The Journeyperson Program is designed for farmers who have been independently farming for three or more years and are serious about operating farm businesses in the Southern Appalachian region. This program will give you the space and time to work on your business’s scale, viability, and long-term direction while making connections that deepen peer-to-peer support.

Limited spots are available for the full program, and those who want to be eligible for our Savings Incentive Program and the professional development funds must commit to participating in all aspects of the program.

Participants can use this program as a tangible step toward achieving their farm goals, and make significant contributions to the agricultural community and economy.

This program is designed to give tailored guidance and support for your farm business to answer questions of:

• Scale

• Market access

• Land access

• Risk management

• Understanding cash flow

• Enterprise innovation

Farm Beginnings® is training the next generation of farmers in the many skills required to start and expand a successful farm business: passion, clear goals, production experience, financial and marketing know-how, and more.

Farm Beginnings® will help you build these skills through one year of farmer-led training, mentoring, and networking. We support individuals in clarifying their goals and strengths, developing agricultural skills, and growing profitable, equitable, and ecologically sound farm businesses.

Guided by our commitment to social justice, our programming is led by farmers and mentors active in food, farming, or social justice. By empowering people with skills, knowledge, and access to resources, together we can build a more diverse, equitable food system that enriches the environment and creates a thriving food and farming community.

We use a holistic management frame, farmer-led classroom sessions, on-farm tours, mentoring, and an extensive farmer network. The topics of equity and justice in the food systems are woven into the curriculum, including examples of realistic approaches within the scope of your business models.

The 200+ hr, year-long program consists of:

• Training on holistic management, farm business, marketing & financial planning

• Sessions taught by regional, experienced Farmers

• One-year WNC CRAFT Farmer Network Membership

• Completing and presenting an individualized farm plan

• Access to Field Days with regional partners

• Entry to ASAP’s Business of Farming Conference

• Entry to OGS’s Spring Conference

• 15 hr mentorship with an experienced Farmer Mentor

View a sample of the full course schedule here.

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Students will receive a solid foundation in beginner Ukulele skills for vocalists. Chords, Rhythm patterns, and basic theory will be introduced through songs with an uplifting message. Students will also learn to play the song that the Songwriting Class will be writing and get to record it in the One Mic Studio.

Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.

The Campfireball is an immersive storytelling show created live and in the moment out of stories from the audience. No two shows are alike, none will ever be seen again!

A delightful evening of music and comedy by two local favorites, David Cody and Mike Lytle. David and Mike are talented musicians, published songwriters, and long-time favorites of friends and fans throughout Western North Carolina. Now they are teaming up to bring both music and comedy to audiences in our region and beyond.

David Cody and Michael J are a new musical comedy duo very much in the vein of The Smothers Brothers, who were talented musicians who also enjoyed bringing joy and laughter to audiences of all ages.

Tonight’s event will be rare opportunity to be part of a video shoot for the duo. You will get a behind the scenes look at the process of making a video, while also experiencing the hilarity and musical brilliance of the duo.

So, be prepared to see:

• camera men moving in and out to get just the right shot;
• multiple takes of segments to capture key moments from various camera angles;
• starts and restarts which are part of all videos, films, tv shows, etc

Plus, you will also be in the video yourself. Your smiles and laughter will be key parts of the final product.

So, come enjoy music, come enjoy laughter and come celebrate two of the Swannanoa Valley’s own as they launch a new phase of their careers.

A delightful evening of music and comedy by two local favorites, David Cody and Mike Lytle. David and Mike are talented musicians, published songwriters, and long-time favorites of friends and fans throughout Western North Carolina. Now they are teaming up to bring both music and comedy to audiences in our region and beyond.

David Cody and Michael J are a new musical comedy duo very much in the vein of The Smothers Brothers, who were talented musicians who also enjoyed bringing joy and laughter to audiences of all ages.

Tonight’s event will be rare opportunity to be part of a video shoot for the duo. You will get a behind the scenes look at the process of making a video, while also experiencing the hilarity and musical brilliance of the duo.

