Calendar of Events

Did you know that the Development Services Department offers training opportunities for professional development? Classes are held at Wesley Grant Sr. South Center, 285 Livingston St, Asheville, NC 28801 (unless noted otherwise).

Below is a list of upcoming classes:

• Mechanical Code Class: Sept. 3 and 10, 1 to 4 p.m. (tentative dates). Cost: $65.
• National Electrical Code (NEC) Class for Contractors: Oct. 14-15, 6 to 10 p.m. Cost: $80.
• Electrical Journeyman Test: Oct. 15, 8 a.m. to noon. Cost: $50.
• Building Code Class: Nov. 5 and 12 (tentative dates), 1 to 4 p.m. Cost: $65.
• Plumbing Code Class: Dec. 3 and 10, 1 to 4 p.m. (tentative dates). Cost: $65.

You can’t beat a walk with a friend over good conversation. So, why not take a walk with lots of friends and a history expert to boot? Buncombe County Libraries is excited to announce its Strolling Through History program focused on getting you moving while taking in some experiential history. “Each one of the strolls is a little different. We’ll talk about the evolution of the architecture, famous (or not quite so famous) residents, important events, and more,” explains Pack Memorial Librarian Katherine Calhoun Cutshall. “On our Haywood Street stroll, we talked about how the street has seen two major rebirths and discussed the careers of two WWI nurses who grew up on the street while it was mostly residential.”

Pack Librarians are always looking for innovative ways to showcase the library’s portfolio of initiatives and resources. “The North Carolina Room is a hidden gem in our library system, so programs like Strolling Through History bring the collection to the streets of downtown while showing off resources and programs in a fun new way,” notes Katherine. And of course, exercising your muscles and social skills are important at any age

So, how can you get involved with the monthly Strolling Through History? There are two versions: one for elder adults and one for babies and their caregivers. If you’re interested in participating, the elder adults strolls are the third Friday of every month, and the babies and caretakers strolls are the third Wednesday of every month (except July). All strolls will meet at Pack Memorial Library at 10:30 a.m., and participants should wear comfortable shoes and bring water to stay hydrated. Registration is required. 

Come out and watch the game!

Buncombe County and the City of Asheville recognize the urgency of fighting climate change. Over the past 18 months, both the City of Asheville and Buncombe County have passed resolutions committing the city and county to power their government operations with 100% renewable energy by 2030 and for the entire county to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2042. Brownie Newman, Chair of the Buncombe County Commission, and Julie Mayfield of the Asheville City Council will talk about the city and county’s plans and initiatives to begin the process of meeting these goals. This event is free and open to the public.

You can’t beat a walk with a friend over good conversation. So, why not take a walk with lots of friends and a history expert to boot? Buncombe County Libraries is excited to announce its Strolling Through History program focused on getting you moving while taking in some experiential history. “Each one of the strolls is a little different. We’ll talk about the evolution of the architecture, famous (or not quite so famous) residents, important events, and more,” explains Pack Memorial Librarian Katherine Calhoun Cutshall. “On our Haywood Street stroll, we talked about how the street has seen two major rebirths and discussed the careers of two WWI nurses who grew up on the street while it was mostly residential.”

Pack Librarians are always looking for innovative ways to showcase the library’s portfolio of initiatives and resources. “The North Carolina Room is a hidden gem in our library system, so programs like Strolling Through History bring the collection to the streets of downtown while showing off resources and programs in a fun new way,” notes Katherine. And of course, exercising your muscles and social skills are important at any age

So, how can you get involved with the monthly Strolling Through History? There are two versions: one for elder adults and one for babies and their caregivers. If you’re interested in participating, the elder adults strolls are the third Friday of every month, and the babies and caretakers strolls are the third Wednesday of every month (except July). All strolls will meet at Pack Memorial Library at 10:30 a.m., and participants should wear comfortable shoes and bring water to stay hydrated. Registration is required. 

Join long-time composter and Master Gardener Intern, John Bowen, for a hands-on composting workshop. Participants will learn about cold- and hot-composting, ratios of green to brown, what can and cannot be composted, how to build a proper compost pile, trouble-shooting composting problems and so much more. This workshop will get you energized to start your own composting system at home.

The workshop will be held, rain or shine, on Sept. 7 at 10 am at Dr. John Wilson Community Garden, 99 White Pine Drive in Black Mountain. Please bring a hat, camping chair, and water. This hour long presentation is free and sponsored by Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library and Buncombe County Extension Master Garden Volunteers. We welcome you to be apart of our growing community! For any questions, contact Black Mountain Library 828-250-4756.

