{"id":94030,"date":"2026-06-27T06:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T10:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=94030"},"modified":"2026-06-22T15:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T19:48:57","slug":"from-the-editor-july-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Editor:<\/strong> July 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity. The Asheville Gallery of Art\u2019s July show titled Freedom to Play highlights the work of Gail S. Drozd who says she gives herself permission \u201cto play, explore and create without boundaries.\u201d This allowance of creative play time without rules and expectations is especially important to the developing minds of youngsters, says Sue Fazio, whose by-appointment gallery in Hendersonville donates 100 percent of proceeds from sales to the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Gina Malone, Editor<\/p><\/div>\n

Those long summer days of no school and the timelessness of family vacations likely ingrained in all of us a sense of the freedom to just be, at this time of year. A few other things are quintessentially of the season like tomato sandwiches and an abundance of gorgeous flowers. Our Cover Artist Elliott From was a new arrival in Asheville when Helene hit, but out of the darkness of that time, he began painting his bold, colorful Dazie series. \u201cAsheville was destroyed, but new growth is happening,\u201d he says, \u201cand I wanted a subject matter of growth and happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this, our first WNC Crafts issue of the year, we visit with some organizations that have reasons to celebrate. Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, Inc., in Cherokee, has been in existence for an astounding 80 years, and Dillsboro\u2019s Dogwood Crafters for 50. Don\u2019t miss the 79th Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands July 16\u201319 in Asheville.<\/p>\n

In our beloved River Arts District, recovery continues. While you\u2019re there for Second Saturday on July 11, stop in to welcome Kiitos Fine Art, the newest gallery in America\u2019s #1 Best Arts District!<\/p>\n

Enjoy these long summer days!<\/p>\n

Gina Malone can be reached at gina@thelaurelofasheville.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":41796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"694\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"361\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"headline\":\"From the Editor: July 2026\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":333,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Lifestyle\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"From the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"description\":\"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg\",\"width\":694,\"height\":361},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/lifestyle\\\/from-the-editor-july-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"From the Editor: July 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Laurel of Asheville\",\"description\":\"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\",\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amy Pryor\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"From the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","description":"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"From the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","og_description":"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.","og_url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/","og_site_name":"The Laurel of Asheville","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville","article_published_time":"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":694,"height":361,"url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amy Pryor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_site":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy Pryor","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Amy Pryor","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"headline":"From the Editor: July 2026","datePublished":"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/"},"wordCount":333,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","articleSection":["Lifestyle"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/","name":"From the Editor: July 2026 - The Laurel of Asheville","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-27T10:00:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"description":"As we mark our country\u2019s 250th birthday (or semiquincentennial for those unafraid of tongue twisters), the word freedom is ringing out everywhere. And you\u2019ll find it in our pages as well since a free mind remains a prerequisite for creativity.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/gina-sig-e1622723217600.jpg","width":694,"height":361},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/lifestyle\/from-the-editor-july-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"From the Editor: July 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/","name":"The Laurel of Asheville","description":"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00","name":"Amy Pryor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amy Pryor"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94030"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94032,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94030\/revisions\/94032"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}