Ashvegas Hot Sheet: A march for anarchy on Wednesday; Glen Rock rising on Thursday; bathroom graffiti of note; and much more

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

Some post-Thanksgiving info for you to digest:

-Joey Flash engaged: Former WLOSer Joe Avary got engaged over the holidays. From ajc.com in Atlanta:

Fox 5 reporter Kaitlyn Pratt became engaged to CBS Atlanta photojournalist Joe Avary over the Thanksgiving holiday. They met on the job last December in the Old 4th Ward, surrounded by flashing blue lights and yellow crime scene tape. Soon after that, the couple had their first date at Ria’s Bluebird in Grant Park and fell in love on subsequent dates.

“It’s the toughest question I’ve ever asked,” quipped Avary on popping the question.

Congrats, dude!

-Asheville 11 march: A group plans to march in support of the Asheville 11 on Wednesday. Should be interesting. Lots of good comments on my earlier post about that here.

-Glen Rock rising: The new Glen Rock Depot will hold a big ribbon cutting event Thursday. There will be tours of the building on Depot Street, and folks will get a firsthand look at this major new mixed-use development in the River Arts District.

-Best bathroom graffiti of the weekend: Scrawled on a hand dryer at the DeSoto Lounge: “Push here for bacon.”

-Hatch studios: There was a lot of buzz at the end of last week about the clean-up happening at the well-known graffiti wall in the River Arts District. The area has been chained off and declared off-limits to trespassers. The Asheville Citizen-Times’ John Boyle talked to the property owner, a former New York City architect, who said there are no definitive plans for the site. But there’s clearly renovation work going on at an adjacent building that was once an old hatchery, and an Ashvegas commenter says there’s a development plan that’s been submitted to city planners. A paper sign on the hatchery building calls the building Hatch Studios and includes a New York City telephone number for more info.

 -Virtual market: Here’s a neat idea to boost local tailgate markets. From the Mountain Xpress:

The market, Asheville Local Foods Online, Inc., includes nearly 50 local farmers and food producers, including Buchi kombucha, Lusty Monk mustard, Smiling Hara Tempeh, Pies in Disguise, Spinning Spider Creamery and more. Essentially, nearly everything that a person needs to sustain themselves comfortably — vegetables, proteins, condiments … and pie! — is available for online order. What’s more, this particular market is open year-round.

Here’s how it works: Customers visit the website (localfoodmarketplace.com) and select from the available food categories, which include preserves, fruits, breads, pastas, mushrooms, meats, eggs and seafood. Shop, select, check out and pay online. Items are then packed by the ALFO crew and available for pickup at the Downtown Market at 45 S. French Broad on Wednesdays.

The Xpress also notes that Blue Ridge Food Ventures local food gift boxes are back this year. What a great Christmas gift.  

-Holiday tailgate markets: ASAP has the great info here.

-MacDowell in spotlight again: Asheville starlet Andie MacDowell has landed another television pilot. EW.com reports that “What Would Jane Do” is being pitched to the ABC Family Channel. It’s about a 16-year-old girl hired by an edgy fashion company after executives mistake her for an adult. MacDowell plays the girl’s “hard-nosed boss,” according to the report.

-Type-A Parent con: Kelby Carr, Asheville’s top mom blogger and a social media whiz, has announced plans for next year’s blogging conference, a big affair that brings bloggers from around the U.S. to Asheville. The event used to be called Type-A Mom and focused on women bloggers, but the name change indicates a new direction for the event. From the event description:

Type-A Parent Conference 2011 will be held June 23-25, 2011 at the Asheville Renaissance (booking details to be released soon, do NOT book yet) in the heart of downtown and walkable to dozens of indie restaurants, museums, boutiques and attractions. In its third year, the conference will continue to feature killer sessions, opportunities to network with bloggers and companies, and some of the brightest speakers in social media.

The name is now Type-A Parent Conference. Type-A has always been about representing a diversity of bloggers from all walks of life, and the new name is more welcoming to all parents who blog.

-Git your likker: The Get Down on Haywood Road in West Asheville is going for a liquor license. Hang on to your tats. 

-Asheville Arcarde update: The Asheville Arcade is hiring. The Asheville Arcade is the new gaming bar that’s going in near Pack Square Park, in the space formerly occupied by the Jolie Rouge.