06.20.08
belle cher
Belle cher (pronounced bell share) is an annual festival held in Asheville NC. Its always held the last weekend of July. Be sure to check the local weather or take an umbrella just in case cause there usually is an afternoon thunderstorm this time of year. Just for fun, I translated the french phrase Belle Cher using babel fish translation tool and it means ‘beautiful expensive’. Well they got that right. Its held in a beautiful location. Asheville is located in the western mountains of North Carolina. The scenery here is beautiful especially in the fall of the year. The festival is free to attend (That doesn’t mean they wont start charging to attend as everything is going up thanks to the oil companies). However, everything sold at the festival is expensive. Last year, a sandwich cost close to $10.00 and a drink was $3.00 or more. But, you can take your lunch or eat before you go. Parking cost $10.00 last year, that is if you could find a parking space in town. Its best to take a shuttle which has in the past been available at Westgate shopping center and various other locations throughout Asheville. Its expensive to get a booth and be a vender at this event. They have to pay the city for a booth. So, the vender passes the cost over to the customer and thats why everything is so expensive. But, you don’t have to buy souvenirs either. The event is good for area businesses like local hotels, restaurants, and so forth. Over 300,000 people have attended Belle Cher in past years. So, if you are planning on attending this year, it might be a good idea to book a hotel early. For the closest hotels, see downtown Asheville hotels. You can easily walk from either the Patton Avenue Days Inn, the Best Western on Woodfin Street or the Renaissance hotel.