“It’s not a regular musical. It’s a Cool Musical.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

New York Magazine cheers, “Mean Girls delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” USA Today says, “We’ll let you in on a little secret, because we’re such good friends: GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!”

Official Website

Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at Isis Music Hall. Advanced Reservations are highly recommended.

Born in 1980 in the nomadic Tuareg encampment Tidene, just outside Agadez, Niger, Bombino (born Goumour Almoctar, also known as Oumara Moctar) came of age during much political upheaval, fleeing with his family to Algeria by 1990, teaching himself guitar by watching videos of his heroes Jimi Hendrix, Dire Straits, Ali Farka Toure and Tinariwen, and returning to northern Niger’s largest city, Agadez, seven years later, when he took on music professionally. After years of honing his skills back home and spending time as a shepherd in Libya, he first left Africa and traveled to California in 2006 as lead soloist on tour with Tidawt. There he recorded a desert blues take on the Rolling Stones classic “Hey Negrita” alongside Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. The following year, filmmaker Hisham Mayet captured Bombino and his electric band for the recording Music from Niger: Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2, released in 2009 on Sublime Frequencies, Bombino’s first official album release.

As the political landscape heated up in Niger again in 2007 and two of his friends and bandmates were accused of being ‘Tuareg rebels’ and presumed killed by the government, Bombino fled to Burkina Faso, where in 2009 he was tracked down by another filmmaker, Ron Wyman. Ron wanted to help the artist make a proper record. Released in 2011, that record, Agadez, showcased Bombino’s captivating vocals, his hypnotic, awe-inspiring guitar playing and evocative rhythms, cited as one of NPR’s best discoveries of the year. For his second album, 2013’s Nomad, Bombino traveled to Nashville to record with the Black Keys’s Dan Auerbach. The result was a marvelous set, full of grit and funky elegance that firmly established Bombino as a star on the world stage and one of the world’s best guitarists. Bombino went to upstate New York to record his third album, Azel, with his band and producer David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors. It was on Azel that Bombino introduced a new genre he dubs ‘Tuareggae’ – a blend of Tuareg guitar with reggae rhythm – to the world.

His next studio album, Deran, was recorded in Casablanca, Morocco in fall 2017 with just his band and his long-time manager, Eric Herman (who produced the album). The album received rave reviews from across the globe including a full page feature in the New York Times which dubbed Bombino ‘The Sultan of Shred.’ On December 7, 2018, Deran was nominated for a Grammy award (Best World Music Album), the first-ever Grammy nomination for an artist from Niger. Thousands of proud Nigeriens attended a parade to welcome Bombino home from the Grammy Awards upon his return to Niamey.

His latest album, ‘Live In Amsterdam’ was recorded at a performance in November 2019 and released in November 2020 (Partisan Records). Bombino dedicated the album to his dear friend and bandmate Illias Mohamed who tragically passed away just a few weeks before the release of the album. The concert in Amsterdam from which the album was made was one of Illias’ final performances. Regardless of the challenges life throws at him, Bombino marches ever forward on his mission to use music to spread love, understanding, and the beauty of Tuareg culture throughout the world.

NC State Parks’ Year of the Tree continues with a celebration of spring trees. Break out your camera and capture the transformation of trees from winter to spring as they show off their gorgeous blooms throughout the next few months. You may even win a prize for your efforts!

GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES

1st Prize: The winning photo will be our Facebook cover photo for two weeks, and the photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park, two boat tour tickets from Lake Lure Tours, and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.

2nd Prize: After the first place photo, the second place photo will be our Facebook cover photo for one week. The photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.

3rd Prize: The third place photographer will receive two adult day passes (or one family pack of day passes) to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.

