Food Scraps Drop Off

The City of Asheville, in partnership with Buncombe County and the Natural Resources Defense Council, is offering a FREE Food Scrap Drop-Off program in

two locations for all Buncombe County residents.  This organic matter will be collected and turned into good clean compost, keeping it OUT of our landfill and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Register for Food Scraps Drop Off

Need a handy kitchen countertop food scrap bin?  Let us know on the registration form! We’ll be having bin giveaways at city and county facilities and would love to give you one.

Locations

West Asheville Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the south side of the building

942 Haywood Road, Asheville

Library open hours

Stephens-Lee Recreation Center “Food Scrap Shed” next to the Community Garden on the North side of the parking lot

30 Washington Carver Avenue, Asheville

• • Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
  • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
  • Sunday, 12 – 4 p.m.

Murphy Oakley Community Center and Library – “Food Scrap Bin Shelters” on the east side of the parking lot

749 Fairview Road, Asheville

• • Dawn – Dusk

Buncombe County Landfill – Convenience Center85 Panther Branch Road, Alexander

• • • • Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
      • Saturday, 8 a.m. – 12:30 pm

Explore Biltmore House with an Audio Guide that introduces you to the Vanderbilt family and their magnificent home’s history, architecture, and collections of fine art and furnishings.

PLUS: Immersive, multi-sensory Italian Renaissance Alive exhibition created by Grande Experiences

PLUS: FREE next-day access to Biltmore’s Gardens and Grounds

This visit includes access to:

• Italian Renaissance Alive at Amherst at Deerpark®
• 8,000 Acres of Gardens and Grounds for two consecutive days
• Antler Hill Village & Winery
• Complimentary Wine Tastings at the Winery
• Tastings require a Day-of-Visit Reservation, which can be made by:
  • Scanning the QR Code found in your Estate Guide
  • Visiting any Guest Services location
• Complimentary parking

Art Exhibition: Italian Renaissance Alive

This fascinating experience takes you on a spellbinding tour of Italy, fully immersing you in the beauty and brilliance of iconic masterworks from the greatest artistic period in history

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)

“Shine and Dine” on the railway! We cordially invite you to hop on board The Carolina Shine, GSMR’s All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car! We will be proudly serving hand crafted, triple-distilled, craft moonshine. Some of the smoothest tasting moonshine in the Carolinas! Offered on the Nantahala Gorge excursion, this shine and dine experience begins in a renovated First Class train fleet car, The Carolina Shine. The interior features copper lined walls filled with the history of moonshining in North Carolina. Learn about the proud tradition that the Appalachians established when bootlegging was an acceptable way of life and local home brews were the best in town. Read about Swain County’s very own Major Redmond, the most famous mountain moonshine outlaw of the 19th century. Once your appetite for knowledge is satisfied, enjoy sample tastings of flavors like Apple Pie, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, and Strawberry moonshine. If the samples are not enough, there will be plenty of Moonshine infused cocktails like Copper Cola or Moonshiner’s Mimosa available for purchase. GSMR is excited to feature multiple craft NC based distilleries to serve our guests only the best! Each jar is handcrafted and authentically infused with real fruit, the way moonshine was meant to be made. Passengers will also enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride with an attendant and our popular Cajun seasoned Pulled Pork BBQ with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce cooked in our special spices and slow roasted to perfection! During the month of October, 9am departures will feature the option of a delicious Cheesy Shrimp & Grits or Cheesy Ham Hash Brown Casserole while 2pm departures will be served the popular BBQ meal.

Black Mountain College and Mexico (BMC/MX): Exhibition, Publication, and Public Programming

Black Mountain College (1933–1957), a small but remarkably influential liberal arts school in rural North Carolina, had important links to Mexico that until now have been little investigated. A crucible of twentieth-century creativity, BMC galvanized and inspired artists and intellectuals from around the world, while Mexico’s innovations and age-old traditions—in fine and applied arts, architecture, poetry, music, performance, and more—dovetailed with, and indeed drove, global impulses toward modernism and beyond. Among the many key BMC figures whose lives were importantly touched by experiences in Mexico were Anni and Josef Albers, Ruth Asawa, John Cage, Jean Charlot, Elaine de Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Carlos Mérida, Robert Motherwell, Charles Olson, Clara Porset, M.C. Richards, and Aaron Siskind. In turn, engagements with BMC and its legacy have played a significant role in shaping contemporary approaches to art in Mexico, evident in the works of Jorge Méndez Blake, Iñaki Bonillas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Jose Dávila, Gerda Gruber, Lake Verea, Gabriel Orozco, and Damián Ortega, among others.

