These UNC Asheville students have designed and built an electric, Formula One-style race car. They'll compete at Michigan International Speedway in June.
These UNC Asheville students have designed and built an electric, Formula One-style race car. They'll compete at Michigan International Speedway in June.
Also, Trillium Arts will present the premiere of Asheville-based choreographer Melvin AC Howell's new work at Marshall High Studios in June
This story sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.
Here’s more of what’s happening around Asheville. Thank you to all who have signed up for a paying subscription. The Hot Sheet has great momentum going this year, and your support is critical to helping me support my family and keep me going here. I’m focused on hyper-local news, I’m completely independent, and Ashevegas is 18 years old this year. You won’t find a more seasoned local reporter. Onward!
A group of UNC Asheville students have been busy designing and building a Formula One-style race car as part of the collegiate engineering and design competition hosted each year by the Society of Automotive Engineers. It’s known as Formula SAE.
The UNCA students are finishing the build-out of an electric vehicle and will compete in the Formula SAE Electric division. They’ll head to Michigan International Speedway in June for the event, where teams will be evaluated on everything from technical inspections to how their car performs in endurance and autocross racing. Also, judges interview team team members to assess their approach to the engineering design process. The engineering design goal for teams “is to develop and construct a single-seat race car for the non-professional weekend autocross racer with the best overall package of design, construction, performance, and cost,” according to Formula SAE.
The UNCA team designed and fabricated their car in the UNCA STEAM Studio, an educational space at the River Arts Makers Place (RAMP), where young engineers, artists and entrepreneurs work side-by-side with experienced faculty members and staff experts. The STEAM Studio has equipment for 3D modeling and printing, as well as water jet, laser and plasma cutters, as well as multiple forms of metal fabrication. It also includes a state-of-the-art woodworking facility. Developed by UNC Asheville, the state’s designated public liberal arts university, the studio connects the campus to Asheville’s creative community.
The UNCA team’s advisors are Sara Sanders, director and collaborative co-founder of STEAM Studio, and N. Moorthy Muthukrishnan, Ph.D. lecturer of engineering. The students, all seniors, are: Robert Brenneman, Nicholas Grandstaff, Maximo Perasso, Trysten Ruhland, Steven Anderson, Lief van Sliedrecht, Hunter Horan, John Sauvigne, Sarah Vyvyan and Gustavo Melo-Perez.
Follow the UNCA students’ progress on Instagram at @asheville_formulasae.
Seminar: Asheville attorney Christopher M. Craig of Craig Associates PC is offering a free estate planning seminar from 2-3:30 p.m. on May 18 at the Kenilworth Harvest House. The comprehensive seminar is for anyone interested in estate planning and protecting assets. It will cover topics including comparisons of wills and trusts and how to protect your assets from lawsuits, creditors, in-laws or government claims. Potential homebuyers are also encouraged to attend to learn how building a trust and purchasing a home can go hand in hand.
Trillium Arts, an artist residency center in Mars Hill, will present the premiere of Asheville-based choreographer and director Melvin AC Howell’s latest multi-disciplinary performance at 7:30 p.m. on June 16 and 17 at Marshall High Studios in Marshall. Howell’s work is part of a series of immersive dance theater explorations of issues related to Black history and contemporary Black culture. In addition to a live performance integrating dance, music and theatrical elements, the series includes a visual arts installation that creates a setting for the performance. His new work, “MOVE;MEANT A.R.T. EXPO – JUNETEENTH,” is inspired by the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. JUNETEENTH was created by Howell and co-director/choreographer Amanda Hoyte during a series of three residencies at Trillium Arts that started in May 2021. Go here for JUNETEENTH tickets. A free meet-the-artist event with Howell, presented in cooperation with the Madison County Arts Council, will be held at 6 p.m. on May 19 at The Arts Center on Main Street in Marshall. RSVP for the meet-the-artist event at info@trilliumartsnc.org.
The WNC Yarn Crawl, a tour of 10 local yarn shops, will be held May 9-13. Yarn stores in Western North Carolina have collaborated for more than a decade to host fiber-lovers. Local yarn shops enjoyed a bump in interest during the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and continue to see an increase in curiosity. Knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners all seem to be finding comfort and creativity in the fiber arts, according to Elizabeth Schell of Purl’s Yarn Emporium. The yarn crawl includes special promotions and daily prize give-aways. The 10 participating stores: Asheville NC Homecrafts in downtown Asheville; Black Mountain Yarn Shop in Black Mountain; Earth Guild in downtown Asheville; Friends & Fiberworks in Candler; OSuzannah's Yarn on Union in Morganton; Purl's Yarn Emporium in South Asheville; Silver Threads & Golden Needles in Franklin; Sun Dragon Art & Fiber in Brevard; Yiayia Black Sheep in Mars Hill; and Yummi Yarns in Burnsville.
The Elephant Door, a creative maker space at 126 Swannanoa River Road, has been doing some fun stuff lately. They offer weekly artisan and creative pop-up markets featuring rotating artists and makers. They also offer after-dark vendor bazaars, exclusive themed events and special art exhibits. (They’re @elephantdooravl on Instagram.)
The Uncommon Market, billed as Asheville’s largest curated market, is back for another season of gathering quality curators of antiques, vintage décor, art, jewelry, home furnishings, plants and more. The outdoor market runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Admission and parking and free, and friendly dogs are welcome. The event will be held at The Foundation (Foundy) in the River Arts District on May 21, Sept. 24 and Oct. 29. The market will also hold a Summer Extravaganza on Aug. 5-6 at the Mission Health/A-B Tech Conference Center on the community college’s campus. The annual Holiday Market, also held in the conference center, is set for Dec. 9-10.
The Salvage Station music venue has a new sponsor in Flow Automotive, a car dealership that includes Porsche Asheville, Audi Asheville and Flow Volkswagen of Asheville. “The partnership aims to engage Asheville’s unique cultural hub with some of the world's favorite car brands,” according to a press release, and Salvage Station visitors will see Flow’s presence throughout the venue. The sponsorship will include unique interactive experiences for guests, Flow VIP parking options and contests. Flow Automotive, founded in 1957 in Winston-Salem, expanded into Asheville in 2020 by acquiring the Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen dealership on Brevard Road.
Doc Brown’s BBQ in Candler now has an outdoor stage for live music. Go for the great barbecue. Stay for the great local music.
PubCorps, a Black Mountain nonprofit founded four years ago to address food insecurity in the Swannanoa Valley, plans to hold a meal-packing event from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on May 7 at The RailYard in Black Mountain. The goal is to feed 50,000 families in Western North Carolina.
Cucina 24, one of Asheville’s best restaurants, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. Congratulations!
Lookout Brewing in Black Mountain recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Congratulations!
Thanks for reading,
-j