Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Jack of the Wood : Sunday-Irish Session
Sundays
1 till who knows when?
Traditional Irish music is kept alive at Jack of the Wood with our unplugged Sunday session.
Jack of the Wood
95 Patton ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 252.5445
On Sunday, April 3, from 3-5pm ET, Serena Yang will kick off National Poetry Month. Serena is the New York City Youth Poet Laureate and a Finalist for the 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate. Her workshop aims to engage youth to express themselves through poetry and is best suited for ages 15-25.
It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Zoom for the virtual connection.
Serena was born in Singapore and raised in Queens, she is a first-generation Chinese American immigrant, and her work reflects her myriad identities. She performed at the 2021 NYC COVID Memorial Ceremony alongside the New York City Mayor & The NY Philharmonic, and has appeared on NPR as well as in the Washington Post and the New Yorker Magazine. She approaches art in all its mediums as the fire, fuel and food for change, and believes imagination and storytelling are critical to writing.
Our final event on April 3 will showcase a unique theatrical experience with Asheville’s The Magnetic Theatre. The Magnetic Theatre seeks to connect Asheville audiences to original, artist-driven theatre. They support emerging local playwrights and produce exciting work that has not been seen in this region.
Join us for the 3rd Annual Lenten Arts Series sponsored by All Souls Cathedral Arts Commission. All events will be held live in the sanctuary and live streamed via Facebook, YouTube, and our website beginning at 4 p.m. There is no admission fee, but donations are encouraged with all proceeds given to the artists. The series is sponsored by The Cathedral Arts Commission
No More Waiting Addresses Worker Struggles The Cathedral of All Souls hosts The Magnetic Theatre’s newest original work
No More Waiting is inspired by the struggles currently affecting our country’s workers, and created by the ensemble under the direction of Dakota Mann. The show features original vignettes devised and performed by Bill Chameides, Will Commerford, Christine Hellman, Dakota Mann, Daniel Sandoval, Kai Strange, Laura Walton, and Hannah Williams.
• 1-2 shifts: Event t-shirt
• 3 shifts: Event t-shirt + one appreciation party invite
• 4+ shifts: Event t-shirt + two appreciation party invites
• 4+ shifts, including at least one late shift: Event t-shirt + two VIP appreciation party invites
• Volunteers also receive beverage tokens to use after shifts (when applicable)
WORTHAM CENTER PRESENTS
The Opera Locos
Five eccentric opera singers take the stage for an unforgettable (and unexpectedly hilarious) evening of physical comedy and repertoire from the greatest composers of their genre. Taking some of the most well-known operatic hits — music from The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Turandot and more — and combining them with a bit of clownery and well-known pop classics. Throughout the performance, this eclectic ensemble reveals their hidden passions, personalities and desires, many of which bring about unpredictable and often side-splitting consequences. This fresh and original take on opera brings a new perspective to the art form, while, at the same time, maintaining the international high standards for technique and artistic discipline.
The Opera Locos was awarded the Best Musical at the Max Awards for the Performing Arts in 2019. The Max Awards are considered to be the most important performing arts awards in Spain, comparable to the Tony Awards.
FULLY SEATED SHOW
Daniel Rossen knew there was a lot to learn if he was finally going to finish his debut solo album. For nearly two decades, Rossen had been a crucial component of Grizzly Bear, the era-epitomizing act whose shared harmonies and interlaced textures meant he was responsible for only part of a whole.
But Rossen left the close-knit nest of Brooklyn many years ago, first for an isolated patch of land in upstate New York and then for the high desert climes of Santa Fe. The whole, as it were, was now his. So Rossen bought an upright bass (one of his instruments as a kid) and played all the parts himself, along with the cello. Best known as a guitarist, he took up woodwinds, too, buying several cheap student models and learning just enough to understand the rudiments. And then, largely at home in Santa Fe, he slowly built the world that is You Belong There, a riveting 10-song reintroduction to a voice that sounds both entirely familiar and fully reenergized by the act of unfettered expression.
For all the benefits of being in a successful band, individuality is not always one of them. Impulses are subsumed by the organization; choices are bound in compromise. As formative as Rossen’s experiences in Grizzly Bear were, he recognized what was lost in that equation or even the contemporaneous and often-playful duo Department of Eagles. His 2012 EP, Silent Hour/Golden Mile, felt like pure energetic effusion, a welcome declaration of self soon after Rossen left the city. Like a slow-motion magpie, he gathered more ideas of his own there, sometimes living with and turning over a riff or a melody for years while embracing the routines of rural life and, eventually, the adventures of parenthood. Self-reliance became a way of life, a mode of mature expression.
