Calendar of Events

Raffle: Trip to NYC 2023

Enter to win a fabulous trip for two to New York!

Raffle tickets on sale through Sunday, August 6, 2023!

Tickets are $50 and only 500 will be sold.

Travel package for Thanksgiving 2023, with check-in on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 and check-out on Sunday, November 26, 2023.

Prize includes:

• Two round-trip Business Class tickets to New York from Asheville Regional Airport
• Transfers to and from the airport to your hotel
• Accomodations for four nights in Midtown at The Lotte New York Palace, with a choice of one king bed or two double beds
• VIP Macy’s Parade Day experience, including brunch and complimentary drinks, access to indoor and outdoor VIP viewing areas, and access to the Inflation Celebration of parade balloons on Wednesday afternoon
• Orchestra seating tickets to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
• Tickets to a Broadway show
• Up to $500 to spend on guided tours or additional theatre tickets
• Personal consultation with Foothills Travel to customize your trip
• On-site concierge provided through MyBucketListEvents

The drawing will take place the week of August 7, 2023. Winner will be notified by phone call and email.

The Biltmore Avenue parking garage will temporarily close March 25 to April 8 due to construction of the adjacent Moxy Hotel. This closure is to ensure safety. The Biltmore Avenue Garage will be temporarily closed for 15 days beginning March 25, 2023, through April 8, 2023, for the second phase of the Moxy Hotel construction. The garage will temporarily close to all parking customers to ensure the community’s safety. The closure will impact a total of 412 parking spaces. The construction contractor will provide parking garage security for the duration of the garage closure.   The Moxy Hotel, a 115-unit, 7-story building, is currently being constructed on the south side of the Biltmore Avenue Parking Garage. To accommodate hotel construction, renovations to the Biltmore Parking Garage are required. The garage’s construction needed to renovate was initiated in January 2023 with a two-phase approach. The first phase was completed on February 8, 2023, 22 days ahead of schedule. Parking arrangements for the City’s Monthly parking accounts   Access cards for the City’s monthly parking accounts in the Biltmore Avenue Parking Garage will be reprogrammed to allow access into the following parking areas during the 15-day closure period:   Harrah’s Cherokee Center parking garage Rankin Street parking garage Wall Street parking garage Parking lot is located at 50 Asheland Avenue (adjacent to the Transit Center)   Monthly parking account holders at the Biltmore Avenue Parking Garage will also receive a 50% credit to their accounts on March 1, 2023, for the inconvenience. Monthly parking account holders have been notified via email and text message alerts.   Parking arrangements for hourly parkers   The City strives for minimal disruption during this closure. Several alternate free and fee-based parking options are available through the City of Asheville in the downtown area, including monthly parking garage passes, lots and street options starting at $30 per month. You can always find more information about parking in Asheville by visiting the City of Asheville parking services page or on the Asheville App. You can always find more information about parking in Asheville by visiting the City of Asheville parking services page

The City of Asheville is seeking feedback from businesses and residents on how we can curb the use of single-use plastics, particularly plastic bags and styrofoam foodware containers, in our community.

This short survey should take less than ten minutes to complete and will ask residents and businesses to share their experiences with these products, what actions they would like to see the City take and what kind of support would be necessary to reduce the consumption of these single-use plastic products.

The survey will remain open through April 30 and results will inform City Staff’s recommendation on next steps to City Council in October, 2023. Staff will also share results and any additional engagement opportunities with the community on the project page.

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, in cooperation with the IRS, NC Department of Revenue, Buncombe County Library System, and Council on Aging, Inc. will offer free tax preparations for taxpayers of low and moderate income, with special attention to those aged 60 and older.

You will need an appointment to speak with a tax help aide. At your appointment, you can drop off your tax documents and you’ll be given another appointment in about 2 weeks to pick up your paperwork and completed tax form.

