The food

• The menu includes jerk and brown stew chicken, whole red snapper, and curry goat.
• Find sides like ripe plaintains, steamed cabbage, and coconut rice and peas.
• All is prepared in traditional Jamiacan style — the jerk chicken marinates for 24 hours in a dry rub + wet rub before being grilled.

The reopening event

• Head to Black Wall Street in the River Arts District on Thursday, April 20 from 4-8 p.m.
• The family-friendly event will have a DJ, merch giveaways, and games including Dominoes and a kids’ egg race.

• Lead By Example | Monday, Apr. 17 | 6-7 p.m. | Stephens-Lee Community Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave., Asheville | $5 | Young men can build the skills to become confident leaders through guest speakers, games and activities, and homework assistance.
• Totally Rad Trivia at Highland Brewing | Monday, Apr. 17 | 6-8 p.m. | Taproom At Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Ste. 200, Asheville | Free | Impress your friends with your pop culture knowledge for the chance to win Highland Brewing gift cards.

• “Brothers and Sisters Like These” Veterans Writing Classes | Tuesday, Apr. 18 | 5:30-7 p.m. | East Asheville Public Library, 3 Avon Rd., Asheville | Free | Register to join other veterans for this series of writing classes led by NC Veterans Writing Alliance Writer in Residence Elizabeth Heaney, author of the book “The Honor Was Mine.”

• Let’s Read Poetry Together! | Wednesday, Apr. 19 | 6-7 p.m. | Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Rd., Leicester | Free | Local poet Victoria Bender will facilitate a relaxed poetry share in this virtual event.

• 420 Fest w/ The Secret B Sides, Orange Moon, & Leisureville | Thursday, Apr. 20 | 10 p.m. | Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave., Asheville | $12-$20 | Celebrate this unofficial Asheville holiday with performances from The Secret B-Sides, Orange Moon, and Leisureville.

• Student scholarships — like the scholarships that helped 2,554 Bulldogs graduate with financial support in 2022
• The reopening of the Hyannis House to give BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students a space to feel seen, valued, and heard
• Athletic facilities and student-athlete aid
• And more*

• How can Buncombe County reduce food waste? Enter: “Taste It, Don’t Waste It!” from Food Waste Solutions WNC, where four chefs will compete to craft the best dish from foods that might otherwise be tossed. Attend the donation-based event on Sunday, April 30 from 2-4 p.m. at The Mule to sample the dishes + help crown a winner.

• Construction for the Greenway Phase of Karen Cragnolin Park officially kicked off. To refresh your memory, this former junkyard will become a park that connects French Broad River Park + Carrier Park on Amboy Rd. It only took, oh, 10 years of soil remediation first. (Mountain Xpress)

• The 50th anniversary of Asheville GreenWorks. Here’s to this community of organizers and volunteers + its projects over the years, including planting over 55,000 trees around our city and cleaning up the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers. Go GreenWorks, it’s your birthday.

• New speed limits signs are being installed on certain city streets, thanks to a change approved by City Council. A section of Pruitt Street is now 20 mph, a section of Deaverview Road is 30 mph, and Lee Garden Lane + John Walker Avenue are 15 mph. (WLOS)

• The Blue Ridge Parkway won a 2023 Byway Organization Award for “Viewshed Improvement” for Waterrock Knob. Over 5,200 acres were recently conserved in the area, helping protect the habitat of high-elevation species + eight miles of scenic views. (Mountain Xpress)

• Love content development (and the great city of Asheville)? Explore Asheville is hiring a Director of Content to develop and manage content strategies and social media programs that fuel marketing efforts — and the passion the company has for local businesses and tourism partners. Learn more + apply.*

• Want to stock up on small-batch sauce and salsa for a Cinco de Mayo celebration — or anytime? Sobremesa Mole & Salsas is offering 15% off with code AVL15 now through Friday, May 5. Snag the deal.*

• The next time you travel, don’t get stuck with cheap wired headphones the airline passes out — meet the AirFly wireless audio transmitter. The device connects the plane’s in-flight entertainment to your wireless headphones via Bluetooth. It’s sorta the one thing we never fly without. Shop it now.

• Ditch the hangover without having to ditch your favorite cocktail with Ritual Zero Proof Spirits. The award-winning brand makes non-alcoholic rum, tequila, gin, and whiskey so you can enjoy the ritual of having a drink without feeling icky the following day. Psst — check out Ritual’s collection of cocktail recipes.

• In yesterday’s newsletter, we listed Sunday, April 19 as the date of the city’s community impact event on the College Patton Bike Lane Project. The correct date is Wednesday, April 19.