In celebration and honor of National Public Lands Day, Come to the 5th annual DuPont
Forest Festival, a family friendly event that includes yoga, group bike rides, group hikes, a group trail run, face painting, nature
walks, “meet the horses,” fly fishing demo, clinics and classes, kids rides, history tours, food trucks and more, Free, Hosted by the
Friends of DuPont Forest, Guion Farms Paring Area of DuPont State Forest, Hendersonville, DupontForest.com/9999-2

Come experience the national parks! On five days in 2022, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2022. Please check operating status at this park and others before traveling as there may be changes due to Covid-19.

Established in 1994 and held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, National Public Lands Day is traditionally the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort. It celebrates the connection between people and green space in their community, inspires environmental stewardship, and encourages use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefits.

About National Public Lands Day

National Public Lands Day is organized annually by the National Environmental Education Foundation, in cooperation with Department of the Interior, Department of the Army, and Department of Agriculture. The National Park Service is one of the event’s largest providers of sites and volunteers. Other participating federal agencies include the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, US Forest Service, and US Army Corps of Engineers.

Get Involved

There are many ways to participate in National Public Lands Day. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to #RecreateResponsibly!

• Visit a national park for free.
• Take part in a volunteer work project. Certain in-park projects may provide a fee-free day coupon to be used on a future date. See the list of National Public Lands Day events below or check out all volunteer events at national parks.
• Have fun and enjoy the health benefits of being outdoors!
• Share your favorite outdoor activity on social media channels with the hashtag #NPLD, #NPSVolunteer, and #FindYourPark!

There will be 18 vendors selling crafts, jewelry, and food on field #5 beginning at 5pm. The
children’s Fun Zone will be held on field #2 with face painting, inflatables and Mills River
Dental activity tent. A Food truck alley will feature 5 different food vendors selling food from
5pm-8pm. The evening concert will begin at 6pm featuring the Irish bluegrass band, JIG JAM.
They are one of the top international blue grass groups in the world, and currently on tour in the
United States this fall.
The Title sponsor for the Festival this year is ADVENT HEALTH, the entertainment sponsor is
RINEHART RACING. MILLS RIVER DENTAL is the sponsor for the children’s Fun Zone,
5pm -7pm. No pets will be allowed in the Festival area.
This is a free community family event presented by the Fletcher Parks & Recreation Department
& the Town of Fletcher.

We are shamelessly drumming up attention for our exciting new program at Lake Julian Park. Starting Thursday, March 31, Buncombe County Recreation Services is hosting a drum circle on the last Thursday of every month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The only thing you need to bring is yourself and a drum, and then just let the rhythm and beautiful scenery do the work as you enjoy the beat and comradery of fellow percussionists.

All experience levels are welcome, and registration is not required. If you have any questions, please contact Park Ranger Zach Hickok at (828) 684-0376.

: Every Last Thursday until -Sept. 29 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Park shelter number 2, Lake Julian Park, 26 Lake Julian R

Nonprofits, schools, and community organizations, you’re invited to join a special training on Tuesday, October 4th, hosted by the Cleveland, Henderson, McDowell, and Rutherford County Chambers of Commerce and Meta’s Forest City Data Center. 

*Enjoy dynamic speakers and networking while spending a gorgeous WNC fall day rejuvenating*
HEAL presents professional development and networking opportunities as well as education for the general public.
Our conference addresses disordered eating and eating disorders recovery by presenting experts from various sectors of the industry.
This year we are hosting a 1/2 day of CE sessions and a 1/2 day retreat with care-for-the-provider sessions and connection!

Spend a relaxing afternoon immersed in flowers. Take in fall mountain views, tour the Blazing Star Flowers area, and learn about sustainable growing methods. Watch a demonstration to learn general design principals, then create your own centerpiece to take home. All levels of experience are welcome. Small group size. Light refreshments will be provided, and the $125 cost includes all tools and materials. Blazing Star Flowers is one of the entrepreneurial farm businesses in SAHC’s Farm Incubator Program.

Whether you’ve never picked up a paintbrush or are looking to refresh your watercolor skills, veteran artist and instructor Terrilynn Dubreuil will teach you everything you need to jump into—or jump back into—this relaxing medium!

In this explorative, four-week course, you’ll learn basic watercolor concepts, including paintbrush usage, color theory, color mixing, color application, composition, and other watercolor approaches and techniques. You’ll reference simple photos to practice your new skills and, over time, begin to develop or hone your unique painting style! The class will include informal critiques for greater learning and understanding.

No previous drawing or painting experience necessary!

Michigan-based Mosaic Artist Michelle Sider is presenting a one-time workshop this October in Asheville, N.C. Titled “Michelle Sider: Engaging. Dynamic. Realism” the three-day course will apply classical art guidelines, thoughtful design and modern art principles to encourage students to create stunning, realistic and expressive mosaics.

