he 2021 Local Food Guide, ASAP’s annual free publication for finding local food and farms, hits newsstands this week. This definitive resource lists Appalachian GrownTM certified farms, farmers tailgate markets, restaurants, and travel destinations throughout Western North Carolina and surrounding counties in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. You can also view a digital version of the print Guide at asapconnections.org/guide.

The 2021 print edition of the Local Food Guide includes:

• 200+ Appalachian Grown farms, plus charts to easily locate farms offering u-pick, farm stands, lodging, visitor activities, and CSAs;

• 80+ farmers tailgate markets, plus information about holiday markets and a list of markets that operate in the winter;

• 80+ partner businesses, including restaurants, groceries, wholesalers, artisan producers, and travel destinations.

Articles and photography throughout the Guide highlight the unique farm stories and beauty of the region. This year’s Guide features The AppaLatin Farmstead, Colfax Creek Farm, Headwaters Market Garden, Kituwah Farm, New Roots Market Garden, and TK Family Farm. A primer on eating seasonally includes simple, vegetable-focused recipes.

As part of ASAP’s Appalachian Grown program, staff connects with markets, farms, and businesses to update listings each year. The Local Food Guide offers the most accurate, up-to-date information for consumers. ASAP also maintains the online Local Food Guide at appalachiangrown.org throughout the year. This database, including 1,350 listings, is searchable by products, locations, activities, and more.

Find Local Food Guide copies at farmers markets, visitors centers, libraries, community centers, groceries, restaurants, and other partner businesses throughout the region. They are also available to pick up in the lobby of ASAP’s office in Asheville at 306 W. Haywood St., Monday to Thursday, noon to 4 p.m. Contact ASAP if you need help locating a copy in your area.

The 2021 Local Food Guide is made possible with support from the USDA, Buncombe County Strategic Partnership fund, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Pisgah Health Foundation, and Asheville Regional Airport.

ABOUT ASAP (APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT)

ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit asapconnections.org.

Outdoor Pools Open

Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732

Erwin
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806

Hominy Valley
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715

North Buncombe
734 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787

Owen
117 Stone Drive
Swannanoa, NC 28778

Employment Opportunities at Blue Ridge Community College

The College has jobs that fall within four categories: full-time professional, full-time faculty, part-time faculty or adjunct instructors, part-time support staff, and temporary positions.

To be considered for employment at Blue Ridge Community College, complete an official employment application indicating the position title and position number.

FABRICated presents an intergenerational look at new boundaries in art and craft through works that merge fiber-based processes with other media, like painting, sculpture, and blacksmithing. Each of the seven artists explores ideas of the body, identity, and their unique, personal stories by using a medium with a rich history of craft. Stitching, in and of itself, is slow and methodical and invites the audience to slow down and look carefully at the physicality of the thread, the textures of the fabric, and the paint and the found objects that are introduced into the mix. The result is an exhibition that questions the nature of what constitutes women’s work, the relationship of fine art and craft, and how these elements can come together to form a new kind of community conversation. FABRICated presents the work of two established artists, Virginia Derryberry (Asheville, NC) and Marcia Goldenstein (Knoxville, TN), along with five emerging artists who are exploring new boundaries in art and craft and, by so doing, open up an exploration between an older and a younger generation.

Each year, thousands of residents and visitors take part in evaluating what’s best and brightest about a very wonderful place — Western North Carolina. With spring in full bloom and months of lockdown behind us, voting for what you love most about your community is a restorative affirmation.

Buncombe County Recreation Services dedication to low- and no-cost recreational programming and equitable access to quality outdoor spaces is reflected in its mission statement: Connect Communities. Preserve Culture. Change Lives. Among the ballot categories, we offer some suggestions for your consideration.

VOTE NOW >>

Kids

• Place for Outdoor Fun – Buncombe County Parks
• Playground – Lake Julian Park
• Place for Birthday Parties – Buncombe County Parks

Outdoors

• Picnic Spot – Lake Julian Park
• Fishing Spot – Lake Julian Park

Farm, Yard, & Garden

• Orchard – Sand Hill Native Tree Orchard
• Community Garden – Sand Hill Community Garden

Pets

• Outdoor Place to Take Your Pet – Buncombe County Parks

Uniquely Asheville

• Place to Connect With Nature Within Asheville City Limits – Buncombe County Sports Park
• Holiday Event (Winter/Spring) – Festival of Lights at Lake Julian Park
• Bumper Sticker – I ♥ Parks (Buncombe County Recreation Services)

Regional

• Local Place to Enjoy the Outdoors (Swannanoa/Black Mountain) – Charles D. Owen Park
• Local Place to Enjoy the Outdoors (Weaverville/Woodfin) – Ledges Whitewater River Park

To receive the I Heart Parks monthly newsletter, sign up online. Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

Presenter: Phil Roudebush, Extension Master Gardener^SM Volunteer

Learn about unwanted garden inhabitants—voles and moles—in this 30-minute video.  Phil describes the differences between these two garden pests, including their physical characteristics, habitats, and “dining” preferences.  He shares a variety of methods gardeners can use to minimize plant damage and make the landscape less hospitable to this nuisance wildlife.

Are your special needs or changing physical abilities keeping you out of the garden? Are your garden chores becoming more challenging? Do you know how to select tools and equipment that will keep you healthy and safe in the garden? In this presentation Mary Hugenschmidt and Suzanne Wodek, Master Gardener Volunteers and longtime teachers of therapeutic horticulture, will tell us about ergonomic tools, garden structures and design, and proper body mechanics to get us back in the garden and keep us gardening for life.

Buncombe County Public Libraries has partnered with ImaginDan to bring you a virtual art program on BiblioBoard called Inspiration ABC! There’s no better place to live, work, and play than ABC (which stands for Asheville Buncombe County), and families are invited to watch a special ImaginDan episode to get their creative juices flowing.

