’d definitely recommend checking out our full program guide at avlrec. com to see what’s coming up.

What’s the most popular activity you do with kids, and what makes it so engaging?

One of our most popular activities is definitely imagination playground. The giant blue foam blocks are a hit with toddlers, though we often see older kids and parents jumping in on the fun. Whether they’re building tunnels, walls, cars or elaborate houses, it’s awesome to watch their creativity take over.

What makes it so engaging is that there’s no “right” way to play. It’s the perfect example of how kids just need a little space and the right tools to let their imaginations run wild. X

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

VOICES IN SONG: Asheville’s Womansong choir celebrates the release of its EP, The Echo Mountain Session, at The Mule on Friday, March 13, starting at 6:30 p.m. The festivities will feature live performances, special drinks and an opportunity to meet members of the chorus. Photo courtesy of Kristin Shelly

MARCH. 11 - MARCH. 19, 2026

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.

 Online-only events

 More info, page 48

 More info, page 50

WELLNESS

50+ Yoga

For individuals aged 50 and above, focusing on gentle movements and flexibility, taught by Barbara.

WE (3/11, 3/18), FR (3/13), MO (3/16), noon, Weaverville Yoga, 3-B Florida Avenue

Anahata Yoga

A heart-centered yoga practice focusing on the Anahata chakra, led by Barbara.

WE (3/11, 3/18), FR (3/13), SA (3/14), MO (3/16), 10:30am, Weaverville Yoga, 3-B Florida Avenue

Tai Chi Fan

The Tai Chi Fan class includes a short Flying Rainbow Single Fan form, partner work, and Flying

Rainbow Double Fan form.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Community Yoga w/ Carrie

A free hour of yoga, meditation and mindfulness with local yoga instructor.

WE (3/11), 10:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave Meditation for Community Healers

Inviting all who contribute to the wellbeing of our community, including psychotherapists, spiritual teachers, bodyworkers, social workers and more.

WE (3/11, 18), 10:00am, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Sound Meditation w/ Eric Lindstrom

A variety of instruments and techniques will be used to weave a sound tapestry that relaxes the nervous system and stimulates the heart space.

WE (3/11), 1:30pm, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd

Small Group Weightlifting Class

A small group resistance training session using barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells to develop strength and muscle.

WE (3/11, 18), 1:00pm, Jungle Gym Asheville, 30 Davenport Rd

Tai Chi for Beginners

In the Beginner Tai Chi class, the focus is on the Yang 10 and 24 forms as well as Qigong exercises for health.

TH (3/12, 19), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Candlelight Flow

Yoga

Unwind in our all-levels Candlelight Flow Yoga class.

SU (3/15), 5pm, Happy Body Pilates, 25 Reed St., Suite 210

Metal Yoga w/ Quantum Mystic Where metal heads and misfits alike get to transform. Plan to sweat, stretch, growl and reset through this power flow.

MO (3/16), 6:30pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave

The Cultivation of Tranquility

Along with concentration and equanimity, tranquility has a special role within the balancing factors of Awakening.

MO (3/16), 6:30pm, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd

Yin Yang Qigong

Together, we will balance the Yin and Yang within to effortlessly smooth out internal and external physical, emotional and mental disharmonies.

MO (3/16), 10am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Kinēsa Mat Class

Kinēsa focuses on retraining the brain and calming the nervous system to release habitual patterns of posture, movement, and body mechanics.

TU (3/17), 8:30am, Happy Body Pilates, 25 Reed St., Suite 210

Qigong for Health and Resilience

We practice a variety of simple yet powerful standing movements that can be as deep and challenging as you wish.

TU (3/17), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Home Practice & Retreats w/David Dixon

David Dixon will provide practical techniques to develop your home practice: prerequisites, making time, and sticking

with it.

WE (3/18), 6:30pm, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd

Quantum Energy Healing & Transformation: Group Session w/Meg

A group session focusing on connecting in the quantum field to release limitations, clear trauma imprints, and embody more light.

TH (3/19), 7pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Avenue

SUPPORT GROUPS

AA for Early Birds

Early AA meeting in the Library of The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 7:30am, The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness, 1895 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Community Listening Circle

This free virtual listening circle offers a judgement-free, trauma-informed space to gather, reset and reflect-together. Register at avl.mx/f9u.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 12pm, Online

Staying Grounded in Shaky Times

It will explore a variety of spiritual practices including meditation, breath-work, meditative movement and more.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 2pm,

AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave

Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders Support Group

This support group is peer-led and facilitated by licensed therapists & dietitians specializing in eating disorders. Regiser at avl.mx/es6.

WE (3/11, 18), 6pm, Online

WNC MS Support Group

This support group provides a chance for individuals with MS, their families, friends and other care partners to share common experiences and concerns, provide and receive emotional support too.

WE (3/11, 1pm, CenterWell Senior Primary Care, 1425 Patton Ave Reconnecting Through Hard Times

This quick but valuable, interactive training offers simple, powerful strategies to support others after a crisis. Register at avl.mx/f9v.

TH (3/12, 19), 12pm, Online

Nicotine Anonymous

People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend.

TH (3/12, 3/19), 4:30pm, Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit 4

Caregiver Support Group w/Stronger Together Wellness Stronger Together Wellness empowers caregivers through shared experiences, fostering a vibrant community that inspires healing, resilience, and hope on the journey to recovery.

TH (3/12), 3pm, AmeriHealth Caritas NC Wellness and Opportunity Center, 216 Asheland Ave

Solutions Group Daily living sober meeting. For more information, visit avl.mx/f91.

SU (3/15), 12:30pm, Virtual, Online

Sunrise AA Meeting Daily virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. For more information, visit avl.mx/f91.

SU (3/15), 7am, Virtual, Online

Families Anonymous Support group for those affected by someone else’s addiction. We support each other with support of program.

TU (3/17), 6pm, Love & Respect, 350 Chadwick Ave Suite 300

The Men’s Nest Make meaningful human connections to strengthen your social health, cultivate compassion, and learn to use your power to give and receive authentic support.

TU (3/17), 5:15pm, SeekHealing, 50 S. French Broad Ave

Winter Women Meeting Monthly meeting for mature women to discuss and study Celtic Spirituality. TH (3/19), noon, First Congregational Church of Christ of Asheville, 20 Oak Street

DANCE

Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ MTN VIBEZ A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Country Line Dance w/ Kristey Featuring beginner and advanced classes that are open to everyone. Dust off your favorie boots, and get ready to groove.

WE (3/11), 6pm, Eda’s Hide-a-Way, 1098 New Stock Rd, Weaverville Country Western Line Dancing & Two-Stepping Steppin’ Out AVL presents three hours of free line dancing and two-stepping in a friendly, inclusive environment. No boots, partner or experience needed.

TH (3/12, 3/19), 6:00pm, Banks Ave, 32 Banks Ave

Nia Dance Class

Nia brings the body, mind, emotions, and spirit to optimal health through music, movement, and self expression.

TH (3/12, 3/19), TU (3/17), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

We Line Dance

Instructor Brenda Mills leads an all-inclusive exercise class using line dancing to get your body moving.

TH (3/12, 3/19), 6:15pm, Stephens-Lee Rec Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Monday Night Contra

Dance

There will be a lesson at 7 p.m. and then participants can dance to a live band and caller at 7:30 p.m.

MO (3/16), 7:30pm, A-B Tech Community College, 340 Victoria Rd

Beginning Belly Dance

Every class is a gentle but excellent workout that is focused on building core strength, flexibility, balance, confidence, and grace.

TU (3/17), 6pm, Uphora Dance & Fitness, 1501

ART

Highwater: Ceramics from the Gail & Brian McCarthy Collection Highwater features ceramics from the collection of Gail & Brian McCarthy, celebrating the 45-year legacy of Highwater Clays as a pillar of the ceramics community in WNC and beyond. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through April 26, 2026.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Modern Bestiary: Creatures from the Collection

This exhibition explores the artistic legacy of the medieval bestiary through a selection of animals and fantastic beasts from the Museum’s Collection. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through March 15, 2026.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Women of the Pacific Northwest

This exhibition celebrates the voices, visions and material mastery of female artists working today, with roots from this rich and progressive region. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through May 17, 2026.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Virginia Derryberry:

Private Domain

Featuring large-scale narrative figure paintings, the exhibition will explore themes of duality, transformation,

and human complexity through imagery drawn from alchemy, mythology, and contemporary life. Gallery open Wednesday through Sunday, noon. Exhibition through April 10, 2026.

Upstairs Artspace Gallery, 49 S Trade Street

Dialogue: Lindenfeld & Lindenfeld

This exhibition celebrates the works of mother-daughter artists, Lore Kadden Lindenfeld and Naomi Lindenfeld. It features clay and mixed media work of Naomi Lindenfeld as she responded to a selection of her mother Lore’s innovative textiles. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through May, 9.

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Curves Ahead: Contemporary Art Exhibition

Discover Curves Ahead, a contemporary craft exhibition showcasing regional artists whose work explores form, movement, and organic shape across multiple media. Gallery open daily, 10am. Exhibition through March, 22. Focus Gallery at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382 Blue Ridge Pkwy

Stitching Stories

Reimagined

This free traveling exhibit translates incarcerated women’s individual struggles into a symbol of resilience, healing, empathy, and advocacy. Gallery open daily, 9am. Exhibition through March 26. Black Mountain United Methodist Church, 101 Church St, Black Mountain

The 58th Juried Undergraduate Exhibition

This exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity for WCU undergraduate students to share their artwork with a larger public and to enhance their skills in presenting artwork in a professional gallery setting. Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through March, 20, 2026.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr

Stitching Stories

Reimagined

This free traveling exhibit translates incarcerated women’s individual struggles into a symbol of resilience, healing, empathy, and advocacy. Gallery open daily, 9am. Exhibition through March 26.

Black Mountain United Methodist Church, 101 Church St, Black Mountain

Pink Dog Mardi Gras: Lovers, Sinners & Misfits

Twenty-eight artists

present works encompassing a multi-faceted interpretation of the holiday: the European influence of masquerade, the exuberance of New Orleans’ renowned parades, elaborate parties and unique Cajun and African American traditions. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through March 28. Pink Dog Creative, 348 Depot St

Closing Reception: Art Earth & Soul Kollective

A closing reception of Art Earth and Soul Kollective, a multi-disciplinary exhibition exploring history, community, belief, and imagination — and how they shape our sense of place and belonging.

SA (3/14), 5pm, YMI Cultural Center, 39 S Market Street

Public Tour: Featured Exhibition

A guided tour of the museum’s current featured exhibition.

SA (3/14), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Second Saturday Art Stroll

Featuring live music, clay demonstrations, and refreshments.

SA (3/14), 11am, Odyssey Gallery of Ceramic Arts, 238 Clingman Ave

After Hours: Gears & Beers

Celebrate the opening of AMOS’ newest exhibit Gear Up: The Science of Bikes. See 14 vintage bicycles throughout time and explore bike physics and material science with hands-on interactives. Plus enjoy beers from DSSOLVR and a DJ set from Ecstatic Listening. TH (3/19), 6pm, AMOS, 43 Patton Ave

COMMUNITY MUSIC

St. Pat’s Concert: An Evening of Celtic Music & Mythic Tales Laval takes listeners

on a musical journey across Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, and the misty shores of Brittany.

FR (3/13), 7:30pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

Womansong: The Echo Mountain Session

Asheville’s Womansong choir will be in the house celebrating the release of their recording at Echo Mountain with viewing of the session and live performances.

FR (3/13), 6:30pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Road St. 10

Blue Ridge Classical Guitar Orchestra Concert

This special concert will feature contemporary French, ragtime, Irish folk, Philip Glass as well as several solo performances.

SU (3/15), 3pm, First Congregational Church, 1735 5th Ave West

Brevard Philharmonic Presents: Chamber Orchestra

Performed by a smaller ensemble of Philharmonic musicians, this concert brings you closer to the music, revealing details and nuances you don’t always hear in a full orchestral setting.

SU (3/15), 3pm, Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church, 249 E. Main Street

Artist Residency: A Celebration of Voice Kickoff

Meet artist-in-residence Isabel Leonard and wel come her to Asheville.

MO (3/16), 6pm, The Barrel Room at the Funkatorium, 147 Coxe Ave

By the Hearth: An Evening w/Simon de Voil & Samara Jade Celtic wisdom keeper Simon de Voil and beloved Asheville musician Samara Jade weave music and storytelling for a spell binding, heartwarming evening of Celtic music, stories, lore and handcraft by the fire in Kanuga’s Fireplace

Asheville Fringe Festival

• One Word West

520 Haywood Rd.

• Sunday, March 15 | 7 p.m.

The 24th annual Asheville Fringe Arts Festival officially kicks off at One World West. Enjoy performances, pick up festival guides, buy tickets and merch, meet artists and staff, all while listening to Asheville’s very own We Have Ignition.

Lounge.

TU (3/17), 5:30pm, Kanuga, 47 Kanuga Chapel Dr

Voice Recital w/Isabel Leonard

The incomparable Isabel Leonard will take the stage alongside pianist John Arida for a recital featuring selections by Garcia-Lorca, Montsalvatge, Bizet, traditional Spanish songs, and more.

TU (3/17), 7pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Welcome to Bridge

Have fun, meet new people and exercise your brain. Register at the website or by emailing mailto:abrclubmanager@gmail.com.

WE (3/11, 18), 10am, Asheville Bridge Room at Beth Israel Synagouge

Inner Exploration Through Mindful Writing w/Jake Kramer

Have fun, meet new people and exercise your brain. Register at the website or by emailing mailto:abrclubmanager@gmail.com.

TH (3/21), 1:30pm, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

The Poetry & Paint Experience

An immersive and interactive event during which those in atten-

dance can participate in various activities such as open mic poetry, group poetry creation, group painting projects and more.

FR (3/13), 7pm, Hi-Wire South Slope, 197 Hilliard Ave

Building Brain-Healthy Habits

A free education session that teach how everyday habits that you build today can help you protect your memory and thinking as you get older, even reducing your risk of cognitive decline and possibly dementia.

