July 24th will mark the start of Asheville’s 31st annual ‘Bele Chere’ Music and Art Festival and the influx of 350,000 estimated festival-goers. According to their website, “The festival features four stages of free- live music and an impressive array of arts and crafts; as well as entertainment and activities for children. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains of Western North Carolina- come join us for one of the Southeast’s largest free outdoor street festivals.”
Though still a couple of months away, here at AshevilleLive we are keeping this festival on our radar and plan on bringing you a series of reports ranging from exciting events to see and participate in, to some of the changes being made for 2009. One of the additions to this year’s festival will be a “battle of the bands-style contest” conducted in conjunction with WNC Magazine and the Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department called “Last Band Standing: Road to Bele Chere 2009“.
Other events we’ll be keeping an eye on include the 30th Annual Bele Chere 5k, the Lexington Avenue Drumming Tent, and Rashad McCant’s “Shoot for the Cure“, in which one lucky festival-goer will have a chance to win $10,000 with proceeds benefiting breast cancer research.
So stay tuned to AshevilleLive for upcoming reports with more information on how to maximize your fun at the largest street festival in the southeastern United States.
The Larchmont Project, a controversial low-income apartment complex, has been approved for development in North Asheville. Opponents of the project, which will include 60 units and will be located off East Larchmont Rd. near Merrimon Avenue, say that the scale of the project is too large and doesn’t fit with the surroundings. They also say that 60 units is too many and the complex will be too densely packed. From the Asheville Citizen-Times:
The 
