Our local podcast scene has a show for everyone – even horror aficionados looking for thrills this Halloween. To help get us all in the ghastly spirit of the season, we’re highlighting three locally-made podcasts featuring Asheville storytellers that will spook + delight you. You can find them all on your preferred streaming platforms.
Dark Corners From writer + storyteller David Voyles(who you might remember from Asheville’s ghostly Dark Ride Tours), Dark Corners now has two seasons under its belt. The first collects 13 separate spooky stories, and the second, Witch-Works, has a complete storyline involving a creepy toy factory. The final episode of Witch-Works airs tonight, and a paperback + audiobook version will be released shortly.
What we love: The atmospheric soundtrack from NC composer Mombi Yuleman (whose album Witch-Works inspired the entire season), and Voyles’ fabulous narration, which is almost soothing until you remember what’s happening to the characters.
Old Gods of Appalachia If you’re into eldritch horrors, check out this horror anthology podcast set in “the shadows of an Alternate Appalachia,” where terrible things lurk around every corner. Now in its second season, the show features standalone tales + short multi-episode series with titles like “The Witch Queen,” and “The Bad Death and Resurrection of Annie Messer” created by Steve Shell(of Asheville) and Cam Collins(of Bristol, TN).
What we love: Stories are tight and easy to get into, and we like dropping in for a quick episode or picking a short series to sink our (werewolf) teeth into. We also love how regional issues, like the sustainability + safety of coal mining and economic exploitation, get interwoven into the tales.
Palimpsest Three stellar seasons and three different (but strangely connected) storylines with compelling characters make this podcast, created by writer Jamieson Ridenhour and actress Hayley Heninger, a #MustListen. Season One features Annelise, a twentysomething struggling to find herself(spoiler: she finds a little more than she bargained for). Season Two follows Ellen, who stumbles into the dark world of faerie in nineteenth-century Britain. Season Three introduces us to WWII codebreaker Josie, who starts seeing dead people in London.
What we love: The quality of writing + performance here is top notch, and it’s not hard to get hooked. We also love the soundtrack, composed + performed by Ian Ridenhour, and the art, by local illustrator Megan Lee.
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Closed ○ Well Played Board Game Café(58 Wall St.) has closed after four years in business, citing the effects of COVID-19. The owners shared favorite memories from the space + expressed their hopes that the board game café will have a future elsewhere. 🎲
ComingSoon ○ Biryani Express, a new restaurant specializing in halal Pakistani + Indian food, plans to open soon at 129 Bleachery Blvd. There’s no opening date yet, but stay tuned to their Facebook + Instagram for more announcements. 🍖
Election ○ NC county Boards of Elections can now act on mail-in ballots that arrived with errors and contact voters, giving them a chance to correct the mistakes.Voters will be able to sign a certification letter as an error “cure” or re-do their ballot. Check the status of your ballot using the state’s online tracking tool. ✉️ (WLOS)
Civic ○ Data is now available for the solar panels installed at the ART Transit Station downtown (49 Coxe Ave.), which came online Oct. 1. Information includescurrent + peak power usage, energy used each day and over the month, carbon emissions saved, and equivalent trees planted. City officials hope to have tracking data available for all solar sites, seven of which are planned through the next three years. 🌞
State ○ After almost 20 years of planning + postponements, the North Carolina Freedom Park will be the first park constructed in downtown Raleigh to honor the history, contributions + struggles of black North Carolinians. The park will be lined with trees and will include inspirational inscriptions within walkways + a Beacon of Freedom, which will be illuminated at night. Read more about the project from our sister pub, RALtoday. 🌳 (The Urban News)
