Hello Wednesday.
April 24 2024 |
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Ever wonder what historic buildings in downtown Asheville looked like back in the day?
We were curious, so we dug through the Buncombe County Special Collections archives and recreated modern versions that line up side-by-side with photos tracing back to the early 1920s.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and see the old and the new of downtown Asheville. |
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First photo via Buncombe County Special Collections, second photo by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez |
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Hot off the press, we dug up a postcard of the Citizen Times building when it opened in 1939. This three-story building of reinforced concrete, black granite, and limestone used to be home to the city’s two newspapers: The Asheville Citizen and The Asheville Times, plus radio station WWNC. Now, it still houses (a much leaner) Asheville Citizen-Times office, along with Citizen Vinyl, Asheville’s very first record-pressing plant.
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First photo via Buncombe County Special Collections, second photo by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez |
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Pack Square has been a focal point of the city since 1797. It’s named after George W. Pack, who donated the land to create the park + funded most of the Vance Monument (which was fully removed in 2021).
And this view will likely change again in the near future. The City of Asheville is currently in the process of leading a Pack Square revisioning project, which aims to create a new narrative around the past, present, and future of the plaza. |
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First photo via Buncombe County Special Collections, second photo by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez
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Though Grove Arcade founder E.W. Grove died before the Arcade’s grand opening in 1929, his vision of an indoor retail center with offices and living spaces lived on for decades, until it was closed for military use in 1942. Eventually, the building became the headquarters for the National Weather Records Center from 1951-1995. Today, the building has returned to its original purpose as a shopping center — and it’s also developing a new reputation as a hot spot for restaurants. |
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Share that 2020 vision of history with all the locals you know by using the buttons below. |
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Have any cool photos of Asheville in the storage unit? |
We'd love if you would send them our way, for old time's sake. |
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Click Here to have your event featured |
Today - AVL Digital Nomads | Thurs., June 16 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Wedge At Foundation, 5 Foundy St. | Celebrate this remote work meetup group’s one-year anniversary.
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Money Visioning & Goal Setting | Thurs., Jun 16 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Virtual | Free | Interactive online class focusing on money goals.
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American Chestnut Entryway Table Raffle | Now-Fri., July 15 | The American Chestnut Foundation, 50 N. Merrimon Ave., Ste. 115 | $25 | TACF hosts its 2022 raffle with proceeds benefiting the restoration of the American chestnut tree — enter for a chance to win a custom-designed wormy American chestnut table. 🌳*
Friday - Summer Solstice Party | Fri., June 17 | 6-10 p.m. | Haw Creek Pavilion, 40 Avon Rd. | Donation based | Come chill, dance, and celebrate the soon-to-be summer season with food and mocktails.
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Laura Boswell | Fri., June 17 | 4-6:30 p.m. | Citizen Vinyl, 14 O’Henry Ave. | Free | This classical guitarist, pianist, and singer-songwriter will perform an intimate folk music set.
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Ray Barbee Photo Show | Fri., June 17 | 6-9 p.m. | Push Skate Shop & Gallery, 25 Patton Ave. | Free | This solo art exhibit and auction will feature skate-themed photography.
Saturday -
Lord Huron | Sat., June 18 | 6:30 p.m. | Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave. | $45 | This American indie rock band combines western, folk rock, rock and roll, pop melodies, and the surf rock genres into a moody + evocative performance.
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Flower Mandala w/ Eco- Expressive Arts | Sat., June 18 | 10 a.m.-1 p.m. | ArtPlay, 372 Depot St. | $60 | Connect to the elements through dance + movement while creating your own mandala with natural materials. 🌸
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Hickory Nut Gap Truck Sale | Sat., June 18 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | 57 Sugar Hollow Rd., Fairview | Save on a selection of local, grass-fed, pasture-raised meats including filets, sirloins, sausages, hot dogs + more.*
Sunday - Go Skateboarding Day | Sat., June 19 | 12-5 p.m. | Foundation Skate Park | Free | Celebrate National Go Skateboarding Day with a Vans skate jam featuring a live DJ, beer pours, the Chai Pani food truck, and a special appearance from skater Ray Barbee. 🛹
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We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends. |
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National Drink Up Week is July 25-31. | Photo by @the_mertails
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Raise your glasses. This toast is dedicated to Asheville's beverage industry, from morning iced lattes to afternoon power smoothies and evening specialty cocktails. We appreciate what makes our local drink scene unique.
