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!

Gather ● Relate ● Organize ● Work 
Join us to stay updated on business in Mills River. With updates from the Town of Mills River and networking with neighboring businesses, let’s work to GROW your business in Mills River.

• Sandburg Home Free Tour Days and National Park Fee Free Days (when noted)
  Visitors can enjoy free tours of the Sandburg Home on 10 days in 2020. Five days are also fee free days at all national parks.
• April 11, 2020 (first Saturday of local school spring break)
• April 18, 2020 – First Day of National Park Week (national fee free day)
• June 13, 2020 (Sandburgs’ wedding anniversary)
• August 25, 2020 – National Park Service Birthday (national fee free day)
• September 26, 2020 – National Public Lands Day (national fee free day)
• October 17, 2020 (Park Anniversary)
• November 11, 2020 – Veterans Day
• December 26, 2020 (Saturday after Christmas)

The Fairy trail is open Monday thru Saturday, 9am-4pm. We encourage all visitors to be patient as there will be limits to the number of people allowed on the trail at the same time. While the trail is outdoors, there are some small spaces and we want to ensure our guests and fairies are safe. Please practice appropriate social distancing and bring a mask in case. Masks are not required, but are considerate in a close area. Our restrooms are not open to the public at this time. Please make arrangements prior to visiting.

Rules of the trail:

Do not move or rearrange fairy displays. The fairies are very fond of their own decorating.

Do not leave trash on the trail. Fairies do not like litter in their town.

Please ensure children and pets are supervised at all times. Dogs and loud noises can scare the fairies into hiding.

Do not disturb wildlife or vegetation. The fairies depend on the vegetation to build their homes.

The trail is one way only. Please stay on the trail at all times.

The Fairies can’t wait to see you all here!

P.S. the Fairies would like us to remind you that we are a non-profit and donations are greatly appreciated. Help us keep the fairies living in the style with which they’ve become accustomed.

After an extensive remodeling project, Tax Collections’ lobby has been expanded and can accommodate in-person services while adhering to social distancing requirements. Per our Stay Safe, Stay Smart order, we ask that you wear a face covering while inside County facilities. If you do not have a face covering, we can provide one. We also ask that if you have any symptoms of COVID-19, you use one of our alternative methods of accessing our services.

Overall, Buncombe County has taken precautions and audited our public-facing facilities to determine the safest way to operate. As a result, here are some of our countywide precautions:

• Installation of plexiglass barriers for public-based work
• Increased sanitation and cleaning of County facilities
• Public accessibility of hand sanitizer and disposable face coverings
• Social distancing markers and signage
• Comprehensive internal procedures for employees to foster a safe workplace, including a daily employee self-screening tool

Tax Collections’ alternative means of services remain available, and we encourage the public to use those methods when possible. To look up property information or your tax amount due, visit buncombecounty.org/tax.

You can make tax payments:

• Online
• By phone: 1-877-690-3729, jurisdiction code 4301 (If payments are made online or by phone with an electronic check, no service fees apply.)
• By mail: PO Box 3140, Asheville, NC 28802
• Dropboxes:
  • Driveway of the Family Justice Center, 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville
  • Next to the Tax Department Office Entrance, 94 Coxe Ave.

If you have additional questions, you can contact Tax Collections via email at [email protected] or call (828) 250-4910.

When a friend gave Toland Sand a stained glass studio in 1977, he embarked upon a journey that would lead him to explore the myriad qualities that define glass as a medium. Sand’s 43 years as a sculptor has resulted in works of stained glass, blown glass, and every combination in between. A pioneer in utilizing the unique properties of dichroic glass, Sand begins his current sculpture with optical crystal and dichroic coated glass, hand worked by grinding in ever finer stages until a polish is achieved. Seeking balance, harmony, and symmetry, with an accent on deconstructed form, his work inhabits the symbolic, the cosmic, and the mystery. Sand is inspired by his peers as well as artists such as Isamu Noguchi, David Smith, Henry Moore, and Mark Rothko.
Sand’s work can be found numerous public and private collections including the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, Neenah, WI, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, Imagine Museum, Sarasota, FL, and others.

Bender Gallery continues to be open and welcoming visitors into our gallery in limited numbers and with facemasks, of course. We remain dedicated to supporting our artists during these unprecedented times by making ourselves available almost anytime you wish to speak with us to answer questions and sharing their work online and through social media. We and our artists thank you for your support!

This class will be held virtually via a videoconferencing platform and will be structured to optimize community building through online learning. 

Class will meet every Tuesday, August 11 – September 22 from 10am – 12:30pm with no class on September 8th.

Our Foundations business planning class helps guide ideas from concept to reality in a participatory, supportive learning environment. Join a cohort of aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to gain an aerial perspective of your vision and the comprehensive business skills necessary to help bring your visions into reality.

