Those who donate with The Blood Connection, the non-profit community blood center, are directly impacting the lives of people in this community; people like children battling cancer, or a neighbor suffering from Sickle Cell Disease.  Those people rely on community blood donors every day to ensure lifesaving blood products needed for treatments are available in local hospitals.  That is why TBC is partnering with local and national organizations to shed light on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

Both causes have a close tie to blood centers, as blood products are vital for the treatment and management of these diseases.  TBC’s September campaign will give community members an opportunity to double their donation by donating blood to the community and donating their reward points to organizations that support childhood cancer and sickle cell patients.

TBC is also looking for organizations, companies, and groups to host blood drives to benefit these causes.
Blood drive coordinators can pick local chapters and organizations, and TBC will make a monetary donation
per donor. To speak with a TBC representative about hosting a blood drive in September, go to
thebloodconnection.org/host and fill out the form.

This Month’s Program Natalie Britt – FIND Outdoors Katrina McGuire – Blue Ridge Literacy Council Amy Shipman – The Cedars This Month’s Business Morning Update is Sponsored by: There is no cost to attend but registration is required.

Visit Grandad’s for the day and enjoy a variety of family fun activities on a 100-acre family farm and apple orchard located in Hendersonville NC near Asheville.  Select pre-picked apples fresh off the trees daily from our bins or enjoy you-pick on select weekends. Starting in late September, in Grandad’s pumpkin patch you will find pumpkins and jack o’lanterns in every size and shape. At Grandad’s Barn and Country Store, you will find a great selection of fall harvest decorations, apple peelers, apple bakers, and other apple gifts. Come by our bakery where we have hot cider donuts all day along with apple pies, cookies, hot cider, apple cider slushies, and many other apple goodies to eat!

The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.

House of Operation:

WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week

Join our virtual team of business professionals with the goal of growing your business. We meet every Wednesday via Teams video conferencing at 8:30 for 90 minutes. No fees, just participation and consistency required. Make new connections and generate business in a professional environment

Financial Empowerment for Women

Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World® – Building Resources for a Better Life. YWCA’s Getting Ahead program aims to provide financial empowerment for low-income women of all ages and backgrounds to make choices that positively impact themselves, their families and their community.

Knowledge is Power

A series of “kitchen table” discussions that investigate the causes of poverty, the hidden rules of class, and resources needed by all. Participants will assess individual situations as well as the condition of our community to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

“Going through the program made me realize that I wasn’t in this by myself. I was surrounded by people just like me who were humble enough to say ‘I need help.”

“The class has re-shaped my thinking process- the way I approach situations as possibilities, not obstacles”

Participants Receive

• Childcare and meals at each session
• A $20 stipend for each session attended
  Received once the program is completed
• A workbook to keep track of learning and personal goals
• One-on-one case management for 18
  months to support personal success
• Transportation support is available

• The Council on Aging of Buncombe County was formed in 1964 to address the needs of seniors in our community
• We provide essential support to people over 60 who need assistance with food, heat or a/c, and health care
• Our volunteers make this work possible– consider joining us today!

Our Mission Statement: Promote the Independence, dignity, and well-being of adults through service, education, and advocacy

We are looking for volunteers to work with low-income Medicare recipients as an unbiased, knowledgeable guide, providing education and assistance with navigating through the application process to help them receive much-needed assistance with the following programs:

• Medicare Part D Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy (LIS)
• Medicare Savings Programs
• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – formerly known as Food Stamps)
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)

The safety of our clients is our highest priority. Here’s what’s required for this role:

• Clear criminal background check and driving record.
• Minimum $100,000/300,000 in auto liability coverage.
• Orientation and training with the Council on Aging.
• A reliable vehicle that will pass NC safety inspection.

Additionally, we are very flexible and will work with your schedule.

Who would make a strong candidate for this volunteer role?

• You care about seniors and want to support those who need help most
• A resident of Buncombe County, NC, or a nearby town.
• Someone willing to learn basic education about the Benefits Enrollment Center (BEC) and what benefits are available for lower-income Seniors.
• Someone willing to receive education about outreach, what larger events entail, and how to assist with these events.
• Someone willing to travel around Buncombe County and set up a table at outreach events, educating the community on the services offered at Council on Aging and the Benefits Enrollment Center.
• Someone able to assist clients with benefits applications and maintain awareness of changes to income guidelines.

If you want to help make a difference in the lives of real people right here in western North Carolina, we would love to welcome you on board as a volunteer.