WaterCooler ○ A new documentary on the Asheville Municipal Golf Course airs tonight at 9 p.m. on Golf Channel. Directed by local filmmaker Paul Bonesteel, Muni is a one-hour dive into the history of the course, including the Skyview Golf Tournament, which brought the best Black golfers to Asheville beginning in 1960. The doc will also air on PBS next April. ⛳️ (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Coronavirus ○ Check out the latest COVID-19 stats for NC from the Department of Health and Human Serviceshere. As of Monday afternoon, 4,032 cases and 102 deaths have been reported in Buncombe County. ○ Thelowest number of COVID-19 cases this month were identified in Henderson Co. schools this past week (Oct. 19-25). Four cases were confirmed + no new cases have been reported since Friday. Since Sept. 21, 33 cases have been confirmed from 14 of the 23 schools within the school district. (Blue Ridge Now) ○ Since the beginning of the pandemic, domestic violence calls have risen + surpassed the number of calls from 2019. From Jan. 1- Sept. 30, the Asheville Police Dept. has received 498 Domestic Violence Intimate Partner calls, exceeding last year’s total of 426. Experts point to heightened stress + increased time indoors as one reason for the increase. Check out our resources for domestic violence survivors here.(Asheville Citizen-Times)
Dish ○ Avenue M just launched its Sunday Supper series, which features chefs from local restaurants cooking up specialty, multi-course menus as a way to collaborate + support local food professionals during the pandemic. Meals feature ingredients from local farms that depend on area restaurants for sales. Get more info on how to get your tickets ($85 per person) here. 🥘
DYK ○ Good news, nut lovers.North Carolina is among the top 10 producing states for pecans in the U.S., producing up to 5 million pounds of pecans each year. Even better? 2020 has been an abundant year for local pecan farmers due to copious amounts of both rain + sunshine. Pecan season runs from early Nov. through the end of the year. Source yours locally here. 🌦️ (News + Observer)
TheBuy ○ The Ridge threw away the manual on what a wallet should look like. They ditched thick, folding wallets for aslim design with RFID-blocking tech and the perfect amount of room for cards and cash. Shop here (bonus: free shipping + free returns). Ⓟ
Click the button below for local resources regarding the coronavirus.
Here’s how it will work: Asheville City Schools will expand their internet infrastructure beyond its walls + into five of the Asheville Housing Authority’s family developments. When the project is fully completed, 1,039 apartments in the Southside Community, Deaverview Apartments, Hillcrest Apartments, Klondyke Homes + Pisgah View Apartments will have a free internet connection. 💻
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#MUSTDO
Show ○ The Marcus King Trio (Drive-in Show)| Tues., Oct. 27 | 6:45 p.m. | Smoky Mountain Event Center, 758 Crabtree Rd., Waynesville | $150+ (per car) | Catch the guitar phenom + songwriter. 🎸
Film ○ The Addams Family| Tues., Oct. 27 | 6:30 p.m. | Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave. | $5 | Da-da-da-dum, *snap snap*. Join Rabbit Rabbit for this family favorite. Tickets sold per table. 🍿
Network ○ Incredible Towns/IBN October Social| Tues., Oct. 27 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd. | Free | Join local entrepreneurs + business folks at the brewery’s spacious outdoor seating area, and don’t forget your business cards. Bring a prize for the drawing if you would like your biz to be recognized at the meeting. 🍻
PlanAhead ○ Drive-Thru Fall Festival | Wed., Oct. 28 | 6-8 p.m. | Mills River United Methodist Church, 137 Old Turnpike Rd., Mills River | Free | Stay in your car and enjoy candy + a family-friendly scavenger hunt. 🎃 ○Conditions for an Unfinished Work of Mourning: Wretched Yew | Thurs., Oct. 29 | 7 p.m. | Virtual | Free, Donations Accepted | Hear from artist Dawn Roe on the subject matter of her new exhibition at Tracey Morgan Gallery, which centers on yew trees in the Pacific Northwest. 🌲
Find more of this week’s local events in our October PlanAhead.
Disclaimer: It is up to readers’ discretion to determine whether they feel comfortable participating in any mentioned events based on COVID-19 protocols and precautions. If you have questions, please contact the event’s organizers directly.
We hope your #spookyseason has been going well, Asheville. Besides all of these fab podcasts, we’ve been trying to watch as many horror movies as possible before All Hallows’ Eve. 🎃