TH (3/19), 3pm, Henderson County Public Library, 301 N Washington Street

LITERARY

Poetry Open Mic Asheville’s longest-running open mic, welcoming all forms of creative expression. Sign-up at 8 p.m. for a 5 or 10-minute spot.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 8:30pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

Jordan Greene Presents: How (Not) To Conjure a Boyfriend w/F.T. Lukens NC author Jordan Greene presents his new YA fiction How (Not) to Conjure a Boyfriend, in conversation with local YA author F.T. Lukens. The event is free, but registration is required to reserve

your seat. WE (3/11), 6pm, Malaprop’s Bookstore/ Cafe, 55 Haywood St Library Tour

We’ll take you behind the scenes at the library, highlighting things you may or may not know and sharing tips for making the most of your library. WE (3/11), 3:30pm, Transylvania County Library, Brevard, 212 S Gaston Street

Thomas Wolfe Short Story Discussion: The Child by Tiger Listen to a curated selection of Wolfe’s short stories, each paired with an engaging and informative discussion led by local experts. TH (3/12), 7pm, Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site, 52 N Market St

Second Saturday Storytime & Craft Join us for stories, songs, movement and more as we celebrate and promote early and emergent literacy. SA (3/14), 11am, Transylvania County Library, Brevard, 212 S Gaston Street

Flooded Poetry Mondays Poetry-specific open mic, starring you plus weekly featured readers, every Monday. MO (3/16), 6:30pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd #1200

Book Club: Montreat, A Postcard History w/ Mary Standaert

Author and Montreat resident Dr. Mary Standaert will lead the discussion about the genesis of the book.

TU (3/17), 2pm, Presbyterian Heritage Center, 18 Georgia Terrace

Celebrating Justin Townes Earle: ‘What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome’ Book Reading & Signing

Bernstein will read excerpts from his book and chat with local writer/musician Jay Moye about Earle’s life and career, with a focus on the acclaimed singer/songwriter’s Asheville legacy.

WE (3/18), 6pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Asheville StorySLAM: Fumbles & Fouls

Prepare a five minute story about the moment you dropped the ball. Oops, I did it again or did I do thaaaat? Tryouts, rehearsals, interviews, or dates. The highest of stakes or the lowest of lows.

TH (3/19), 7:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Midnight Draft Poetry

Open Mic Open mic poetry followed by a special reading from two-time Pushcart Prize winner and author of nine collections of poetry,

Claire Bateman. TH (3/19), 6:30pm, The Argot Room, 717 Haywood Rd World Affairs Book Club

Where passionate readers and engaged citizens delve into thought-provoking books.

TH (3/19), 10am, Transylvania County Library, Brevard, 212 S Gaston Street

THEATER & FILM

Androcles & The Lion Shaw’s comedy skewers both the powerful and the pious in his witty version of the fable of the injured Lion and the kindness shown to him by the gentle tailor Androcles.

FR (3/13), SA (3/14), 2:30pm, 35below, 35 E Walnut St

Private Lives

When former spouses Elyot and Amanda accidentally reunite on their honeymoons with new partners, their rekindled passion quickly spirals into chaos—setting off a witty and volatile battle of love, jealousy, and temptation. See p50 FR (3/13), 7:30pm, SA (3/14), SU (3/15), 3pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St Bodytraffic

This internationally renowned dance company is celebrated for

KID CONNECTION

its technical prowess and versatility, with artists expertly mastering a repertoire that spans ballet, contemporary, modern, Afro-Cuban, and hip hop genres. FR (3/13), SA (3/14), 8pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Foreign Film Friday: Life is Beautiful

When an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.

FR (3/13), 7pm, Flood Gallery, 802 Fairview Rd #1200

Swan Lake: International Ballet Stars

Step into the world of Swan Lake, a story of love, magic, and triumph, brought to life through the powerful choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score.

FR (3/13), 7pm, Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville, 87 Haywood St Androcles & the Lion Shaw’s comedy skewers both the powerful and the pious in his witty version of the fable of the injured Lion and the kindness shown to him by the gentle tailor Androcles.

SU (3/15), 2:30pm, Reuter Center, 300 Campus View Road

Take advantage of your public libraries

Sadie Rehm is the youth services librarian at the North Asheville Public Library. She has been in her role since October 2023. Before her work in public libraries, Sadie was a high school Spanish teacher and an outdoor educator.

Xpress: A common complaint about Asheville is that it doesn’t have a ton of kid-friendly activities for children, especially downtown. Are there any overlooked, affordable opportunities that you wish more parents and guardians knew about?

Rehm: Utilize your local library! Buncombe County residents are eligible to sign up for a free library card. Our 12 libraries each have designated areas for children, many featuring toys, light tables, games and art activities — in addition to books, of course! Programs at the library are always free to attend. Some popular programs include weekly Story Times, LEGO clubs and Dungeons & Dragons clubs for teens/tweens. See avl.mx/fdd for the schedule. And make sure to check out library ZOOM passes, which allow you to reserve free day passes to local attractions like the WNC Nature Center, AMOS and the N.C. Arboretum. What is one popular and useful activity you conduct with the kids you work with, and what lessons can this activity provide in how to engage young people in the learning process?

Music is engaging for all ages and great for development. Toddlers thrive with repetition. They love to sing the same songs week after week in my Story Times. We often build in actions and use sign language. Kids love to see and hear the guitar, and they don’t care how many chords you know. At home, putting on an album and dancing around — or making up a silly song during a diaper change — can really turn around a tough day. With tweens and teens, let them take over the playlist now and then, and listen with an open mind. Is there a youth-focused organization that is doing fantastic work in the community? If so, tell us what impresses you about them.

Raíces Emma-Erwin provides awesome art, culture and dance programming for kids in the Emma area. They create a space for kids to learn folkloric dances and build community. X

The Many Lives of Carl Sandburg

His extraordinary life story is told by six actors who will give dramatic and humorous readings from his poetry and prose and sing songs from his American Songbag.

SU (3/15), 2:30pm, The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness, 1895 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

TheaterWorksUSA presents Stuntboy, In the Meantime

Based on the award-winning graphic novel by Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third, this adaptation follows middle-schooler Portico Reeves—aka Stuntboy—whose superpower is keeping everyone safe.

TU (3/17), 10am, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Longform Improv Jam

The Joyride team will facilitate warm-ups and exercises that put improvisers in the longform mindset. Then we’ll let you hit the stage and entertain us with improvised montages.

TH (3/19), 6:30pm, Enka-Candler Public Library, 1404 Sand Hill Rd

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Social Seniors

A social gathering for seniors to engage in various activities and connect with peers.

Open Monday through Friday, 9am, Grove Street Community Center, 36 Grove S

Rebuilding the Riverfront info Booth at Pisgah View Apartments

Help our community move from “ideas” to “action” with your expertise in the next phase of community feedback.

WE (3/11), 1pm, Pisgah View Apartments, 1 Granada Street

IBN Biz Lunch: Brevard/Pisgah Forest

Attendees can promote their business, products, and services, and meet new referral contacts. Optional food and drinks available for purchase.

TH (3/12), noon, Hawg Wild Smokehouse & Taproom, 91 Pisgah Hwy

Knit Night

A laid back night of knitting, cocktails, food, and community, in partnership with Black Mountain Yarn Shop. All experience levels welcome.

TH (3/12), 6:30pm, Oak and Grist Distilling Co., 1556 Grovestone Rd

Rebuilding the Riverfront info Booth at Ruff ‘n’ Roll in Riverbend Park

Help our community move from “ideas” to “action” with your expertise in the next phase of community feedback.

TH (3/12), 5pm, Riverbend Park, 100 Bleachery Blvd

The Transformative Power of Art & Ornament in the Landscape In this lecture, Mardi will share examples from some of her favorite public and private gardens across the country, along with pieces she has selected and placed in her own local designs.

TH (3/12), 4pm, Reems Creek Nursery, 76 Monticello Rd

Atheists of WNC

This little Atheist group invites anyone who doesn’t believe in religions to come chat with like-minded people. Find out more at avl.mx/f8c.

SU (3/15), 10am, EarthFare - Westgate, 66 Westgate Pkw Hope, Mindfulness, and Success in the Midst of Political Chaos & Upheaval: A Former FBI Agent’s Perspective Ken will discuss the ground truth of law enforcement operations, checks and balances, resistance versus protest, and the tools, techniques, and action items for the path forward, drawing on lessons from his time in the military, Federal law enforcement, and international corporate leadership.

SU (3/15), 2:30pm, Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 227 Edgewood Rd Sunday Celebration

An uplifting science of mind celebration.

SU (3/15), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science of Mind Way

Beyond Luck: Finding the Right Caregiver Local experts will lead a one-hour virtual panel that will help family caregivers understand where to start, how to evaluate in-home care or adult day services, and what funding options may be available.

TU (3/17), noon, Online, Online Woodfin Greenways There are a lot of questions about what’s been going on with our greenways since Woodfin signed the agreement in 2017 with Buncombe County for the County to build our French Broad Greenway and Beaverdam Creek Greenway. Listen intently to this friendly Q&A between the Greenway Staff and our Woodfin Council

members.

TU (3/17), 5pm, Woodfin Town Hall, 90 Elk Mountain Rd

Open Page: A Meditative Writing Circle

This circle presents free-writing as a tool for healing and personal inquiry. Also known as continuous stream-of-consciousness writing, free-writing is a meditative practice that bypasses thoughts of self doubt or critiquing.

TU (3/17), 5:30pm, Quietude, 1130 Montreat Rd

League of Women Voters 101

Come out and learn about what League of Women Voters Asheville -Buncombe County is doing to protect your voting rights and what you can do. Bring your lunch, but dessert and tea will be provided.

WE (3/18), 12:30pm, East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road

Men’s Garden Club of Asheville: Conservation & Wildlife Habitats

Bobbie Pell, a trained naturalist with a degree in Outdoor Environmental Education, will discuss conservation and preservation with an emphasis on Wildlife Federation Habitat garden certification. The public is welcome and invited to attend.

WE (3/18), 12:30pm, East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Road

Harwood Cole Literary Lecture w/Vanessa Hua

For two decades, Hua has been writing about Asia and the diaspora, filing stories from China, Burma, Panama, South Korea, and Ecuador. In her lecture, she will read excerpts from her works and discuss her life as a writer.

TH (3/19), 5:30pm, Alfred G. Canon Lounge at Warren Wilson College, 14 Upper College Rd

GAMES & CLUBS

Asheville Board Game Club Meetup

Play a wide variety of games—strategy, party, cooperative, and more—and we’re always happy to teach, so no experience needed!

WE (3/11, 3/18), 5:30pm, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101 Game Night Open, casual game night—come and go as you please. An assortment of board games available to play.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 5pm, Hi-Wire RAD Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St Board Game Night

Bring your favorite board games, card games or RPG and settle in for a fun night

with friends.

WE (3/11, 18), 5pm, Oak and Grist Distiling Co., 1556 Grovestone Rd, Back Mountain Homeschooler’s Hangout

Games help develop cognitive skills, including decision-making, problem-solving, and logical analysis.

TH (3/12, 3/19), 11am, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101

Southside After Praise

After church, enjoy an afternoon of playing spades or dominoes.

SU (3/15), 1:30pm, Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Weekly Sunday Scrabble

If you like Wordle, Boggle, Words with Friends or Scrabble online, this club may be a good fit for you. All of the games are provided.

SU (3/15), 1:30pm, Stephens-Lee Rec Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Pool Night

Pool night, every Monday night with a $5 buy in. Must be signed up by 7 p.m.

MO (3/16), 6:30pm, Eda’s Hide-a-Way, 1098 New Stock Rd, Weaverville

RAD Music Bingo

Bring your charged cell phone, listed to music, mark off squares until you get a bingo, win prizes.

MO (3/16), 7pm, Eda’s H-Wire Rad Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St Game Designers of NC Meetup

Come playtest the next generation of games.

TU (3/17), 6pm, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101

Magic: The Gathering

Whether you’ve been playing for years or are just starting your journey, this is your chance to battle, brew, and build community.

TU (3/17), 6pm, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, 101

KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS

Baby Story Time

A lively language enrichment story time designed for children ages 4 to 18 months.

TH (3/12, 3/19), 10:30am, Oakley/South Asheville Library, 749 Fairview Rd

Kids Kung Fu

A foundational Kung Fu class for children, focusing on building confidence and discipline.

TH (3/12) 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merimon Ave

Black Cat Tales: Story Time w/Cats

Families with children age 7 & under are invited to relax in the cat lounge and listen to a cat-centric book surrounded by our resident panthers.

FR (3/13) 4pm, House of Black Cat Magic, 841 Haywood Rd

LOCAL MARKETS

RAD Farmers Market

A year-round weekly market featuring local fruits vegetables, meats, bread, honey, eggs, pastries, flowers, crafts and more.

SNAP, Double SNAP, & Farmers Market

Prescriptions accepted here.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 3pm, New Belgium Brewing Asheville, 21 Craven St

Weaverville Tailgate Market

This market features a selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese, baked goods, artisan bread, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and landscaping plants.

WE (3/11, 3/18), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Dark Market Asheville: Cryptids of the Appalachia Dark Market is back with a curated collection of over 35 of the best artists, makers and curators in the South East. This highly coveted night is full of

the mystics, oddities, apothecary, herbology, alchemy, curiosities, tarot and more.

FR (3/13), 5:30pm, Hi-Wire RAD Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St

Honky Tonk Flea

A monthly flea market featuring vintage clothing, antiques, handcrafted treasures, DJs, drinks, and food from Palms Food Truck.

SU (3/15), 11am, Eda’s Hide-a-Way, 1098 New Stock Rd, Weaverville

Junk-O-Rama Vintage Market

Full bad, vintage clothes, jewelry, local art & more.

SU (3/15), noon, Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Rd

WNC Farmers Market

This year-round market features locally grown produce, fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, plants, shops, arts and crafts, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily, 8am.

570 Brevard Rd

Unrelenting Art Market

A day of shopping for one-of-a-kind items from Native artists and vendors at Museum of the Cherokee People and take in a self-guided tour of Museum of the Cherokee People’s latest exhibit Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution.

TU (3/17), noon, Museum of the Cherokee People, 589 Tsali Blvd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

2nd Annual First Responder Mental Health & Wellness Summit

The First Responder Mental Health & Wellness Summit recognizes the importance of supporting mental health and well-being for the men and women who serve and risk their lives protecting our communities. .

