As our local leaders are assessing the damage to Buncombe County in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Fred, Buncombe County Emergency Services is standing up a call center to connect residents to resources and information. To assist with disaster recovery, Buncombe County has activated a dedicated line for those impacted.

An Emergency Services Call Center is now available at (828) 844-5455.

The number will be answered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., with an afterhours voicemail option. Our team will collect information and connect residents to resources if possible, including State Emergency Management or FEMA should they make a declaration for Buncombe County.

In addition, affected residents have the following supports:

• For stream damage, contact Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District at 828-250-4785.
• For crop loss please, contact the Farm Service Agency at (828) 649-9099, ext. 2.
• For building/structural damage in Buncombe County, please call the Buncombe County Permits & Inspections Department at (828) 250-5360. Structural damage should also be reported to an individual’s insurance company as soon as possible.
• For a flood assessment to a building or structure, contact the Buncombe County Floodplain Administrator at (828) 250-4830 or email contact information to [email protected].
• For City of Asheville sidewalk repairs or maintained streets, call (828) 259-5852. Residents can upload service requests to the Asheville App, a free app compatible with Android and Apple devices. Or click the “report issues” icon on the City of Asheville website.
• For damage to state maintained roads, call  (828) 298-0390 or call 511.
• Call 211.
• Find a Community Market.
• For building/structural damage in the Asheville City limits, please call the City of Asheville Building Safety Division at (828) 259-5967 or email contact information to [email protected]. Structural damage should also be reported to an individual’s insurance company as soon as possible.
• For a flood assessment to a building or structure within the Asheville City limits, contact the City of Asheville Floodplain Administration, Nancy Watford at (828) 450-8317 or email contact information to [email protected].

Flooding and Public Health

When addressing the impacts of flooding, residents and businesses should be aware of the dangerous health impacts of flooding. Proper assessment of wells and septic systems as well as cleaning and moisture removal remain key to eliminating threats to the public’s health. Please reference What to Do After the Flood by the EPA to learn more about considerations for well and pump safety after a flood event.

Power outages can also create food safety issues for homes and businesses. When the refrigerator goes out and you are concerned about food safety, please reference the Environmental Health Preparedness Manual to learn more about food safety before, during, and after a weather event.

Many thanks go out to our emergency services personnel and first responders, who worked all night to keep our community and neighbors safe during this dangerous storm.

From Planning & Development:

There will be a public hearing to consider the proposed FY2023 Community Transportation Program Application to be submitted to the North Carolina Department of Transportation on September 21 at 5:00 p.m. in Room 326 at 200 College Street in downtown Asheville.

Those interested in participating in the public hearing and needing either auxiliary aids or services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or a language translator should contact Lamar Joyner, Clerk to the Board, on or before September 17, at 828.250.4101 or via email at [email protected].

The Community Transportation Program provides assistance to coordinate existing transportation programs operating in Buncombe County as well as provides transportation options and services for the communities within this service area. Current services are provided by Mountain Mobility using demand response services and deviated fixed routes

This application may be inspected beginning September 13, 2021 at Land of Sky Regional Council, 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140, Asheville, NC 28806, from Monday – Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Written comments should be directed to Vicki Jennings, Transit Program Manager, before September 21, 2021.

Visit The Learning Garden! The gardens are in full summer mode with ripening tomatoes, blooming roses, giant sunflowers, and many other perennials and plants of interest.

The Learning Garden is a dedicated, on-site teaching garden at the Buncombe Extension Center located at 49 Mt. Carmel Road, Asheville. It is managed and cared for by the Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers (EMGVs) of Buncombe County.

Everyone is welcome to visit the gardens Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9 to 12 when temperatures are cool and Master Gardeners are working in the gardens. Or come visit on your own Monday through Friday, 8 to 5.

The Learning Garden (TLG) surrounds the Extension building, includes 8 distinct gardens, and a composting demonstration site. Each garden offers plants that grow well in our region. You will gather new ideas and learn successful horticultural practices that lead to beautiful, healthy gardens.

Look for plant labels in the garden. Find more information and brochures at the kiosk near the building and in the garden mailboxes.

GARDENERS ARE IN THE GARDEN.

