Finding Asheville Podcast

Over two years ago Nathan Miller started the Finding Asheville podcast. Unfortunately Nathan had to move away, but Benny and Emily have tried to keep this wonderful program alive. Today is Finding Asheville's landmark one hundredth episode. We got a bit more serious than usual for our hundredth and spoke to Mohammad Taha, the Imam (spiritual leader) of the Islamic Center of Asheville. Mohammad spoke to us about many aspects of Islam, what it means to be a Muslim, and the positive experiences he's has as a Muslim in Asheville.

The Islamic Center of Asheville is a small mosque with about 80 families in attendance. We hear first hand from Mohammad about his faith, the Muslim view and recognition of Jesus, and more about the religion that 1.5 billion people follow. Despite what the media may portray, Islam is a peaceful religion, and those who make the news for terrorist acts are extremists, in the same way we deal with Christian extremists in the United States - KKK, anyone? 

If you want to learn more about the Islamic faith, the Islamic center of Asheville has educational materials available. The mosque can be located at 941 Old Fairview Road. 

You can also visit their website here: http://www.ashevillemasjid.com

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

Hold on to your broomsticks! This week we spoke with Katie L, the founder of Asheville's chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance. The Harry Potter Alliance is: "changing the world by making activism accessible through the power of story. Since 2005, [the HPA] engaged millions of fans through our work for equality, human rights, and literacy."

What does this mean exactly? We delve into the world of fan activism and learn about what types of charity efforts the Harry Potter Alliance works on, including Apparating Libraries and Accio Books. Next we learn that the popular wizarding sport Quidditch is now available to muggles globally. To top it all off, listen to Benny and Katie test their wits at a round of "Who Said It - The Pope or Voldemort?"

Want to learn more about the Asheville Harry Potter Alliance? Give their Facebook page a like:

https://www.facebook.com/AshevilleHPA/

Interested in attending a Yule Ball, featuring magical drinks and three wizard rock bands? Check out the charity ball hosted by the AHPA, happening March 19th at Sol Bar, New Mountain AVL:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1676447532642845/

On this belated episode of Finding Asheville, hosts Benny Whitaker and Emily Trimnal sit down with Curtis Sluder. Curtis, a longtime smoker, had to suddenly give up his habit for health reasons a few years ago. Quitting smoking is hard, and replacing old habits with new ones is half the battle. Curtis got into the vaping scene before it was cool, and as soon as he saw how easy the transition was, and his doctor praised the health benefits of replacing a cigarette with an e-cig, he decided to open up his own storefront. Blue Ridge Vapor was born, and was one of only a handful in the area at the time. 

We talk with Curtis about the pros and cons of vaping, the sudden and wild upswing in popularity, and how vaping can help quit a nicotine addiction. We segway into traffic laws and common ticket questions as our hosts talk with Curtis about his job as a lawyer who specializes in criminal defense, primarily traffic law. 

Can you tell us how many ways there are to lose your drivers license in Buncombe County?

This episode of Finding Asheville got a little crowded. We spoke to Tommy Green and Chris Power, two Asheville locals who are heavily involved everything beer. Tommy started the app "Brewpon" and both Tommy and Chris were both very early members of the Asheville Beer Club. We were also joined by Chuck Franklin who, although mostly silent, will be helping us with our audio issues.

Tommy and Chris talked to us about how the Asheville Beer Club got started, what they do at meetings, and how they originally got into beer. We also talk about Tommy and Chris's playful rivalry between the Asheville and Hendersonville beer scene, and how the two of them are planning on creating their own podcast called Drink Local Now, to promote craft breweries and educate individuals on the pitfalls of big beer companies and how big breweries like Anheuser Busch In-Bev negatively affect small craft brewers.

Benny, Emily, Tommy and Chris muse about Asheville's beer bubble: with the rapid rate at which breweries are moving into the area, what is the saturation point? Do we need to be concerned about the feasibility of so many breweries popping up in a city this size? 

Listen to the episode below, and give us your feedback:

This week we spoke with Laura LaVoie about the tiny house movement. Owning one herself, she was able to give us a rundown on exactly what a tiny house is; the many of the advantages and disadvantages of owning one, and the unique struggle it is to downsize from a "normal" size household to life in 120 square feet. Laura also talks with us about why some cities seem to be much more opposed to tiny houses than Asheville; how Asheville might learn from tiny house friendly cities; and what the future may hold for tiny house hopefuls in both Asheville as well as all of Buncombe county.

