A SHOWER...
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Holy *@T?$^* Batman! Its been a long time. After sincere reflection, I'm
re-emerging on the Blog Scene. Why would I do this since certain people
predict th...
The debate over the pro's & con's of flouridating drinking water is about to get some new life. The Environmental Protection Agency in cooperation with the US Department of Health and Human Services have announced a re-assessment of policy on this highly controversial subject.The agency's will recommend a new standard for recommended levels that will, in most cases be lower than the national average. The recommendation will be for a maximum level of 0.7 milligrams per liter vs the current acceptable "range" standard of 0.7-1.2 milligram.
Asheville's 2009 Water Quality Report shows fluoride levels of between 0.7 & 1.0 ppm depending on the source; I.E. Mills River Station or the North Fork station.It also indicates an acceptable level of as much as 4ppm which is well above levels that will cause negative health effects. Flourosis is known to occur at levels of 1.0 or greater.
One thing is certain, the announcement will be fuel for both side of the health risks vs health benefits debate. Proponents will surely argue this as evidence for fluoridation while opponents will surely see it as an action taken to lower potential of known risks and thereby lend justification to there point of view.
Asheville's Office of Sustainability has begun offering free home energy education classes.
On the evening of August 11th, I took an opportunity to participate in a free home energy efficiency class offered at the Reed Center in Asheville.
The group of about 15 Asheville residents in attendance was inquisitive and obviously sincere in their desire to be informed. The class covered a wide variety of opportunities and options for homeowners to consider. Subject matter ranging from the value of minor water efficiency improvements to whole house air infiltration testing, to the does and don’ts of upgrading your homes insulation. Hands on participation was available for many of these subjects.
Class presenters were from local nonprofits; Matt Siegel of WNCGBC, Torin Kexel of Green Opportunities of Asheville as well as city building inspector and maintenance officials.
The class was much more informative than I had anticipated, and everyone involved seemed genuinely interested in the welfare of our community and our environment.
It's great to see our local governments interest in providing these educational resources as well as the public interest in obtaining and implementing the information. This is where the rubber meets the road.
Bravo to the Office of Sustainability personnel Maggie Ullman, Kerby Smithson & Rachel Doebber for pulling this together. I look forward to participating of more of these sessions. Money and time well spent! When is the next class?
Location - Garage at Biltmore 101 Fairview Rd Asheville NC 28803 Date - Saturday August 14, 2010 Time - Doors at 7pm, Pizza Judging at 7:30pm, Pizza Party 7:45pm, Benefit Party with Music and Beer till 2am Tickets - Tickets are $15. Purchase in advance by clicking HERE. Included - Pizza from a dozen or more establishments, unlimited samples of beer from a mini beer fest including 3 local Asheville breweries; live entertainment, music and dancing Benefit For - Families Pursuing Justice, a group supporting our community and committed to solving cold cases and other crimes in Asheville & WNC Peoples Choice Award - All persons entering will receive a ticket to vote for their top choice.
1. Pizza companies will make 2 pizzas for the judges. 1 regular cheese, the other up to 5 toppings
2. Pizza companies will deliver the 10 pizzas (2 to be judged and 8 for the benefit) at 7:30pm
3. Pizza judging will end at 8pm, pizza eating will continue until all pizzas are gone.
4. Pizzas that are to be judged will be marked and go into the private room at the Garage, others will be set up in the venue
5. Pizzas slices will all be double cut
6. Pizza companies will have a sign or branding to identify their establishment
Pizza Companies that will be competing:
1. Barleys Pizza
2. Circle in the Square Pizza
3. Vinnie's Italian
4. Iannuccis Pizzeria
5. Nona Mia
6. Pomodoros Cafe
7. Fiore's Ristorante Toscana
8. Piazza East
9. East Village Grill
10. Standard Pizza Company
11. Earthfare West
12. Franks Pizza
13. My Fathers Pizza
14. Mellow Mushroom
Breweries On Site:
1. Highland Brewing Company
2. Craggie Brewing Company
3. French Broad Brewing Company
4. Skyland Distributing Company
A couple weeks ago I happened across one of Asheville's little treasures. After twenty years this town continues to impress me. I attended a meet and greet hosted at the Biltmore Estates newest attraction called Antler Hill. While roaming around to see the features of the Hill I heard the distinctive ringing of a Blacksmiths Anvil, but there was clearly a musical quality to what I was hearing. the. The Biltmore Estate still maintains an full time Blacksmith by the name of Doc Cudd. Doc is a very personable man who loves to tell the rich history and proud heritage of the Anvil. Much more than just a blacksmiths tool, but also a communication devise used by the tradesmen and is classified as an instrument that has been featured in Symphony, Opera, movie scores and more. Doc, as I discovered is one of only 5 anvil masters in the United States. Below is a video recorded during my visit of Doc explaining a little about the history of the anvil and doing his thing.