CONTEST RULES:

1. There is no fee to enter the contest. All photographs must be taken of Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park only in areas accessible to guests between April 1, 2022 – May 31, 2022.
   The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers.
2. Up to three photos per person can be submitted via any of the following ways to be eligible to win:
   • Facebook: First, like the Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park page. Next, send us a private message including your contact information specified in rule #3.
   • E-mail: If you don’t have access to social media, you may email your digital photo with your contact information specified in rule #3 to [email protected].
3. Every entry should be clearly labeled with the photographer’s name, city & state, a brief photo caption, an email address and the best phone number to reach you.
4. Photos should be available at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels (1 MB minimum) to be eligible to win. Photos taken via smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices are welcome if they meet minimum requirements.
5. For entries showing human faces, you must list their name(s) and have written permission from any photographed person(s) to use their image.
6. Entries should reflect the photographer’s interpretation of the theme. Emphasis will be placed on quality, composition and creativity. All entries may be used in promotions of Chimney Rock and park-related activities.
7. Digital images can be optimized but not dramatically altered with photo editing software. Black and white photographs are welcome.
8. Finalists will be chosen by Chimney Rock staff and the winner will be voted on by the public. Decisions regarding winners are final.

Winners will be notified personally and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media. For more information, call 1-828-625-9611, ext. 1812 or email us at [email protected].

The blood from BERC Network blood banks is being sent to South Texas Blood and Tissue, the steward of the local blood supply in that part of Texas. TBC has more blood in reserve to send if called upon again. In order to help other communities, the local blood supply must be stable. It’s important to have an available day-to-day blood supply on the shelves in the event of any emergencies – locally or BERC-assisted – when blood and time are critical. The community is urged to donate blood now at any TBC center or bloodmobile.

It can be ruff out there for our canine companions, but we have pawsitively great news. Buncombe County’s first-ever dog park is now open at our Sports Park in Candler. While this is a soft open, the park features two fenced-in play areas; one for large dogs and one for smaller pups. “We do have plans to add other amenities and water fountains,” exclaims Recreation Services Program Coordinator Mac Stanley. “People are very excited about this new opportunity. Since it was announced, we have gotten letters of support as well as many emails questioning when will the project be completed.”

So join us in a round of apaws as we celebrate the opening of this new venue for hot dogs and cool people. “It’s an amazing place to bring your dog to run free without a leash and interact with other dogs,” says Stanley. “One of my favorite aspects of this new dog park is being able to cultivate a community. Hopefully, this dog park will be instrumental in connecting dogs as well as people within the community.” Paw-yeah, sounds great.

Location: Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Circle

Hours of operation: Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (same as the Sports Park)

Dog park drools rules
Dogs must be:

• On a leash at all times until safely in the fenced-in dog park area
• Vaccinated, licensed, and in good health
• At least four months old to enter
• Wearing a collar with ID tags
• Under voice control of their human and not aggressive

Humans must:

• Be with dogs at all times
• Remove dogs at first sign of aggression
• Pick up poop and dispose of it in receptacles provided
• Be liable for any and all injuries caused by their dogs

Not Allowed:

• Pronged, spike or choke collars
• Aggressive dogs, aggressive humans, or dogs in heat
• Unsupervised children 12 years of age or younger

The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.

House of Operation:

WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week

Roses will be on display from Western North Carolina’s top rosarians, along with collections from local gardens including: the Biltmore Estate, the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Rose Garden, and the Red Cross Rose Garden.

For more information visit the Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society website or contact Dianne Sneath, ABRRS Rose Exhibit Chairperson, at [email protected]

Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society

The Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society is part of the Carolina District of the American Rose Society.  We are an educational, non-profit organization dedicated to the cultivation of roses in the Asheville area and Southeastern United States.  The Asheville Blue Ridge Rose Society has kept rose culture alive by its intent of growing and showing the best of the best roses for the enjoyment of the Asheville Community. This year we are thrilled to celebrate the 130th Anniversary of The American Rose Society, by offering this rose exhibition to the public.

Buncombe County’s newly consolidated 911 Call Center is looking to complete membership of its Communications Steering Committee (CSC) with a community member at-large. As part of the agreement of the consolidation, the CSC will meet at least quarterly to review performance and compliance data and to consider and resolve questions, issues, and disputes relating to 911 call center operations.

