The second primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 23. Eligible voters include:

• Registered Republicans
• Unaffiliated voters that voted Republican in March
• Unaffiliated voters that did not vote in March

Absentee by-mail voting is taking place now.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and response the North Carolina State Board is reminding North Carolinians that all voters can vote by mail during every election, casting a ballot without leaving the comfort of home. No excuse is necessary. The State Board Office and Task Force are discussing ways to make voting by mail easier, while making sure that the 100 county boards of elections stand ready to process an expected increase in mail-in ballots. If you, or someone you know, will be unavailable to vote in person, there is information you need to know to ensure your vote is counted.

For active duty military, their family members, and U.S. citizens living abroad:

You will need to go to FVAP.gov or ncsbe.gov/voting-options/military-overseas-voting and follow the absentee ballot instructions to receive an absentee ballot. If you have questions about that process, you can call us at (828) 250-4222.

For all others wishing to receive an absentee ballot:

Anyone else wishing to request an absentee ballot may do so for any reason as long as they complete a 2020 North Carolina Absentee Ballot Request Form and return it one of the following ways:

• Mail it to: P.O. Box 7468, Asheville, NC 28802
• Hand deliver it to the dropbox located in the entryway of our office at 77 McDowell St., Asheville, 28801

Special Note: Military and overseas voters may email to [email protected] or fax (828) 250-6262 a signed copy of this form.

Deadline to return the completed Absentee Ballot Request Form is Tuesday, June 16, at 5 p.m.

Once your N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form has been received, an absentee ballot will be sent out. Absentee ballots must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, June 23, 2020, and received by Friday, June 26, at 5 p.m. They may also be returned in person to our office (by 5 p.m. on June 23) but only by the voter or a near relative. For more information about absentee voting, visit the North Carolina Board of Elections website.

Near relative exceptions

From June 17 to June 22, a voter’s near relative may come into the office to fill out an absentee request form for a voter who is sick or disabled who did not previously request an absentee ballot. The request will be processed immediately and the ballot handed to the near relative to take to the voter.  These ballots have the same deadlines as stated above.

The following qualify as a near relative: spouse, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, in-laws, stepparent, stepchild, or verifiable legal guardian.

Session Law 2019-239 made several changes to the absentee voting process. Changes include:

• An absentee request form is now valid only if returned to the county board of elections by the voter, the voter’s near relative or legal guardian, or a Multi-partisan Assistance Team (MAT).
• The absentee request form must be mailed or delivered in person to the voter’s county board of elections. Unlike past elections, request forms may not be emailed or faxed.
• If a voter needs help completing the request form due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write, and a near relative or legal guardian is not available, the voter may get help from another person, who must list their name and address on the form.

For any additional information or questions contact us at (828) 250-4200.

We are happy to announce that we will be offering socially-distanced summer camps. All camps will comply with CDC and NCDHHS and the state Executive Order 138 regarding easing restrictions on travel, business operations, and mass gatherings: Phase 1.

Here are some guidelines and protocols that we are putting in place, including, but not limited to:

• Providing adequate hand sanitizer, hand washing stations, and disinfectant solutions.

• All campers will be required to bring masks to camp, and to wear them in all appropriate settings.

• Camps with more than 10 people will be held outdoors to assist in maintaining 6 or more feet of social distancing.

• Camps with 10 or fewer people will be held indoors at AMS Loft, with proper ventilation assured, and will include as much outdoor time as possible.

• Singing will be properly monitored for extra social distancing, and will include masks and 1-person-use microphones at all times.

JUNE 15-19: Rock Camp, ages 10-18

JULY 13-17: Ukulele Camp, ages 7-10, 9am-12pm

JULY 20-24: Ukulele Camp, ages 7-10, 9am-12pm

JULY 27-31: Harry Potter-themed Suzuki Strings, ages 7-12

JUNE 8-12: Fiddle Camp, ages 7-12, 1pm-4pm

Camps run 9am-4pm, except where noted.
Prices range from $190-$350

Organic Growers School’s Farm Beginnings® Farmer Training is entering its sixth year offering a year long farmer training. Organic Growers School has graduated 61 farmers in the last 5 years and will graduate 76  by September 2020.  Farm Beginnings® is a 12-month training that uses a mix of farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentorship, and an extensive farmer network, tapping into the  knowledge of the most innovative & skilled farmers in Western NC. During this current pandemic, the role of farmers and how food gets to our tables has been more at the forefront of conversations. Many individuals right now are expressing interest in growing their own food and developing more self sufficiency and land based skills. If you want to farm, it has never been easy and if you want to get into farming now, it is time to do so with the right support and training on how to be adaptive and resilient, like our Farm Beginnings training.

Don’t miss our staff-curated list of live events and resources.

(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@Home – Composition student Andrew Kosinski performs a new piece for solo piano, guest artist Hanzhi Wang performs a Mendelssohn transcription for accordion, and flutists Amy Porter and Dilshad Posnock join conductor JoAnn Falletta in a special work for flute choir.

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. 

Video of the Week

Members of the BMC 2020 Janiec Opera Company join together to perform an at-home version of the “Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly. This wistful, wordless melody is sung by an off-stage chorus at the end of Act II, as Butterfly waits for her husband’s ship to dock.

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.

The 13th annual Firefly Gathering will take place June 3-7, 2020 at Deerfields in Mills River, NC, just 30 minutes outside of Asheville.

We gather each summer to learn and celebrate the skills necessary to live with the Earth. Our family-friendly classes, experiential learning, and culture bring together folks of all ages.

Each day is full of workshops spanning wilderness survival skills to permaculture, plant identification to cooking over fire, cow milking to bowl carving, basket weaving to blacksmithing. Through our time together at Firefly, we not only share skills to connect to the land, we connect also with ourselves, one another, our ancestors, and our future generations.

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.

Keith Lockhart discusses his deep connection with the music of Mahler and collaborating with his dear friend Ilana Davidson.