And to kick off our National Drink Up Week, July 25-31, we want to partner with local coffee shops, wineries, bars, restaurants, distilleries + more to shine a spotlight on our local beverage tastemakers. Find out more below.
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Weather - 89º | Scattered thunderstorms | 50% chance of rain
Coming Soon -
Rejoice, Asheville Cat Weirdos. Cats at Play Cafe has announced it will open in downtown Asheville around late summer or early fall at 12 Eagle St. Along with plenty of feline cuddles, the lounge will serve as a foster home for 15-20 adoptable cats, cat-themed apparel, plus beverages + baked goods. 😺
Civic -
At Tuesday’s meeting, Asheville City Council selected former NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver to lead the $111,000 Pack Square reimagining process. Council also voted in support of a land use incentive grant for an 80-unit micro housing development at 217 Hilliard Ave. See the full action agenda. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Concert -
Michael Franti and Spearhead will headline a benefit concert for local nonprofits MountainTrue and the French Broad Riverkeeper at Salvage Station on Sun., June 26. Accompanying Franti’s sounds of sunshine, there will be volunteers present to discuss plastic pollution. Get tickets. 🎙️
Health -
As part of its Farm Fresh for Health campaign, ASAP will present a series of on-farm regional symposiums for WNC healthcare professionals throughout the summer. The first one will take place Sat., June 25 at Winding Stair Farm. Explore other dates + register.
DYK -
Asheville has a Women In Tech meetup group with 500+ members. The group meets monthly for networking events to discuss projects, participate in tutorials, and write practice code. The next meetup is Thurs., Jul 14 at Archetype Brewing’s West Asheville location. Email to join the Slack group. 💻
Ranked -
NC has been ranked as the No. 15 “Most Fun State in America,” based on a recent study from WalletHub.The study compared states across 26 key metrics, including restaurants, movie theaters, golf courses, amusement parks, and fitness centers per capita.
Survey - Take the survey, win $1,000 cash. Take a brief survey to let us know what you think about the AVLtoday newsletter + be entered into a drawing to win cash.
Community -
The Center for Native Health and UNC Asheville – UNC Gillings Master of Public Health (MPH) Program recently announced a new partnership to help enhance the health + wellbeing of indigenous people in WNC. Through the new collaboration, the Center for Native Health will host MPH students for applied learning experiences + more.*
Eat - Treat dad to a lobster dinner on Father’s Day (this Sunday, ICYMI). Reservations are available at The Lobster Trap. Reserve a table. 🦞*
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Skip the meal hassle with Sunbasket, a meal kit delivery service that makes healthy eating beyond easy. Sunbasket offers
10 different meal plans that work for those with dietary preferences and specific restrictions (think: paleo, gluten-free, veg, diabetes-friendly + more).
Bonus: Sign up for $100 off your first four deliveries. 🫑*
Drink -
Fuel your active lifestyle with LMNT, the best no B.S. electrolyte drink mix. That means no sugar, no artificial ingredients, and no junk — and it’s also fully compatible with keto, low-carb + paleo dietary restrictions. Bonus: LMNT is throwing in a free gift with every purchase for AVLtoday readers.*
A health message from our sponsor -
The Word: Hyperpigmentation, the extra melanin in our skin that creates dark spots. The good news? The appearance of these dark (and often age-related) spots can be drastically reduced with an easy, DIY home routine created by Dr. Steven Gundry.*
Correction - In yesterday’s newsletter, we shared the incorrect date for the Juneteenth Freedom Festival. The event takes place Sat., June 18, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. at Pack Square Park. Get more details.
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Content marked with a * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free. |
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Wild Abundance instructor + local environmental activist Rob Greenfield is rocking quite the summer ensemble. In his most recent campaign, he spent one month saving every piece of trash he created and has been wearing all of it as part of his wardrobe. The goal of the project is to help people realize just how much trash adds up.
BRB — we're looking through our trash for our next statement piece.
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Editor's pick: How cool is today's feature on vintage downtown photography? The article was written and photographed by our talented intern Camille Nevarez-Hernandez.
Sadly for us, this will be Camille's last piece for AVLtoday, as she prepares to transition into a new role as a Communications and Event Coordinator for Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County. Go, Camille! You will be missed, but we are super proud.
Missed yesterday's newsletter? This road trip guide for Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is worth the trek. |
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