The North Carolina Arboretum is going wild for art and nature in 2021 with Wild Art! On view April 1 through September 26, this outdoor sculpture exhibition features works by 17 local and national artists drawing inspiration from the natural environment. Situated throughout the Arboretum’s spacious, open-air gardens, the show offers guests a doorway into the wild world from the comfort and safety of cultivated landscapes transformed by art.

The 18 sculptures on display represent a variety of approaches to the theme of “wild art,” from the literal to the abstract, and are crafted from a diverse array of materials that will delight and inspire. Let your imagination take you on a wild journey into the world of plants and animals near and far with Wild Art at The North Carolina Arboretum.

The exhibit is available to all guests during normal Arboretum hours, and there is no admission cost to view the sculptures beyond our usual parking fee of $16 per personal vehicle.

With the convenience of being open year-round, 7 days a week, the WNC Farmers Market offers a selection of farm-fresh produce at the lowest prices in Western N.C. Our popular retail buildings, providing a selection of non-perishables, fruits, vegetables, crafts and more, are open daily.

Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, North Carolina, and open to the public this Fall. Host your company dinner or private party at Citizen Vinyl today.

Crises are a fact of life. Regardless of the type of organization, we all are at risk. Manufacturers experience serious accidents and product recalls. Restaurants reel from outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. Educational institutions deal with deadly shootings. Government and business leaders commit crimes and/or act unethically. Etcetera.

The question likely is not IF but WHEN will a crisis occur. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to prepare fully or fail to keep their crisis communication strategies up-to-date. How organizations/individuals communicate before, during and after a crisis can have a profound impact on reputation and brand, community relations, customer loyalty, and the bottom line. If handled well, your organization may emerge stronger than before the crisis. If not handled well…

Is your organization ready to communicate when your worst nightmare becomes a reality?

In this hands-on, participatory workshop, attendees will explore:

• Key principles of effective crisis communication
• The leadership imperative (obligations and opportunities)
• Case study examples of effective and ineffective crisis responses
• Suggestions for monitoring and managing social media during crisis
• The elements of the Crisis Communication Plan (CCP)

Attendees will receive a digital template for a basic CCP, and will have the opportunity to begin drafting elements of the plan during the workshop.

To facilitate collaboration and productivity, multiple members of your organization’s crisis team are encouraged to attend. (See multiple team member registration discount info.)

Attendees are also encouraged to bring laptop computers (at least one per team) to the session.

Attendees who already have a CCP are invited to bring their plans for sharing, refining, updating, etc.

Garden pots are essential to our operations at the tree nursery, and we’re running low! Do you have extra plastic nursery pots lying around your house?   Please drop your pots off at our Sand Hill Nursery in the “Return Pots” section (Buncombe County Sports Park, 24 Apac Circle, Asheville) look for a sign on the fence.

This workshop will help participants improve their grant writing knowledge, skills, and abilities by developing draft materials for each of the common components found in grant proposals. Participants can develop those materials for use in a grant application by their organization. The workshop will cover topics such as designing logic models, evaluations, and Gantt charts as well as providing useful tools, such as group exercises to facilitate idea generation, for participant use in their organizations.

The NC Mountain State Fair is the third-largest fair in North Carolina. The Fair runs from September 10th – 19th, 2021 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. It celebrates the heritage of the Blue Ridge Mountains, including agriculture, music, crafts, art, food, entertainment, display of livestock, competitions, & midway amusement rides. Check the website for hours, price of admission, tickets, Special Promotions, Discount Days, and much more! http://www.wncagcenter.org/p/mountainstatefair  For more information call 828-687-1414

Included with admission

Our fun-for-all-ages botanical model train displays invite you to experience our grounds in an engaging new way. Located in the Conservatory in the Walled Garden, the displays feature replicas of structures connected with Biltmore and its founder George Vanderbilt. Each beautifully executed piece was handcrafted from such natural elements as leaves, bark, and twigs.

In compliance with state and local mandates related to COVID-19, all guests must enter the Conservatory via the ADA entrance in the back and follow a one-way route.

