Digital and Contactless Adoption Procedure:

1. Check out the available animals online and find that special one!
2. Fill out the online application.
3. Our staff will reach out soon during our current regular business hours of 8am-5pm, Tuesday-Sunday to provide adoption counseling and information about the animal, as well more details about our current adoption procedure.
4. A Meet and Greet may be scheduled for you virtually or contact-free at our Adoption Center (these are only by appointment and following application and adoption counseling). Cats, kittens and puppies in foster will only be available for a virtual Meet and Greets. Adult dogs will have a contactless Meet and Greet on site by appointment.
   Note: Potential adopters will be asked not to come to the Adoption Center if they have experienced any coronavirus symptoms and will be asked to adhere to best hygiene practices. We are not accepting walk-up adoptions or visits at this time due to the safety precautions we are taking in response to COVID-19. All staff at the adoption center will practice social distancing, hand hygiene and will wear a mask. Potential adopters are encouraged to do the same.
5. Pickup will be arranged and all details shared for a contactless encounter.
6. Adoption Delivery may be available for Henderson County Residents only if an adoption is confirmed and the animal is currently housed as the Adoption Center (not in foster care).
7. All adoptions will be processed with credit or debit only.
8. Have questions? Send us a message or email [email protected]!

From Pisgah Legal Services

Western North Carolinians can call the WNC COVID Legal Hotline at (828) 560-3700 and talk to a lawyer for free on Thursday, May 21 between 8 a.m.-2 p.m.  The Buncombe County Bar, Pisgah Legal Services, Legal Aid of NC, and the North Carolina Bar Foundation have joined together to host this hotline.

Callers can speak to a lawyer about issues related to housing, bills/debt, unemployment insurance, health insurance, safety from abuse, stimulus checks, public benefits, and other basic needs. Small business owners and nonprofit leaders can also call to get legal information and advice about challenges related to the pandemic.

Need Legal Help Before May 21?

The Hotline number listed above will only be answered on May 21 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Individuals with low incomes who need legal assistance before May 21 can call:

• Pisgah Legal Services at 1-(800) 489-6144 during regular business hours or apply online for assistance anytime.
• Legal Aid of North Carolina at 1-(866) 219-LANC (5262) or apply online.

Pisgah Legal Services and Legal Aid of NC provide free civil legal aid to North Carolinians living in poverty who have a legal problem related to meeting their basic needs.

Individuals who do not qualify for free services through Pisgah Legal or Legal Aid of NC can call the NC Lawyer Referral Service at 1-(800) 662-7660 for a 30-minute legal consultation for $50 or seek help with their legal question through NC Free Legal Answers at www.nc.freelegalanswers.org.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers Attorneys Needed

We need attorneys to provide free legal information and advice to callers affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Attorneys can sign up for a 2-hour shift to answer questions related to housing (for renters & homeowners), bills or debt, unemployment insurance, health insurance, personal safety, stimulus checks, public benefits, and other basic needs matters. Attorneys are also needed to take calls from small business owners and nonprofit executives who are facing challenges due to the pandemic.

Answer calls from your home or office (through easy-to-use app).
Information provided to attorneys related to COVID-related matters, including expanded unemployment benefits, stimulus checks and resources for business owners.
Designate which legal matters you want to advise on.
Malpractice insurance provided by the NC Bar Foundation.
Questions? Contact: Emily Dezio, [email protected], Cellor text 828-242-6754 (texting preferred)

Volunteer Call Operators

We need volunteers to answer calls and gather basic information (name & legal problem) in order to direct caller to the appropriate attorney. No legal background necessary.

Please sign up for a 2-hour shift as a call screener.

Answer calls from your home or office (through easy-to-use app).
Brief (20 minute) orientation/training provided.
Spanish speakers needed.
Questions? Contact: Katie Russell Miller, [email protected], 210-3420

See where the cougars and otters sleep overnight, meet black bears that are not commonly on display, learn the ins and outs of what it takes to care for the animals year-round, observe a training session and find out why the animals call Grandfather Mountain home.

Offered on weekends, April – October.

Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning March 21.

The market will operate for as long as necessary, possibly expanding to other locations and days of the week as opportunity and demand allows.

Market Rules

• No customers or vendors exhibiting symptoms may enter the market.
• Maintain 6 feet of social distance at all times.
• One customer at a time for each vendor table.
• Only handle product you are purchasing. Products will be pre-packaged or bunched.
• Children, if they must attend with adult shoppers, must be closely supervised.

Anyone failing to comply with these conditions will be directed to leave the market.

