10.09.2023

Today’s Forecast

65º | Partly cloudy | 0% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 7:31 a.m. | Sunset 7:02 p.m.

Live

Have a say in the local landscape

pack square park in front of city of asheville buildings

Now’s the time to get engaged with the community. | Photo by AVLtoday

Last week, we posed a question to our readers — What do you want to see for downtown Asheville? In return, we received hundreds of responses that voiced your ideas, concerns, and desires for our city.

Many of you expressed a need for green spaces, bike lanes and parking, and affordable housing, including changing the affordable housing definition. Others wanted to see museums and a preservation of the historical buildings + skyline.

But these ideas don’t have to just be answers to our survey. Here are a few ways you can speak up about the present and future of our community.

Getting engaged

The City of Asheville and the Buncombe County Government have community engagement hubs where they make frequent calls for public input and highlight ongoing projects. On the County’s page, you can find surveys on broadband expansion, community board participation, and Board of Commissioners meeting times. The calendar shows upcoming meetings and events.

The hub for the City also has a calendar, surveys, and City Council meeting agendas, plus public comment guidelines + a place to submit virtual comments, if you can’t attend a meeting. You can also sign up for Your Voice, Your Choice, which asks a couple of questions about experiences and interests then sends you notifications when related projects and initiatives come up.

ferry road project rendering of a street and houses — The County is sharing info about the Ferry Road project.
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Rendering via Buncombe County

Getting out there

You don’t just have to raise a virtual voice, though. Projects often call for in-person feedback during public meetings or community workshops, and there are a few coming up soon.

As the proposal for the Ferry Road project moves forward, the County is hosting three information sessions.

Wednesday, Oct. 25 | 5-7 p.m. | Enka-Candler Library
Saturday, Oct. 28 | 9-11 a.m. | Virtual
Thursday, Nov. 9 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Buncombe County Government Administration, downstairs conference room

There’s also still a chance for you to give in-person feedback on Asheville Parks & Recreation’s Recreate Asheville plan (including a meeting this afternoon).

Monday, Oct. 9 | 2-6 p.m. | Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
Thursday, Oct. 12 | 5-7 p.m. | Carrier Park
(Spanish language interpretation and translation services will be available.)

Events

Monday, Oct. 9

Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic | Monday, Oct. 9 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Noble Cider Downtown, 49 Rankin Ave., Asheville | Free | Share your best jokes at this new-material stand-up event, or sit back and enjoy the improv, sketch, and musical comedy.
The Amazing Acro-cats | Monday, Oct. 9 | 7 p.m. | Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | $30-$70 | This one-of-a-kind purrformance features trained cats displaying feats of agility as well as an all-cat rock band.

Tuesday, Oct. 10

Fundraiser for World Mental Health Day | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 4:30-9 p.m. | Bear’s Smokehouse, 135 Coxe Ave., Asheville | $10 | Support All Souls Counseling Center with live music, guided watercolor painting, games, craft mocktails + beer, BBQ, and messages of hope.
Tap into ASL | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 6:30-9 p.m. | Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville | Free | Get instruction on American Sign Language, then practice your skills will fun activities.

Wednesday, Oct. 11

Roll Up Herbal Bar Mocktail Bus Grand Opening | Wednesday, Oct. 11 | 3-9 p.m. | The Rabbit Hole at Sunny Point Café, 9 State St., Asheville | Free | Herbie, the 1971 VW Bus-turned-mocktail bar, will make its debut with charcuterie, dessert, and music.
Brave Voices | Wednesday, Oct. 11 | 6-8:30 p.m. | New Belgium Brewing, 21 Craven St., Asheville | $15 | Multi-talented performer Divine Holeburn will take the stage for the one-person drag show, I Am What I Am — with help from the Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus.

