Effective at 7 a.m. May 26, face coverings will be required for all individuals 12 years of age and older in all indoor public commercial facilities, including libraries and public transit. This follows a 4-3 vote along party lines by county commissioners May 21.

The face covering provision does not apply in the following places or situations:

• While eating in any restaurant.
• For reasons related to any individual’s medical condition, disability or religious beliefs.
• In private offices.
• In areas of retail establishments, businesses and restaurants that are not open to the public.
• When complying with directions of law enforcement officers.
• During any worship, religious and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.
• In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering when obtaining or rendering goods or services.

Guidelines for wearing a face covering include:

• It must cover both the mouth and nose.
• It must be snug.
• Don’t touch a face covering while wearing it or, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
• When removing, do so by lifting ear loops or ties without touching the front of mask or your face and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wash the face covering with soap and water regularly or in the washing machine with other clothes.
• Do not put a face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their own mask, or on children under 2 years of age.
• Do not use them as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or staying home when sick.

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is pleased to share that artists and friends alike will join us in honoring music legend Doc Watson during the week of May 25 – 29, 2020. A list of artists participating each day will be posted across our social media channels.

Doc Watson passed away on May 29, 2012. MerleFest artist relations manager Lindsay Craven reached out to see if some artists would like to share a special song and a memory of Doc Watson. “The response was amazing,” she said. “We have over 60 artists that have taken time to record a video and send in a song for us to share with our fans. It was only fitting to call this remembrance #DocWatsonWeek.” The event will close out with Doc’s final performance on the Creekside Stage in 2012.

To view the event, you can tune into MerleFest’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts during the week. The videos will go out each hour, starting at 9 a.m. each day. If you don’t want to view the videos on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram at @MerleFest and Twitter at @MerleFest.

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest will reopen to the public effective 9a.m. May 13. To encourage responsible use and to maintain required social distancing, phased reopening will begin with allowing public access only to areas of the forest that promote movement-focused activities such as hiking. All areas and facilities of the forest will not be available during phase one of the reopening but will become available in accordance with Governor Cooper’s phased plan for reopening the state.

What can visitors expect during a visit to Rendezvous Mountain ESF during phase one of the reopening?

• Rendezvous Mountain ESF will be open Monday through Friday, 9a.m. until 5p.m.
• Most of the trail system will be open, and visitors should come prepared to access trails and to keep moving.
• Parking has been adjusted to allow for more spacing and to make it more feasible for visitors to maintain recommended social distance.
• While portable toilets will be available for visitors, restrooms will remain closed.
• Gathering areas of the forest will remain closed to encourage movement and separation. These areas include the following:
• all picnic areas;
• the McGee Forestry Center;
• the Bathhouse;
• the Ranger Station;
• the Logger’s Shack;
• the Office; and,
• the amphitheater.

As we move forward with this phased approach, we urge the public to adjust expectations, to be prepared, to stay local and to continue complying with CDC recommendations and guidelines. Visitors are asked to be responsible for individual best practices and to follow social distancing recommendations. Visitor behavior will be a key factor for providing continued public access and to avoid additional closures to the forest during this period of phased reopening. For phased reopening to be successful for public lands across our state, visitors must be good stewards and good neighbors. If you arrive during a busy time and find limited parking, the right decision is to return home and plan to visit another day at another time. If we are busy, expect other public lands, such as state parks and national forests, to also be busy. For up-to-date information about access to state forests in North Carolina, please stay tuned into https://ncforestservice.gov/COVID19.htm and NCFS social media accounts.

When: Join us to hear four unique women who live and work right in our community share their stories of juggling business and personal life, being challenged to lead, and learning to say “no” without feeling guilty. Leah Wong Ashburn, Highland Brewing Company and 2019 Woman Executive of the Year Jennifer Pharr Davis, Blue Ridge Hiking Company and 2019 Woman Entrepreneur, Best in Business Cristina Hall Ackley, Ginger’s Revenge and 2019 Rising Star award winner Libby Kyles, chief executive officer of YWCA Asheville Register here

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

Every day we’ll be featuring a video recording or a live Zoom storytime or song by your favorite Buncombe County librarians!

Information to access the storytime on Zoom will be posted in the discussion section of this page. To get notifications for Zoom codes and to know when new videos are posted, follow this event page!

If you’d like to stream multiple videos in a row, visit the Buncombe County Government YouTube page and find “At Home with the Library.” All of our recorded videos are available at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bcgovtv/search?query=at+home+with+the+library

We miss you at the libraries! We hope you’re well.

