Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s floating around:
-Parents vs power: There’s a growing drumbeat of discontent coming from parents of Dickson Elementary School parents following the news last year that Duke Power had plunked down $5.35 million for nearly 17 acres of land that is adjacent to the new Dickson Elementary School. A city school spokesman told the Asheville Citizen-Times in December that “we have no issue with the substation.” But many parents absolutely do have an issue with the possibility of a massive electrical-producing facility located so close to a school. A Duke spokesman recently met with a group of Montford neighborhood residents, but offered little solid information about the power company’s plans. We’ll be hearing more about this. Stay tuned. (Thank you loyal reader Chris for the heads-up.)
-Documentary film premiere: Chris Galloway writes to tell me that he’s premiering a documentary film, The Long Start to the Journey, about the Appalachian Trail at the Asheville Pizza Company on Merrimon tonight (Thurs, with the show starting at 10 p.m. and tickets $5 at the door.) “This film has been a few years in the making, and we’re excited to share it with the Asheville community first. Here is a first trailer for the film as well as all the details of the premiere,” Galloway writes.
-Dunkle update: Victoria Dunkel, who has worked as noon anchor at WLOS for about a dozen years, announced recently that she’s leaving. Now we know what’s next for her – marketing for Park Ridge Hospital.
-Plant looks to grow: The popular vegan restaurant Plant on Merrimon Avenue in Asheville is considering expansion plans. Here’s their note:
Every single week, at least one customer begs us to open a Plant in their hometown. We love the idea of spreading Plant goodness to other cities and we think now is the time to make this happen.
To accomplish this exciting goal, we’re looking for an investor/partner who shares our vision and wants to play an active role in our expansion. If you have a serious interest in making vegan restaurant history, please contact Plant co-owner Alan Berger at [email protected].
Many thanks to all of our dedicated friends and fans who have played such an important role inhelping Plant thrive and grow.
-Sirens on the Mountain fest moves to Salvage Station: The Salvage Station, a new venue on Riverside Drive along the French Broad River in Asheville, has announced that the Sirens on the Mountain festival will be held at its location on June 20. The music fest was held in Boone last year and featured headliners Rickie Lee Jones, Rising Appalachia, Bettye LaVette and Michelle Malone.
-Get in Gear Fest is Saturday: The first Get in Gear Fest will be held Saturday at Riverlink Park. It will feature a slew of Western North Carolina gear builders. Check it.
-Asheville Citizen-Times is hiring: The newspaper is hiring a digital producer/copy editor. (Thank you loyal reader Jen for the heads-up.)
-Smoke Rings closed: The Smoke Rings headshop on Broadway has closed. Anyone got intel?
-Asheville Open Space: The former day care center on Haywood Road in East/West Asheville at Beecham’s Curve has new life as Asheville Open Space. The building will serve as home to a home-schooling group, a gardening group and Asheville Makerspace. They’ll be opening in a few weeks.
-Journalists to give talks: From the fine folks at Pack Memorial Library:
At noon on Wednesday, March 25, at Pack Library in downtown Asheville, local journalist and historian Jon Elliston will open a window into Asheville as it was 100 years ago, sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of local history during an early phase of the city’s rise to prominence.
…
At 2:30 on March 26 at the South Buncombe/Skyland Library, 260 Overlook Road, food writer Mackensy Lunsford will talk about what it’s like to be a food writer in today’s fast-paced journalism environment. She’ll also talk about working with local restaurant 12 Bones to write a cookbook in less than a year. She’ll cover topics such as getting into the food business and will happily answer any questions you might have about the local restaurant scene — and even how to write about it.
Lunsford has lived in Asheville since 1998 and has worked every position in the restaurant business, from dishwasher to owner. Now, she covers food issues, restaurants and agriculture for the Asheville Citizen-Times and the newspaper’s entertainment weekly, Scene.
The Duke representative said the property was 20 acres.
The substation will be about one acre, so 19 acres of buffer. No electricity will be “produced” here, rather voltage stepped down from high voltage lines already there.
It won’t be “massive”, it will pretty much replace the substation behind the Civic Center, which does not meet current standards, according to the representative. Does not look massive to me, go check it out. It will be one of three substations serving downtown.