The Justus Family has been growing delicious NC Apples in Hendersonville for more than Four Generations, our Fifth generation is now an active part of Justus Orchard as well.  At our NC Apple Orchard, you will find U Pick or We Pick Apples, Blackberries, and Pumpkins  Whether you choose to U Pick or We Pick, you can sample, mix and match to make sure go home with your favorite apples for eating or cooking.  Review the apple varieties we grow and sell and their usual ripening times here.

We invite you to experience picking your own NC Apples, enjoy a day in the beautiful Western North Carolina Mountains, there is something for everyone and all ages.  Tour the orchard picking apples, stop by the pond to see our ducks, visit the farm animals, let the kids take a ride on the Cow Train through the orchard, visit Apple House for pre-picked Apples, Honey, Jams, Jellies and Preserves and other homemade goodies.  Visit the Bakery which offers our famous homemade Fried Apple Pies, Apple Cider Donuts, Apple Cider, Cider Slushies, Caramels, Apple Bread and more! You can also find fresh Mountain Cabbage, Sweet Potatoes and other local fall vegetables.

We look forward to having you visit one of the oldest U Pick or We Pick Apple Orchards in Western NC.  We guarantee fresh apples, delicious baked good, beautiful views and wonderful hospitality!

Currently picking: Gala, Golden Delicious, Early Fuji, Mutsu, and a few Honeycrisp

Sky Top Orchard has been a family-owned & operated farm since 1967 when father and son duo Everette and David Butler planted the first trees on Mt. McAlpine, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. For almost 60 years, Apple Dave and his wife Lindsey grew Sky Top from a small roadside tent into what it is today.

Built with love, sweat, and a lot of hard work, Sky Top has grown to include our hayride and bee train, the apple cannon, and of course, our famous apple cider doughnuts. But throughout the years, one thing stays the same: tradition. At Sky Top, we believe family and creating long-lasting memories is the most important part. We look forward to being a place for you to bring your families for years to come.

Old Kentucky Home -The Thomas Wolfe Memorial

American Novelist Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)

Considered by many to be one of the giants of 20th-century American literature, Thomas Wolfe immortalized his childhood home in his epic autobiographical novel, Look Homeward, Angel. Wolfe’s colorful portrayal of his family, his hometown of “Altamont” Asheville, North Carolina, and “Dixieland” the Old Kentucky Home boardinghouse, earned the Victorian period house a place as one of American literature’s most famous landmarks.

House tours are offered daily at half past each hour. Last tour leaves at 4:30 pm.
Group tours by reservation.

Adult – $5.00
Student (ages 7-17) – $2.00
Adult Group (10+) – $2.50 each
Student Group – $2.00 each
6 & under – Free

Hours of Operation

Bender Gallery is excited to present “A Clear Choice,” a solo exhibition of stunning abstract sculptures by internationally recognized master glass artist Karsten Oaks. “A Clear Choice” opens on Saturday, September 3rd with an artist’s reception with Oaks present from 6 – 9 PM, and runs through September 25th. Using specialized optical glass, Oaks creates sculptures that bend light and color via their unique forms. Reminiscent of graffiti marks, his forms are instantly recognizable and are made with meticulous perfection. When viewing, a discernible object often appears from a momentary perspective creating a vision that allows the viewer to connect on a more personal level with the piece. This mystery inspires a deeply personal relationship between viewer and object and sets Oaks’ work apart from that of his contemporaries. We hope to see you there!

Mon – Sat 10 – 6 Sun 12 – 5

The Garden Helpline is open March 2 through October 27 in 2022.

Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers will be staffing the Helpline as indicated in the schedule below. You may send an email or leave a voicemail at any time and an Extension Master Gardener volunteer will respond during Garden Helpline hours. When emailing, please include a photo if it helps describe your garden question. Soil test kits can be picked up at the Extension office, 24/7, located in a box outside the front door.

Two ways to contact the Garden Helpline
Call 828-255-5522
Email questions and photos to [email protected]

Garden Helpline Hours
March:  Monday 12:00 – 2:00; Wednesday 10:00 – 12:00
April – September:  Monday and Wednesday 10:00- 2:00; Tuesday 10:00-12:00;
Thursday 12:00-2:00
October:  Tuesday 10:00-12:00; Thursday 12:00-2:00

We are here to help and support you! Please contact us; we look forward to answering your gardening questions.

