Learn to make dilly beans, salsa, fruit butter, and more!

A Musical Love Letter from Asheville to the World

Celebrating the diversity of music in Western North Carolina, The Asheville Symphony Sessions features songs that combine the unique styles of locally based musicians, with the Asheville Symphony. The album was produced by Michael Selverne of Welcome to Mars, at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios.

Featured artists are Doc Aquatic, Electric Owls, Free Planet Radio featuring Lizz Wright, Lovett, Matt Townsend, Rising Appalachia, Shannon Whitworth, and Steep Canyon Rangers. The album synthesizes a variety of genres including folk, country, roots, rock, pop, bluegrass, R&B, and jazz, with each track featuring ensembles from the ASO ranging in size from 9 players to 24.

A number of notable arrangers worked on the project including Michael Bearden, who works with Lady Gaga and Neil Young and was Michael Jackson’s musical director for the This Is It tour; Van Dyke Parks, who composed and arranged the score for Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967) animated film and composed Smile with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys; and Jonathan Sacks, a composer and orchestrator who has worked on many blockbuster films including The Princess and the Frog (2009), Disney’s Cars (2006), and Seabiscuit (2003).

Black Folks Camp Too launched as a marketing initiative aimed at connecting Black individuals with camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Founder Earl B. Hunter was inspired by his son, Dillion, during a three month RV road trip in which they met only one other black family.

The inaugural class of the automotive apprenticeship program has kicked off at Blue Ridge Community College. The apprentices were presented with shop towels to mark the beginning of their time in the program.

The inaugural class of the automotive apprenticeship program has kicked off at Blue Ridge Community College. The apprentices were presented with shop towels to mark the beginning of their time in the program.

Earn while you Learn!

• Get paid full time—go to class 1 day/week and work 4 days/week
• Free college tuition
• Finish with a credential in your field

The raffle will offer three separate prizes to three separate winners: first prize, Moog Source, serial number 2628 (valued at $2,800); second prize, an updated Moog Prodigy, serial number 3078 (valued at $2,500); and the Moog Rogue, serial number 3674 (valued at $1,500) as third prize. The Moog Source and Moog Rogue were expertly restored by Tone Tweakers. The Prodigy was expertly restored by Wes Taggart, who also updated the instrument with a Synthrotek MST MIDI-to-CV Converter, which allows control of the Prodigy from a MIDI keyboard or sequencer, velocity routing, aftertouch or mod wheel MIDI messaging directly to the cutoff frequency of the Prodigy’s world-famous Moog filter.

All three synthesizers share the robust Moog build and rich sound quality as well as a shared technical lineage rooted in the legendary Minimoog, which is widely known as the most iconic, archetypal analog synthesizer of all time. The Rogue and Prodigy are renowned for their deep bass and flexible modulation capabilities while the Source is lauded for its rich sound, and for its sequencers, sample and hold, arpeggiator, presets, and unique data wheel.

The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project is part of the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) National Memorial for Peace and Justice nationwide initiative for individual counties throughout the United States.

The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project is a collaborative approach utilizing a diverse community coalition led by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County.

• More Accurately Reflect History of Racial and Economic Injustice and Inequity

• Heal from the Silent Trauma Surrounding Racial Violence:

  • Jim Crow
  • Lynchings
  • Mass Incarceration
  • Violence in Communities
  • State Sanctioned Violence
  • Contemporary Racial Trauma and Violence
  • Such as “Black Lives Matter”

• Foster Local Conversations and Reflections Concerning Community Healing

• Community Healing Through

  • Truth Telling
  • Educational Programming
  • Reconciliation Events
  • Transforming Narrative

Buncombe County has opened the 2020-2021 application cycle of the Community Recreation Grants program. The grants are part of other countywide initiatives that help make Buncombe County a place everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be strong, healthy, and successful. The program is intended to help community nonprofits make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress that align with the Buncombe 2025 plan. Grants range in amounts from $500-$6,000, depending on the number of qualifying applicants.

Eligibility

Eligible entities include Buncombe County nonprofits focused on providing equitable access to recreational, fitness, cultural, and wellness activities to the public at no- or low-cost. These funds are intended to be a leveraging tool that promote partnerships between the County and area nonprofits and are not a donation, funding stream, or sponsorship opportunity. Programs applying for funding should align with the Buncombe 2025 plan’s focus areas, as well as embody the spirt of Buncombe County Recreation Services’ mission: Connect Communities. Preserve Culture. Change Lives.

Projects funded in the past have included creative placemaking, increasing safe connections to a wider range of play and wellness activities for underserved residents, supporting access to experiences that preserve regional and international cultures, improvements to public athletic fields and fitness courses, expanding environmental education, building food security through community gardens, and establishing multigenerational outdoor spaces for neighbors to connect with each other and foster community pride.

Want to apply?

Application, guidelines, and a list of 2019-2020 recipients are available online. Questions should be directed to [email protected].

The grant application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Late applications will not be accepted. The Community Recreation Grant Committee will notify all applicants via email no later than Friday, Nov. 15, 2020.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can talk to a live person by calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Even though it may feel like it, you are not alone.

Before COVID-19, people in hazmat suits, state of emergency lock downs, and social isolation were concepts reserved for movies and far away places. Collectively, we draw our support from our community, friends, and families. Overnight, COVID-19 made it unsafe for many of us to stay meaningfully connected to the ones we love, leaving millions of people to go through this pandemic alone. Without a support system, people experience higher rates of physical and mental illness and overall wellbeing decreases. Add a pre-existing condition such as anxiety and depression to the already immense stress of the situation, the burden of this pandemic gets even greater.

These services are available to anyone in our community that needs them, especially those struggling with increased depression, anxiety, and suicidality. During this crisis, VAYA Health has agreed to refer to all mental health and developmental disability services, even for those agencies they do not manage. Their phone number is (800) 849-6127. You can also access this information, and a list of virtual peer support and recovery meetings, by calling 211.

Your contributions help us face the challenges. Please consider a generous Gift of Literacy to support students and tutors working together to improve literacy in our community.

Vulnerable North Carolinians can request free PPE as they head to the polls.

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.

Vote AVL is a nonpartisan movement to increase voter turnout in the Asheville Area. The site features voter resources including registration info, a calendar of important dates, and information on candidates at the local, state and national levels. Businesses can take the pledge to provide information and resources to their employees, so that they can use their voice to make their vote count. Learn more at voteavl.org.

Important Dates:

Friday, October 9th – Voter Registration deadline (online or postmarked by)

Thursday, October 15th – Early Voting begins, including same-day registration

Tuesday, October 27th – Deadline to request an Absentee Ballot (received by)

Saturday, October 31st – Early Voting Ends

Tuesday, November 3rd – Election Day and Absentee Ballot deadline (received by)

Volunteer Opportunities Volunteer roles range from: Maintaining our beautiful corn maze trails! Hosting one of our many attractions including the jumping pillow or the slides! Picking corn from the maze for our Corn Cannons! Helping with Check-In and merchandise sales! *If you have specific needs related to a physical disability be sure to let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you in your role assignment. Volunteer Perks Shifts are two or three hours long, and you’re free to sign up for multiple shifts! You will receive a snack & refreshment after your shift! FREE ticket to visit Maze on Thursdays!