Health and Safety Updates

Mystery Hill and our rowdy neighbor, Tomahawk Hill, will be reopening from 9 am to 6 pm only on Fridays, Sat-
urdays, and Sundays, starting May 15th. As part of the Covid 19 Phase One business openings instituted in North

Carolina, we will abide by the safe distancing rules, and will have limited, time-slotted tickets. We encourage
visitors to buy tickets in advance on our website to avoid wait times outside. All attractions will be operating with
some operational changes to help with social distancing and ramped up sanitation procedures. Front Porch Eats
will operate for take out only but the onsite picnic areas have been setup for social distancing and will be open.
We are going to extend the expiration date on all current Vortex Pass Memberships to December 31, 2021 and for the
rest of May any vortex passes purchased or renewed will get $20 off and will also be valid until December 31, 2021.
Here are just some of the precautions we are taking:
• Separate entrance and exit doors to limit cross traffic
• 6 ft separation in ticketing queue line
• Plastic barriers separating staff and guests in ticketing line
• Staff will wear a mask and maintain social distance
• Anomaly tours will start every 30 min and will be private for only one group traveling
together

• Access to the Museums, Tomahawk Hill and Gift Shops will be limited by occupancy to help with social dis-
tancing

• The Old Time Photo Parlour will not be open yet so for tickets that include photos guest can choose to either
have a souvenir photo done in the Mystery House, Platform, Bubblerama, or Tomahawk Hill or they can get a
voucher to use for the Old Time Photo when it reopens
• Front Porch Eats will operate for takeout only but guests can use our picnic tables which have been spread
out to maintain social distancing
• We are adding hand sanitizing stations at the entrance to each of our exhibit areas and asking the guest to
sanitize before they enter
• We are increasing our daily housekeeping cleaning of fixtures, exhibits, and handrails to several times per day

Off the Wagon is going live again this Saturday! Please join us for some dueling pianos (and more)!

It will be a virtual, interactive, and all request sing-a-long show! See you Saturday night at Facebook.com/offthewagonrocks.

Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Center celebrated the opening of its newest traveling exhibit, “Steeped in Time: Tea and Traditions” on Saturday, January 18, 2020. The exhibit will run through the July 4th weekend at MGM, located at 24 Water Street in Old Fort. Admission is free.

Kolo Bike Park has reopened with amended attendance and safety precautions. The current operating days and hours will be Thursday to Sunday weekly with 2 riding sessions daily at 10:00-2:00 and 2:00-6:00. We have received notification from the Buncombe County Health & Human Services Department that our bike trails can operate with certain conditions.

Currently, the aerial activities are closed. May 13, we are planning to open the Asheville Treetops Adventure Park. Then we plan to open the Ziplines soon after that.

If you are interested in riding at Kolo Bike Park, please check out our current safety rules and regulations. We highly recommend reservations, payment and waivers to be completed prior to arrival.

Looking Forward or #ashevillelookingforward, we are building new Bike Trails, starting a Kolo Bike Program for younger kids, and have added a new intermediate trail on the Treetops Park. And we have a fun Halloween surprise in store for our younger guests.

As a locally owned family business, we look to the future…….

1. Keep your plans and reservations in place. We are only planning to be closed as long as we have to keep our Guests and employees safe. If your activity date happens at a time when we are closed, we will contact you.

2. If we need to cancel your upcoming activity, consider a credit vs. refund. That allows us to keep the facility and team ready to go when we do reopen. We continue to have expenses even while we are closed including preparing the gear/facility for the season and paying our leadership team. Your support will help us keep this great family facility alive and strong for the next 10 years.

3. Book reservations for May 13 or later for the Treetops Park or May 20 or later for the Zipline.

4. Buy gift certificates today for you, friends, or family. They don’t expire and they are great gifts all year long. That continuance of cashflow will help us all keep the economy going.

5. Keep planning for summer camps. We are planning a great summer with four different day camp options. We have returning camp counselors, new trails for bikes and a new aerial trail in the Treetops Park. And announcing our 2 new Kolo Advanced Shred Summer Sessions for ages 13-17 to develop their fundamental skills by advanced pro level riders. Call our office or book online (fees apply when booking online.) 828.225.2921

6. Group sales is still taking reservations for the future at [email protected]. A group adventure in the Trees (Zipping or Climbing the Treetops Park) or on the ground (team building or mountain bike riding) will be a great way to reconnect with co-workers, students, families and youth groups.

7. Check out our Blog with updated ACA information

We greatly appreciate the thousands of families, groups of friends, couples, young adults, schools, businesses, churches, camps and so many more that are part of our adventure family. We are where we were yesterday and where we will be a month from now because of you. Your support allows our team to do what we love to do while helping you do the same. We look forward to getting back to normal again. Stay safe and well!

