As coronavirus restrictions are loosened, sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway will reopen to drivers as soon as “seasonal mowing and road preparations” are complete, according to a release from parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon.

On May 9, the southernmost 14 miles of the Parkway, from Milepost 454-469, will reopen in coordination with the Qualla Boundary and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Gates to longer stretches of the Parkway will be opened May 15 — as long as maintenance projects in that area are completed:

• Milepost 292-296.5 near Blowing Rock, including Moses Cone Parking Area and Hwy 221 Bass Lake Parking Lot.
• Milepost 298.6-308 through Grandfather Mountain area, including Rough Ridge and Linn Cove Viaduct.
• Milepost 316.4 Linville Falls Spur Road, including parking at Linville Falls trailheads.
• Milepost 334-342 including Crabtree Falls Area, near Little Switzerland.
• Milepost 355-375.6 from Mt. Mitchell to Ox Creek, including Craggy Gardens.
• Milepost 377.4 Parking areas at Craven Gap (Town Mountain Rd) for MST Trail access.
• Milepost 384.7 Roadside parking at MST Trailheads at US 74A Parkway access ramps.
• Milepost 393-454 from French Broad River Overlook and south to Soco Gap.

Statistics in Schools provides more than 100 activities that you can use in any year—and whenever you have a new class—to enhance and invigorate learning in many subjects. These activities are all free, and they’re easy to access and use.

• Pick a subject or grade level to see what activities are available, and get details such as learning objectives, relevant topics, and skills taught.
• Select and download the activities you want.
• All activities include a list of materials, a student worksheet, and teacher directions.

It’s May 1st, and you know what that means! That’s right, a whole month of mindfulness aimed at reducing plastic usage in our lives. For years, Asheville GreenWorks has worked at #goingplasticfree, and this year will be no different. Starting Monday, May 4th, we’ll be releasing daily blog posts from our staff, members of the Plastic Reduction Task Force, and other zero waste advocates in Buncombe County. There will be repurposing and upcycling challenges, a special screening of The Story of Plastic, and a Trivia Night testing your knowledge of the topics we cover throughout the month. Daily posts can be found on our website, as well as on our Going Plastic Free Facebook Page. And, in case you miss a post, we will send out a weekly digest to keep you up to date on the week’s happenings. And we’re including a calendar in today’s newsletter to give you a sneak preview of the month’s events. Now, more than ever, we are challenged to find the fine balance between safety, cleanliness, and waste reduction. Thank you for your commitment to Asheville GreenWorks; we can’t wait to share another amazing Mind Your Plastic May with you.

PostClassical Ensemble: “Shostakovich and the State”
Joseph Horowitz, Angel Gil-Ordóñez, and Solomon Volkov
Bill McGlaughlin hosts the inaugural “More Than Music” video

For more staff weekly pics:

https://www.brevardmusic.org/online/around-the-web/?utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=16d219d56a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-16d219d56a-131688489

Alum Cave At-Home Adventure is a Virtual Fundraising Hike on one of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most iconic trails. Although the trail will look different for everyone, we’re all going the distance together – 4.6 miles for a roundtrip hike to Alum Cave or 10 miles up to the top of Mount Le Conte and down via Alum Cave Trail. Find your own trail. It could be your yard, your neighborhood or a treadmill in your basement. If a hike isn’t your thing, just choose the Park Bench option! Anyone can join us in solidarity to raise funds for Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the comfort and safety of your own home. Here’s how it works: 1. Register to virtually hike at AlumCaveAtHome.org, and personalize your fundraising page. 2. Ask your family, friends, and coworkers to support you by making a tax-deductible donation to Friends of the Smokies through your personal fundraising page. 3. You have until June 6, 2020 to fundraise and complete your virtual hike, then you will receive your hike swag, including a t-shirt and finishers medal, in the mail! Over the last few weeks, we’ve become pros at staying home and practicing social distancing. As we take care of ourselves and each other, we hope you’ll also help us take care of the Smokies. The park is closed for the safety of visitors and staff, but critical conservation projects still need funding. It’s up to us to preserve the park for generations to come so we hope you’ll join us.

VESSELS OF HOPE: A CALL FOR HELP FROM THE VILLAGE POTTERS CLAY CENTER

Sarah Wells Rolland is making 500 vessels in fundraiser for TVPCC.

Sustaining TVPCC through this season of closure has become my primary job. I have applied for multiple loans, EIDL, PPP, from my personal bank, and now we wait. I am filled with hope! I believe that what we began here in 2011 is just now becoming fully grown.

So, I asked myself, What can I do? Vessels of Hope came to me immediately and I knew I had to do it. I am personally embarking on a challenging labor of love, making 500 vessels, each unique just like you. I am asking you to become a vessel of hope with me and our wonderful community for The Village Potters Clay Center.”

Sarah will be at the wheel making these Vessels of Hope for the next 12 weeks, and glazing them using a broad palette. Every vessel will vary in shape, surface and color, each one unique. They will be fired regularly as there are enough for a kiln load, expecting at least 4 firings among the large gas kiln, the new Rolland kiln, and the Kazegama wood ash kiln at TVPCC to complete this project.

