Funds raised during this year’s Drums & Dragons will allow Blue Ridge Health to greatly improve medical treatment options for low-income families, help The Community Table prevent families in Jackson County from going to bed hungry, and allow developmentally challenged adults to thrive with the help of caring Staff of the Irene Wortham Center. Your generosity will also help St. Gerard House improve their capacity to serve children with autism, allow caregivers respite while their family members attend MountainCare’s Adult Day services, and provide low-cost temporary housing at the Rathbun House, the only Hospitality House in the region, for non-Buncombe area residents whose families are undergoing medical treatment in nearby hospitals. Please join us and donate if you can!

The Military’s #MeToo Moment with Lucy C. Del Gaudio, Melissa Bryant, and Lindsay Church

In the wake of the murder of 20-year old Vanessa Guillen, an Army specialist, the military has faced an immense amount of scrutiny in how they investigate gender-based violence. In response to cries for accountability, a group of former members of the armed services have banded together to seek justice for Vanessa and her family to hold the military accountable for their inaction. Lucy C. Del Gaudio, Melissa Bryant, and Lindsay Church speak with Alejandra Y. Castillo on how they are advocating for Vanessa and providing a new blueprint for proper investigation of gender-based violence reports within the armed services. As calls for transparency and accountability increase, these women are leading the way to achieve justice, and making history along the way.

Please follow along @LadyDelDJ, @mabryant256 @lkmchurch, and contribute to the conversation to demand using the hashtag #JUSTICEFORVANNESSAGUILLEN on Twitter.

For more information on what YWCA is doing to support survivors of gender-based violence visit our website here.

Week Without Violence is part of a global movement with YWCAs across the country and around the world to end violence against women and girls. At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that some victims go unrecognized altogether. That’s why, for more than 20 years, YWCA has set aside one week in October as a Week Without Violence. Join us from October 18 – 24, as we hold events nationally and locally, share information and stories, advocate, and more with a common goal in mind: together, we can end gender-based violence. During this week we will be partnering with Our Voice, Helpmate, Youth Outright, Family Justice Center, and Mountain Child Advocacy to increase awareness of the resources available within our community. Join us on social media by using this profile frame all week long.

Asheville Gallery of Art
October Show
“Fallscapes”
 
“Fallscapes” at Asheville Gallery of Art
 
Asheville Gallery of Art’s October show, “Fallscapes,” is a multi-artist show celebrating the breathtaking beauty and grandeur of fall in our mountains. The show runs October 1-31 during gallery hours, 12-5 pm, Fridays and Saturdays. You can also make arrangements for a private tour by emailing a request to [email protected]
 
For artists who live and work in the mountains of Western North Carolina, nature is a continued source of inspiration. But only one season, fall, outdoes itself in presenting us with an astounding palette of vibrant color and rich textures. While the color of the changing leaves against a Carolina blue sky in the mountains is awesome to behold, it’s even more fun to paint.
 
Bee Adams and Anne Bonnyman have two distinct styles, yet, each finds unique inspiration at this time of year. “Walking in the woods in the fall is magical. The trees are lined up showing off their colors, the air is getting crisp and the leaves crunch underfoot. I try to capture the pure joy of this wonderful time,” says Bee Adams. Anne Bonnyman says, “Autumn in the mountains is dazzling. On a day when the sun lights up the trees and sparkles across the water, I can’t get to my canvas fast enough to tell the story.”
 
Cynthia Llanes says of her painting in the show, “Memorable places are fun to paint. This painting was a view from across the lake near our cabin during our anniversary trip to Fancy Gap, Virginia.” Olga Michelson says, “Fall is one of my favorite subjects. It inspires me. I love to capture the distant views with their complex, rich colors. Sally Lordeon enjoys getting into nature during the season. “Painting en plein air in the late fall is spectacular. The opulent colors in the landscape declare nature as the master painter.”
 
For further information about this show, contact Asheville Gallery of Art at (828) 251-5796 during open hours. You can also email us at [email protected], visit the gallery website at www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com or find us on Facebook. Please check our website for our on-line shop and to find additional hours we will post for October.
 

The BOOsters are happy little friendly ghosts sold throughout the month of October in area banks, restaurants, cleaners, convenience stores, and many other businesses. For only $1.00, anyone can purchase a BOOster, place his or her name or business card on it and have it displayed. This is a great way to decorate area businesses for the holiday while providing fun, friendly competition, and funds to help continue the outreach of the Eblen Charities.

Eblen Charitable Group Pumpkin Sales: Much like the BOOster sales, these bright paper pumpkins are sold for $1.00 during the month of October in area schools and Ingles Markets. This program sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, Ingle’s Markets, Pepsi, and Clear Channel radio stations benefits the programs of the Eblen Charities  and helps provide a community program to the area schools with the premise of children helping children. Schools also have the opportunity to win prizes and equipment for their school. The school with the most over all sales is awarded the Frank Lewis Memorial Award, named in memory of our long time friend and Buncombe County educator, Frank Lewis.