Attention all knights, pages, jesters, jousters, kings, queens, princesses and princes! Get your costumes ready, and come out and have some fun on September 7th! Boys, girls, moms, dads, come one, come all to the First Annual Renaissance Fair at the Farm. We have all sorts of fun demonstrations planned, such as fencing, sword fighting, and juggling. Other activities to be announced, including a costume contest!

Having a good story is one thing. Being able to organize your content and deliver it is another. Clarifying our message and presenting it with passion and confidence is crucial for engagement and success.

In this half-day workshop, participants will be guided through experiential and engaging activities on storytelling, delivery skills, performance tips and speech crafting.

Working in small groups and individually, attendees will have an opportunity to practice, hone and perform for each other. You’ll walk away with applicable tools for a winning presentation.

Come prepared with a 3-minute, written presentation about your organization. During the workshop with Barrie, you will have an opportunity to hone your content, practice applying delivery skills to your presentation and perform it for a small group of other attendees.

Instructor Barrie Barton:
Whether it is through delivering your signature speech, pitching an idea to potential clients or performing your authentic stories, Barrie Barton is dedicated to the art of personal and professional engagement, communication and expression.  Through the empowering tools of presentation skills, stories and messages that matter, Barrie guides clients to discover and transform their true confidence, amplify their personal presence, powerfully deliver their message so they may flourish though positive engagement in the world. As the founder and lead facilitator of Stand and Deliver Asheville, a presence-based public speaking and communication skills coaching program for professionals, organizations and entrepreneurs, Barrie combine’s highly developed and insightful perspectives of body language, presentation mastery and adult learning methods with a talent and passion to motivate and encourage clients to reach their finest potential.

Did you know that the Development Services Department offers training opportunities for professional development? Classes are held at Wesley Grant Sr. South Center, 285 Livingston St, Asheville, NC 28801 (unless noted otherwise).

Below is a list of upcoming classes:

• Mechanical Code Class: Sept. 3 and 10, 1 to 4 p.m. (tentative dates). Cost: $65.
• National Electrical Code (NEC) Class for Contractors: Oct. 14-15, 6 to 10 p.m. Cost: $80.
• Electrical Journeyman Test: Oct. 15, 8 a.m. to noon. Cost: $50.
• Building Code Class: Nov. 5 and 12 (tentative dates), 1 to 4 p.m. Cost: $65.
• Plumbing Code Class: Dec. 3 and 10, 1 to 4 p.m. (tentative dates). Cost: $65.

Learn how to turn food scraps and livestock wastes into a clean, renewable source of cooking gas for your home or homestead. Biogas or methane digesters are used in rural communities throughout the world to provide burnable fuel where natural gas is either unpredictable or isn’t readily available.

Richard Freudenberger of Living Web Farms will walk participants through the process of converting kitchen scraps, garden discards, culls, and animal manures into methane-rich gas that can be used in place of natural gas or propane for a wide variety of applications on or off-grid. With every two pounds of organic material (including fats and meats), the farm’s home-scale biogas digester can produce about an hour’s worth of gas through the continuous action of anerobic bacteria, leaving behind a nutrient-rich liquid tea. By the end of the class, participants will understand how the process works, what materials are needed to produce and process the biogas, how to safely maintain a biogas system, what to expect from production throughout the year, and how to use the gas in various lights and appliances. Both commercial kits and home-built systems will be discussed to give attendees a wide range of opportunity to create their own systems.

You can’t beat a walk with a friend over good conversation. So, why not take a walk with lots of friends and a history expert to boot? Buncombe County Libraries is excited to announce its Strolling Through History program focused on getting you moving while taking in some experiential history. “Each one of the strolls is a little different. We’ll talk about the evolution of the architecture, famous (or not quite so famous) residents, important events, and more,” explains Pack Memorial Librarian Katherine Calhoun Cutshall. “On our Haywood Street stroll, we talked about how the street has seen two major rebirths and discussed the careers of two WWI nurses who grew up on the street while it was mostly residential.”

Pack Librarians are always looking for innovative ways to showcase the library’s portfolio of initiatives and resources. “The North Carolina Room is a hidden gem in our library system, so programs like Strolling Through History bring the collection to the streets of downtown while showing off resources and programs in a fun new way,” notes Katherine. And of course, exercising your muscles and social skills are important at any age

So, how can you get involved with the monthly Strolling Through History? There are two versions: one for elder adults and one for babies and their caregivers. If you’re interested in participating, the elder adults strolls are the third Friday of every month, and the babies and caretakers strolls are the third Wednesday of every month (except July). All strolls will meet at Pack Memorial Library at 10:30 a.m., and participants should wear comfortable shoes and bring water to stay hydrated. Registration is required. 