As this is written, Sarah has made 121 vessels, and 120 are already purchased. During this process, pictures and videos of Sarah making the vessels will be posted to social media and shared with benefactors, so we all feel connected and continue to nurture hope in this time. When the vessels are all completed, The Village Potters team and volunteers will gather and pack them, but there will be no specific allocation of pots to people. Locals will be welcome to come by and pick up their vessel, and whether for shipping or pick up, pots will be distributed from the packed boxes, so nobody will know which pot they receive until the box is opened .

Sarah’s goal is for 500 benefactors, people who believe in the mission at The Village Potters Clay Center, and who are in a position to help. A minimum donation of $100 is asked for each Vessel of Hope, which includes shipping. For those who are able and would like to purchase more than one as gifts, individual pick up or shipping may be arranged. *10% of the proceeds generated through this project will be donated to artists in the River Arts District who are also struggling to stay open.

More from Sarah Wells Rolland: “These “Vessels of Hope” are a joyous creative pursuit for me personally, and you can be a part. I thank you for your love and support!”

The Village Potters Clay Center Team: Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Lori Theriault, Judi Harwood, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, Tori Motyl, and Lindsey Mudge,

Digital Tour of Museum Artifacts
North Carolina Museum of History (A Smithsonian Affiliate)
Choose an exhibit tour to virtually explore the museum at home!

Thursdays 6:30 – 9pm

March 19th – May 14th
No Class April 9th

Sign up now for a chance to fire your work in our brand-new salt kiln! This class will be dedicated to exploring dynamic surfaces at Cone 10. We will achieve intriguing surfaces by using reduction firing techniques and by utilizing a variety of slips and glazes. During class, we will focus on making more complex forms on the potter’s wheel by stacking pieces together to create taller, more intriguing pots.

Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Tuition: $310 + $65 lab fee

As coronavirus restrictions are loosened, sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway will reopen to drivers as soon as “seasonal mowing and road preparations” are complete, according to a release from parkway spokeswoman Leesa Brandon.

On May 9, the southernmost 14 miles of the Parkway, from Milepost 454-469, will reopen in coordination with the Qualla Boundary and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Gates to longer stretches of the Parkway will be opened May 15 — as long as maintenance projects in that area are completed:

• Milepost 292-296.5 near Blowing Rock, including Moses Cone Parking Area and Hwy 221 Bass Lake Parking Lot.
• Milepost 298.6-308 through Grandfather Mountain area, including Rough Ridge and Linn Cove Viaduct.
• Milepost 316.4 Linville Falls Spur Road, including parking at Linville Falls trailheads.
• Milepost 334-342 including Crabtree Falls Area, near Little Switzerland.
• Milepost 355-375.6 from Mt. Mitchell to Ox Creek, including Craggy Gardens.
• Milepost 377.4 Parking areas at Craven Gap (Town Mountain Rd) for MST Trail access.
• Milepost 384.7 Roadside parking at MST Trailheads at US 74A Parkway access ramps.
• Milepost 393-454 from French Broad River Overlook and south to Soco Gap.

Aired on May 8, 2020

Learning about resources, keeping our community strong, and the real talk of COVID-19 in our community. These were the topics discussed on the recent program, “Bridging Culture & Health in the Midst of COVID-19,” a radio town hall recently hosted by WRES-LP 100.7FM in Asheville. Ample evidence shows that on the national level, the alarming rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths are disproportionate in black and brown communities. This can be avoided at the Buncombe County level if we take action now, we can limit exposure and reduce our vulnerabilities. Together, we have the power to reduce the disparate impacts of the pandemic in Buncombe County by mobilizing in collective action.

On hand for the discussion were pillars for our community in health, education, community resources, and family support, providing essential, real information on the realities of COVID-19 in our community and the importance of our roles in keeping our friends and families safe.

We encourage you to listen to the important topics of discussion, including:

• Faith and spiritual connections in a COVID-19 world.
• Economic/financial resources for health.
• African American risk factors, mental health, and clinical access.
• Community norms and culture.
• Supporting youth, continuity in student learning.
• Local ordinances to support community, and limit exposure and vulnerability.

COVID-19 has led to local youth sports leagues canceling spring and summer schedules due to physical distancing and mass gathering limitations. Buncombe County’s Independence Day celebration at Lake Julian Park has also been scrapped this year under the same guidance. All other local municipalities have also canceled or rescheduled their annual Independence Day festivals.

Statistics in Schools provides more than 100 activities that you can use in any year—and whenever you have a new class—to enhance and invigorate learning in many subjects. These activities are all free, and they’re easy to access and use.

• Pick a subject or grade level to see what activities are available, and get details such as learning objectives, relevant topics, and skills taught.
• Select and download the activities you want.
• All activities include a list of materials, a student worksheet, and teacher directions.

How to Work from Home Efficiently with Kids
http://wfmdepot.com/how-to-work-from-home-efficiently-with-kids/