Summer is in full bloom, vegetable gardens are thriving, and now we can sit back and enjoy. Yes, we can. Up to a point. Garden chores will always be there, but taking things a bit easy will go a long way to keeping you happy. There’s no need to be in a mad scramble all the time.

In order to keep a handle on the garden and prevent becoming overwhelmed, here are a few things you can do through the summer to keep your garden doing well. And, if something isn’t working, change it. That’s the fun of gardening.

Read the Free Article.

Asheville Art Scene Re-energized
After 4 months of mandated closure due to Covid-19, the Asheville Gallery of Art (AGA) proudly re-opens its doors at 82 Patton Avenue, across from Pritchard Park. Now open to limited hours, Fridays and Saturdays noon to 5 pm and by private appointments via its Facebook page, the Gallery emerges from shutdown with a spectacular all-member exhibit titled “Infinite Possibilities.” The show runs now through July 31.

AGA’s president, Sue Dolamore says, “With the many difficult challenges in the world today, it’s a good time to redirect our attention to something that makes us feel good and art is just that! ” Dolamore says the co-op’s 31 member artists have been busy in their home studios creating fresh new artworks that now fill the landmark gallery’s walls. AGA prides itself on displaying a wide range of works created by WNC’s best local artists.
Dolamore adds, “Asheville’s vibrant art scene is coming back! Our team of artists also have been working hard preparing for a safe and beautiful gallery environment for our visitors, collectors and artists.”
Gallery artist, Sahar Fakhoury, also announces the debut of AGA’s brand new online store, https://asheville-gallery-of-art.square.site/. “With over 500 original paintings on the walls, in the Original Art Case and our Online Store, there’s something for everyone.”

For more information: Contact Karen K. Brown at [email protected] or Sally Lordeon at [email protected]

 If you’ve ever considered adding a feline companion into your family, now is the perfect time to adopt. Blue Ridge Humane Society has discounted the regular cat adoption fee to $25, down from the regular $75 for the immediate future due to a high number of cats and kittens waiting for adoption from the organization. Studies have shown that owning a pet significantly cuts down on an owner’s stress and anxiety. Having a pet in your life drastically improves your overall mental and physical health.

“This time of year, animal shelters, including Blue Ridge Humane, are flooded with cats,” says Angela Prodrick, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Humane. “Choosing to adopt a cat now not only rescues that cat’s life, but also opens space for us to take in more kittens that are so desperately in need of homes.” Karla Pan, Adoption Center Director adds “Cats are always their authentic selves, offer sincere company, and love without limits. We can all use more of this right about now, so Blue Ridge Humane Society has reduced our adoption fees to make it easier to welcome a new cat into your home.”

To view animals currently waiting for adoption, visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/adopt/. Blue Ridge Humane also provides an animal request form in the case that there isn’t a match currently available.

All adoptions are currently following the contact-free and digital adoption procedure implemented by Blue Ridge Humane in May. The new procedure includes adoption counseling from Blue Ridge Humane staff, a contact-free or virtual meet and greet between a potential adopter and the animal they are interested in, as well as a contact-free animal pick-up after completing the required paperwork and payment digitally. After finding an animal they are interested in, the adopter can fill out the application form on the Blue Ridge Humane website under Adopt, and staff will be in touch with more information about the animal and the next steps.

The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.

If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

####

Opening Night 2016: An American in Paris

Posted July 2, 2020; originally aired in the 2016 season

https://www.brevardmusic.org/online/digital-bmc/?utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=a4740e663a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-a4740e663a-131688489

Selected past performances by BMC orchestras, faculty, and guest artists on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Open Air Brevard.

Explore a series of posts to learn how the roots of American music run deep in North Carolina.

Are you interested in helping Buncombe County expand reliable, high-speed internet? If so, we need your help. Please consider joining the Buncombe Broadband Working Group. Applications are due by Friday, July 17.