Bucket List: Guide to Art Institutions in WNC Western North Carolina is known as the artist’s enclave of the Southeast—but where should we layfolk go to enjoy the fruits of these labors? Here’s our guide to enjoying art—painted, sculpted, sketched, and otherwise crafted—across the region.

Calling all spoken word artists 15 years or older

ABOUT WORDplay©

WORDplay© is a twelve month slam poetry competition featuring Spoken Word Poets from all over Western North Carolina. Each month ten to twelve Poets will be selected via video submissions, for the chance to compete for Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective’s WORDplay© championship and a $1,000.00 cash prize. The monthly online competition, hosted by local Poets Barbie Angell and Shanita Jackson, is open to regional Poets who are at least 15 years of age. One Poet from each month’s competition will be selected to compete in front of a live audience in the October and November 2021 Semi-Finals. Two remaining Poets will vie for the WORDplay© championship in December 2021. The second place Poet will receive $500.00. Each Semi-Finalist will receive $100.00.

We are accepting submissions for January and February rounds now through November 23, 2020. Selected Poets will be notified by December 23, 2020.

The message is simple – COVID-19 has made a severe impact on the blood supply and The
Blood Connection is asking the community to donate blood as soon as possible to support the
critical need of blood for local hospitals in this area.

To find a blood drive: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/zip
To find a center (5 in Upstate, 2 in Western NC): https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/centers
Those interested in hosting a blood drive in the community: thebloodconnection.org/host-a-drive<http://thebloodconnection.org/host-a-drive>

Buncombe County offers services for those facing Domestic Violence:

HelpMate: HELPMATE HOTLINE: (828) 254-0516 | BUSINESS LINE: (828) 254-2968

Our Voice: 24-hour hotline at (828) 255-7576

eNCough: https://www.enoughnc.org/

Clothing: Both Homeward Bound Welcome Home Donation Center (205 Elk Park Dr.) and Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s Donation Center (24 Cumberland Ave.) allow domestic violence survivors in Buncombe County to shop for free

One Stop Shop: The Family Justice Center (35 Woodfin St.) is a location of multi-service providers who work together to offer assistance to domestic violence survivors. These orgs include Helpmate, Mountain Child Advocacy Center, Our VOICE, Mission Health, Buncombe County Health and Human Services, Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Pisgah Legal Services, and the Asheville Police Department.

Legal: Pisgah Legal Services (62 Charlotte St.) works with domestic violence shelters, prevention agencies, and other partners in eleven WNC counties to provide info and services designed to aid independence from abusers, including protection orders, separation + divorce, child custody and support + more. With on-site attorneys + legal assistants, the Family Justice Center offers information about legal rights + protections.

What is the wait? Buncombe County Website tracks waiting time for Early Voting in Buncombe County!

SHOP THE ROCK!

Our online gift shop is now open, and just in time for your holiday shopping. T-shirts are available in a variety of colors with Adult and Youth sizing, and we have additional apparel items like sweatshirts, hats, polos, and totes. We have unique gift options like our 50th-anniversary book with a detailed history of Flat Rock Playhouse and prints designed by some of your favorite Vagabonds.

Beginning Sunday, September 27, and continuing throughout the month of October, the front lawn of Grace Church will once again be filled with pumpkins! And as in years past, proceeds from pumpkin sales will benefit our friends with Consider Haiti.

Annually, the Pumpkin Patch is Consider Haiti’s biggest fundraiser. A year ago, we netted $10,000 that supported programs in community health, sustainable nutrition, clean water and medical care. Consider Haiti’s single most urgent goal is promoting the health and welfare of Haitian children. This year, they will impact the lives of more than 2,000 children and their families. Through the Pumpkin Patch, Grace Church has an opportunity to raise both funds and awareness for the work Consider Haiti is doing, even in the midst of a pandemic. We hope we have made participating as safe and risk-free as possible for you. And we thank you in advance for your on-going support.

For the safety of our volunteer sellers, we have developed a method of no-touch electronic payment that will hopefully eliminate a lot of cash transactions that involved handling money. Wheelbarrows will be on hand for shoppers to load their own pumpkin selections. The idea is to handle money and pumpkins as little as possible. Wipes, masks and disinfectant will be available for use as needed within the Patch

​​​​​

​One Network of Trails. One Hundred Counties.

​The Great Trails State Plan will draw upon existing plans and new recommendations to identify a network of shared-use paths and trails that connect​​​ every county in North Carolina, with a focus on connections between population centers and North Carolina State Parks.

The primary outcome of this planning process is to develop a statewide trail map coupled with an action-oriented network plan and 5-year implementation strategy.