Dear Bounty & Soul Family,

Bounty & Soul is deeply committed to the health and well-being of the community. It is what you have trusted and helped us to do all these years and we couldn’t be more grateful. On behalf of the board and staff, we want you to know that during this challenging time, we are being called to deliver on our promise of providing healthy food and support to our community in this great time of need and we are doing so in a BIG WAY…TOGETHER. It is our priority to ensure the health and safety of our staff, volunteers and community members as we navigate this crisis and we are following the guidance of the WHO, CDC and state and local officials to quickly adapt to take the necessary precautions. This is what we are doing to provide much-needed resources while providing safety and protection:

• We will be hosting drive-thru pick up sites for participants to collect pre-made healthy food boxes. Tuesdays at St. James Episcopal Church Parking Lot from 11am-1pm and Fridays at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Parking Lot from 4-6pm. We are asking that no one arrives to the site prior to the scheduled times.
• We have cancelled all of our classes, kids activities and after-school programming as to follow the guidance for social distancing until further notice. Recognizing the importance of staying well, we will STILL provide healthy recipes, helpful tips, resources and education (including how to manage stress in a crisis) through printed materials, social media and on our website. Hope-filled messages and affirmations will also go into boxes.
• We have hand sanitizer, gloves, masks and constant messaging on washing hands set up at our volunteer shifts and at the distribution sites as well as ask everyone to take the following steps and precautions:

(1) Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately upon entering new spaces.

(2) Avoid shaking hands, touching your face, nose and eyes and other personal contact.

(3) Cough or sneeze into your elbow, not hands. If your cough/sneeze is persistent, consider using a mask if available. 

(4) If you have a fever, respiratory symptoms or feel unwell please stay home.

(5) If you have traveled internationally or flown recently please refrain from activities at this time.

Thank you for your commitment and support in ensuring that Bounty & Soul continues to get Produce to The People during this time of uncertainty. Now, more than ever we must come together as a community, as a nation, as a world to be there for one another, support and love each other. It’s the Bounty & Soul way…

In solidarity, health and love,

Ali, Abbie, Adam, Karla, Linda, Fitz and the Board of Bounty & Soul

HOW YOU CAN HELP
(1) Donate Funds to Help Us Purchase Bulk Grains and Other Shelf-Stable Items
(2) Donate Food/Organize a Food Drive/Write hope-filled messages of encouragement to go into boxes
(3) Deliver Benevolent Boxes to Seniors and other Vulnerable Populations

Contact Karla at [email protected] to learn more about any of these opportunities.

Bounty & Soul is also in need of small boxes from Ingles and/or reusable bags. These can be dropped off at our office located at 999 Old US Hwy 70 W, behind the Swannanoa Valley Medical Center.

FREE LUNCHES for anyone 18 years of age and under at the Ferguson Family YMCA. Simply drive up to our front door and let us know how many lunches you need, no questions asked.

For additional food for your family, pick up a FREE box of fresh produce at our Mobile Markets. Calendars are online at ymcawnc.org/nutritionprograms.

Buncombe County justice leaders have reduced the number of people in jail while ensuring public safety during COVID-19. Find out more about how the justice system is working to protect the health of our community by tuning into the, Justice During the Time of COVID-19 webinar on Tuesday, May 26th from 1-2p.

Free Online/Zoom Drawing Class

Join Specialized Physical Therapy and Ferguson Family YMCA for a Facebook Live interactive conversation on Back Pain & Evidence Based Treatment. The talk will be co-hosted by Specialized Physical Therapy Clinic Director, Jim Gregory and Ferguson Executive Director, LK Paden.
Don’t miss this chance to chat with Jim and LK, ask questions, and find out how physical therapy can work for you.

Join us daily, at 2:30pm, for a Keeper Check-In. We’ll visit with a different keeper every day for an exciting encounter with one of our amazing animals!

Tune into a Facebook Live for information on how to protect your health and your rights as you return to work during Covid-19. Presented by Jessica Leaven, employment specialist from Grimes Teich Anderson, LLP.

Submit questions before May 26th to [email protected] or in comments on our Facebook page.

Be sure to ‘like’ and ‘follow’ Songs Sealed Delivered Party Entertainment and join us LIVE on Facebook for a FREE Storytime with our very own Uni the Unicorn Princess.

You may also schedule a private chat or Zoom Party for up to 8 kids on this day for the discounted pricing listed on our virtual services menu.

This show was originally scheduled for June 26, 2020. Due to unforeseen circumstances, this show has been cancelled. Please consider donating your ticket money to The Orange Peel! Email [email protected] for more info. Refunds will be processed shortly.

Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where front man Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification. Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass.