Not Enough O Negative Blood Available to Sustain Local Hospitals, Program to Help Victims of Uvalde Shooting Also Announced

The Blood Connection’s O negative blood supply has now reached a critical level. Because The Blood Connection (TBC) is the primary blood provider for hospitals in this region, the need for O negative blood donations is dire. The combination of already low supply, the approaching summer season, and sustained low donor turnout could result in an O negative blood shortage soon, which could disrupt patient care.

Last week, TBC was activated through the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), to send O negative blood to South Texas after the devastating school shooting. The need for O negative blood has since been highlighted by that tragedy but has unfortunately not resulted in an increase in O negative donations. Adding to the issue, the summer months are usually the hardest season to collect enough, exacerbated by an increase in travel and traumas. It is estimated that summer travel will increase by 16% and 75% of Americans are expected to take a summer vacation, indicating this travel season is set to be the busiest since the pandemic – a sign that people are returning to normal. As that happens, the fear is that patients like Kristen Odom will continue to be overlooked.

“During my labor, unbeknownst to anyone…I was bleeding internally but no one knew it and it was not discovered until immediately after our daughter was born,” says Odom. “I will never forget one anesthesiologist yelling over the team, referring to blood, ‘I don’t care where you get it, but I need it, and I need it now.’ After I came out of ICU, my husband and I realized how much blood I needed, and the fact that donated blood was the key factor that turned everything around.”

O negative blood is the most transfused blood type for traumas and emergencies, so the demand never wavers. O negative blood donors are often referred to as the “universal donor” since everyone, no matter their blood type, can receive O negative blood. TBC aims to have a 5-7 day supply of O negative blood but has recently had a one day supply. In some instances, one trauma case alone can use up that supply.

TBC has also announced a program that uses blood donations to help victims of the Uvalde shooting. TBC blood donors now have the option to convert their reward points into a monetary donation to the Robb School Memorial Fund (One Star Foundation) through the TBC online store. These funds will be used locally to support the families and community affected in Uvalde, Texas.

Explore the higher elevations of the Southern Appalachians and look for some of the area’s most exciting birds. Expert guide Aaron Steed will help you look for the many species of warblers, vireos, and hard-to-identify Empidomax Flycatchers in higher elevations in spring. Other higher elevation breeding birds include Common Raven, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and Red-breasted Nuthatch

In this entirely field-based class led by Naturalist Scott Dean, you will learn to identify native mountain flora on the trail, training your eyes and using a non-technical dichotomous keying system. Study the characteristics of plant families and the basics of plant communities all in place. While the focus is on summer wildflowers and trees, you will also pick up a wealth of information on the natural and cultural history of the flora of the Blue Ridge.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Willy Wonka is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone’s sweet tooth.

RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!

Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!

Do you have a cereal box or two to spare?

Drop it off this week & we will turn your box into art!

Shipwrecks! Betrayals! Romance! Mistaken identities and switcheroos! Magic! A tipsy sea monster! This Shakespearean comedy has everything!

Rehearsals for “The Tempest” will be from 11am-4pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting June 13, and performances will be July 1-3 and July 8 & 9.

Asheville Area Arts Council funding helps support Moppets after-school program

Taught by Artistic Director Ashleigh Goff and veteran Moppet Eli Hamilton, the class is our first-ever partnership with the City of Asheville. Students in the after-school program are learning basic theater skills and building their self-confidence in a fun and welcoming environment. The program will culminate in a showcase performance for the students’ peers and families.

“One of our overarching goals is to introduce more kids to classical theater, wherever they are,” Moppets Executive Director Rachel Cort said. “This funding helps us to take a big step toward that goal. We are incredibly grateful to the Asheville Area Arts Council for supporting the Moppets and aspiring young actors in our community.”

Build and decorate an individual sandcastle to put on display in the library and/or take home. Registration is required (please register each child separately. Limit of 25 children))

Did you know our staff had a wild side? Join a Park naturalist to meet some of our live Animal Ambassadors and learn what kind of wildlife inhabits the Park and their important roles in the ecosystem. Some of our best teachers have feathers, fur, shells or scales!

Our program series, “Get to Know Enka-Candler” is where you can meet and greet the talented, crafty, creative, skilled folks in our Enka-Candler community!

This month, we’re inviting Jaime Wade from Sand Hill Kitchen to talk to us about her restaurant, her career, and, of course, food! Sand Hill Kitchen serves made from scratch, award winning American fare for Breakfast and Lunch at 491 Sardis Road.

This program is free to attend thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of Enka-Candler Library.

*We’re always looking for nominations and/or folks in our community who are interested in giving a presentation about what they do. Send us an email or program proposal and we’ll be in touch!
write to: [email protected]

Enjoy a $6 glass of wine and 1/2 off bottles every Wednesday night!

