It’s Bele Chere weekend in Asheville. If you’re not familiar with it, Bele Chere is a giant street festival held each year in the last hazy days of July. Downtown is closed to traffic, and the citizens overtake the streets in sweaty, plodding hordes. Generally, you walk around, look at people, listen to music, eat, drink, and then stand in line at the Port-a-Potty.
If you live or work downtown it’s a fairly epic weekend. For every transcendent moment of sitting out on your fire escape, drinking margaritas & watching hundreds of strangers do the Electric Slide, there’s an offsetting low ebb, when it’s 4 am and packs of drunks are still roaming the streets howling for Lynyrd Skynyrd (it’s like they’re meta-drunk!).
This year I’m making a curtailed foray — tomorrow night we’re meeting my sister and her S.O. at the local brewers’ tent, then hopping up the street to hear the Goodies (recommended song: “Madame Devillia”). Report to follow Monday.
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
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