The CSC membership includes:

1. Buncombe County Director for 911 Communications
2. Sheriff or designee
3. Chief of Asheville Police Department or designee
4. Asheville Fire Chief or designee
5. Buncombe County Management designee
6. A representative from among other municipalities’ law enforcement agencies dispatched through the 911 Call Center
7. A representative from among other municipal and County fire departments dispatched through the 911 Call Center
8. One community member at-large.

If you would like to be considered for the community member at-large position on the CSC, please answer the below questions and follow the instructions for submitting them.

Application Questions

Name:

Contact Information (phone and/or email):

1) Briefly, explain why you want to be a part of the Communications Steering Committee.

2) How will your life experience and unique perspective help us in regard to performance and compliance data and resolving questions, issues, and disputes relating to 911 call center operations? Please note if you are bilingual.

3) What do you consider the most pressing challenge for public safety communications (911)?

4) Where do you live?

• Asheville City
• South Buncombe (such as Arden/Avery’s Creek/Royal Pines)
• North Buncombe (such as Woodfin/Weaverville/Barnardsville)
• East Buncombe (such as Swannanoa/Black Mountain/Montreat)
• West Buncombe (such as Candler/Leicester)

5) Have you lived in Buncombe County for 1 year or more? Yes or No

Submit your application questions by email or in person to Jennifer Aviles by May 31, 2022, to [email protected] or 200 College St., Third Floor, Asheville NC 28801. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Aviles at (828) 250-4089.

We recently wrapped up our 21-Day Stand Against Racism Challenge in April. The conversation moves forward with continuing the challenge because the work is far from over! As we became aware of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, it is again evident that the systems in place that already harm young women of color the most can be regressed even more by those with power today. In these crucial moments and always, knowledge is a way to take back power.
WE CHALLENGE YOU TO…

2 mins
Watch Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice shares The History of Reproductive Justice (RJ), a powerful video clearly communicating the definition of RJ, watch here.

10 mins
Check out Planned Parenthood’s article, Roe v. Wade at Risk: Nationwide Legal Abortion May Be a Thing of the Past. Access the article here.

13 mins
Consider this from NPR, which featured an article titled, Roe’s Legal Fate is Unclear. But Studies already Show Who’d Likely Be Hit the Hardest, read here.

42 mins
Listen. Parenting and Politics host Monica Simpson, a North Carolina Native and Executive Director of Sister Song. Sister Song is a Southern-based, national membership organization; our purpose is to build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities. Listen to the podcast here.

For more Continuing the Challenge resources click below:

What is the Stand Against Racism Challenge?

Many people are becoming newly aware of how systemic racism and violence are impacting people of color. Even if you are new to the conversation, that is OK. Our STand against racism challenge, formerly the  21 Day Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Participants who sign up for the Challenge will receive daily tasks via email to help foster their understanding and awareness, with activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, or reflecting on personal experience. If you’ve already completed this challenge with us in the past please know that our challenge is designed to be taken multiple times by selecting different daily challenges in order to expand what you have previously learned. Follow this link for the resources.

Grindfest is BACK!

GrindFest is a free, 4-day festival that celebrates Black Business and entrepreneurship.

Grindfest is BACK! It is a free, 4-day event that celebrates the success of Black entrepreneurs + business owners in Asheville. A block-party style event will take place on 8 Rivers Arts Place! This includes a weekend full of music, games, live performance, food, local vendors + learning, employment and partnership opportunities. The goal of the festival is to highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting folks in the community. A long weekend of fun and excitement

Over 30 sponsors will join together to celebrate this amazingly diverse and entertaining event. This year’s GRINDfest will showcase: ● World-renowned Slutty Vegan (Black, woman-owned vegan food truck recently featured in Essence Magazine) ● Curated Beer Garden by Highland Brewing ● Opportunity Tent featuring incentives, career development programs, grants, scholarships, and funding resources for businesses ● Food Trucks ● DJ Battle ● Poetry Slam ● Drag Show ● Outdoor Games ● Greater Asheville Cookoff (wings, chili, and BBQ categories); card games, and so much more!

The goal of the festival is to highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting folks in the community. We will see you there! Let’s make HISTORY together!