WHITTIER, N.C. – Twelve women will gather from North Carolina and from as far away as the African continent to explore an awaken their creative life force through the awakening of the sacred, sexual feminine June 23-30, at Isis Cove Retreat Center.
Gathered by facilitator Anyaa T. McAndrew, a licensed professional therapist known for her international work with the Shamanic Priestess Process,™ the group will honor the divine feminine through living ceremony.
“Living ceremony means that we’ll co-create within a circle of supportive women meaningful rituals allowing us to dance our truth, breathe deeply into our essence, meditate, then move again,” says McAndrew. “In the process, we will claim and clear ancient wounds, share our sexual stories, and safely explore sexual healing.”
Part of the work involves awakening the kundalini, the powerful energy flow through the chakra system.
“Sharing inner reflection and experiential practices allows women to embody their Shakti energy to heal themselves and their relationships to their body,” says McAndrew.
“When that happens, women allow the divine feminine within themselves to blossom. They become able to co-create with Spirit the life they’ve always wanted,” she says.
Participants would agree, according to Morgan Dragonwillow, a massage therapist from Georgia who chose to clear negative past experiences through the process.
“I felt lighter, more free, and have a deep knowing that I healed and cleared some very important wounds forward and backward in time to insure that I didn't pass it down the line to my granddaughter,” she says.
“Awakening the Sacred-Sexual Feminine” will be June 23-June 30 at Isis Cove Retreat Center near Whittier, N.C. Contact Anyaa T. McAndrew at www.goddessontheloose.com, by email at anyaa@vzemail.com, or call 828.788.0773 for more information.
Sherri L. McLendon is a freelance writer in Weaverville, N.C.
PUSH ASHEVILLE FASHION 2010: An entire year has passed by the city of Asheville since our first fashion show and now the time has come again for the 2010: Summer Edition of Fashion, brought to you by PUSH Productions, a local AVL entertainment production company, already notorious for the production of the 2009 PUSH Asheville Fashion show.
Last year, over 200 people came through the doors of, The Garage at Biltmore, to see what they were promised would be the best fashion show in town. PUSH 2009 presented 36 models, showcased 14 boutiques with three local designers vending, all from the Asheville community! The goal of the show was (still is), proving to students and citizens of Asheville that shopping local is not only affordable, but the only way to find the clothes that are meant to be worn by YOU. PUSH was supported by the Asheville Citizen-Times, Mountain Xpress, G-Social Media, 105.9 the Mountain, 98.1 the River, The Garage at Biltmore, Bouchon French Bistro, Phi Beta Lambda at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, and ComaGun Music. Since the conclusion of last year's show, word has certainly spread that PUSH ASHEVILLE FASHION is a smash hit that needed to be repeated. Well, ladies and gentlemen---the time has come!
Starting now, the 2010 production of PUSH Asheville Fashion is accepting all business inquires related to participating in the fashion show. To qualify to be in the show, your business MUST be locally owned/operated and in the Asheville area. The staff of PUSH Productions will be personally inviting businesses and local designers to participate, but still are requesting independent designers and store owners to submit applications to be in the show. Please include a personal statement about your business.
This year's 2010 fashion show will be twice the size with two runway shows; 15 local designers and 20 local boutiques, local sustainable jewelery tents, silent auction, burlesque, aerial performances, cocktail party, and dinner. Don’t miss out on this must-have opportunity to have your designer or business name splashed all over Asheville streets, blogs, newspapers, and radio--through a process of heavy promoting and campaigning in anticipation of the show.