Thursday, Oct. 12

Ben & Angela | Thursday, Oct. 12-Saturday, Oct. 21 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Be Be Theatre, 20 Commerce St., Asheville | $20 | Join a young couple as they follow the twisty, humorous, poignant journey of love.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Tech

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Less spam, more life

News Notes

Today Is

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a federally recognized day honoring Native peoples and commemorating their histories and cultures. On Oct. 12, 2016, the Asheville City Council adopted the 2nd Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Opening

Ryan and Hallee Martin, owners of Hole Doughnuts, will be opening a noodle-focused restaurant called Noodle Hole at 133 S. Main St., Ste. 101 in Marshall. This new location is an extension of Hole’s popular noodle night pop-ups and will have one doughnut flavor on offer. Keep an eye out for an opening date. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Drink

The Whale is hosting its annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, Oct. 21 at its West Asheville location — but that’s not all. After enjoying a lineup of German beers, German-inspired food, and games, head to the face painting station to get into undead character for the Zombie Beer Crawl.

Seasonal

Frights and treats and mysteries, oh my — Asheville Parks & Recreations kicks off its multi-event Festival of Frights this Saturday, Oct. 14. The festival — which runs through Tuesday, Oct. 31 — includes a haunted house, a Halloween festival, a murder mystery party, and other events open to friends, kids, and canines.

Opened

Right place at the right time. The Watchmaker’s Shop has moved just a couple of doors up to 1 Page Ave., Ste. 119 in the Grove Arcade. The new location will offer more space for the retail gallery and precision timepiece repair facility.

Arts

Artsville Collective will launch its new virtual gallery on Monday, Oct. 16, with opportunities for local artists to engage with the organization, market + sell their work, and create a network. The first nine Virtual Gallery Artists will have their art on display now through mid-January, then the next nine will be shared. Apply now.

Film

Test your film and storytelling skills with AVLFilm’s 20-Second Film Contest. From now until midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 31, submit your micro-film — no experience is needed, all filmmakers are welcome, and prizes will be awarded. Check out the requirements because the countdown starts now.

Community

Your AVLtoday Editors here. We care about Asheville. We also care about the people in it. That’s why every day, we bring you positive, impactful news stories about our city — skipping the political talk, crime coverage, and biased reporting. Support our approach to local news by joining our AVLtoday membership club.

Wellness

Hear this: The world’s first hearing aids featuring dual processing — and backed by cutting-edge German technology — were just unveiled. 385,000+ customers have transformed their hearing with double the power and double the clarity (plus: a 45-day, no-risk trial).*

Announced

Culture

Museum in Cherokee gets a new name

three people work on Rebrand Planning for the museum of the cherokee people

The name is a reminder of the culture it shares. | Photo via the Museum of the Cherokee People

The former Museum of the Cherokee Indian has updated its branding and changed its name to ᏣᎳᎩ ᎢᏗᏴᏫᏯᎯ ᎢᎦᏤᎵ ᎤᏪᏘ ᎠᏍᏆᏂᎪᏙᏗ (Tsalagi idiyvwiyahi igatseli uweti asquanigododi), Museum of the Cherokee People. In Cherokee, “Museum of the Cherokee People” approximately translates to “All of us are Cherokee people. It is all of ours, where the old things are stored.”

The museum’s leaders worked with Marie Junaluska (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians), a board member + language speaker, and the Cherokee Speakers Council on the name change. It was the result of a long, intentional, thoughtful process — as was the vibrant new visual branding and updated logo, designed by Tyra Maney (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Diné).

The Museum of the Cherokee People shares the history and living culture of the Cherokee people, and these changes underline the organization’s mission to serve its tribal citizens. Visit in person at 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee, and check out the new website.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Molly

From the editor

I, like many of us, am convinced my dog deserves to be a star. And DSSOLVR may just be ready to make my dreams of canine celebrity come true — the limited-edition Your Dog Here is back with a chance for your pup to be featured on the beer’s label. Stop by The Whale on Thursday, Oct. 19 or DSSOLVR on Sunday, Oct. 22 to support the Asheville Humane Society in your dog’s pursuit of stardom.

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