Here’s a promo video that caught my attention ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMPQEV-X97c[/youtube]

Asheville has a long history of lackluster conventions, dating back to at least Alaricon back in the mid-1990s. (It was named after the local Star Trek fan club/pretend spaceship the USS Alaric.) There have been many attempts to start an Asheville-based fan convention, but the things are notoriously tricky to organize, promote and keep going.

The folks behind Fanaticon, however, seem to be organized enough to put out promo videos two months in advance of the event, which is at least a little promising. And they’ve managed to get Butch Guice to attend, who isn’t exactly an unknown in the comics world, given that he’s worked at least in passing with Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek (among others). Granted, Guice grew up in Asheville, but this is still pretty cool in my book.

At present, mine is Firestorm, but I only come into town once a month or so for a few hours, and really haven’t explored around very much in maybe a year.

Tim Peck’s speech at the Asheville Tea PAC NC-11 Congressional Debate. Dr. Dan Eichenbaum won the debate.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_F45VhIz10[/youtube]

Listen to it here: http://www.ashevillefm.org/machine-made-of-birds

Post about it right here.

Is there any way that I could legally set these idiots on fire?

The purpose of this website is to explore, analyze, and preserve the history of Asheville and Buncombe County, North Carolina. Its goal is to supplement the efforts of the Buncombe County NC GenWeb, the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society, and the Western North Carolina Historical Association. Note that some of the recent posts focus on Pack Square Park. As that project draws to a close, we wanted to explore some of its history, including reminding readers of George Willis Pack, probably Asheville’s greatest benefactor. We hope to present history in the context of the day—what is happening now. We also hope to be another voice supporting related efforts, such as RiverLink.
As “pure” history can sometimes be dry (i.e. boring), we are attracted to the unusual (sometimes quirky) stories that allow us to get a foot in the door. An example is the item on Zebulon Baird Vance being buried three times. Note that this was picked up by The Read on WNC. That item is a perfect example. It automatically is interesting—someone being buried three times—it is with respect to a Buncombe County native who was North Carolina’s Civil War governor, and it relates to Pack Square Park because of the Vance Monument (with was financed in part by George Willis Pack)! This is a “story” that school teachers could use.
Note that Buncombe County does not have a historical society per se. With all the websites, blogs, facebook pages, and twittering going on about Asheville and the area, there is not one site devoted exclusively to the history of Asheville and Buncombe County. We hope to fill that void and began small with a weblog. The longer-term goal is to develop a full-blown website and, possibly, to organize as a non-profit corporation the Buncombe County Historical Association. We also will work closely with the genealogical and historical associations of the surrounding counties: Madison, Yancey, McDowell, Rutherford, Henderson, Transylvania, and Haywood.
On the personal side, I have a somewhat unique interest in (and understanding of) the history of the area. My third great-grandfather, James McConnell Smith (1787-1856). purportedly was the first white child born west of the Blue Ridge. He was born in what today is the River Arts District, where the old Southern Railway Depot once stood. At one time he owned much of Asheville (and Buncombe County). He built the Smith-McDowell House, which today is a museum and the headquarters of the Western North Carolina Historical Association. His Buck Hotel stood on the northeast corner of College and Broadway. His barn and pig “corral” occupied what today is Pritchard Park. And, he built the first bridge across the French Broad River. The old Smith Bridge stood for many years, eventually was sold to Buncombe County, and was taken out by the flood of 1916. It was in the area of what today is the Craven Street Bridge.
My Davidson ancestors established, with others, one of the first settlements in the area at Bee Tree Creek on the Swannanoa River. This is the same family for which Davidson’s Fort in Old Fort, McDowell County, is named. And, my direct ancestor Colonel John Patton was the first surveyor appointed for Buncombe County, then a very important position as land grants were being taken up and we still were arguing with South Carolina the border between the two states. Patton also was appointed by the governor to open the first session of the Buncombe County Court of Pleas and Quarter sessions. Note, however, this is not the Patton for whom Patton Avenue was named. That was James Patton, who also built the old Eagle Hotel on Biltmore Avenue.
Please note that while I am a member of the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society and of the Western North Carolina Historical Association, and work closely with the Buncombe County NC GenWeb, the Asheville and Buncombe County site is totally independent of these organizations and is not formally affiliated with them (or with any other entity).
Also note that the name of the site, Asheville and Buncombe County, is derived from a 1922 book of the same name, authored by my relative Foster Alexander Sondley. We are related through the Alexander side of his family. Our site is dedicated to him. His massive library became the nucleus of the Pack Memorial Library’s North Carolina Collection.

So, if you were planning a weekend trip for a friend who was coming to town just to see the “real” Asheville, what would be on the itinerary? Let’s say you also don’t know what the weather will be, but for the purposes of this discussion it can be any time of year.

I’ll start by saying that the Pritchard Park drum circle is a must-have Asheville experience.