During the month of May, buy one entrée and get a free dessert at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Biltmore Park. Mention that you saw this offer in the Town Square Reminder email newsletter and enjoy warm, friendly service over scratch made wood fired fare either in the dining room or on the spacious patio.

Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 2:45-6pm
K-6th graders.
Does your child enjoy having fun and making new friends? Offering
arts, crafts, special events, homework assistance and more!
Families currently enrolled in the school system’s reduced or free
meal program, please contact your recreation center for discount
fee information.
Locations: Burton, Grant, Montford, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford

Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month and Buncombe County is celebrating the incredible families who have stepped up to Foster Our Future. Becoming a Foster Parent is a big decision. “Many people begin their foster journeys with an idea of what being a foster parent should be,” says Amy Huntsman, Foster Care Supervisor for Buncombe County Health and Human Services. “But parenting, regardless of biological relation, is complex and encourages parents and children alike to grow in surprising and unexpected ways.” At Buncombe County, we like to refer to fostering as a journey; and if fostering is a journey, then social workers are the tour guides- supporting you supporting kids.

Buncombe County Foster Care Social Workers serve our foster parents in three categories throughout the fostering journey: preparation, placement, and maintenance.

Explore Options and Learn More!

The first step of the foster journey for any potential parent is training. The Foster Parent Training Class, or MAPP Class, combines storytelling with practical application techniques that offer a realistic, comprehensive understanding of what being a foster parent is like. Taught by our team of social workers and current foster parents, you can expect this course to be engaging and set you up for success on the licensure exam.

This course is taught over six weeks. Classes meet once a week for 3 hours per class. Completion of this course does not result in automatic licensure. Potential foster parents will have to seek licensure through the state of North Carolina. The Buncombe County social work team is here to educate and support you every step of the way and make sure that you are making the best possible decisions at every turn.

SIGN UP | CALL US: (828) 250-5868 | buncombecounty.org/foster 

Placement

Once our foster parents get licensed, the placement phase begins. Each foster parent is assigned a social worker who facilitates the placement process including; helping you complete licensure requirements, assessing the best types of children for your home and skill set, and assisting you in process of meeting a foster child and having them settle into your family.

Maintenance

Once a child has been placed in your home, that same social worker will continue working with you to ensure you and the child are supported throughout this experience. Our social workers help foster parents; learn about a child’s individual medical. Behavioral, or developmental needs, refer and assist families in gaining supports for the youth, and engage foster parents in ongoing training and advocacy to ensure both the youth and the foster family’s needs are met.

There are currently over 340 children in foster care in Buncombe County. A shortage of foster parents in Buncombe County has resulted in approximately 100 of those children being placed outside their communities, away from their homes, schools, families, friends, and anything familiar to them. We know that children who are placed in their home communities have a better foster experience and are more likely to be reunited with their biological families when compared to those who are placed far away. If you have ever thought about becoming a foster parent, now is the time. Click here to sign up for Foster Parent Training classes and help us bring the kids in care back to Buncombe County.

Contact Us:

Facebook: @fosterbuncombe
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828) 250-5868
Website: buncombecounty.org/foster

During the month of May, buy one entrée and get a free dessert at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Biltmore Park. Mention that you saw this offer in the Town Square Reminder email newsletter and enjoy warm, friendly service over scratch made wood fired fare either in the dining room or on the spacious patio.

Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 2:45-6pm
K-6th graders.
Does your child enjoy having fun and making new friends? Offering
arts, crafts, special events, homework assistance and more!
Families currently enrolled in the school system’s reduced or free
meal program, please contact your recreation center for discount
fee information.
Locations: Burton, Grant, Montford, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford

Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Dollar Dog Friday $1 hotdogs served every Friday, thanks to Blossman Gas!

A multisensory puppetry experience for all ages that explores what it means to be a human being

Admission is free and seats can be reserved in advance through a form on the ACA website: https://ashevillecreativearts.org/mainstage-productions/.