How it works

1. Pick up a tax record envelope and instructions at Black Mountain, West Asheville, Weaverville, or Pack Library during library hours.
2. Complete the Intake/Interview Booklet in your envelope by answering all questions. Then sign and date the last 3 pages.  Place all your tax forms and any information relating to your tax return in your envelope.
3. Make an appointment to drop off your Tax Record Envelope and meet with a Tax-Aide volunteer.

Schedule and appointments

Black Mountain Library

Mondays and Thursdays, appointments are available between 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

To make an appointment, either email [email protected] with your name and telephone number, or call (828) 669-8610 between 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. You can pick up a tax packet at the library. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents.

Pack Memorial Library

Wednesdays, appointments are available between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

To make an appointment on Wednesday at Pack Library, email [email protected] with your name and phone number. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. If you don’t have access to email, the staff at the library can email AARP for you. You can pick up your tax packet at the library. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents.

Saturdays, appointments are available between 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

To make an appointment for Saturday tax help at Pack Library, email [email protected]. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents. This tax help is provided by UNCA. Saturday tax help ends on April 1 and there will be no tax help on February 18.

Weaverville Library and Weaverville First Baptist Church

Thursdays, appointments are available between 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

To make an appointment for tax help at the Weaverville First Baptist Church email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR call the Weaverville Library at 828-250-6482 with questions. If you don’t have access to email, the staff at the library can email AARP for you.  An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment at the Weaverville First Baptist Church. You can pick up your tax packet at the library. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents.

West Asheville Library

Tuesdays, appointments are available between 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

To make an appointment at the West Asheville Library email [email protected] with your name and telephone number. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. If you don’t have access to email, the staff at the library can email AARP for you. You can pick up your tax packet at the library. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.

Tax help will start on Feb. 1 and end on April 15.

Bring the following documents and tax forms to your tax help appointment. Photocopies are recommended:

• Photo ID / Driver License for Taxpayer and Spouse
• Social Security Cards for Taxpayer, Spouse and ALL dependents
• Prior year Federal and State tax return
• W-2 (Wages), W-2G (Gambling winnings)
• Amounts of Stimulus Payments you received (EIP-3, IRS Letter 6475)
• Amounts of Child Tax Credit Payment you received (IRS Letter 6419)
• SSA-1099 (Social Security Benefit Statement)
• 1099-R (Retirement), 1099-RRB (Railroad Retirement Benefits)
• 1099-Interest, 1099-Dividend, 1099-OID
• 1099-B (Brokerage Statement, Sale of Stocks and Bonds), 1099-Ks
• 1099-G (Unemployment and State refunds)
• 1099-NEC (Self-Employment), 1099-MISC, PLUS itemized list of expenses
• 1099-S (Sale of Home), 1099-C (Forgiveness of Credit Card Debt)
• 1098- Home Mortgage Interest and Real Estate Taxes
• 1099-T (Education Credits) PLUS Student Account Statement
• 1098-E (Student Loan Interest)
• 1099-SA and/or 5498-SA (HSA = Health Savings Account) PLUS itemized list of expenses
• 1095-A (Health Insurance – Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace)
• Schedule K-1 (Form 1065)
• Any other documents or information relevant to preparation of the tax return
• Voided check for direct deposit of any refund to your checking / savings account

Green Drinks lives on every Saturday as The Free & Open University of Eco-Sustainability on Facebook

Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers will be staffing the Helpline as indicated in the schedule below. You may send an email or leave a voicemail at any time and an Extension Master Gardener volunteer will respond during Garden Helpline hours. When emailing, please include a photo if it helps describe your garden question. Soil test kits can be picked up at the Extension office, 24/7. The kits are located in a box outside the front door.

Three ways to contact the Garden Helpline

Call 828-255-5522
Email questions and photos to [email protected]
Visit the Extension Office at 49 Mt. Carmel Road during Helpline hours, listed below.

Garden Helpline Hours

March – (starts March 6)
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

April through September:
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Wednesday 12:00 Noon – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

October – (ends October 26th) 
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

We are here to help and support you! Please contact us. We look forward to answering your gardening questions.

