Tag Archives: Asheville North Carolina

Asheville’s Southside

Published in Asheville History on February 26, 2014

Asheville’s Southside

Asheville Southside 1960'sA note attached to one photo of a home on Asheville’s southside in early 1960 calls it an “illegal gambling/whiskey house,” or illegal bar.

“We really have to get beyond the nostalgia to say what was there, what was life really like,” Mathews said.

Interconnected

Many, many more structures in Asheville’s southside housed legitimate businesses.

“Many people who grew up here remember (Southside) and being as vital, if not more vital, a commercial district than The Block,” Mathews said, referring to the historic African-American business district around the intersection of Eagle and South Market streets near City Hall.

Mathews shows photo after photo of Asheville’s southside auto repair shops, restaurants, service stations, beauty parlors and hotels, including one where James Brown and

Asheville's Southside once hosted Aretha Franklin

Cover of Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin once played in an upstairs auditorium.

Some homes were small, but many had distinctive architectural features people would treasure today.

“The preservationist in me is saying I could have done something with these buildings,” Mathews

Article source: http://www.blackmountainnews.com/article/20140222/NEWS01/302220026/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Waiving the fee for Entrance to the Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center

Published in Asheville Attractions, Asheville History on February 26, 2014

“As an institution that adds to and thrives within Asheville’s amazing cultural offerings, we thought that a proper celebration of our 20 years as a museum and the 80 year anniversary of the opening of Black Mountain College would include free admission to our unique exhibits,” said Board Chair Dr. Brian Butler in a press release issued Sunday afternoon. “We think of this as both a thank you to our community and as a gentle invite to anyone who has not already stopped in to learn about our exhibitions and events.”

alice sebrell, of black mountain college museu...

alice sebrell, of black mountain college museum and arts center, shows me (and siena!) mary parks washington’s histcollage titled “black mountain college” (Photo credit: davidsilver)

The move grants all visitors free access to ongoing exhibitions in the museum’s Broadway Street gallery space. Some special events, such as lectures, film screening and poetry readings, among other programs, may still have one-time ticket fees. As for the financial difference, the board’s goal, according to Alice Sebrell, BMCM+AC’s program director, is to balance out potential loss in

Article source: http://www.mountainx.com/article/56566/Waiving-the-fee If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Foodie vacation destination: The Admiral in Asheville, N.C.

Published in Asheville Food, Asheville Local News on February 24, 2014

Go For the Food is a weekly AP food and travel series about food as a driver of tourism.

BY LINDSEY TANNER

ASHEVILLE, N.C. | In downtown Asheville, good restaurants are as handsomely conspicuous as the artsy boutiques and bodegas that give the Blue Ridge Mountain mecca its trendy, vibrant flair.

IF YOU GOCooks @ The Admiral

• The Admiral: 400 Haywood Road, West Asheville, N.C., 828-252-2541SunnyPointCafe

• Sunny Point Cafe: 626 Haywood Road, West Asheville, N.C., 828-252-0055

Across the French Broad River, in West Asheville? Not so much. This is the funkier side of town, where families, artists and workers live in frame bungalows lining narrow, hilly side streets, and the main drag, Haywood Road, has an earthier, slightly gritty feel.

That’s why driving down Haywood, you’re more apt to notice the gas station across the street than the squat cinder block building that houses The Admiral.

“Chances are, you will pass us at least three times. You won’t be able to find a good parking place,” said Admiral co-owner Drew Wallace.

When The Admiral opened in 2007, Wallace and business partner Jonathan Robinson called this

Article source: http://www.newsfeedmaker.com/article/191302054/9cad0b81 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Premier Distributor of Outdoor Recreation Products Locates in Asheville

Published in Asheville Local News, North Carolina News on February 24, 2014

SportHansa
In conjunction with the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County (EDC) and Venture Asheville, Sport Hansa LLC, a premier importer and distributor of European outdoor product brands, today announced its relocation to Asheville.  The firm’s expanded distribution center will allow for continued growth and expansion of product lines that today include Helle knives of Norway, Kupilka camping dishware of Finland, Montane technical outerwear and Terra Nova tents of the United Kingdom, as well as Wetterlings Axe Works of Sweden.  The three-year-old company will locate at 10 Business Park Circle in Arden.

