Ashvegas Hot Sheet: Ice floes on the French Broad River

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More of what’s going around:

-Tuesday was apparently the day to head down to the French Broad River and take photos/video of the mushy ice floating downstream. Plenty of said photos/video showed up on social media, and rightly so – it’s a rare sight to see. Asheville and Western North Carolina remains in the icy grip of a weather system that has temperatures running 10 degrees below what’s normal. Look for a high temp of about 34 today, and 20 on Thursday, with single-digit lows expected Thursday and Friday.

-The City of Asheville’s Blue Ribbon Committee on an Asheville Human Relations Commission will engage the community in January for a discussion about a newly formed Human Relations Commission, according to a press release. The first discussion will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center, 133 Livingston St.

TreeRock Social Cider House on Biltmore Avenue will celebrate its grand opening on Saturday.

-WNC Magazine is hiring an assistant editor.

Eddie’s Dog House, a small restaurant adjacent to an Exxon gas station on Leicester Highway, has announced that it has closed for good after eight year of operation.

-Also out Leicester way, Shortie’s Drive Thru BBQ has opened at the corner of Newfound Road and Dix Creek #1. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

-Asheville City Soccer Club, which plans to field both a men’s and women’s team this year, recently announced Stacey Enos as the first head coach of the women’s team. Enos played for UNC-Chapel Hill under Anson Dorrance, where the team won the first three of their record 22 NCAA Division I National Championships. Stacey was also a member on the inaugural US Women’s National Team from 1985-87.

Ben Phan and Alexa Rose will play the Grey Eagle on Saturday.

-Ben​ ​Phan​ ​and​ ​Alexa​ ​Rose​ ​will join forces for a special collaboration show on Saturday at the Grey Eagle. The two will be backed by Phan’s band, the Soul Symphony. ​The​ ​concert​ ​will​ ​feature​ ​new versions​ ​of​ ​both​ ​Phan’s​ ​and​ ​Rose’s​ ​original​ ​songs. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show at 8 p.m.​Tickets​ ​are​ ​$10​ ​in​ ​advance,​ ​$13​ ​at​ ​the door.

-In case you missed it, John Boyle of the Asheville Citizen-Times reports that the Biltmore Estate is planning for a smooth transition following the deaths last year of  William A.V. Cecil Sr., the grandson of the estate’s building, George Vanderbilt, and his wife, Mary “Mimi” Ryan Cecil. Together they owned the Biltmore Co., which now falls under the control of the couple’s son, Bill Cecil Jr., and daughter, Dini Pickering. The estate is one of Asheville’s biggest tourist attractions, and it remains privately held. Boyle reports that Cecil Jr. and Pickering want to continue to grow the company while remaining true to the founder’s original vision of the estate as an oasis for family and friends, as well as a place that values sustainable agriculture. One key – reaching the Millennial generation, according to the story.