VIP on-sale begins on Tuesday, September 13th at 10am local time and CITI Presale is from Tuesday, September 13th at 10am local time to Thursday, September 15th at 10pm local time. Artist presale is from Tuesday, September 13th at 12pm local time to Thursday, September 15th at 10pm local time. Spotify presale and venue presale is from Thursday, September 15th 10am to 10pm local time. Public on-sale is on Friday, September 16th at 10am local time. Purchase tickets here: https://www.lindseystirling.com/

Stirling’s live performance is a force to be reckoned with. She’s performed for more than 800,000 people on her headline tours, and her co-headlining tour with Evanescence was named one of Live Nation’s best-selling amphitheater tours of 2018. The “unlikely music phenomena” (NYT) sold over 250k+ tickets
on her Christmas tours, and sold over 15k tickets for her live streamed Christmas special in 2021, which was seen by over 100,000 people.

Can we update that the 250k was just for her Annual christmas tour? Per above note: Also to clarify a few things, the 250k+ number for ticket sales is exclusive to just her Christmas shows! She’s sold over 1 million tickets across her career.

Lindsey’s new Christmas album Snow Waltz is out October 7th via Concord. Featuring eight classic covers and five original tracks, Snow Waltz delivers Stirling’s immersive arrangements and mesmerizing melodies but with a seasonal twist, featuring songs that promise to be the perfect soundtrack for the holiday season. The album’s first single “Ice Storm” is an original guitar-fueled and wildy rousing instrumental, which shines a new light on the multi-faceted musician’s rock-leaning sensibilities. Watch the “Ice Storm” video here: https://found.ee/LS_IceStormMusicVideo

The follow-up to her debut holiday album Warmer in the Winter — which earned a #1 spot on Billboard’s Holiday Albums Chart, and #1 on Amazon and iTunes Holiday Album Charts — Snow Waltz emerges as a singular new entry in the holiday-music canon, once again proving Stirling’s extraordinary gift as an instrumental storyteller.

Lindsey Stirling is an electronic violinist, dancer, and artist who has humbly become one of the 21st century’s most innovative stars. Her groundbreaking vision has gained her millions of adoring fans worldwide, four Billboard chart-topping albums, and two Billboard Music Awards including Top Dance/Electronic Album for her third studio release, Brave Enough. Her holiday album, Warmer in Winter, catapulted to the #1 spot on Billboard, Amazon and iTunes Holiday Album charts upon release and lead single “Carol of the Bells” made history as the only instrumental song ever to reach the Top 10 at AC Radio. Lindsey has amassed over 13.4 million subscribers, nearly 3.5 billion views on YouTube, 3.4 million followers on Tik Tok, and over 500k user generated creations across Tik Tok and Instagram reels. In addition to this, Forbes placed her at #4 on its 2015 World’s Top-Earning YouTube Stars list and her fifth-studio album, Artemis, debuted at #1 on the Dance/Electronic Album Chart.

YWCA of Asheville is a nonprofit organization working to bridge gaps in education, health, childcare, and earning power for women and families in the Asheville region. The mission of the YWCA of Asheville is to eliminate racism; empower women; and promote peace,  justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

The YWCA indoor pool hosts a comprehensive Aquatics Program with activities for all ages, abilities, and interests.

Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities 

• Join the fun in the pool as a swim assistant. Help children and adults learn the basics of floating, kicking, breathing, and diving.
• Support the Aquatics Program with behind-the-scenes administrative work or on-the-deck supervising

Time Commitment

• Flexible time commitment

Volunteer Requirements

• Background check

“LIFE ART LIFE William Bernstein 50 year retrospective” exhibition August 6-October 9, 2022 at the Toe River Arts’ Kokol Gallery, Spruce Pine, NC, features the paintings and glass of this artist who has been on the forefront of the studio glass movement.

Graduating 1968 from the Philadelphia College of Arts and just married, Bernstein moved to Penland School of Crafts to be their second glass resident artist from 1968-70. He was a co-founder of the Glass Arts Society (GAS) that formed to bring together the glass community so people could work together and learn from each other. Receiving numerous awards, fellowships and grants, he has exhibited internationally and has artwork in many private and public collections. Bernstein has lived most of his professional life in the rural Celo community of Yancey, North Carolina along with his family and artist wife, Katherine Bernstin. This retrospective provides a great opportunity for one to imagine a life surrounded by art.

This has been not only been a year-long process of curating pieces for an exhibit, but a lifetime of making art that connects with all things about one’s life. Bernstein’s work in glass and paint showcases just that: his family, his pets, friends, his environs, his moods and so much more. A life well-lived in creating art. More on Bernstein Glass www.bernsteinglass.com

William Warmus (A Fellow and former curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum), writes for the exhibition catalog, “Bernstein is a minimalist whose style is based upon the dedication to the concepts of honesty, modesty, and humility. It has a feel of its surroundings and of the people of the region.”