Join us for a weekly mountain music JAM with players in a round, where the session is focused on regional fiddle tunes and songs! You are welcome to come and listen or to learn and join in. This event supports the Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Kids Program. Free but donations are accepted. Weekly event takes place at Oklawaha Brewing Company.

The Travis Book Happy Hour is a 90 minute variety show hosted by Travis Book; bassist, songwriter, and vocalist in the Grammy Award winning bluegrass band, The Infamous Stringdusters, streaming live from the historic Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC. Born from his desire to bring musicians and friends together for collaboration and conversation, Travis launched the series in the summer of 2020 amidst the uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis and a country divided. Faced with a cascade of existential questions about the nature of life and of being, Travis sought an outlet for inquiry, and individuals to help him dig deeper into what it means to be a musician and a creative being in the context of an ever-changing world. Unique, spontaneous musical collaboration with friends and contemporaries leads to singular moments of harmony and the occasional musical train-wreck… The Travis Book Happy Hour is his attempt to shine light into the darkest corners of our lives; to dive deep into the nature of our being and emerge bathed in the love, happiness, grace, and gratitude that’s available to us all, and hopefully, to make some beautiful, meaningful music along the way.

CRIS JACOBS

When Cris Jacobs began dreaming about a follow-up to his critically acclaimed 2016 album Dust to Gold, he realized early on he’d have to do things differently this time around. His life had changed drastically since writing those songs: he’d toured extensively and attracted a legion of new, devoted fans; he’d come off the road into a world, with its divisive rhetoric and troubling headlines, he no longer recognized; and, most importantly, he’d gotten married and had his first child. Things had changed, and Jacobs had, too.

Color Where You Are is the work of an artist at an exciting new stage in his life and career, ready to use his talents to share a little beauty with the loved ones and fans who have already given so much to him. The title nods to Jacobs’ experience writing the album, which, as he puts it, he had to do “between tours, coming home, changing diapers, fixing things around the house…. You name it.” He no longer had the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike, so he colored where he was.

“It was a new discipline for me and a new level of focus that I think brought out the best work,” he explains. “I feel like I grew up a little bit. There are people in my life who I truly care about and things in the world I feel deeply about. That really pushed me in a stronger direction and forced me to feel things on an honest level.”

Opening track “Painted Roads,” with its soulful groove and clever arrangement, is the perfect encapsulation of just how far Jacobs has come since releasing Dust to Gold. Jacobs is self-assured and confident in his soulful, infectious vocal, while his lyrical craftsmanship shows Jacobs to be a thoughtful songwriter who continuously strives to grow and evolve.

“It’s about choosing to live in the present, and see the everyday details of the world, rather than postponing living or paying attention in hopes of some distant prize or destination,” Jacobs says of “Painted Roads.” “We get so caught up in ‘success’ and ambition, and are so goal-oriented, that we sometimes lose sight of the beauty in the everyday. ‘Color where you are’ is the notion of creating beauty now, no matter the circumstance.”

“Painted Roads” was one of the first songs Jacobs and the band (who co-produced the album together) recorded for Color Where You Are, with his band mates taking Jacobs’ original Tom Petty-inspired arrangement and giving it an off-kilter, syncopated groove. For the first time, Jacobs wrote the bulk of the album’s songs in the studio, camping out at Richmond’s Montrose Studios to flesh out “germs and ideas that had been floating around” with band members Todd Herrington (bass), Dusty Ray Simmons (drums/percussion) and Jonathan Sloane (guitar).

“I booked the studio time and put a gun to my head and that sometimes works,” Jacobs says. “In this case it did. It feels like a specific time period and specific vibe and emotional space that came through in all of these songs. It was a really organic process.”

While life as a family man changed Jacobs’ perspective (and schedule), current events also had a profound impact on Jacobs’ songwriting, with commentary on social and political issues finding its way into tracks like “Afterglow” and “Under the Big Top.” Color Where You Are is a hopeful affair, though, with Jacobs employing thoughtful criticism and messages of empowerment instead of wallowing or ruminating.

“The political climate is causing a different sort of energy and angst in me that’s never been there before,” he explains. “It’s not a political album by any means, but those forces out there certainly dictated a lot of the writing on this record.”

On “Afterglow,” Jacobs searches for optimism and healing in trying times. His emotional vocal is buoyed by a passionate, swelling performance from the band, making the track one of Color Where You Are’s most poignant moments. “It’s about the hope that after the storm we are currently trying to survive in, we will see true light like never before,” Jacobs says. “That the constant threats to our foundations will cause us to examine and strengthen them, and come out the other side with stronger hearts and clearer vision. ‘There will come horses, there will come voices’ — that we will be forced to show our true hand like never before because of our dire need to defend it.”