At the end of the episode, ImaginDan challenges viewers to pretend they have been tasked with creating a mural that reflects what inspires them. Artists can upload a scan of their finished designs directly to BiblioBoard for a virtual gallery by clicking on the purple “Submit to Project” button on the main page. If you have any questions please ask your friendly neighborhood librarian, and we look forward to seeing your art creations.

Legends of Art & Innovation at Biltmore – a year-long series of multi-sensory experiences created to illuminate the remarkable lives of Van Gogh, Monet, and Da Vinci – is coming to Biltmore.

Produced by Grande Experiences, each individual component of this series offers fascinating ties to George Vanderbilt’s collection of treasures in Biltmore House. The series is included with regular daytime admission.

The three inspiring multi-sensory exhibitions at Biltmore include:
• Van Gogh Alive: Nov. 5, 2021 – March 5, 2022
Experience the most visited multi-sensory experience in the world to appreciate the works of Vincent Van Gogh during Christmas at Biltmore. Highlights include savoring the wonders of Van Gogh’s Starry Night and other masterpieces.

• Monet & Friends – Life, Light & Color: March 9, 2022 – July 6, 2022
The works of Claude Monet and famous Impressionist masters such as Pissarro, Cézanne, and Renoir come alive during Biltmore Blooms with an immersive experience that stimulates the senses. Two original Monet paintings from Biltmore’s collection will be on display in Biltmore House for the first time.

• Leonardo Da Vinci – 500 Years of Genius: July 10, 2022–Nov. 20, 2022
Marvel at the genius of Leonardo da Vinci as an inventor, artist, scientist, engineer, architect, and philosopher as you are immersed in his innovative and inspiring mind.

Ticket information
Tickets and required reservations for Van Gogh Alive will be available later this year, followed by the two remaining experiences at later dates. For updates, visit www.biltmore.com.

A guided whitewater rafting trip is one of the best ways to experience the Nantahala Gorge. The crystal-clear Nantahala River is the perfect family-friendly river where experienced river guides will help you navigate through splashy Class II-III rapids and bouncy waves, with occasional calmer waters where you can enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery. The fully guided rafting trip the most popular adventure at NOC, with thousands of families returning year after year.

This beautiful spring weather makes it easy to get out and train for our virtual Run for Justice 5K which kicks off next month!  Register today to participate anytime between May 29th through June 12th on a route of your choice and then join us for our awards ceremony June 12th!  Everyone who registers by April 30 will receive a Run for Justice t-shirt.

Three ways to sign up

1. Register for $25 per participant  (you can add a donation to support Pisgah Legal if desired)
2. Peer to Peer Fundraising:  Invite your friends and family to donate $1,$5 or more for each kilometer you walk or run.
3. Be a Sponsor:  Sponsor as an individual, a couple, a group or a business. Sponsors receive race entries, t-shirts and recognition. (Find out more about sponsor benefits here)

Check out our registration page for more details, a fun explainer video and FAQs.

Rehabilitation – Smith McDowell House, Roof Replacement    Years of planning went into the roof replacement project recently completed at the Smith-McDowell House.  The copper used was manipulated by hand, giving the finished roof a more historically authentic look.  Over the next few years, the copper will take on a beautiful patina for all to enjoy.   Western North Carolina Historical Association, Owner Huber and Associates, Contactor Emily Kite, Architect Click here to watch! Adaptive Reuse – Leo’s House of Thirst   This modest beauty has been everything from a residence to a dentist’s office and is now Leo’s House of Thirst.  We love a rehabilitation that shows that even simple buildings can be saved and turned into something special! Drew Wallace, Owner Drew Wallace and Leila Amiri, Concept and Design Brent Campbell, Architect Joel Osgood, Landscape architect Drom, Construction Click here to watch! Restoration – Biltmore Stable, Glass Replacement   This project brought its own set of challenges including having glass replacement panels with unique texture made to match the originals and undertaking the project while guests were present at the Estate.  The result was well worth the effort! The Biltmore Company Huber and Associates Meltdown Glass Associated Scaffolding Click here to watch!

Ride in style on the historic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad aboard your very own restored Caboose. These are great for family reunions, birthday parties, private meetings, corporate field trips or just any time!

Our cabooses accommodate up to 15 people with seating on the main level and in the cupola. (And, remember, babies are people, too!) The cabooses feature heat, private bathrooms, windows that can be opened, and open air vestibules at each end for unobstructed views. Advanced reservations are required and availability of caboose rentals are limited.

A platter of cheese and crackers, and an assortment of 15 bottled Coca-Cola products are included. Plus, the caboose is the only place where you can bring your own food and drink (please, no alcohol) in picnic baskets or coolers.

You can charter the caboose on:

• Nantahala Gorge
• Tuckasegee River

Best value for small groups and private parties up to 15 passengers. Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

Rafting

Enjoy this trip combining the Great Smoky Mountains Railroads trip with the Waterfall Jeep® tour. You’ll begin your trip in Bryson City, NC, with a 2 hour (approximate) railroad excursion over Fontana Lake and into the Nantahala Gorge. As you travel on the train, watch paddlers challenge the rapids. At the top of the line, disembark from the train and climb aboard Wildwater’s customized Jeep® for a 2-hour (approximate) personal exploration up the mountain, past waterfalls and lakes, up to the Appalachian Trail and back. A delicious deli lunch is included.

Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

* Children 40 – 80 lbs. are required to sit in the front passenger seat with the airbag disengaged using a child booster seat. Children 80 lbs. or greater will sit in the back using a lap seat belt. If there is more than one child in the 40 – 80 lb. range, the second child will sit in the back using a lap belt.