Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Loomis Fargo truck
Some of what’s going around.
Masterminds, the movie: The big Hollywood movie shot in Asheville over the summer has a new name. The movie, known as Loomis Fargo and starring Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig, has been officially renamed Masterminds, according to Variety.
The movie is based on the true-life events surrounding a 1997 robbery of a Loomis Fargo armored car near Charlotte. All the above named stars were in Asheville over the summer shooting a variety of scenes all over town. Ken Marino and Jason Sudeikis were also spotted, as were producers Lorne Michaels and Danny McBride. The director on the movie is Jared Hess. It is set for release in August 2015, Variety reports.
Radio personality dies: Wiley Carpenter, a radio announcer for WWNC radio station in Asheville for 34 years, died recently. He was 77. Here’s a tidbit from his legacy.com obituary:
A native and resident of Haywood County, he moved to Buncombe County in 1976. He was a Radio Announcer for WWNC Radio for 34 years, was a graduate of Canton High School that won the 1956 NC State Championship and served in the US Army.
Open Brewing set to open in South Asheville: Open Brewing, a new brewery on Hendersonville Road in South Asheville, is scheduled to open on Dec. 3. It’s a concept by Barry Bialik, owner of the Thirsty Monk, and it “will serve as the first commercial brewpub in the country dedicated to open-source brewing,’ an incubator for homebrewers to ‘guest brew,’ under the mentorship of professional Brewmaster, Norm Penn,” according to the press release. More:
Open Brewing will have 10 taps, including a Strong Scotch Ale, brewed by MALT homebrew club co-founder, Dave Keller; a Foreign Extra Stout brewed by Blue Ridge Brew Off Best in Show awardee, John Olson; and, a West IV, a Belgian session ale inspired by the rare Trappist Westvleteren beers, brewed by Mountain Xpress Beer Scout Thom O’Hearn, and local homebrewer Matt Kane. Also on tap, look for a few of Norm’s experimental beers, including his Honeybadger Honey Brown Ale, Must Love Coconuts Coconut IPA, and more. Also, look for one or two guest taps of homebrew inspired beers. Open Brewing is located at 20 Gala Dr. #101 in Gerber Village, off Hendersonville Rd, the location of the former Thirsty Monk South. Hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 4 pm-11 pm.
Bruisin’ Ales online store: Here’s the press release:
Bruisin’ Ales, North Carolina’s first beer-only storefront, has officially launched a webstore. Real-time inventory is available online and searchable by country, state, manufacturer, and search tags. As an added bonus, we now also offer local pick-up service when selected at check out.
Instructions for shipping can be found here. With over 1150 regular and rotating seasonal items now online—and more to come—shipping to most states in the continental U.S. is now available. A direct link can also be found in the Lightspeed Marketplace.
Harvest Records on Black Friday: The guys at Harvest Records report in their latest newsletter that Black Friday has turned into a mini-Record Store Day, which is held in April. Here’s what they say:
We will be open our normal hours of 11am-8pm on Friday, November 28th (closed on Thanksgiving). We are not sure what sort of line will be here when we open, nor do we anticipate a time people will start lining up. The only thing we can guarantee is that it won’t be as wild as the official RSD in April. Just as with RSD, we can NOT hold anything in advance, and we can NOT promise that anything will be available when you get here, even if you’re one of the first people in line! Here’s what’s on the list for release.
Asheville chef heads to Washington to demand GMO labeling: Asheville’s Chef William Dissen of The Market Place will be in Washington, D.C., next week to join dozens of other chefs from around the world to demand mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods. Here’s the release:
Chefs Tom Colichhio, José Andrés, Art Smith, Andrew Zimmermn, Nora Pouillon and more than two dozen other leading chefs from around the country will converge on Capitol Hill on Dec. 2 (Tuesday) to demand mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods.
The chefs will join Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. for a media briefing at 10:00 a.m. EST to deliver a petition signed by more than 500 chefs. The petition calls on lawmakers to support legislation introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. that would require manufacturers to label food that has been genetically engineered.
Adopt a pet on Black Friday from Asheville Humane Society: Here’s the press release:
Asheville Humane Society is reducing the adoption fee for all dogs over 6 months, and all cats and kittens to $4.00 on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. The Fantastic Furry Frenzy is Black Friday, November 28th until Saturday, November 29th from 10 AM until 6 PM. Doorbusters include a free tennis ball with every dog adoption or a free bag of cat treats with every cat or kitten adoption, while supplies last.
Where: Adoption and Education Center, 14 Forever Friend Lane (just off Brevard Road, south of the WNC Farmers Market)/ When: November 28 – 29, Friday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m./ Why: To find as many homes as possible for homeless animals in need/ Fees: Adoption fees are $4.00 for dogs over 6 months, all cats and kittens
Festiva employees raise money for toys: Here’s the press release:
Festiva Development Group, the developer for Festiva Hotels & Resorts, partnered with fellow Zealandia Holdings company, Zealandia Capital, to raise $11,300 on Nov. 21 at its eleventh annual Charity Auction. Festiva Development Group and Zealandia Capital will use the funds raised to purchase toys.
Festiva Development Group and Zealandia Capital plan to partner with iHeartMedia Asheville to double the number of toys they will donate with the help of the Asheville community, at two upcoming toy drives. The first toy drive will be held from Dec. 4-6 at Ingles on Tunnel Road in support of Eblen Charity’s St. Nicholas Project. The second toy drive will take place at the Sears Tire Center on Tunnel Road from December 12-13, and will support the US Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots program. Festiva and Zealandia Capital will match public donations to these organizations, up to 40 toys for each hour of sponsorship during these toy drives. Additionally, both companies plan to provide gifts for individual families through the Salvation Army’s Giving Tree. Finally, Festiva and Zealandia Capital also plan to match, dollar for dollar, the original amount of funds raised from the Holiday Auction to the Festiva Charitable Fund.
Renaissance Asheville collecting toys: Here’s the press release:
For the fifth year in a row, the Renaissance Asheville hotel is teaming up with the US Marine Corps’ non-profit organization, Toys for Tots, to collect new, unwrapped toys as Christmas gifts for children in the community. The hotel’s goal this year is to raise $10,000 for Toys for Tots. … New this year, Renaissance Asheville hotel is hosting a “Take Down for Toys” event on December 11, 2014. This event will bring the local community together to participate in a Family Feud style game show pitting local breweries, restaurants, banks, and non-profits against one another for bragging rights. Anyone can compete in or watch the fun simply by donating a toy. The afternoon’s games will take place at noon, 3 pm, and 6 pm at the hotel.