Participants will gain a clear aerial perspective of their business operations, financials, research and development, and marketing strategies. They will leave the course with a comprehensive business plan, a clear vision for their business, and concrete tasks for future work.

• Week 1: Gaining Perspective: We start by viewing our business concepts from a high altitude, in order to define our visions and get a good look at the main topics to be addressed.
• Week 2: Laying the Foundation: Next, we return to the ground level to define our lines of business and analyze financial essentials, from overhead costs to break-even points.
• Week 3: Getting into the Flow: In the third session, we’ll cover the financial bases of cash flow, sales forecasting, and financial documents.
• Week 4: Mission & Markets: Then, we’ll revisit our mission, discuss market research, and identify competitors in order to align with our target markets.
• Week 5: Get the Word Out: Next, we’ll discuss creative marketing strategies and give peer feedback on marketing materials.
• Week 6: Goodbye & Good Luck: Finally, we’ll present our business plans, share final pitches, and plan for next steps.

Throughout the class, emphasis will be placed on developing the social capital of the group. Participants will be encouraged to gather feedback from their peers, creating a strong network of deep support and synergy.

Facilitator

Volunteers needed for the 2020 hurricane season!

Microsoft Teams Session
RSVP required by 8/28. tinyurl.com/VirtualVolunteerFairRSVP

Join us to learn how to help your neighbors and community in times of need!
Due to predictions for an active hurricane and wildfire season and the complexities of COVID-19, the Red
Cross will need thousands of volunteers to care for people when disasters strike. Learn how you can be a
Ready Red Cross Shelter or Health Services Volunteer so you can answer the call when your community
needs it most.

Buncombe County Public Libraries will be opening three additional locations for curbside pickup service, the Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches. These locations will operate from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, in addition to our current curbside pickup service locations at the Black Mountain, North Asheville, South Buncombe, and West Asheville locations. For more information about library curbside pickup service or to place an item on hold for pickup, please call your local library or the Ask-A-Librarian line (828-250-4700) or visit buncombecounty.org/library. We hope to see you soon!

The Steady Collective is dedicated to promoting the wellness of people who use drugs through empowerment and respectful collaboration. This outreach event is open to all and includes comprehensive harm reduction to improve overall community health by reducing the rate of drug overdose and the spread of infectious disease with education, advocacy, and direct services.

Participants receive educational material, naloxone, syringes, and supplies at no cost.

We have been working hard to establish Emergency Safety Guidelines in order to safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s important for all to remember that we are able to be open because we are an open-air grocery store, not a social gathering.

1. Watch live by television on Charter Cable channel 193 and on AT&T U-Verse channel 99 or by live stream through https://publicinput.com/S7021.

2. Persons wishing to speak during the meeting must sign up in advance using an online form found at ashevillenc.gov/comments or by calling the Clerk’s office at 828-259-5900, no later than Noon on August 24.

3. Listen live by calling 855-925-2801 Enter Code 7725.

4. Pre-recorded voicemail comments for agenda (including public hearing) by calling 855-925-2801 Enter Code 7725.

5. Written comments for agenda (including public hearings) – [email protected].

6. Written comments for public hearings only can be submitted to the City Council until 24 hours after the public hearing by sending comments to the following address:  AshevilleCityCouncilAugust [email protected]

A Repair Cafe is an event where you’ll find volunteers with tools and supplies, available to fix broken household objects at no cost, while offering instruction in the form of hands-on help.  Visitors come to repair cafes to save money and reduce their environmental impacts while learning new skills and gaining the confidence to take on repairs of their own.   Repair cafes are often held in the spirit of building community and feature intimate settings where visitors mingle closely and share lively conversation.  Nonetheless, when WNC Repair Cafe returns on August 25, things will look much different.

On August 25 WNC Repair Cafe at Living Web Farms will open its doors to the public for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.  In the interest of protecting our volunteers and broader community, visitors will be required to adhere to clearly defined, rigorous safety protocols.

• Masks will be required at all times.

• Social distancing will be required before and during one-on-one consultation.

• Following NC Phase 2 guidelines, early registration will be capped at 20 attendees.

• Walk-in visitors will be required to stay in their car until a volunteer repair coach becomes available.

Early registration helps us plan and increases the chance of a successful repair.  Sign up early at www.livingwebfarms.org/workshops for priority service.

This outdoor event may be postponed in cases of severe weather.  Visitors are encouraged to check our website for more details involving event cancellations: www.livingwebfarms.org/WNCrepaircafe

The Biochar Facility at Living Web farms is a uniquely appropriate location for hosting a repair café during a pandemic.  Work tables will be arranged outside and under cover from light rain.  Shared tools will be sanitized after individual use and kept in a clean, open common area.  Our rural setting offers plenty of space to spread out where visitors can feel safe and at-ease while still experiencing the community-building generosity of the dedicated volunteers at WNC Repair Café.