The Toe River Arts Kokol Gallery is located at 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine, NC 28777. The exhibition dates: August 6 – October 9, 2022. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10:30 – 5:00 pm. 828-765-0520, www.toeriverarts.org

Public receptions on Fridays: August 12 and October 7, both 5:00-7:00 PM. Artist gallery talk Friday, August 12, 4:00 pm. The exhibition travels to Cary Arts Center November 30 – January 21, 2023.

Coinciding with the United Nations’ Year 2022 as the Year of Glass and the 60th Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement, this has been made possible by Toe River Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Cary Art Center, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the Blumenthal Foundation, and Mountain Electronics in Micaville, NC.

Carolina Shine Moonshine Experience

TAKE A TRAIN RIDE ALONG SIDE THE BEAUTIFUL NANTAHALA RIVER ON OUR NANTAHALA GORGE EXCURSION! DEPARTING FROM BRYSON CITY, THIS 4½ HOUR ROUNDTRIP EXCURSION CARRIES YOU 44 MILES TO THE NANTAHALA GORGE AND BACK AGAIN ARRIVING AT OUR BRYSON CITY DEPOT.

Ride this excursion via Steam or Diesel locomotive power!

Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains while traveling along the Tennessee and Nantahala (nan-tuh-HAY-luh) River. The historic trellis bridge Fontana Trestle takes you across Fontana Lake and into the beautiful Nantahala Gorge. Onboard dining is available in First Class Seating and selecting from our  First Class Dinning menu options OR you can pre-purchase a box lunch option to make this an amazing unique moving dining experience. Arrive at our layover destination in the heart of the Nantahala Gorge for a one-hour layover where you can relax by the river or enjoy sightseeing!

Tracey Morgan Gallery is pleased to present Uncharted, a joint exhibition by multiple-disciplinary artists Georgia Deal and Tom Ashcraft. Incorporating both individual and collaborative works, the exhibition will in-clude wooden and cast bronze boat sculptures, prints on hand-made paper, and photographs, all centered around ideas of physical and psychological transitions.

The isolation of the pandemic and the ensuing global geo-political tumult compelled Deal and Ashcraft to re-examine their studio practices. The individual and collaborative works in this exhibition reference a liminal space, that transitional point between “what was” and “what’s next.”

For Deal, the pandemic afforded time to examine ideas of solitude and anticipation and her work echoes the imagery brought on by that period of stasis. Ashcraft’s sculptures, selected versions from his collection of 200+ handmade wooden boats, gather ideas of migration, observation, scale, and object-making. Their col-laborative piece, Uncharted, undertakes these overlapping themes, dealing with both the psychic and antici-patory nature of movement, especially when that movement is only possible through imagination

Deal and Ashcraft each conduct significant individual studio practices and have been committed to the ethic of collaborative art for over 35 years. They are core members of Workingman Collective, founded in 2005 as a cooperative group of artists and other professionals whose membership and objectives evolve to fit each new project. They are interested in process, invention, chance, and the public.

Georgia Deal is Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Printmaking and Papermaking Program at the Corcoran School of Art & Design of George Washington University in Washington DC. Her work is in multiple collections including the Philadelphia Museum, the Library of Congress, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and Yale University Library. She currently lives in Asheville, NC and is proprietor of the papermaking studio, Swannanoa Paper.

Tom Ashcraft’s diverse practice is rooted in object-making, public and participatory artwork. He and Work-ingman Collective have exhibited and produced work in the U.S., Europe, the Caribbean and Africa. Awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Design Grant and a Ford Foundation Fellowship, among others. He recently completed a student / artist collaborative work “Public Practice” which was a three-year course focused on creating two permanent artworks for the US Embassy in Niamey, Niger, commissioned by Art in Embassies, US Department of State. Ashcraft is currently based in Asheville, North Carolina and is the MFA Director and Distinguished Professor at the School of Art + Design, Western Carolina University.

Maurice is hosting our Wednesday Fika outside at Summit Coffee in the River Arts District.

** You must bring your own chair, and bring a hat or visor for the sun **

We meet outside in the grassy area, usually around the side of the building. Exit from the rear of the coffee shop, go left and walk towards the wall with the mural and look for the group. If you don’t see a group, walk to the two tall trees and look behind them. If you exit from the front, turn right and look around the side of the building.

There is adequate parking around Summit and in other sections of the Foundation area.

Please do not bring outside beverages or food.

