ASAP’s Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program gets fresh, healthy food to people who need it—while also fairly compensating farmers. Through this new initiative, ASAP is facilitating direct connections between farms and relief efforts that might not otherwise be logistically feasible and helping to offset costs. The first phase of the project will focus on rural communities, which are further away from centralized food resources, and the intent of the project is to reach every county in Western North Carolina.

Farms and relief agencies who would like to participate should start by filling out interest forms on asapconnections.org. Support for the Appalachian Farms Feeding Families comes from the Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund. Donations may be made at asapconnections.org.

We are trying to see if there is enough interest in a Zoom class for Adult Improv, taught by Tom Chalmers. If you would be interested in this, please fill out the interest form. Thank you!

(May 27, 2020- Hendersonville, NC)-  Blue Ridge Honor Flight is carefully monitoring developments concerning Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States.

In order to maximize the safety and health of all participants in upcoming flights, Blue Ridge Honor Flight has postponed all flights scheduled for 2020. Blue Ridge Honor Flight will resume flying from Asheville, NC as soon as conditions warrant, consistent with the Honor Flight Network, CDC guidelines and local medical advisors. We have retained all of the applications we received and will be in touch with all applicants (veterans and guardians) when we are cleared to fly again.

“Our veterans’ safety and well-being have always been first and foremost in Blue Ridge Honor Flight’s mission,” stated Jeff Miller, founder of Blue Ridge Honor Flight and co-founder of the Honor Flight Network. “The decision to postpone flights until the CDC gives us a confident “thumbs up” was made without any hesitation. We will fly again, and our veterans will enjoy their day of honor knowing this crisis has passed.”

Updates regarding this matter can be found at www.blueridgehonorflight.com, as well as on the BRHF’s Facebook page.

Established in 2006, Blue Ridge Honor Flight’s mission is to transport America’s veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the sacrifices of themselves and their comrades. For more information about how to get involved in Blue Ridge Honor Flight, make a donation, or to get a veteran signed up for a flight, please visit blueridgehonorflight.com.

BMC Artistic Director Keith Lockhart discusses his deep connection with the music of Mahler and collaborating with his dear friend Ilana Davidson. Listen to a performance of the fourth movement with Lockhart, Davidson, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra from July 25, 2014.

BMC favorite Gil Shaham shares a special at-home performance of the first movement of the Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043. Adele Anthony performs the violin 1 solo, Shaham performs the violin 2 solo, and colleagues Colin Jacobsen (violin, viola) and Eric Jacobsen (cello) supply the orchestral accompaniment.

BMC favorite Johannes Moser shares a personal tribute to cellist Lynn Harrell, who passed away in April 2020. Featured soloist collaborators are Yo-Yo Ma, Gautier Capuçon, Amanda Forsyth, Zlatomir Fung, Alban Gerhardt, Mischa Maisky, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Johannes Moser, Daniel Müller-Schott, Christian Poltéra, Jan Vogler, and Alisa Weilerstein.

Welcome to the Small Business Center (SBC) located at Blue Ridge Community College, part of the Small Business Center Network (SBCN). Blue Ridge Community College Campuses and the SBC are located in Flat Rock and Brevard, North Carolina.

SBCN is comprised of 58 Small Business Centers throughout North Carolina, that supports the development of new businesses and the growth of existing businesses by being a community-based provider of local training, counseling, and resource information.

Local SBC training, confidential counseling, and resource information is offered at no cost due to funding from the State of North Carolina.
Services provided by the Small Business Center can be customized to suit your specific business needs.

Each week we offer a program on starting and growing a business to answer all your question about requirements and resources offered  through the federal, state, region, county, and local cities. 

Around The Web

Live-streamed performances, resources, and activities we love from around the web, updated weekly.

COVID-19 has led to local youth sports leagues canceling spring and summer schedules due to physical distancing and mass gathering limitations. Buncombe County’s Independence Day celebration at Lake Julian Park has also been scrapped this year under the same guidance. All other local municipalities have also canceled or rescheduled their annual Independence Day festivals.

1. Normal routine cleaning with soap and water will decrease how much of the virus is on surfaces and objects, which reduces the risk of exposure.
2. Disinfection using EPA-approved disinfectants against COVID-19 external icon can also help reduce the risk. Frequent disinfection of surfaces and objects touched by multiple people is important.
3. When EPA-approved disinfectants external icon are not available, alternative disinfectants can be used (for example, 1/3 cup of bleach added to 1 gallon of water, or 70% alcohol solutions). Do not mix bleach or other cleaning and disinfection products together. This can cause fumes that may be very dangerous to breathe in. Keep all disinfectants out of the reach of children.