The exhibition BMC/MX features works by these and other prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside a selection of historic works by BMC artists, highlighting the ways in which ideas and modalities are translated across materials, space, and time.

Related programming, planned in collaboration with Mexican artists, features a series of public events, including a performance by artist (and BMC/MX co-curator) David Miranda to take place at Different Wrld; an exhibition visit (in Spanish and English) with BMC/MX Project Director Eric Baden; and a series of experiential art events in the BMCM+AC library.

The exhibition is accompanied by the book Black Mountain College and Mexico (forthcoming late summer 2023), which investigates the people, ideas, and practices linking BMC and Mexico during the life of the school, as well as resonances between BMC and the work of contemporary Mexican artists. With contributions by BMC/MX’s curators, as well as by artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, design scholar Ana Elena Mallet, and author and activist Margaret Randall, this fully illustrated volume brings new light to this complex and underexplored subject.

BMC/MX is an investigation into modes of communication—the arenas in which new ideas and alliances may come to be—between Black Mountain College and Mexico, between past and present, between form and idea.

About the Curators

BMC/MX’s Project Director Eric Baden is a photographer and from 1994 to 2022 was professor of photography at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He is the founding director of photo+, a multidisciplinary arts event held in Asheville, North Carolina.

Artist and educator David Miranda is curator at the Museo Experimental El Eco (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM), and teaches at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado “La Esmeralda” in Mexico City.

Diana Stoll is an editor, writer and curator who works with institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has served as an editor at Aperture and Artforum magazines, and contributes writings to prominent arts publications.

Included with admission

Back by popular demand, The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition offers guests:

• An opportunity to view rarely-seen treasures from the Biltmore collection
• A first-hand look at the Vanderbilts’ lifestyle
• Deeper insights into George, Edith, and Cornelia’s personalities, both at home and on their extensive travels

Access to exhibitions at The Biltmore Legacy is included with Biltmore daytime admission.

Gather bathing suits and sunscreen, Buncombe County’s outdoor pools are getting ready to open. The County’s five outdoor pools will open for the 2023 season on May 27. This includes the pools at Cane Creek, Erwin, Hominy Valley, North Buncombe, and Owen.

Outdoor pools will be open on weekends only until area schools are out for the summer. Starting on June 10, Pools will be open seven days a week.

Pool hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cost for pool entry is $3 per person.

Private lessons at the outdoor pools are available for different age groups from 3-year-olds and up. For more information on lessons or to register for a class, click here.

The pools can also be booked for private parties 14 days in advance and must have a minimum of 50 patrons. Pool bookings are available Monday through Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Click here for more information on booking pools.

Buncombe County Pool Locations:

• Cane Creek Pool – 590 Lower Brush Creek Road, Fletcher
• Erwin Pool – 58 Lees Creek Road, Asheville
• Hominy Valley Pool – 25 Twin Lakes Road, Candler
• North Buncombe Pool – 734 Clarks Chapel Road, Weaverville
• Owen Pool – 117 Stone Drive, Swannanoa

In addition, lap swimming is available year-round at the Buncombe County Schools Aquatics Center, a 10-lane pool managed by the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Buncombe County Schools.

For more information on outdoor pools, visit the County’s pool website or call (828) 348-4770.

Hit the trails and learn more about The North Carolina Arboretum’s botanically diverse forest with a guided trail walk! April through October, this free hiking program is led by trained volunteer guides who take small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season and each guide’s area of expertise, topics of discussion may include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history and more.

Guided trail walks are limited to 15 people, including the guide, and are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age. Groups depart from the Baker Visitor Center Lobby on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m..

