Great Performances:
Violinist Scott Yoo discovers a riddle in Bach’s portrait, with discoveries and performances along the way.

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5
IV. Allegro
Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Keith Lockhart, conductor
Recorded on June 23, 2017,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium in Brevard, NC

Selected past performances by BMC orchestras, faculty, and guest artists on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Open Air Brevard.

Buncombe County Public Libraries have free wifi hotspots available outside any library building. To use the wifi, look for the LibraryGuest network and use the password readmore. The wifi is available all day every day, whether the library is open or not. Please observe all Buncombe County social distancing and gathering requirements while using the wifi. Questions? Call (828) 250-4700 or email [email protected].

As an advocate for the arts in our community, Haywood County Arts Council develops partnerships with schools, other nonprofits, county governments, schools, city revitalization boards, economic development councils, chambers of commerce, and tourism bureaus. These partnerships are often the catalyst for sustainable economic and community development using the arts and can lead to programs that connect diverse parts of the county through shared arts experiences.

With the assistance and support of the North Carolina Arts Council, the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) has an important role in sustaining, growing, and advocating for the arts in Haywood County. The HCAC is a Designated County Partner (DCP) for the North Carolina Arts Council, and administers the Grassroots Arts Program subgrant process as well as the Artist Support Grant for Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania Counties.

The Battery Park end of the Grove Arcade is home to the Makers Market, an outdoor bazaar with a dozen stalls filled by artisans selling their craft directly to the public. The market is now accepting vendor applications for local artist to sell their wares, and the application fee is currently waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the process and vendor regulations, as well as how to apply, here.

Anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall narrates this story of hope as we emerge from COVID-19 lockdown.

Set to beautiful artwork created by Tom’s sister, Bee Rivett-Carnac, a noted illustrator with two decades’ experience, the poem conjures an inspiring vision of the renewed, nature-rich world that’s waiting for us as we emerge from isolation.

A former Buddhist monk, Tom has spent the last 20 years working on climate change. He is known as one of the architects of the landmark Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, having served as the chief political strategist at the UN.

Don’t miss this performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, streaming now on YouTube.

The Blue Ridge Business Growth Awards (companies in business over 3 years) and Rising Star Awards (companies in business less than 3 years) will be presented to Chamber member businesses that experienced growth in 2019 through quality management, inventiveness, old fashioned hard work and courage. Companies can be recognized for employment growth, revenue growth or a company. Click below for online applications:

BLUE RIDGE BUSINESS GROWTH AWARD   RISING STAR AWARD

Pardee Hospital Foundation is pleased to honor women in our community for sharing their story of courage, determination, and will as they have faced cancer and other diseases in their lives and in the lives of their families. Each year Women of Hope are honored as part of the Foundation’s Women Helping Women annual celebration. Nominees must be local residents. Preference is given to nominees who have survived any women’s health crisis (breast cancer and other cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, to name a few), and who have received their treatment at Pardee UNC Health Care. Nomination forms are available online or in person at: Pardee Hospital Foundation office 561 Fleming Street, Hendersonville, NC 28739 Deadline for applications is September 1, 2020. Contact the Pardee Hospital Foundation office with any questions, 828-233-2700.

From NCDHHS

If you are a renter in North Carolina facing eviction due to COVID-19 economic impacts, there may be resources available to you.

Rental and Utility Assistance

If you were unable to pay your rent and/or utilities due to COVID-19 or its economic impacts, you may qualify for assistance. Call NC 2-1-1 to learn of resources in your community for emergency needs, including rental and utility assistance.

Enjoy free online games featuring music and dance with fun characters from PBS Kids.

We need your help to raise $20,000 to fully fund our Preservation Grant program for 2021.  Donate to this program before the end of August and have your gift matched by our Board of Directors up to $5850!  Over the last two years, this program has succeeded in expanding our reach in our underserved communities, but there is so much more to do.  With events like the Time Traveling Gala canceled and the impact of COVID-19 on giving, your support is more important than ever.  Now is your chance to double your impact and help us continue this work!

A national treasure and Leader in youth arts, Seattle Children’s Theatre is an organization we’ve long admired from afar. Their dedication to children and families and their use of the performing arts in service to young people learning about the complexities of the world has long been inspiring. Most recently, they produced A Kids Play About Racism. “A groundbreaking online performance for families that explains what racism is, how to know it when you see and experience it, and ideas for what you can do about it.” Though made for kids, audiences of all ages can learn something new from this innovative and thoughtful production.

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. The Legacy of Congressman Lewis and Voting Rights

http://participate.lwv.org/c/10065/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=13972&utm_source=ActionAlert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=080620

On the 55th Anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we take this opportunity to think of the work of giants and those before us who have created the foundation on which we stand. As we commemorate this historic day for voting rights, we look back at the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, and his tireless fight and advocacy for voting rights and justice for Black people across the country. 

Congressman Lewis presided over the historic House vote in December 2019 for the Voting Rights Advancement Act. To fully honor his legacy would mean to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act in the Senate and restore protections for voters in a critical election year.

 The protections outlined in the Voting Rights Advancement Act will: 

• Re-establish preclearance coverage for states and localities with a history and pattern of discrimination in voting
• Provide preclearance nationwide for states and localities with substantial minority populations to enact voting changes that have historically contributed to voter suppression, such as changes in methods of election and cuts in polling locations
• Create greater transparency and public notice for last-minute voting information changes, such as polling location changes and ballot information

Thanks to a generous donation from our friends at fellow local business, Image 420 Screenprinting, we are proud to introduce a special, super limited edition t-shirt and sticker merch bundle ready for purchase today! These awesome shirts, which come in unisex sizes S through XXL, plus the matching sticker, are available for a $50 bundle price which will include one of each. The full price of your purchase will benefit our campaign to keep the Orange Peel alive and well until it is safe for us to all be together enjoying shows again in person. There are only 100 of these bundles available, and the designer, Brent Baldwin, did an amazing job with the art, so you are going to want to show off your proud support of keeping the music alive when you wear your shirt or display your new sticker. Every penny will bring us closer to hosting your favorite artist on our stage in the coming months when we can gather safely, and we will be SO thankful to all those who choose to demonstrate their support this way. We can’t wait to see you around town in your gear that helped save the music. Thank you all for your love and support.  Don’t forget, another amazing way to help us that costs nothing is to contact our elected representatives and let them know that you want congress to act and sign aid legislation now, including support for the SOS Act.  This bipartisan act will help independent music businesses recover from our devastating losses of nearly 100% of revenue this year. Click here to send a letter to your rep.  Even if you don’t have financial means to support us right now, sending a letter is a MAJOR contribution that we appreciate just as much. We wouldn’t have become the club we are without all of you, and with your help, we will be around for decades to come.

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.

The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.