Objective:

This posting is for 3-5 community members to the Buncombe Broadband Working Group which will support the evaluation of proposals submitted to Buncombe County for high-speed internet solutions.

Term:

Members shall serve for approximately 6 months, but the term may be extended or reduced based on responses from high-speed internet providers. Members may be replaced at any time at the sole discretion of the respective institution or organization. Time commitment is an estimated 4-5 hours each month.

Responsibilities:

The workgroup will:

• Develop a Request for Proposal document for high-speed internet services in Buncombe County,
• Objectively evaluate the proposals received,
• Weigh proposals based on cost, and ability to deliver excellent, sustainable service using the scoring matrix provided to bidders through the RFP, and
• Provide a recommendation to County leadership.

Qualifications:

Applicants must be Buncombe County residents. Ideal candidates have an understanding of the technical requirements of high-speed internet operations, experience leading or supporting community high-speed internet initiatives, or experience/relationships working with high-speed internet providers. Candidates must report any potential conflicts of interest.

To Apply:

Please complete the Boards and Commissions application found here and return to Lamar Joyner at [email protected] by Friday, July 17.

Miss browsing the library’s shelves? Let us help with Bookfix. Call or email your local library to have a librarian put together a bundle of books tailored to your specific interests. You can pick up your personal Bookfix bundle at our curbside hold pickup service. Our Ask a Librarian line is available Monday-Saturday at (828) 250-4700 or you can email [email protected].

Keith discusses Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote and the experience of preparing and performing it with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and internationally renowned cellist Johannes Moser. The featured recording is from that performance in 2015.

https://www.brevardmusic.org/online/keiths-corner/?utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=a4740e663a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-a4740e663a-131688489

Hailed as a “masterpiece” by the Chicago Sun-Times, Ballet Hispánico presents choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia – a Picasso-inspired, contemporary take on Bizet’s classic opera. Recorded at Lincoln Center, this riveting, imaginative and theatrical performance will be available online until Tuesday, July 14.

For the month of July, genealogists and historians can access the popular Ancestry.com database from home for free. All you need is a library card.

Among the billions of records available, Ancestry.com includes census records and indexes, vital, church, military, public member trees; birth, marriage and death records; tax, criminal, land and wills stories, memories and histories, pictures, city directories, immigration and travel schools, maps and more. There are records from the United States as well as international records, so no matter where your family might be from, you will probably be able locate them in the Ancestry database.

Find a new branch of your family tree with Ancestry. Visit the library website at buncombecounty.org/library and use the Virtual Library tab to access Ancestry. If you don’t have a library card, email us at [email protected] and we can give you a card by email. Call 828-250-4700 with any questions.

BMC@Home

From our home to yours: students and faculty share new concerts, living room recitals, and masterclasses.

Enjoy our inaugural Virtual Living Room Concert. BMC violin faculty member Benjamin Sung discusses and performs Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2, I. Obsession, Prelude. This movement includes quotes from Bach’s E Major Partita infused with the recognizable melody of the “Dies Irae”.

BMC trombone faculty member David Jackson joins Michael Dease, the Director of the Jazz Institute @ Brevard, who wrote this special arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Originally for a vocal chorus, this arrangement features eight trombone parts supported by string bass, organ, and drums.

BMC alums and 2020 students RJ McDowell and Wesley Hamilton share this special at-home performance. Written by Italian composer Alessandro Rolla, this viola duet lets both parts shine. This is the first movement, Allegro Maestoso, from the Duo in G Major. RJ holds degrees from Furman University and Belmont University, and Wesley recently graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.

Summer is in full bloom, vegetable gardens are thriving, and now we can sit back and enjoy. Yes, we can. Up to a point. Garden chores will always be there, but taking things a bit easy will go a long way to keeping you happy. There’s no need to be in a mad scramble all the time.

In order to keep a handle on the garden and prevent becoming overwhelmed, here are a few things you can do through the summer to keep your garden doing well. And, if something isn’t working, change it. That’s the fun of gardening.

