Calendar of Events

Presented by Bee City USA- Hendersonville and Bullington Gardens

For educators: teachers, camp counselors, home-school parents, childcare professionals, summer program leaders, and more, the Pollinator Exploration Kit provides excellent tools. Bee City USA – Hendersonville is eager to help you share the wonder of pollinators with children you teach. The kit includes sets of 12 sturdy child-size insect nets, special bug capture bubbles, bug boxes with magnifying lids, and magnifying glasses. Two pop-up insect habitats and two sets of laminated fold-out field guides (NC Trees & Wildflowers, NC Butterflies & Moths, Bees & Other Pollinators) are also included. The kit can be loaned for up to a week (as available) and may be picked up and returned weekdays 9am-4pm.

Pick-up location:

Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville.

Cost: no charge

Reservation needed: contact [email protected] to check availability and reserve the dates to borrow the Pollinator Exploration Kit.

Get ready for a week of laughter and creativity in our theater camp! In this class, you’ll discover the exciting world of improvisation and learn how to think on your feet. We’ll play tons of theater games that will challenge your creativity and bring out your silly side. With our guidance, you’ll create scenes from scratch using your own unique ideas and imagination. Using your body and voice, you’ll learn how to create dynamic and memorable characters that will leave your audience in awe. And at the end of it all, you’ll have the chance to showcase your talent in a special performance for your family and friends. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or just starting out, this class is perfect for anyone who loves to have fun and express themselves through the art of theater. Sign up now for a camp you’ll never forget!

Class cost: $180

Min students: 7

Max students: 20

Class Dates: June 26-30

Time: 12 pm-3 pm

Rising 6th-9th Grade (10-14 years old)

Forest Farming Tour dates announced!   Most farms in Western NC and the Southern Appalachians contain forested land. These forest farm tours and on-farm workshops aim to train beginning forest farmers and land stewards, both novice and experienced, to understand the wealth and history of woodland botanicals and forest products.   Additionally, this series will explore the opportunities for land stewardship and possible income streams within existing farm operations while also promoting health, respect, and diversity for forests.   Integrating Trees and Grazing Livestock In A Silvopasture System Join Noah and Lyric for a tour of Wild East Farm, where they have established ~12 acres of crop tree plantings designed for pasturing livestock throughout. Learn about the fundamentals of silvopasture and experience firsthand how to plan for longterm tree regeneration and intensive livestock management.

We need inspired, compassionate Ambassadors. You can help to spread the word and speak truth to power. You can help us grow the movement to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging.

By signing up to be an Ambassador, you’ll receive:

• Regular updates
• Exclusive event invitations
• Opportunities to shape this important work

Explore hands on activities and experiments while we learn about the Science of Bubbles or the Science of Sound. Every other week we will play and learn together using a variety of tools, instruments, and toys. AMOS has a plethora of science to intrigue the zeal of every learner!

The N.C. Cooperative Extension, Transylvania County Center and Conserving Carolina are offering a series of lectures, field trips, and service days to better acquaint the public with the French Broad River, and give you ways to explore and act on its behalf.

The fifth part of our series: EXPLORE A float on the French Broad River!

Let’s get on the river! Join us on a class 1 and 2 urban float on the French Broad River through the River Arts section in Asheville. Joining us will be Trevor Freeman from the Asheville Museum of History, discussing the history of interaction between people and the French Broad River. Jack Henderson of Mountain True will discuss ways we are currently addressing challenges to keep the river healthy.

This event is open to the general public, and the fee is the cost of membership to the organization of your choice. For current AMoH members, the discounted rate is $20. We will be using both inflatable rafts and kayaks. A meeting location and recommended items will be announced prior to the event.

Swannanoa, such a beautiful name.

Along the river is written Western North Carolina’s history from its earliest years into the future. Archaic era people lived by the river on Warren Wilson’s campus 4,000 years ago. The raging flood of 1791, five feet higher than the record flood of 1916, convinced Buncombe County’s first commission to locate the court house up on a plateau rather than where the Swannanoa joins the French Broad. Utterly brutal abuse of Black Americans as convict labor drove rails through Swannanoa Gap in 1879 bringing prosperity to the valley. Train transportation and cool clean water drew industry ranging from Beacon Blankets revered for quality and community citizenship but also Chemtronics, now a brownfield site. Trains also introduced tourists. And once the world became aware of this sublime valley from Ridgecrest to Biltmore Village, the communities we so enjoy today blossomed.
On July 7 from 5-6pm John E. Ross, author of Through the Mountains: The French Broad River and Time (UTenn Press 2021), will take us on a tour of the French Broad watershed summarizing its natural and cultural history from the origin of the mountains, through the evolution of the river and the populations who’ve lived along it, and into the future. Through the Mountains was a finalist for the 2022 Reed Environmental Writing Award sponsored by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the 2022 Thomas Wolfe Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association.

Join the Blue Ridge Audubon, a chapter of the National Audubon Society for their monthly bird walk at Jackson Park, a renowned
birding location. On the 2nd Saturday of each month, meet at the Administration Building parking lot, located on Glover Street,
and join the group to see the many wonderful birds found at Jackson Park, Hendersonville’s largest park.8-10:00am.
828-684-0812. Free.

Jackson Park Bird Outing, 8am-10am, Join the Blue Ridge Audubon Society for their monthly
bird walk at Jackson Park, meet at the Administration Building parking lot, located on Glover Street, and join the group to see the
many wonderful birds found at Hendersonville’s largest park

We’re putting our build crew back together and we’d love to have you join us. Every 2 weeks, we’ll meet at 9 am for hands-on set construction! Whether your talents are building, painting, or you just want to learn, come out and join us every other Saturday for some creative fun. Tools and work gloves are helpful but not required

Long for a flock of fine feathered friends, but aren’t sure how to get started? Allow author and teacher Ashley English to show you how the way.

In this lecture, we’ll gather together to learn the basics of keeping a flock of backyard chickens. Ashley will discuss and provide helpful information on what to consider before you start, breed selection, housing, feeding, and more!

Ashley English is the author of 11 books, on topics ranging from raising chickens to canning & preserving, and from hosting potlucks to homemade health & wellness products. From handcrafted pies, to natural crafting, Ashley is enamored with all things DIY, slow, and fun! She lives in a forested cove in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband Glenn (with whom she works together full-time), their two young sons, Huxley and Alistair, and a menagerie of animals.