Walks last 1.5 – 2.5 hours, are approximately one to two miles in length. As this program is held rain or shine, all participants should dress appropriately for the weather.

There is no pre-registration; walks are first-come first served and sign up sheets are located in the Baker Visitors Center.

Walks are FREE; however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.

Know Before You Go

• Guided Trail Walks are not recommended for guests under 16 years of age.
• Guided Trail Walks are rain or shine and all participants should be dressed comfortably and for the weather.
• Hikes cover 1-2 miles and last 1.5-2 hours.
• Well-behaved leashed pets are welcome to accompany their owners. In the rare case that a pet is disruptive or negatively impacts the experience, the pet and its owner may be asked to excuse themselves from the guided walk.
• COVID-19 Safety: In order to hear the guide and fully participate in the trail walk, participants will be in close proximity to one another for extended periods of time. While face coverings are not required, participants should use their best judgement to keep themselves and others safe while enjoying the trails. Individuals who are experiencing flu-like symptoms or suspect they may have been exposed to COVID-19 should not participate.
• At this time, no more than 6 spaces may be filled by a single family/group through pre-registration for any one Guided Trail Walk. If additional spaces are available on the day of the Walk, additional members of the family/group may participate. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming larger groups in the future.

Join us for a relaxing ride through quiet countryside on your way to small town life in western North Carolina on the Tuckasegee River Excursion. Departing from Bryson City, this 4 hour excursion travels 32 miles round-trip to Dillsboro and back to the Bryson City Depot. Pass by the famous movie set of The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford!

The Tuckasegee (tuck-uh-SEE-jee) River Excursion includes an 1 hour and 20 minute layover in the historic town of Dillsboro, where you’ll find more than 50 shops, restaurants, a brewery, and country inns. There is time to shop, snack, and visit the many unique shops before returning to Bryson City.

Here’s what we plan on doing. Refer to this train’s schedule for departures times.

Given the nature of railroading, durations are approximate and subject to change without notice.

CarePartners will hold a free and informative presentation about the essential aspects of Hospice and Advanced Care Planning. Advance Care Planning involves sometimes hard to navigate legal documents which allow you to give directions for your future medical care. This session is designed to help you understand these important documents so that your medical wishes are known in writing. It is important to have these directives at any age.

Light refreshments will be provided and the event is free and RSVP’s are requested by Friday, June 16 to [email protected]

 Learn more about the CarePartners Hospice program.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held its public hearing on a proposed budget that would hold the current tax rate of 48.8 cents. On June 6, nearly 30 community members signed up to speak during the public hearing for the spending plan for fiscal year 2024, which runs from July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024. The next step will be for Commissioners to vote on the proposed budget during their next meeting on Tuesday, June 20.

If approved, the overall budget would be $423,560,422 and would keep the current property tax rate of 48.8 cents for the third consecutive year. Below is a recap of what the proposed budget looks like.

Budget retreat priorities

During the Commissioners’ initial budget retreat last year, they identified five priorities for the FY24 budget. In the recommended budget, those priorities look like this:

• $6.6 million for public safety and expansion of emergency medical services.
• $698,000 for homelessness and continuum of care.
• $3.9 million for early childhood education workforce development.
• $637,000 for infrastructure in unincorporated and growth areas.
• On hold: Consolidation of school systems. All parties agreed to revisit this later.

Community investment through strategic priorities

In regard to community investments, Commissioners will continue to fund focus areas from the 2025 Strategic Plan. The following is a breakdown of some of the proposed community investments:

• $3,892,756 for early childhood and development:
  • Helping to ensure every child in Buncombe County has an equal opportunity to thrive during their first 2,000 days, including access to early childhood education. The funding would go to 16 organizations supporting 21 programs.
• $500,000 for Isaac Coleman grants:
  • Targeted investments that are currently working toward eliminating racial disparities and to champion equitable opportunities. Five organizations would be funded.
• $100,000 for Tipping Point grants:
  • Amplify community efforts toward building resiliency by funding 20 local organizations.
• $900,000 for Strategic Partnership grants:
  • Support nonprofit organizations working toward outcomes in alignment the County’s adopted Strategic Plan by funding 22 organizations that support 23 programs.
• $644,477 for Juvenile Crime Prevention Council:
  • To reduce and prevent juvenile crime by funding five organizations supporting six programs.
• $2,200,000 for Home and Community Care Block Grant and Buncombe County supplemental aging funds:
  • To encourage and maintain independence for persons over 60 and provide protection for older adults by funding 15 organizations supporting 20 programs.
• $4,064,714 for affordable housing services program:
  • To support public and private sector organizations to promote, preserve, and prioritize affordable housing within the County by funding nine organizations supporting 514 affordable housing units.
• $13,394,195 for affordable housing general obligation bond projects:
  • To help support the goal of increasing affordable housing by funding four organizations that are helping provide 398 affordable housing units.

Education funding

The proposed budget has $115.3 million worth of funding for A-B Tech and the Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems. You can see a breakdown of those proposed figures below:

*Request includes the amount that would result from an increase in the ACS Supplemental Tax Rate from 10.62¢ to 12¢.

Special district tax rate recommendations

Asheville City Schools and five fire districts are asking for an increase in tax rates. The proposed budget recommends moving forward with the fire district increases while keeping the city school district tax rate at its current level. You can see a breakdown of the special district tax rates below:
Timeline

Commissioners are slated to vote on adopting the budget on Tuesday, June 20. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can watch it here.

Previous budget meetings

• December budget retreat
• March 13 capital work session
• March 28 budget workshop
• April 25 budget workshop
• May 9 budget workshop
• May 16 recommended budget

Give Back Night at Buxton Hall BBQ

Focal Point Coworking and Biz Radio.US are proud to present Biz & Bites, a monthly event series!

Join us each month for a short talk with some of Asheville’s leading business thinkers, to meet and socialize with other local professionals, and to enjoy some of the tastiest treats Asheville has to offer!

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June: Boomers to Gen Z: Closing the Generational Divide

Generational stereotypes run deep. Join us for an impactful panel discussion hosted by Biz Radio Host, Hank Elder, as we explore how Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z conduct business differently and find ways to come together as one.

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Location

Focal Point Coworking is located at 125 S Lexington Avenue, Suite 101. The entrance is on Hilliard Avenue, across from the Bhramari parking lot. Street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood.

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Cost: $5 per person

Free for Focal Point Co-Working Members

Please pre-register to reserve your seat!

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

CHARLIE MARKS
Charlie Marks is an old-time, roots banjo and guitar picker. His sets blend traditional folk tunes with originals, ranging from foot-stomping banjo tunes to heartfelt ballads. With a sound described “as fresh as it is timeless”, Charlie brings a raw energy and earnestness to the stage that has captivated audiences across the country.

JAY SKAGGS
Jay Skaggs is an alt country singer out of central KY, with influences ranging from traditional music to alternative music. His songs tell tales from traveling the states, living in the street and dealing with our times today. Jay has been described as “grunge country” and “a highly caffeinated John Prine” (American songcatcher) and also drawn comparisons from Bob Dylan to Colter Wall. His music is found on YouTube and bandcamp. You can also stream Jay’s Red Barn Radio performance where ever you stream music. Take a listen to the *Okay Lucky You* EP @ jayskaggs.bandcamp.com

Carolina Mountain Club, the oldest hiking and trail maintaining club in the South, is celebrating one hundred years in 2023. Local author Danny Bernstein shares the history of hiking, trail maintenance, and land protection in western North Carolina in her recent book, Carolina Mountain Club: One Hundred Years.

One hundred years holds a rich history for Carolina Mountain Club (CMC) and Bernstein has compiled these stories. In the 1920s and 1930s the club built most of the Appalachian Trail in the South. In the 1980s, club members started building the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through western North Carolina and protected Max Patch from development, Recently CMC spoke out against building the North Shore Road through the most pristine part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is currently taking part in the Pisgah-Nantahala Forest plan. The club now leads five hikes a week, year round. It maintains over four hundred miles of trail.

