Asheville Blog Your Source for all things Asheville
Day 5: Gimme Five!
Day 4: Falling in love in Montford at Tod’s Tasties.
40 cups. 40 cafes. 40 days. a girl and her fika.
Asheville Beer Week 2013: Sunday through Tuesday
This weekend kicked off the second annual Asheville Beer Week. I have been waiting 365 days for this week long, city wide event. Matt on the BusA rival from Grand Rapids MIThe week started off with a bang. On Sunday afternoon we went on the LaZoom Come...
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The Best Beer You Can’t Get in Asheville
As you might have noticed, I am a fan or broadly sweeping statements. I thought I might share with you my favorite regional beer from somewhere other than North Carolina.The key statement here is that this beer is not available in North Carolina. Sure,...
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Beer City USA Poll Open Until Friday, May 10th
Taps at Green Man Brewery, AKA Dirty Jack's, in AshevilleThere are just a couple of day left to vote for Beer City USA. Check out the poll here if you haven't voted yet. I cast my vote on Monday. I voted for Asheville, of course. There are 22 cities on...
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Asheville: One Queer City
If you are LGBT and/or an ally in Asheville, you are never alone. A local saying goes that, “if you throw a rock in Asheville, you’ll hit a (insert non-normative label here)”. One Google search for LGBT Asheville shows that the stereotype holds true: Asheville is one queer city! Statewide and nationwide groups like Equality NC, HRC, and other well-known LGBT advocates find local chapters to be loud, proud, and diligent. On Facebook and other social networking sites there are several pages for local business listed in the Carolina Purple Pages. There is even an extensive “Gay and Lesbian Travel Guide” section on one of Asheville’s most popular tourist websites. But aside from the internet presence of queer folks in Asheville, there is also a wealth of local organizations here for support. Networks, support groups, and volunteer opportunities vary in scope and cover different niches within the community. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list; it is simply an overview of LGBT Asheville. The best way to get involved is to try one or several of these groups and see which ones best fit your wants and needs. Youth OUTright provides a support system for 14-23-year-olds who might not otherwise have …
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Saving the Antique Iron Bed
Hi everyone! I shared on my facebook page a few weeks ago a photo of the antique iron bed I had found here on the property. I have been wanting to restore it forever it seems, but didn’t get to it until last week. Here is what it looked like. There were several iron beds here that my grandmother had painted white, however, everyone thought this was a 3/4 bed, so it escaped the white paint, thankfully. My plan was to just use it as a headboard, then when I measured it, I found it was indeed a full size. I scrubbed with a mixture of vinegar/water and steel wool. It was a really messy job, but worth it. It had never been painted and looked like it was originally black with the top scrolls brass. I then sprayed the whole thing with Rustoleum metal primer, and this is what it looked like. I finished it with Rustoleum “Oil Rubbed Bronze” after several coats of .97 flat black paint. I don’t recommend the cheap spray paint. Just go ahead and buy the Rustoleum, because it will go much farther and is so much easier to spray. I used one can …
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Save the WNC Nature Center
www.wildwnc.org Late Tuesday afternoon, we learned that the City of Asheville has proposed to close the WNC Nature Center, along with a number of other city resources and programs, to balance the city budget, which will be short $5.7 million if recent bills introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly are passed. Information on the list of bill names, sponsors, descriptions and considerations about how the bills may impact city residents, can be found on the City’s website, along with the proposed expenditure reductions. The City of Asheville is hard-pressed to find solutions to balance the budget if these bills are passed. In 2011, the Center adopted a new 2020 Vision that outlines a strategic business plan as well as a site plan for improvements and additions to the Nature Center. This plan includes initiatives to alleviate demands on the City of Asheville budget to operate the Center and to reconfigure the Center into a public/private partnership. The beauty of this plan is that we have already started thanks to our supporters with exhibit updates, corporate sponsorships, and a Wild Vision Society. And now, we need your help to spread the word as we work to protect one of our city and region’s …
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Old Plaster Walls
There is nothing I love more than aged, plaster walls, and I have been wanting that look for years. I finally just did it. I had some fabulous inspiration photos… This one from Spanish photographer Montse Garriga Grau HERE . This one from Sweet Southern Vintage.. For my version, I first used joint compound, which I scraped on and off until I got the look I wanted. After it dried, I sanded just a bit, then painted with “Geneva Swan Grey” Colorplace paint in a flat finish from Walmart. I then mixed a couple different shades of light grey and brown and brushed them on where old walls would naturally be darker. It was not that easy, but I love the look. I changed a few things on the buffet including adding this inherited vintage lamp, and my dwarf Alberta Spruce in the ice bucket. My mom brought over some old family photos which I just propped up and decided I liked them that way, so they stayed. This is definitely not a look for everyone, but it definitely gives some character to the room.
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