Asheville Cabin Rental Blog

ASHEVILLE, NC – The Friends of the Swannanoa Library and the Swannanoa Community Council present the 9th annual Groovin’ on Grovemont summer concert series in Grovemont Square adjacent to the Swannanoa Library. These free shows will be July 12, July 26, and August 9 and will begin at 6 p.m.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair and come enjoy these family-friendly evenings of great music! Concessions including hot dogs, pizza, home-baked goods and ice cream will be available for sale with proceeds benefiting the Friends of the Swannanoa Library and the Swannanoa Emergency Assistance Program.

Admission to Groovin’ on Grovemont is free, but donations are always welcome. Individual and business sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Bonus feature: GIANT HALF PRICE BOOK SALE at the Swannanoa Library during each Groovin’ concert. Thousands of great books at unbelievably low prices!

Concert Schedule:

• Tuesday, July 12 at 6 p.m.
  The Groovemont Players – Rock, soul, blues, country and beyond!
• Tuesday, July 26 at 6 p.m.
  Ahora Si – Latin/Cuban-style jazz
• Tuesday, August 9 at 6 p.m.
  Red June – Acoustic Americana/bluegrass/roots rock

For more information, call 250-6486 or email swannanoa.library@buncombecounty.org.

ASHEVILLE – The North Carolina Arboretum will host the annual Bamboo Festival of the American Bamboo Societys Southeastern Chapter Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10. The festival will be held in the Arboretum’s Education Center from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Visitors will learn about bamboo’s artistic value and functionality throughout the festival, which features hands-on workshops, lectures, and demonstrations. Bamboo plants, crafts, and products will also be for sale by festival vendors.

Workshops and lectures at this year’s festival include:

Bamboo branch miniature wind chime and bamboo bead making workshops by Carole Meckes of Bamboo Branch, Austin, Texas

Bamboo crafting demonstrations by Keiji Oshima of Haiku Bamboo Nursery, Hendersonville, NC Bamboo 101 lecture by David Benfield of Brightside Bamboo, Durham, NC

The Economic Potential of Bamboo in the Southern United States lecture by Mike Hotchkiss of Georgia Bamboo, Perry, GA

Sumi-Style Bamboo Ink Painting workshop by Giana Eden of Giana Eden Pottery, Jessup, GA

No Fear! Landscaping with Popular Running Bamboos lecture by Richard Argo of Argo Bamboo Farm, Douglas County, GA

Farming Bamboo for Edible Shoots lecture and demonstration by Daphne Lewis of Perry, GA

Harvest of Plenty – Bamboo Leaf Tea lecture by Emanuel Johnson of Tennessee Bamboo, Greeneville, TN

The Bamboo Festival is one of many popular events hosted by The North Carolina Arboretum. Each year more than 376,000 visitors experience the Arboretum’s gardens, trails, exhibits, shows and expos, educational programs, demonstrations and lectures. The Arboretum’s ability to meet its mission and enrich the visitor experience is made possible by a community of supporters—from members, volunteers and staff to state and local funds, tribute gifts, grants, and community partners.

This event is free for Arboretum Society members or with the standard parking fee ($8 per personal motor vehicle). For more information, visit www.ncarboretum.org or call (828) 665-2492. The central mission of The North Carolina Arboretum, an affiliate institution of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, is to cultivate connections between people and plants.

ASHEVILLE, NC – Don’t miss this self-guided tour on Saturday, June 25 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.!

This award winning event only happens every other year. Five private gardens will be opening their gates to the public for this one day. All gardens are within Asheville.

They include:

• a lush cottage style perennial garden
• a beautiful garden designed around the needs of the maturing gardener
• planting ideas for vegetables and herbs that maximize the potential of compact spaces and water thrifty design
• a private oasis of conifers and groundcovers that create low maintenance and year round interest
• a garden site that highlights the challenges of gardening on a hillside.

The tour begins at Vance Elementary School Peace Garden in West Asheville at 98 Sulfur Springs Road. There, you will pick up your information bag which includes a booklet with descriptive information on each garden.

All gardens will be staffed by Master Gardener volunteer docents who will be able to point out garden features and answer questions about many of the plants. Get more information and directions to Vance School at buncombemastergardener.org.

Advance tickets are $15 and may be purchased online at buncombemastergardener.org or on June 25 at Vance school for $20, if tickets remain. Ticket sales will be limited to 500. You may also purchase advance tickets with cash or a check at the Cooperative Extension Office, 94 Coxe Ave., Asheville.

All proceeds benefit the Master Gardeners’ School Garden Grant program. In the 2009 and 2010 school years, these grants provided approximately $5,000 to 16 schools. These gardening programs impacted nearly 4,000 students, 273 teachers, 438 parents, and 100 community volunteers who were able to experience the outdoor classrooms supported by these grants.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

ASHEVILLE, NC – The City of Asheville was awarded the “Best Local Government Recycling Program” award by the Carolina Recycling Association during its annual conference and trade show in Charleston, SC in March. The award was presented to City Council during its June 14 Council meeting.