That is the landscape surrounding You Belong There, Rossen’s sophisticated and visceral consideration of what comes after the restless enthusiasm and public fanfare of your 20s and early 30s. These songs explore the personally uncharted territory of adulthood, including the troubles left behind and the possibilities that wait ahead.
Rising from a solitary acoustic guitar into a tense orchestral tangle in miniature, “I’ll Wait for Your Visit” reckons with a family history of what he calls “unbridgeable distance,” of feeling perpetually out of place. Exquisite but urgent, “The Last One” turns to look back at the uneasiness of youth and then ahead to recognize that strength can be swapped for stability. The dashing “Unpeopled Space” reflects Rossen’s time in upstate New York, where he built a life amid wilderness that always tried to close in around him. However futile could feel, it was “our work for work’s sake,” as he sings over strings he mostly learned to play for the occasion and harmonies that shift like a series of interconnected see-saws. In their way, these are the true coming-of-age anthems, testaments to the
value of continuous growth.
Rossen long studied jazz and classical music, developing the sort of craftsperson’s skills that were so apparent in every intricate fold of his former projects. But there is an unfussy hardiness to You Belong There, plus a punchiness supplied by his newfound self-sovereignty. It’s there in the roiling piano and clattering drums (played by Chris Bear, one of very few guests here) and gnarled guitar of “Tangle,” a
broken waltz that arrives in multiple mighty waves. It’s there in the skittering rhythms and darting strings and winds of “Shadow in the Frame,” a tremendous and riveting contemplation of mortality amid the ancient and enchanting landscape of the American Southwest. It’s there in the deceptive simplicity and keyhole dynamics of opener “It’s a Passage,” a magnetic tune whose scenes of wintry idyll and existential confusion perfectly suit its velvet-gloved power. These songs balance finesse and force without compromising either — or anything at all, for that matter.
When Rossen talks about the music he has made, even that of You Belong There, he is appreciably modest, perhaps to the point of self-deprecation. But after a lifetime in the making, the 44 minutes of his debut LP crackle with the resolve and assuredness of a musician empowered by the act of sounding only like himself. There is turmoil, woe, anxiety, and frailty bound up in these songs, feelings we inevitably navigate as we age. But there is also the ineffable splendor of self-expression, a thrill reserved for those bold enough to pursue it. “Can you see me now?” Rossen sings slowly near the end of the title track, marveling at each syllable as though it were some previously unknown treasure.
At last, absolutely.
Suzanne Santo has never been afraid to blur the lines. A tireless creator, she’s built her sound in the grey area between Americana, Southern-gothic soul, and forward-thinking rock & roll. It’s a sound that nods to her past — a childhood spent in the Rust Belt; a decade logged as a member of the L.A.-based duo HoneyHoney; the acclaimed solo album, Ruby Red, that launched a new phase of her career in 2017; and the world tour that took her from Greece to Glastonbury as a member of Hozier’s band — while still exploring new territory. With Yard Sale, Santo boldly moves forward, staking her claim once again as an Americana innovator. It’s an album inspired by the past, written by an artist who’s only interested in the here-and-now. And for Suzanne Santo, the here-and-now sounds pretty good.
Yard Sale, her second release as a solo artist, finds Santo in transition. She began writing the album while touring the globe with Hozier — a gig that utilized her strengths not only as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, but as a road warrior, too. “We never stopped,” she says of the year-long trek, which often found her pulling double-duty as Hozier’s opening act and bandmate. “Looking back, I can recognize how much of a game-changer it was. It raised my musicianship to a new level. It truly reshaped my career.”
Songs like “Fall For That” were written between band rehearsals, with Santo holing herself up in a farmhouse on the rural Irish coast. Others were finished during bus rides, backstage writing sessions, and hotel stays. Grateful for the experience but eager to return to her solo career, she finished her run with Hozier, joining the band for one final gig — a milestone performance at Glastonbury, with 60,000 fans watching — before flying home to Los Angeles. Within three days, she was back in the studio, working with producer John Spiker on the most compelling album of her career.