Hello Asheville! Here is a call to action for a great opportunity to help our local senior citizens in need and help yourself to some incredible deals. If you haven't heard yet, there is a fund-raising event happening through Saturday at the Aqua Environmental Resource Center; affectionately known as The AERC (arc) of Asheville.
This is a two part fundraiser. For starters a silent auction of high quality fixtures, 24 items totaling over $8500 in value received from the unfortunate closing of a showroom in Raleigh. The silent auction provides bidders the chance to get an unbeatable deal. Secondly a Donate To Participate ticketed drawing for over $2500 worth of products, gift certificates, and more. A $5 donation will get you one ticket while $20 gets 5 tickets. Item for the drawing include H2oEasy water filtration system, a $200 gift certificate, 2ea $100 gift certificates, free tickets to this weekends Home Show at the Civic Center, CD & 2 tickets to the Skinny Legs And All CD release party in April t the Grey Eagle, Dual-Flush Pro toilet conversion kits and much more. This is a wonderful opportunity to support the COABC Home Repairs Program. As an incentive to stop in The AERC is providing FREE home water efficiency kits while supplies last. Check out some of the auction items below and get your tails down to the center!!!
Located at 46 New Leicester Hwy in Asheville. Just of Patten Ave turn left at the Moose Lodge sign (Moose Heart Lane) and you are there. At the very least you will have fun playing in the hands on demonstration showroom and leave with some valuable incites about water conservation & water quality. They even have a toilet MaP (maximum performance) test station so you can see for yourself how well a toilet will perform.
"Connection is an essential vitamin. You can't live without it." ~ Edward Hallowell
Full disclosure: I love Twitter. I use the social media tool every day to share my sunrise blog and love-labor website dailycelebrations.com. I have spent many hours sharing ideas and reaching people throughout the world. They call it building my brand. I call it creating meaningful connections.
Building stronger relationships, Twitter introduced me to AskAsheville and gave me this unique forum to share my love of the Asheville community.
Rebecca & Charlie, Tomato Jam Café
Twitter also introduced me to the Tomato Jam Café, a Biltmore Avenue haven serving comfort food since 2005. Via regular tweets, the folks at Tomato Jam Café post food photos, and write Haiku. They share recipes and menu items. They praise their customers. They create online buzz and audience engagement... And with their clever tweets, they created a meaningful connection with me.
One day out of curiosity, I examined their online menu and discovered they made specially-prepared pot pies. “Could you make me a veggie pot pie?” I tweeted. They tweeted back “We WILL make you a pot pie. We will even pile it high. We will make it without meat. We will make it. Eat, eat, eat!”
I was hooked. By the time I called owners Charlie Widner and Rebecca Daun to place my order, they were like old friends. Shoot, thanks to the intimacy of Twitter, they were old friends. And trust me, the mile-high pot pie they made for me yesterday—they called it “Aloha-filled Veggie Pot Pie” in honor of my Hawaiian heritage—was the most delicious, satisfying meal I’ve had in a long time.
As I write this, I am finishing off one of their carrot cupcakes and remembering that decadently sinful brownie that I ate on the car ride home. With Twitter, Charlie and Rebecca posted a photo of my pie fresh from the oven. And now with the magic of Twitter I can tweet this story with the question, “Have you tried the delicious food at Tomato Jam Café?”
(@mscator welcomes your Twitter follow and posts Asheville sunrise photos daily off her blog http://mosway.blogspot.com/)
Are sections of Asheville's 130 year old water distribution system at risk of a catastrophic failure? Although it is possible it is highly unlikely. I have received several inquiries in response to a post from a couple weeks ago so it seems a follow up would be appropriate. The chronic water main leak that was the topic of my blog post seems to have raised some concerns about the condition of the system. The attached video is of my most recent inspection on February 19, 2010. As reported in my initial post this leak has been reoccurring over at least a six year period that I have been aware of it. At times the leak has been significantly greater than its current rate of approximately 200,000 gallons per year. As you can see in the video it has leaked aggressively enough and long enough to have eroded away a section of the earthen bank and large root structure of a tree directly in the spray path of the leak.
