Effective at 7 a.m. May 26, face coverings will be required for all individuals 12 years of age and older in all indoor public commercial facilities, including libraries and public transit. This follows a 4-3 vote along party lines by county commissioners May 21.

The face covering provision does not apply in the following places or situations:

• While eating in any restaurant.
• For reasons related to any individual’s medical condition, disability or religious beliefs.
• In private offices.
• In areas of retail establishments, businesses and restaurants that are not open to the public.
• When complying with directions of law enforcement officers.
• During any worship, religious and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.
• In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering when obtaining or rendering goods or services.

Guidelines for wearing a face covering include:

• It must cover both the mouth and nose.
• It must be snug.
• Don’t touch a face covering while wearing it or, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
• When removing, do so by lifting ear loops or ties without touching the front of mask or your face and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wash the face covering with soap and water regularly or in the washing machine with other clothes.
• Do not put a face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their own mask, or on children under 2 years of age.
• Do not use them as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or staying home when sick.

VIRTUAL:

Come and enjoy morning Yoga

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is pleased to share that artists and friends alike will join us in honoring music legend Doc Watson during the week of May 25 – 29, 2020. A list of artists participating each day will be posted across our social media channels.

Doc Watson passed away on May 29, 2012. MerleFest artist relations manager Lindsay Craven reached out to see if some artists would like to share a special song and a memory of Doc Watson. “The response was amazing,” she said. “We have over 60 artists that have taken time to record a video and send in a song for us to share with our fans. It was only fitting to call this remembrance #DocWatsonWeek.” The event will close out with Doc’s final performance on the Creekside Stage in 2012.

To view the event, you can tune into MerleFest’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts during the week. The videos will go out each hour, starting at 9 a.m. each day. If you don’t want to view the videos on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram at @MerleFest and Twitter at @MerleFest.

Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest will reopen to the public effective 9a.m. May 13. To encourage responsible use and to maintain required social distancing, phased reopening will begin with allowing public access only to areas of the forest that promote movement-focused activities such as hiking. All areas and facilities of the forest will not be available during phase one of the reopening but will become available in accordance with Governor Cooper’s phased plan for reopening the state.

What can visitors expect during a visit to Rendezvous Mountain ESF during phase one of the reopening?

• Rendezvous Mountain ESF will be open Monday through Friday, 9a.m. until 5p.m.
• Most of the trail system will be open, and visitors should come prepared to access trails and to keep moving.
• Parking has been adjusted to allow for more spacing and to make it more feasible for visitors to maintain recommended social distance.
• While portable toilets will be available for visitors, restrooms will remain closed.
• Gathering areas of the forest will remain closed to encourage movement and separation. These areas include the following:
• all picnic areas;
• the McGee Forestry Center;
• the Bathhouse;
• the Ranger Station;
• the Logger’s Shack;
• the Office; and,
• the amphitheater.

As we move forward with this phased approach, we urge the public to adjust expectations, to be prepared, to stay local and to continue complying with CDC recommendations and guidelines. Visitors are asked to be responsible for individual best practices and to follow social distancing recommendations. Visitor behavior will be a key factor for providing continued public access and to avoid additional closures to the forest during this period of phased reopening. For phased reopening to be successful for public lands across our state, visitors must be good stewards and good neighbors. If you arrive during a busy time and find limited parking, the right decision is to return home and plan to visit another day at another time. If we are busy, expect other public lands, such as state parks and national forests, to also be busy. For up-to-date information about access to state forests in North Carolina, please stay tuned into https://ncforestservice.gov/COVID19.htm and NCFS social media accounts.

Learn how to reverse the very real and devastating impact of stress through the SIMPLE practice of instinctive meditation that will profoundly shift your life.

Instinctive meditation means it’s natural and our bodies are wired to do it easily and efficiently. All we need to do is to set up the right conditions and our bodies will eagerly cooperate. Learn the skill set needed to meditate on your own even if you have a racing mind and little spare time.

Dropping into deep relaxation on a regular basis helps you to be calm in the face of overwhelm and urgency, can improve your health, and help you be more responsive and less reactive to challenges.

This will be a live webinar on Zoom. You can attend from anywhere that is comfortable to you. Once you register, you will get instructions on how to log in to the event. You will have the option of having your video on or off. You can also call in using a phone number. Link to zoom class:
https://mailchi.mp/9e1057b0227e/meditation-asheville-salt-cave

We’ll start with the basic principles of this approach. Then you will learn and practice some basic skills. This will be followed by a longer guided meditation where you can incorporate the basic skills. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions during the class.

A weekly Zoom drop-in class in instinctive meditation will run on Wednesdays from 10:00-11:00 am EST starting April 29 and running for 12 weeks.
Drop in as you can. Each class will cover a different technique.