Santo didn’t remain in Los Angeles for very long. Things had changed since she released 2017’s Ruby Red, an album produced by Butch Walker and hailed by Rolling Stone for its “expansion of her Americana roots.” She’d split up with her longtime partner. Her old band, HoneyHoney, was on hiatus. Feeling lonely in her own home, Santo infused songs like “Common Sense” and “Idiot” with achingly gorgeous melodies and woozy melancholia. She then got the hell out, moving to Austin — a city whose fingerprints are all over Yard Sale, thanks to appearances by hometown heroes like Shakey Graves and Gary Clark Jr. — and falling in love all over again. Throughout it all, Santo continued writing songs, filling Yard Sale with the ups and downs of a life largely spent on the run.
“I moved so much, both emotionally and physically, while making this record,” she says. “I dropped my band, joined a world tour, came back home, went through a heartbreak, moved across the country, and fell in love with someone else. I just kept marching forward. Throughout that experience, there was this emotional unpacking of sorts. A shedding of baggage. I’ve gotten good at knowing what I need to keep holding onto and what I don’t.”
If yard sales represent a homeowner’s purging of old possessions in order to clear up some much-needed room, then Yard Sale marks the moment where Suzanne Santo makes peace with her past and embraces a better, bolder present. Musically, she’s at the top of her game, writing her own string arrangements and singing each song an agile, acrobatic voice. On “Since I’ve Had Your Love,” she bridges the gap between indie-rock and neo-soul, punctuating the song’s middle stretch with a cinematic violin solo. She mixes gospel influences with a deconstructed R&B beat on “Over and Over Again,” recounts some hard-learned lessons with the folk-rock anthem “Mercy,” and drapes “Bad Beast” with layers of spacey, atmospheric electric guitar. Shakey Graves contributes to “Afraid of Heights,” a rainy-day ballad driven forward by a metronomic drum pattern, and Gary Clark Jr. punctuates the guitar-driven “Fall For That” with fiery fretwork.
“This is like one of those yard sales where there’s something for everybody,” Santo says. “You want a crockpot or a racquetball paddle? A duvet cover? I’ve got it.” On a more serious note, she adds, “But I’ve also gotten into the emotional concept of what a yard sale really is, too. This record is about the things I’ve left behind and the things I’ve holding onto. I was broken up with while writing the record. I fell in love again while writing the record. And I learned to fearlessly follow my gut, in all places of my life, while making this record.”
You can’t blame Suzanne Santo from looking back once in awhile. Raised in Parma, OH, she was scouted as a model and actress at 14 years old, spent her summer vacations working in locations like Tokyo, and later moved to New York City, where she attended the Professional Children’s School alongside classmates like Jack Antonoff and Scarlett Johansson. Moving to Los Angeles in her late teens, she formed HoneyHoney and released three albums with the duo, working with top-shelf Americana labels like Lost Highway and Rounder Records along the way. Working with Butch Walker on 2017’s Ruby Red resulted in an offer to join Walker’s touring band, followed one year later by a similar request from Hozier.
“It’s a rollercoaster, and I’ve been strapped in pretty good,” she says. “I’ve been riding it out.”
Foundation Woodworks announces the 2nd Annual Turned and Carved Wood Bowl Exhibition and Sale
River Arts District – Asheville, NC
April 1 – 30, 2022
During the month of April, Foundation Woodworks will feature work from a dozen local and regional wood turning and hand carved wood artisans. In conjunction with the show, the Gallery will offer a 10% discount on select turnings, as well as, turned and hand carved bowls.
Work will be featured from Warren Carpenter (bowls), Seneca, SC, Cris Bifaro (bowls and hollow forms) West Asheville, Bill Wanezek (pedestal bowls) Burnsville, Anne Henschel (bowls and vessels) Asheville, Bill and Tina Collison (embellished bowls) Unicoi, TN, Gary Bills (bowls and platters) Zirconia, Allen Davis and Mike Juett – Winchester Woodworks (segmented bowls) Waynesville, Paul Eisenhauer (hand-carved bowls) Burnsville, Greg Schramek (bowls and other turnings) Weaverville, Ryan Hairgrove – Rugged Woods (large bowls) Lexington, NC, Jo Miller (bowls) Asheville.
Spring is a good time to celebrate local artists – Come and see beautiful turned and carved work by a talented set of local woodworkers at Foundation Woodworks.
The gallery at Foundation Woodworks is open 7 days a week.
Monday – Saturday 11-5, Sunday 12-5.
