Join the School of Stage and Screen for a unique radio drama experience of “A Ghost of Christmas Past” where Fan – Scrooge’s often forgotten younger sister – takes center stage as the feminine and ethereal guide to restore balance in the unbalanced world and heart of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The radio drama was written and adapted for the stage by assistant professor Ashlee Wasmund with original music and lyrics by assistant professor Kristen Hedberg.

Alvin Ailey: Ailey Forward
Enjoy Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s first-ever online season. Available to stream from December 2-31, this incredible series of premieres, collaborations, behind-the-scenes talkbacks, and unique Alvin Ailey highlights from the past 60 years will leave you inspired and wanting more. All events are family friendly, and free to enjoy with no registration required.

City of Asheville Transit will begin enforcing face covering requirements for riders and will reduce the maximum passenger capacity per bus to 9 people plus the driver.

Free face coverings are provided on all ART buses and at the Transit Center, both on the platform and at the customer service window. Please ask an ART employee for assistance if a face covering is needed.

Riders who refuse to wear a face covering, or who are improperly wearing a face covering, will not be allowed to board the bus and will be denied service.  Additionally, riders will be required to exit the bus if the face covering is removed or is being worn improperly.  Face coverings are also required to be worn at all times at ART facilities, including the Transit Center and bus stops.  Riders who refuse to wear face coverings will be subject to a 15-day ban from riding transit and may be subject to civil penalties and trespassing charges. Recurring violations may result in additional penalties and a longer ban from riding ART.

Additionally, in accordance with Executive Order 180, the maximum passenger capacity per bus will once again be limited to 9 riders plus the driver. Riders are asked to limit their use of ART to essential travel only and to continue to practice the 3 W’s: Wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth, Wait 6 feet apart and avoid close contact, and Wash your hands or use sanitizer.

Please check the Service Alerts section on the website for any updates.
https://www.ashevillenc.gov/service/transit-service-alerts

Asheville Regional Airport — Art Gallery (Media is invited at any time to visit the display – the Art Gallery is located in the main lobby of the public area of the terminal.) A “magic” TV, in the Art Gallery window, brings passengers special messages (and safety reminders) from Santa and an invitation to come into the gallery to take a selfie. Travelers are able to stand with a virtual Santa who poses for pictures in a “COVID-friendly” way. The holidays look much different this year because of COVID-19, especially during air travel. The airport team wanted to offer some holiday cheer and something unique for its guests. This festive, virtual display is a way to bring a smile to passengers’ faces (behind their masks) to help brighten their travel experience, in a safe and responsible manner. VISUALS: Virtual Santa, asking travelers to pose for a “selfie” Virtual Santa, offering different poses: Masked Santa; Santa in sunglasses; Santa with arms outstretched; Santa posing for a back-to-back photo Travelers interacting with the display

The holidays are a precious time of connection: a time to share joy among friends, family, and community. Where the coronavirus pandemic imposes barriers to physical reunion, music allows us to gather in spirit wherever we are. In October 2020, a small subset of musicians from the Blue Ridge Orchestra spaced out their stands, put on their masks, and gathered at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts to record holiday favorites for a concert that can unite loved ones near and far.

Programmed by John Gordon Ross, this unique concert will feature secular and sacred favorites performed by a variety of musical ensembles: a woodwind quintet, a brass octet, a 13-piece string orchestra, a solo soprano with piano, and a string quartet.

The final recording will be available here from December 11-31!

BRO: Beyond the Concert Hall explores the ways the members of the Blue Ridge Orchestra are playing, practicing, and enjoying music during the 2020 pandemic. New videos will be added weekly so check back to see more musicians!

Keith shares the beautiful Adoration of the Magi (Three Botticelli Pictures) of Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. The featured recording is of Keith Lockhart conducting the Boston Pops Orchestra on their album Sleigh Ride from 2004.

Buy a brick or granite paver to honor a friend or family member, and make their name a part of the Swannanoa Valley’s geography and history! The pavers will form a mosaic which will show the north and south ridgelines of the Swannanoa Valley and the locations within the Valley which trace the settlement and the evolution of the Valley to the vibrant community it is today.

The Valley in the Alley exhibit is located, fittingly, in the alley owned by the Museum between the Museum and the Dripolator Coffee House, just off West State Street in Black Mountain.

The exhibit is based on the sale of engraved brick pavers, but with an approach distinct from the usual random placement of pavers. Purchasers of all engraved bricks within the alley will have the same opportunity to honor or memorialize friends and recognize special achievements as in other paver programs. However, through the purchase of a variety of special granite pavers, individuals, families and businesses will be owning “a piece of history” by forming the geographic outline of the Valley and locating major points of special interest in the Valley, such as communities, dwellings, or landscape features.

The result will be a mosaic which will show the north and south ridgelines of the Swannanoa Valley, the major geographic features on, and within, the ridgelines and the locations within the Valley which trace the settlement and the evolution of the Valley to the vibrant community it is today.

When the Valley in the Alley is complete, it will be a primer for children, acquainting them with the geography and history of the Swannanoa Valley; it will quickly orient visitors to what they are seeing around them; it will allow generations of families to recall and tell of their place in the Valley’s history; and it will be an aesthetically pleasing walkway, complimenting both the Museum building and Black Mountain’s Historic Downtown. The Museum will also provide permanent seating in the alleyway for use by the community.

Pricing

Regular 4″x8″ brick pavers holding three lines of text are $100. Engraved granite pavers will form the special features of the mosaic. They start at $200 for one 4″x8″ paver with three lines of text and increase in cost and available text depending on the size of paver chosen. Approximately 4,000 pavers make up the Alley, of which nearly 600 will form the outline of the Valley. Along the outline and within the Valley, over 100 sites are available for special recognitions or dedications.