Visit Asheville Creative Arts’ website for general information (www.ashevillecreativearts.org);

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville’s professional children’s theatre, returns to live theatre with a 60-minute, multisensory puppetry experience, the world premiere of HUMAN.  Written, directed and designed by Nehprii Amenii (CLICK, CLACK, MOO), HUMAN features original music by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby; lyrics by Nehprii Amenii, Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby; choreography by Amparo Chigui Santiago; lights, projections and environment design by Marie Yokoyama; sound designs by Joo Won Park; puppet construction by Dan Jones and Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins; dramaturgy by Dr. Allison Curseen and Philip Santos Schaffer; with outreach from ACA’s Community Development Director, Daniele Martin. HUMAN will run at The Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Ave) from April 28- May 15, with public performances Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 1pm, and Sundays at 3pm, with special performances Thursday 4/28 at 7pm and Saturday 5/7 at 7pm. Admission is free, with a hat passed for donations post-performance. More information and a link to reserve seats is available at www.ashevillecreativearts.org.

Now that Humans are extinct and the world as we knew it has ended, the Octopus has a decision to make…  Will it be willing to give up one of its three hearts in order to create a new, more sensitive human being? Will it be willing to give humanity a second chance?   HUMAN is told through the windows of a sunken submarine, using images of the human heart, and a hybrid of puppetry styles. Meant to be enjoyed by children 5 and older and their families, it consists of projection design, sound design, dance, puppetry, and sensory play that explore what it means to be HUMAN.

The cast features April Tilles, Joshua Chung, Kaylyn Carter, Khalilah Smith, Olympea, Rebekah Babelay and Tippin.

Creator and Khunum Productions Artistic Director, Nehprii Amenii says “in a world increasingly mediated by technology and flattened screens, this piece will offer a space for audiences of all ages to explore humanness, touch, and interconnectedness.”

Adds ACA Artistic Producing Director, ”Nehprii has brought together an incredible, majority BIPOC team who between them have Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional credits, Drama Desk Awards, and the imagination, sensitivity and creativity to guide young people and their adults through a timely, and in the end, joyful exploration of hope in our current moment.”.

This production of HUMAN is supported, in part, with awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, The Henson Foundation Family Grant, and has been developed as part of the New Victory LabWorks 2021-22 Season.

ABOUT THE CO-PRODUCERS: 

Asheville’s critically acclaimed, award winning theatre devoted to creating works for children of all ages, Asheville Creative Arts was founded in 2013 and produces, presents and creates innovative works for multigenerational, multiethnic and multidimensional audiences, performed by adult actors. Past productions include CHARLOTTE’S WEB, THE WARP & THE WEFT, BUGS!, and SLUG & SNAIL. “Ostensibly, ACA produces children’s theater, but the company’s ambitious works appeal to both youths and adults.” – Mountain Xpress

Khunum Productions is a New York based production company that produces highly visual narrative-based productions that combine the personal, the social, and the magical to create experiences that transform the human heart, and thus our society. Khunum Productions recognizes itself as a platform for “Creative Anthropology.” This means that we are interested in the study of what makes us human, and the interconnectedness of all people and things. Our work and process of working aims to deepen human connectivity–to one another and to our own selves.  We are not interested in art that drags the human along. Thus the people involved in process and their individual needs are priority. We believe in process and nefer –beauty. We strive to make the  artistic process of creating together equally as beautiful as our productions.

LISTINGS INFORMATION:  HUMAN runs April 28 – May 15, 2022 at Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Ave): with public performances Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 1pm, and Sundays at 3pm, with special performances Thursday 4/28 at 7pm and Saturday 5/7 at 7pm. Admission is free and seats can be reserved in advance through a form on the ACA website: https://ashevillecreativearts.org/mainstage-productions/.  Visit Asheville Creative Arts’ website for general information (www.ashevillecreativearts.org); for school and community groups wishing to book weekday school matinees, contact [email protected] or call 914/830-3000. For more information about Wortham Arts visit https://www.worthamarts.org.

The Fine Arts Center, Greenville County’s public high school for pre-professional arts study, is proud to present their first annual showcase. Sponsored by the Fine Arts Center partners, Synovus, Atticus Creative, and Steve Bichel, this event features the top student performers from the FAC Performing Arts Programs – Dance, Theatre, Creative Writing, Digital Film Making, and Music. Audience members will have the opportunity to view work from FAC student visual artists before taking their seats in the theatre for an evening of entertainment by the top talent from the school.

May 13: Encanto (rated PG for some thematic elements)

-The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger

Asheville Parks & Recreation’s popular Movies in the Park series begins its 2022 season with a showing of Encanto. Community members are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and snacks to the free viewing, which begins at dusk. Prior to the screening, the Rec n Roll Play Zone opens at 7 p.m. with games, giveaways, and other activities for kids and teens. Additional movies are scheduled for the second Friday of the month throughout the summer.