The original water system in Asheville dates from the 1880s when Asheville constructed a reservoir on BeaucatcherMountain, collecting water from various springs and branches. Pipes were laid and unfiltered water distributed by gravity flowed down into the town.The distribution system currently consists of approximately 1600 miles of piping, 32 pumping stations and 27 reservoirs. Some sections of the system are indeed very old. The leak that I refer to is from an exposed joint in a section of 24" diameter cast iron pipe with Lead packed joints. This is one of three primary transmission lines that feed from either the North Fork or Beetree reservoir.
Although Asheville water maintenance is aware of the leak and responds quickly to reports of an increase in the flow rate, repairs typically only last than a few weeks to a couple months. This is by no means a unique condition. The probability of water distribution infrastructure failure is a growing concern throughout the country. I can assure that this leak in the Swannanoa valley is not the only one on the Asheville system nor is it the worst leak. It is however, visible; and thereby presents a consistent reminder of the need for greater attention to a very real problem that is not typically on the minds of most people.
Asheville has an annual budget of 5.8 million dollars for water system maintenance and improvements. The budget funds are derived from taxes and fees charged to commercial and residential water customers.
This past fall I had an opportunity to visit with Mayor Bellamy while attending the grand opening celebration of the AquaEnvironmentalResourceCenter in West Asheville. Mayor Bellamy is a strong advocate for improving water efficiency throughout the region. I look forward to working with her further in developing community awareness programs.
Repairing the leak in Swannanoa would be quite an undertaking to say the least. I'd like to think this leak will be corrected in the near future, but after six years of monitoring, it doesn't seem to be a priority. I hope it doesn't take a catastrophic failure to become one.
Asheville's G Social Media (GSocialMedia.com) is going to be networking with many people and businesses in the Asheville NC area to bring you a free monthly Social Media workshop and class designed to teach you the basics, essentials, and advanced learning needed to initiate or improve your social media efforts for yourself and/or your business.
We invite you to come to Asheville and learn, ask all of the questions you have, and understand why social media is so important for the future of our society and your business. You will also learn some key information about websites, their place and importance, and how all websites are not created equal.
The events will be at different locations around Asheville each month to show you an example of true networking, reaching out, and meeting new people. You WILL learn how to CONNECT! We have about 12 businesses already interested in hosting our workshop meetings, and readily welcome more invitations from other local Asheville and WNC businesses.
Social Media allows all of us to control our own destiny if used properly. Knowing how to set up a Facebook fan page and Twitter account is something you will learn, but that is just the beginning of the road we "must" travel. You will learn about twitter, facebook, blogs, networking, feeds, socializing, people skills, business interaction, friendliness, strategy, and so much more. This is not just needed for marketing; but for life in general! Having someone tell you they "have it covered" is not enough. Asheville... you need to make sure you are doing all you can and in a very economical way. I have a plan! We have been doing social media and networking for companies in different ways for about 15 years now in the Western North Carolina area and beyond. Let us show you how, and help you learn everything you need to know and more about Social Media.
The first event in Asheville will be on February 25, 2010 from 5pm - 7pm. You can view and rsvp to the event on Facebook. (***Location has been set! The Downtown Market on 45 South French Broad Ave, right down the street from the Federal Building)
***Several of us are going over to Barley's Pizza after for a short social time.
In Weaverville NC, not too far from Asheville, Blue Mountain Pizza provides a complimentary Thanksgiving dinner to this Western North Carolina community.
They have been doing this for about 5 years now and it goes on from 12pm - 3pm on Main Street in Weaverville North Carolina. Right this moment, I am sitting at a table of 5 people and only know one of them previously. Everyone getting along, a dog sitting outside on the porch wearing a sweater that says "faith," and true community is in the air. We are thankful.
The Asheville Citizen Times has developed a local information network with several area bloggers. This WNC LINC Widget shows you stories listed from several blogs in the Asheville area. AskAsheville is one of these sites, then you have The Artful Parent, and also the Southern Highland Reader. Others will be soon joining in on the network. The goal is to build a stronger community and to share news and stories from several different angles. You can also view the WNC LINC page on the Asheville Citizen Times website.
Asheville: We need to know by December 8th how many people are interested in order to plan our logistics and such.
