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]!

Buncombe County officials continue to take proactive steps to keep our community safe and healthy during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

To bring our community in closer alignment with Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 138, Buncombe County Public Health has issued a superseding Stay Home, Stay Safe Declaration that will go into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2020 and will remain in effect until Friday, May 22, 2020 unless otherwise repealed, replaced, or rescinded and transitions to Phase 1 of slowly easing certain COVID-19 restrictions.

This order aligns us with Governor Cooper’s executive order with the sole exception of a continued restriction on Leisure Travel Booking. Buncombe County continues to restrict leisure travel bookings from outside of WNC. Lodging providers can now book rooms for residents of the 828 area code for leisure travel. We will be adopting the Governor’s Order together with his FAQ document specific to Executive Order 138.

If you have any questions about this new order, please reach out to our Ready Team Monday-Friday between 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call  (828) 419-0095 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

This will be about a 3-hour hike, including rest stops. We will be doing the Coontree trail which is one of the few trails open at this time. This is a spectacular trail with a number of stream crossings and great mountain views along the ridgeline. It is a loop with an elevation change of 1000 feet. While poles are not necessary, they do make it much easier to hike. The only challenge is parking. It is very limited, probably no more than 7 to 9 parking spots, all parallel to the road. For this reason we will be starting earlier…at 8:30am. PLEASE NOTE…The directions for this location on this site are INCORRECT. It would not allow me to simple put Coontree trailhead, but required that I put a city. As a result, the map takes you to downtown Brevard, not Pisgah Forest. The Coontree trailhead is actually about 3 miles past the Pisgah Visitor’s Center, off US276. The trailhead is across from the picnic area. Please keep my phone number handy,[masked], in case we have trouble hooking up.

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

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

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

Enjoy learning Tai Chi from your own home with Dr. Adam Potts. Adam has been teaching the Tai Chi class for Veterans at Pack Memorial Library. Now that the library is closed, Adam will be hosting free online classes for everyone to access.
Adam is a former US Marine who served 2 tours in Iraq. He is now a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Tai Chi Instructor.

– Build Strength, Balance, and Coordination
– Relieve Stress, Anxiety, and Depression for Well Being
– Connect with eachother enjoying a fitness class with others virtually
-Ability to connect with Adam and ask any questions you may have regarding the class

Class will be held through the ZOOM platform, when you register, you will receive a link in your email to access the class. You must register for the class to get the password and link. Class will be every Thursday and each class will require a new registration. Visit our online events calendar at buncombecounty.org/library and select the Thursday dates you’d like to attend, click sign up, and check your email for an automatic message with the Zoom information.

Tai Chi is appropriate for children, but we insist that an adult participate with the child. Class is fit for the entire family!
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

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.

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.

VENARDOS CIRCUS IS LIVE ONLINE! We are so grateful for your past support when we visited Asheville. Our live shows are currently on hiatus due to social distancing recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we miss our audience terribly!

Once we determined we needed to pause the tour, we immediately started planning how we could continue our mission to bring joy, positivity and light, as well as some comfort and distraction, to our circus family during this uncertain time via social media.

FIRST VIDEO IS LIVE! We hope you enjoy and we’d LOVE your feedback on our social channels.

Please SHARE!

New videos will be posted weekly on Thursdays at 10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern.

Content is meant to entertain the whole family, as do our shows, but a great resource for the kids to enjoy some high quality, trustworthy entertainment. Storyboard images from this week’s story which you can print at home as coloring sheets after watching the video. Content will change each week. These will be available on our Facebook page. Here is the Facebook event you can RSVP to as well for each week. We hope you will enjoy it and subscribe to our page for future content. We’d LOVE your ideas for future content – please share your feedback on email, the video comments or DM us on Facebook or Instagram.

Solve a History Mystery with Lauren each Thursday at 2 PM! During these Facebook Live events, Lauren will feature a historic artifact and share clues about its purpose. Can you guess the artifact before Lauren reveals what it is? Tune in weekly to find out!
#LearningWithLauren

Join us daily, at 2:30pm, for a Keeper Check-In. We’ll visit with a different keeper every day for an exciting encounter with one of our amazing animals!