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

Every day we’ll be featuring a video recording or a live Zoom storytime or song by your favorite Buncombe County librarians!

Information to access the storytime on Zoom will be posted in the discussion section of this page. To get notifications for Zoom codes and to know when new videos are posted, follow this event page!

If you’d like to stream multiple videos in a row, visit the Buncombe County Government YouTube page and find “At Home with the Library.” All of our recorded videos are available at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bcgovtv/search?query=at+home+with+the+library

We miss you at the libraries! We hope you’re well.

FREE LUNCHES for anyone 18 years of age and under at the Ferguson Family YMCA. Simply drive up to our front door and let us know how many lunches you need, no questions asked.

For additional food for your family, pick up a FREE box of fresh produce at our Mobile Markets. Calendars are online at ymcawnc.org/nutritionprograms.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 11am-2pm, we are offering meal pick-ups to those in need in our community. 200 meals will be provided on a first come, first serve basis.

Every Wednesday from 12-6pm, Carolina Hemp Company and Ambrose West, alongside their neighbors on West Asheville’s Beachm’s Curve, will host a community aid drive to gather and donate supplies and food to support local emergency relief efforts. Recipients include Homeward Bound, Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, 12 Bones, the YMCA, and more! As Asheville’s Hometown Hemp Company, Carolina Hemp Company values their local community, and believes in supporting each other when in need. In times such as these, we are reminded of the unfortunate imbalance in society’s ability to afford and have access to basic necessities. The Carolina Hemp Company mission is and always has been Bringing Balance Through Hemp and they now have the opportunity to practice this through service to the Asheville community. While being encouraged to separate, it is important we still band together to pool resources, communicate, and take care of each other. Carolina Hemp Company will be collecting non-perishable food items, cooking essentials, health and wellness products, cleaning and sanitation supplies, and general toiletries, and camping gear to load into the Hemp Xpress Trolley and distribute to local organizations who are dedicated to providing shelter, food and health services to those who need it most. Updates and detailed information will be posted to the Beacham’s Curve Aid Supply and Food Drive event page on the Carolina Hemp Company facebook page.

The staff is committed to practicing conscious handling and delivery of all supplies through hand washing, wiping down items, and limited contact between donors, themselves, and the receiving organizations’ representatives

Mountain Bizworks to hold live Q+A sessions for the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund Last week, we shared news from the Buncombe County TDA about the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund, a new grant program that will draw from occupancy tax funds to help small businesses. Applications opened last Friday, but many folks are still getting materials together. If you need help or clarification on the process, Mountain Bizworks (who will administer the loans) is planning a series of live, virtual Q+A sessions to answer questions. Virtual Q+A schedule noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27th | Register noon-1 p.m. on Friday, May 29th | Register Learn more about the Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund and whether or not you’re eligible online.

Join us daily, at 2:30pm, for a Keeper Check-In. We’ll visit with a different keeper every day for an exciting encounter with one of our amazing animals!

Join Pam every Wednesday at 3 pm on Facebook Live to experience marbling, the 17th Century process of floating paint on a thick water surface. Watch the paints expand, get pushed by subsequent colors until the final print on paper. Watch the #majikalmarblingreveal create the frozen piece of art!!

This family friendly weekly event is always live and unexpected happenings. Come virtually and prepare to be amazed!! Interact as each piece happens.

This four-part class led by Learning & Engagement Assistant Paige Taylor explores natural and artificial lighting approaches using digital photography. Through a series of weekly assignments, hone your observation skills, and capture landscapes, portraits, and more in a variety of lighting situations. Use images from the Museum’s Collection and other sources for inspiration. Class time includes instruction, group shares, and discussions; individual preparation between classes includes responding to weekly photo prompts, short readings, and journaling. This virtual class is designed with beginners, hobbyists, and those with some photography experience in mind. MAY 6, 13, 20, & 27—Wednesdays, 6–8pm Registration deadline: May 5

We hope you are keeping calm and well during these challenging times.

To help keep us calm and in touch, the Prama staff is inviting you to a free live group meditation every Wednesday at 6pm.  The session will last about 30 minutes, including a guided meditation and a short talk on aspects of meditation practice.

We hope you will find these meditations helpful and something that you can continue to practice throughout the week.

The event is free though any contribution is appreciated.

If you are planning to attend just one week or multiple weeks, please sign up and we will email you the Zoom Link!

“Go Outside and Howl at 8” is a national call for communities to recognize all essential front-line workers! Let’s join this call, Asheville! Show people in this community who are putting their lives at risk that we see them, and we love them! Let’s hear y’all howl at 8pm every night!!

Feel free to add pictures and/or videos to the Discussion in this event!

Much love, y’all!