Always check meetup.com or your email the morning of the event in case it is a rainy day and the meetup must be rescheduled.

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge features a selection of functional silver works by Dodge drawn from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator, this exhibition will be on view in the Debra McClinton Gallery at the Museum from February 23 through October 17, 2022.

William Waldo Dodge Jr. (Washington, DC 1895–1971 Asheville, NC) moved to Asheville in 1924 as a trained architect and a newly skilled silversmith. When he opened for business promoting his handwrought silver tableware, including plates, candlesticks, flatware (spoons, forks, and knives), and serving dishes, he did so in a true Arts and Crafts tradition. The aesthetics of the style were dictated by its philosophy: an artist’s handmade creation should reflect their hard work and skill, and the resulting artwork should highlight the material from which it was made. Dodge’s silver often displayed his hammer marks and inventive techniques, revealing the beauty of these useful household goods.

The Arts and Crafts style of England became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Asheville was an early adopter of the movement because of the popularity and abundance of Arts and Crafts architecture in neighborhoods like Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and the area around The Grove Park Inn. The title of this exhibition was taken from the famous quotation by one of the founding members of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, who said, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Not only did Dodge follow this suggestion; he contributed to American Arts and Crafts silver’s relevancy persisting almost halfway into the 20th century.

“It has been over 15 years since the Museum exhibited its collection of William Waldo Dodge silver and I am looking forward to displaying it in the new space with some new acquisitions added,” said Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

The Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) invites you to join us for the second event in our special four-part Hikes With A Historian series where we explore the stories of several local cemeteries. Register for individual events, or all four at a discount. The first tour, Wednesday, September 14 from 11AM – 12:30PM takes place in Asheville’s Newton Academy and South Asheville cemeteries.

In the early-to-mid 1800s, people enslaved by the Smith and McDowell families began burying their loved ones in what today is known as the South Asheville Cemetery. There were over 2,000 individuals laid to rest in this cemetery, which closed to burials in 1943, though only about 100 graves are marked. Join WNCHA Executive Director Anne Chesky Smith on a tour that begins at the Smith-McDowell House, WNCHA’s facility, to learn about the lives of the people who were forced to work for the family. The tour will then proceed to Fernihurst Mansion to see the original burial site of the Smith matriarch and patriarch before viewing their present-day graves in the nearby Newton Academy Cemetery. The tour will end at South Asheville Cemetery. Chesky Smith will share stories of the emancipated Avery and Bailey families alongside the Smith and McDowell families who enslaved them and speak to how the lives of these families were intertwined long after the end of the Civil War. The tour requires some walking on uneven terrain – less than .5 miles.

Meet: 10:45AM at the Big Ivy Community Center (540 Dillingham Rd, Barnardsville, NC 28709

• We will carpool from the community center to the nearby Absalom Dillingham Cemetery (.75 miles away)

Hike Length: approximately .25 miles (easy difficulty)

What to Bring: Water, snacks, comfortable and sturdy shoes, weather appropriate clothing, any needed medications.

Rain Date: In the event of inclement weather, participants will be notified in advance, no later than 8PM the evening prior if the event is to be rescheduled. The alternate rain date will be rescheduled promptly.

• For single event – $10 for WNCHA members/$20 non-members.
• For Series: $20 WNCHA members/$35 non-members

We also have two no-cost, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise.

Note: Those registering for the series need only register once. You will be manually registered for the remaining events.

Hike Leader:

This outing is led by Trevor Freeman, WNCHA public programs director. He has an MA in American history and is interested in both Appalachian and environmental history. He is also wilderness first aid/CPR certified.

Covid Precautions:

• Please do not attend if you feel unwell or have been exposed to someone with Covid
• Social distancing is recommended when hiking and when the group is stopped

Passion begets passion, beauty begets beauty…..this is thought that is in professional photographer, Monica Stevenson’s, mind every moment she spends
at Red Bell Run. The photographs for this exhibition are inspired by Mary Adams, the owner of Red Bell Run, affection for and dedication to the animals and plants that thrive at her equine sanctuary.  As with much of Monica’s work, she leans heavily on her own collaborative spirit and the generous nature of her artistic partners–Preston Wainwright, floral designer, Thomas Ignatius and Sean Smith, both illustrative designers, to support some of the exhibit’s featured works. The resulting pictures included in this show, photographed with a large format digital camera and hand printed,  display an abundance of beautiful details– flowers, leaves, illustrations, textures, colors, dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, expressions, shapes, movement, fur, teeth, limbs–all the things that make up the natural world that is Red Bell Run.