Every year for the past 20 years in December, Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule (as well as The Allman Brothers Band and The Grateful Dead) comes back to his beloved hometown of Asheville, NC to jam with several of his closest friends in the music business. This highly anticipated event, called Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam, occurs at the Asheville Civic Center. These hand chosen performers donate their time and talent to a cause very dear to Warren, Habitat for Humanity. He donates all proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. Past performers have included such giants in the music business as The Dave Matthews Band, Ben Harper, Edwin McCain, The Allman Brothers Band, Blues Traveler, Jackson Browne, Peter Frampton and many others too numerous to list. This year the festivities will be headlined by the Counting Crows and Ani DiFranco. Along with the other performers (the list can be found at http://www.xmasjam.com/ and more performers are being added), this year's Jam should not be missed.
Featured for the first time this year is a group a little different from the musical performers, but just as important. They are MASH PIT. This non-profit organization is a mobile medical group who provides non-judgmental emergency medical treatment to fans, crew and artists in need. Comprised of 6 of the medical industry's leading emergency care providers, they survive on the kindness of local volunteers (EMTs, RNs, Paramedics, MDs) who wish to help others while enjoying a memorable musical experience. Their love of music combined with their determination to help those in need, create a healing and educational environment for those who find themselves in need of acute care. MASH PIT recognizes that injury and illness happen, even amongst fans seeking to enjoy a musical event. They strive to evaluate and treat you on-site in the hopes of getting you back to your family and friends to enjoy the rest of the event. If a fan is too sick or injured, they coordinate with the local EMS resources and get them to the hospital for a higher level of care. Either way, they are watching and roving and making sure that all are safe and having fun. Some call the MASH PIT team ambassadors of good will and compared them to the Peace Patrol at Woodstock.
Calling all volunteers! Be a part of the team. MASH PIT is shouting out to all available medical people who would be interested in volunteering. Check out their website at www.mash-pit.org/volunteers and sign up using the on-line form. You may also contact the office at 202-596-8918 and provide your information to one of our MASH PIT staff members. This year's Christmas Jam occurs on December 12, 2009. Orientation will be held on Friday, December 11th at the Convention Center. Deadline for registration is December 8th. With your service comes a limited edition t-shirt, an identifying lanyard, other great perks and the opportunity to enjoy a show while helping others in need. What more could you ask for?
Acoustic Syndicate, one of “North Carolina’s best kept secrets” is returning this holiday season for their very special traditional after Thanksgiving show at the Orange Peel on Saturday November 28th.
Photo By Bright Life Photography
Known for its high-energy, positive sound, Acoustic Syndicate delivers a genre-defying performance, masterfully blending its eclectic influences with trademark finesse that only 17 years of cohesive teamwork can bring.
Acoustic Syndicate is the product of Cleveland County’s McMurry clan. Guitarist Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry is joined by his cousins, Bryon McMurry on banjo and Fitz McMurry on drums. The three McMurrys also bring a trademark vocal trio that only a lifetime of singing together can deliver.
Joining the McMurrys in 1998 on bass, Jay Sanders has become part of the family. A long time resident of Asheville, NC, his seamless blending of musical genres and driving style brought a completion to the band’s sound that continues to characterize and define. When not with Acoustic Syndicate, Jay can now be seen playing with Donna The Buffalo or his own group, The E.Normus Trio.
Formed in 1992, Acoustic Syndicate has had a long and storied career. They spent well over a dozen years on the road, playing at the original Bonnaroo, MerleFest, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Memphis in May and many many other clubs, festivals and events.
The band had the distinct honor of being invited to perform as a part of FarmAid in 2001, a significant occasion in respect to their family’s agrarian history. The McMurry family are farmers, and continue to cultivate the same land their family has for generations.
In 2005, the band decided to hang up the towel for a little while. They put their touring career on hold with a legendary five hour performance at SmileFest. In a recent interview with Frank Ruggiero from the Mountain Times in Boone, NC, Steve McMurry said “With the music industry in dire straits, the band would have had to commit to another five years of heavy touring to sustain itself. None of us really could see being gone from our families and people for that long a period of time… We had a great run of it, and thought we’d just call it quits and be regular people for a while.”
