Friday @ Asheville Green Drinks

This Friday, Rev. Itsumi and Sister Denise of the Nipponzan Myohoji peace-walking Buddhist monks will be speaking at the weekly Green Drinks gathering.

People gather for Green Drinks at 6:00 to socialize, and the presentation starts at 6:30. It usually involves a talk of about 20 minutes with questions to follow. The location is the Bobo Gallery, 22 North Lexington (just off college Street).

Itsumi and Denise will speak about the interrelationship of peace and environmental issues, specifically emphasizing how they are intertwined at the nuclear weapons manufacturing complex in Oak Ridge, TN, just over the mountains and upwind of western North Carolina.

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Green Drinks isn't just an Asheville thing but it does lean "Green". And it's global. If you're not in Asheville, see if your local node has a gathering.

Asheville FringeArts Festival!

Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 8:00pm
End Time: Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 5:00pm
Location: Bebe Theatre and other venues
Street: 20 Commerce St, etc

Come One, Come All! Experience the best of the avant-garde, the experimental, the fringey, freaky, and titillating performances at the 8th Annual FringeArts Festival!

Featuring many talented local performers in a few venues!
All shows are different, so come see them all!

Festival Opening Night Extravaganza!
Jan 21st at 8pm
Located at Scandal's Nightclub, 11 Grove St.
Tickets only $8.00
Jen & The Juice, our musical headliners with Cookie La Rue, our mistress of ceremonies!

Fringe in a Blackbox: A Fringe Focus on Movement and Theatre
Jan 22nd, 23rd at 7:30pm, Jan 24th at 3pm
Located at Bebe Theatre, 20 Commerce St.
Tickets: $12 Students with ID/Seniors $10

Fringe on Wheels: A LaZoom Bus Mystery Tour
Jan 22nd, 23rd at 7:30 and 10pm
Bus departs from the Bebe Theatre
Tickets: $12 Students with ID/Seniors $10

Fringe Audio: A Fringe Focus on Sonic Experimentation
Jan 22nd, 23rd at 8pm
Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, 56 Broadway
Tickets: $12 Students with ID/Seniors/BMCM+AC members $10

GET YOUR FREAK PASS AND SEE ALL SHOWS FOR JUST $25!!!
**Tickets for individual shows are also available

Visit ashevillefringe.org for schedules, to buy tix, and get more fringey info.

See you at the Fringe!

Haircuts for Haiti: Bringing Community Together in Support of Relief Efforts in Haiti

Area citizens and business are finding ways to contribute to the Haiti relief efforts and by getting your haircut in a participating salon on Feb. 1, you can participate as well.

Haircuts for Haiti is one way Asheville citizens and businesses are coming together to support relief efforts in Haiti. Five Asheville salons are holding a cut-a-thon and donating 100% of haircut proceeds on Monday, February 1, 2010 to relief efforts for the earthquake that devastated Haiti.

The salons welcome other businesses to match what is raised or become part of Haircuts for Haiti in whatever way is feasible for them.

Participating businesses will be listed on the Wildflower Studio website, www.wildflowerstudioasheville.com.

Businesses interested in participating in this effort should call Amanda at 505-9490.

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Way to go, guys. I wish you tons of success.

Flashmob in Asheville Coming Soon

Facebook has a FLASHVILLE page where they're trying to organize a flashmob for Jan 28th.

Stop in for more details.

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Asheville film 'Solatrium' heads to Slamdance Film Festival

“Solatrium” by local director Chris Bower will make its world debut at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah Jan. 21-28.

Many Asheville-area residents know Bower from “Moon Europa,” the Asheville based science fiction film he produced with multimedia developer G. Craig Hobbs. But few know that “Moon Europa” was originally a short film, “Solatrium.”

For more on Slamdance, visit slamdance.com. Local links are www.solatrium.com, www.slamdance.com and www.chrisbower.tumblr.com.

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Asheville Vaudeville

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Friends of Asheville Vaudeville Facebook Group

Are You A freak?

The Freaks Pageant is much like a standard beauty pageant, but without the beauty, swimsuits and tiaras. You'll perform your fabulous offbeat talents, show your best get-up-and-go costume gear, and of course, give the all-important interview.

And, much like standard beauty pageants, you can bribe the judges. At the auditions, expect to perform a short piece of your choosing and show photos of your costume creations (or other -fully clothed- exploits).