“Friday night movies are a popular pastime and this brings people out of their homes to enjoy fan favorites on the big screen with a spectacular backdrop – City Hall’s art decor exterior flanked by the rising mountains and a night sky full of stars,” according to Nikki Cales, coordinator for Movies in the Park. “We’re excited to offer this free movie series for people who want to spend time together outdoors.”

If You Go

• All movies begin at dusk in Pack Square Park on 80 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville.
• Rec n Roll Fun Zone programming starts at 7 p.m.
• Pets, smoking, and alcohol are prohibited.
• Free parking is available in marked spaces on city streets and in city-owned lots on Marjorie Street after 6 p.m.

Henderson County Parks & recreation hosts a free movie screening and food truck at parks across the county this summer! Food truck opens at 7pm, movie starts at nightfall (approx 8pm). Bring your blanket and chair!

– May 13 | Jackson Park | Encanto
– June 17 | Etowah Park | Clifford the Big Red Dog
– July 15 | East Flat Rock Park | Sing 2
– July 29 | Tuxedo Park | Space Jam
– August 12 | Dana Park | Luca

Looking for a weekend of exploration and excitement for your troop? Look no further than our biggest scout event of the year! Pack your camping gear and get ready for hands-on programs and a night under the stars.

Yoga with baby goats…it is just as ridiculous and amazing as it sounds. You can expect to grin, giggle, move, and flow alongside the sweetest little snuggly socialites. The goats may pull your attention away from your movement practice from time to time but they are the most adorable anchors to the present moment and can spark pure joy.

Upcoming Public Classes:
May 14
May 28
June 11
June 25

Private classes are available daily with advanced notice!

Disconnect with stress and connect with loving, social baby goats! This is a unique opportunity to spend time outdoors and let the busyness of the world melt away for a moment. You can expect a beginner-friendly yoga class that is easy to follow…and rejoin if you find yourself distracted throughout.

Wear loose fitting clothing, long pants, shirts with sleeves, and clothes that you don’t mind getting a bit dirty. Please plan on bringing your own yoga mat or you may rent a mat in advance for $5. These events will be held rain or shine. In the case of inclement weather, we’ll move under the cover of the open air milking barn. Don’t forget to bring an open mind and adventurous spirit! It is sure to be an experience to remember!

During the month of May, buy one entrée and get a free dessert at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Biltmore Park. Mention that you saw this offer in the Town Square Reminder email newsletter and enjoy warm, friendly service over scratch made wood fired fare either in the dining room or on the spacious patio.

The Academy at Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance presents their Spring Showcase on May 14th at 2 pm and 7 pm. This showcase will feature students from all levels of the Academy. Under the direction of Cynthia Ridler, Academy Principal Director, the original ballet “The Velveteen Rabbit” will headline this showcase. This ballet features choreography by many members of the Academy faculty. Also, Academy dancers will appear in original contemporary works choreographed by faculty member Jamie Brege and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance Artistic Director Heather Maloy.

Join Ranger Brandon and Ranger Zach at Lake Julian Park on Saturday, May 14 and you will learn how to build your own handline fishing rig and then test it out on the fish of Lake Julian.

Handline fishing dates back to the earliest methods for catching fish on a line. You will leave with your very own pocket-sized handline fishing rig that can be used to catch almost any fish. Handlining take the concept of ‘light tackle’ to the extreme and gives you a level of feel and connection to a fish unmatched by a rod and reel.

Registration is required by May 7.

Register and get more information here.

Registration is limited to 25 participants and all ages are welcome. Ages 16 and over will need a NC Fishing License available at ncwildlife.org under “Buy a License”, Walmart, or Sportsman’s Warehouse for $25.

What: Handline fishing workshop

When: Saturday, May 14, 2-4 p.m. (Register by May 7)

Where: Lake Julian Park

Free for all ages. (Fishing license required for 16+, see above)

The Academy at Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance presents their Spring Showcase on May 14th at 2 pm and 7 pm. This showcase will feature students from all levels of the Academy. Under the direction of Cynthia Ridler, Academy Principal Director, the original ballet “The Velveteen Rabbit” will headline this showcase. This ballet features choreography by many members of the Academy faculty. Also, Academy dancers will appear in original contemporary works choreographed by faculty member Jamie Brege and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance Artistic Director Heather Maloy.

