Tag Archives: Asheville News

Buncombe Commissioners approve $1.3 million for Enka-Candler sports complex

Published in Asheville Local News on September 3, 2014

Enka-Candler sports complex

After an hour-long discussion and seven stipulations, Buncombe County commissioners approved donating $1.3 million to help fund a new Enka-Candler sports complex — although one commissioner described the proposal as a “little outside the norm.”

Enka-Candler sports complexThe Enka-Candler sports complex would consist of seven baseball fields on 90 acres near Interstate 40 at the former Enka/BASF manufacturing site. The land will be donated by Fletcher Partners, and the complex will be built and maintained by the Enka Youth Sports Organization (EYSO), a nonprofit created in the last few weeks. Buncombe’s $1.3 million would go to EYSO, which has not yet achieved its official 501(c)3 status.

“I think it’s a sound plan,” said Commissioner Holly Jones. “That said, we’re getting to [fund] a nonprofit where the ink’s not dry [on its status], there’s no financials to look at, so we’re kind of going out here on faith with a big dollar amount. I believe in you, but I just wanted to say that in terms of transparency and accountability that [what we’re doing] is outside of our norm.”

According to project progenitor and Fletcher Partners member Martin Lewis, the Enka-Candler sports complex will be entirely self-sustaining,

Article source: http://www.newsfeedmaker.com/article/221725546/9cad0b81 If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com

Tagged: No Comments

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

Tagged: , , , , , , , , No Comments

Live Views of the Clinton Rally

Published in Asheville Events, Asheville Live on October 21, 2010

Preparations for the Bill Clinton Rally - Asheville NCBill Clinton will be speaking today at around 12:30 PM in an effort to drum up some more voter support for Heath Shuler in the upcoming election. Asheville Live Cam is happy to bring you live streaming views of the rally, the preparations (going on now) and the aftermath. We’ve temporarily moved the East Cam to the front page, where it will remain for the rest of the day.

From the Asheville Citizen-Times:

Clinton is stumping for U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, who faces a strong challenge from Hendersonville Republican Jeff Miller in the Nov. 2 election. Hayden Rogers, Shuler’s campaign manager, said they’ve

Tagged: , , , , , , , No Comments

Mars Hill College Hosts Smithsonian Exhibit

Published in Asheville Attractions on October 17, 2010

Mars Hill College Hosts Smithsonian ExhibitI recently took a family vacation to Washington, DC and while we were there we naturally spent a LOT of time in the various Smithsonian Museums. We enjoyed it immensely, and so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Mars Hill College is currently hosting a Smithsonian Exhibit titled New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music.

Listen to America

Tagged: , , , , , No Comments

Thoughts on Bele Chere

Published in Asheville Events on August 16, 2010

Bele Chere 2010Lately there has been talk of making some serious changes to the yearly Bele Chere festival that envelops downtown Asheville. Proposed changes include changing the dates of the festival and moving it to a different location.

Bele Chere is always a big weekend for Asheville Live Cam, due to our location right in the middle of the action. Bele Chere 2010 was no exception. Every year brings a slightly different layout to the festival. This year it was centered more to the west side of our building (the BB&T building). I recall years where it was mostly centered around City-County Plaza and years when it even enveloped Wall Street. The constant, though, is that it is always in the heart of downtown, and that’s where it should stay.

Make no mistake, this is not bias talking. Asheville Live Cam would probably benefit from the festival moving a little farther away, since our cameras can’t look straight down to the streets surrounding the building. Because of that, a lot of the action is missed. If it were a little further away, like around City-County Plaza or further west down Patton Ave towards the Westgate Bridge, we’d be able to get better views of the action. But to my mind, that’s not where the festival belongs. The heart of downtown Asheville is Pack Square, and that is where the festival should be centered.

Changing the dates is a bit more controversial. It wouldn’t really affect this site, since we’ll provide the views regardless of the dates. However, it could significantly affect the festival itself. The main drawback about the current dates at the end of July is that it is just SO HOT! Moving the dates to a cooler period such as the Spring or Fall would make for a cooler and possibly more enjoyable time for festival-goers, but it could also seriously affect attendance. Bele Chere is currently the largest festival in the southeast. That could change if the dates are moved.

From the Citizen-Times:

Others say that changing the season could impinge on other festivals that have staked out shoulder seasons, such as the Greek Festival in September.

Also, keeping Bele Chere running depends in large part on volunteers, many of whom may not be able to donate labor outside summer months, said Byron Greiner, president of the Asheville Downtown Association.

Losing the volunteers would be bad, but this is the quote that my mind keeps coming back to:

Greiner, a former Bele Chere committee chairman, favors changes but says they can be risky.

Tagged: , , , No Comments

Click Through for a Good Cause

Published in Asheville Live on June 28, 2010
Gulf Oil Spill Orange Beach Alabama
Image by lumis via Flickr

The Gulf Coast is on everybody’s mind these days, what with the oil spill still spreading. Asheville’s tourism partners want to help out in this time of need, and so they have pledged a dime for every visit to AshevilleTourismCares.com between now and July 2. It only takes a second to click through and every visit helps. From PR Newswire:

The Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau is reaching out to the Gulf Coast in an effort to provide some support in the wake of the Gulf oil spill.A recent Washington Post article noted how challenging fundraising has been in the wake of the Gulf oil spill. According to the article, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that $4 million has been raised so far to assist with efforts in the Gulf compared to more than $6 billion that went to the region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

As a strong outdoor and conservation-minded community, Asheville’s tourism community is deeply concerned about fellow tourism destinations along the Gulf Coast. Many of the partners here have direct relationships with fellow tourism destinations in the Gulf region and want to help.

How Can You Help?

Thanks to the generosity of private tourism partners, every visit to AshevilleTourismCares.com will earn a pledge of 10 cents per visit

Tagged: , , No Comments

Video Exposes Dangerous Conditions at Exit 44 on I-40

Published in Asheville Live on April 14, 2010
North Carolina Department of Transportation

Image via Wikipedia

This video was posted to our Facebook page and I thought it literally hit home as I have dealt with this horribly backed up intersection many times. Watching it, it is hard to believe how long the line is to get onto the exit.

Then comes the hardest part to watch: several cars who have bypassed the line altogether, simply cut into the line right at the offramp. This would REALLY tick me off if I had been waiting in that interminably long line.

This is an issue that definitely needs to be addressed, but as the author of the video points out, only NC-DOT can fix it.

Several accidents have occurred due to bad drivers and a poorly designed exit near where I and my family live. I want this fixed.

The Asheville Police Department and Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department have told me that only the NC Department of Transportation can resolve this matter.

[swf]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0i31uabgQ,560,340[/swf]

Tagged: , , 1 Comment