Buncombe County has opened the application cycle of the Community Recreation Grants program for projects taking place from July 2021-June 2022. The grants are part of other countywide initiatives that help make Buncombe County a place everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be strong, healthy, and successful. The program is intended to help community nonprofits make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress that align with the Buncombe 2025 plan. Grants range in amounts from $500-$6,000, depending on the number of qualifying applicants.

To apply, click here.

“We are excited to offer these grants to creative local organizations doing the integral work to make our community stronger and more resilient,” says Peyton O’Conner, Director of Buncombe County Recreation Services. “Community Recreation Grant projects represent a primary goal of low-cost, inclusive wellness and therapeutic opportunities that are accessible to all residents regardless of cultural, physical, cognitive, or socioeconomic background. As the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down, the one avenue for maintaining peoples’ physical and mental wellbeing were parks, open spaces, greenways, and trails – and the recreational opportunities that take place within them. When combined with the ability to deliver healthier, happier, equitable communities, parks and recreation’s powerful economic impact highlights the fact that these offerings are not merely a ‘nice-to-have’ luxury government service. Instead, public recreation is an essential core service that transforms our cities, towns, and county into vibrant and prosperous communities for all.”

Eligibility

Eligible entities include Buncombe County nonprofits focused on providing equitable access to recreational, fitness, cultural, and wellness activities to the public at no- or low-cost. These funds are intended to be a leveraging tool that promote partnerships between the County and area nonprofits and are not a donation, funding stream, or sponsorship opportunity. Programs applying for funding should align with the Buncombe 2025 plan’s focus areas, as well as embody the spirt of Buncombe County Recreation Services’ mission: Connect Communities. Preserve Culture. Change Lives.

Projects funded in the past have included creative placemaking, increasing safe connections to a wider range of play and wellness activities for underserved residents, supporting access to experiences that preserve regional and international cultures, improvements to public athletic fields and fitness courses, expanding environmental education, building food security through community gardens, and establishing multigenerational outdoor spaces for neighbors to connect with each other and foster community pride.

Want to apply?

Application, guidelines, and a list of 2020 recipients are available online. Questions should be directed to [email protected].

The grant application deadline is 5 p.m. on Fri., Mar. 26, 2021. Late applications will not be accepted.

Supporting Local Schools Half of your purchase price of the 2021 Go Local Card will go to a public school to enhance programming, purchase much-needed teacher supplies and support local kids. Buy yours TODAY! Each year, as we add more businesses and cardholders to the program, the local movement grows stronger.

• Write letters to the editor
• Sign the petition
• Get a yard sign… when more arrive!

No matter how thorough and fair a reappraisal may be, there are still instances when only the property owner has all the information necessary for an accurate appraisal. Informal appeals for the tax year 2021 can be filed anytime between Jan. 1-April 28, 2021. Additionally, anyone receiving a change of value notice after April 1, 2021 has thirty days from that notice date to file an appeal.

• Museums and Aquariums
• Retail Businesses
• Salons, personal care and grooming businesses, tattoo parlors

• Restaurants
• Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries
• Recreation (e.g., bowling, skating, rock climbing)
• Fitness and Physical Activity Facilities (e.g., gyms, yoga studios, fitness centers)
• Pools
• Amusement Parks

• Bars
• Movie Theaters*
• Gaming Facilities*
• Meeting, Reception, and Conference Spaces
• Lounges (including tobacco) and Night Clubs
• Auditoriums, Arenas, and other venues for live performances
• Sports Arenas and Fields (includes professional, collegiate, and amateur

Don’t miss our last installment of videos on the South Asheville Cemetery: Anne Chesky Smith, Executive Director of the Western North Carolina Historical Association, continues the story of the South Asheville cemetery. Located in the Kenilworth neighborhood, the cemetery was originally a place to bury enslaved people and following the Civil War continued as a burial site for African Americans until the 1940s. This final video in the series gives a broad overview of the site history. It covers stories from the first non-native settlers through the 20th century. Click here to watch part 3! and in case you missed it… South Asheville Cemetery Part 1  South Asheville Cemetery Part 2

Western North Carolina has a rich assortment of county historical societies, archives, and museums. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks to help researchers, historians, genealogists, and the general public take full advantage of these resources.