Elsewhere, on “Under the Big Top,” Jacobs channels swampy, gritty Southern rock influences to shine a light on narrow-mindedness and lazy thinking. Crunchy riffs and a fat bass groove make the track, despite its heady message, one of the album’s many songs you can’t help but move to.”

‘Under the Big Top’ is commentary on society’s evolution into gullible, easily distracted, lazy-mindedness,” Jacobs says. “’Pretty lights junkie like a moth to candle,’ always distracted by the brightest, loudest, biggest, rather than remembering how to seek for ourselves and find truth and love. We instead over-consume and are given every opportunity to do so. What we end up with is a circus of sorts, with tricksters and hucksters and loud mouths with no real value taking up all of our attention and ruling us, because we are too easily manipulated.”

Grooves abound on Color Where You Are, as on standout track “Rooster Coop,” which finds Jacobs and the band sniffing around the henhouse over greasy slide guitar, a deep, deep pocket and a truly funky bass line. “All I knew was that I wanted to write a song that merged country and funk,” Jacobs says of “Rooster Coop.” “We started out with the main groove of the tune and the first line that popped into my head was, ‘There’s something funky in the barnyard.’ So naturally, I wrote a song about a scandalous love tryst amongst farm animals.”

Spanning rock, folk, soul and funk and drawing from inspiration that runs the gamut from the henhouse to the White House, Color Where You Are is a kaleidoscopic portrait of Cris Jacobs as a songwriter, musician and bandleader. It’s the work of a devoted father and an empathetic member of the human race. More than that, it’s a reminder that there’s beauty to be found everywhere, if you just take a moment to color where you are.

“What am I trying to do with my music?” Jacobs muses. “The simple answer is this: I’m trying to connect with people. To express real-life human emotions and make people feel things. To connect my love of music with my love of writing and conjure up all of the joy and emotions that those things bring to me. To hopefully have people walk away feeling lighter or happier or more inspired to go be a better person somehow after listening… I want to create a body of work that my family will be proud of one day, and to show that I had compassion to the human condition and wasn’t just a self-indulgent show off.”

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic in downtown Asheville

Comedy Open Mic at Asheville Music Hall in downtown Asheville. Every Weds. 8pm. Doors and comic sign up at 7pm. Free

Not Enough O Negative Blood Available to Sustain Local Hospitals, Program to Help Victims of Uvalde Shooting Also Announced

The Blood Connection’s O negative blood supply has now reached a critical level. Because The Blood Connection (TBC) is the primary blood provider for hospitals in this region, the need for O negative blood donations is dire. The combination of already low supply, the approaching summer season, and sustained low donor turnout could result in an O negative blood shortage soon, which could disrupt patient care.

Last week, TBC was activated through the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), to send O negative blood to South Texas after the devastating school shooting. The need for O negative blood has since been highlighted by that tragedy but has unfortunately not resulted in an increase in O negative donations. Adding to the issue, the summer months are usually the hardest season to collect enough, exacerbated by an increase in travel and traumas. It is estimated that summer travel will increase by 16% and 75% of Americans are expected to take a summer vacation, indicating this travel season is set to be the busiest since the pandemic – a sign that people are returning to normal. As that happens, the fear is that patients like Kristen Odom will continue to be overlooked.

“During my labor, unbeknownst to anyone…I was bleeding internally but no one knew it and it was not discovered until immediately after our daughter was born,” says Odom. “I will never forget one anesthesiologist yelling over the team, referring to blood, ‘I don’t care where you get it, but I need it, and I need it now.’ After I came out of ICU, my husband and I realized how much blood I needed, and the fact that donated blood was the key factor that turned everything around.”

O negative blood is the most transfused blood type for traumas and emergencies, so the demand never wavers. O negative blood donors are often referred to as the “universal donor” since everyone, no matter their blood type, can receive O negative blood. TBC aims to have a 5-7 day supply of O negative blood but has recently had a one day supply. In some instances, one trauma case alone can use up that supply.

TBC has also announced a program that uses blood donations to help victims of the Uvalde shooting. TBC blood donors now have the option to convert their reward points into a monetary donation to the Robb School Memorial Fund (One Star Foundation) through the TBC online store. These funds will be used locally to support the families and community affected in Uvalde, Texas.

Blood donors of all types are urgently needed through the summer. Community members are urged to roll up their sleeves and donate blood. One donation can help up to three people. ‘Freedom Week’ at TBC was formed many years ago to anticipate and prepare for the decrease of blood donors in the summer months. This year, Freedom Week is June 26 through July 10. TBC will be thanking blood donors who give from June 26^th – July 10^th with a commemorative t-shirt and an eGift card valued at $20. The blood donation is priceless.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Core classes include acting, dance and movement, music, costume design, improv, and physical comedy. Additional classes, daily activities, and instructors vary by session, so join us for one week or several! There will not be a final showcase for Youth Camp. Masks are currently optional for all students, regardless of vaccination status. Campers should plan to bring their own lunch, water bottle, and snacks from home.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP

Please do not purchase registration prior to applying for a scholarship. Applications must be received at least two weeks before the first day of the camp session for consideration.

