Joining a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture) program connects you directly with local farms in your community. ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) offers several events and resources to learn more about CSAs, in which members buy a “share” of a farm’s harvest upfront and receive a weekly box of fresh produce or other farm goods. ASAP will host a virtual CSA Fair on March 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. on Zoom. In addition, Full Share, a free guide listing 60 CSA farms in the Appalachian Grown region, is available now at farmers markets and community centers throughout the region as well as digitally at asapconnections.org/find-local-food/csa.

The virtual CSA Fair will feature farms providing CSAs in Buncombe County and the surrounding region. In addition to traditional produce farms, the fair will include farms with meat and flower CSA programs. The virtual fair will have a similar format as live fairs in the past—a relaxed setting where attendees can talk to farmers about their CSA programs, products, growing practices, and more. Attendees can sign up for CSAs during the fair or follow up with farmers later. The fair is free to attend, but participants do need to register for the event to get a Zoom link.

For farmers, the CSA Fair is a chance to build relationships, even if attendees decide not to purchase a share. “[The customers we meet at the CSA Fair] tend to really want to know the farmer and the food, meaning they are a bit more adventurous when it comes to trying new things,” says K.P. Whaley of Tiny Bridge Farm. “They are interested in knowing how and what we are growing, and really want us to be successful as a farm operation. We may get some customers from the fair and that’s great. But we also start building relationships with future customers.”

Participating farms at press time include Bearwallow Valley Farms, Blazing Star Flowers, Colfax Creek Farm, Creekside Farm, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Olivette Farm, and Tiny Bridge Farm, with more farms to be added before the fair. Check asapconnections.org/events/csa-fair for updates and to register.

ABOUT ASAP (APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT)

ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit asapconnections.org.

The Buncombe County Parks, Greenways, and Recreation Advisory Board has a vacancy for a resident from District 1. Meetings are currently held virtually at 6 p.m. on the third Monday of each month. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Fri., Mar. 12.

Buncombians are the guiding star for Buncombe County Recreation Services. They inform us of how they use parks and what projects we should prioritize. The Parks, Greenways, and Recreation Advisory Board is an extension of that transparency, ensuring a two-way conversation is always happening when it comes to improving equitable access to recreation and enhancing the quality of life in our community.

There is a great amount of diversity among those who use Buncombe County parks and recreation facilities; the ultimate goal is an advisory group that reflects this. The board’s mission statement is: “Advocating for cultural preservation and changing lives through equitable recreation opportunities in public spaces, greenways, and parks.”

For a detailed position description and to apply, click here.

We need your input on naming the new section of greenway in the River Arts District! The proposed name is the Wilma Dykeman Greenway, in honor of the late historian, author and environmental activist Wilma Dykeman. Ms. Dykeman’s influential writings and passion for environmental and social justice helped shape the modern day movement for a cleaner French Broad River and a more vibrant, healthy riverfront. To learn more about Wilma Dykeman and the contributions she has made, click here.

An interactive map of the greenway is available here.

No matter how thorough and fair a reappraisal may be, there are still instances when only the property owner has all the information necessary for an accurate appraisal. Informal appeals for the tax year 2021 can be filed anytime between Jan. 1-April 28, 2021. Additionally, anyone receiving a change of value notice after April 1, 2021 has thirty days from that notice date to file an appeal.

• Bars
• Meeting, Reception, and Conference Spaces
• Lounges (including tobacco) and Night Clubs
• Indoor areas of Amusement Parks
• Movie Theatres
• Entertainment facilities (e.g., bingo parlors, gaming establishments)
• Sports Arenas and Fields*
• Venues*

• Restaurants
• Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries
• Fitness and Physical Activity Facilities (e.g., gyms, bowling alleys, rock climbing facilities)
• Pools
• Museums and Aquariums
• Retailers
• Outdoor areas of Amusement Parks
• Salons, Personal Care, Tattoo Parlors

Firestorm Books & Coffee will partner with Community Housing Coalition (CHC) of Madison County for its inaugural “Shopping for Shelter” fundraising event. Community members are invited to support CHC’s mission to facilitate healthy, safe, and affordable housing by buying a book or other item through the bookstore’s website during the first five days of March (3/1–3/5).

