Plus, a UNC Asheville alumnus wins Wimbledon men's doubles.
 
July 15, 2024 6AM-Top banner logo-small.png

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Today’s Forecast

89º | 70% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:26 a.m. | Sunset 8:45 p.m.

 

🍹 Cheers, Asheville
A flight of ginger beers from Ginger's Revenge
In a week, we’ll be toasting to Drink Up Week and some great deals around town. | Photo by @gingersrev
We pride ourselves on keeping you in the mix — so take it from us, a week from today you’re going to want to raise a glass.

We’ll be celebrating Drink Up Week from Monday July 22 to Friday, July 26, tipping our hats to the buzziest entrepreneurs, mixologists, venues, and beverages across Asheville.

We asked local businesses to participate in Drink Up Week by offering drink deals for our readers. Local businesses poured their all into the task — and the deals, well, they’re flowing.

AVLtoday_drink_up_week_2024_asheville

Don’t forget to zoom out — there are deals to be found outside Asheville proper, too.

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Photo via Proxi Map + data via Google

Presenting: AVLtoday’s interactive map of Drink Up Deals across Asheville for our readers to bookmark, including must-grab deals like:
Keep this map of Drink Up Week deals handy as you chart a course through our city next week. And don’t forget to forward this story to a friend and make plans to meet up for a drink.

Finally, a toast. We want to give a huge thank you to the local businesses participating in Drink Up Week 2024 and to you, our readers, because we know you’ll be out there supporting the beverage industry. We’ll see you at the coffee shop, brewery, and winery — drinks in hand, of course.
 
 
Events
 
Monday, July 15
  • Rainbow Color Bash | Monday, July 15 | 2-4 p.m. | Grove Street Community Center, 36 Grove St., Asheville | Free | Brighten up your summer wardrobe by bringing two clothing items (like socks, shirts, towels, or hats) to tie dye.
  • Understanding Homelessness Learning Series | Monday, July 15 | 4-5 p.m. | AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave., Asheville | Free | Join the first session of the three-part series to learn more about the causes of homelessness and the local landscape surrounding it.
Tuesday, July 16
  • Storytime in the Park | Tuesday, July 16 | 10:30-11:30 a.m. | Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd., Asheville | Free | Gather the whole family for a day of books, rhymes, songs, and activities all about going to the beach.
  • “Jane Pratt: North Carolina’s First Congresswoman” | Tuesday, July 16 | 6-7 p.m. | Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St., Asheville | Free | Hear from author Marion Deerhake about the life, work, and Asheville influences of Congresswoman Jane Pratt.
  • “Songs For A New World” | Tuesday, July 16-Sunday, July 21 | Times vary | Tina McGuire Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave., Asheville | $32 | Experience a moving collection of stories + songs examining life, love, and the choices we make.
Wednesday, July 17
  • Beginner Ballroom Classes | Wednesday, July 17 | 6-6:50 p.m. | Stephens-Lee Community Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave., Asheville | $12 | Put on your dancing shoes to learn the fundamentals of styles like waltz, tango, foxtrot, and more — no partner necessary.
  • Wine By the Vines Dinner Series | Wednesday, July 17 | 6-8 p.m. | Gemelli, 70 Westgate Pkwy., Asheville | $65 | Savor a five-course dinner with wine pairings from Calabria, a coastal region of southern Italy.
  • The Blackout Diaries | Wednesday, July 17 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Pulp, 103 Hilliard Ave., Asheville | $15 | Be a part of the show as an uproarious lineup of comedians and even add a few non-comedians tell drinking stories.
Thursday, July 18
  • Weaverville WORDPLAY Poetry Workshop | Thursday, July 18 | 2-4 p.m. | Weaverville Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville | Free | Bring a poem or two to work on your craft + get some feedback.
Click here to have your event featured.
 
 
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Arts
 

🧵 Shop, learn + engage with 100+ local artists
Five images from around the Craft Fair. Two elderly people stand looking at a jewelry display. Children playing violins and other instruments. A craftsman sits carving wood.
Can’t make the July showcase? The Craft Fair will return in October just in time for the holidays. | Photos provided by the Southern Highland Craft Guild courtesy of Diana Gates Photography
Asheville? More like Craftsville.

The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to Downtown Asheville for its 73rd consecutive year this Thursday, July 18- Sunday, July 21, transforming Harrah’s Cherokee Center into a four-day celebration of regional artisans.

Here’s what Ashevillians can look forward to:

🖌️ Shop handmade works

100+ artists will showcase a range of contemporary + traditional crafts, including purchasable works of clay, wood, glass, jewelry + more. This event is put on by the artists themselves, meaning visitors can connect with the makers directly to ask questions and learn about their creative process.

🎵 Live tunes + demonstrations

Wood carving + wheat weaving are among the live demonstrations headlining this year’s fair. These showcases offer a glimpse behind the curtain to see the time and care poured into each new piece.

Plus, enjoy local live music all day Saturday and Sunday.

💍 Jewelry sawing challenge

This year’s Fair also includes a live Sawing Challenge, where participating artists will compete to create custom designs.
 