Jeff Greiner
Adventure Center of Asheville
www.advavl.com

Parks open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Buncombe County Sports Park on 58 Apac Circle in Asheville
• Charles D. Owen Park on 875 Warren Wilson Wilson Road in Swannanoa
• Lake Julian Park on 406 Overlook Extension in Arden

The exhibit is on loan from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and has been supplemented with artifacts from the Smith-McDowell House collection. Entrance to the exhibit is included with Smith-McDowell House admission – and is always free for members – and runs through May 16, 2020.

The exhibit seeks to put the local men and women who served in context with the larger events happening in North Carolina, the United States, and the world. In the exhibit, visitors will find displays and interactive elements telling the stories of just a few of our hometown heroes.

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.

The mind is rich with creative power. Every day, it conceives a multitude of realities. While these experiences may bring us a sense of joy and freedom, they can also be limiting, disruptive or even painful. Buddha taught us how to use our imagination to see beyond our ordinary thinking, moving us into extraordinary realms of possibility. In truth, our mind is the creator of all we perceive, even ourselves.

Course Fee $25. Discounts for Monthly Members and those who are unemployed. When you register a link will be sent out two hours before the course. Contact [email protected] if you do not receive your link.

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.

Join us Live Saturday Mornings at 11 AM for 10-15 minutes of Outdoor Fun and Enrichment!

Share, interact and invite your friends to tune in!

Everyone is invited to join us on Facebook for fun activities! We’ll be offering programs Monday-Friday 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Videos will also be available at www.youtube.com/girlscoutsp2p.

You can also register for virtual badge workshops and Journey jumpstarts! More info can be found at www.girlscoutsp2p.org/en/about-girl-scouts/our-program/VirtualGirlScouts.html

Join Bold Rock Hard Cider in celebrating a #BOLDSUMMER with our brand new seasonal cider – PINEAPPLE CIDER! Be one of the first to experience this tasty new seasonal during a 3-day Pick-Up Party hosted at both our Nellysford, VA and Mills River, NC Cidery locations, May 14-16!

Beginning Monday, May 11 at 10 AM, pre-orders for Pineapple 6-packs and 24-pack cases may be placed online for pick-up at either our Nellysford, VA or Mills River, NC Cidery locations. You may schedule your preferred pick-up time for a seamless curbside experience – Thursday, May 14 – Saturday, May 16, 11 AM – 5 PM.

You are **strongly encouraged** to place a pre-order at least 24 hours prior to your preferred pick-up time to ensure the best and fastest possible pick-up experience. However, we will also accommodate day-of onsite orders. Additional cider selections may be added to orders. Unfortunately, all guests must depart the property following pick-up of their order to prevent any guest assembly that exceeds our capacity to provide a safe environment.

A notice will be posted within this event when Pineapple Cider is live on our online ordering platform for pre-order, linked here: https://boldrocktogo.square.site

Make sure you properly select your pick-up location – either our Nellysford, VA Cidery or Mills River, NC Cidery!

Additional Important Notes:

**Pineapple Cider will not be an option for online ordering prior to May 11 so don’t be alarmed if you do not immediately see an order option listed on our portal prior to May 11.

**The earliest opportunity to pick-up auto populates when ordering, you can adjust when you wish to pick-up at the ‘Store Pickup’ stage during check out by selecting ‘Schedule For Later’ and adjusting date/time.

**Pineapple Cider and other cider styles will only be available via 6-pack and 24-pack cases during May 14-16 and we **will not** be offering pints, crowlers or growler fills during the launch weekend. Be on the lookout for crowlers shortly and pints/growler fills later this summer.

**Neither our Nellysford or Mills River properties will be open for on-site enjoyment. Following pick-up, you must depart our property. However, please tag #BOLDSUMMER at home to show how you are enjoying Pineapple Cider and to let us know what you think of this tasty new seasonal!

Keep Calm and Carry On: Crisis Communications Tips and Strategies

Transparent communication is valued by many nonprofit teams. In times of prosperity, calm teams have plenty of time to craft thoughtful messages to stakeholders. All bets are off in a crisis: the need to be transparent remains, but time is of the essence. This webinar explores practical tips and strategies to stay on message during a crisis and focus on the most important messages and most effective methods.

https://www.ncnonprofits.org/events/keep-calm-and-carry-crisis-communications-tips-and-strategies

Are you and your child interested in seeing the Nature Center like never before?  Join us on a Junior Wild Walk:  A Behind the Scenes Tour for Kids!