17 Foundy Street, Asheville, NC
[email protected]
www.foundationwoodworks.com
Instagram: @foundationwoodworks
- Bricks-And-Mortar
- Public Education
- Planning, Survey and Designation
Kate Coleman is the Asheville Gallery of Art’s featured artist for the month of April. Visitors to the gallery will have the entire month to view her outstanding acrylic-on-wood paintings of nature. “Avian Skies” will run from April 1st to April 30th.
April is a lovely month. Winter has passed, the transformation of Spring is upon us, and warmer days are ahead. The fresh skies of Spring flaunt beautiful clouds and ominous storms in the distance. “The colors of paint that I choose are warm and bright, echoing the Spring colors that are emerging in nature. In creating this body of work, I focused on birds and the amazing skies of Spring.”
Kate Coleman can’t remember a time when she wasn’t an artist. “I believe that all children are artists, and I never grew out of it.” After Kate received her degree in Fine Art, she went on to design and create a studio pottery line with her husband. Upon discovery that she and her daughter share a passion for painting, Kate began her newest creative journey. She began on this path of mixed-media due to her passion for nature and her love of painting, and through this journey, she has found herself immersed in painting her unique portraits of birds and nature.
Defining them by more than simple appearance, Kate goes further by layering information, sourced by vintage books and maps, onto each specific piece. She searches used bookstores to find vintage books on birds and nature, and using the pages to apply visual texture to her paints, she applies more information specifically to each piece. The result is a very unique combination of visual texture and defining text, which presents a unique work. Her painted portraits of birds and nature are completed in acrylic paint on wood panels, and she often creates frames that further identify and explain each piece. Giving a warmth and light to each piece she creates, she attempts to reveal the true character of each distinctive image.
Kate’s painting of “The Peacock” is mixed media, acrylic, feathers, and book pages on wood. “I love the dramatic opening of the peacock’s feathers. This unique bird brings beauty to the world.”
“The Tanagers” is a 24 X 52 piece in mixed media, acrylic, book pages and wood. “The male and female Scarlet Tanagers’ differences in color intrigues me. I truly enjoy spotting this beautiful bird from time to time.”
On “Sunset in the Blue Ridge Mountains”, a work in acrylic, “This is a common scene from my home – the Red-Tailed Hawk with mobbing crows. Sunsets here are striking and each one is unique.”
Visitors to the Asheville Gallery of Art will be able to view Kate’s show from April 1st through April 30th in downtown Asheville, NC. Kate will be present for a special event on First Friday, April 1st, to meet the artist from 5pm-8pm.
In response to statewide demand for healthcare
professionals, Blue Ridge Community College announced today an
expansion of the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program. The hands-on
nursing education program added 20 seats, now serving up to 74 students
each year. ADN students learn from highly qualified faculty in state-of-the-art
simulation labs at the College’s Health Science Center in Hendersonville or
Transylvania County Campus in Brevard. Blue Ridge is actively accepting
applications for qualified students. Scholarships and tuition assistance are
available, and more details can be found at http://blueridge.edu/nursing.
“Blue Ridge Community College’s team of experienced and compassionate
instructors plays a vital role in preparing aspiring nurses for jobs today and in
the future,” said AdventHealth Hendersonville Chief Nursing Officer Maureen
Dzialo, MS, RN, NE-BC. “They help students in our local community find
rewarding careers with endless possibilities for advancement. AdventHealth
values their exceptional program and the students that graduate from Blue
Ridge.”
Graduates of the two-year program are prepared and eligible to take the
National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to become registered
nurses and provide hands-on care in a variety of health care settings. In 2021,
Blue Ridge students’ first-time pass rate for this exam was 96%.
“Pardee UNC Health Care is proud to partner with Blue Ridge Community
College to help train the next generation of nurses,” said Carol Stefaniak, DNP,
RN, NE-BC, VP Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Pardee UNC
Health Care. “Their nursing program graduates are of the highest caliber year
after year, and as we work to recruit a qualified workforce while facing a
national shortage of nurses, we are grateful to Blue Ridge for actively working
to fill that pipeline.”
Educating and training the next generation of nursing professionals is a crucial
step toward meeting the needs of area residents. It also positions the
workforce to respond to increasing demand for healthcare workers.
Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 2.6 million
healthcare occupation jobs will be added between 2020 and 2030.
“Nursing is a rewarding profession that aligns the passion to make a difference
in our community with the desire for a dependable career path,” said Blue
Ridge Community College Dean of Health Sciences Leigh Angel, MSN, RN. “As
essential members of the interdisciplinary healthcare team, nurses use expert
knowledge and clinical reasoning to manage complex care needs – all while
compassionately caring for others during each stage of life.