“As we continued to expand our customer base and add further European brands, we looked for a location that offered key attributes such as a business friendly environment and a cluster of other important players in the outdoor industry. After an extensive search, Asheville continually came up at the top of our list,” stated Matt Huff, Managing Director of Sport Hansa. The company is relocating its headquarters and distribution operations from Longmont, Colorado.

Additionally, the firm announced the appointment of a new Director of Marketing and Inside Sales. Formerly with North Carolina based

Article source: http://www.ashevillechamber.org/economic-development/announcements-and-press-releases/premier-distributor-outdoor-recreation-produc-0 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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GE Aviation Expansion Highlighted in Site Selection Magazine

Published in Asheville Local News, North Carolina News on February 24, 2014

Site Selection Magazine- September 2013

Mark Arend

Sometimes A State Really Does Have the Best Work Force

GEnx LH 747-8

GE Aviation picks an underdog location for its ceramic matrix composite plant, lifting the fortunes of four Tar Heel communities, not just one.

Talk about a vote of confidence. GE Aviation is investing nearly $200 million in four North Carolina sites primarily because of the state’s work force.

One of the locations — Asheville — will be home to a new, $125-million plant for producing Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) components for the next-gen LEAP commercial aircraft engines being developed by CFM, a joint venture of GE Aviation and French aerospace concern Snecma. Composites are used routinely in aircraft manufacturing, but CMC is the first composite being used in the hot section, or core, of the engine. GE will produce a stationary component called a turbine shroud initially. Less air is required to cool the part, so more air is applied to propulsion, making the engine more efficient. More CMC components will follow.

Meanwhile, GE Aviation is also investing

Article source: http://www.ashevillechamber.org/economic-development/announcements-and-press-releases/ge-aviation-expansion-highlighted-site-selecti If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Asheville welcomes 27th Arts & Crafts Conference

Published in Asheville Attractions, Asheville Local News on February 24, 2014

ASHEVILLE — Fairview’s Bruce Johnson is nationally known as the spokesman for Minwax furniture refinishing products. Locally, he’s highly visible as the organizer of this weekend’s Arts and Crafts Conference that showcases Mission-style furniture and brings several thousand visitors to the Omni Grove Park Inn each February.

But who knew that this fine furniture man once committed a youthful act of family furniture disrespect?

Growing up in Illinois, the teenage Bruce covered the lid of his father’s Arts and Crafts drop front desk with decals of his favorite baseball teams, ruining the finish.

“Years later I retrieved it from my parents’ attic and carefully restored it,” Johnson said earlier this week. Seven moves and four decades later, “it sits right here in my office,” he said, “a daily reminder of how important it is to save and restore our family heirlooms for future generations.”

Thinking historically

As this year’s Arts and Crafts Conference gets underway Friday, Johnson is also thinking historically. “In 1988, I started a three-day conference, thinking it was a one year deal,” he said, “and lo and behold, here we are 27 years later.”

That first effort drew 300

Article source: http://www.blackmountainnews.com/article/20140219/NEWS/302190035/Asheville-welcomes-27th-Arts-Crafts-Conference If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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Blue Ridge Parkway open through Asheville today

Published in Asheville Attractions, Blue Ridge Parkway on February 19, 2014

After last week’s snowstorm of epic proportions inthe Asheville area, tThe Blue Ridge Parkway was closed for much of its stretch through North Carolina. But with the rapidly warming weather, a short stretch through the Asheville corridor is open today, Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Most of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed today.

Most of the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed today.

The rest of the parkway, though, in North Carolina is closed for snow, ice, and dangerous road conditions.

The parkway is open at Mileposts 389 at Hendersonville Road/U.S. 25 in South Asheville, through U.S. 74 near the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, up to MP 382 at U.S. 70/Tunnel Road at the Folk Art Center, which are both open today. This is where the parkway is closed, though.

In places where the parkway is gated, you can park off to the side, and access the parkway in most places by foot to walk, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, walk the dog or bicycle.

For more up to date road information on the parkway, visit www.nps.gov/blri or call the parkway visitor center at 828-298-5330.

Article source: http://blogs2.citizen-times.com/outdoors/2014/02/18/blue-ridge-parkway-open-through-asheville-today/ If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

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