The Great Trails State Plan is being led by the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division, in coordination with the NCDOT Transportation Planning Division and North Carolina State Parks.​​​

We’re hiring!  We’re now hiring a Controller to join the Hickory Nut Gap team. The position is remote, but our new team member must be available to work during standard EST work hours. If you’re eager for your next challenge, HNG Meats is ready to welcome you to the team!

Create, share, and discover with Buncombe County Public Library’s newest resource, Biblioboard.

BiblioBoard Library is an easy-to-use platform of high-quality digital content. Biblioboard offers books, articles, documents, images, audios, and videos. BiblioBoard Library is host to content from traditional publishers, indie authors, cultural institutions, and local thought leaders. Users can access BiblioBoard Library through the library’s website or on the device of their choice.

Some features of Biblioboard:

• No waitlists or holds
• Streaming audio and video are available on a wide variety of topics
• Check out curated collections of the best indie authors.
• Available for desktop, iOS, and Android devices

Local authors can submit their work for inclusion in the library catalog or publish books with Press Books. You can submit and share your work locally or nationally.

The N.C. Department of Transportation wants your feedback for the NC Moves 2050 Plan, NCDOT’s update to the state’s long-range transportation plan. Participate by November 9 to provide comments on the recommended actions designed to provide a responsive, connected and inclusive transportation system. Your feedback will help guide North Carolina’s future transportation policies and investments. Take the quick survey.

Persons who do not speak English or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English may receive interpretive services by calling 1-800-481-6494.

Vulnerable North Carolinians can request free PPE as they head to the polls.

BallotTrax by i3Logix is a unique, patent-pending solution that tracks the status of every mail-in ballot and sends a series of proactive alerts to voters telling them where their ballot is in the election process from printed to accepted! This gives voters peace of mind knowing their vote remains private and has been counted!

The Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning documentary RBG, directed by award-winning filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen, chronicles the inspiring and personal story of Ginsburg’s rise to the nation’s highest court while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. “From her Supreme Court chambers to her exercise room, what a privilege and a joy it was for us to train our cameras on RBG, and capture the story of this feisty, determined, brilliant woman who used her talents to make our world a better place,” said West and Cohen.

“What makes it memorable is its portrait of a woman with an exceptional intellect, to be sure, but also a lifelong capacity for staggering amounts of minutely detailed, unswervingly purposeful work.” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“The movie’s touch is light and its spirit buoyant, but there is no mistaking its seriousness or its passion. Those qualities resonate powerfully in the dissents that may prove to be Justice Ginsburg’s most enduring legacy, and RBG is, above all, a tribute to her voice.” – A.O. Scott, The New York Times

In addition to owning the film, you’ll also have access to a long-form Q&A with the directors from earlier this summer.

Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre is a professional theatre company in residence at the historic Owen Theatre on the campus of Mars Hill University. Since its founding in 1975 by visionary director and theatre educator Jim Thomas, SART has produced scores of plays, musicals, and original works, many portraying the rich culture and heritage of Southern Appalachia. After operating for many years as a program of MHU, SART became an independent nonprofit organization in 2003 and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. In recognition of its artistic excellence and cultural importance to the community, SART has received major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, Madison County Arts Council, and the Shubert Foundation. SART also receives major support from Mars Hill University, along with donations and sponsorships from many generous individuals and business owners.

All payments for the silent auction will be made upon the conclusion of item bidding. We will reach out to our top bidders to arrange individual payments. Pick-up of all items will be held at the SART box office, by appointment only. Bidders will be responsible for shipping costs, if needed. Once we conclude the silent auction we will then schedule pickups with the winning bidders.

THANK YOU for your participation!

Learn about the water cycle: beginners, intermediate and advanced lessons.

Compliments USGS.

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Fermenti-Kimchi, Rayburn Farm- 1# Ginger, Hempeh-Smoked Pepper and Salt Hempeh, Dare Vegan Cheese-Coconut Milk Kefir,
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Pure Fire-Cooler,
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Pick Up IN PERSON ONLY On Nov 1st 11am to 4pm at 258 Carolina Ln, Marshall NC 28753 #idfermentthat #fermentation #festival

VOTING RESOURCES

If you are already registered, fill out a pledge that you will be voting and share with 3 friends here.

Absentee ballot deadlines
Info regarding absentee ballots

Request: Received by Oct. 27
Return by Mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3
Return in person: Nov. 3 by 5:00 p.m.

Early voting is Oct. 15 – Oct. 31, Asheville locations are listed below
Early voting lookup for all counties. 

– Civic Center
– The Wesley Grant Center
– The Asheville Mall
– The Outlet Mall
– UNCA
– West Asheville Community Center
– Reynolds Village

Link to get a sample ballot
Nonpartisan candidate guide
Volunteer info
Link for Poll Worker Volunteer info