Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around, including news that Asheville City Councilman Keith Young is weighing a run for mayor, and more:
-Asheville City Councilman Keith Young is seriously considering a run for Asheville mayor in this year’s November elections, reports Joel Burgess of the Asheville Citizen-Times. Young was elected in 2015 and his seat is not up for election this year, so he wouldn’t be giving up anything if he runs and loses. He told the Citizen-Times that “he had not seriously thought about running for Asheville’s top elected position until recently,” after having been asked by several residents to do so.
Young’s statement is clearly a trial balloon meant to gauge support. I met with Young face-to-face about a month ago when I heard the same rumor. He told then that he wasn’t seriously considering a run. He added that he knew running against incumbent Mayor Esther Manheimer would be a most difficult task. He basically shrugged it off, saying he had no interest, so I didn’t pursue it, and I didn’t publish anything about the talk.
-Reminder: The Big Crafty is Sunday.
-Asheville’s music community will celebrate the life of fellow musician Jeff Knorr with a second line memorial parade Tuesday night beginning at 10:45 p.m. The group will march from Tressa’s on Broadway to Asheville Music Hall on Patton Avenue in advance of the Asheville music tradition known as the Tuesday Night Funk Jam. Participants are encouraged to bring instruments, candles and flowers. The Funk Jam on Tuesday will be dedicated to Jeff’s favorite songs, played by those who loved him. Knorr, a member of the Funk Jam house band, was a respected audio engineer, music producer and studio musician in Asheville. He died suddenly last week.
-The new White Duck Taco restaurant in south Asheville opens tomorrow off Long Shoals Road.
-Tupelo Honey has launched a new online ordering system and to-go menu.
-Heinzelmannchen Brewing in Sylva has announced that it’s closing. The last day for the taproom is July 13. Dieter and Sheryl Rudd opened their little brewery in 2004 and immediately earned a reputation for brewing quality, German-style beers. They’ll be missed. Here’s more from the announcement:
On Thursday, July 13 Heinzelmannchen Brewery will close its’ TapRoom permanently. We will have a party all day with Chocolate Black Forest Cake (of course!) and Live Music by Henry Wong (7-9 p.m.). Please stop by this week so we may say thank you and farewell!
We are very grateful for the support you have given us over these 13+ years and will greatly miss seeing you and having conversations with you in the TapRoom. We will cherish the memories we have that you have helped create.
Please know that Dieter will be brewing somewhere for another brewery – stay tuned for that announcement! And Sheryl is currently applying for jobs in hopes of working with other
small business owners.
-The Asheville Museum of Science and The Collider will co-host the next installment of the Science Pub beginning at 5:30 p.m. on July 21, according to a press release. The topic for the free Friday night guest-speaker series is “2017 Carolina Total Solar Eclipse” and will be presented by Christi Whitworth, Director of Learning Experiences with the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). The program takes place at The Collider in downtown Asheville, on the top floor of the Wells Fargo building at 1 Haywood St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for light bites provided by Ingles Markets, and beverages provided by Asheville Brewing Alliance. The program begins at 6:30 p.m.
One expects that when a Council member runs for Mayor, they have some sort of experience under their belt. Keith Young is not even halfway through his first term in elected office. We went through this last year when he lobbied to be appointed to the County Commission. Ambition is a quality, but frankly, IMO – this doesn’t look good.