TH (3/12), 5:30pm, Buncombe County Emergency Services Training Facility, 24 Canoe Ln

SA (3/14), 10am, Heart of Horse Sense, 7041 Meadows Town Rd

CSA Fair 2026

You can ask questions about what products are included in the CSA box throughout the year, the farm’s growing practices, payment options, and pickup locations.

TH (3/12), 3:30pm, YWCA of Asheville, 185 S French Broad Ave

ArtSoup

A part of Mars Hill’s First Fridays, these fun nights will feature dance parties, games and music with free hot soup, local sourdough and bagels.

FR (3/13), 6pm, Modern Local ArtSoup, 42 N Main St, Mars Hill

Public Star Gaze

This event is free and open to everyone, registration is not

necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be provided here on the day of the star gaze by 4:00 p.m. Sunset will occur at 7:36 p.m.

FR (3/13), 6pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2892 Grassland Pkwy

Pi Day

Ashley and the crew from Newstock will be on site serving up some delicious homemade pies by the slice. Or take home a mini-pie and a bottle of O&G to enjoy with friends and family.

SA (3/14), 2pm, Oak and Grist Distilling Co., 1556 Grovestone Rd

Asheville Fringe Festival

The 24th annual Asheville Fringe Arts Festival officially kicks off at One World West. Enjoy performances, pick up festival guides, buy tickets and merch, meet artists and staff, all while listening to Asheville’s very own We Have Ignition.

SU (3/15), 7pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

St. Paddy’s Day Party

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the Highland way with a full day of music, brews, and more.

SU (3/15), 11am, Taproom At Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy #200

St. Patrick’s Day & 10 Year Anniversary

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day and the 10 year

KID CONNECTION

Ask open-ended

questions

anniversary of the Green Mansion with traditional Celtic music presented by Fox and Crowe. Drink specials and food from Let’s Cook will be available.

TU (3/17), 6pm, Green Man Brewing, 27 Buxton Ave

VISUALS Equinox

Celebration w/Walker

Farrell

Ritual of Senses is a collaborative project of VISUALS Wine and Ceremony of Seasons Records with live performances by Walker Farrell, Tony Rolando, Sarah Louise, Feral Kin, and more.

TH (3/19), 7pm, Eulogy, 10 Buxton Ave New Dimensions Toastmasters Open House

Enjoy light speaking games, free pizza, and a friendly introduction to how Toastmasters builds confidence and communication skills. Free and open to everyone.

TH (3/19), 12pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 9 S Bear Creek Rd

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Pi Day: Irrational Ice Cream Flights & Bubble Teas On Pi Day, we’re celebrating the beauty of the irrational — the unpredictable, the unsimplifiable, the wonderfully chaotic

Eli Strull is the curator of education at the WNC Nature Center. He has worked in environmental education since 1998 and has been part of the Nature Center since 2001, where he has held a number of roles from animal care and training to event and volunteer coordination.

Xpress: It can be difficult for adults to get their children to engage with them in deep conversations. Do you have any tips for parents and guardians?

Strull: I think putting energy into cultivating curiosity for others’ thoughts, feelings and experiences is something that the recipient can intuit and often responds to with greater presence and care than perfunctory responses. Showing children they have our complete attention in a society where distractions are numerous can go a long way. Social science suggests we should maintain at least four positive experiences for every negative experience in a relationship. Asking open-ended questions about a child’s observations can show care and minimize one-word answers. Maintaining understanding when the time is not right for conversation helps too.

with irrational ice cream flights and bubble teas.

This year Pi Day is also a fundraiser and will benefit Marvelous Math Club.

SA (3/14), noon, The Hop Ice Cream, 640 Merrimon Ave St. Paddy’s Day Brunch: Lucky You, It’s a Drag Show

This magical celebration features show-stopping performances by Indica Gemini, Quindyn Tarantino, and Sya Cox O’Hara and a decadent brunch by Celine and Company, with proceeds benefiting the Tzedek Social Justice Fund. See p48 SU (3/15), 11am and 1pm, Ella Asheville, 48 Broadway St Westival 2026 Annual fundraiser showcasing West Asheville food and community, supporting 12 Baskets Café and Asheville Poverty Initiative.

SU (3/15), 4pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd

Artist Residency Benefit

Enjoy live music by Dinah’s Daydream, bespoke cocktails, a delicious strolling supper from Celine & Co., all while celebrating our Artist-in-Residence and the supporters who make this program possible. WE (3/18), 5:30pm, Ella Ashevile, 48 Broadway St

What is one popular and useful activity you conduct with the kids you work with, and what lessons can this activity provide in how to engage young people in the learning process?

The penny activity involves giving students a penny and asking them to see how many natural (and safe!) items they can fit on it. Everyone wins because the exercise is really about observation. When a goal is provided that engages our senses, discovery is often the result. Inevitably, someone finds something they would not have noticed otherwise. Instead of “Now it’s observation time,” a simple challenge invites this and allows for discoveries to be made naturally. Dimes work, too, during a penny shortage!

What are some unique strategies for making education something kids embrace?

Most every person, regardless of age, wants to feel heard and have personal agency. Few people wish to be commanded to learn, have fun or anything else. Shifting wording from “Now it’s bathtime” to “What toy will you bring in the bath today” reframes a potential power struggle by assuming the bath is happening without asking or demanding that an essential activity happens. Learning is fun if it is something that interests you already. Most kids agree, whether they consider that or not. X

Kids Issue2026

My wildest, funniest or most important moment.

We are excited to share Part 1 of this year’s Kids Issues, our annual feature showcasing the creative talents of our local K-12 students. We asked kids and teens to submit art and writing around the theme of “My wildest, funniest or most important moment.” We received more than 400 entries from students around the region who attend area public, charter, private, parochial and home schools. Many of these young artists and writers shared stories of getting their dogs or meeting their baby siblings for the first time. Because this is Western North Carolina, more than one student recalled encountering a bear. As usual, the entries ranged from the profound (making a friend for life, losing a pet) to the ridiculous (a piano-playing cat, for instance).

Though space limitations prevent us from sharing all the work we received, we hope you enjoy the engaging collection of colorful art, poems, essays and short fiction on the following pages. And be sure to check back next week for more student art and writing in Part 2, along with our annual guide to area summer camps.

— Xpress Staff X

The song

I squirmed in my hard plastic seat in the audience of the Flat Rock Cinema. I was waiting for my dad, Aaron Burdett’s, show to start. The 30-minute drive from Saluda to Flat Rock blew by, mainly because I was nervous. Why? Because it was unknown to everyone else, Dad and I made a plan to sing together on the encore. I checked my papa’s watch. 6:58. Two minutes to showtime. Forty-seven minutes until I got on

stage. My mind suddenly flooded with worries. What if they don’t like the sound of my voice? What if I mess up? What if there ISN’T an encore at all and I miss my big chance? What if ...

“Hello everybody!” My thoughts were interrupted. The show was starting. As Dad started singing I decided not to worry about it. This was Dad’s show. I should listen to him. As I closed my eyes and swayed to the beat, my worries slowly started to drift away…

Before I knew it, the show was “over.” The applause went on and on. The audience wanted an encore. It was time. “I gotta admit, I kinda knew y’all would do this,” Dad smiled. “So, I would like to introduce,” I took a deep breath,”for the first time ever, I got ready to stand up,”my daughter, Lucille Burdett!” The audience cheered. I stood and joined him on stage. “Are you ready?” “Yes,” I said. As we started singing, I knew I was where I was meant to be.

— Lucille Burdett, fifth grade, Mountain Sun Community School

‘It was not lovely’

The funniest moment was when my cat played the piano. She put her legs and paws on the keys and played a song. It was not lovely. She played another song. It was actually good. Then, I made a song of my own. It was not that good, and that’s all I remember.

— Lalo Meana, second grade, The Learning Community

Important moments

When with family and friends, We always have lots of grins. We love playing games like imposter, It’s funnier when there’s more on the roster.

Between movie nights and bon fires, It heals our hearts desires.

With memories of summer sledding in the grass,

We thought we were all first class. In the end my favorites were riding bikes in the park, and hide and seek in the dark.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 27

SOMETHING NEW: Syrus Martin, a ninth grader at A.C. Reynolds High School, writes: “I made this piece via the digital art program Procreate. I want to show how it feels to discover something, to feel something new. It’s a new experience, and its something special.”

BLACK BEAR SWINGING: Kai Dyer, a second grader at The Learning Community, says: “A black bear tried to get on my swing. This is my funniest moment.”

The best moment of my life

Some people’s best moments might be when they got a new puppy or got engaged or finally moved into their dream house.

But mine started when my mother walked in the door carrying my baby brother. I was only two at the time, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was like my mom had brought

home a piece of heaven. I was so excited to see him that I completely forgot about the huge dollhouse that my parents got me for when they got home. I felt like the luckiest person alive. It was like my life had not really started until I saw him for the first time.

As we grew up, I was obsessed. I played with him all of the time. We would play so many games. One of them we called rain monsters, where we would make our scratchy voices and play in the rain and jump

SISTER AND BROTHER: “This is my wildest moment when I was 4 years old and I was piggyback riding my brother, Finley,” writes Allie Roddenberry, a third grader at The Learning Community.

in all the puddles we found. Then we would come home, drink some hot chocolate and eat popcorn while watching The Grinch. It did not matter what time of year it was, we would watch The Grinch all year around. I love my brother and he lights up my life, but of course, as we grow older, we have our moments. But, deep inside, we are both those little children who love each other. I love my brother, and the second I saw him, I knew I would remember it as the best moment of my life. Can you think of the best moment of your life or something happy that you’re grateful for?

— Lydia Comer, sixth grade, North Windy Ridge Intermediate School

When my cat passed away

When my cat died, it changed me and it was very sad. That moment changed my whole body. We had his ashes in a turquoise bag in a little box and it is in Maryland. I used to live in Maryland, and when I moved, I was 5, and now I’m 7. I moved to North Carolina. My cat’s name is Maddox, and I love my cat and miss him.

— Liv Wiley, second grade, Rainbow Community School

That’s shocking

When you grow up on a farm, one of the most important things you learn is to never touch an electric fence. I grew up on a farm where we used lousy, normal fences that did virtually nothing to protect our animals from predators. Our farm was in the most rural part of Lucas, Texas, and we were surrounded by acres of cornfields, a natural sign of knowing you are in the middle of nowhere.

PARADISE OVER THE MOUNTAINS: “This photograph captures the sunset as a wild and important moment, when the sky fills with bright colors right before it goes dark,” writes Finn Sadler, a ninth grader at the School of Inquiry & Life Sciences at Asheville. “It shows how some of the most meaningful moments don’t last long, but they stay with us even after they’re gone.”

When we moved to North Carolina, we didn’t have a farm of our own, but I did go to a school that had one. This farm had a powerful electric fence that surrounded the horses. I never had an issue with the electric fence since I was rarely around it, but curiosity eventually got the best of me. I started to roll with the older kids; we were all curious about the fence. At that school, we had an abundance

CONTINUES ON PAGE 28

A NEW FRIEND: Joy Bjorklund Malmgren, a Weaverville Elementary School fourth grader, recalls a special meeting: “One of my favorite moments of my life was the day I met my dog, Sam. My painting shows a park that my dog and I went to together. We had so much fun! I loved watching Sam play around with other dogs. I painted a picture of a dog that Sam played with. When I met Sam for the first time, I felt excited and joyful. I am so lucky to have my dog. He’s my best friend!” Photo by Kelly Bjorklund

of crab apples that we would hurl at each other’s heads regularly, but then we had a new idea on how to use them. We would take a bite of the crab apples and then touch the exposed part to the electric fence.

It would send a shock into the crab apple and to your body. It did hurt quite a bit, but we wanted to show that we could handle the pain. We later figured out that if we were all in a line and held hands, the

MY MEMORIES AROUND THE WORLD: Oakley Elementary School third grader Mei Norfleet drew a picture of when she visited China and Korea. “I got my ears pierced, walked alpacas on a trail, ate delicious food and finally met a bunch of family,” she writes.

person who touched the crab apple to the fence could send the shock down the line by a few people. This soon turned into me being pressured into touching the fence with just my hand. One thing is for sure: I definitely learned the hard way about electric fences.

— Mimi Young, eighth grade, The Learning Community

Italy

My most important moment was going to Italy. When we went, it was sunny. My cousins went too. It was amazing. I had so much fun. We even made a quick film. We went to three different places. We got A LOT of gelato. We went to a swimming hole. My sister jumped off a high rock!

— Lily Wilander, fourth grade, Mountain Sun Community School

Exam week

Jan. 5, only one week until the finals, People burdened with stress of the tests and projects, Breaks are now few and far between. Bodies stripped of the warm blankets that held them, And sent back for what feels like the longest part of the school year. My grades are large boulders, Overbearing yet sturdy, hopelessly unmoving.

I am like Atlas, holding these grades above my head,

Ensuring they do not tremble or fall, It is of the greatest urgency I mustn’t falter,

For my parents are depending on me, To ace my academics flawlessly.

— Nick D’Antonio, ninth grade, A.C. Reynolds High School

Emmie

My most important moment was when I met my bestie, Emmie. This happened in preschool, five years ago. We were both very scared and shy. Emmie and I have shared so many fun memories, like when Emmie cut some of my hair in kindergarten. Emmie and I still love to get into mischief. One time, we had a pillow fight, and nobody knew. Another time, we made a huge fort for our sleepover, and my mom was very surprised. Meeting Emmie was definitely my most important moment.

— Maya Storck, third grade, The Learning Community

Just a little rain … right?

It was a day like no other. Well, actually, it was slightly different; that day it was actually sunny and rarely a cloud passed by. It was the rainy season in Mexico; I hadn’t seen a

sunny day for weeks, and so I was outside with Elias, my little brother. We were on a hammock; he was on my lap, and I was singing him a lullaby, trying to get him to sleep. Suddenly, I felt a raindrop on my hand. I looked up and noticed the dark clouds that seemed to be forming out of absolutely nowhere.

There was a loud thunderclap, and it sounded like the sky was splitting in two.

It’s just a little rain, I thought, it’ll pass soon.

Hint: none of those thoughts ended up being correct.

Because suddenly right in front of us, there was lightning as clear as if someone had drawn it across the sky. Moments later, the sky crackled, and the loudest thunderclap I’ve ever heard echoed. I flinched, then closed my eyes.

