BearWaters welcomes Grey Eagle Taqueria to Canton

BearWaters Brewing in Canton has announced a new partnership with longstanding Asheville taqueria and music hall The Grey Eagle this…
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This must be the place: Home is where I want to be, pick me up and turn me around

It started with a text message. While making a sandwich for lunch in my parents’ Upstate New York farmhouse the…
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Folk school offers ‘Local Standby’ program

Western North Carolina residents are now eligible for half-off tuition for all 2020 classes at John C. Campbell Folk School…
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Appeasing the melodic sweet tooth: The Get Right Band unleashes ‘Itchy Soul’

For a group whose core mission is to promote positivity and compassion, The Get Right Band has found its ideals…
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Asheville’s soul threatened: Artists and musicians hit hard

By Ilana Fiorenza • AVL Watchdog | The pandemic that left thousands of Asheville workers unemployed has been particularly hard on the…
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Take a chance and build a boat, some will sink and some will float

On Monday morning, I woke up in a big, cozy antique brass bed at my parents’ 1840 farmhouse up near…
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This must be the place: Time and time and time again, circles break and lines they bend  

I awoke to the sounds of tractor-trailers zooming by on the other side of the motel parking lot. It was…
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BearWaters Brewing expands to Maggie Valley

If you had told BearWaters Brewing founder/co-owner Kevin Sandefur eight years ago that some day he’d be at the helm…
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Frog Level Brewing reopens

In a highly-anticipated relaunch of a beloved Waynesville business, Frog Level Brewing has finally opened its doors following renovations and…
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Mountains to sea: Wicked Fresh Seafood & Meat Market

When Richard Gray was 9 years old, he would get up at 3:30 a.m. and ride his bicycle down to…
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This must be the place: The questions of a thousand dreams, what you do and what you see

It’s been exactly two months since I remember what it felt like. You know, “normalcy.”  It was a Tuesday and…
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In search of the song: Jon Stickley Trio releases latest album

Sitting on his side porch in West Asheville last Thursday morning, guitarist Jon Stickley strums his 1958 Martin acoustic. Sunshine…
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This must be the place: It was the work of the quiet mountains, this torrent of purity at my feet

Walking out of my apartment this past Tuesday, the morning sun illuminated the mud plastered all over the side of…
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Haywood Arts Regional Theatre finds footing amid pandemic

It’s late morning and situated behind his desk in the back office of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville…
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This must be the place: It’s hard to frown when ukulele music is goin’ down

Stepping into the hotel room, my mother had an odd expression on her face when she looked at me and…
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For whatever ales you: Blue Ridge Beer Hub navigates beverage market during pandemic

While society continues to adapt to ongoing shelter-in-place orders, many folks would jump at the chance to be in the…
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This must be the place: It’s a good life that comes upon you now and then

While waiting for my coffee to be brewed in the back of the newsroom this past Tuesday, I stared blankly…
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Chatham County Line channels creative bliss on new album

In its 20 years together, Chatham County Line has organically grown and blossomed into one of the most distinct and…
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Top 5 distractions with Susanna Shetley

This week Susanna Shetley, sales rep, digital marketing guru, mom blogger extraordinaire, Smoky Mountain Living contributor, shares her top 5…
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This must be the place: Searchin’ through the fragments of my dream-shattered sleep

Last Thursday evening, I sat in my recliner, in my one-bedroom apartment in downtown Waynesville, and gazed over at the…
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Finding a better way: Cullowheegee Farms Handmade Natural Soaps & Crafts

About three years ago, Sarah and Eric Rehmann uprooted their lives in Raleigh and headed for Western North Carolina. 
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This must be the place: The street heats the urgency of now, as you can see there’s no one around

So, probably like most of y’all out there, I’ve spent a lot of time during the continuing quarantine combing through…
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Local musicians turn to live streaming for performances

It’s the hottest show in town, but nobody is allowed in.  Tucked in the depths of The Gem downstairs taproom…
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That ‘high, lonesome sound’ amid lonesome times

Darren Nicholson has played the Grand Ole Opry and the International Bluegrass Music Association award showcase numerous times. He’s got…
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This must be the place: Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Sunday afternoon in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The date on my phone says April 5, but I really…
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This must be the place: Came to pass eyes that lost their vision, learned to see with sturdy intuition

It’s a crazy world out there right now, folks. And yet, it’s always been kind of nuts anyhow, just more…
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Takeout ordering the new norm for local restaurants

It’s Saturday evening at The Sweet Onion in downtown Waynesville. Normally during the time of year, the dining room and…
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This must be the place: Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore?

