The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency (AB Air Quality) is now accepting nominations for our twentieth annual air quality awards program. The goal of the Clean Air Excellence Awards is to recognize businesses and organizations that have truly gone above and beyond regulatory requirements to improve air quality for the residents of our area. Past years’ award recipients have included Dynamite Roasting Company, Eaton Corporation, and Western North Carolina Veterans Affairs Health Care System; each initiated voluntary efforts that improved air quality in the Asheville-Buncombe County Area.

Award guidelines explain the criteria for the awards and different categories of awards apply to different types of permitted facilities, organizations, and individuals that would like to nominate themselves or another entity for consideration.

To submit a nomination for a Clean Air Excellence Award, please download the application form online and include a brief summary describing what was done to improve air quality for Buncombe County.  Examples of voluntary pollution prevention measures include:  significant energy efficiency upgrades, switching to more environmentally friendly and lower-emitting solvents and cleaners, installing renewable energy systems, and upgrading fleet vehicles to more fuel-efficient or lower-emitting models. We ask that nominations be submitted to our Agency by April 12, 2024. We encourage you to submit any and all efforts your company (or another company or organization) has undertaken to reduce emissions. Agency staff are available to assist with emissions-related questions.

More information and the application form are available at abairquality.org. Please contact Ashley Featherstone at 828-250-6777 or [email protected] with questions.

Classes at the Wortham

Prioritize your health and wellness with a revolving series of ongoing classes for lifelong learners in yoga, dance, theatre, and more.

Classes are held in the Henry LaBrun Studio at the Wortham Center at 18 Biltmore Ave. Please access the front courtyard from the breezeway by White Duck Taco. Signs will then direct you to the studio door to the left. Parking information can be found here.

2024 Classes

Do you work in downtown Asheville? If so, Buncombe County’s expanded affordable parking program could save you hundreds of your hard-earned dollars. The Affordable Parking Program includes 200 parking spaces at two locations in downtown Asheville. Of those 200, the County currently has 57 openings with 30 spots available at Coxe Avenue and 27 at College Street.

Parking spaces are located at the Coxe Avenue parking deck (located at 11 Sears Alley) and the College Street parking deck (located at 164 College Street, across from the judicial complex) for a discounted price of $40 per month. This initiative, focused on service industry and retail workers, is now taking applications for the remaining spots.

To be eligible, you need to work in Downtown Asheville and make 80% area median income (AMI), which is less than $22.88 per hour or $3,967 per month. Applications are now open for the program. If you think you’re eligible, then please go ahead and apply.

Apply here

Package List

• Golden Ticket (Thursday)

  Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Thursday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

  Save 25% on single ticket prices.

  BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  More Information

• Golden Ticket (Saturday)

  Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Saturday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

  Save 25% on single ticket prices.

  BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  More Information

• Symphony Series

  Description: Receive all sixteen (16) symphony events at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium.

  Save 20% on single ticket prices.

  BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  More Information

• Compose Your Own

  Description: Purchase at least eight (8) eligible* events from our summer season.

  Save 15% on single ticket prices.

  *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, and Legendary Artists Series are not eligible for inclusion.

  More Information

• Opera Lovers (Thursday)

  Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Thursday night events: Flight, La Bohème, The Threepenny Opera, and An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

  Save 10% on single ticket prices.

  Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  More Information

• Opera Lovers (Saturday)

  Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Saturday afternoon events: Flight, La Bohème, The Threepenny Opera. Includes one (1) ticket to the following Thursday evening event: An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

  Save 10% on single ticket prices.

  Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  More Information

• Parker Concert Hall Summer Series

  Description: Receive all twelve (12) Parker Concert Hall Summer Series events.

  Save 15% on single ticket prices.

  BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  More Information

• Flex

  Description: Purchase at least three (3) eligible* events, and receive a 5% discount off single ticket prices.

  Flex tickets cannot be purchased during the subscription renewal/purchase phase and will be available during the donor presale to qualifying purchasers.

  *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, Legendary Artist Series are ineligible for this discount package.

  This discount will activate automatically once you add the required number of eligible events to your cart.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library impacts the pre­-literacy skills and school readiness of children under the age of 5 in Buncombe County. The program mails a new, free, age-appropriate book to registered children each month until they turn five years old. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library creates a home library of up to 60 books and instills a love of books and reading from an early age. If you have any questions about the program, please send an email to [email protected].

