2020 Blue Ridge Pride Festival Cancelled 

We are sad to announce the suspension of all previously planned summer and fall events.  This includes:

• Blue Ridge Pride Festival
• Welcoming WNC Procession
• Mx Pride Pageant
• Movies & Mixer Series
• LGBTQ Story Slam
• We are looking into alternative events – both virtual and face-to-face.

How To Enter:

Send in your submissions to [email protected]

Contest Timeline:

• Submissions will be accepted June 15, 2020 through July 31, 2020.
• Top 10 designs will be selected July 31, 2020 – August 31, 2020 on Facebook.
• We will select the winning artist based on portfolio/resume submissions to be announced on Labor Day Weekend.

A Note to the Artists Regarding the Final Mural:

Once the final artist has been selected, the mural artwork will need to include 2 of the following elements: The Toyota brand symbol, Fred Anderson Toyota of Asheville logo, OR 1 Toyota vehicle.

They’re small, just 9×12, but highly visible.

BMC guest artist Garrick Ohlsson was set to open the 2020 season on June 25. Instead, we are thrilled to share this recital from March 14, streamed live from the Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. The concert program includes Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Chopin’s Impromptu No. 2 and Six Études from Op. 25, and a special Rachmaninoff encore.

The coronavirus pandemic halted spay and neuter surgeries as communities were forced to suspend non-emergency veterinary services. This has resulted in a huge backlog of unaltered animals. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that the current backlog is over 260,000 animals nationwide. Brother Wolf currently has a waiting list of over 500 animals that are in need of spay and neuter services.

Even prior to this pandemic, we couldn’t meet the existing need with our original clinic. A second clinic will enable us to double our capacity and serve an average of 180 animals each week! Spaying and neutering is so critical because it saves lives by reducing pet overpopulation. Our Second Spay and Neuter Mobile Clinic will travel around Western NC, providing low-cost services to under-resourced communities.

We need your help to make this program a reality. Please donate today, thank you!

Wow! Thanks to all those who have submitted tunes for the Dig Local Spotify playlist. If you’d like to be considered as an addition to our music compilation, we are still accepting submissions for our Spotify playlist now (check out the playlist here).

There are only three requirements to be considered:

• You or your group must be regionally based in the Asheville area
• Your song submissions must be all original compositions
• The songs must be “family-friendly” (no profanity or obscenity or violence)

If selected, one or two of your songs will be featured in our Spotify playlist. There may also be opportunities to be featured in our Weekly Scoop email and on our social media platforms!

Submit your music by filling out the following info at the link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5LCQovN51Y56SLuo7kB_hmeer33DsNhITEvz7TkF8O9ATqA/viewform?mc_cid=8ce4073971&mc_eid=258ba8532a

https://www.opentable.com/lists/pride-2019/usa?ref=9472&cmpid=em_Email2020&utm_campaign=Email%2BAdhoc%2BNA%253A%2BUS_104_20200629_Pride&utm_source=simon&utm_medium=email

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

STRAUSS Don Juan
Brevard Sinfonia • Matthias Bamert, conductor
Recorded live on July 20, 2013,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium in Brevard, NC.

Learn about music printing techniques through time including woodblock, lithography, and more.

The Violin Channel recently caught up with violinists and www.intermissionsessions.com wellness coaches Elena Urioste and Melissa White to get their advice on some simple physical exercises that every string player should be doing to stay physically and mentally healthy – during quarantine and beyond …

Violinists Elena Urioste & Melissa White share 10 essential, daily stretches for musicians.

Che Apalache is a four-man string band based in Buenos Aires with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. Their cleverly crafted “latingrass” evokes images from Appalachia to the Andes.

Argentinian-American string band Che Apalache performs bluegrass with a unique twist.

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].

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership
(BRNHA) has announced its 2020 Heritage Grants Program, which will provide funding for
projects that preserve, interpret, and promote Western North Carolina’s agricultural, craft,
Cherokee, music, and natural heritage. These five distinctive legacies earned the region a
Congressional designation as a National Heritage Area in 2003.

Nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and units of state and local governments are
eligible to apply. Applicants must provide at least an equal match. The total pool of funding for
the 2020 grant cycle is $180,000.

Grants awarded in previous cycles have supported exhibits, demonstration gardens, oral history collections, video documentaries, interpretive programs, teaching materials, artist training, visitor brochures, music venue improvements, and the marketing of heritage destinations. The grant projects have provided engaging and authentic cultural experiences to hundreds of thousands of visitors and residents.
The deadline for grant applications is October 1, 2020. Complete information on the 2020 Heritage Grants Program can be found at www.blueridgeheritage.com/partners/grants.

Are you interested in helping Buncombe County expand reliable, high-speed internet? If so, we need your help. Please consider joining the Buncombe Broadband Working Group. Applications are due by Friday, July 17.

Objective:

This posting is for 3-5 community members to the Buncombe Broadband Working Group which will support the evaluation of proposals submitted to Buncombe County for high-speed internet solutions.

Term:

Members shall serve for approximately 6 months, but the term may be extended or reduced based on responses from high-speed internet providers. Members may be replaced at any time at the sole discretion of the respective institution or organization. Time commitment is an estimated 4-5 hours each month.

Responsibilities:

The workgroup will:

• Develop a Request for Proposal document for high-speed internet services in Buncombe County,
• Objectively evaluate the proposals received,
• Weigh proposals based on cost, and ability to deliver excellent, sustainable service using the scoring matrix provided to bidders through the RFP, and
• Provide a recommendation to County leadership.

Qualifications:

Applicants must be Buncombe County residents. Ideal candidates have an understanding of the technical requirements of high-speed internet operations, experience leading or supporting community high-speed internet initiatives, or experience/relationships working with high-speed internet providers. Candidates must report any potential conflicts of interest.

To Apply:

Please complete the Boards and Commissions application found here and return to Lamar Joyner at [email protected] by Friday, July 17.

“The goal of Hungry Paws is to provide pet food for homes that are having to choose between feeding themselves or their pets. We don’t want people to surrender their animals to shelters because they cannot afford them right now.” says Derek Fox. “The fund is intended to cover the needed window until people can go back to work or who need the support to get by. Until then, it’s up to us to provide for these wonderful animals.”

Derek got to work, contacting area rescues and finding other partners. Pet Source, a local Hendersonville pet supply store, jumped on board, contacting their suppliers to setup a discounted purchasing program that will make the donated funds go even further.

The fund partners with Blue Ridge Humane Society, as both a recipient and as distributer of funds and food to other rescues in the area with food support programs or that have a need in their community.

“The fund will help to set pet owners up for success and bridge the gap until folks are employed again or able to get ahead again.” shares Angela Prodrick, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Humane. “This is even more vital during this time as there is an increased need as people are finding themselves in the new situation of needing help when they haven’t before, and we are here to help.”

There are several ways to donate to the fund. The Hungry Paws Initiative can be found on Facebook with an easy donation process, or on www.refinedpup.com/. Donations can also be made to Blue Ridge Humane with a note designating it for Hungry Paws online at www.blueridgehumane.org or by mail to 14 Towne Place Drive, Suite 130, Hendersonville, NC 28792.

The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.

If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

Miss browsing the library’s shelves? Let us help with Bookfix. Call or email your local library to have a librarian put together a bundle of books tailored to your specific interests. You can pick up your personal Bookfix bundle at our curbside hold pickup service. Our Ask a Librarian line is available Monday-Saturday at (828) 250-4700 or you can email [email protected].