So, here we are, eh?  What a difference a day makes, where now each morning we seemingly wake up into…
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Frog Level Brewing finds new owners

In a move that’s been a year or so in the making, 7 Clans Brewing has recently purchased Frog Level…
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This must be the place: Ode to Nashville, ode to rebuilding

Being the nighthawk that I am, it was around 3 a.m. on March 3 when I found myself listening to…
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This must be the place: What a way to ride, oh what a way to go

In March 2011, I was a 26-year-old freelance writer traveling down Interstate 87 in Upstate New York to one of…
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Another song, another mile: A conversation with Steve Gorman

In any rock-n-roll band, the unsung hero is the drummer. With a soaring singer and whirlwind guitar solos, the person…
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Big moves for Nantahala Brewing

Normally, when one hears the sounds of hammers and saws at 61 Depot Street in Bryson City, it signaled an…
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That path is for your steps alone: A conversation with Jay Blakesberg

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the images of Jay Blakesberg are worth a thousand notes. Initially…
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This must be the place: Some say you might go crazy, but then again it might make you go sane

Walking up to the Civic Center (aka: Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville) this past Sunday evening, the building was buzzing wildly…
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This must be the place: And no matter what may come to shine, the dream will always be mine

I awoke in the guest bedroom and it took me a few seconds to realize where I was. Tampa, Florida,…
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Can’t rock my dream face: Joel Cummins of Umphrey’s McGee

For the better part of a quarter-century, Umphrey’s McGee has remained one of the most fundamental and innovative acts on…
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This must be the place: If I ever loved once, you know I never loved right by you

It had been several years since we’d sat down over a drink and chatted. An old friend and former lover,…
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Balsam Range offers ‘Gospel Collection’

Acclaimed bluegrass group Balsam Range has reliably featured gospel songs on each of their nine albums, making them an integral…
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Something old, something new: Traditional string act Frank & Allie release album

About a mile from downtown Bryson City, on a dirt road alongside the swift moving Deep Creek, sits a bungalow.…
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This must be the place: Could have been the Willie Nelson, could have been the wine

By the time you read this, it will have been my 35th birthday. Yep. It’s here. No doubt about it,…
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This must be the place: I never saw the end of the tunnel, I only saw myself running out of one

For my generation, Kobe Bryant was the torchbearer and living link between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. He was basketball…
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The ways and means of melodic connection: Singer-songwriter K.M. Fuller to play Innovation Station

K.M. Fuller isn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve, onstage and off. And it’s that exact honesty and…
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HART ‘Volunteer of the Year’

At the annual meeting of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre Board of Directors on Jan. 21, HART Executive Director Steve…
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Haywood Arts receives large donation

On Jan. 13, J Gabriel, Moonlight and Garbo, and Tia Dana presented the Haywood County Arts Council with a $1,200…
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Jackson Arts design winner

The Jackson County Arts Council is proud to announce the 2020 T-shirt design winner is Josie Smoker. 
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This must be the place: Breakin’ ties that you’d grown, catchin’ dreams from the clouds

I think the one of the hardest lessons in life is knowing when to cut bait on those who simply…
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HCC fiber graduate awarded Penland fellowship

Haywood Community College 2019 professional crafts fiber graduate Hannah Mitsu Shimabukuro was recently named a Penland School of Craft Core…
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This must be the place: Sunlight wakes me just to say let’s go to sleep now

The moment the song came onto my stereo, I was immediately transported to a time and a place somewhat foggy…
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Gathering of the souls: Beloved Sylva restaurant closes doors

Last Thursday evening, three days of celebration commenced within the walls of Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro on the…
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