Effective at 7 a.m. May 26, face coverings will be required for all individuals 12 years of age and older in all indoor public commercial facilities, including libraries and public transit. This follows a 4-3 vote along party lines by county commissioners May 21.

The face covering provision does not apply in the following places or situations:

• While eating in any restaurant.
• For reasons related to any individual’s medical condition, disability or religious beliefs.
• In private offices.
• In areas of retail establishments, businesses and restaurants that are not open to the public.
• When complying with directions of law enforcement officers.
• During any worship, religious and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.
• In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering when obtaining or rendering goods or services.

Guidelines for wearing a face covering include:

• It must cover both the mouth and nose.
• It must be snug.
• Don’t touch a face covering while wearing it or, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
• When removing, do so by lifting ear loops or ties without touching the front of mask or your face and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wash the face covering with soap and water regularly or in the washing machine with other clothes.
• Do not put a face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their own mask, or on children under 2 years of age.
• Do not use them as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or staying home when sick.

Please note: Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks has been postponed until July; however, the exhibit will have an extended schedule and will be open until November 1. We look forward to seeing you!

The Arboretum is excited to welcome back the widely popular traveling exhibit, Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks by Sean Kenney. Featuring 14 larger-than-life-size sculptures place created with nearly 500,000 LEGO Bricks, this family-friendly exhibit draws inspiration from the living world and combines art, play and science to create an inspiring intersection of education, entertainment and the environment. New sculptures include a 5-foot tall colorful peacock, giant dragonfly, bonsai tree and more!

– Great Smoky Mountains Railroad [GSMR] is excited to announce the return of passenger
train operations Thursday June 4, 2020. Our Model Train Museum and Gift Shop will also reopen on June 4,
2020. All entities will be operating under state and CDC recommendations. As we begin this process our top
priority remains the safeguard of our visitors, employees, and community.
As we prepare for the June 4 opening, passenger trains will be offering seating in our Open Air Gondolas,
Standard Coach, and Crown Class. Reservations must be pre-booked prior to arrival. First Class service will
temporarily be suspended until August 1. Food service will be limited to pre-ordered box lunches only. We will
be following all health and safety guidelines including social distancing and 6-feet of space between seating and
public areas.

For the protection and safety of our employees, community, and you as guests we are asking the
following:
• Book your reservation online or over the phone before arriving on property.
• Follow CDC and State health and safety guidelines.
• Please wear a face covering while at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad upon arriving in the parking lot and Bryson
City Depot and throughout your experience with us.
• Practice social distancing.
• Gatherings/Congregating should not exceed the stated maximum amount for area.
• Follow proper hand washing guidelines.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Stay home if you are ill or exhibiting symptoms of flu or COVID-19. We will work with you to cancel or reschedule
your reservations without penalty when done in advance.
• Be courteous in enclosed spaces and walkways.
• Be prepared with cashless payment methods.
• Remain seated in your assigned passenger coach during your round trip.
• In open seating areas do not sit in non-designated seating. Non-designated seating will be noted by tape or signage.
• Plan ahead for lunch service by pre-booking one of our freshly prepared box picnic lunch options.

In addition, our operating schedule for summer of 2020 has been altered, these changes can be found on our
website. Guests who currently hold reservations for cancelled trains or effected classes of seating will be
notified with the option of seating change, rescheduling, or cancelation, we will continue waiving all fees.
Guests may also call our reservations line at 1-800-872-4681 between the hours of 9AM to 5:00PM EST or
email us at [email protected]. Calls and emails will be answered in the order they are received.
Please remain patient with us as our call and email volume will increase.
We appreciate our patrons patience and are excited to see the return of a safe and prosperous 2020 railroad
season.

Every week day, Janet’s Planet gives children a daily dose of science and space topics from around the world.

FREE LUNCHES for anyone 18 years of age and under at the Ferguson Family YMCA. Simply drive up to our front door and let us know how many lunches you need, no questions asked.

For additional food for your family, pick up a FREE box of fresh produce at our Mobile Markets. Calendars are online at ymcawnc.org/nutritionprograms.

Join us daily, at 2:30pm, for a Keeper Check-In. We’ll visit with a different keeper every day for an exciting encounter with one of our amazing animals!

New Online Programming! Starting Monday, April 20, we’re launching online programming that anyone can enjoy! And even better – it’s all free! Find this content on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube! Mondays 11:00 am – My ACT Memory – the craziest, most wonderful, or unbelievable things that have happened at ACT 7:30 pm – Movie Monday! We’ll watch a movie together using Netflix Party! Tuesdays 11:00 am – ACT Reads: Storytime (for Young Children) 7:30 pm – Living Room Cabaret – A mini-concert from 3 local performers! Wednesdays Watch for our next e-newsletter! Thursdays 11:00 am – Backstage Pass with Amanda and Chanda 7:30 pm – Face With a Name: Brief Interviews with Fascinating People Fridays 11:00 am – ACT Reads: A Chapter at a Time (for Older Kids) 5:00 pm – #ACTHappyHour Watch Party on Facebook

LIVE on the “air” at WGWG.org on MONDAY nights 8PM. Listen in on your computer, android device or phone through WGWG.org.

