Asheville Raccoon Retirement & Mascot Mayhem | Asheville News

Asheville News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 4, 2026 · 1m

Asheville’s Parks and Rec is ditching its controversial raccoon mascot—and comedians are firing up the brainstorming with wild new ideas like the “Fatberg” (a sewer trash monster) or the “Affordabilitysaurus” (a throwback to cheap gas days). Eric Brown pitches “Buncombe County Billy,” a neon hillbilly who wreaks metaphorical havoc, blending tourism, commerce, and cheeky chaos. The episode also pokes fun at Asheville’s $20.13 per resident budget (a nod to the 2013 Bele Chere festival), with one comic joking about selling the city to Dolly Parton. And for the Downtown After 5 concert series?…