Buncombe County is seeking project ideas to help the community recover from and respond to COVID-19 and its negative economic impacts. Nonprofits and public organizations can submit projects now for consideration to be funded by federal COVID Recovery Funding. This is the second Request for Proposals issued by the County as part of COVID Recovery Funding, which Buncombe County was allocated $50.7M through the American Rescue Plan Act. So far, the county has awarded $23.1M to 27 projects, leaving $27.6 M available still to award.
Buncombe County Commissioners have selected ten categories for this round of proposals:
- Affordable Housing
- Aging/Older Adults
- Business Support/Economic Development
- Environment/Climate
- Homelessness
- K-12 Education
- Infrastructure and/or Broadband
- Mental Health/Substance Use
- NC Pre-K Expansion
- Workforce
If you are interested in applying, the deadline is Tuesday, April 12 at noon. Learn more here.
The county is also holding a workshop that will help you better understand what projects the County is looking to fund and best practices on creating a successful application. Learn more about the scope of projects Buncombe County is looking for and have a chance to ask questions. All questions and responses from the session will be posted in the form of an addendum, and a recording of the session will be published.
The virtual funding workshop will be held on Monday, March 14 from 1:30-3 p.m. Register here.
As part of the East Asheville Library’s LEED certification, the library has two level 2 (240 volt/30 amp) electric car chargers and special parking spots for both electric and other clean air vehicles, such as hybrids. The chargers add about 25 miles of range per hour of charge time and should be able to charge all types of electric vehicles. Tesla vehicles do require an adapter that comes with the vehicle when purchased.
These features are part of Buncombe County’s long-term plan for sustainable and eco-friendly facilities. To learn more about the Library’s LEED certification, stop by the library and ask for more information.
Think you might need to use an absentee ballot for the Primary Election on May 17? Here’s what you need to know so you can make sure your vote counts.
How to Request an Absentee Ballot
Absentee ballots will be mailed out beginning on March 28. The deadline to submit an Absentee Ballot Request Form is May 10 at 5:00 p.m. for the 2022 Primary Election. Any North Carolina registered voter may request, receive, and vote a mail-in absentee ballot. No special circumstance or reason is needed. Registered voters in North Carolina must request an absentee ballot with an official N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form. There are two ways to access and submit the form:
- Online – Request an Absentee Ballot at the N.C. Absentee Ballot Portal.
- On paper – print the English N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 or the Spanish N.C. Absentee Ballot Request Form for 2022 (not available online currently).
For active-duty military, their family members, and U.S. citizens living abroad, click here. If you have questions about that process, you can call us at (828) 250-4200 or visit buncombecounty.org/vote.
No Printer? You may complete an absentee ballot request form at the Election Services office at 59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, 28801, or call (828) 250-4200 and one will be mailed to you. You may return the request in one of the following ways:
Mail it to:
P.O. Box 7468, Asheville, NC 28802
Hand deliver it to our office:
59 Woodfin Place, Asheville, 28801
Note: The Absentee Ballot Request Form may not be emailed or faxed. Request forms that are hand delivered to the office must be returned only by the voter or the voter’s near relative
How to Return an Absentee Ballot
The deadline to return the completed Absentee Ballot is Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 5:00 p.m., however, voters are encouraged to return the ballot as early as possible. You may return it to us in one of the following ways:
By mail: Absentee ballots may be mailed to P.O. Box 7468 Asheville, NC 28802. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, May 17, 2022 and received by Friday, May 20.
At an Early Voting site: Absentee ballots may be returned to an early voting site during the early voting period, but not at a polling location on the day of the Primary Election. Ballots returned at an early voting site must be delivered to the election official at the check-in station.
In person: Absentee ballots may be returned in person to our office at 59 Woodfin Place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Absentee ballots may be returned only by the voter or the voter’s near relative.
For more information about absentee voting, visit the North Carolina Board of Elections website. Or call us at (828) 250-4200. You can also email your questions to [email protected].
Old Shiloh was one of Asheville’s first communities established by emancipated people. The community moved to its present-day location – New Shiloh – after George Vanderbilt, in an effort to expand his land holdings as he planned to build his Biltmore Estate, purchased the land and buildings and agreed to relocate the Shiloh church and cemetery.
If you’re behind on your water bill or afraid your water might get cut off, a new resource might be able to help you. On Jan. 4, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved more than $450,000 in federal funding for the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). The initiative is aimed at preventing water disconnections and helping reconnect drinking and wastewater services.