Coronavirus in North Carolina: Daily status updates

As we ease into the Stay Home, Stay Safe Phase 2, Buncombe County Public Health has provided public health messaging and guidance for industry and local businesses to use in their operations. Please click the links below to download printable files.

For more information, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville are operating the Ready Team call center. The Ready Team can assist with business and general questions about COVID-19 and Buncombe County’s Stay Safe, Stay Home Order. To ensure that there are options for Spanish, Russian, and multiple other languages, the Ready Team is working with United Way’s call center. The Ready Team call center operates Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call (828) 419-0095 or email [email protected].

The Asheville Downtown Association, Asheville Grown Business Alliance and Asheville Independent Restaurant Association have teamed up to release a COVID-19 Downtown Business Census. The results from the survey will be instrumental in helping us prioritize business needs as we move into Phase Two of reopening.   The survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete and we need your responses quickly so that we can address needs immediately. We’re asking that you complete the survey by Friday, May 29. We understand that answers may change with time. Please answer to the best of your capabilities and for your present situation.   Please click here to access the survey.

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

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco
Brevard Music Center Orchestra • JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Recorded live on July 27, 2018,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium in Brevard, NC.

“We are heartbroken to have to make this decision,” said producing artistic director Lisa K. Bryant. “With state-mandated limitations on gathering sizes for the foreseeable future, as well as recent information that union rules for actors returning to work may not even be issued until summer, it is now clear we cannot reopen in mid-July as we had hoped. The right decision for the long-term health of the Playhouse and for our patrons is to move the entire 2020 season to 2021.” This decision was ratified unanimously by the Playhouse Board of Trustees.

Care for Corona is a grassroots support system comprised of psychotherapists and healing practitioners who offer short term free virtual counseling and healing sessions for Western North Carolina medical personnel and psychotherapists who are on the front lines of the Corona Virus Pandemic.

The Craft Futures Fund will fund up to $30,000 each month from May 2020 – October 2020 to support craft-based education projects. These one-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 will be disbursed to craft-based education projects that envision and build new futures for craft.

How to Work from Home Efficiently with Kids
http://wfmdepot.com/how-to-work-from-home-efficiently-with-kids/

• Parks and Recreation Indoor Facilities are Closed until further notice.
• Park Playgrounds are Closed until further notice.
• Park Restrooms will reopen on Friday May 8th at 5:00pm.
• Outdoor Tennis and Pickleball Courts will reopen on Friday May 8th at 5:00pm.
  • If you are waiting to use a court please wait outside of the fence or in your vehicle.
  • If others are waiting to use a court please keep your playing time to 60 minutes.
• Outdoor Parks remain Open.
• Fields and shelters are Open, however groups must kept to 25 people or less.  If you are waiting to use a field or shelter please do not wait in the immediate area; please wait outside of the field or shelter in an open area or in your vehicle.

If you choose to utilize Henderson County Parks please be respectful of other users, keep your group to 25 or less and provide others with appropriate social distancing.  PLEASE NOTE that the trails at Hickory Nut Gorge are controlled by Conserving Carolina and they have closed them until further notice.

It’s May 1st, and you know what that means! That’s right, a whole month of mindfulness aimed at reducing plastic usage in our lives. For years, Asheville GreenWorks has worked at #goingplasticfree, and this year will be no different. Starting Monday, May 4th, we’ll be releasing daily blog posts from our staff, members of the Plastic Reduction Task Force, and other zero waste advocates in Buncombe County. There will be repurposing and upcycling challenges, a special screening of The Story of Plastic, and a Trivia Night testing your knowledge of the topics we cover throughout the month. Daily posts can be found on our website, as well as on our Going Plastic Free Facebook Page. And, in case you miss a post, we will send out a weekly digest to keep you up to date on the week’s happenings. And we’re including a calendar in today’s newsletter to give you a sneak preview of the month’s events. Now, more than ever, we are challenged to find the fine balance between safety, cleanliness, and waste reduction. Thank you for your commitment to Asheville GreenWorks; we can’t wait to share another amazing Mind Your Plastic May with you.