So, be prepared to see:

• camera men moving in and out to get just the right shot;
• multiple takes of segments to capture key moments from various camera angles;
• starts and restarts which are part of all videos, films, tv shows, etc

Plus, you will also be in the video yourself. Your smiles and laughter will be key parts of the final product.

So, come enjoy music, come enjoy laughter and come celebrate two of the Swannanoa Valley’s own as they launch a new phase of their careers.

 

The 15th Annual Asheville Comedy festival! Featuring comedians from all over the country. No two shows are the same. Every show features a different lineup of the countries fastest rising stars in the comedy world.

ACF and Modelface Comedy are partnering together to bring you a secret lineup of comics from all over the country, plus your local favorites in the first of a series of three late night showcases.

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

ACF and Modelface Comedy are partnering together to bring you a secret lineup of comics from all over the country, plus your local favorites in the first of a series of three late night showcases.

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.

Legacy of Hope International seeks justice for the vulnerable and oppressed. Using education as our main internention we empower and elevate those most at risk to prevent child abuse and explotation. Join us in Asheville, NC as our community continues to grow!
The vulnerable and opressed take on many forms, especially with technological advances and the increased use of social media among teens and young adults. This training is ideal for parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, pastors, law enforcement, and… you.
Come take a S.T.A.N.D. with us as we Educate to Empower while Elevating those most at risk.
This year we will be joined by:
Dr. MarieAnne Thomas is the Founder of My Name, My Voice and the Subject Matter Expert for Legacy of Hope International. As the keynote speaker, Dr. Thomas and her sons provide a unique perspective on what human trafficking is and what is looks like, as they are survivors of human trafficking themselves.
John Van Arman the Founder of Third Talk will be discussing the reality of what happens when kids and families have experience pornography.
Brendon Journey is the CEO of Legacy of Hope International and the Founder of Safety Parties. She will provide training on the importance of Safety Parties and how to keep our families (kids) safe.

Join the Asheville Museum of History Saturday, August 12 at 10am for this special hybrid event. We will come to you live and in-person from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNCA and via Zoom livestream. The program will be recorded as well. Coffee and refreshments will be provided.

In 1832 the North Carolina General Assembly elected David Lowry Swain of Buncombe County as the state’s twenty-sixth governor. He was the first from western North Carolina and remains the youngest. In the context of his time he was an activist executive, prodding the state to develop its infrastructure, thereby promoting economic development, which in turn would sustain universal public education (although then for white males only). As Swain’s time as governor was expiring, The University of North Carolina trustees elected him its president. He would occupy the position until shortly before his death almost thirty-three years later.

Under Swain’s leadership the University would grow to be second only to Yale in student enrollment. He was largely responsible for student admissions and conduct, faculty hiring and supervision, and promoting the University to a broader public, both state and national. Join us to learn more about his life, the subject of a new biography, A Consequential Life: David Lowry Swain, Nineteenth-Century North Carolina, and Their University.

About the Speaker:

Willis P. Whichard of Chapel Hill is a lawyer who, like his subject David Swain, has spent most of his career in public office and the academy. He is the only person in North Carolina history who has served in both the North Carolina House of Representatives and the North Carolina Senate and on both the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court. Dean and Professor of Law at Campbell University from 1999-2006, he holds the A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of North Carolina and the LL.M and S.J.D. degrees from the University of Virginia.

Tickets: $5 for AMoH and OLLI members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have 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.

Viewing: Registrants will receive a confirmation email with a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website. In-person attendees do not need to take any further actions.

Learn Asheville’s history, discover hidden gems, and laugh at LaZoom’s quirky sense of adventure.

• Guided comedy tour bus of historical Asheville
• 90-Minutes – tours run daily
• 15-minute break at Green Man Brewing
• $39 per person (ages 13+ only)

Kids’ Comedy Tour: Wildly funny, this educational and entertaining tour features the perfect blend of Asheville’s history and kid-centric comedy. Geared specifically toward the 5–12 year old crowd, you’ll explore the town with our famously outlandish tour guides leading the way.

• Perfect for birthday parties
• Makes for memorable school field trips
• Tickets are $27 per person
• Beverages available for purchase at the LaZoom Room
• Departs from 76 Biltmore Avenue