Witness the magic of the Smokies fireflies from the comfort of your own home! Discover Life in America has partnered with Radim Schreiber to bring you an evening of beautiful fireflies. Learn about all things firefly from entomologist Will Kuhn, then see Radim’s gorgeous footage of synchronous, blue ghost, and other fireflies native to the Smokies region. Special introduction by Knoxville radio journalist Chrissy Keuper.
» Tune in Monday, June 1 at 8pm on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jneuOra3NvI
» FREE ($5 suggested donation): https://dlia.org/donate-now/
» See more fireflies at Radim Schreiber’s https://FireflyExperience.org

BMC @ THE MOVIES DRIVE-IN EXPERIENCE

In accordance with phase one of the Governor’s reopening orders, Brevard Music Center (BMC) will begin presenting Drive-In Movies on its campus starting Saturday night, May 30, 2020. The eight-film series is made possible by BMC with lead sponsors, PLATT and the Transylvania County Library Foundation. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the first featured film in the series. The films will be presented on weekends at 9 PM on a big screen in the parking lot adjacent to BMC’s Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium (WPA) in Brevard.  Ticket sales for this event will begin Tuesday, May 26 at 9 AM.

Future movie titles and and on-sale dates for the weekly film series will be announced soon.

BMC is also collaborating with the following community partners for the Drive-In Movies @ Brevard Music Center series: The Cindy Platt Boys & Girls Club of Transylvania County, Rise and Shine Freedom School, SAFE, Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas, Sharing House, Meals on Wheels, and Bread of Life. Volunteers from these participating non-profit organizations will be giving each car a free bag of popcorn and candy along with literature about their missions in the community. Brevard’s own Co-Ed Cinema is providing the popcorn, and Ingles Markets will provide free candy to patrons.

Drive-in enthusiasts will enjoy featured movies on a 30-foot screen coordinated and constructed by PLATT. Audio will occur via FM transmission to the moviegoer’s car radio. In order to minimize physical interactions, tickets can only be purchased ahead of time via this website, and a limit of 80 cars per showing will be allowed.

Ticket prices for each movie are only $15 per car. All tickets must be purchased in advance – up to 1 hour before show time. No tickets will be sold onsite at BMC, and there will be no box office access during any Drive-In Movies @ Brevard Music Center film presentation.

https://secure.brevardmusic.org/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=46747029-392C-4E6C-A362-4F8AF280F582&utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=3662c05937-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-3662c05937-131688489

Effective at 7 a.m. May 26, face coverings will be required for all individuals 12 years of age and older in all indoor public commercial facilities, including libraries and public transit. This follows a 4-3 vote along party lines by county commissioners May 21.

The face covering provision does not apply in the following places or situations:

• While eating in any restaurant.
• For reasons related to any individual’s medical condition, disability or religious beliefs.
• In private offices.
• In areas of retail establishments, businesses and restaurants that are not open to the public.
• When complying with directions of law enforcement officers.
• During any worship, religious and spiritual gatherings, funeral ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.
• In settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering when obtaining or rendering goods or services.

Guidelines for wearing a face covering include:

• It must cover both the mouth and nose.
• It must be snug.
• Don’t touch a face covering while wearing it or, if you do, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
• When removing, do so by lifting ear loops or ties without touching the front of mask or your face and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wash the face covering with soap and water regularly or in the washing machine with other clothes.
• Do not put a face covering on anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious or otherwise unable to remove their own mask, or on children under 2 years of age.
• Do not use them as a substitute for social distancing, hand washing or staying home when sick.

Please note: Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks has been postponed until July; however, the exhibit will have an extended schedule and will be open until November 1. We look forward to seeing you!

The Arboretum is excited to welcome back the widely popular traveling exhibit, Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks by Sean Kenney. Featuring 14 larger-than-life-size sculptures place created with nearly 500,000 LEGO Bricks, this family-friendly exhibit draws inspiration from the living world and combines art, play and science to create an inspiring intersection of education, entertainment and the environment. New sculptures include a 5-foot tall colorful peacock, giant dragonfly, bonsai tree and more!

– Great Smoky Mountains Railroad [GSMR] is excited to announce the return of passenger
train operations Thursday June 4, 2020. Our Model Train Museum and Gift Shop will also reopen on June 4,
2020. All entities will be operating under state and CDC recommendations. As we begin this process our top
priority remains the safeguard of our visitors, employees, and community.
As we prepare for the June 4 opening, passenger trains will be offering seating in our Open Air Gondolas,
Standard Coach, and Crown Class. Reservations must be pre-booked prior to arrival. First Class service will
temporarily be suspended until August 1. Food service will be limited to pre-ordered box lunches only. We will
be following all health and safety guidelines including social distancing and 6-feet of space between seating and
public areas.

For the protection and safety of our employees, community, and you as guests we are asking the
following:
• Book your reservation online or over the phone before arriving on property.
• Follow CDC and State health and safety guidelines.
• Please wear a face covering while at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad upon arriving in the parking lot and Bryson
City Depot and throughout your experience with us.
• Practice social distancing.
• Gatherings/Congregating should not exceed the stated maximum amount for area.
• Follow proper hand washing guidelines.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Stay home if you are ill or exhibiting symptoms of flu or COVID-19. We will work with you to cancel or reschedule
your reservations without penalty when done in advance.
• Be courteous in enclosed spaces and walkways.
• Be prepared with cashless payment methods.
• Remain seated in your assigned passenger coach during your round trip.
• In open seating areas do not sit in non-designated seating. Non-designated seating will be noted by tape or signage.
• Plan ahead for lunch service by pre-booking one of our freshly prepared box picnic lunch options.

In addition, our operating schedule for summer of 2020 has been altered, these changes can be found on our
website. Guests who currently hold reservations for cancelled trains or effected classes of seating will be
notified with the option of seating change, rescheduling, or cancelation, we will continue waiving all fees.
Guests may also call our reservations line at 1-800-872-4681 between the hours of 9AM to 5:00PM EST or
email us at [email protected]. Calls and emails will be answered in the order they are received.
Please remain patient with us as our call and email volume will increase.
We appreciate our patrons patience and are excited to see the return of a safe and prosperous 2020 railroad
season.