And then the rain was gone. The clouds were slowly moving away, the wind had stopped rocking the trees, the thunder had silenced.

I relaxed a bit and was about to move. But then, there was this bright flash of light that made my eyes close and my heart skip a beat.

And silence.

I looked at the concrete driveway several feet in front of us. There was now a mark on the concrete. A mark caused by lightning.

And then everything was calm. The sky was now a shockingly bright shade of blue.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Why?

Because if I had moved a couple feet forward in those two seconds, I probably would’ve died.

— Jacqueline Sandoval, eighth grade, Asheville Catholic School

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CAMP GRANDMA: Lucy S. Herring Elementary School second grader Marlow Carpenter writes: “Camp Grandma is important to me because I get to have a fun time with my grandma and my cousins, and we get to do lots of fun activities like going to the amusement park. It is in Charlotte and that is not where I live so its not boring and I get to try new things.”

My chickens

My chickens are my heart and joy It all began with some eggs no bigger than my hand

Then 21 days later a crack and snap Tiny feet Tiny wings

Tiny beaks

With tiny eyes

When I looked at them and they looked at me

I realized that this was my new passion

That they would make me happy. As they grew I cleaned and changed their bedding

Even put orange bands on their scaly yellow legs

When I took them to my first show

I saw 50 other birds of poultry clucking their hearts away

Not expecting to win anything

How surprised I was when I got 2nd place!

AN even bigger one when I got 1st place showmanship!

My next show will be even better!

— Virginia Bond, fourth grade, ArtSpace Charter School

Donuts

The first time I had one at Hole Doughnuts in West Asheville

My babysitter, Caris, took me there.I went in the small shop feeling hopeful I chose glazed. I took a big bite I tasted the “so-called delicious Donut” it tasted bad. I hated it, spit it out.

My babysitter, Caris was wondering why I spit it out because she loved Hole donuts, but I didn’t. That was my first donut.

Now, I love donuts!

— Sidney Moreadith, sixth grade, The Learning Community

FAMILY TIME: “I love to pick blackberries with my family,” writes Amelie Schweigert, third grade, Rainbow Community School.

Huge Stream

I woke on the day of the flood. A lot of things were soaked. Did someone play a joke?

So much flood.

So much mud.

Grab your coat.

Float away from our house in a boat. It’s cold and windy, put on your coat! Are we in a dream or just a huge stream?

Now we are safe, but is our house?

Water seeps.

Water creeps.

Into the house as slowly as a mouse.

Next year:

Now house is cleaned from the very big stream.

No seeping water.

No creeping water.

Now our old house is ready for a new family to live in.

Perhaps a mouse will live in my old house?

— Mina St. John, fifth grade, Mountain Sun Community School

My dirt bike

Hi! My name is Jackson, and I am 7. I got a dirt bike for Christmas. It is very fun. I even popped a wheely! It was very scary. I thought I was about to fall off. But I stayed on. It was a miracle! I felt like I was a superhero and I started to dance. Then I got back on. While I was riding the dirt bike, I was singing “Another One Bites the Dust.”

— Jackson Pearson, second grade, Rainbow Community School

Winterguard

As the Winterguard season started, we had to start on rifle right away. On the last day of JV Winterguard Camp, I tried out a rifle for the first time. It

was a little scary at first but then I started getting the hang of it. I got the hang of right-hand drop spin pretty quickly but it did take me a minute to get my single, my double was pretty easy. One practice we were working on our doubles, one minute I was catching so weirdly to the next I was catching it properly. I was so proud of myself and my coaches were really proud of me too. I can’t wait to start on my triple next!

— Maci Craig, eighth grade, Enka Middle School

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EATING FLOWERS: “When I was a baby, I had a habit of eating flowers,” says ArtSpace Charter School fourth grader Juniper Petty. “My dad took me to the park on Tuesday mornings. And I always had this ball with me. I would just plop down on the ground and sit there and eat the flowers. Oh, and in case you’re wondering what type of flower I ate, then they were dandelions. And when I was done, I would go play with my dad. And we would take walks, too. It was always so much fun. I got to get all my energy out and spend time with my dad since he had Tuesday’s off from work.”

Skiing

This is my funniest moment. One day, I went skiing. I got on the ski lift and went to the top. When I got up, I could NOT decide what slope to go down. I finally chose blue. For this blue, you had to cross a black diamond. So, I went down and crossed the slope ... but I missed the turn, and I fell off the slope and flew into a ditch. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt; the snow caught me. I can’t wait for my next skiing adventure!

— Ryan Sommer-McPhail, third grade, The Learning Community

My first play

It was my first professional play. My heart was pounding rapidly. The play was called Fiddler on the Roof, a show about a Jewish family getting forced out of their home, and it was opening night.

I was cast as Shprintze, a daughter of the main character. I wanted to make a good first impression. I couldn’t mess up, no mistakes, no wrong moves. The actor who played the main character was on Broadway.

The directors went out to do their speech, my hands were shaking, wiping my palms against my dress. The seats were filled, all actors grabbed hands waiting to go on for the opening number, the directors walked off, and the stage went black. I took a deep breath in.

The music turned on, the lights went up, my heart beat faster, we got in the same formations we had been practicing for weeks, and the dance started. When I circled around and saw the audience, my mom was in the second row on the left, looking at me. I blushed. I didn’t know she was coming that night, my dress flowed, and when the audience couldn’t see me anymore, I smiled.

We did the rest of our dance in a blur. The crowd beamed as we moved in order, we got in our small groups of girls and boys and danced in circles. After the first number, I sighed in relief that I had done it. I had made it through the opening number.

The rest of the show was amazing and the rest of that week too. The following year, I auditioned again, and maybe it was because my acting improved or I was older; but I think it was because of that last year on opening night was the reason I succeeded again.

— Eliza Oliver, seventh grade, North Buncombe Middle School

SLIP N’ SLIDE: “When I was 5 years old, I went to a water park for the first time,” remembers Ray Hernandez, eighth grade, Franklin School of Innovation. “There was a really big slide. I went down the slide after my parents did, but I became stuck. Park security had to help me out.”

The day we got our dog

The day we got our dog, it changed my entire life, He’s been by my side all through my pain and strife.

He’s cheered me up, when I was sad, He’s calmed me down when I was mad.

— Ben Sprinkle, sixth grade, Mountain Sun Community School

The pipe, the eye and the hospital

My sister and one other girl and I were playing tag when I was 4. We were running into a dead end, and I was the tagger. There was a metal pip and I bashed my eye on it. At that point, it hurt so much I felt like I was going to die. All I could see was blood, and I can’t explain all of it, but I did

THE PEACEFUL MOUNTAIN RANGE: “My drawing shows a time when I felt brave and peaceful,” says Sage Swainbank, first grade, The Learning Community. “When people look at my art, I want them to feel brave, because when I was under the mountains, I felt brave and peaceful.”

the best I could. My mom heard me crying, so she took me into the house. Then she took me to a hospital. They fixed me up. Oh, and after that, I had nightmares. After that, my mom barely let me go outside, and I did not like it! Six years later, which is now, I am writing this story. Oh, and by the way, I am autistic. I hope you liked it.

— Oscar Tickle, fourth grade, Rainbow Community School

COVID-19

When I was 4, I broke my arm. Also when I was 4, COVID hit. It was scary. Especially for a 4-year-old kid with her whole arm in a cast. Knowing that all around the world there was a sickness and I could not do anything about it was super nerve-racking. I was homeschooled at the time.

We had to stay in my house for quarantine. It was OK because, at the time, I usually stayed at home, except for the day trips to Emerald Lake. That is all I can remember from the pandemic itself.

When I was 6 my family got an RV. The August after I turned 7, we moved into the RV and spent 9 months traveling around the country. About 4 months in, we were staying at an RV park just before we went to my uncle’s house for Thanksgiving, my mom, dad, sister, and brother all got Covid. I was the only one in my family who didn’t get it. The fact that my whole family was sick except me was crazy, and it made us late to my uncle’s house.

I think that COVID-19 was, and still is, superimportant in my life for 2 reasons: 1, it was the first worldwide disaster in my life; 2, it affected so many people.

— Ruby Pyles, fifth grade, Mountain Sun Community School

Bear attack

Once me and my friend were on the trampoline. I cut my foot open! Then a bear crossed by in my yard. We have a very steep hill. So my friend carried me up the hill. She’s so strong! My dad got out the BB gun and scared the bear away. It was so scary!

— Mina Bierly, second grade, Rainbow Community School

AHHHH, it’s a school dance

I hate school dances, I really do. And this isn’t about me being all “Noooo, I hate dances stopppppp,

ALL DOWNHILL: Wren Mason Washburn, a third grader who attends Rainbow Community School, fondly recalls sledding for the first time.

I’m just so quirky and different.” No, this is a genuine loathing for the horrific time-honored ritual that is a school dance.

It’s possibly the most questionable experience one could encounter, because at a middle school dance, you could have 9-year-olds (this seems extreme; we often forget about the children who skipped a grade) to the children who are almost fully grown (think

about the children who got held back, let’s be realistic). These are the key developmental years for a child or teen. Some still might believe in the tooth fairy while others might have a job and a beard. All Together. In. One. Gym. Pretty terrifying, right?

While this seems to be an inevitable rite of passage in the school system’s culture, I’ll avoid them at all costs. In an ideal world, this would be a fun time to spend with your friends outside of the classroom and yell overplayed pop songs; however, that dream is shattered the second children have access to glow sticks and other toxic, throwable items. I am not putting on lip gloss and a dress just to have something thrown at me. Not to even touch on getting asked out at a dance. While I can respect a person’s moxie to ask out a complete stranger at a dance, there are some serious flaws in this. For one, it’s very dark. So the person you once thought was cute might have an anime cat mutant tattooed on their neck, and you wouldn’t know before it’s too late.

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So the burning question, I’m sure you are all asking: Will I continue to go to this patriarchal event based almost entirely on gender norms? Yes, almost every time.

— Louisa Marshall, eighth grade, The Learning Community

Home is where the heart Is

Silhouettes of wraithlike clouds swirled tranquilly betwixt the silver stars

The moon illuminated yonder bough above the small black car. It traversed the sparkling road

Which shone like glitter from the silver rain

Upon reaching a house, the mobile slowed

A nose pressed against the window pane.

The darkness was sweet, enthralling and mild

The mountains stood guard, protective inclines

Pressed to the glass was the face of a child

I wonder, was it mine?

All I could remember was DC’s ebony dark speckled with blazing white streetlights

Cars roared past the sleeping park and snow fell, soft and white.

I remembered the steps where I learned to walk

The slopes where I used to sled

The blue house where I learned to talk

The room where I lay in bed.

I thought of the day I stood, barely awake

And asked with genuine curiosity, “Will this be the longest trip we take?”

(Turned out, it would be.)

Asheville lay sleeping, quiet and serene, like a baby in her mother’s arms

Safe and sheltered, like a candle’s gleam, held away from harm.

At the end of Coleman Ave

A house shivered under the driving wind

It looked lonely, I thought, it needed to have

A family like mine to move in.

I was only a scrap of a girl

DC was the only place I’d known

But it made me wonder, thoughts awhirl

Could where the heart is just be home?

— Uma Gopalan seventh grade,

The Learning Community

The chair and the tennis ball

The funniest moment of my life was probably when my puppy put

NUTCRACKER

DANCE: Josie Munn, an ArtSpace Charter School fourth grader, recalls a special moment: “Last December I danced in the Nutcracker Ballet for the first time! There were four shows and they were sold out!!! I was nervous at first and excited, too!”

his tennis ball under a chair where he couldn’t get it! It all started when we first gave our newly adopted puppy, Zeus, a tennis ball. Zeus had just warmed up to us, and he was playing with the new tennis ball we had just given him. He was just kicking it around when he suddenly nudged it under the chair. He came over to me whining, and you could practically tell he

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was saying, “The chair abducted my ball”. We had decided to let him figure out how to get the ball out from under the chair. And boy, was that a mistake. Zeus ended up ripping the bottom of the chair a little bit. Although the chair wasn’t badly damaged, you can still see the rips. So that was the funniest moment of my life.

— Rohun Kottour, third grade, The

Learning Community

Learning to ride

“Get down here!” Dad yelled. I started to slowly pedal down the ramp on my bike. I tried to balance myself so I wouldn’t fall off. I was excited and nervous because this was my first time ever trying to ride a bike. It started to speed up quickly. I wanted to stop, but my dad kept yelling something in front of me. I gripped the handlebars tightly and held on for life. “Go! You can do it!” Dad’s voice started to get closer and closer. “You did it!” he smiled as I came to a stop before him. I smiled along with him. We kept riding until sunset, when the sky turned red and orange. “It’s

FEEDING TIME IN KENTUCKY: Franklin School of Innovation eighth grader Elizabeth Kirby writes: “I went horseback riding with my sister and my horse was snacking on leaves; it was fun and exciting.”

getting late,” said Dad. “It’s time to go home. You can practice again tomorrow.” I nodded, but I didn’t move right away because I didn’t

want to go home. I just stood there, staring at my blue and black bike, until a voice pulled me back. “Why are you still standing there? Come

on, let’s go home,” ordered my dad. After the first time riding, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I just wanted to keep practicing every day until I could do it easily. None of my hard work would be wasted.

— Ivan, sixth grade, Asheville Catholic School

Oops...

I was sitting up at the top of the hill

Excited to go down I had to wait for my cousin though… I just can’t sit still!

It’s my turn and now I’m kind of scared…

Welp here I go!

I’m zooming down really fast I can’t wait to go up in the air! Oops…

I didn’t know I would faceplant! I guess you don’t sit at the edge of a skateboard!

I learned that the hard way!

— Claire Stephen, fourth grade, ArtSpace Charter School

Pink elephant

I go to church and I have a BIG PINK jacket. I wore it to church one day. As we were dancing to a song, my friend Emma-Grace said, “Don’t turn into an elephant.” Then I had an idea! I took my arms out of the jacket and turned the sleeves to the front and put both of my arms into the sleeve. I pretended it was an elephant’s truck and I turned into an imaginary ELEPHANT!