The CRA’s local government award recognizes one local government in North Carolina or South Carolina that has created a successful and comprehensive recycling program for its residents.  The winner is a model for other governments and demonstrates leadership in programs, materials, methods, outreach to citizens and an ability to grow and adapt with the recycling industry.

The City of Asheville has a strong history of providing recycling options for its residents, with a residential curbside program in place since 1997 and recycling in city facilities since 2000.  At 80 percent of its residents participating, the city has the highest participation record in the state. Since the residential curbside program was implemented, residents have recycled more than 90,000 tons of recyclable material.  “These numbers are encouraging and tell us we are making progress toward achieving Council’s goal of being the Southeastern leader in sustainability efforts,” said Sanitation Manager Wendy Simmons.  “Results like this keep the momentum going and support the effort to stay on the leading edge of waste diversion.”

Recycling has tremendous positive outcomes for the community, the environment and the economy. Using an EPA environmental benefits calculator, one can estimate that the 90,000 tons Asheville residents recycled, resulted in the prevention of 72,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions (the equivalent of 54,000 cars off the road), saved 1.9 million BTU’s of energy (the equivalent of powering 18,000 homes for a year) and saved a 658,000 trees due to the use of recycled paper. Furthermore, many of these recycled materials were collected, processed and remanufactured at recycling businesses in NC, helping to support the 14,000 jobs in the recycling industry in the Old North State.

The city has established a municipal carbon reduction goal of 80% by 2050 and sees recycling and waste reduction as a key component to achieving that goal.  Other projects currently underway include green purchasing guidelines and the installation of an interactive recycling station to encourage visitors to the Civic Center to recycle more on the go.

The Carolina Recycling Association (CRA) is a non-profit organization serving the public and private recycling industry in order to advance waste reduction and recycling in North and South Carolina. For more information on recycling, the CRA or to become a CRA member, please visit www.cra-recycle.org.

This release and additional information about the City of Asheville’s sustainability efforts can be found at  http://coablog.ashevillenc.gov.

ASHEVILLE, NC – Please join the Asheville Affiliates and the Friends of the WNC Nature Center for a one-of-a-kind social adventure! Dress in your best safari gear (those in safari attire will be entered into a special raffle) and party with the animals.

The evening festivities include live entertainment and special animal encounters.  You will enjoy wonderful food generously donated by Azalea Cafe, Chili’s, Fig, Magnetic Field, The Marketplace & Mellow Mushroom!  Thirsts will be quenched thanks to donations from Catawba Valley Brewing Company and Turning Leaf Vineyards. We will also have an auction and raffle to raise funds for projects at the Nature Center like a permanent butterfly exhibit, new visitor center and new animal exhibits.

Tickets are only $25 in advance and will be $30 at the door.

To order your tickets online via PayPal (and pick them up at Will Call on the day of the event), click the link below:

Order Tickets

ASHEVILLE, NC – Local chefs will show us ways to prepare meals highlighting different foods and food products that are available from area producers.

On Tuesday, May 31 at 5:30 p.m., Laurey Masterton will join us as we highlight local honey, greens and meats. Each class will include the health benefits and ways of preserving selected foods. Bring your appetite for tasty local food and your questions for the experts.

Preregistration is required and confirmed with receipt of $5. Call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522 for more information.

Program sponsored by Cooperative Extension and the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.

ASHEVILLE, NC – Asheville city government offices will be closed Monday, May 30 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Garbage collection schedules will continue as normal over the holiday.  All public safety services, including police, fire and emergency response, will operate according to normal schedule – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

ASHEVILLE, NC – Kids can fish for free and register to win prizes at one of more than 40 kids’ fishing events conducted across the state in late May and early June. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, along with partners such as Neuse Sport Shop, Trout Unlimited, Bass Pro Shops and the U.S. Forest Service, is supporting these fishing events as part of National Fishing and Boating Week 2011.

Grab the kids, pack your fishing gear and find a fishing event near you. New events are being added, so check back often.

ASHEVILLE, NC – America’s favorite legend brings law and order to the mountains of western North Carolina at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad June11 – 12.. During the ride, The Lone Ranger and his faithful companion Tonto will save the train from outlaws who intend to rob the baggage car that is carrying a shipment of gold!

There will be an array of cowboy and western activities at the depot for people of all ages. Enjoy live music, old west cowboy roping demonstrations, western themed games, original episodes of The Lone Ranger playing in the theater, a Lone Ranger look-a-like contest and much more! Adult tickets are $49.00 and children two and up are $29.00.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad- 1-800-872-4681