Junior Wild Walk participants will get to have a close up encounter with an animal, check out how meals are made, and even get to help feed an animal!  There’s no other opportunity like this at the Nature Center.  Don’t miss out on this amazing experience with some of your favorite wildlife!  While this tour is geared towards younger children, adults will still enjoy this experience as well.  All children must be accompanied by at least one parent or guardian.

Tour lasts from 12 pm to 1 pm.

Register online, in person at the Friends office, or by calling 828-259-8091.  Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!  Junior Wild Walk tickets also include admission into the Nature Center for the day.

To our friends who’ve lost their jobs including those in the service industry and hospitality workers: Please join Food Connection for a free “to go” meal lovingly prepared by Wicked Weed Brewing’s Cultura thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous donor! We will be setting up in the parking lot against the Asheville Masonic Temple. We will be offering curbside service distributing meals from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm or until they run out.

For the safety of our beautiful community:
* If you come by car, please stay in your car at all times.
*There is 1 Entrance In By AMT and you will drive through and exit at the back of the lot.
• If you come by foot, please keep a social distance of at least 6 feet.
* Wear a mask if you have one
Thanks, y’all! We hope to see you Saturday!

Instructor: Susan Goodman

Skill Level: Basic Zentangle® skills required

Materials & Tools Needed: To make this workshops accessible to women under stay-at-home orders, students will use materials commonly available at home: one piece of 4.5″ x 4.5″ or larger paper (a Zentangle® apprentice tile, card stock, or other heavy paper is ideal, but any paper will work), pens (Sakura, gel, or rollerball pens are ideal, but ballpoint pens will work), and a pencil. Students are also strongly encouraged to have a tortillon. Students may purchase some Zentangle® supplies locally from Cheap Joe’s, Michaels, or Joann, or, if time allows, order them from Susan Goodman, the instructor. If you would like to purchase supplies from Susan, please contact her at [email protected] or 954-770-6739 at least 4 days prior to the workshop. ​

In this workshop, Certified Zentangle Teacher® Susan Goodman will re-acquaint you with the basics of Zentangle®. Then, you will continue to build your skills by learning more complicated tangles and adding color, shading, and highlighting to your piece.

Students are encouraged to build their practice by taking multiple Beyond the Basics workshops. Susan will present new tangles in each workshop.

Note: This workshop will be conducted using Zoom, an online meeting tool. You must have access to a computer, tablet, smart phone, or other internet-accessible device, as well as the internet. Instructions for accessing the workshop will be provided after registration.​

​

A determined young fact checker is about to stir up trouble. The demanding editor has given him a big assignment: apply his skill to a groundbreaking piece by the unorthodox author. Together, they take on the high-stakes world of publishing in this new comedy of conflict. The ultimate showdown between fact and fiction is about to begin—with undeniably delicious consequences.

“stinging relevance to so much of what’s been happening for years now in American social, cultural and political discourse” – The Hollywood Reporter

Discretionary Warning: Adult themes and language

Food Connection will be giving out free chef prepared meals from Wicked Weed Brewing‘s Cultura restaurant in Swannanoa on Saturdays beginning May 2nd from 3-4PM or until all meals are given out. Times are tough for many of us. Please know there are no requirements for receiving the meals. If you need a meal or meals for your family, PLEASE come join us. :) Meals will be served curbside “to go” style in front of the Symmetry Financial Group offices at 204 Whitson Avenue in Swannanoa (next door to the Native Kitchen.) Look for the Food Connection van. Our volunteers will be practicing extreme safety. We hope to see you this Saturday and each Saturday that you may need a delicious ready-to-eat meal. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post!

Welcome to the first AVL Hot Sauce Battle!

Beer by Hi Wire Brewing, Wicked Weed Brewing, and Bhramari Brewing in association with The Asheville Radio Group

Our local judges will be tasting 32 sauces from a ton of great folks from around AVL, in a bracket style faceoff for the best hot sauce in town! We will be streaming each match via Iamavl!

Sponsored by the good folks at Wicked Weed Brewing Co, Hi Wire Brewing Co and Bhramari Brewing Co. During each stream we will be talking about some of the great tasty beers these breweries have for delivery & curbside pick up to get everyone thru COVID -19

Invite your friends and get ready for the heat!

Watch the matched via Iamavl!

Website
www.iamavl.com

Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Iamavl/
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/iamavl

Qtr Final
8 Sauces – 4 matches May 15th 5pm

Semi Final 4 sauces -2 matches May 16th 5pm
Final 2 sauces – 1 WINNER
3rd Place – 2 sauces 1 match