News Notes
 
Award
  • Henry Patten, a 2019 UNC Asheville graduate and two-time Big South Conference Player of the Year, won the Wimbledon men’s doubles championship alongside his partner, Harri Heliovaara. The team is the first unseeded team (which means not ranked among the top 16 teams by the organizers) to win since 2014. (WLOS)
Coming Soon
  • Chef + baker extraordinaire Beth Kellerhals announced last week that she will be opening ButterPunk in the River Arts District, with the “not your mama’s biscuits” shop slated to open this fall. In the meantime, check out a host of other new restaurants around town.
Environment
  • Toss out the trash talk. The City of Asheville wrapped up its Less Plastic Asheville initiative, which offered educational opportunities and invited residents to commit to less plastic. Staff shared that they distributed over 1,450 reusable bags and 565 folks pledged to reduce plastic consumption.
Sports
  • UNC Asheville is running with the big dogs. The athletics department released the Bulldogs’ 2023-2024 Annual Report, reviewing the first year of its four-year strategic plan. Take a look at each team’s stats, community projects, events, and awards.
Cause
  • Tomorrow, July 16, Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry will break ground on a new emergency homeless shelter called Safe Haven. The 36-bed facility, which will be located on the Transformation Village campus, is slated to open in October. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Eat
  • Chef J Chong is teaming up with plēb urban winery for a pop-up dinner series starting Wednesday, Aug. 7. The evenings will feature an array of Cantonese food paired with local wines — we’ll raise a glass to that. Get your tickets.
Outdoors
  • These funds are blazing a trail. Conserving Carolina received a $450,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for work on a plan for a 31-mile Saluda Grade Trail project, connecting NC and SC. The four total grants, which were awarded to regional groups, are intended to boost outdoor tourism across Appalachia.
Development
  • Asheville Regional Housing Consortium recommended allocating $600,000 of its ~$1 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds to the 60-unit Apple Ridge development. Asheville City Council will vote at its next meeting on the funding, which would subsidize costs for Housing Assistance Corporation. (Blue Ridge Public Radio)
Ranked
Giveaway
  • Get ready to wine + dine, AVL: We’ve partnered with euphoria Food, Wine & Music Festival to give away one very euphoric experience, including two tickets to Aged to Perfection, Party in the Park, and Feast by the Field Saturday and Sunday + a three-night stay at Residence Inn/SpringHill Suites in downtown Greenville. Enter to win.*
Featured Home
  • This historic 1940s retreat looks like something from a movie, with exposed logs + the original pine floors. Plus, it sits on nearly eight acres just a few miles from the NC Arboretum. Take a look inside.*
Finance
  • If your Saturday consisted of mowing the lawn, deep-cleaning the patio, or heading to Home Depot, here’s one more responsible task to add to your to-do list: Move your credit card debt. This card offers 0% interest on a balance transfer until nearly 2026, plus 2% cash back on purchases.*
Eat
  • Spend more time enjoying your meals than preparing them when you replace your knife + cutting board with the Fullstar Veggie Chopper. It dices, slices, and spiralizes veggies in seconds.*
 
 
Arts
 

NC’s tallest mural comes to life
A mural of a waterfall and distillers on the side of the Moxy Hotel in downtown Asheville
This work of art reaches to the sky. | Photo via @brushcan
It isn’t unusual to see works of art out in the Asheville wild — intricate scenes and inspiring messages grace the exteriors of buildings across the city. But if you’ve been down Biltmore Avenue recently, you may have noticed a new mural in the works. And you may have had to crane your neck to see it. That’s because the in-progress mural on the side of the Moxy Hotel will be the tallest in NC.

McKibbon Hospitality commissioned the piece, calling on artist Scott Allred of Brushcan to create a scene inspired by the Land of the Sky. The mural depicts a bright, cascading waterfall, with barrels and distillers to celebrate the area’s liquor industry. Allred maintained a modern style to reflect the atmosphere of the hotel, which plans to open this summer.

Allred expects to complete the mural in August. Pro tip: If you want to follow his progress (without taking a trip downtown), check out his Instagram.
 
The Buy
 
🛍️ Special edition alert. The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale launches today, meaning top fashion, luxury beauty, and home items are seriously discounted.

This Kate Spade New York leather crossbody bag is $68 off.

Get Nike high waist leggings $25 off.

Le Creuset’s 7.5-quart enameled cast iron brazier is $172 off.

Get a glossy Béis suitcase $75 off.

If you’ve been eyeing an LED light therapy mask, the Dr. Dennis Gross Pro LED Light Therapy Device is $186 off.
 
 
The Wrap
 
Molly Wilson.jpeg

Today’s edition by:
Molly
From the editor
Especially in the summertime, grilling in the backyard or sitting in the stands at a baseball game, I do love a good hot dog. But I have to be honest — I can’t say my love has ever reached as far as four feet of hot dog. But if your fondness for franks is a lot stronger than mine, then loosen your belt and awaken your appetite — DSSOLVR’s Four Feet to Hell Hot Dog Eating Contest is back on Wednesday, July 17. Chow down to be the champion, or just stand by and watch the action. Ticket proceeds benefit MANNA FoodBank.
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