In partnership with Asheville Museum of History, Buncombe County Special Collections will host a conversation with the author and Trevor Freeman, Asheville Museum of History Public Programs Director on Tuesday, June 20 at Pack Memorial’s Lord Auditorium. A slide presentation will feature historic photos and current activities. Bernstein will sign books after the program. All proceeds will go to Carolina Mountain Club. Cash or checks only, please.

About Danny Bernstein

Danny is a hiker, hike leader, and outdoor writer. She’s written several outdoor books of the area. In her previous life, she was in computer science, way before computers were cool, first as a software developer, then as a professor of computer science.

About Trevor Freeman

Trevor Freeman is a multi-generational western North Carolina native and holds an MA in American History. He has worked or interned in several parks and battlefield sites and is now the public programs director for the Asheville Museum of History. His research interests include the American Revolution as well as Appalachian and environmental history. An avid hiker, paddler, and fly fisher, you will often find him exploring or leading outings in the places he writes about.

Entry is free, books will be available for purchase with cash or checks only. All proceeds benefit Carolina Mountain Club.

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

We are honored to host the Asheville Community Hoop and Flow Arts Jam in Pritchard Park, located in the heart of our beloved city. This event began in 2008 and we are honored and thrilled to bring you this FREE event open to all ages and all levels of experience! Asheville Hoops provides jammin’ tunes, demo props for all to use and a positive event that promotes movement, creativity, dance and FUN!

Game Highlight: Ingles BOGO Tuesday

Gates open at 5:30pm
All Ages – under 12 requires venue approval
RAIN OR SHINE
CLEAR BAGS ONLY

From the producers of Cheer Live 2022 comes House Of Cheer: The Level Up Tour 2023.

House of Cheer is the only touring company of professional cheerleaders in the world! Hitting the road this summer, this cast will travel the country showcasing who these athletes are as entertainers in addition to their cheer talents. The Level Up Tour is part pop concert and part athletic spectacle featuring the best and biggest and brightest stars of Cheer. With the epic production value of a live concert – dazzling lights, elaborate set design, and over 25 costume changes – to make for an explosive theatrical experience unlike any other. House of Cheer, sponsored by Rebel, hopes to welcome you into the home of some of the best cheerleaders in the nation for years to come, opening the door for a future professional career and an outlet to perform beyond the competitive cheer stage. It’s a place where everyone is welcome, and the possibilities are endless. House of Cheer aspires to entertain audiences around the globe for generations to come.

– ALL AGES
– STANDING ROOM ONLY

RYAN MONROE (Band of Horses) + JOSH ROBERTS

Ryan Monroe joined Band of Horses in 2007 to record “Cease To Begin” and has been writing some of your favorite BoH jams and rocking with the band ever since, 16 years and counting. Josh Roberts, who fronts the amazing Hinges, and Ryan Monroe of Band of Horses both played in Captain Easy.

Ryan wrote and sang on Grammy Nominated album – ‘Infinite Arms’ and also co-wrote ‘Warning Signs’ off of the recent ‘Things Are Great’ album. Both artists have deep catalogues of amazing released and unreleased material, this exciting night of music is sure to please old fans and enthrall new ones.

Back as a Duo for the first time in 20 years, Ryan and Josh have been playing with each other from the early days, this is sure to be an amazing reunion of amazing musicians and friends. Fans of Captain Easy, Hinges, and Band of Horses are sure to fall in love with their medley of tunes that started it all. They get weird & put on a rockin’ show!

ANALOG MOON

(IO), the third studio LP by Analog Moon, is a story based on true events that have not yet come to pass. It explores the human side of futurism. What happens when man is no longer limited by an aging biological body? Can consciousness exist in a machine? Can awareness exist without emotion?

Asheville, NC-based musician, artist, and producer Todd Britton explores this subject through the lens of the biblical creation metaphor on an electronic palette. Joined by multi-instrumentalist Josh Sullivan and bassist Matt Gentling, the current phase of Analog Moon is a departure from the emblematic rock-driven format typically associated with the project, manifesting instead in a more downtempo style.