The City of Asheville is looking for input from the community on a report prepared by the I-26 Aesthetics Committee.  Read more and weigh in on the report at https://t.e2ma.net/click/nkulzj/jl0fq2/j5zs7ee

Keith shares the music of American composer Gabriela Lena Frank. Her Three Latin American Dances for Orchestra include the “Jungle Jaunt,” “Highland Harawi,” and “The Mestizo Waltz.” The featured recording is of Keith Lockhart conducting the Utah Symphony in 2004.

One of my great joys at Brevard is being able to share with you symphonic music that is special to me. Keith’s Corner will allow me, albeit virtually, to continue to do that. Join me here as I share stories with you about the music that I love…some of the music that made me fall in love with orchestras, some works that have produced memorable moments during my years at Brevard, and some of the music that touches me most profoundly. It will also be an opportunity to, on occasion, introduce you to a gem you may not have yet discovered. Join me for a completely personal, somewhat subjective and, I hope, entertaining listening experience! – Keith Lockhart

Classic Family Adventure in Western North Carolina

North Carolina’s shimmering Nantahala River, located just outside Bryson City, NC, at 13077 Highway 19 West, Bryson City, NC 28713. This location offers river rafting through family-friendly rapids that are mild but exciting. The Nantahala features eight miles of practice on easy Class II rapids before splashing through the exciting Class III whitewater of Nantahala Falls.

The Nantahala is also headquarters of the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Founded in 1972, NOC is located at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Nantahala River in the Nantahala National Forest. Originally a roadside inn, the company has evolved into one of the largest outdoor recreation companies in the nation, hosting well over one million guests each year.

NOC’s 500-acre adventure center offers whitewater rafting, four aerial and zipline activities, mountain biking on nine miles of private trails, and stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Fontana. In between activities, you can shop at one of NOC’s four retail stores including NOC’s flagship Outfitter’s Store, eat at NOC’s two riverfront restaurants, and even stay in a cabin adjoining the Appalachian Trail.

Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.

Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor

The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

Relive this summer’s concerts from Live with Carnegie Hall! Viewers can stream past performances by a wide variety of artists, including pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Joshua Bell, singers Renée Fleming and Audra McDonald, and more.

MPO staff has been working with their Regional Trail Workgroup to develop a draft plan for what we are calling the Hellbender Regional Trail. This plan is based on locally planned and existing trails to determine a network that highlights and emphasizes regional connections and potential overlap with roadway projects. The draft plan is open for comment through August 21st, and is available here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2516fc1870db47cb8e3c7aa36dbed751.

Nightly Metropolitan Opera Streams
The Metropolitan Opera in New York continues its free nightly streams, allowing viewers across the globe the chance to see special rebroadcast performances for free. The list of upcoming performances is updated weekly, with each title streaming from 7:30pm to 6:30pm ET the next evening.

The Blue Ridge Business Growth Awards (companies in business over 3 years) and Rising Star Awards (companies in business less than 3 years) will be presented to Chamber member businesses that experienced growth in 2019 through quality management, inventiveness, old fashioned hard work and courage. Companies can be recognized for employment growth, revenue growth or a company. Click below for online applications:

BLUE RIDGE BUSINESS GROWTH AWARD   RISING STAR AWARD

Pardee Hospital Foundation is pleased to honor women in our community for sharing their story of courage, determination, and will as they have faced cancer and other diseases in their lives and in the lives of their families. Each year Women of Hope are honored as part of the Foundation’s Women Helping Women annual celebration. Nominees must be local residents. Preference is given to nominees who have survived any women’s health crisis (breast cancer and other cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis, to name a few), and who have received their treatment at Pardee UNC Health Care. Nomination forms are available online or in person at: Pardee Hospital Foundation office 561 Fleming Street, Hendersonville, NC 28739 Deadline for applications is September 1, 2020. Contact the Pardee Hospital Foundation office with any questions, 828-233-2700.

Now available as Video On Demand!

All tickets are $25.00 plus taxes and fees and benefit ACT.

Asheville Community Theatre’s annual fundraiser Costume Drama: A Fashion Show is a fashion show where designers create garments from unconventional materials. Twelve designers competed in this year’s challenge, four were chosen as category winners – and one was named the Best in Show winner.

As in years past, Best in Show will receive a $500 prize, and the other 3 winners will each receive a $250 prize. Winners are revealed at the end of the broadcast!