The popular on-demand film streaming service Kanopy is now available for free with a Buncombe County Library card.  Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device, or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, or Roku.

With the motto of “thoughtful entertainment,” Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie films, classics, and world cinema. Explore a world of movies with no wait, no fines, and no borrowing limits.

“Streaming video—and the Kanopy service in particular—is something our patrons have been asking for,” adds Library Director Jason Hyatt. “We’re excited to provide this service as part of our ever-growing digital library.”

To access Kanopy, visit the library website, or download the app to your phone, TV, or digital device. If you have any questions, contact your local library.

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present The Grass Isn’t Always Greener, an exhibition of recent work by multimedia artist Kirsten Stolle. Working in collage and text-based imagery, Stolle’s research-based practice examines the influence of pesticide companies on our food supply, particularly how Bayer-Monsanto and Dow Chemical use aggressive advertising campaigns to manipulate public perception. Reimagining and recontextualizing found imagery and appropriated text, Stolle’s work spotlights these companies’ persistent greenwashing and troubling histories.

Central to Stolle’s practice is her interest in the intersection of art and science, and the potential for art to bring new perspectives to contemporary scientific issues. Using this cross-disciplinary approach, she creates work that engages the viewer on an aesthetic level and offers an opening for increased awareness and consideration.

This exhibition brings together several bodies of work, Pesticide Pop, HERBS, Science for a Better Life, If All You Have is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail, How to Control Weeds, and Weeds are the Enemy, all of which were recently included in the artist’s solo exhibition Only You Can Prevent A Forest at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, SC.

Pesticide Pop explores the visual strategy and seductive power of chemical company advertising. Appropriated images of toxic weed killers are transformed into large-scale, Pop Art inspired prints, absurdly glorifying chemicals as objects of desire. Another series, HERBS, examines the so-called “rainbow herbicides” supplied by Monsanto and Dow Chemical to the U.S Air Force which sprayed over 74 million liters of the chemical herbicides in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971. In Science for a Better Life, Stolle uses collage, cutting, and drawing to redact original texts from magazine advertisements – propaganda which overwhelmingly promoted the use of chemicals in war, agriculture, and home – altering the intended messaging and reframing the visuals to expose the true threat posed by harmful chemicals.

Also included is If All You Have Is A Hammer, Everything Looks Like A Nail, a wall installation of nine engraved wooden hammers. Each hammer, hung horizontally at eye level, is engraved with a marketing phrase associated with herbicide spraying programs. Referring to the use of pesticides as a blunt instrument, the installation speaks to the mass deployment of chemicals used in industrial agriculture.

Kirsten Stolle was born in Newton, MA in 1967, lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for 19 years, and currently lives in Asheville, NC. She received a BA in Visual Arts from Framingham State University, and completed studies at Richmond College in London, England and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her work has been published in The Atlantic, Photograph, Poetry Magazine, The Billboard Creative, among many others. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the North Carolina Museum of Art, San Jose Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant, as well as grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission, The Puffin Foundation, North Carolina Arts Council, and Artists’ Fellowship, Inc. She has been awarded numerous residencies including the Ucross Foundation, Blue Mountain Center, Millay Arts, and Marble House Project.

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.

Buncombe County currently contracts its curbside trash pickup service with Waste Pro for non-municipal county residents. The contract is set to expire on December 31, 2024. The Board of Commissioners, Solid Waste, and County administration are currently looking for input from residents to help guide the decision to either extend the contract for two years, renegotiate with new or different services, or look for bids from other companies. Please take just a couple of minutes to answer a few questions to provide your input.

Take the survey here.

If you’ll remember last year, we had our Let’s Talk Trash survey. The goal of that survey was to determine whether or not Buncombe County should utilize convenience sites apart from the Transfer Station for more options for trash disposal services for residents. While that survey did take in a lot of input concerning Waste Pro, Buncombe County wanted to dedicate this outreach solely to the Waste Pro contract. The Board of Commissioners is set to decide on the contract with the help of the input from this survey in June 2023.