South Asheville’s best yoga option! Dosha based yoga from an Ayurveda Health Counselor and Ayurveda Yoga Specialist!

Come as you are and bring a mat and a mask

About Kristin:

Kristin received her first 200-hour from Bodhi Yoga in Long Island, NY, and her second 200-hour from Yoga Madre in Sierra Madre, CA. She is currently working on her 300-hour program with Yoga Madre and also studying ParaYoga.

Kristin also runs a marketing and design studio that specializing in helping yoga teachers, coaches, healers, and solopreneurs create personal brands and websites that stand out in the crowd.

Off the mat you can find Kristin hiking with her husband, cooking amazing plant-based meals, and spending time with friends and family.

Fiber maven Lin Oglesby will be demonstrating both knitting and crocheting techniques she uses to create fiber wearables such as jackets, hats, and scarves. Lin will be on the front porch of the Moses Cone Manor. Visitors are encouraged to watch and ask questions while the demonstrators work and talk about their creative process!

Call ahead in the event of changes (828) 295-2049, or check our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/shcgmosescone for updates.

Featured Artists: Jude Stuecker (fiber) Erica Bailey (jewelry) Mary Dashiell (clay) Steve Miller (wood) Rex Redd (clay)

The Lake Lure Arts & Crafts Festival offers 90+ artisans, multiple food vendors, continuous entertainment and kids activities in Downtown Lake Lure.

4th annual beer release Honig Gottin to raise funds for Pink Boots Society and women in beer.

During the month of May, buy one entrée and get a free dessert at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Biltmore Park. Mention that you saw this offer in the Town Square Reminder email newsletter and enjoy warm, friendly service over scratch made wood fired fare either in the dining room or on the spacious patio.

Gillian Laub, Amber and Reggie, Mount Vernon, Georgia, 2011, inkjet print, 40 × 50 inches. © Gillian Laub, courtesy of Benrubi Gallery.

American photographer Gillian Laub (born New York, 1975) has spent the last two decades investigating political conflicts, exploring family relationships, and challenging assumptions about cultural identity. In Southern Rites, Laub engages her skills as a photographer, filmmaker, and visual activist to examine the realities of racism and raise questions that are simultaneously painful and essential to understanding the American consciousness.

In 2002, Laub was sent on a magazine assignment to Mount Vernon, GA, to document the lives of teenagers in the American South. The town, nestled among fields of Vidalia onions, symbolized the archetype of pastoral, small town American life. The Montgomery County residents Laub encountered were warm, polite, protective of their neighbors, and proud of their history. Yet Laub learned that the joyful adolescent rites of passage celebrated in this rural countryside—high school homecomings and proms—were still racially segregated.

Laub continued to photograph Montgomery County over the following decade, returning even in the face of growing—and eventually violent—resistance from community members and local law enforcement. She documented a town held hostage by the racial tensions and inequities that scar much of the nation’s history. In 2009, a few months after Barack Obama’s first inauguration, Laub’s photographs of segregated proms were published in the New York Times Magazine. The story brought national attention to the town and the following year the proms were finally integrated. The power of her photographic images served as the catalyst and, for a moment, progress seemed inevitable.

Then, in early 2011, tragedy struck the town. Justin Patterson, a twenty-two-year-old unarmed African American man—whose segregated high school homecoming Laub had photographed—was shot and killed by a sixty-two-year-old white man. Laub’s project, which began as an exploration of segregated high school rituals, evolved into an urgent mandate to confront the painful realities of discrimination and structural racism. Laub continued to document the town over the following decade, during which the country re-elected its first African American president and the ubiquity of camera phones gave rise to citizen journalism exposing racially motivated violence. As the Black Lives Matter movement and national protests proliferated, Laub uncovered a complex story about adolescence, race, the legacy of slavery, and the deeply rooted practice of segregation in the American South.

Southern Rites is a specific story about 21st century young people in the American South, yet it poses a universal question about human experience: can a new generation liberate itself from a harrowing and traumatic past to create a different future?

Southern Rites is curated by Maya Benton and organized by the International Center of Photography.