But the band’s audience felt otherwise. “People wouldn’t let us quit playing,” McMurry said. “They’d keep calling and calling, so after a couple years we decided we’d get together and see if we still knew how to play.” The results speak for themselves, and McMurry said the band is now performing without the pressures touring so often brings, and rather playing for the fun of it.
Final Song from the legendary SmileFest “last show”:
In 2009, Acoustic Syndicate was honored by being voted the 6th top artist of the last 20 years by the listeners of Western North Carolina’s WNCW radio station.
Their discography includes six official releases including two for Sugar Hill Records. Their 2004 effort “Terra Firma” was voted the number one album of the year by the listeners of WNCW, and 2005’s “Long Way Round” placed number seven. But it is not going to end there. Acoustic Syndicate plans on cutting a new record. The band will visit the studio this winter to craft an album of all-new material.
When Ruggiero asked about the music of Acoustic Syndicate, Steve McMurry replied “It’s high energy with a definite rock ’n’ roll vibe, but acoustic.”
“I don’t like getting pigeonholed, because we do so many things – bluegrass, soul, funk – whatever feels good,” McMurry said. “And the music we write is not typical of what you hear on the radio, either. We try to stay away from that mainstream cookie-cutter variety, and, honestly, I think people appreciate us doing that. I think there needs to be an alternative.”
Acoustic Syndicate’s all about making sure it’s an honest alternative, a sound that’s 100 percent its own, but steeped in a rich musical history each band member appreciates. McMurry said the band’s influences span the musical gamut, including the Grateful Dead, Little Feat, The Police, The Who, Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan, John Hartford and Bill Frisell.
“I know all this stuff seems weird to be lumping in on top of a bluegrass ensemble, but it works – this is the stuff we grew up listening to,” he said. “Some of the class rock ’n’ roll is there, but also the more traditional music. We grew up singing in a church, and mountain music, ballads that our parents and grandparents taught us … that comes out in there, especially with the harmonies we put together. It’s a veritable melting pot of different influences.”
McMurry’s quick to assert, though, that the music’s never been about the band, but rather for the audience.
“The material we’ve written has consistently had a positive message to it, and very little of it is centered toward the individual,” he said. “We try to send a good message in a very joyful manner, a very pleasant, uplifting manner. People recognize that, and I think that’s why they like it. It’s not about any one of us in the group; it’s about the relationship in the group and the people who listen to our music, and we’re just going to try to keep that conversation going.”
“The dynamics come from 12 years of traveling on the road together,” McMurry said. “We’ve been playing together long enough now to pretty much know what everyone else is doing. It’s more of a reflex action now than anything else. We love to get together and play together, so we’ve been very fortunate in that regard.”
The holiday season in Asheville is a time for celebrations, a time for memories of the year about to pass, and a time to think about family and friends. Not everyone has a great time during this season. For some it is a more difficult time than the rest of the year put together. Holiday financial pressures can sometimes be overwhelming, especially in this economy. As a community, we try to keep the struggles of others in mind as well, and help where possible.
The is a culmination time for families who have went through the year together. For others, this time of the year is a reunion season for families and friends who are not physically or socially close. People travel all around the world to visit their loved ones and to celebrate during this time.
Asheville also respects people of all beliefs, meaning that it is not necessarily "Christmas" for everyone. For our Jewish community it is Chanukah. For Muslims in the community, it is not a holiday time... but they are taught to respect it as the holiday of their Christian neighbors and friends. Atheists sometimes celebrate the holiday season, but leave any religious annotations out of it. Then there are those families of interfaith which have several beliefs under one roof. People are different, but all seem to sort of "come together" during this time in Asheville and also around the World.
In Asheville North Carolina, we are doing several events to make the holidays leading up to Christmas day even more special. The Asheville Seasonal Sizzle at Seven is an event sponsored by the Grove Park Inn. At 7pm on the 5th, 12th, and 19th of December, the skies of Asheville will be lit up with fireworks exploding in celebration! People from all over Western North Carolina will be coming out to gather and enjoy the show.