Although any purchase from Firestorm Books & Coffee will generate funds for Community Housing Coalition, the nonprofit has shared a list of recommended titles that can be found on the bookstore’s website. The full list—available at firestorm.coop/chc—includes regional nonfiction like Elizabeth Catte’s What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia, titles that guide the work of CHC like Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts, and CHC staff favorites like Octavia E. Butler’s NYT bestselling science-fiction novel, Parable of the Sower.

Community Housing Coalition of Madison County is a non-profit agency that provides urgent home repairs to low-income residents in need of assistance. In 2020, CHC undertook 73 home repairs, made over 300 COVID-19 outreach calls, and oversaw 670 hours of volunteer labor to bring rural homes up to essential housing standards. chcmadisoncountync.org

Firestorm Books & Coffee is a thirteen year old collectively-owned bookstore and community event space at 610 Haywood Road. The co-op, known for its social movement-oriented book selection, has been hosting virtual events and offering contactless pickup options to local readers. firestorm.coop

This annual conference brings together student EcoReps, sustainability interns, and faculty and staff advisers from around the region for a weekend of peer leadership training and collaboration. This conference is a great opportunity to learn from your peers, share your successes (and get constructive feedback), and get inspiration you can bring back to your own campus.

Key topics in 2021 will include:

• Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in our work
• Effective Student Leadership/ Peer 2 Peer education
• Zero Waste initiatives
• Educational initiatives & events
• Adapting to COVID-19
• Translating student visions into institutional action

This conference will be held VIRTUALLY due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

Register
There is no fee to attend, however, you must register to participate in the virtual sessions. The registration deadline is Friday, March 19 at midnight.

Land Conservation Take a tour of our French Broad River Greenways! Running from Hominy Creek Park in West Asheville all the way up to the planned extension through the Town of Woodfin, the Asheville greenway system provides many opportunities for recreation and connection. Special thanks to Connect Buncombe for creating this wonderful video highlighting our growing greenway system.

RGGI (aka REGGIE) is a cooperative effort among 11 Eastern states to cap and reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector.  The pact requires polluters to reduce their carbon emissions and buy carbon credits as carbon limits gradually become more strict, speeding up the shift to clean energy. RGGI also generates revenue to help communities hit hardest by pollution from fossil fuels. You can learn more at RGGI.ORG. In March, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission is expected to vote on whether to join RGGI. Governor Cooper can push them to vote YES but he needs to hear from us. The Sierra Club has created an ACTION PAGE with a form that makes it easy to add your personal comments to an email message directed to Governor Cooper

Wednesday, March 3 – Pay What You Wish: Select your price from $5, $10, $15, $20, or $25.

Thursday, March 4 – Dinner and a Show: Order takeout or delivery from Mountain Madre at a 15% discount. For delivery: Order through Takeout Central.com (app available) and use the code NCSTAGE at checkout.  For takeout: Call 828-251-8879 to order and let them know you’re with NC Stage. You can pay over the phone or when you arrive. Curbside and in-restaurant pickup available. Wait times vary.

Friday, March 5 – Post-Show Talkback: Stick around for a bit after the show for a Q&A with the director and actors live on Zoom.

Saturday, March 6 – Post-Show Champagne Toast: Pick up your favorite bubbly curbside at Metro Wines (at a 15% discount when you say you’re with NC Stage) then after the show, stay on Zoom for a toast. Call 828-575-9525 and Metro Wines can provide recommendations and details regarding curbside pickup. You can pay over the phone or when you arrive.

Opening the Door to Change presents the history of education in Western North Carolina, with a particular emphasis on Madison County, from the mid-nineteenth century through the late twentieth. Here, learning has taken many forms, from in-home instruction, common, subscription, and religious schools, to colleges of farming and craft. The curriculum of these schools, as well as their very construction, and in some cases closing, was deeply entwined with the changing needs and values of the Western North Carolina Appalachian community.

 The exhibition focuses on the dynamic relationship between community values and education, with a special focus on how students and their families navigated the economic, geographic, and racial challenges to education. Trends and changes in curriculum, assessment, and classroom design will also be explored.

The virtual exhibition will feature didactic panels showcasing a survey of schools within Madison County and highlighting the effect community values had on the curriculum, function, and format of these institutions. Online visitors may also get a sneak-peak at an original film, produced by the Museum, presenting the oral histories of several Madison County residents sharing their personal recollections and memories of past school-days.

Additional films will spotlight the Historic Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School and Laurel School, with first-hand accounts from former students and teachers.

This virtual exhibition is sponsored by the Madison County Tourism and Development Authority.