Come out and watch the game!

Instructor Dr. Todd Creasy discusses Six Sigma and Lean processes and the major differences between the two.

How to present yourself with poise
First impressions matter! Does the thought of introducing yourself make you nervous? Perhaps you aren’t quite sure what you should do or say? In the first part of this workshop, you’ll learn how to “meet and greet” with ease. We’ll explore the powerful nonverbal cues that signal confidence and credibility. You’ll also develop and practice a 30-second “elevator pitch” that can be tailored to a variety of situations. Making a positive first impression sets the stage for future success.

How to present your ideas with confidence
We don’t know if women are actually more scared of public speaking than men are, but we do know that women are more likely to express fears of public speaking. In the second half of this workshop, you’ll develop your command of the verbal, vocal and visual elements of public speaking. You’ll explore the power of storytelling, and build your speaking presence by developing and delivering a two-minute story.

Designed for women, our Powerful Women workshops provide a safe and supportive environment for women to freely share concerns, take risks and support each other through lively group interaction and constructive feedback.

To ensure ample opportunity for group exercises and presentation practice, enrollment is limited to 20 people.

Instructor: Dr. Betty Farmer

You can’t beat a walk with a friend over good conversation. So, why not take a walk with lots of friends and a history expert to boot? Buncombe County Libraries is excited to announce its Strolling Through History program focused on getting you moving while taking in some experiential history. “Each one of the strolls is a little different. We’ll talk about the evolution of the architecture, famous (or not quite so famous) residents, important events, and more,” explains Pack Memorial Librarian Katherine Calhoun Cutshall. “On our Haywood Street stroll, we talked about how the street has seen two major rebirths and discussed the careers of two WWI nurses who grew up on the street while it was mostly residential.”

Pack Librarians are always looking for innovative ways to showcase the library’s portfolio of initiatives and resources. “The North Carolina Room is a hidden gem in our library system, so programs like Strolling Through History bring the collection to the streets of downtown while showing off resources and programs in a fun new way,” notes Katherine. And of course, exercising your muscles and social skills are important at any age

So, how can you get involved with the monthly Strolling Through History? There are two versions: one for elder adults and one for babies and their caregivers. If you’re interested in participating, the elder adults strolls are the third Friday of every month, and the babies and caretakers strolls are the third Wednesday of every month (except July). All strolls will meet at Pack Memorial Library at 10:30 a.m., and participants should wear comfortable shoes and bring water to stay hydrated. Registration is required. 

Friday Night- 6:30-8:30pm, Full Retreat (9/13 and 9/14)- 9:30am-5:30pm

Based his new book, Drinking from the River of Light, this Mark Nepo workshop will center on the lifelong process of listening, reflecting, and expressing, and on how bearing witness to the truth of living reveals the mysteries of life.

As no one can live without inhaling and exhaling, no one can live without feeling and expressing. The life of expression is how the heart breathes and how our spirit grows in the life that carries it. The life of feeling, dialogue, and writing, whatever form they take—poetry, story, memoir, or reflection—open us to a personal form of expression, a necessary conversation with the Universe that helps us move through obstacles and transitions. As meditation is an ancient art that deepens our relationship to how we breathe, writing and storytelling are ancient arts that deepen our relationship to all that matters. And just as the reward for practicing meditation is not that we’ll become great breathers but that we’ll become clear vessels of life-force, the reward for practicing a personal form of expression is not that we’ll become great writers or great storytellers but that such practice will help us be more resilient and wake closer to life.

In this Mark Nepo workshop, Mark will open a heart space through which participants can discover their own rhythms of expression. Through poetry, stories, and metaphors, Through reflection, journaling, and dialogue, each participant will have the chance to practice listening and expressing. We are constantly being shaped by life into finer instruments of care and expression. The deeper we go, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. This workshop will help you to inhabit a personal form of expression, by which you can strengthen your connections and find your way.

Topics in this Mark Nepo workshop include “The Chord in Our Heart,” “What It Means to See,” “Bearing Witness,” “Unraveling the Self,” “Giving and Getting Attention,” “Breaking Surface,” “Understanding Practice,” and “Fitting Things Together.”

Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for forty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published fourteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes: Reduced to Joy (2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen which won the 2012 Books for a Better Life Award, Staying Awake (2012), Holding Nothing Back (2012), As Far As the Heart Can See (2011), Finding Inner Courage (2011),and Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (2007), as well as audio books of The Book of Awakening, Finding Inner Courage, and As Far As the Heart Can See (2011). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.