The LIHWAP will be administered by Buncombe County-based Eblen Charities. The nonprofit will make payments directly to utilities on behalf of qualifying households. The program is slated to run through Sept. 30, 2023 or until funds are exhausted.
Eligibility requirements
Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services from Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit if their water services have been cut off or are in danger of being cut off.
For additional eligibility information or to apply, please contact Eblen Charities at (828) 255-3066.
The 2022 appeal period is open now. During the year of the reappraisal, or any year of the reappraisal cycle, a taxpayer may appeal the appraised value of their property. 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 2022 can be filed anytime between Jan. 1-April 20, 2022. Additionally, anyone receiving a change of value notice after April 20, 2022 has thirty days from the date of the notice to file an appeal.
Step One: Starting an Informal Appeal
An informal appeal is the first step in the appeal process. Buncombe County Property Assessment has created a new suite of online tools to help make the appeal process easier. A taxpayer may begin the informal appeal process now by clicking on this link taxappeal.buncombecounty.org.
According to NC General Statutes, the property owner has the burden of proving that the property under appeal is incorrectly valued. The amount of your tax bill or ability to pay the tax cannot be used as a valid reason for submitting an appeal. The value of your property has been developed from sales and cost data within your local area. If the you believe this value is incorrect, please provide our office with a valid reason(s) to adjust the assessment (i.e. recent appraisal within the last 2 years, comparable sales of similar homes in the neighborhood or surrounding area, photos of the dwelling to show repair/maintenance issues, etc.).
A property owner appealing the property value of the property should start the appeal process online, or contact our office at (828) 250-4940 to request an appeal form by mail. The appeal form must be returned and/or postmarked, including your supporting documentation, within 30 days of the date listed on the appeal form. The appeal should include information to support the property owner’s opinion of value. Our appraisal professionals are here to help you through the appeal process. For appraisal purposes, Buncombe County is divided into multiple geographical areas. You can find the contact information of the appraiser for your area on the notice of value letter received in the mail, or by calling our office at (828) 250-4940.
The health and safety of our community and employees is our priority, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, assessment staff is available via Live Chat, or you can schedule a phone conference or virtual appointment by calling (828) 250-4940. Your concerns and questions are important to us, and our team is committed to handling your appeal as quickly as possible.
Should a property owner have any additional questions or need help with a property appeal, please contact our office at (828) 250-4940 or email [email protected].
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Vaccines and Public Health in WNC: Past and Present In this two-hour event, three historians discuss previous epidemics, pandemics, and public health campaigns in WNC and Appalachia, including the 1918 flu, smallpox, and polio, as well as the community and government efforts to combat these crises. These historians are followed by an immunologist and a virologist—both professors of biology at Appalachian State University— who present information on Covid-19 variants as well as data on lives saved by vaccines.
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The Brevard Rosenwald School Betty J. Reed discusses her research into the Brevard Rosenwald School and other segregated schools in WNC. This school, also funded by Julius Rosenwald, served African American students in Transylvania County from c1923-1966 and, according to Reed, represents “a microcosm of Black education in southern Appalachia.” Reed, a native of Western North Carolina, is an independent scholar who has spent over twenty-five years researching the history of schools in the region, especially those functioning during the era of segregation.
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Buncombe Co. Remembrance Project This project acknowledges the personal and community trauma inflicted on individuals of color after the Civil War, the Equal Justice Initiative’s research related to lynchings, and the three lynchings of record that occurred in Buncombe County, NC. Dr. Joseph Fox is a life-long educator, mentor, and community advocate. He has advocated for students of a darker hue for more than 30 years in his role as a community college instructor, as well as his role as a former Department Chair of Business Administration at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Watch Now
As part of Buncombe County’s 2025 Strategic Plan, Permits & Inspections and Planning & Development are in the third phase of the electronic plan submittal and review rollout for building permitting. “We started this process more than a year ago,” said Permits & Inspections Director Bob Haynes. “We’ve heard from our commercial builders that the portal has helped to streamline the permitting process and we are excited to offer this service to our residential builders as well.” The first phase of this implementation began in January 2021, and as of Monday, March 21, 2022, the residential permitting submittal process is also moving to the online portal. See details for submittal below.