— Julianna Burgin-Higgins, fifth grade, Charles C. Bell Elementary School

A new baby

One weekend day, I heard my mom might have a baby! I got so excited but then I heard my mom did have a big breakfast so I started to lose hope. My mom and stepdad were thinking of a name if it was a baby. My stepdad was thinking Hazel, my mom thought Oona. I thought Rose. But soon my mom told me it was a baby. I got the most excited I ever was. I was in kindergarten then, and eventually my mom felt kicking, so I put my ear on her stomach and “Bam!” I felt a big kick. I thought, “This will be a big baby!” Then soon, she was born. And soon I saw her on FaceTime. This changed me because I thought I would not get

MY

BIG ADVENTURE: “I was so proud of myself for hiking up to the top of a big mountain,” writes Hartwell Combs, fourth grade, The Learning Community. “It was so fun! The horses there were so pretty!”

any siblings. She’s the best baby any brother could have.

— Fisher Mast Meyer, second grade, Rainbow Community School

The best(?) time of my life

A warm sunny day, the ideal weather to have fun in Missouri with my grandma and my cousin Zaidan.

Driving the golf cart was one of the most fun things to do there. We had lots of forest with trails and the pond. We got in the golf cart and began to drive around. At one point, we had a minor crash, but it was into a pile of leaves, so we were fine. When we put it into reverse to turn ourselves around to go back home, my cousin forgot that the steering wheel was inverted when in reverse, and we went straight into a ditch, barely missing a tree that

A SURPRISE VISITOR: “My drawing shows me at my house,” writes Avery Healy, a first grader at The Learning Community. “I was brave when a bear visited and got into the trash. I used cool colors to show how I felt. When people look at my art, I want them to feel happy and brave.”

would have gone straight through the engine. We tried to get it out of the ditch ourselves, but the hatchet in the golf cart was not doing the greatest at chopping the poor tree down. Eventually, we got another golf cart and towed the other one out.

— James Ney, eighth grade, The Learning Community

Baby powder incident

It was late one night, both my parents sitting on the couch, watching a show, both exhausted from the grueling task of both taking care of me and my sister but also the struggle of putting us to bed. They both were relaxing when my mother heard some faint giggling coming from our room.

And so she went to go check out what was so funny, as we were supposed to be asleep. The giggles grew into full-blown laughter as she got closer to our bedroom door. Her curiosity grew as she approached, having no idea what she would walk into.

As she opened the door slightly and peeked in, her eyes widened as she held in both a laugh and a gasp. The room looked like a baby-powder winter land, everything covered in the powder, some still falling. She spotted me. I had somehow gotten out of my bed, climbed onto the table where the baby-powder was, and was now puffing it to the moving fan, sending it everywhere as my sister watched.

She quickly closed the door and called for my dad. “Jon Paul!” she yelled. As my dad got over there, he seemed confused and curious and why he was over there. “Don’t laugh,” My mom warned before she opened the door. As my dad took in the winter wonderland, he immediately burst into laughter.

As both me and my sister notice them, my sister starts crying while I give an innocent smile, as if I didn’t do anything wrong. It took them weeks to clean our room, as the fine powder got in every nook and cranny. Even if they were mad then, it became a family favorite story to tell to people, laughing every time it was told.

— Evie Brown, seventh grade, North Buncombe Middle School

The wild water slide

A few years ago, I went on the wildest water slide of my life! First

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THE GIRAFFE AND I: “My piece is about the time I connected with a giraffe,” writes Aubrey Allen, sixth grade, Franklin School of Innovation. “He seemed to really like me!”

I was so embarrassed. When I got back to my hotel, I slept until 9 a.m. I hope to never go on that slide again. That was my wildest moment.

— Stella Resma, third grade, The Learning Community

of all, this is so WILD, you are going to love this story. So, I went down the steepest water slide in the world, for me at least. I lined up to go on the water slide. When my mom and I were waiting, we suddenly both realized it soooo steep, and I mean STEEP. After a few people, it was our turn. We were sitting at the top of the slide. It looked so high. We were waiting for the lifeguard to say, but before we were about to say “go,” I slipped and instead of lying down, I sat up and I literally could have died. Once I finished the slide, everybody was so scared for me.

VEGGIE STRAWS: Pepper Brown, an ArtSpace Charter School fourth grader, writes: “When I was little, I would stick veggie straws up my nose and it was super funny!” She’s not wrong.

In the spotlight

I was backstage of my first ever production (Shrek). The play was sold out! I was hyperventilating, queasy, panicked, scared and fidgety. I was about ready to faint. Then I got the cue to go on stage for my first dance. I walked on stage and… forgot all my worries! I started to do my dance, “Story of my Life,” and I felt right at home.I scanned the crowd for my family, and there they were! In the middle section, they looked so proud of me, but I was even prouder. I raised my hands for my final pose and smiled. WOW! I never thought I would make it through, but I did!! I exited the stage. I was so proud and happy, I could shout! I went to my dressing room and could not wait for my next scene! And now I still love theater, and just finished my second play with one more on the way!

— Evangeline Hale-Yanes, fourth grade, ArtSpace Charter School

Rock bottom

Ba-ding! I heard the phone make the text sound when we found out we were allowed to have a sleepover. We were really excited about that. First, we went to a pizza place and

chugged down a bunch of pizza and then went to his house, we got there at about 7 or 8 o’clock when we got to his house, we were both pretty tired but before we went to sleep we decided to watch The Lorax before we went to sleep. Eventually, he went to sleep midmovie, so I turned off the TV and tried to go to sleep. It was maybe ten minutes in before I heard a big bang of thunder. I thought that was as miserable as it could get, but five minutes after that, I went to the bathroom, and when I got back, I had a big surprise. Both of his dogs were curled up already sleeping, one on the pillow, and the other on the middle of the bed, and since I am not that mean, I let them stay there. Then the only option left was to sleep on the floor. So while my friend was enjoying his sleep and probably dreaming about a comfy bed, I was at Rock Bottom.

— Isamu Koufacos, fifth grade, The Learning Community

A good laugh

A moment that made me laugh was when I was watching Robin Hood and the rhinos were running through the tents. It was so funny that it made me laugh and laugh. It was so funny that I couldn’t stop laughing, but thankfully, I didn’t get the hiccups. I was surprised because usually when I laugh that much I get the hiccups.

— Skyler Gravely, second grade, Rainbow Community School

OLYMPIC TRIALS 2024: Latham Donahue, a sixth grader at Franklin School of Innovation, recalls: “As a Christmas gift, my parents got me tickets to see the Olympic trials for swimming. This was special to me because swimming is the sport that I do.”

Waking up somewhere else

In the year 2021, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The night before my family and I were heading to my grandparents’ house hours away, my unconscious

SUNSET: “My most important moment was, I was on my porch, my mom was inside the house and I was looking at the sunset,” recalls Palmer Temple, a second grader at The Learning Community. “It was gorgeous! I liked that there were two trees perfectly matched.”

self decided to leave the house. I was in a state of partial arousal, or sleeping walking. When my body decided to get up, walk outside my house, still in pjs, and walk fifteen minutes the opposite way. I decided to walk to the neighborhood park at around 3 a.m. at night. The park where the monkeybars still look new, and no one thinks to come besides the homeless man for the bench. That kind of creepy park.

Back at home, my parents were getting my older sister and I up for our family road trip up to our grandparents. My mother knocked on my door, my room still in the

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Series

Learn nautical terms, parts of the boat,

rigging and to sail in our boats with

The insider’s guide

ROCKY LIFE: Learning Community fifth grader Harrison Partlow says his proudest moment was getting to the top of Huron Peak, a 13,450-foot mountain summit in Colorado.

dark, nothing packed, and saw I wasn’t there. The back door was a crack open, the wind swooshing in at times. As parents do, they decided to freak out. My sister, still half asleep, was packing. Not a care in the world. Over at the park, I was there with my phone of course, but it was dead. Alone, no phone, and unconscious. Eventually, I woke up. With the cold night, as cold as Florida could get.. I walked home in my small shorts, still very confused. The mulch poked into

fused but explained that I probably was sleepwalking out of the house, because I didn’t remember leaving. After she freaked out, she laughed it off, and so did I.

— Maggie Gliem, eighth grade, The Learning Community

New beginnings

When I was 8 and in 2nd grade, I found out me and my family would be moving so my Mimi could move in with us. Our house was not big enough to fit my parents, three kids and one other person, so we had to move to a bigger house. Moving caused many changes in my life, like moving schools.

I was in North Buncombe Elementary then switched to Weaverville Elementary. I had to leave behind some friends but made new ones along the way. Later on, it was finally the first day of school. I was supernervous being the only one that didn’t know anyone.

my bare feet as I walked. When I made it home, my mom was the most relieved she could have ever been. I made it home around 3:45 am, just time to spare before my mom called the cops. I was still con-

Weaverville Elementary had 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade, so everyone knew each other from 2nd grade, and they also had primary school together. On the first day of school, my class had an activity to get to know people better, that’s where I met lots of my friends. At the end of the day, I had after-school care, Briella was also in afterschool so we hung out there, she was also in my class.

At after-school, Briella introduced me to a girl named Brooklyn who was a grade above me and Briella so me, Brooklyn and Briella were like best friends. We would have sleepovers and also went to the same summer camp together for a few years. Briella and Brooklyn didn’t talk to each other much, Briella also stopped going to afterschool and summer camp but I still talked to both Brooklyn and Briella and I still do.

My Mimi ended up getting homesick so she moved back to her town. I’m very glad we moved because if we hadn’t moved then I would not have met good people like Briella and Brooklyn. I also had great experiences like summer camp and afterschool.

— Adelynn Jones, seventh grade, North Buncombe Middle School

Breaking the ice

This is the story of how I made the worst decision of my life. On a cold winter day, my friend Jackson and I went outside to break my frozen creek. I saw a giant rock

THE OCEAN: “This is about when I was 8 years old and there were sharks, waves and other fishes in the ocean, explains YuChen Lin, a Franklin School of Innovation sixth grader. “It was a pretty good memory.”

on the other side of the creek. I lightly tapped the ice with my shoe. It didn’t break, so I stepped on it listening for a crack, but nothing happened. I got distracted and asked Jackson if he wanted to step on the ice too, but he said no. I decided to jump on it, but right when I jumped, the ice broke and I fell through the freezing water. My feet felt like they froze and

my heart was pounding just as hard as my feet were throbbing. I jumped up as quickly as a ninja and screamed as loud as a howler monkey. We quickly went inside and sat by the fire. “Luckily your creek is only a foot deep,” Jackson said. “Yeah, but I’ll never step on ice again”.

— Avi Sethi-Brown, fourth grade, The Learning Community

WHERE ARE MY GLASSES?: “My funniest moment is when I was hiking,” remembers Rory Sommer-McPhail, third grade, The Learning Community. “I was going to clean my glasses, but I got distracted and I put my glasses on my head and then forgot that I put them on my head, and I started looking for them but they were on my head the whole time!”

A CAMP FOCUSED ON ACADEMICS AND FUN AND LED BY LOCAL TEACHERS

A CAMP FUN LED LOCAL TEACHERS

RISING 3RD, 4TH, & 5TH GRADE GIRLS

JULY 20-24

JULY 27-31 ART, READING, MATH & OUTDOOR PLAY HANGER HALL SCHOOL

Burned out

Tips and techniques for coping with impairment

BY JAMIE ZANE

It’s common for parents to reflect on their own childhood experiences when facing developmental changes and challenges with their children. We compare and contrast what we had versus what we can give to our own kids and reflect on the ways the world has changed. Some parents might even experience flashbacks when their child reaches a specific age, when something major happened in their own lives.

I find myself reflecting a lot lately about what it was like for my mom as a single parent who did not receive child support. We were fortunate to live close to my grandparents, who were almost too eager to help raise me. My mom worked at least two jobs throughout my entire childhood. She slowed down slightly when my stepdad entered the scene in my preteen years. But mostly I watched her demonstrate the importance of hard work. I didn’t fully understand the necessity of my mother’s multiple jobs as a small child. I thought, as most kids probably do, that my mom preferred to be at work rather than to spend time with me.

In my 45 years on this planet, I don’t think I have ever experienced the level of anxiety and fear about the state of the world as I have in more recent years. I know that I’m not alone in this, and I know that we can all form a list of reasons why. Because of this, it can be challenging to have a sense of work-life balance.

And there’s something that happens to us beyond typical burnout when we are overworked and underresourced. We find ourselves in a state of impairment. As a result, we might not be as sharp at work, we might exhibit moments of compassion fatigue, and we might find ourselves snappy and impatient at home. Impairment typically brings a great deal of anxiety and panic.

If you are experiencing impairment, know that you are not alone. I have personally dealt with it in recent years. The past few elections, COVID-19, personal financial catastrophes, a year of marriage crisis and the ongoing impact of Tropical Storm Helene have been just a few of the contributing factors.

Below are some recommendations for coping with burnout and impairment. Look for what is useful. And remember to embrace flexibility and nuance wherever possible.

PUT DOWN YOUR PHONES

Most of us could stand to take longer breaks from our phones. What was once a device that made promises of connection has disconnected many of us from each other.

Put your phone down. Put your screens away. Go outside. Touch grass. Breathe in fresh air slowly and exhale slower than you’re inhaling, as this activates our parasympathetic nervous system — the one that calms us down.

Go to the library and check out a book. Do something creative such as writing, drawing or collaging, and do this without the expectation of focusing on the finished project. Instead, just see what comes up.

Listen to music. Clean up or organize something. Meditate. Spend time with loving animals.

FIND YOUR COMMUNITY

Seek connection and community, because there is an epidemic of loneliness in our culture. If you haven’t been in touch with a friend, pick up the phone to schedule a call.

If you have access to therapy, keep going. If you do not, find an online support group or an in-person support group.

'THE WHOLEHEARTED PARENTING MANIFESTO'

If you feel as if you have lost a sense of what your values are, get back in touch with them.

Brene Brown, a shame researcher who is revered by many therapists, has an incredible printout document on her website called “The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto.” I've had a copy of this on my fridge for at least a decade. I cannot read it aloud without crying. While the manifesto is targeted toward parents, its message offers valuable insight that is applicable to people in all stages of life. It starts off with these precious words, “Above all else, I want you to know that you are loved and lovable. You will learn this from my words

NO ONE WAY: Whether you put down your phone or join an in-person support group, there are many ways to deal with burnout, says Jamie Zane, pictured. Photo by Ryan

and actions — the lessons on love are in how I treat you and how I treat myself.”