Included with admission

A unique-to-Biltmore, large-scale outdoor sculpture will be crafted and installed in Antler Hill Village this spring by Patrick Dougherty. Over the last three decades, this internationally-acclaimed artist has combined his carpentry skills and love of nature to build over 300 of these wondrous works, captivating the hearts and imaginations of viewers worldwide.

Image: Close Ties (2006) Scottish Basketmakers Circle, Dingwall, Scotland. Photo: Fin Macrae
NOTE: This is an example of Patrick Dougherty’s work; the artist will create Biltmore’s unique structure in Antler Hill Village this spring.

Summer at Biltmore offers an abundance of opportunities to explore our 8,000-acre Blue Ridge Mountain backyard and create the kind of memories that last a lifetime. Wander through historic gardens, along winding trails, and within the spacious halls of America’s Largest Home^®. Enjoy extraordinary experiences and peace of mind in one spectacular setting: only at Biltmore.

Take advantage of a discounted Financial Series Pass.

Our Financial Series is made up of two distinct classes that, when taken in order, comprehensively cover the basic financial skills and tools that every entrepreneur needs to start and run a successful business.

Tickets for each class can be purchased individually, but if you know you want to attend both classes, we recommend purchasing a discounted Financial Series Pass.

Classes included in the Financial Series:

Financial Tools, September 10 + 17 – Financial Tools will introduce you to the tools to understand the basics of business finance so you can make informed decisions on how to organize and manage your business finances. Topics discussed are record keeping; bookkeeping; accounting; creating, understanding and using financial statements and reports. Individual Price: $50

Intro to QuickBooks Online, September 24 + October 1 – this class provides an overview of QuickBooks and the different subscription levels, and will teach you how to navigate the dashboard and explore the reporting feature to generate reports that can be customized to your needs. When you complete this class, you’ll know the best ways to get around, enter day-to-day transactions, get the information you need out of QuickBooks, and powerful report tools that’ll help your business make good decisions. Individual Price: $25

Financial Series Pass: $60

This 2-Day class is the first in our Financial Series. 

Financial Tools will introduce you to the basic financial management principles that all small business owners should know. Participants will walk away with the tools to understand the basics of business finance so they can make informed decisions on how to organize and manage their business finances.  Topics discussed are record keeping; bookkeeping; accounting; creating, understanding and using financial statements and reports.

Class will be held virtually via videoconferencing platform, and be held over two sessions in two weeks, for a total of 5 hours of training.

Class Price: $50

Dates:
Day 1 – Friday, September 10th
Day 2 – Friday, September 17th

Time: 10AM to 12:30PM

This is a virtual class that will take place via Zoom. Videoconferencing details will be sent upon registration. Please email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

We recommend following up the Financial Tools Class with the Intro to QuickBooks Online class. Take advantage of a Financial Series Pass to attend both Financial Tools and QuickBooks Online for a discount.

Brunch B’Yahad is now available through Zoom meeting here.   

Join new and old friends for light brunch, socialization and lively discussion.  Featured guest speakers, and relevant cultural and timely topics will fill our minds.

“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas!

Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century.

The exhibit was developed as part of the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Juan Pardo expeditions. Several years ago, archaeologists identified a site near Morganton as the location of Joara, one of the largest Native American towns in what is today Western North Carolina.

Joara was occupied from approximately 1400-1600 A.D. Two Spanish expeditions led respectively by Hernando de Soto and Juan Pardo visited the town in the 1500s. The Pardo expedition was part of a larger effort to establish a string of forts from the coast of present-day South Carolina all the way to Mexico. In 2013, archaeologists confirmed that Joara was also the site of Fort San Juan, established by Pardo in 1567, nearly 20 years before the English settlement at Roanoke on the coast of North Carolina and 40 years before the settlement at Jamestown.

Through various artifacts uncovered by the archaeology, the exhibit showcases the Spanish occupation of Fort San Juan and the lives of the native people who lived in the Joara area.

The exhibit is on loan from the Exploring Joara Foundation Inc. Exploring Joara engages the public in archaeology in the Carolinas, and emphasizes the discovery of the Native American town of Joara and Fort San Juan. The exhibit will be on display at the Western North Carolina Historical Association’s gallery inside the Smith-McDowell House through December 15.

The gallery is open for visitation Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between 10:30am and 4:00pm. Reservations are recommended.