We’ve got so many reasons to give thanks! In each of our program areas, we see ordinary people taking heroic action to protect our home from the pressures of a changing climate.   This year-end, we’re highlighting stories that inspired us and sharing how we’re planting seeds to create a climate-resilient future for all of us.   With our native pollinators, more is more. The more habitat we plant, the more easily our native pollinators can find shelter and food, the more resilient they become to the challenges posed by pesticides and extreme heat—the more stable our entire food ecosystem becomes.

• Donate $25+ and get a day pass to the WNC Nature Center.
• Donate $50+ and get an animal sticker and a day pass.
• Donate $100+ and get an animal tracks necklace, animal sticker, and a day pass.
• Donate $250+ and get a a guided tour of the Nature Center with animal enrichment for two people, plus the necklace, sticker, and day pass. PLUS, you’ll be entered to win a chance to go on habitat with red pandas Leafa and Phoenix in 2023!

Merchants all over Henderson County vie for the honor of best holiday window displays and lighting, Take a drive around the county then vote for your favorite store front online, All displays will be available to view by November 26, but voting is only open December 6 – 17, Find the list of participants and information for online voting.

the City of Hendersonville will begin their fall bulk leaf collection service for City residents. Bulk leaf collection will continue throughout the fall season and conclude on December 30.

During bulk leaf collection, City residents should pile loose leaves as close to the street, curb, or sidewalk as possible without placing the leaves in the roadway or on the sidewalk. Leaves should not be bagged by City of Hendersonville residents.

Residents can help prevent safety hazards by keeping leaf piles out of the sidewalks. Obstructed sidewalks may force people to walk into the street and pose a danger for pedestrians and motorists. Keeping leaf piles out of the roadways and sidewalks also helps prevent debris from being washed into the storm drains which can cause flooding.

The bulk leaf collection process is separate from brush collection crews; therefore, residents will need to keep their brush and leaves in separate piles until bulk leaf collection has concluded at the end of the year. Leaf piles should be free of tree limbs or other objects that may damage collection equipment. Spring bulk leaf collection typically occurs during the month of March.

It is not necessary for the public to contact Public Works with leaf pick-up requests as this service is automatically provided to City residents. Leaf piles are picked up from homes every ten to fourteen days but, depending on the volume of leaves placed out for collection, the piles could be picked up sooner or later than that time frame.

Homeowners all over Henderson County vie for the honor of having the best holiday decorations, as voted on by you. You are invited to take a drive around the county to look at all the festive holiday displays and then vote online for your favorite. An interactive online Google map with all locations and a printable PDF will be available by Nov. 25, 2022.

Printed copies of maps will also be at the Hendersonville Welcome Center at that time. Online voting opens in December.

Santa and Mrs. Clause will be there to see the children! Hot chocolate and cookies will be served for everyone. All aboard!

Purchase tickets on the day of the event. Reservations recommended — seating is limited!

If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.

The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.

Eligibility requirements

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.

For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.

Oral History Resources

 

Why Oral History?

 

 

“You don’t have to be famous for your life to be history.” -Nell Sigmon

 

 

The words above serve as the unofficial motto of the Southern Oral History Program, a project that has inspired and guided the development of Buncombe County Public Libraries’ oral history collecting initiatives.

 

 

History doesn’t just live in public records, letters, maps, or photographs. Many people aren’t well-represented in documented history, especially those that have been historically excluded from power or property.

 

 

Oral histories gives people the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words and allow their voices to endure through times. Oral histories fill in the gaps of the historical record, and deepen our comprehension of the past and present by showing us how lives are experienced on an individual level.

 

 

Through conducting, facilitating, and collecting oral histories, we hope to help bond generations, build understanding, and strengthen community.

 

 

Oral History Backpack Loan Program

 

 

You can now check out an oral history backpack from Buncombe County Public Libraries!

 

 

Call your local library or 828-250-4740 to request a backpack. You will receive a phone call when the backpack is ready to be picked up. There is no cost to borrow a backpack!

 

 

Your oral history backpack will include everything you need (and more) to record a successful oral history interview, and (if you choose) to donate the recording to a collection where it can be made available to the public and preserved for future generations. Donating your oral history recording is not a requirement of checking out a backpack. Accepted donations must meet specific donation conditions and criteria; see “Donating Oral History Recordings” below.

 

 

Borrowing Rules and Procedures

 

 

• Only one backpack may be checked out per household at a time.
• Borrowers must be 18 years or older, with a Buncombe County library card in good standing.
• The loan period is four weeks.
• Backpacks can be picked up at any Buncombe County library.
• Backpacks must be returned during normal library operating hours, either inside or using curbside service. NO OUTSIDE DROP BOX returns.
• Files must be saved by the borrower before returning. All data on returned devices will be deleted and may not be recovered.
• Backpacks will be considered lost when 10 days overdue. The charge for lost items is: voice recorder $100; backpack $30; headphones $20; microSD card, adapters, windscreen, or hard-shell cases $10 each.

 

 

Forms and Documents

For borrowers:

• Borrower Agreement (must be signed when checking out a backpack)
• Oral History Manual (includes list of backpack inventory, guidelines, and basic tech guide)
• Video Instructions [COMING SOON]
• Oral History Question Cards (ideas to get you started)
• H1n Handy Recorder Quick Start Guide & Safety Manual
• H1n Handy Recorder Complete Operation Manual

We have curated a selection of amazing raffle prizes to raise funds for our growing non-profit and the rollout of our sliding scale pricing for the 2023 Spring Conference! All you need to do to enter is donate $10 to Organic Growers School! Every $10 entry gets you one ticket. The winner will be picked December 30th.   This gift basket is valued at $395 and includes: A special breakfast set from East Fork Pottery consisting of two Tracksmith mugs and two Utah breakfast bowls from East Fork Pottery. Two cases (24 – 8oz cans) of your choice flavor Buchi Kombucha. Pantry items from Mother Earth Foods @motherearthfoods, which include: Dynamite Coffee, the Well Seasoned Table Mountain Sunset Tea, Big Spoon Roasters Maple Cinnamon peanut & pecan butter, Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon Blueberry Burbon Jam Four different varieties of tea from Asheville Tea Company $75 worth of Gardening supplies from Fifth Season

Downtown Hendersonville
Peppermint Bear takes you on a fun-filled bear hunt in downtown Hendersonville in search of her lost cubs. Hint: the cubs are hiding in downtown businesses.

Once you have found a lost cub in at least 12 of 26 participating businesses and the shopkeeper has punched your brochure, you are eligible to win scavenger hunt prizes. Complete the entry form in the brochure and drop it in Peppermint’s mailbox in front of the Welcome Center, by Dec. 23.

For more details about the Scavenger Hunt, watch this video or stop by the Welcome Center at 201 South Main Street. Peppermint Bear Scavenger Hunt brochures are available at the Hendersonville Welcome Center.

Organic Growers School is seeking experienced farmer mentors. OGS has three ways we offer mentorship to beginning farmers, through our year-long farmer training, Farm Beginnings, Journeyperson Program, and our Mentor Services. Students receive 15 hours of mentorship from February to September/November, a mix of in-person and remote support. Each farmer is provided with a $500 honorarium upon completion of mentorship.   If you are interested, please fill out the application so we have the information to let me know if you would be a good fit to be a mentor and what you are interested in mentoring on.  Please feel free to share this with other farmers. This year, we will need many farmers to serve our diverse student body in Farm Beginnings, particularly seeking experienced Black, Indigenous, and Farmers of Color and any who may speak Spanish. Thank you!

Make A Wish Come True This Holiday Season

Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!

The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.