Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around:
-A semi-professional soccer team, AVL City Soccer Club, is forming in Asheville. The team will be part of the National Premier Soccer League. The plan is for the summer league to play 8 homes games at Memorial Stadium, and for the team to partner with local craftbreweries to live-stream the games. According to the team’s website, Asheville City SC will be competeing in the East Division along with the Atlanta Silverbacks FC, FC Carolina Discoveries, Georgia Revolution FC, and Knoxville Force. The West Division includes Birmingham Hammers, Chattanooga FC, Inter Nashville FC, Memphis City FC, and New Orleans Jesters.
Due to multiple requests, the club has decided to have one last open tryout at 9 a.m. on Feb. 11 at John B. Lewis Fields Soccer Complex. There’s a $50 registration fee and the tryout is limited to 65 participants. Sign-up now at www.ashevillecitysc.com.
The NPSL is the second largest national soccer league in the US Soccer development pyramid, operating and competing in the 4th Division (D4), according to the website. The NPSL is the successor to the Men’s Premier Soccer League, which was formed in 2002, and has now expanded to over 80 teams nationwide. The NPSL mission “is to grow the sport of soccer in the United States of America by providing members with a sustainable business model and professionally managed soccer platform, and by serving as an inspiration to players and soccer fans in our members’ communities.”
-The Chocolate Fetish is celebrating 30 years of handcrafting chocolate in downtown Asheville this year. They have an amazing selection of sweets, including a chocolate heart-shaped box, an edible chocolate shoe and tasty truffles.
-There are new city of Asheville-installed trash cans on the South Slope.
-Sanctuary Brewing in Hendersonville will host its 2nd Annual Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5. More from a press release:
Sanctuary’s Puppy Bowl will feature adoptable puppies playing on a model football field. Pups from Blue Ridge Humane Society will compete as Team Tuff and Team Gruff, while adoptable cats from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue will melt hearts on the sidelines as the game’s cheerleaders.
Once the Puppy Bowl festivities have ended, guests can stick around to watch the Patriots and Falcons battle it out in Super Bowl LI, which airs at 6:30 PM. Sanctuary will have an extensive selection of craft brews available, as well as cider, wine, sodas, and food.
-The Biltmore Winery recently renovated its tasting room, according to a Facebook post.
-The new Farm to Fender Cafe at 3080 Sweeten Creek Road has started dinner service. Some new items on the menu include braised short rib, sweet-tea-brined roasted chicken and seared brisket steak, according to a Facebook ad.
-Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry has announced that it has opened new offices at 20 Twentieth Street, off Patton Avenue in West Asheville. More from a news release:
The new building is called the ABCCM Servant Leadership Center, and will house ABCCM’s administrative offices and meeting rooms where ABCCM will host volunteer training sessions. The building will also serve as a strategic planning center for ABCCM and a community gathering place.
The site will also eventually be the location of a new warehouse, which might possibly be cleaned by someone similar to professional industrial cleaning in Brisbane, to replace the ABCCM’s longtime warehouse on Coxe Avenue in downtown Asheville. All donations, whether financial, or in-kind items such as food, clothes, household items and furniture, will go to the warehouse where they can be gathered in a central place then distributed to our four Crisis Ministries, Medical Ministry, Jail Ministry and Homeless Ministry locations at Steadfast House and the Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ). Until the new warehouse is open, donations can be dropped at the Crisis Ministries in Montford, Arden, Weaverville and Hominy Valley; the Medical Ministry at 155 Livingston Street, and the VRQ at 1329 Tunnel Road. The Servant Leadership Center is open to members of the public. Please call (828) 259-5305 to arrange a visit. The new mailing address is ABCCM, 20 Twentieth Street, Asheville, NC, 28806.
-Asheville massage therapist Erin Brown has moved and expanded her business, Sync Bodywork, to 202 E. Chestnut St. She’ll celebrate the move with a reception from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 4. More from a press release:
Sync Bodywork includes four additional, talented massage therapists with decades of experience and varied backgrounds. The new location is a beautifully restored, historic home in the heart of the burgeoning Chestnut Hill business district. It boasts multiple therapy rooms and additional space where Erin provides comprehensive, one-on-one Classical Pilates training.