User Submissions Archives - Page 9 of 11

Carolina Mountain Ribfest Returns as Carolina West Ribfest

July 8, 2014 Comments Off on Carolina Mountain Ribfest Returns as Carolina West Ribfest

This July 11-13th the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center will once again host a RibFest . However, this year the festival sports a new name, new promoter and a new direction. Long a mainstay on the local summer festival scene, the Carolina Mountain RibFest is now the Carolina West RibFest and is being produced by AKA Entertainment & Media an event production company based in Greensboro, NC. Local event producer John Patterson, the man who began the RibFest in 2007 has handed over the reins due to health concerns.

According to Allen McDavid, the president of AKA and producer of NC’s Premier Barbecue and Music Festivals series www.premierbbq.com , the new name is an integral part of transitioning the festival so that it will appeal to a broader audience. Says McDavid, “barbecue festivals generally follow the tired old formula of barbecue, cover bands and a children’s carnival.” The Carolina West RibFest will feature an expanded group of national barbecue teams and an eclectic mix of entertainment including 3 days of local, regional and national music acts on the main stage, Lucha Libre wrestling, a sideshow and saloon featuring can-can girls. McDavid adds, “There are few places where seven dollars can buy this amount of entertainment.” McDavid has tagged the RibFest with the slogan, “A different type of BBQ festival.”

The 2014 Carolina West RibFest will have six barbecue teams vying for awards but mainly will focus on satisfying the appetites of thousands of BBQ fans. This year’s line-up includes local purveyor Big Bad Wolf BBQ from Etowah, Big Boned BBQ (Charleston, SC), Camp 31 (Castleberry, Alabama), Porky Chicks (Farmington, Arkansas), Carolina Rib King (Moore, SC) and Florida Skin Bones (Arcadia, Florida). The judges panel will consist of folks from the event’s Facebook family, local chefs and foodies as well as local dignitaries including David Gantt, Chairman of the Buncombe County Commission.

Joining local musical acts like Underhill Rose and Circus Mutt will be national acts Moon Taxi and Jason McKinney. UIW Wrestling will showcase a diverse group of luchidores and the RibFest’s sideshow will be hosted by The Squidling Brothers from Philadelphia, PA. Rounding out the festival will be a marketplace, kids’ zone and the Shady Lady Saloon. New participants Leinenkugel beer and Cupcake Vineyards will provide product samples.

The Carolina West RibFest kicks off at 11 AM on July 11 and continue through July 13 at 8 PM. Admission for adults is $7 and children get in free. The event website has complete details - www.carolinawestribfest.com. Updates will come via Facebook - www.facebook.com/carolinawestribfest.

I’m not selfish – I don’t want children

June 27, 2014 2

There is a huge push in our society to raise children, especially here in the South. Most women are born and bred to go to school, get married, and have children - in that order. Sometimes I feel like we have been raised in such a society that you may not realize that you have been predestined for a certain track in life, and you don't question that trail - you just take it. Being a mom is often proclaimed to be the most important job in the world - and I'm not here to dispute that fact. Without my own parents, my mom especially, I would not be here today. However, just because my parents made the decision to procreate and bring another child into this world, does not mean that I have any obligation to do so myself.

A First Timer’s Reaction To Geek Out

June 10, 2014 1

This year was my first year attending the local popular arts festival known as Geek Out. As someone who has always been deemed something of a nerd, I was delighted to be surrounded by my fellow geeks, although I have to say that a lot of people are way more dedicated to their craft than I am - and I salute you! Geek Out was a blast and I really enjoyed getting the two day pass to attend both days of the event. It was held at UNCA at the Sherrill Center, and featured panels, vendors, demonstrations, parades, contests, and even a wedding.

Asheville Forums, a new WNC networking website

April 10, 2014 Comments Off on Asheville Forums, a new WNC networking website

Asheville, NC – A new website called AshevilleForums.com has made its way onto the Internet. A new startup and joint venture between two friends, AshevilleForums aims to be a landing destination for tourists and locals alike. “It is a place where people can gather and communicate outside of regular mass marketed websites such as City Data,” the founders explain. “We wanted to create an authentic experience for both locals and tourists to discuss the area.”