The part that gets to me the most is when Brown writes, “Together we will cry and face fear and grief. I will want to

take away your pain, but instead I will sit with you and teach you how to feel it.”

This notion is something that was missing for many of us in our own upbringing. And it's possible it is missing in how we’re rearing our own children, because it’s so easy to want to jump to solutions and try to take away a child's pain. (Humans tend to do this with both kids and with partners).

NOURISH YOUR RELATIONSHIP

If you and your partner are both struggling independently, try to figure out a way to come together and assess needs individually as well as relationally. Try to remember that your partner is supposed to be on your side and vice versa.

It’s easy to take each other for granted, to forget why you came together in the first place and to fall out of habits that nourish a relationship when living through a world that looks more and more dystopian.

As always, you are invited to reach out if you have questions that you’d like to see answered in the column or topics you’d like to recommend. Please be sure to put “Mountain Xpress” in the subject line and email me at jamie@ outofthewoodstherapy.com. X

ARTS & CULTURE

A means to ‘The End’

Wolfgang Van Halen’s band, Mammoth, headlines first Asheville show

BY BILL KOPP

bill@musoscribe.com

Being a guitarist bearing the surname Van Halen brings with it a good deal of baggage.

“People expect certain things of you,” says Wolfgang Van Halen, only son of actress Valerie Bertinelli and late guitarist and band leader Eddie Van Halen. “But all I’m trying to do, really, is be taken seriously on my own as an artist, musician and songwriter.”

Wolf Van Halen is succeeding on that score. He’s currently on tour with his band, Mammoth, in support of The End, the third full-length from the melodic hard rock project. Mammoth comes to The Orange Peel on Wednesday, March 25.

HIS OWN BEAT

Eddie Van Halen was a massively influential guitarist; his fretboard tapping technique and arpeggiated style inspired a generation of players, and his approach found its way into music well outside the rock idiom. With his band, Van Halen, he sold more than 10 million albums, won a Grammy and four MTV Music Awards and helped push hard rock into the mainstream.

Growing up in the shadow of his world-famous music father, Wolf didn’t initially set out to follow in his footsteps. Instead, he started playing drums at age 9. “But there were so many guitars around the house,” he says, “that I thought it’d be fun to learn how to play one of those things.”

So at age 12, he picked one up and began to teach himself. Before his teenage years had even begun, he had embarked on the path of becoming a multi-instrumentalist.

With drumming as his musical foundation, Wolf developed skills on keyboards and bass guitar as well.

“Drumming affects the way I listen, the way I create [music],” he says. “I think from a rhythmic perspective.”

His bass-playing skills came in handy when singer David Lee Roth returned to Van Halen in 2006 after more than a decade away from the group. At age 15, Wolf was tapped as the band’s fourth member, taking over on bass for longtime member Michael Anthony . He remained with Van Halen for nearly 14 years, until the band’s end after his father's death in 2020.

Wolf says he learned a great deal during his years in his father’s band, often concerning matters beyond musicianship. “It was really about seeing the way that the business operated at that level,” he says. “It’s not just about going onstage and playing; it’s a lot more. [I] learned the right way to act, and the things not to do.”

SOLO ACT

In his career after Van Halen, Wolf sought to apply those lessons. In 2021, he released his debut album, Mammoth WVH. A solo project in its truest sense, the record featured Wolf as the composer of all 14 songs, playing lead and rhythm guitar, bass, drums, piano, synthesizers and additional percussion. Mammoth WVH received positive critical notices, and its first single, “Distance,” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song.

By early 2022, Wolf had assembled musicians to tour as Mammoth WVH. While he played guitar and handled lead vocals, two additional guitarists — Frank Sidoris and Jonathan Jourdan — were added, along with bassist Ronnie Ficarro and Garrett Whitlock on drums. The five-piece band embarked on its debut tour that spring.

Wolf emphasizes that while his studio albums are — and will likely remain — solo endeavors, when Mammoth takes the stage, it’s a proper band. “The joke that some people make is that I must be telling them

how and what to play,” he says. “But I don’t think I’ve actually done that even once.”

“Every song should ‘breathe’ differently live,” he continues. “As long as it’s still good, that’s all that matters.”

Back in the studio, 2023’s Mammoth II once again applied Wolf’s DIY approach. The album displayed emotional depth in its lyrics, as many of the songs were written in the wake of Eddie Van Halen’s death.

As with the debut album, Wolf’s original songs balanced hard rock textures with a strong emphasis on melody. “It’s about finding balance,” he says. “I don’t want the melody to be sacrificed for the heaviness, or vice versa.”

The tour in support of Mammoth II found the band sharing stages with Metallica, Alter Bridge, Pantera, Volbeat, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe and other popular hard rockers. In November 2023, Wolf’s band began securing dates as a headliner. Mammoth WVH played just under 100 dates in 2024 — including as headliner at a show in Cherokee — with nearly as many in 2025. (The upcoming Orange Peel concert is the band’s first visit to Asheville.)

KEEPING THE DOORS OPEN

Dropping the WVH from the project/ band’s name, Mammoth released The End in October 2025. The album is cohesive, yet the songs offer variety in style and texture.

“If you listen to any Mammoth song, there’s a melody for you to grab onto,” Wolf says. “Every song has a sort of pop sensibility.” With The End, he says he aimed to make an album that’s “all killer and no filler.” Pausing, he laughs and concedes, “But I guess everyone tries to do that.”

The idea of balance is at the core of Wolf’s approach in the studio as well as with his live touring band. As the high-profile artist at the center of both enterprises, he recognizes that his famous last name imposes a certain responsibility.

“While the Van Halen name may open doors, it doesn’t keep them open,” he says. “And I’m happy to do the work and prove myself.” X

WHAT

Mammoth with 10 Years and James and the Cold Gun WHERE

The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave., avl.mx/fdr WHEN Wednesday, March 25, 7 p.m. $48.44

Time is a flat circle

BY THOMAS CALDER

No one word can capture a book, but in the case of Jeremy B. Jones’ latest work of literary nonfiction, Cipher: Decoding My Ancestor’s Scandalous Secret Diaries, happenstance is certainly a prominent component of the story’s origin.

Jones’ introduction to the coded diaries, which were written by his quadruple-great-grandfather William Thomas Prestwood, came about by chance.

In 2014, the Henderson County native was preparing for the publication of his memoir Bearwallow: A Personal History of a Mountain Homeland. His press requested photographs for the book. While searching through his grandmother Betty Jean Prestwood Jones’ home, he discovered a 1979 article from the Asheville Citizen Times with the headline, “Secret Journals Yield Honest Picture of WNC.”

Jones, it turned out, would become the latest in a small but significant group of individuals intrigued by these mysterious pages that documented a span of over 50 years (1808-59). Entries included encrypted accounts of Prestwood’s everyday life — from his capturing of runaway horses to his many sexual conquests — written in a cipher that combined numbers, unusual pictographs and some letters.

One of the diary’s other key guardians was Steven Scott Smith, who in 1975, stumbled upon the collection of writings in a heap of trash outside an abandoned home on the verge of being razed. The odd hieroglyphics were indecipherable, but as Jones writes in the book, “[Smith] knew enough to know that old might mean valuable[.]”

Three years later, through a mutual friend, Smith was connected to Nathaniel Browder, a retired National Security Agency (NSA) cryptanalyst.

“After a hundred and twenty years of the notebooks passing from hand to hand; after three years of Steven Smith carrying them to libraries and archives, Browder sat down with a handful of pages and his magnifying glass and broke the code in half an hour,” Jones writes.

More than 35 years later, standing inside his grandmother’s home in Fruitland, Jones read through the 1979 newspaper article, which characterized his kin as “an intellectual,” “a naturalist,” “a mathematician” and “a tireless lover.”

Jones’ grandmother smiled. “He was one of ours,” she told her grandson. “My great-great-grandaddy.”

Little did Jones know that over the next decade, a significant portion of his life would be spent researching this relative. And while Prestwood’s unrelenting sexual desires were initially a source of amusement, Jones’ ancestor’s ties to

HISTORY REPEATS: “I think that I imagined that the 19th century was a long, long time ago,” says writer Jeremy B. Jones, in discussing his early mindset while researching his latest book, Cipher. But the more he dug, “the more I realized that the things that show up in the 19th century are still showing up today.” Photo by Thomas Calder

slavery quickly complicated the writer’s understanding of his family history.

“I am a man born in the South, from families settled in the South for hundreds of years,” Jones writes. “Finding slavery in one’s family tree is like finding salt in the ocean. And still, I thought the mountain poverty of my people might have spared me.”

BEYOND BIOGRAPHY

I met with Jones, a professor of English studies at Western Carolina University, in October, on land his family has owned in Fruitland for over a century. His wife and two children are temporarily living in his now-deceased grandmother’s home, displaced by Tropical Storm Helene.

We toured a portion of the 100acre property, which is scattered with old barns and other structures. Eventually, we settled on a wooden bench outside the home that belonged to Jones’ great-great-grandparents, Asbury and Clementine Prestwood.

“I think that I imagined that the 19th century was a long, long time ago,” Jones says in discussing his early mindset while researching Cipher “That allowed me to go into the diaries with a comical intent.”

But the longer he waded through William Thomas Prestwood’s pages,

“the more I realized that the things that show up in the 19th century are still showing up today.”

While Prestwood’s journey is at the heart of Cipher, Jones’ book is not a biography by any stretch. His ancestor’s lifetime overlaps with key events in U.S. history, many of which are touched on and contemplated in Jones’ writing.

For example, President James Madison authorized a failed invasion of Canada during the War of 1812, with ideas of expansion and/or securing a bargaining chip with Great Britain. A few decades later, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Jones, who began writing the book during President Donald Trump’s first administration and completed final edits during President Joe Biden’s time in office, says the parallels he initially explored on the page between Trump’s push to build a wall on the southern border and Jackson’s desire to push Indigenous people westward have taken on a new meaning in Trump’s second term.

At the time of our conversation in October, federal agents were still several months away from overwhelming cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis; Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were still alive. But even then, the administration’s push for mass deportations had triggered a number of con-

troversies, including the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident with protected status, to El Salvador’s CECOT prison.

“Some of the things that I thought were a little more subtle [during Trump’s first administration] are just louder now in terms of parallels between things that were happening in the 19th century and the [current] Trump administration,” Jones says, looking out onto his family’s property from our location on the bench. Whereas Trump’s initial term focused primarily on preventing entry into the U.S., he notes, his second term is more in line with Jackson’s direct efforts to remove groups of people.

These parallels, however, are not unique to Jackson and Trump. As Jones writes in Cipher, the two men, separated by centuries, are mere instances in a deeper history often characterized by the desire to cling to “a narrow American identity ... so obviously desperate and doomed that it made me want to scream and laugh all at once. And yet we carried on, as we’d carried on since we declared our independence: sorting out who belongs and who doesn’t.”

TALKING TO THE DEAD

Despite the book’s exploration of heavy and consequential topics — from white privilege to toxic masculinity — there is a joy in reading Jones’ Cipher Part of this stems from the author’s complex relationship with Prestwood. Though separated by centuries, Jones nevertheless engages with his ancestor throughout the book, often in letters addressed directly to Prestwood. In one, he writes, “Because I read your pages while knowing much of your future, I know you'll lose a child next year. I'm sorry, William. It's an uncomfortable power I have on this side of history.”

A few pages later, Jones reaches the portion of Prestwood’s diaries in which his quadruple-great-grandfather has surpassed Jones’ current age. “He was finally my elder,” the author writes,

“experiencing stages of life I’d not yet encountered.”

In other chapters, Jones imagines the future, contemplating his own death and what his life’s story will mean for subsequent generations of his family tree.

“They will unearth me in 2220 and not understand how I could stomach stepping into an airplane that burns up the atmosphere, slowly boiling the planet they’ll inherit,” he writes. “How I drive sixty miles to work, dumping poison into the air they’ll breathe. I will plead with my descendants about how I didn’t know what to do, tell them about how it’s all too big, too systematic, too woven into everything for me to make a change.”

As this passage and others reiterate, Jones is unafraid of applying the same critical eye he casts upon Prestwood to own life choices. By extension, he invites readers to contemplate their own complicity in today’s social, political and cultural issues, all of which will inevitably turn into tomorrow’s history.

Throughout our conversation on that wooden bench in Fruitland, Jones and I return to this reality: That we are here for only a moment. And we have no real say over how the future will judge us.

But as with his book, Jones and I agree there is a certain liberation in knowing so much is out of our control; that the most we can do is strive to live a decent life void of self-serving exploitation.

Near the end of Cipher, Jones recalls a conversation he had with novelist Wendell Berry, who declared to Jones that he didn’t believe in hope.

“We're living in a cult of the future right now; everyone is panicked about what might happen, about all these hypotheticals and end-time scenarios,”Jones remembers Berry telling him. “They’re paralyzed. But what can you do about that? All most of us can really do is find the problem in front of us and get to work there. Find the need where you live. Hope can go wrong far too easily.” X

Going green

Local establishments celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Asheville’s newest Irish pub, Shamrock Irons, opened in October on College Street and will host its first St. Patrick’s Day festivities on Tuesday, March 17, beginning at 11 a.m. The celebration is free to attend and features live music from Roots and Dore Band (1-4 p.m.), Aaron Lane (5-7 p.m.) and Trippin’ Up the Stairs (8-11 p.m.).

“This feels like our true arrival,” co-owner Joanne Carroll says in a press release. “The first months moved fast. Now we’re stepping forward with intention and inviting Asheville to experience what we’ve built.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fdx.

On March 17, 5-8 p.m., New Belgium Brewing Co. hosts its Lucky & Green St. Patrick’s Day Party. The event includes fun activities and live music, as well as dye-free green beer and Irish-inspired food from the day’s food trucks. Free to attend.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/9bj.

Getting a jump-start on the holiday, Hillman Beer holds its St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday, March 14, at its Asheville taproom. The daylong event features live music from Rocky Dunn (noon-3 p.m.) and 28 Pages (4-7 p.m.), plus food specials and beer releases.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/eex.