On December 5th, 2009 we will be continuing the festivities at 8pm at Elaine's Piano Bar at the Grove Park Inn. This will be a great party with business networking that's consists of many folks from the social media and social networking realm in the Asheville and Western North Carolina area. The party has been announced over Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Blogger. Of course, you do not need to be on these platforms to attend, but this is where the celebration party was originally set. Everyone is invited! I believe several local Asheville publications, including the Mountain Xpress, Asheville Citizen Times, and WNC Magazine are also planning to assist with getting the word out about the fireworks and the December 5th party.
Elaine's Piano Bar: Many are wondering "what type of celebration is happening in a piano bar?" Well Elaine's in Asheville NC is a little different that other piano bars you may have been to. They have two dueling (like a battle) slamming (that get slammed) pianos that are rocking, bluesing, funking, and discoing hard until 1 am several nights a week. It is not surprising to see some of the Asheville musicians jumping on top of the pianos and screaming the crowd's participation on! It will get holiday wild in there for our Asheville Seasonal Sizzle party!
Then again on December 19th at 8pm, (after the 7pm grand finale fireworks downtown, and the dust has settled), many of us are heading over to Elaine's Piano Bar for another Asheville Holiday celebration night with lots of fun planned. Expect some seasonal cheer, good times, sing-a-longs and karaoke with songs for the season at hand. Wear your Santa hat for a special bonus that evening!
During the first 3 weeks of December we expect the streets of Downtown Asheville to be packed out with thousands of people shopping after work, and enjoying the local restaurant scene in such places as Nine Mile, Chorizo, Rosetta's Kitchen, Mela, and so many more. Also on our list, we will be heading over to Pomodoros Cafe in East Asheville for some great Italian food, and also to the buffet at the Blue Ridge Dining Room at GPI for the holidays. Shopping will be a wonderful maze of gift options in the downtown Asheville area. There are so many stores and little shops to choose from. You also have the Grove Arcade, which is the old Asheville Federal Building, now packed out with dozens of retail shops and a few great restaurants. Oh, and Haywood Street, Wall Street and Battery Park Ave are just a hop, skip, and a jump away; and packed out with plenty of things to do. Then we head all the way down Lexington, Broadway, and Biltmore Ave for the cutest little shopping excursion so many have grown to love whether we live here or are just visiting for a few days.
The holidays season in Asheville is going to be just wonderful. We invite you into our City to celebrate with us. The food, fun, shopping and fireworks are going to be amazing. Of course if you live in Western North Carolina, we expect you to come join us during this great time of celebration in Downtown Asheville. You are all Welcome!
Due to the recent Rockslide between Asheville and Tennessee on I-40, the Chamber's Visitors Bureau has sent some maps over to AskAsheville to share online with our friends and followers. We want to all make sure that people traveling know which direction to head in to avoid any further complications. Thanks.The CVB will be keeping updated detour info at the: I-40 Detour Webpage.
Larry Keel and Natural Bridge will be at Grey Eagle in Asheville North Carolina for a big New Year's Eve show. Make plans to come by and check it out!! Music, dancing, and good times!
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 9:30 pm till Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 2:15 am at the Emerald Lounge on 112 N. Lexington Avenue in Asheville, NC
Immediately after the free show on Lexington avenue Saturday, Oct. 24th, Vertigo Jazz Project will keep the party going right next to the stage at Emerald Lounge in Asheville, NC. Be sure to stick around for late night shenanigans with Boone hip hop/funkmasters BPL too! Cost is only $7!
Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Asheville Mall - Food Court
Join us at Asheville Mall for a Live Auction of five beautifully crafted playhomes made by local builders! The Auction will be held 6 p.m. on October 29 in the former BDalton location.
Come see these magnificent playhomes on display in the Asheville Mall food court Oct. 15-29, then bid on your favorite at the auction Oct. 29 to give to your child or your favorite children’s charity. Contact Jes Garner at United Way 255-0696 or jgarner@unitedwayabc.org for details.
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children. I plan to post about my life for the next year and with 5 kids
age 11 ...
Embarrassing Travel Moment of the Month
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Back in October 2010, we introduced a feature we called Embarrassing Travel
Moment of the Month. While we intended to post a story every month, we have
obv...
Holidays Again!?
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It happens every year...Halloween comes and goes and then it seems like the
already shorter days fly by with such determination to the end of the year
and ...
Posts
The CVB will be keeping updated detour info at the: 