A multisensory puppetry experience for all ages that explores what it means to be a human being

Admission is free and seats can be reserved in advance through a form on the ACA website: https://ashevillecreativearts.org/mainstage-productions/.

Visit Asheville Creative Arts’ website for general information (www.ashevillecreativearts.org);

Asheville Creative Arts (ACA), Asheville’s professional children’s theatre, returns to live theatre with a 60-minute, multisensory puppetry experience, the world premiere of HUMAN.  Written, directed and designed by Nehprii Amenii (CLICK, CLACK, MOO), HUMAN features original music by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby; lyrics by Nehprii Amenii, Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby; choreography by Amparo Chigui Santiago; lights, projections and environment design by Marie Yokoyama; sound designs by Joo Won Park; puppet construction by Dan Jones and Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins; dramaturgy by Dr. Allison Curseen and Philip Santos Schaffer; with outreach from ACA’s Community Development Director, Daniele Martin. HUMAN will run at The Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Ave) from April 28- May 15, with public performances Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 1pm, and Sundays at 3pm, with special performances Thursday 4/28 at 7pm and Saturday 5/7 at 7pm. Admission is free, with a hat passed for donations post-performance. More information and a link to reserve seats is available at www.ashevillecreativearts.org.

Now that Humans are extinct and the world as we knew it has ended, the Octopus has a decision to make…  Will it be willing to give up one of its three hearts in order to create a new, more sensitive human being? Will it be willing to give humanity a second chance?   HUMAN is told through the windows of a sunken submarine, using images of the human heart, and a hybrid of puppetry styles. Meant to be enjoyed by children 5 and older and their families, it consists of projection design, sound design, dance, puppetry, and sensory play that explore what it means to be HUMAN.

The cast features April Tilles, Joshua Chung, Kaylyn Carter, Khalilah Smith, Olympea, Rebekah Babelay and Tippin.

Creator and Khunum Productions Artistic Director, Nehprii Amenii says “in a world increasingly mediated by technology and flattened screens, this piece will offer a space for audiences of all ages to explore humanness, touch, and interconnectedness.”

Adds ACA Artistic Producing Director, ”Nehprii has brought together an incredible, majority BIPOC team who between them have Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional credits, Drama Desk Awards, and the imagination, sensitivity and creativity to guide young people and their adults through a timely, and in the end, joyful exploration of hope in our current moment.”.

This production of HUMAN is supported, in part, with awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, The Henson Foundation Family Grant, and has been developed as part of the New Victory LabWorks 2021-22 Season.

ABOUT THE CO-PRODUCERS: 

Asheville’s critically acclaimed, award winning theatre devoted to creating works for children of all ages, Asheville Creative Arts was founded in 2013 and produces, presents and creates innovative works for multigenerational, multiethnic and multidimensional audiences, performed by adult actors. Past productions include CHARLOTTE’S WEB, THE WARP & THE WEFT, BUGS!, and SLUG & SNAIL. “Ostensibly, ACA produces children’s theater, but the company’s ambitious works appeal to both youths and adults.” – Mountain Xpress

Khunum Productions is a New York based production company that produces highly visual narrative-based productions that combine the personal, the social, and the magical to create experiences that transform the human heart, and thus our society. Khunum Productions recognizes itself as a platform for “Creative Anthropology.” This means that we are interested in the study of what makes us human, and the interconnectedness of all people and things. Our work and process of working aims to deepen human connectivity–to one another and to our own selves.  We are not interested in art that drags the human along. Thus the people involved in process and their individual needs are priority. We believe in process and nefer –beauty. We strive to make the  artistic process of creating together equally as beautiful as our productions.

LISTINGS INFORMATION:  HUMAN runs April 28 – May 15, 2022 at Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Ave): with public performances Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays at 1pm, and Sundays at 3pm, with special performances Thursday 4/28 at 7pm and Saturday 5/7 at 7pm. Admission is free and seats can be reserved in advance through a form on the ACA website: https://ashevillecreativearts.org/mainstage-productions/.  Visit Asheville Creative Arts’ website for general information (www.ashevillecreativearts.org); for school and community groups wishing to book weekday school matinees, contact [email protected] or call 914/830-3000. For more information about Wortham Arts visit https://www.worthamarts.org.