Costume Drama: A Fashion Show originally aired on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Video On Demand of this show will be available for purchase until September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

We need your help to raise $20,000 to fully fund our Preservation Grant program for 2021.  Donate to this program before the end of August and have your gift matched by our Board of Directors up to $5850!  Over the last two years, this program has succeeded in expanding our reach in our underserved communities, but there is so much more to do.  With events like the Time Traveling Gala canceled and the impact of COVID-19 on giving, your support is more important than ever.  Now is your chance to double your impact and help us continue this work!

Apply to become a Featured Artist

https://sandhillartists.com/featured-artists/

28806, 28715, 28728, 28716, and 28810 are the eligible zip codes for entry.

While the UN reported that over 1 million species around the globe are at risk of extinction, the Trump administration responded by proposing rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act. Again and again, they have shown that they value profit over planet. But hope is not lost. Here is something you can do today. When you get any item in the Save the Bees collection, you are supporting LCV’s work to stop the climate crisis and protect endangered species. 

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy. The Legacy of Congressman Lewis and Voting Rights

http://participate.lwv.org/c/10065/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=13972&utm_source=ActionAlert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=080620

On the 55th Anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we take this opportunity to think of the work of giants and those before us who have created the foundation on which we stand. As we commemorate this historic day for voting rights, we look back at the legacy of Congressman John Lewis, and his tireless fight and advocacy for voting rights and justice for Black people across the country. 

Congressman Lewis presided over the historic House vote in December 2019 for the Voting Rights Advancement Act. To fully honor his legacy would mean to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act in the Senate and restore protections for voters in a critical election year.

 The protections outlined in the Voting Rights Advancement Act will: 

• Re-establish preclearance coverage for states and localities with a history and pattern of discrimination in voting
• Provide preclearance nationwide for states and localities with substantial minority populations to enact voting changes that have historically contributed to voter suppression, such as changes in methods of election and cuts in polling locations
• Create greater transparency and public notice for last-minute voting information changes, such as polling location changes and ballot information

Thanks to a generous donation from our friends at fellow local business, Image 420 Screenprinting, we are proud to introduce a special, super limited edition t-shirt and sticker merch bundle ready for purchase today! These awesome shirts, which come in unisex sizes S through XXL, plus the matching sticker, are available for a $50 bundle price which will include one of each. The full price of your purchase will benefit our campaign to keep the Orange Peel alive and well until it is safe for us to all be together enjoying shows again in person. There are only 100 of these bundles available, and the designer, Brent Baldwin, did an amazing job with the art, so you are going to want to show off your proud support of keeping the music alive when you wear your shirt or display your new sticker. Every penny will bring us closer to hosting your favorite artist on our stage in the coming months when we can gather safely, and we will be SO thankful to all those who choose to demonstrate their support this way. We can’t wait to see you around town in your gear that helped save the music. Thank you all for your love and support.  Don’t forget, another amazing way to help us that costs nothing is to contact our elected representatives and let them know that you want congress to act and sign aid legislation now, including support for the SOS Act.  This bipartisan act will help independent music businesses recover from our devastating losses of nearly 100% of revenue this year. Click here to send a letter to your rep.  Even if you don’t have financial means to support us right now, sending a letter is a MAJOR contribution that we appreciate just as much. We wouldn’t have become the club we are without all of you, and with your help, we will be around for decades to come.

Call United Way’s 2-1-1 if you have questions about general community support services (24 hours a day/7 days a week) and please encourage others to call as well.

“As we continue to press into Hope, we continue to hear from supporters, and the message is loud and clear – they also feel the Hope connected to our mission, and want to keep supporting us.” Discovering new ways to sustain The Village Potters Clay Center during this season is the primary job now for the resident potters at TVPCC. As Sarah continues to apply for loans and grants, other potters are choosing hope each day by taking the torch from her to carry on the mission with a second “chapter” of Vessels of Hope.

The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, George Rolland, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, and community. The Village Potters includes a fine craft gallery, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes in wheel and hand building for adults, an Advanced Ceramic Studies Program, and online demonstration and workshops. The Village Potters Clay Center is an educational member of The Craft Guild of the Southern Highlands, and is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.

Voices in the Laurel is currently registering young musicians in grades 1 – 12 into one of the
three ensembles, with rehearsals starting on Monday, August 31.