Read the Free Article.

 If you’ve ever considered adding a feline companion into your family, now is the perfect time to adopt. Blue Ridge Humane Society has discounted the regular cat adoption fee to $25, down from the regular $75 for the immediate future due to a high number of cats and kittens waiting for adoption from the organization. Studies have shown that owning a pet significantly cuts down on an owner’s stress and anxiety. Having a pet in your life drastically improves your overall mental and physical health.

“This time of year, animal shelters, including Blue Ridge Humane, are flooded with cats,” says Angela Prodrick, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Humane. “Choosing to adopt a cat now not only rescues that cat’s life, but also opens space for us to take in more kittens that are so desperately in need of homes.” Karla Pan, Adoption Center Director adds “Cats are always their authentic selves, offer sincere company, and love without limits. We can all use more of this right about now, so Blue Ridge Humane Society has reduced our adoption fees to make it easier to welcome a new cat into your home.”

To view animals currently waiting for adoption, visit https://www.blueridgehumane.org/adopt/. Blue Ridge Humane also provides an animal request form in the case that there isn’t a match currently available.

All adoptions are currently following the contact-free and digital adoption procedure implemented by Blue Ridge Humane in May. The new procedure includes adoption counseling from Blue Ridge Humane staff, a contact-free or virtual meet and greet between a potential adopter and the animal they are interested in, as well as a contact-free animal pick-up after completing the required paperwork and payment digitally. After finding an animal they are interested in, the adopter can fill out the application form on the Blue Ridge Humane website under Adopt, and staff will be in touch with more information about the animal and the next steps.

The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.

If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

####

Opening Night 2016: An American in Paris

Posted July 2, 2020; originally aired in the 2016 season

https://www.brevardmusic.org/online/digital-bmc/?utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=a4740e663a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-a4740e663a-131688489

Selected past performances by BMC orchestras, faculty, and guest artists on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Open Air Brevard.

Explore a series of posts to learn how the roots of American music run deep in North Carolina.

Think you have what it takes to be AVL Parks’ first Fortnite champion?
Start practicing because on Fridays starting July 24th you’ll be able to compete head-to-head in with other gamers in Fortnite. Whether you’re a noob or a pro, you’ll be able to put your skills to the test against other Asheville gamers.

Registration Now Open

Register by Friday, July 18th 5pm to secure your spot in AVL’s newest eSports league.
Recommended Age: 12+
Available on XboxOne, PS4, Computer, and Switch.
For more information email [email protected]

Are you interested in helping Buncombe County expand reliable, high-speed internet? If so, we need your help. Please consider joining the Buncombe Broadband Working Group. Applications are due by Friday, July 17.

Objective:

This posting is for 3-5 community members to the Buncombe Broadband Working Group which will support the evaluation of proposals submitted to Buncombe County for high-speed internet solutions.

Term:

Members shall serve for approximately 6 months, but the term may be extended or reduced based on responses from high-speed internet providers. Members may be replaced at any time at the sole discretion of the respective institution or organization. Time commitment is an estimated 4-5 hours each month.

Responsibilities:

The workgroup will:

• Develop a Request for Proposal document for high-speed internet services in Buncombe County,
• Objectively evaluate the proposals received,
• Weigh proposals based on cost, and ability to deliver excellent, sustainable service using the scoring matrix provided to bidders through the RFP, and
• Provide a recommendation to County leadership.

Qualifications:

Applicants must be Buncombe County residents. Ideal candidates have an understanding of the technical requirements of high-speed internet operations, experience leading or supporting community high-speed internet initiatives, or experience/relationships working with high-speed internet providers. Candidates must report any potential conflicts of interest.

To Apply:

Please complete the Boards and Commissions application found here and return to Lamar Joyner at [email protected] by Friday, July 17.