A national panel of educators selects the Imagination Library titles, which include: The Little Engine that Could, Last Stop on Market Street, Violet the Pilot, As an Oak Tree Grows, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Llama Llama Red Pajama, Look Out Kindergarten, here I come, and many more (take a look at all the titles).

Register your child now!

Program Launch and Expansions

Literacy Together became a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library affiliate in November 2015 with support from the Buncombe Partnership for Children. Through this program, registered children in Buncombe County receive a free book in the mail each month. Their parents also have the opportunity to attend workshops to learn how to build their children’s early literacy skills. Parents in need of literacy assistance are encouraged to receive tutoring through Literacy Together’s adult programming.

The program served 200 children during the 2015/16 fiscal year. The program expanded to serve 400 children in July 2016, and 600 in August 2017. In July 2018, capacity increased to 1,900 thanks to a special allocation in the North Carolina state budget. We’re now serving 4,600 kids in Buncombe County.  

ASAP, through support from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, has funds available for Appalachian Grown certified farms and farm groups in North Carolina to promote locally grown food in 2024. These funds can be used for design and production of labels, packaging, or promotional materials featuring the Appalachian Grown logo. The promotion must reach the public and support farmers within one or more of the Appalachian Grown counties in North Carolina. Appalachian Grown Cost Share operates on a reimbursement basis, for up to 75% of total project costs. Find out more about project eligibility and guidelines and apply.

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

Duration

1 hour and 30 minutes

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Historical and hysterical, The Hey Asheville tour features outrageously entertaining tour guides, outlandish comedy skits complete with special appearances and loads of Asheville information. You’ll get to see the best of downtown Asheville and the rarely seen but stunningly beautiful Montford neighborhood, not to mention the burgeoning River Arts District! You’ve never had a ride like this. It’s like a vaudeville show on wheels!

Find out what makes Asheville so unique on LaZoom’s City Comedy Tour. It’s the perfect mix of history, comedy, and entertainment. Our guides are trained professional actors working with an original script. It’s like a theatre on wheels! The tour highlights downtown Asheville, historic neighborhoods, the South Slope, and the River Arts District.

Age Restrictions

13 and up. No exceptions.

Stops

10 minute beer & bathroom break at Green Man Brewery

What’s Included

Guided tour of Asheville on a Purple Bus
Funny actors, fun bits
Actual History about Asheville
Green Man Brewery Stop

What’s Not Included

Beer/Wine (Must be purchased from LaZoom or the Brewery Stop)
Cash! You’ll want to tip the guides for changing your life for the better.

There is no better way to DISCOVER and EXPLORE Asheville!  Hop-on board one of Gray Line’s nostalgic trolleys for a fully narrated day tour, highlighting the history, homes, hang-outs and hot spots of this “city of surprises.”

Tour Highlights include  .  .  .  Downtown Asheville  |  Montford Historic District  |  The Grove Park Inn and Grove Park Historic District  |  Thomas Wolfe District  |  Pack Square and Asheville Art Museum  |  Grove Arcade  |  River Arts District  |  Biltmore Village

Hop-On and hear the story of a city rich in architecture, history and the arts  . . .

Hop-Off and experience its eclectic shops and galleries; its world class culinary and craft brew scenes.

Tour Duration:  The complete tour (one loop) lasts approximately 90 to 100 minutes.  There is an additional 15 minute stop at the Asheville Visitor Center.  The Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour ticket is valid for TWO consecutive days.

Departure Points: Join the Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour at any of the 10 stops.  If you’re driving in to join the tour, Stop 1, the Asheville Visitor Center may be your best option.  The Visitor Center, located at 36 Montford Ave. just off I-240 at Exit 4C, offers free parking (on a first come-first served basis) and restrooms. The Asheville Visitor Center is the ONLY place to join the Overview Tour.

LEAF Schools & Streets invites your students to join us at LEAF Global Arts for summer camps, which run June 17-August 23 at 19 Eagle Street downtown. Registration is open! Most camps are for rising first-graders through rising sixth-graders, with the addition of the ‘Making a Music Video’ and ‘Songwriting and Recording’ camps for middleschoolers and highschoolers. SUMMER CAMPS • June 17-21 – World Dance • June 24-28 – West African Culture: Drumming, Dance, Clothing & Food • July 8-12 – Blues • July 15-19 – LEAF International Haiti • July 22-25 – Making a Music Video: Songwriting, Recording, and Film-Making* • July 29-August 2 – Stop Motion Animation • August 12-15 – Songwriting and Recording* • August 19-23 – World-Changing Visual Art *middle and high school, all others are rising 1st-6th