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Overview > Local Scoop > Archive > 2007/12/16/index Thursday, December 20, 2007 How to decorate like Asheville's Biltmore Estate More than a million people visit Biltmore Estate in Asheville, and about 300,000 of them visit during Christmas season. Planning the decorations for the eight thousand acre Asheville attraction is quite a large task, to say the least. Luckily, Biltmore Estate employs a well-trained staff to prepare the House and its surrounding areas for the Holiday Season. Biltmore Estate's decorations include 150 Christmas trees, 25,000 ornaments, 25,000 lights and 1,500 poinsettias. Even though many of Biltmore's decorations maybe out of your price range, your house can still benefit from some of its decorating tips. ThemesFirst, find a theme that matches your decorations, and think about the colors in the room where you will set up your tree. Your house should show your guests something about you and your family. You can also mix between homemade and store-bought ornaments. Keep in mind that green and red are not the only colors you can use to decorate and make sure you have a theme that repeats throughout all of your decorated rooms. LightsMake sure to shape your tree before adding any Christmas lights. Asheville's Biltmore Estate makes use of 50 light strands, with six inches of space between each bulb. That means a tree that is six feet tall needs a total of eight sets of lights. Warning: Never plug in more than six strands of lights together and never plug in more than six strands to a single outlet. Adding more lights could cause an electrical fire. Working from the top of the tree down, weave the lights up and down across the branches. Take a step back, and look at the tree every once in a while to be sure the lights are placed so that the tree is evenly lit. Next, add garland or any other drapery before you add your ornaments. This keeps the garland from knocking off and breaking any of your precious ornaments. What you put on top can make or break a tree, and most many tree decorators put the tree topper on last. Putting it on before you stand the tree up can save quite a lot of frustration. You can bet the staff at the Biltmore weren't standing on rickety step-ladders while trying to put their tree toppers on last, especially as one of their trees is a 38-foot Frasier Fir. Also, make sure your Christmas tree skirt matches the rest of your decorations. You don't need to run out and buy one either-- an old tablecloth will suffice as long as it goes with everything. The Biltmore Estate will celebrate Christmas until January 1, 2008 and some of the special events include: Candlelight Christmas EveningsOffered by reservation only. Luminaries lead the way to the house's front door. The Biltmore House appears much as it would have during 19th century—- by fireplace and candlelight-- it will be an experience that you will certainly remember. Biltmore Activities and PackagesThe Winery will offer tours, cooking demonstrations and wine tasting throughout the Christmas season. Ticket InformationTickets prices will vary based on date and time. Persons ages 10 to 16 are half of the regular adult price. Kids nine and under are *free* when they are with a paying adult. See the Biltmore Estate web-site for more information, as special online rates are available.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Pack Square to receive new trees Asheville's Pack Square Park will get new trees today. Selected for inclusion in the Park are six London Plane trees and eight European Hornbeams. They will be placed in the space between Asheville City Hall, the Courthouse and Vance Monument, according to the Pack Square Conservancy. London Plane trees are a hybrid that is similar in appearance to a sycamore, but have superior disease resistance. European Hornbeams are a medium-sized tree with bright green leaves that turn a beautiful yellow in autumn. More trees and shrubs will be planted as work in various areas is completed. The park itself is scheduled for completion in April of 2009; work will begin on the 4,200ft2 pavilion in early 2008. For more information, visit the Pack Square Conservancy web-site, or call (828) 252-2300. Labels: asheville
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 UNC Asheville Students to Perform at White HouseUNC Asheville's Chamber Singers will treat White House visitors to a choral concert on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. The University only formed the Chamber Singers a year ago, and already they are accepting invitations to prestigious concerts around the nation. The concert will take place during the White House's Annual Christmas VIP tours. Melodie Galloway, a teaching assistant in the music department of UNC Asheville, sent away the application to perform. “Because the Chamber Singers was formed just over a year ago, I knew it was a long shot. But I wanted to pursue the opportunity because I knew how valuable the experience was to me,” said Galloway said in a UNCA press release. While in Washington, the UNCA Chamber Singers will also perform for sick and injured veterans at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital. They also have concerts lined up at the Koshland Science Museum and the Annondale United Methodist Church. The Chamber Singers will be singing traditional Christmas carols such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Gloria, Coventry Carol and many more classic favorites. You can hear the UNC Asheville Chamber Singers perform And So It Goes by Billy Joel (click the hyperlink for a direct playing of the mp3 file). Labels: asheville, performing arts
Monday, December 17, 2007 Henry Rollins coming to Asheville Former Black Flag front man and spoken word orator extraordinaire Henry Rollins is coming to Asheville's Orange Peel on February 22nd at 8pm. The show will be all spoken word and is entitled "Provoked". Tickets for the show in Asheville went on sale December 14 and can be obtained through Ticketmaster, Etix.com and Ticketweb. The show will surely incite and show insight, while also enraging and enlightening the crowd. "Not many people can hold a crowd of hundreds transfixed for three hours using only a microphone and a flat black backdrop, but Renaissance Man Henry Rollins is one of them," said a Reno Gazette reviewer. "Rollins' talks are so fluid, it's hard to tell how much is planned, how much is off the cuff." In the show, Rollins rants about current events like the war in Iraq and the media, all the while weaving in personal experiences in places like Syria and Australia. Rollins also hosts "The Henry Rollins Show" on the Independent Film Channel. His past guests have included Iggy Pop and actor Don Cheadle. Tickets for the Asheville show are available through Ticketweb.com. Labels: asheville, performing arts, the orange peel
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