Once the initial cost for acquiring and placing pavers is recovered, all proceeds from the Valley in the Alley purchases will be devoted to completion of the renovation and the operations of the Swannanoa Valley Museum including exhibits, on-and off-site programming, outreach to schools, preservation, and research.

Participants in the Valley in the Alley program will be contributing their own piece of history to our community.
For more information:

Brick Locations

COVID-19 cases are surging, resources are being stretched to their lowest levels, and provisions from the CARES Act — like unemployment insurance, paid leave, and Paycheck Protection Program support — are set to expire at the end of this month. Despite these concerns, Congress still has failed to act and provide relief for families across the country.

Will you spare two minutes and tell your Members of Congress to support nonprofits like the YWCA on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Brevard Music Center Staff Picks From Around the Web

Great Performances:
Fiddler on the Roof
The first documentary chronicling the blockbuster Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Brevard Music Center Staff Picks From Around the Web

Ella Fitzgerald:
Frosty the Snowman
Enjoy this animated retelling of Frosty the Snowman, sung by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald.

Maya Angelou once said “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” So, as the year winds down, we invite you all not to forget, not to ignore but to love. Send love and light to your friends and family, spread endless love throughout your community, and remind yourself what love means to you. Engage with the things that bring you ultimate happiness – your favorite book, the first album you ever purchased, etc. Because this year has been difficult for everyone. This season will be different, full of new challenges, and we won’t have all the solutions. The only renewable resource we each have to offer is Love & Gratitude, and at this time, we should pour it out with abundance.

Update: Funding must be accessed by Dec. 30, 2020.

Attention Buncombe County residents: If you are struggling to pay your rent, mortgage, or utilities, Buncombe County’s COVID Housing Assistance Program may be able to help. The funds must be accessed prior to Dec. 30.

“If you think you may possibly qualify, please call our office at 250-5500 to learn more,” said Economic Services Director Phillip Hardin. “Financial assistance is available immediately to support our community members impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who need help with rent, mortgage, or utilities, but we have to use these dollars by Dec. 30.”

To qualify to receive relief funds earmarked for the Housing Assistance Program, households must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• The applicant/household lost income due to COVID-19.
• There is a sustainability plan to pay shelter expenses going forward after the County assists with past due bills.
• Income limit of 200% of the federal poverty level ($52,400) for a family of four.

Buncombe County is now accepting inquiries and applications. Please fill out the attached form and return to Buncombe County Health and Human Services or call (828) 250-5500 to be connected with a caseworker to start the application process.

Land Conservation

We’re looking for a team of dedicated volunteers to commit to monthly service days at the site of the future Karen Cragnolin Park. Volunteers will work outside at a safe social distance to remove invasive species. We will be working in groups of 15 or less, and wearing masks to ensure the safety of everyone involved. If you are interested in helping please click here to fill out a survey to help us determine the best day and time to offer this monthly day of service.

Live with Carnegie Hall: Live Streamed
Enjoy Live with Carnegie Hall! Viewers can stream past and present performances by a wide variety of artists, including violinist Joshua Bell, singer Michael Feinstein, the New York String Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Judy Collins, and many more.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) is a federally-funded program that provides for a one-time vendor payment to help eligible households pay their heating bills.

Households including a person aged 60 or older or disabled persons receiving services through the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services are eligible to sign up for assistance from Dec. 1 – 31. All other households may apply from Jan. 1 – March 31 or until funds are exhausted.

Households that meet the following criteria may be eligible:

• Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets the eligibility criteria.
• Meet an income test.
• Have reserves at or below $2,250.
• Be responsible for its heating costs.

The Museum was closed for nearly six full months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing severe losses in revenue. Though we are now open, uncertainty still looms, and it will take a dedicated effort to recover to a position of strength and stability. Thanks to a generous grant from a longtime foundation supporter, the Museum has established the Asheville Art Museum COVID-19 Relief Fund and matching challenge to encourage additional operational support during this difficult year. We invite you to participate in the challenge and help secure the Museum’s future as we work to serve our community through engagement with the arts.

Through December 31, 2020, all Annual Fund donations and upgraded memberships will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $75,000. Give any amount to the Annual Fund, and boost your impact at this critical time with the one-to-one match. You may also join the Masterpiece Society or renew at another upgraded membership level. Any gift in addition to your current renewal will be matched by this fund and will count toward your membership

MOZART Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Brevard Music Center Orchestra • Rune Bergmann, conductor
Recorded on July 20, 2018,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at the Brevard Music Center.

As we move toward the Holiday season, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has released guidance for fall-related events. The guidance was developed with the goal of safer holiday breaks for college students and private social gatherings.

Asheville Police Department announces rollout of new anonymous crime tip tool

The Asheville Police Department (APD) is putting a new crime-fighting tool into the hands of community members. This new tool, TIP2APD, allows the public to share anonymous tips with police officers and lets officers respond back to create an anonymous two-way conversation. (See video tutorial below.)

 

The tool also allows the community to find information on incidents APD is currently asking for help with, and to receive alerts about crime activity in their city.

 

 

 

The application is available for free download for both iPhone and Android users via the iTunes App Store or Google Play Store by searching “AshevillePD.”

 

Individuals without a smartphone can share information with police by sending an anonymous text tip via their cell phone by texting keyword TIP2APD and their message/tip to 847411.

 

The TIP2APD tool is only for non-emergencies and is not a replacement for 9-1-1. In the event of an emergency please dial 9-1-1 immediately.

• People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
• Click here for a Coronavirus Self-Checker
• People who have had close contact (link to help you determine your risk) (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
• People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, links to local or state ​health departments.