Dates: July 11 – 16, 2022
Application: Available now through MyBMC
Cost: A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets. Spots are limited and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please note: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all students, faculty, and summer staff for the 2022 season. Please see our FAQ page for more information.

Program Summary

Brevard Music Center (BMC) presents The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programming, a six-day intensive seminar and think-tank on orchestral programming intended for professionals and influencers in the orchestral field. Presented by Brevard Music Center in partnership with Bard College, the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the South Dakota Symphony, the University of Michigan School of Music, and Project Director Joseph Horowitz, The Brevard Project takes place July 11-16, 2022. The central goals of The Brevard Project are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire.

Curriculum

The Brevard Project: Reimagining the Future of Orchestral Programing complements Brevard Music Center’s week-long “Dvořák’s Prophecy” festival from July 11-16 and is inspired by Joseph Horowitz’s acclaimed new book Dvořák’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. Part think-tank, part seminar, this inaugural Project gathering equips practitioners and scholars alike to begin to answer questions about the dense nexus of culture and race, of historical, political, and moral reckonings surrounding the story of American orchestral music. The central goals of this program are to re-evaluate the artistic mission of the American orchestra and to share the skills needed to curate a more comprehensive, more inclusive American orchestral repertoire. The Brevard Project is designed for conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and engaged orchestra Board members.

Moving forward requires a fresh and closer look at our musical past – and to the lagging formation of an American symphonic canon. A new narrative of American classical music will be proposed that explores timely and topical issues that impact present and future orchestral programming. Why did our repertoire remain so stubbornly Eurocentric? What can we learn from this history? What can be mined from the treasure trove of long-hidden indigenous and Black music that can help to pave the future?

Classroom sessions will be highly interactive, drawing upon first-hand accounts of humanities-infused approaches to programming and community engagement. Topics of exploration include creating a “new paradigm” for American orchestral repertoire, rethinking the concert experience, and redefining the role of the music director. Participants will be challenged to envision programming and organizational initiatives to promote symphonic events grounded in the American experience, past and present.

The Faculty

A remarkable faculty has been assembled for this groundbreaking exercise.
*virtual participant

Joseph Horowitz, Project Director
Leon Botstein, President, Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony; Founder, Bard Festival and The Orchestra Now
Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University
Mark Clague, Music Historian, University of Michigan
JoAnn Falletta*, Music Director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Gibbs*, Music Historian, Bard Conservatory; Artistic Co-Director, Bard Festival
Delta David Gier, Music Director, South Dakota Symphony
Blake-Anthony Johnson, CEO, Chicago Sinfonietta
Keith Lockhart*, Artistic Director, Brevard Music Center
Douglas McLennan, Founder/Editor, ArtsJournal
Jason Posnock, Chief Artistic Officer, Brevard Music Center
Jesse Rosen, Former CEO, League of American Orchestras
Larry Tamburri, CEO, Newark School of the Arts (former CEO, Pittsburgh and New Jersey Symphonies)

The Performers

Lara Downes, Pianist, producer, arts advocate
Sidney Outlaw, Baritone/pedagogue, Ithaca College
George Shirley, Tenor/pedagogue, University of Michigan

Enrollment Information

Conductors, artistic administrators, executive directors, community engagement specialists, conservatory students, and Board members are all encouraged to apply for The Brevard Project.

Capacity is limited. A $600 fee covers all housing, meals, classes, materials, and concert tickets for the week. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply now through MyBMC.

The delicious adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation of Roald Dahl’s fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Willy Wonka is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone’s sweet tooth.

Taught by herbalist Michelle Bouton, this herbal intensive onsite at the Arboretum encourages us to remember the excitement and mystery of getting to know a plant. Move beyond the field guide for a heart-centered approach to plants, engendering reciprocal relationship as practiced by earth medicine-based cultures. Starting with gratitude and balance results in powerful medicine! We will explore ethical considerations of planting and harvesting and how we can support resilience of at-risk species in our area before diving into into hands-on medicine-making together.

Presenter: Pat Strang and Joyce Tromba, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteers

This is an in-person program, held at The Learning Garden. You will learn about the plants that are easiest to grow and cultivate for natural dyes. You will have hands-on experience with collecting the plant matter, making the dye bath, and then dying samples of various fibers using weld, one of the heritage dye plants. In addition to the sample fibers, you will also dye a cotton napkin to take home.

Registration: Registration is required. To ensure a good learning experience, attendance will be limited. Please click on the link below to register. If you encounter problems registering or if you have questions, call 828-255-5522.

This event is free, but a $5 donation is requested.