Dispelling the Love Myths Week 4: Feeling Love is Enough

March 20, 2014 Comments Off on Dispelling the Love Myths Week 4: Feeling Love is Enough

There are a million love songs. From Donna Summers I Feel Love to The Lion King’s Can you Feel the Love Tonight, they all remind us that when love is present, it is palpable. So I’m willing to agree that love is a feeling. The problem is love felt, but not expressed, is not enough. I wrote on Week One that we need to figure out how we want to be loved. If your partner loves you madly, but treats you badly, is that really love? This is where the fourth Principle of Loving comes in: Love is Good Will in Action. If you want to love someone more, do nice things for them, keeping in mind what they would like to receive from you. If you want some one to love you more, allow them to do nice things for you.

A little counter intuitive, no? We think that the more we do for another, the more they will love us. In reality, the kindest thing you can do for another is let them know how they can please you, and then be pleased by their good will in action. Jerry Jud talks about another facet of good will in action, which is that, to truly love, we have to come to grips with the fact that we are all good, and bad, dark and light. He said, “I have to own my own darkness in order to live with your darkness. But I also have to own my own light in order to live with your brilliant light.. . . If you are going to love somebody, you have to love the whole thing.”**

Victor Baranco said it another way, “Love is the willingness to see yourself through all of another person's viewpoints.” And here’s the love myth. That someone out there is the perfect person for us, in every way. Their bumps will fit our grooves, and we will live happily, lovingly ever after. We believe that true love sees us as we wish to see ourselves. Anyone who’s been in a relationship knows this isn’t true. Our “soul mates” stick their thumbs in every sore spot we have. We are attracted to the people who have the things we lack, and then resent them for it. They mirror back our shadows, and also call us to live into our highest selves.This can be very uncomfortable!

The next time you find yourself not liking someone very much, you can re-connect to your love for them by remembering that love is good will in action. More on what that might look like when we get the skills of loving.

What are your thoughts? Do these principles inform your relationships?
Next time: The last principle, Love is a response to need.

To read the prior posts, click below
Week One | Week Two | Week Three

Dispelling the Love Myths 3: Love Takes Time

March 6, 2014 Comments Off on Dispelling the Love Myths 3: Love Takes Time

If you are just tuning in, I’ve been writing for the last couple of days on the what I call The Love Myths. These are so culturally ingrained, we don’t even realize that these beliefs are running our lives. If Love is a choice we make, and NOT something we fall into, awareness of our underlying operating system is going to be a big help. Today’s principle Love is Not Time Bound, actually addresses a whole slew of myths. Do you believe any of the following?

Asheville Small Plate Crawl Experience 2014

February 28, 2014 1

Asheville is known for its great food, and especially for its local independent restaurants that feature a unique, eclectic variety of flavors that are far more sophisticated than may be expected in a small southern town. What’s even more exciting than the food, perhaps, is that Asheville provides unique opportunities for locals and visitors to explore the culture and see what makes Asheville so special while having fun doing it. The annual “small plate crawl” is one of those opportunities, and this year it did not disappoint. Over 20 restaurants participated in this culinary tour, featuring special small-sized chef creations that highlight the essence of the restaurant and the Asheville food scene.

Dispelling the Love Myths Week 2: Love is Expensive

February 24, 2014 Comments Off on Dispelling the Love Myths Week 2: Love is Expensive

I started this series to get people thinking about how much more love would be available if we practiced some simple principles and skills of loving. If you missed that post, you can read it here. Today’s myth? That Love is expensive. We believe it's something we earn. We have the idea that we must be good to be loveable. Often, we shy away from love, because the price tag looks too high. We have the idea that romantic love will require sacrifices of who we really are. And often it does. Who hasn’t kept themselves small, or kept their mouth shut, in order not to rock the boat? Who hasn’t withheld love when a lover, friend or child has failed to make the grade?

30 Days of Yoga: Days 1-10

February 20, 2014 Comments Off on 30 Days of Yoga: Days 1-10

"I wish winter would stay forever and ever," said no one ever, so what do you do to beat the winter blues? Well, you could hibernate, drink lots of hot chocolate, go somewhere tropical or look for something uplifting and inspiring; I chose the latter. After seeing all the pictures puppies and purritos (please google purritos) my heart could handle, I turned to TED Talks.

That February Day Men Dread

February 14, 2014 Comments Off on That February Day Men Dread

Perhaps we have Valentine's Day all backwards. And because we have it backwards, it makes us go sideways. And then we fall down. And we can’t get up.