Each spring, hundreds of locals 50+ years-old enjoy participating in the Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts. This year’s program will be held at locations throughout Buncombe County from the week of Apr. 19 through May 19 (tentative). There is no registration fee this year.

To register, fill out a registration form (see documents below) or register online at ncseniorgames.org.

Sports include bowling, croquet, football throw, softball throw, golf, putt-putt, cycling, track and field, archery, cheerleading, swimming, billiards, badminton, cornhole, horseshoes, pickleball, racquetball, shuffleboard, tennis, and table tennis. Age categories start at 50 and increase at five year intervals.

Silver Arts categories are classified as Heritage (quilting, woodwork, crochet, basket weaving, jewelry, needlework, tole painting, weaving, knitting, pottery, stained glass, woodcarving, and woodturning), Visual (solo, small group, and large group), Performing, Literary (poem, short story, essay, and life experience), and Contemporary. Art pieces will be displayed online.

The Asheville Art Museum is the only museum in North Carolina to be selected as a finalist for this award. Chapel Hill Public Library is the only library to be selected in North Carolina.

The National Medal is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate significant impact in their communities. For more than 25 years, the award has honored institutions that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities.

To celebrate this honor, IMLS is encouraging the Asheville Art Museum’s community members to share stories, memories, pictures, and videos on social media as part of the Share Your Story Campaign, using the #IMLSmedals hashtag, and engage with IMLS on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please visit the IMLS website. The Asheville Art Museum will be featured on IMLS’s social media accounts on Tuesday, March 30, and we invite all to also share the content with the community.

National Medal winners will be announced in late spring. Representatives from winning institutions will be honored for their extraordinary contributions during a virtual National Medal Ceremony this summer.

To see the full list of finalists and learn more about the National Medal, visit the IMLS website.

This annual conference brings together student EcoReps, sustainability interns, and faculty and staff advisers from around the region for a weekend of peer leadership training and collaboration. This conference is a great opportunity to learn from your peers, share your successes (and get constructive feedback), and get inspiration you can bring back to your own campus.

Key topics in 2021 will include:

• Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in our work
• Effective Student Leadership/ Peer 2 Peer education
• Zero Waste initiatives
• Educational initiatives & events
• Adapting to COVID-19
• Translating student visions into institutional action

This conference will be held VIRTUALLY due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

Register
There is no fee to attend, however, you must register to participate in the virtual sessions. The registration deadline is Friday, March 19 at midnight.

Buncombe County will be using our emergency notification system to let people know when COVID vaccine appointments are available.

BCAlerts

If there’s one thing the pandemic has taught us, it’s to be ready… Buncombe Ready. But what’s the best way to stay up to date about available vaccines, natural disasters, public health emergencies, and more? Sign up for BC Alerts, and you’ll get that information sent directly to you in real time.

Text BCAlert  to 99411 or click here to sign up and pick the types of alerts you’d like to receive. You’ll also be able to choose from preferred languages. Need TTY? No problem, that option is also available.

If you’ve already signed up for BC Alerts in the past, you’ll need to re-register due to a change in emergency alert providers.

Stay Buncombe Ready and sign up for BC Alerts today.

Follow the County on our social media pages  at facebook.com/buncombegov or facebook.com/bchhs, on Twitter at twitter.com/buncombeGov and on Instagram at instagram.com/buncombecounty.

You may also sign up for Buncombe County’s COVID-19 newsletter at buncombeready.org and click the sign up button.

FIND A FREE FOOD DISTRIBUTION NEAR YOU

The MANNA Partner Network of over 200 nonprofit pantries, meal sites, and other community-based organizations help residents to access free food across 16 western North Carolina counties. Use the map below to find MANNA partners close to you, or search the up-to-date listing of food partners (by county).