Phase One (Complete)
- Planning & Development implemented a new permit case type called ‘Site Plan review’ (SPR) for all permit types (commercial and residential, etc.). Any development where there is new construction, or changes to the footprint of an existing structure now requires an SPR. The SPR permit must be approved prior to applying for your building permit.
- All commercial building plans must be submitted to the Building Permit Department in an electronic format and will be reviewed using electronic plan review software.
Phase Two (Complete)
- The requirement that SPR permits and commercial building plans be submitted through the Development & Permits Portal OR in person at 46 Valley St. Site Plan Permit applications will not be accepted through email to [email protected] after April 1, 2021.
- Please register for an account on the Buncombe County Development Permits and Licensing portal. Registration is required before submitting applications on our website.
Phase Three
- The requirement that SPR permits be submitted through the Development & Permits Portal OR in person at 46 Valley St.
- The requirement that residential building plans must be submitted through the Development & Permits Portal OR in person at 30 Valley St.
- To upload your plans, please register for an account on the Buncombe County Development Permits and Licensing portal. Registration is required before uploading documents on our website.
- Residential Site Plan Permit applications will not be accepted through email to [email protected] after March 21, 2022.
Find more information at buncombecounty.org/permits or call the main Permits line at (828) 250-5360. Permit applications are not accepted in person after 4 p.m.
The City of Asheville has extended the deadline to April 8 to provide feedback on the South Slope Vision Plan. The South Slope Visioning process is a planning process led by the City of Asheville with the community and business stakeholders in the South Slope study area to develop a long term vision. Once the plan is finalized, it will be presented to City Council for adoption.
The South Slope Vision Plan provides a visionary framework to help guide continued long-term development, and provides an essential tool that will be used across the City’s departments. Some pieces of the plan are aspirational and the specific visions may not necessarily come to fruition based on the available funding and priorities of the community and City Council.
You can view or download the entire plan here (12 MB file). The feedback survey can be accessed here.
What is the Stand Against Racism Challenge?
Previously known as the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, the Stand Against Racism Challenge: A Virtual Community of Growth is the same program developed by YWCA and adopted nationwide.
The Stand Against Racism Challenge is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into racial equity and social justice. This year, we will be investigating Critical Race Theory, Living Wage, Film and Television, and Reproductive Justice. Participants will be able to download an app for their phone or visit the challenge website to engage with curated articles, podcasts, videos, activities, and more.
The SAR Challenge goes live Monday, April 4th, and continues (Monday –Friday) through May 2nd. Before April 4th you must register and download the appropriate app for your device.
Participation in an activity like this helps participants discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact their community, connect with one another, and identify action steps to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. This is an exciting opportunity to join a learning community dedicated to racial equity and social justice.
The Art League is excited to offer free virtual demonstrations.
Watch for the announcement of our soon-to-come virtual workshops and classes.
All demonstrations are available on-line and on-demand. Simply click on the video link to participate.
At the YWCA of Asheville, we eliminate racism and empower women by providing programs and advocacy for over 3,000 community members annually in Western North Carolina with services that support families, promote holistic wellness, and advance racial justice.
Thank you for wanting to share your time and talents with the YWCA! As a volunteer, you are integral to the YWCA fulfilling our mission, and we simply couldn’t do it without your help and support.
YWCA Asheville has volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups. We can design volunteer assignments to fit your schedule, experience, and team-building goals.
NC State Parks’ Year of the Tree continues with a celebration of spring trees. Break out your camera and capture the transformation of trees from winter to spring as they show off their gorgeous blooms throughout the next few months. You may even win a prize for your efforts!
GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES
1st Prize: The winning photo will be our Facebook cover photo for two weeks, and the photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park, two boat tour tickets from Lake Lure Tours, and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
2nd Prize: After the first place photo, the second place photo will be our Facebook cover photo for one week. The photographer will receive two annual passes to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
3rd Prize: The third place photographer will receive two adult day passes (or one family pack of day passes) to Chimney Rock State Park and dinner for two at the Old Rock Café.
CONTEST RULES:
- There is no fee to enter the contest. All photographs must be taken of Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park only in areas accessible to guests between April 1, 2022 – May 31, 2022.
The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers. - Up to three photos per person can be submitted via any of the following ways to be eligible to win:
- Facebook: First, like the Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park page. Next, send us a private message including your contact information specified in rule #3.
- E-mail: If you don’t have access to social media, you may email your digital photo with your contact information specified in rule #3 to [email protected].
- Every entry should be clearly labeled with the photographer’s name, city & state, a brief photo caption, an email address and the best phone number to reach you.