Sider is a visiting artist invited by Linda Pannullo Mosaics to present this program. It’s ideal for intermediate artists looking to elevate their skills. And for Sider, there’s no time like October to enjoy the natural beauty of this region. Much of her work is inspired by the fiery sunsets over Michigan’s lakes and graceful wildlife.

Linda Pannullo said she is “very excited to have an artist of this caliber for the first time in Asheville, North Carolina. I am always looking for ways to take my mosaics to the next level and this 3-day immersion with Michelle Sider – with her years of experience as an art teacher and mosaicist – will accomplish that.”

🍂Registration is now open for October’s Cozy Up for Fall Retreat!🍂

RELAX, RECHARGE & BE INSPIRED with our 2-hour live spiritual retreat.
Wednesday, October 19th 7 pm to 9 pm ET

https://soulkyst.com/virtual-spiritual-retreats/

Opening Meditation and Closing Visualization
Facilitated by Randi Botnick

EFT Pro Tapping Workshop
Facilitated by Karen Berzanski

During this retreat, you’ll learn how to use the mind-body tool, Pro EFT™ Tapping to:

Look at the past year and identify what you want to release and let go of
Get super clear on what you want and don’t want moving into the final months of the year
Leave with inspired ideas on how to create the most luxurious and pleasurable holiday season you’ve ever experienced.
Take these 2 hours of well-deserved relaxation time to slow down and reset, and experience personal breakthroughs.

For more details and to register: https://soulkyst.com/virtual-spiritual-retreats/

We will begin with a 1-hour small engine diagnostic, repair, and maintenance demonstration led by Community Farm Manager Chris Link. The workshop will be followed at 6 pm by a “Repair Cafe“, which helps folks repair household goods. This Repair Cafe session will be especially well-equipped for small engines and other farm/garden related jobs like blade sharpening, handle replacements, and power tool repair. FREE and open to the public

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Halloween can be just as much fun for adults as it is for children—especially if you find creepy things fun to play with! Indulge your dark side this Halloween weekend by creating a creepy curiosity cabinet!

Curiosity cabinets were pieces of furniture or entire rooms where 19th century people displayed items they had collected in their travels or scientific investigations. These Victorians also had a fascination with the morbid and peculiar juxtapositions of people, animals, and things.

In this frighteningly fun workshop, mixed media artist Kate Corcoran will show you how to create a miniature curiosity cabinet that you can pull out each October or display all year round. In the process, you’ll learn how to compose, layer, and adhere mixed media materials: skills that you can apply to all mixed media projects!

Interactive workshop for adult beginners wishing for a stage to shine on (or behind), with a scriptwriting lesson and mock auditions using scenes from the feature script ‘BILLIE’S SONG, AN URBAN FAIRY TALE’.

This fun lesson and opportunity to get up perform is an introduction to the ‘BILLIE’S SONG’ Theatrical Readings Project being planned for Spring 2023. The script has half Black characters and half White (with a few roles that can be other). For the theatrical readings we will be recruiting community members from diverse neighborhoods to be both cast and creative team, with wardrobe, props, and set pieces all obtained in a community scavenger hunt or created by community members. The goal will be to rotate performance locations, from an art gallery to a church to a public housing community center to a storefront business, to draw-in people who wouldn’t normally turn out together.

Script Synopsis: Billie, a struggling working-class Black actress estranged from her family, becomes involved with Benjamin, an emotionally conflicted wealthy white man angling to secure a leadership position he has on a probationary basis. Initially, Billie and Ben amuse, then need and support each other. But the differences in their communities—and the personal demons they don’t reveal to each other—eventually put them up against each other in a potentially violent fight for survival (for Billie physical survival, for Ben spiritual vs face-saving survival).

“I think the script is wonderfully written, well-paced, fun, and serious without taking itself seriously. I especially love the ending!” – Erin Clare, Story Parlor founder, formerly Creative Director of the Austin Film Festival and its Writer Conference

Led by Trayce Gardner (Writer/Teacher/Guerilla Filmmaker/Community Organizer) and recent refugee from Brooklyn, NY, where she taught beginning scriptwriting and short filmmaking classes for seven years at New York City College of Technology’s Continuing Ed.

Come experience the national parks! On five days in 2022, all National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Mark your calendar for these entrance fee–free dates in 2022. Please check operating status at this park and others before traveling as there may be changes due to Covid-19.

Many national parks have direct connections to the American military—there are dozens of battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate and honor the service of American veterans. In addition, every national park is part of our collective identity that defines who we are and where we came from as a nation. They are tactile reminders of the values, the ideals, and the freedoms that our veterans protect.

The majestic landscapes, natural wonders, and patriotic icons that we cherish as a society have also inspired military members through the years. The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, the USS Arizona Memorial, and the Statue of Liberty are just a few of the national parks that have served as reminders of home to those stationed abroad. On Veterans Day, or any day, honor those who have served and sacrificed for our country with a visit to a national park.

The National Park Service invites all visitors to remember our veterans by visiting any National Park Service site for free on Veterans Day (November 11). Find tips to recreate responsibly while you visit!