While there is no concrete definition of a 'tiny' home, a house built to be less than 500 square feet is considered to be a tiny house. Many tiny homes are often built on trailers so that they can easily be transported. Each tiny home is built exactly like a traditional stick built home, just on a much smaller scale. Learn all of this and more in this episode of Finding Asheville. 

Visit Laura's blog, Life In 120 Square Feet: http://www.120squarefeet.com

Learn more about the Asheville Small Home Advocacy Committee: https://www.facebook.com/AshevilleSHAC/

Wishbone Tiny Homes, a tiny house builder in West Asheville: http://www.wishbonetinyhomes.com

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

This week we talk to Alia Todd. Alia played a big part in Tupalo Honey's decision to bring back up the wages of Tupelo Honey's back staff after decreasing them. A veteran of the service industry, Alia was a founder of the Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce. She tells us how A.S.R.W. came about, what their goals for Asheville's restaurants and restaurant workers are, and with the Tupalo campaign over, what's next for A.S.R.W.

For some background information on the Tupelo Honey wage decrease, check out AshevilleBlog: http://ashevilleblog.com/tupelo-honey-restaurant-workers-petition-for-higher-wages/

The Asheville Sustainable Restaurant Workforce Facebook Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/asrw.org/?fref=ts

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

This week we talked to Will Hessling, the owner of Hero Hunter Comics. Will tells us a little about running a business in Candler, possible plans for relocating, and gives his thoughts on the sustainability of comic book movies. Benny gets to flex his "comic geek" muscles and tells us he may or may not have had the chance to get his hands on the first appearance of Deadpool, and everybody plays a game of "Who said it, Lady Gaga or Shakespeare?" which is actually harder then it sounds!

Check out the episode below, and give local love by visiting Hero Hunter Comics, located at 1107 Smokey Park Highway, in Candler North Carolina. 

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

This week we talk to Nate Tomforde the owner of Pour Taproom. Nate started Pour in 2014 and his entreprenial spirit made Pour the first of its kind in the country. Using a mix of familiar taproom style atmosphere and new technology, Pour Taproom offers a unique experience for beer enthusiasts. With over 48 types of beer, wine, hard cider, and mead on tap at all times, Pour lets the consumer take charge of what they drink and how much. This is a great model for those who are still learning what they like to drink, or a great way to try a wide variety of local and hard to find brews. We discuss the possibility of a second location for Pour, the growing popularity of craft beers, play a game of "Book or Beer?", and make it even easier for you to win free Frostbite ice cream.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.

For this New Year's edition of Finding Asheville, we sit down with prominent local figure Rich Lee. Rich is an active figure in Asheville, having moved to Western North Carolina in 1997. Rich is a member of the City of Asheville Greenway Committee; the Buncombe County Triad; WNC Group Homes for Autistic Persons; 1-26 ConnectUs Project; and the Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods just to name a few. In 2015 Rich ran for a seat on City Council, landing in 4th place during the election. A gentle, laid back individual Rich is on top of current Asheville news and has a good idea of what 2016 will look like for our fair city and townsfolk. 

What about the 1-26 connector project? Will we see hundreds of home destroyed this year? Is New Belgium for sale? How will that impact the River Arts District where they are currently building a $175 million brewing facility? Politically what is in store for Asheville, as new seats and positions within the local government become available? We talk with Rich about all of these issues, and more, and discuss exactly what locals will see happen this year. 

Finding Asheville was originally created and curated by Nathan Miller. Over a course of two years Nathan interviewed, cataloged, and took painstaking efforts to create a high quality podcast that spoke to the hearts of Asheville, and Western North Carolina. When Nathan took a job that required him to move, Emily Trimnal and Benny Whitaker stepped up to take over Finding Asheville and carry on the amazing work that Nathan started. 

In this weeks episode, instead of sitting down with a featured guest, Emily and Benny sit down and tell you about themselves. With Benny a Western North Carolina native and Emily a transplant from the West Coast, they offer an array of unique and interesting insights on Asheville, and tell listeners what brought them to the city. Learn about their recording studio - Great Escape Asheville - the sketchy semi automatic elevator, Benny's aversion to cats, and what the future of Finding Asheville holds. 

Listen below, and be sure to pay attention for your chance to win a free small ice cream from Frostbite Ice Cream! Details inside.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here to get new episodes to download to your listening devices each week and get caught up on past episodes!

Oh and if you are feeling super nice like the Finding Asheville Facebook page here.