Miss browsing the library’s shelves? Let us help with Bookfix. Call or email your local library to have a librarian put together a bundle of books tailored to your specific interests. You can pick up your personal Bookfix bundle at our curbside hold pickup service. Our Ask a Librarian line is available Monday-Saturday at (828) 250-4700 or you can email [email protected].

Keith discusses Strauss’s tone poem Don Quixote and the experience of preparing and performing it with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and internationally renowned cellist Johannes Moser. The featured recording is from that performance in 2015.

https://www.brevardmusic.org/online/keiths-corner/?utm_source=Brevard+Music+Center&utm_campaign=a4740e663a-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_31_2018_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b154873bc5-a4740e663a-131688489

Hailed as a “masterpiece” by the Chicago Sun-Times, Ballet Hispánico presents choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia – a Picasso-inspired, contemporary take on Bizet’s classic opera. Recorded at Lincoln Center, this riveting, imaginative and theatrical performance will be available online until Tuesday, July 14.

Think you have what it takes to be AVL Parks’ Madden 20 champion?

Start practicing because on July 21st you’ll be able to compete head-to-head in with other gamers in Madden 20. Whether you’re a noob or a pro, you’ll be able to put your skills to the test against other Asheville gamers.

Registration Now Open

Register by Friday, July 18th 5pm to secure your spot in AVL’s newest eSports league.
Available on XboxOne and PS4.
For more information email [email protected]

Think you have what it takes to be AVL Parks’ Madden 20 champion?

Start practicing because on July 21st you’ll be able to compete head-to-head in with other gamers in Madden 20. Whether you’re a noob or a pro, you’ll be able to put your skills to the test against other Asheville gamers.

Registration Now Open

Register by Friday, July 18th 5pm to secure your spot in AVL’s newest eSports league.
Available on XboxOne and PS4.
For more information email [email protected]

For the month of July, genealogists and historians can access the popular Ancestry.com database from home for free. All you need is a library card.

Among the billions of records available, Ancestry.com includes census records and indexes, vital, church, military, public member trees; birth, marriage and death records; tax, criminal, land and wills stories, memories and histories, pictures, city directories, immigration and travel schools, maps and more. There are records from the United States as well as international records, so no matter where your family might be from, you will probably be able locate them in the Ancestry database.

Find a new branch of your family tree with Ancestry. Visit the library website at buncombecounty.org/library and use the Virtual Library tab to access Ancestry. If you don’t have a library card, email us at [email protected] and we can give you a card by email. Call 828-250-4700 with any questions.

Think you have what it takes to be AVL Parks’ first Rocket League champion?

Start practicing because on Fridays starting July 24th you’ll be able to compete head-to-head in with other gamers in Rocket League. Whether you’re a noob or a pro, you’ll be able to put your skills to the test against other Asheville gamers.

Registration Now Open

Register by Friday, July 18th 5pm to secure your spot in AVL’s newest eSports league.
Available on XboxOne, PS4, Computer, and Switch.
For more information email [email protected]

BMC@Home

From our home to yours: students and faculty share new concerts, living room recitals, and masterclasses.

Enjoy our inaugural Virtual Living Room Concert. BMC violin faculty member Benjamin Sung discusses and performs Eugène Ysaÿe’s Sonata No. 2, I. Obsession, Prelude. This movement includes quotes from Bach’s E Major Partita infused with the recognizable melody of the “Dies Irae”.

BMC trombone faculty member David Jackson joins Michael Dease, the Director of the Jazz Institute @ Brevard, who wrote this special arrangement of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Originally for a vocal chorus, this arrangement features eight trombone parts supported by string bass, organ, and drums.

BMC alums and 2020 students RJ McDowell and Wesley Hamilton share this special at-home performance. Written by Italian composer Alessandro Rolla, this viola duet lets both parts shine. This is the first movement, Allegro Maestoso, from the Duo in G Major. RJ holds degrees from Furman University and Belmont University, and Wesley recently graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.