St. Patty’s Day drag brunch benefits Tzedek

Asheville Drag Brunch’s St. Patty’s Day Drag Brunch returns Sunday, March 15, at The Hideaway. Seatings are available for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with food catered by Céline and Company.

Hosted by DeVida, this celebration features performances by Indica Gemini, Quindyn Tarantino and Sya Cox O’Hara. Tickets start at $25, and proceeds benefit the Tzedek Social Justice Fund, which supports work focusing on LGBTQ+ justice, racial justice and dismantling antisemitism.

Jessica Cannady, left, and Shamrock Irons co-owner Joanne Carroll are pictured outside the downtown pub. After opening in October, Shamrock Irons is set to host its first St. Patrick’s Day event. Photo by Caleb Johnson

To learn more, visit avl.mx/epw.

Celebrate Pi/Pie Day in Walnut

Saturday, March 14 — aka 3.14 — is officially Pi Day, and bakers around the world seize on its punfilled potential to celebrate Pie Day.

Among those businesses is Madison County’s Walnut Family Bakery, which honors the holiday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., with collaboration slices by such notable Asheville-area bakers as Camille Cogswell, Ashley , Beth Kellerhals and Keia Mastrianni. Proceeds from sales of these specialty pies will benefit Vecinos Inc., a Franklin-based nonprofit providing equitable, culturally centered health care and wellness services in Western North Carolina.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fdu.

Carolina Table Beer Dinner at Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s latest beer dinner brings together the Mills River brewery’s own chef, Jessie

Massie, with Leicester-based chef Taylor Montgomery of Montgomery Sky Farm for a meal highlighting North Carolina ingredients, craft and imagination. The Carolina Table Beer Dinner takes place Saturday, March 28, at 6 p.m., in Sierra Nevada's High Gravity venue. Guests will be served courses made with locally sourced items and paired with carefully curated beers from Sierra Nevada. Menu highlights include semolina dumplings with early spring allium and spinach pistou, rainbow trout with grits and country ham, and Appalachian stack cake with apple butter and sorghum. Tickets are $140 per person. To learn more, visit avl.mx/fdv.

Highberg named to NCRLA Board

On Feb. 23, Kyle Highberg of Biltmore Farms was named to the N.C. Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA) board of directors. According to a press release, the NCRLA is “responsible for advancing and protecting the interests of more than 20,000 businesses that employ 11% of the state’s workforce.” Highberg will be “representing hospitality leaders from across North Carolina.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fdw.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

KID CONNECTION

‘Meaningful learning doesn’t require complicated setups’

Leah Carpenter is the founder and CEO of Light + Love Arts, a hands-on process-art studio for Asheville families. She has led the organization since establishing it in 2023, guiding creative programming that supports child-led exploration, creative confidence and meaningful artistic experiences for young learners.

Xpress: What is one popular and useful activity you conduct with the kids you work with, and what lessons can this activity provide in how to engage young people in the learning process?

Carpenter: At my process-art studio, one of the most popular activities I offer is open-ended water play. Water is a safe and familiar sensory material that immediately invites curiosity and engagement for a wide variety of ages and abilities. We sometimes add simple additions like color, small animal figures, pipettes, cups or sponges, and this leads children to naturally explore concepts like cause and effect, storytelling and even problem-solving. Water play allows children to practice and develop a wide range of gross and fine motor skills in the process as well. The biggest lesson, for me, is that meaningful learning doesn’t require complicated setups. Meaningful and impactful learning often comes from offering intentional and flexible materials and then allowing children to lead in their own process.

What are some unique strategies for making education something kids embrace?

The most powerful strategy that I witness over and over again is allowing children to be the leaders in their own learning. When kids are given space to explore, experiment, make mistakes and try again, they develop ownership and confidence. By uplifting the process, not just the finished product, we shift the focus to curiosity, resilience and growth. When children feel supported in that process, they begin to see learning as something joyful and meaningful, not something they have to get “right.”

A common complaint about Asheville is that it doesn’t have a ton of kid-friendly activities for children, especially downtown. Are there any overlooked, affordable opportunities that you wish more parents and guardians knew about?

Honestly, I wish more families in Asheville realized that some of the best kid-friendly activities are just going for a hike or getting into the woods together. We are so lucky to live in a place with awesome access to the great outdoors. It’s affordable, open-ended and works for all ages. Kids get rich sensory experiences, space to explore and practice proprioceptive and gross motor skills and a break from screens. That kind of unstructured outdoor time can really support growth and confidence. X

This is a hands-on camp exploring comfort foods, using seasonal ingredients and fresh vegetables from our garden. 9:00am - 2:00pm | Ages 9 to 14

WEEK #1: June 15-19 WEEK #2: June 22-26 WEEK #3: June 29-July 3 Music, creativity, songwriting, instrument making, singing, games, & more! + ADULT WEEK! AGES 5-14 | 9AM - 3PM July 6-10 • 9am-3pm

by Edwin Arnaudin |

UnLabelMe Weekend

New York City-based company UnLabelMe seeks to destigmatize such social topics as mental health, death and poverty. This weekend, it’s partnering with like-minded local organizations to produce thought-provoking events at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts’ Tina McGuire Theatre.

On Saturday, March 14, in association with local nonprofit Emberlight: Center for Conscious Living & Dying, UnLabelMe presents “Dying on Stage: 12 Diverse Monologues About Something We All Share” at 2 p.m. It will be followed at 5 p.m. by a screening of The Last Ecstatic Days, a feature-length documentary about Ethan Sisser, a young man with brain cancer whose passage was facilitated by Asheville-based end-of-life doula Aditi Sethi. Tickets are $25 per show or $40 for both performances, plus taxes and fees.

On Sunday, March 15, UnLabelMe offers a pair of audience-participation conversations in conjunction with Open Hearts Art Center. “Beyond

Ethan Sisser, left, and Aditi Sethi in a still from The Last Ecstatic Days Photo courtesy of UnLabelMe

Words: Communicating With NonSpeakers” starts at 2 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. by “The Badasses of Autism,” featuring mothers of nonspeakers who’ve learned to communicate nonverbally with help from expert Cara Currey, who will facilitate both events. Tickets are $25 per show or $42.50 for both performances, plus taxes and fees.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fe5. X

Private Lives

the

Written by Noël Coward and first performed in 1930, Private Lives has enjoyed numerous Broadway runs with such stars as Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Coward himself, and was adapted for the screen in 1931 with a cast including Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery.

Now the comic tale of exes Elyot and Amanda crossing paths while honeymooning with their new spouses at the

same hotel comes to Hendersonville Theatre. Michelle Newman directs an ensemble that features Colin Grube as Elyot and Marilyn Bailey as Amanda, plus Gina McDaniel and Elijah York as their respective new partners, Sybil and Victor.

The production runs FridaySunday, March 13-29, with performances Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $29-$35.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fe0. X

Hellbender by The Orange Peel

Named in honor of the giant salamander found in Western North Carolina streams, Hellbender by The Orange Peel is nearing completion at 151 Thompson St. The new outdoor venue is slated to open in July with a limited concert series, followed by the installation of a permanent stage and a full season beginning in spring 2027.

According to a press release, the approximately 3-acre property sits along a bend in the Swannanoa River that was previously home to Brewery Cursus Keme before it was destroyed by flooding from Tropical Storm Helene. Hellbender will feature “a gently graded concert lawn for general admission audiences, as well as options for both premium and standard seating at shows.”

The first event to be announced at Hellbender is Rhiannon Giddens‘ “American Tunes: Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” minitour, featuring Giddens, Mavis Staples and Mary Chapin Carpenter, with support from Hurray for the Riff Raff. The Saturday, Aug. 1, show starts at 6 p.m., and is described

as “a joyful celebration of American songs that connect generations.” Tickets are $68.23-$119.72. To learn more, visit avl.mx/fe8. X

Here, Still

Want to feel more connected to downtown Asheville’s historically Black business district, The Block?

“Here, Still: A Downtown Writing Walk” offers that opportunity on Saturday, March 14, 2-4 p.m.

Designed specifically for locals, the event is co-facilitated by author Aisha Adams (This Is What Made Me) and Cuentos y Café BIPOC Bookstore founder Tamara Olmedo, blending place-based writing prompts with curated visits to locally owned businesses in the historic district. Attendees will engage directly with

spaces that continue to carry the legacy of Black enterprise and creativity.

“Storytelling has always been how people make sense of place,” Adams says in a press release. “This walk invites residents to see The Block not only as it stands today but as it has been and as it could be. When we tell stories in the spaces where history happened, we strengthen the future of those spaces.”

Tickets are $50, a portion of which directly supports participating small businesses through prepurchased items gifted to attendees.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/fdz. X

TRADITIONAL CELTIC JIGS: Asheville-based Trippin’ Up the Stairs plays at Shamrock Irons as part of the bar’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Tuesday, March 17, starting at 8 p.m. Audience members can expect lively jigs, reels and Irish folk favorites. Photo courtesy of Shamrock Irons

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

12 BONES BREWING

SMOKEHOUSE & BREWING Trivia Night w/King Trivia, 7pm

185 KING STREET

The 90s Themed Trivia & Karaoke Night, 7pm

ELUVIUM BREWING The Candleers (Americana), 5:30pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Saylor Brothers Jamgrass Wednesdays, 6:30pm

GALACTIC PIZZA Trivia Night, 6:30pm

HI-WIRE BREWINGBILTMORE VILLAGE Weekly Trivia, 7pm

HOTEL EVE JAZZ CLUB

Steve Laspina Trio (jazz), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old-time Jam, 5pm

SHAKEY'S SSIN w/DJ Ragga Massive, 10pm SLY GROG LOUNGE Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Cootie Catcher, Trust Blinks & An Orb (alt-folk, indie-tronica), 8:45pm

TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Matt Smith’s WellCrafted Music Series w/Michael Libramento (multi-genre), 6pm

THE ODD Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tobacco Road (blues-rock), 10pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Sold Out: Jordan Jensen, 8pm

TURGUA BREWING CO. Lightning Round Trivia w/Marty, 6pm

TWIN LEAF

BREWERY Open Mic Night, 6:30pm

VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR

Group Therapy w/ Neptune Spins, 9pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Session (irish music, Trad), 5pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

185 KING STREET

Honky Tonk Thursday w/Alma Russ (country), 6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Arkansauce w/Coyote Rodeo (bluegrass), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

EULOGY

Corey Ryan Forrester, 7pm

FLOOD GALLERY

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead Thursdays, 6pm

GREEN MAN BREWING

Thursday Night Trivia, 7pm

HOTEL EVE JAZZ CLUB

Micah Thomas & Friends (jazz), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam, 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

• J. Dunks & Julian (acoustic), 6pm • Thursday Karaoke, 9:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

Jared Nels & The Soggy Wisco Boys (bluegrass, soul), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

The Miller Sisters (indie-folk), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco Nino, 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Django Jazz Jam, 7pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Auto-tune Karaoke w/

Who Gave This B*tch a Mic, 10pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Glen Phillips (folk), 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Gary Numan (electronic, rock, synth-pop), 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Trivia Night, 6:30pm

URBAN ORCHARD

CIDER CO.

Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm

VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR

Hot Couch Karaoke w/ DJ BridalPartiBucardi, 8pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 13

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Noche de Verano

Sin Ti (DTMF) (Latin, reggaeton), 10pm

CROW & QUILL

Black Sea Beat Society (Balkan, Turkish), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Summer Dean (country), 8pm

ELEVATED

KAVA LOUNGE

DOWNTOWN

Open Mic Night, 8pm

EULOGY

The Silver Doors, Fortune Child, In The Pines, & Fashion Bath (blues, psych-rock, shoegaze), 7pm

FLEETWOOD’S

Lucille Klement, Paprika & The Kindest People (alt-rock, Garage, indie), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Clouds of Delusion (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CASINO

RESORT

Clay Walker (country), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Mr. Jimmy (blues), 8:30pm

LOBSTER TRAP

Dinah's Daydream (Gypsy, jazz), 6:30pm

MAD CO. BREW

HOUSE

Peter Falbo (acoustic), 6pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

A Journey Through Sade’s Catalogue w/K

A T R I N A, 9pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

Eric Chesson (Americana, funk), 7pm

PRITCHARD PARK

DOWNTOWN

The Friday Drum Circle, 6pm

RIVER ARTS DISTRICT

BREWING CO.