Stay tuned to buncombecounty.org and Engage Buncombe for more opportunities to provide input and to stay engaged with Buncombe County services.

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.

“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”

Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) recently renovated fitness centers at Linwood Crump Shiloh and Stephens-Lee community centers – and community members can enjoy use of cardio equipment, exercise machines, free weights, open gym time, and more through June 30, 2023. During this time, APR will waive membership and daily pass fees so more people can access the necessities for a regular fitness routine. Locals can sign up online or at either community center to receive a fitness center key fob that can be scanned at either location.

“Our team is committed to creating spaces in which everyone feels welcome,” according to D. Tyrell McGirt, APR Director. “We are in the community building business. The gyms and fitness rooms at these two locations are filled with everything you’d expect from other top-notch fitness facilities and dedicated to body positivity and accessible wellness. By waiving the cost to use them for the first six months of the year, we hope more friends and neighbors will be able to connect with each other and maintain healthy lifestyles.”

Raffle: Trip to NYC 2023

Enter to win a fabulous trip for two to New York!

Raffle tickets on sale through Sunday, August 6, 2023!

Tickets are $50 and only 500 will be sold.

Travel package for Thanksgiving 2023, with check-in on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 and check-out on Sunday, November 26, 2023.

Prize includes:

• Two round-trip Business Class tickets to New York from Asheville Regional Airport
• Transfers to and from the airport to your hotel
• Accomodations for four nights in Midtown at The Lotte New York Palace, with a choice of one king bed or two double beds
• VIP Macy’s Parade Day experience, including brunch and complimentary drinks, access to indoor and outdoor VIP viewing areas, and access to the Inflation Celebration of parade balloons on Wednesday afternoon
• Orchestra seating tickets to the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular
• Tickets to a Broadway show
• Up to $500 to spend on guided tours or additional theatre tickets
• Personal consultation with Foothills Travel to customize your trip
• On-site concierge provided through MyBucketListEvents

The drawing will take place the week of August 7, 2023. Winner will be notified by phone call and email.

The City of Asheville is seeking feedback from businesses and residents on how we can curb the use of single-use plastics, particularly plastic bags and styrofoam foodware containers, in our community.

This short survey should take less than ten minutes to complete and will ask residents and businesses to share their experiences with these products, what actions they would like to see the City take and what kind of support would be necessary to reduce the consumption of these single-use plastic products.

The survey will remain open through April 30 and results will inform City Staff’s recommendation on next steps to City Council in October, 2023. Staff will also share results and any additional engagement opportunities with the community on the project page.

Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers will be staffing the Helpline as indicated in the schedule below. You may send an email or leave a voicemail at any time and an Extension Master Gardener volunteer will respond during Garden Helpline hours. When emailing, please include a photo if it helps describe your garden question. Soil test kits can be picked up at the Extension office, 24/7. The kits are located in a box outside the front door.

Three ways to contact the Garden Helpline

Call 828-255-5522
Email questions and photos to [email protected]
Visit the Extension Office at 49 Mt. Carmel Road during Helpline hours, listed below.

Garden Helpline Hours

March – (starts March 6)
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

April through September:
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Wednesday 12:00 Noon – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

October – (ends October 26th) 
Monday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

We are here to help and support you! Please contact us. We look forward to answering your gardening questions.

The popular on-demand film streaming service Kanopy is now available for free with a Buncombe County Library card.  Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device, or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, or Roku.

With the motto of “thoughtful entertainment,” Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award-winning documentaries, rare and hard-to-find titles, film festival favorites, indie films, classics, and world cinema. Explore a world of movies with no wait, no fines, and no borrowing limits.

“Streaming video—and the Kanopy service in particular—is something our patrons have been asking for,” adds Library Director Jason Hyatt. “We’re excited to provide this service as part of our ever-growing digital library.”

To access Kanopy, visit the library website, or download the app to your phone, TV, or digital device. If you have any questions, contact your local library.

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.