- Photos should be available at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels (1 MB minimum) to be eligible to win. Photos taken via smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices are welcome if they meet minimum requirements.
- For entries showing human faces, you must list their name(s) and have written permission from any photographed person(s) to use their image.
- Entries should reflect the photographer’s interpretation of the theme. Emphasis will be placed on quality, composition and creativity. All entries may be used in promotions of Chimney Rock and park-related activities.
- Digital images can be optimized but not dramatically altered with photo editing software. Black and white photographs are welcome.
- Finalists will be chosen by Chimney Rock staff and the winner will be voted on by the public. Decisions regarding winners are final.
Winners will be notified personally and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media. For more information, call 1-828-625-9611, ext. 1812 or email us at [email protected].
Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that helps communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Activities of the American Red Cross Western North Carolina Chapter include: Blood Services, Training Services, Disaster Services, and Home Fire Campaign.
Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and one blood donation can save up to three lives. Help support lives in North Carolina by signing up to become a Blood Drive Volunteer today.
Time Commitment:
Blood drives occur M-F and volunteers are expected to attend one blood drive a month to remain an active volunteer. This position is flexible as volunteers can sign up for shifts that work for their schedule and instructions for shift selection will be sent after responding to the opportunity.
Volunteer Roles:
- Warmly greet donors and assist with registration in reception area.
- Assist with initial intake and hand off through blood donation process.
- Ensure donors have relevant information and all questions are answered appropriately.
- Maintain proper sanitizing and cleanliness of reception and hospitality areas.
- Attend canteen area in support of donors.
- Thank donors for their contribution.
- Alert staff immediately if a donor shows signs of feeling unwell.
- Inform donors of current and upcoming donation promotions.
- Make reminder/cancellation calls.
- Reschedule donor appointments.
- Perform follow-up activities as directed.
Volunteer Requirements:
- Modeling excellent customer service behaviors.
- Knowledge of technology needed for position (training provided)
- Donor checkin, donor tablet, rapid pass, donor app.
- Comfortable working with people from diverse communities and backgrounds
- Dependable, punctual, and professional
- Adhere to all Red Cross guidelines
- Ability to remain calm in crisis situations
- Adhere to CDC safety guidelines regarding COVID-19 precautions
- Safety First! Our need for volunteers is constant and our guidelines reflect the latest CDC safety recommendations and follow the national and local government laws. COVID-19 vaccination will be required for in-person volunteer roles beginning January 3, 2022.
Turn the Dallas Asheville into a giant game board with this fun scavenger hunt adventure. Combine the excitement of the Amazing Race with a two and a half-hour city tour. Guided from any smart phone, teams make their way among well-known and overlooked gems of the city, solving clues and completing challenges while learning local history. Start when you want and play at your pace. Price is per team, not per person. Find details and Redeem your ticket as a Prepaid Code online at www.UrbanAdventureQuest.com.
It can be ruff out there for our canine companions, but we have pawsitively great news. Buncombe County’s first-ever dog park is now open at our Sports Park in Candler. While this is a soft open, the park features two fenced-in play areas; one for large dogs and one for smaller pups. “We do have plans to add other amenities and water fountains,” exclaims Recreation Services Program Coordinator Mac Stanley. “People are very excited about this new opportunity. Since it was announced, we have gotten letters of support as well as many emails questioning when will the project be completed.”
So join us in a round of apaws as we celebrate the opening of this new venue for hot dogs and cool people. “It’s an amazing place to bring your dog to run free without a leash and interact with other dogs,” says Stanley. “One of my favorite aspects of this new dog park is being able to cultivate a community. Hopefully, this dog park will be instrumental in connecting dogs as well as people within the community.” Paw-yeah, sounds great.
Location: Buncombe County Sports Park, 58 Apac Circle
Hours of operation: Monday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (same as the Sports Park)
Dog park drools rules
Dogs must be:
- On a leash at all times until safely in the fenced-in dog park area
- Vaccinated, licensed, and in good health
- At least four months old to enter
- Wearing a collar with ID tags
- Under voice control of their human and not aggressive
Humans must:
- Be with dogs at all times
- Remove dogs at first sign of aggression
- Pick up poop and dispose of it in receptacles provided
- Be liable for any and all injuries caused by their dogs
Not Allowed:
- Pronged, spike or choke collars
- Aggressive dogs, aggressive humans, or dogs in heat
- Unsupervised children 12 years of age or younger