Please register immediately to receive audition guidelines by e-mailing avlfreakscalendar@gmail.com.

A registration fee of $25 will be required to secure an audition appointment.

The Freaks of Asheville pageant will take place at Grove House (11 Grove Street) from 8-10 p.m. Feb. 13.

Contestants will perform a 3-minute talent segment, show a costume of their own creation runway style and respond to 3 minutes worth of interview questions relevant to the kingdom of freaky behavior and thought. Contestants will compete for a single appearance in the 2011 Freaks of Asheville Calendar.

The Freaks of Asheville Pageant is produced by Kitty Love, Craggie Brewing Company, and the Freaks of Asheville. The Freaks of Asheville calendar is a fundraiser for Arts 2 People.

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Wolf Ridge Ski Resort

Wolf Ridge Ski Resort in Mars Hill, NC, wants to share the scenery of our mountain with you. We now have three web cams that show incredible views of the slopes and the surrounding mountains.

For singles, couples, families, in the height of ski season their inclusive accommodations are definitely worth looking into.



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Sweet Peas Hostel set to open in downtown Asheville

During an era when most new hotel-style lodging in Asheville has veered toward the higher end, a downtown business is poised to open a decidedly cheaper opportunity for overnight visitors: Sweet Peas Hostel, at 23 Rankin Ave., is slated to open on Saturday, Dec. 26.

To reserve your bed, read this information, then call (423) 612-5325 Mon-Fri 9-5 EST or send them an e-mail.

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Snow Day!

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This link is from Asheville Live Cam website. Snow days are always huge days for AshevilleLiveCam.com's web traffic, as native Ashevillians, expatriots and fans check in from all over the world to see the mountains and the downtown area blanketed in white.

Winter Solstice Events

Monday, Dec. 21

WINTER SOLSTICE HIKE, 7-9 p.m., Hooker Falls parking lot, Dupont Road, DuPont State Forest, Hendersonville. A winter solstice hike will offer participants an opportunity to quietly welcome the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere and celebrate the darkness of the longest night along the 1/4-mile moderate trail to Hooker Falls. Hikers are urged to bring flashlights and a warm drink to toast the winter solstice.

DuPont State Forest, DuPont Rd.; Monday, 7-9 p.m.; free; (828) 692-0385; www.eco-wnc.org

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A Swannanoa Solstice
December 20, 2009, Sunday
2:00p.m. & 7:00p.m.

The Winter Solstice is a time for joyful and thoughtful seasonal reflection. Delight with family and friends at the 7th annual edition of this holiday concert that has become a warm winter tradition of tis own.

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**There are still a few Winter Solstice celebrations that aren't being widely advertised so I'm not going to post them until I can find out if they are for everyone. So regardless, have a wonderful Winter Solstice.

Santa in Pritchard Park

We've got Saturdays with Santa again this year! Saturdays will be special at Pritchard Park because Santa will be stopping by from 10 - 11 am every Saturday right up until Christmas. Bring the kids and grandma and grandpa, too! Everyone loves Santa.

Stay in downtown after visiting Santa and enjoy lunch at one of our great restaurants, do some holiday shopping and then enjoy the Saturday Sizzle at Seven fireworks, presented by the Grove Park Inn and the Asheville Downtown Association.

Protesters on Generator at Cliffside - PHOTO

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Protesters Chain Themselves To Generator

Breaking News: Two people are locked down to the Cliffside generator in Greenville, SC. Press release below and more info coming. Also keep track at: http://twitter.com/RisingTideNA


Photo taken today near Cliffside coal plant

Greenville, SC - Two protestors have locked themselves to the 1.5 million pound generator destined for Duke Energy’s Cliffside coal plant in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Protestors are vowing to prevent the generator, which has been traveling across South Carolina on a 300 foot trailer, from reaching the coal plant. “Our nation has no choice, we must stop burning coal. The only choice that we can make is whether we do that in time to still have breathable air, drinkable water, a livable climate, and standing mountains,” said, Catherine Anne. Protestors also draped a large banner from the top of the generator reading, “Stop Cliffside.”

The 880,000-pound generator is on its way to Duke Energy's Cliffside Steam Station in Boiling Springs, N.C.

An environmental group called Asheville Rising Tide said in a statement sent to FOX Carolina that the protesters are vowing to prevent the generator from reaching the coal plant. via