TJ Stacy & Team

Awesome (funk, jazz, rock), 7pm

SHAKEY'S 2000s Karaoke w/DJ

Franco Nino, 10pm

SHAMROCK IRONS

John Keck Band (rock), 8pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Free Flow Band (funk), 9pm

TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Mana Meter (multigenre), 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Twen (indie-rock, postpunk, shoegaze), 8pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

• Joshua Ty Batenhorst (acoustic), 6pm

• Chloe Kimes (Americana), 10pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Cat Power: The Greatest Tour (altindie), 8pm

THIRD ROOM

CopyCatt w/OOGA (dubstep, electronic), 9pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Guavatron w/Electro

Chemical & Digital Laundry (electronica, funk, rock), 9pm

ANTIDOTE COCKTAIL

LOUNGE AT CHEMIST

Industrial Cofee Pot (jazz, funk, folk), 12pm

BURGER BAR

The Best Worst Karaoke, 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Meschiya Lake & The Moodswingers (blues, jazz), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

The Bo Stevens (country, Honky Tonk), 8pm

EULOGY Braxton Cook w/ Quantum Crusaders (jazz, r&b, soul), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

The Andrew Thelston Band (Led Zepplin Tribute), 6pm

GREEN MAN BREWING

The Z-Man Experience (rock, Ska), 3pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Nobody’s Darling String Band (bluegrass, blues, swing), 4pm

• Ben Balmer (Americana, blues, folk), 8:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Adama & Les Amis Dance Party (multigenre), 4pm

• Blue Ridge Betty (Americana), 9pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Suns of Stars (bluegrass), 7pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

UNCA Showcase w/ Grayson Warner, Cadence & Juca Camera (folk, jazzrock, pop), 7:30pm

TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Carpal Tullar (art-pop, rock), 5pm

THE GREY EAGLE Blue Country Line Dance’s Giddy-Up Brunch, 11am

THE ODD Party Foul Drag, 8pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

• Riyen Roots (blues, roots, soul), 6pm

• Florencia & The Feeling (funk, pop), 10pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Sold Out: The Hives w/The Chats (alt-rock, garage-rock, punk), 8pm

THIRD ROOM

Tito Puente Jr. w/ Ache Tropical (Latin, mambo, salsa), 7pm

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

185 KING STREET

Open Electric Jam w/ The King Street House Band, 5pm

ANTIDOTE COCKTAIL LOUNGE AT CHEMIST Industrial Cofee Pot (jazz, funk, folk), 4pm

BURIAL SOUTH SLOPE

Mourning Mass, 2pm

CROW & QUILL Holler & Crow's St. Patty's Day Party (Celtic, folk), 7pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY Open Mic Night, 6pm

FLEETWOOD’S Rubix Pube, Glue Sniffin Squish Heads, Swollen Colon & Horse Breakfast (Garage, mutant-rock), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa (reggae), 3pm

GINGER'S REVENGE Jazz Jam Sundays, 2:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch w/The Bluegrass Brunch Boys (bluegrass), noon

• Traditional Irish Music Session, 3:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Suns of Stars Sunday Residency (bluegrass), 2pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Sunday Jam: Spiro & Friends, 6:30pm

PULP

Nolen Durham (indie-pop, indie-rock), 8pm

SHAMROCK IRONS Pete Falbo (Americana, folk), 1pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. Rumours ATL (Fleetwood Mac tribute), 6pm

TAPROOM AT

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

• The Boys of Buncombe (Americana, Celtic), 1pm

• Drop O’ the Pure (Celtic, rock), 4pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Burlesque Brunch, noon

VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR

Freshen Up Open Mic Comedy, 7pm

MONDAY, MARCH 16

DIATRIBE BREWING

Big Brain Trivia, 7pm

DIRTY JACK'S

Traditional Old Time Jam, 5:30pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Mashup Mondays w/ JLloyd (funk, jazz, soul), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 7:30pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

The Hot Seat w/C.J. Green & Cam (Comedy), 7pm

TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Trivia Night W/Two

Bald Guys & A Mic, 6pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 17

ARCHETYPE

BREWING

Trivia Tuesdays, 6:30pm

BARLEY’S

Super St. Patty’s Pop-

Up w/Lloyd MashUp, 7pm

BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Trivia, 9pm

DIATRIBE BREWING

Irish Session, 4pm

ELUVIUM BREWING

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Robert’s Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HI-WIRE RAD BEER

GARDEN

RAD Weekly Trivia, 7pm

HI-WIRE SOUTH SLOPE

Trivia Tuesdays w/ Not Rocket Science, 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration w/Double In Town (Celtic, folk, Irish), 8pm

MILLS RIVER BREWING CO.

Tuesday Night Trivia, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Team Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Tuesday Residency w/ Songs From The Road Band (Americana, bluegrass, folk), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday in The Office, 10pm

SHAMROCK IRONS

• Roots & Dore Band (folk, Irish, roots), 1pm

• Aaron Lane (Americana, blues, rock), 5pm

• Trippin' Up the Stairs (folk, Irish), 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Open Jam, 8pm

SWEETEN CREEK

BREWING

All Arts Open Mic!, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE

St. Paddy’s Celebration w/Lyndsay Pruett Express (bluegrass, Irish, swing), 7:30pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

• Uncle Lenny's Krazy Karaoke, 10pm

• Andy Greenberg & Friends (multi-genre), 11pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Mike Gordon (Industrial, metal, rock), 8pm

THIRD ROOM

Open Decks, 8pm

WAGBAR Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

12 BONES BREWING

SMOKEHOUSE & BREWING Trivia Night w/King Trivia, 7pm

EULOGY

Worry Club (alt-indie, Emo, pop), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Saylor Brothers Jamgrass

Wednesdays, 6:30pm

GALACTIC PIZZA Trivia Night, 6:30pm

HI-WIRE BREWINGBILTMORE VILLAGE Weekly Trivia, 7pm

HOTEL EVE JAZZ

CLUB

• Danny Iannucci Trio (jazz), 7pm

• Chew Toy (Danny Iannuci Trio) (jazz), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old-time Jam, 5pm PULP

Alla Prima, Proxima System, The Roosevelt Room & Lily of the Valley (garage-rock, indie), 8pm

SHAKEY'S SSIN w/DJ Ragga Massive, 10pm

SLY GROG LOUNGE

Weird Wednesday Open Jam, 8pm

TAPROOM AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Matt Smith’s WellCrafted Music Series w/Sally Jaye, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE Golden Folk Sessions, 7pm

THE ODD

Terraoke Karaoke Takeover, 9pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL FUNKGETTABOUTIT (funk), 9pm

TURGUA BREWING CO.

Lightning Round Trivia w/ Marty, 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Open Mic Night, 6:30pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

CROW & QUILL

Lock, Stock & Teardrops (Dancehall, Honky Tonk), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

FILO POST 70 Alibi (acoustic), 6pm

FLEETWOOD’S Cumshotwound, Falling Behind, Shot w/ A Gun & Nimble Will (metal, punk), 8pm

FLOOD GALLERY

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead Thursdays, 6pm

GREEN MAN BREWING Thursday Night Trivia, 7pm

HOTEL EVE JAZZ CLUB

Ben Colvin Quartet & Special Guest (funk, jazz, soul), 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam, 7pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

Traditional Irish Session, 6pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Thursday Karaoke, 9:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Tree People (funk, soul), 7pm

PLANT BAR

High Heels: Drag Show, 7pm

RIVER ARTS DISTRICT

BREWING CO.

Roots & Blues w/Peggy and Kelly, 7pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco Nino, 9pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Auto-tune Karaoke w/

Who Gave This B*tch a Mic, 10pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

YAWNi, Rich Inner Life Love You So Much, Lokye, Bad Ties & Burlap Circus (experimental, hip-hop, pop), 8pm

THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Justin Heter Pan (psych, surf-rock), 9pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Robert Earl Keen w/ Olivia Wolf (Americana, country), 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Trivia Night, 6:30pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. Wayward Trivia, 6:30pm

VOWL BAR AT DSSOLVR

Hot Couch Karaoke w/ DJ BridalPartiBucardi, 8pm

WEAVERVILLE

COMMUNITY CENTER

The Candleers (Americana), 5pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In theater, "breaking the fourth wall" means acknowledging the audience. An actor steps out of the pretense that what's happening on stage is real. It's a disruptive moment of truth that can deepen the experience. I would love you to break the fourth wall in your own life, Aries. It’s a favorable time to slip free of any roles you’ve been performing by rote and just blurt out the more interesting truths. Tell someone, "This isn't working for me." Or say, "I need to be my pure self with greater authenticity." Breaking the fourth wall won’t ruin the show; it will be more fun and real and entertaining.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): English speakers like me use the terms "destiny" and “fate” interchangeably. But a scholar of ancient Sumer claims they had different meanings in that culture. *Nam*, the word for "destiny," was fixed and immutable. *Namtar*, meaning "fate," could be manipulated, adjusted, and even cheated. I bring this to your attention, Taurus, because I believe you now have a golden chance to veer off a path that leads to an uninteresting or unproductive destiny and start gliding along a fateful detour.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The coming months will be a favorable time for you to shed the fairy-tale story of success that once inspired you when you were younger and more idealistic. A riper vision is emerging, calling you toward a more realistic and satisfying version of your life’s purpose. The transformation may at first feel unsettling, but I believe it will ultimately awaken even deeper zeal and greater creativity than your original dream. Bonus: Your revised, more mature goals will lead you to the very rewards your youthful hopes imagined but never quite delivered.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Even if you're not actually far from home, Cancerian, I bet you're on a pilgrimage or odyssey of some kind. The astrological omens tell me that you're being drawn away from familiar ideas and feelings and are en route to an unknown country. You're transforming, but you're not sure how yet. During this phase of exploration, I suggest that you adopt a nickname that celebrates being on a quest. This will be a playful alias that helps you focus on the pregnant potential of this interlude. A few you might want to consider: Journey Seed, Threshold Traveler, Holy Rambler, Map-Edge Maverick, or Wanderlust Wonderer. Others? Choose one that tickles you with the sense that you are being born again while you travel.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Love is more than a gentle glow in your heart or a pleasurable spark in your body. When fully awakened and activated, it becomes a revolutionary way of being in the world that invites you to challenge and rethink all you’ve been taught about reality. It’s a bold magic that alters everything it encounters. You can certainly choose a milder, tamer version of love if you wish. But if you’d like to evolve into a love maestro—as you very well could during the next 12 months—I suggest you give yourself to the deeper, wilder form. Do you dare?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Octopuses have neuron clusters in their arms that enable them to “think with their limbs.” Let’s make them your spirit creature for now, Virgo. Your body’s intuitions are offering you guidance that might even be as helpful as your fine mind. This enhanced somatic brilliance can serve you in practical ways: a creative breakthrough while doing housework, a challenging transition handled with aplomb, a fresh alignment between your feelings and ideas. I hope you will listen to your body as if it were a beloved mentor. Trust your movements and physical sensations to reveal what you need to know.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I love your diplomatic genius: the capacity to understand all sides, to hold space for contradictions, to find the middle

ROB BREZSNY

ground. But right now it’s in danger of curdling into a kind of self-erasure where your own desires become the one thing you can't quite locate. Another way to understand this: You are so skilled at seeing everyone's perspective that you sometimes lose track of your own. Here’s the antidote I recommend: Practice the revolutionary act of having strong opinions, of preferring one thing over another without immediately undercutting your preference with a counter-argument. I guarantee that your relationships will survive your decisiveness. In fact, they will deepen as people locate the real you beneath your exquisite balance.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): New love cravings have been welling up inside you, Scorpio. These cries of the heart may confuse you even as they delight you and invigorate you. One of your main tasks is to listen closely to what they’re telling you, but to wait a while before expressing their messages to other people. You need to study them in detail before spilling them out. Another prime task is to feel patient awe and reverence for the immensity and intensity of these deep, wild desires.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you are fulfilling your birthright as a Sagittarius, you are a philosopher-adventurer with a yearning for deep meaning. As you seek out interesting truths, your restless curiosity is a spiritual necessity. You understand that wisdom comes from collecting diverse, sometimes contradictory experiences and weaving them into a coherent worldview. You have a fundamental need to keep expanding and reinventing what freedom means to you. All these qualities may make some people nervous, but they really are among your primary assignments now and forever. They are especially important to cultivate these days.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In traditional navigation, "dead reckoning" means finding your position by tracking your previous movements. Where you have been tells you where you are. But it only works if you've been honest about your course. If you've been misleading yourself about the direction you have been traveling, dead reckoning will get you lost. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because I really want you to rededicate yourself to telling yourself the deepest, strongest, clearest truths. Where have you actually been going? Not where you told yourself you were going or where other people imagined you were going, but where your choices have actually been taking you. Look at the pattern of your real movements, not your stated intentions. Once you know your true position, you can chart a true course for the future.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’re entering a rambling zigzag phase. Each plot twist will branch into two more, and every supposed finale will reveal itself as the opening act of another surprise. Fortunately, your gift for quick thinking and innovative adaptation is sharper than ever, which means you will flourish where others might freeze. My suggestion? Forget the script. Approach the unpredictable adventures like an improv exercise: spontaneous, playful, and open to the fertile mysteries.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Can you compel acts of grace to intervene in your destiny? Can bursts of divine favor be summoned through the power of your will? Some spiritual scholars say, “Absolutely not.” They claim life’s wild benevolence arrives only through the mysterious tides of fate—impossible to solicit and impossible to predict. But other observers, more open-minded, speculate that your intelligent goodness might indeed attract the vivid generosity of cosmic energies. I bring this up because I suspect you Pisceans are either receiving o r will soon receive blessings that feel like divine favor. Did you earn them, or are you just lucky—or some of both? It doesn’t matter. Enjoy the gift.

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ACROSS

1 Indian megacity of 16+ million

6 Talks too much

11 Text initialism that’s the name of a 2010 Usher hit

14 Like some walls at Harvard and Dartmouth

15 “Casablanca” actor’s nickname

16 Actress Long or Peeples

17 Native American rite of passage

19 Explosive item for Wile E. Coyote

20 “I wish it were so”

21 Behavioral quirk

22 Clarified butter

23 Roof type with removable panels

25 Girl encouraged to wake up, in a 1957 #1 Everly Brothers hit

27 Heartbeat tests, in brief

30 Jewish rite of passage

34 L.L.Bean competitor

35 “___ of Dogs” (2018 film)

36 Occurring at an appropriate moment

37 N.F.L. player in a purple uniform

39 What might help someone be loud and clear?

41 Strong point

42 “I’ll be right with you”

44 Screw up

46 Lead-in to X, Y or Z

47 Amish rite of passage

49 More than giga-, less than peta-

50 Really plague

51 Each “point” of Taurus’s horns, e.g.

53 Stand up to

55 Profs’ aides

57 Beethoven work originally titled “Bonaparte,” after Napoleon

61 Kimono sash

62 “Seinfeld” catchphrase ... or, when parsed as three words, how a participant of 17-, 30- or 47-Across might be greeted?

64 Dallas baller

65 Kind of pipe or patch

66 Like an Islay single malt, to Scotch enthusiasts

67 Ball one or ball two?

68 Great Plains nation

69 Pittsburgh-based industrial giant

DOWN

1 Melodramatic sort

2 Like Cinderella’s stepmother

3 Rapper in K-pop’s Blackpink

4 Jobs in “Heat” and “Ocean’s Eleven”

5 Lead-in to know or care

6 Potato chip flavor, informally

7 Ruffian

8 Workplace concern for seniors

9 British cookie

10 10 squats at the gym, perhaps

11 Facing an imminent prospect (of)

12 “None for you!”

13 Right out of the ___

18 Rookies, to gamers

22 Doohickey

24 Sources of lines for a reading, maybe

26 Like some upper lips and drinks

27 Unforced ___ (athlete’s concern)

28 Reeves of “Hardball”

29 “Up top!”

31 Ruler’s length?

32 Cuff or hem, say

33 Any of Scar’s underlings in “The Lion King”

35 Unfit for the job

38 Bar exam component

Gear parts

Completely collapses

Like some Quaker products

Where you are when in Roma

Cement spreader

Snack similar to a gordita

Noggin

Site for online bids

Foundry waste 58 Part of a line at an Apple Store

Adversary of Julius