Ride in style on the historic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad aboard your very own restored Caboose. These are great for family reunions, birthday parties, private meetings, corporate field trips or just any time!

Our cabooses accommodate up to 15 people with seating on the main level and in the cupola. (And, remember, babies are people, too!) The cabooses feature heat, private bathrooms, windows that can be opened, and open air vestibules at each end for unobstructed views. Advanced reservations are required and availability of caboose rentals are limited.

A platter of cheese and crackers, and an assortment of 15 bottled Coca-Cola products are included. Plus, the caboose is the only place where you can bring your own food and drink (please, no alcohol) in picnic baskets or coolers.

You can charter the caboose on:

• Nantahala Gorge
• Tuckasegee River

Best value for small groups and private parties up to 15 passengers. Available by phone only. Book now by calling 800-872-4681.

Western North Carolina has a rich assortment of county historical societies, archives, and museums. The Western North Carolina Historical Association seeks to help researchers, historians, genealogists, and the general public take full advantage of these resources.

There’s still time to get your soil samples to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services before Thanksgiving and take advantage of free testing. Samples received after November 30, 2021 through March 31, 2022—the peak soil testing season—are charged an analysis fee of $4 per sample. 

Soil test kit

Get soil test kits at the Extension office
Soil test boxes, sample information forms, and instructions are available outside the front door at the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension office, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville. 

Taking the sample
The instruction sheet, A Guide to Soil Sampling—A Soil Test Is Only as Good as the Soil Sample Taken!, explains how to take your sample. Using a clean, stainless steel or chrome-plated trowel, dig about 6 inches deep in 4 or 5 spots in the testing area. Place the soil samples in a clean plastic bucket or bowl and mix well. If the soil is wet, wait for it to dry out before mixing. Fill the soil test box to the fill line and label the box. 

Where to sample
Take several soil samples from different areas of your yard and use a separate box for each sample. Suggested sample areas include: lawn, vegetable garden, flowerbeds, landscape trees and shrubs, roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, and other fruits and berries. 

Complete the sample information form and mail
Complete an information form for each soil sample, note any lime applications you’ve made in the last 12 months, and indicate the Lawn and Garden Planting Code for the area sampled. You’ll also need to provide an email address to receive your results.

Place the information form on top of your soil test boxes in a cardboard box and mail to the address listed on the form. It is helpful to keep a record to remind yourself of where you took each sample.

After the lab has tested the soil samples, you will receive a test report with recommendations for fertilizer and pH amendment. During the winter it takes about one to two months to receive your test results.

Scavenger Hunt
How well do you know the Fairview Public Library? Throughout the month of November, a library scavenger hunt will challenge everything you think you know about FPL! The scavenger hunt is in-doors and DIY. Ask for the clues at the circulation desk

A valuable research tool conceived in Buncombe County’s Register of Deeds is bolstering its database and garnering statewide attention. Thanks in part to a $294,000 grant, the Slave Deeds of Buncombe County Project has partnered with UNC Greensboro adding 50,000 names from 12 other North Carolina counties that will help African Americans learn more about their past. “It’s an amazing resource for African Americans trying to find their ancestral stories,” explains County Register of Deeds Drew Reisinger. “It’s always going to be difficult for African Americans to do this challenging research, but hopefully this tool will make it easier for those who want to.”

After the success of the initial cataloguing of Buncombe County slave deeds, Reisinger partnered with the North Carolina Office of Archives and History and UNC Greensboro to secure a National Archives grant that would further this groundbreaking and important work. “This initiative is made exponentially more impactful to be statewide and even nationally, because slaves were bought and sold across county and state lines,” notes Reisinger. The grant not only expanded the project’s research, it also helped secure the database within the state-based Digital Library on American Slavery.

Thinking back on the original intent of the project, Reisinger is happy to see these previously overlooked public records start to migrate to accessible databases and gain consciousness among Black populations, researchers, and others who can utilize this information. “Once we learned Buncombe County had records of slavery, I knew it was our duty to make these ancestral records available in same way we make white people’s ancestral records available,” says Reisinger.

While Reisinger and his fellow research team are hopeful the additional names help families and archivists, he’s looking to expand the project even further with hopes of this clear proof of concept will begin to garner more grant money. Reisinger notes the discovery of the additional 50,000 names wouldn’t be possible without thousands of hours of research from UNC Greensboro students and faculty as well as volunteers from across the State of North Carolina.

You can search thousands of slave deeds and their images via the Digital Library on American Slavery here. For more information on the initial Buncombe County slave deeds project, click here.

Various times

His masterworks have been displayed around the world for over a century… but never like this. Described as “an unforgettable multi-sensory experience,” Van Gogh Alive is a powerful and vibrant symphony of light, color, sound, and scent that compels you to leave the world behind and immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s paintings. Simultaneously enchanting, entertaining, and educational, Van Gogh Alive stimulates all the senses and opens the mind.

Our virtual angel tree is up for this holiday season. This gift tree provides our broader YWCA community a path to join us as we aim to support our program participants and their families with a holiday season full of love and support.

If you are able to, please select a gift from our Amazon wish list by December 10, 2021. Gifts from the list will be mailed directly to our building and will be sorted and distributed by our YWCA elves. All items on the list have been selected by the families and are items they are wishing for or are in need of this holiday season.

If you would like to go further and adopt a family this holiday season please email Katie Zambrano in our Women’s Empowerment Department to get the details of how you can fulfill a family’s holiday wish.

All gifts must be ordered by December 10.

Programs Served by the Angel Tree

MotherLove
YWCA’s MotherLove program supports pregnant and parenting teens throughout Buncombe County. Our goals are to help young parents to stay in school and graduate, access higher education and vocational training, develop the skills and knowledge needed to become strong parents, and delay another teen pregnancy.

Getting Ahead In a Just Getting By World
YWCA’s Getting Ahead program aims to provide financial empowerment for low-income women of all ages and backgrounds to make choices that positively impact themselves, their families, and their community.

Early Learning Program
YWCA’s Early Learning Program provides 5-star childcare for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Our experienced and compassionate teachers not only provide exceptional care for little ones, but also prepare young children to succeed cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. We prioritize families using childcare vouchers or caring for children in the foster care system.

Empowerment Childcare
The YWCA provides up to 12 hours of free childcare per week for parents who are in transition, continuing their education, accessing social services, or looking for employment. ECC works closely with the Family Justice Center, Buncombe County Health and Human Services, A-B Tech, Green Opportunities, and Mary Benson House.

Holiday Season Volunteering

During the holiday season, our volunteer shifts usually fill up very quickly. If you are interested in volunteering during the holidays, please contact us as early as possible (at least 6-8 weeks in advance). Due to increased call and email volumes at this time, please allow for 4-5 business days to receive a reply.

Hunger does exist year-round, and we often have a greater need for volunteers during January and February. If you have flexibility in your volunteering schedule, please consider volunteering after the holidays.

It’s Memorable, Fast, and Easy! Also, 15% of your purchase will directly be applied to Full Moon Farm, not only will mom be getting great wines, but you will also be supporting a great cause.

Use code GBFULLMOON19 at checkout to donate 15% to Full Moon Farm.