Downtown bursts with fun during 30th Bele Chere gala

As the 30th annual Bele Chere Festival wound to a close late on the afternoon of July 27, several young women (above) danced sensually to the beat of a group of drummers on North Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. A few blocks away, the Rev. Billy Wirtz (below) entertained around 100 people at Magnolia’s Raw Bar & Grille at 26 E. Walnut St. Wirtz even bought a round of beer for the raucous crowd. Wirtz is billed as “a comic genius, gifted pianist and American musicologist who defies easy classification.” On his Web site, Wirtz stated, “I like to think of myself as the Victor Borge of the blues.” Wirtz’s material “consists of irreverent comedy routines set to music,” according to Wikipedia. “His humor is somewhat raunchy, if not offensive, and thus is not normally considered suitable for children. His material often mocks conservative politics and religion.” Around 300,000 people — 25,000 fewer than last year — attended what is billed as the largest street festival in the Southeast. Officials attributed the attendance drop to higher gas prices. City police said the crowd generally was well-behaved, with 41 arrests, mainly for drunken behavior. The three-day gala reportedly had a direct spending impact of $12 million and an economic impact of $18-$22 million.