Ashvegas Hot Sheet: Bids open for renovation of River Arts District building

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The city of Asheville is seeking bids for the renovation of a historic building at 14 Riverside Dr., a key spot in the River Arts District as that area changes and develops. Work to the 1930s building will consist of demolition to the inside of the building, roof and outside attachments, while there will be new roofing, doors, windows and an upgrade to utilities and electrical system. A large deck will be added to the outside and parking for the building. The remade building has been dubbed the Asheville Arts and Culture Dispensary, and will include restrooms and a trolley stop for visitors, and much more.

-Western North Carolina author Megan Shepherd’s fourth book, The Cage (Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins Children’s Books), has hit at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list for Young Adult e-books, according to a press release.

The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission Board of Directors is proud to announce that Demp Bradford will join the Commission as Executive Director, effective July 1, according to a press release. More:

Bradford is a sports management industry veteran bringing over 15 years of experience to the organization. Bradford is relocating to the Asheville area from Greensboro, NC where he served in a variety of roles at the Greensboro Sports Commission and Greensboro Coliseum in which he most recently served as the Director of Events for the Greensboro Tournament Host Committee.

Bradford has a Bachelor’s Degree from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Masters Degree in Education from East Carolina University. In addition, Bradford is a Certified Sport Event Executive, a multi-year training program, from the National Association of Sports Commission offered for industry professionals. “My experiences in Greensboro have been incredible but Asheville is such an amazing community, filled with such vibrancy. I am very excited to take part and contribute to its increased success,” said Bradford.

The Board of Directors led a three-month process to find an Executive Director that will continue the growth of the Sports Commission’s impact on the community. Stefan Magura, Chair of the Board of Directors shared that, “The board is thrilled to welcome Demp to the community. His knowledge and experience is exactly what we were looking for in our new leader.”

-The Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center’s gym dedication ceremony will be held Tuesday, June 14 at 5 p.m., according to a press release. More:

The Asheville Housing Authority will be honoring the life and legacy of Garry Briggs, a former employee of the City of Asheville’s Reid Center. Briggs worked for Asheville Parks and Recreation for over 27 years. During his tenure with Asheville Parks and Recreation he worked with the Earning by Learning Program, Hershey Track and Field Program, and Asheville Youth Sports Program. He positively impacted the lives of hundreds of children.

The Asheville Housing Authority purchased the former W.C. Reid Center building from the City of Asheville in 2012. The once African American Livingston Street School was a Parks and Recreation center after integration of the school systems. After a three year renovation by the housing authority, the building was dedicated as the Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center on November 1, 2014.

-The director of Moogfest, which was held for the first time in Durham a couple of weeks ago, has stepped down, reports IndyWeek. The event was a success, according to IndyWeek.

Asheville Fashion Week, an art and fashion event with the ultimate goal of creating buzz and giving a relevant outlet to designers and fashion enthusiasts is set to take place August 3 through 6, according to a press release. More:

Asheville Fashion Week is sponsored by Gage Talent, a talent agency serving Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Asheville. The event will include four nights of shows in the downtown Asheville area. The schedule, ticket information, and model application are all available on the Asheville Fashion Week website at www.ashevillefashionweekusa.com.

-A new store call lou lou has opened its doors at 35 North Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. Here’s more:

Entrepreneurs Ben and Tara Wegdam are thrilled to become a part of Asheville’s vibrant retail community and local downtown scene with the opening of their 1,300 square ft. accessories boutique.

Known for offering a selection of stylish and affordable women’s accessories in a boutique setting, the first lou lou opened its doors in Middleburg, Virginia in 2004, and from there the Wegdams expanded their family owned business to locations across DC, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The independent retailer offers jewelry, handbags, scarves, hats and sunglasses, plus a wide range of gifts and three signature lines exclusive to lou lou: TDW, a classic, elegant line of accessories created by Tara, and Kiki in Paris, a line inspired by their daughters that offers fun mix-and-match pieces for girls and teens. The couple recently developed a new men’s line, LOU, to meet the demand for contemporary masculine accessories and lifestyle items.

To learn more about the boutique and future expansion plans, please contact Stephanie Schaffer at 202.714.5247 or email stephanie@loulouboutiques.com. You can also find our boutique online at loulouboutiques.com.

Asheville Brewing Company is releasing a new beer at 5 p.m. on June 17. It’s called Ground Score 2, and it will be on draft only. More:

The caramel apple amber contains fresh juiced apples (6.2 percent ABV). The combination of toasted malt and golden caramelized oats with apple juice gives this beer a tart but rich, sweet flavor.

This beer is the second in a series of Asheville Brewing beers that include local ingredients scored from friends, farmers and family. The first Ground Score was a Saison with local serviceberries, which were gathered for the brewery by a friend and regular customer. Ground Score 2 will be on draft only at Asheville Brewing Company locations.

-As part of a grant competition from the National Trust for Historic Places, Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) are competing against 19 other parks for a share of $2 million provided by American Express, according to a press release. The $250,000 requested by GSMNP will be used to fund restoration and preservation of Clingmans Dome Tower and ensure that visitors continue to experience this unique structure spiraling up from the highest point in the park, the release says. Here’s more about an open house at Clingman’s Dome on June 18 and 19:

The open house event will be held at Clingmans Dome on both Saturday, June 18th and Sunday, June 19th from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

At this weekend’s open house event, visitors are invited to tour the tower and see historic photographs and proposed renovations along the tower trail. Park staff and volunteers will be on hand to tell the story of Clingmans Dome Tower and answer questions at the parking area and at the tower.

The structure is a precedent-setting design of the National Park Service’s Mission 66 program, which transformed park planning, management, and architecture and fundamentally altered the visitor experience in national parks. Since 1959, millions of visitors have climbed the tower, where they can see distances of up to 100 miles over the surrounding mountains and valleys.

The tower remains structurally strong, but rehabilitation is needed to correct up to four inches of foundation settlement which is causing an uneven force on the structure. By correcting this now, the work can halt further settlement and prevent the need for more extensive structural repair in the future. Preservation maintenance is also needed to address general deterioration conditions along the stone masonry walls, concrete structure, and flagstone terrace.

Voting for the grant competition is open daily through July 5th at voteyourpark.org. Voters can also enter a National Geographic sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Yellowstone National Park.

2 Comments

Jason Brian June 14, 2016 - 4:47 pm

lou lou sounds like a chain to me.

jtroop June 14, 2016 - 8:42 pm

they have 28 locations…. get the pitchforks!

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