Monthly Archives: April 2011

Small Business Jump Start Day at A-B Tech Enka Campus

Asheville Savings Bank is sponsoring a Small Business Jump Start Day at the A-B Tech Enka Campus on Thursday April 28th from 4 pm until 6:30 pm. This free event is open to current or prospective business owners and no preregistration is required. Vendors will be available to answer questions regarding the following.

For more information, please contact Jill Sparks at jsparks@abtech.edu or 828-251-1921 ext. 5849.

West Asheville Urban Plant Walk

Come learn about the medicinal and edible plants growing in the sidewalks, gardens, and wild lots of downtown West Asheville! This event will be happening Saturday April 30th from 10:30 to 12:00, rain or shine. It will start at the Center for Holistic Medicine at 779 Haywood Road and venture off into the immediate neighborhood. The walk will be co-hosted by Nancy Hyton, Licensed Acupuncturist, Certified Herbalist, and founder of the Center for Holistic Medicine, and Keri Evjy from Healing Roots Design, an edible and medicinal landscape design and consultation business. The cost is $5 for adults and includes a useful handout of the plants we will be talking about on the walk. Kids are free! Sign up in advance at the Center or just come by on the day of the event. You can also call us at 505-3174 or email nancy@centerholistic.com and we’ll put you on the list. More information can be found at centerholistic.com and healingrootsdesign.com.

West End Bakery celebrates 10 years in West Asheville

The West End Bakery on 757 Haywood Road in West Asheville is celebrating its 10 year anniversary, with an open house on Saturday April 30th from 4 to 8 pm. We will be selling homemade pizza slices as a fundraiser for the NC Organic Bread Flour Project. We’ll also have local beer and of course, Birthday Cake!! Drop in, say hello, see your friends and neighbors, eat some cake, drink some beer, support local wheat production, and HELP US CELEBRATE!  To find out more and to RSVP for the party, stop by the bakery, visit their facebook page, or check out the website, westendbakery.com.

Hominy Creek Cleanup Day

Join Riverlink, Second Gear, a West Asheville outdoor gear consignment shop and Friends of Hominy Creek for a cleanup day on Hominy Creek on Sunday May 1st from 10 am to 2 pm. Cleanup activities will take place both on the water and on foot. Lunch will be provided so contact jack@igleman.com to reserve a space in this cleanup.

French Broad River Paddle Trail presentation Apr 19

On April 19th, 2011, RiverLink will host a meeting on the French Broad River Paddle Trail at 5:30pm at the RiverLink’s Offices at 170 Lyman Street, Asheville NC. Anyone interested in the Paddle Trail is welcome to come and meet RiverLink’s 8 member French Broad River Paddle Trail Advisory Council and Landscape Architect Intern.  On the 3rd Tuesday of each month, RiverLink is hosting meetings on the Paddle Trail Design at 5:30pm at RiverLink’s offices. We will always give an overview and update from the last meeting, then continue with the evenings topic(s). In April we will be discussing Campsite design standards and on May 17th we will be looking at easements and campsite agreement structure. For more information go to riverlink.org.

Haywood Road Corridor meeting Apr 20

The next meeting of the Haywood Road Vision Plan project isWednesday April 20 at 6:00 pm at the West Asheville Library. The topic of the discussion for this evening will be the broad goal of sustainability and how ‘systems thinking’ can be integrated into all other aspects and subject areas of the vision plan. Dylan Ryals-Hamilton, a permaculture specialist will be providing some initial comments to kick off this evening’s study and he provided this summary to get everyone thinking about how this relates to the west Asheville community:

“We will be discussing the ideas of Permaculture and Systems thinking, as they apply to the sustainability of our vision plan. Systems thinking is a process of integrating the elements of a system (i.e. West Asheville/Haywood Corridor) in order to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, rather than looking at the elements as separate and isolated issues. The emphasis in Permaculture and in Systems Thinking is placed on establishing connections between the elements (historic preservation; streetscape and community character; safety; transportation issues; zoning and land use; economic development; and sustainability) thereby forming beneficial relationships between them. These relationships increase efficiency, maximize diversity, and build resilience. In other words, we’ll be discussing strategies and modes of thinking to help West Asheville become a strong, efficient, resilient community, rather than just a place to live.

For example: because West Asheville is pedestrian friendly, residents and tourists alike are encouraged to slow down and stroll past small locally-owned businesses which they might otherwise fail to notice on faster moving roadways (as they race by in a car). Because these shops gain exposure and notice they are more likely to succeed. With a wealth of local business, West Asheville is able to slow traffic, encourage window shopping, and retain its own unique flavor/characteristics while simultaneously lowering its carbon/environmental footprint and keeping the money local, thereby creating more potential for local businesses to thrive. As local business expands, so do local job opportunities. Because more money is spent locally, more money cycles through the system for a longer period of time. More commerce leads to more opportunities for diverse business models, which attracts a more diverse array of shoppers, and so on.

The point here is that the power lies in the connections and in the relationships between the elements. The more connections that exist, the more yields the system can produce. The more yields produced, the greater the potential for connections to be made. Imagine how many more pedestrians would be attracted if there were just a few small parks or greenways closer to the Haywood corridor for example. People will recognize the distinct beauty and flavor of West Asheville because West Asheville recognizes the value of the connection between walk-ability, economic niches, sustainability, and commerce. This all stems from the fact that West Asheville is pedestrian friendly. The best part is that the community benefits from all of this!”

Come to the meeting to help identify the many connections that can be strengthened to create a community that is more than the sum of its parts. For more information contact Alan Glines at aglines@ashevillenc.gov.

Boys and Girls Club Summer kickoff event May 19th

The Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club will have a summer kickoff event to celebrate our kids and promote our upcoming summer camp. The free event will be held at the Boys and Girls Club on May 19th, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at 750 Haywood Road. There will be food, live, music, carnival games, basketball games and much much more! Bring your family and celebrate with us at the Boys and Girls Club in West Asheville. Summer camp registration will be available. For more information or directions, call 255-0266.

Bojangles’ Easter Eggstravaganza at Carrier Park

The City of Asheville will hold its annual Bojangles’ Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Carrier Park on Amboy Road in Asheville. Activities include face painting, arts and crafts, inflatables, entertainment by the Mountain Thunder Cloggers, and a chance to have your photo taken with the Easter Bunny begin at 2 p.m. with Easter Egg Hunts scheduled for 4 p.m. All activities are free. For more information, visit ashevillenc.gov or call the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department at (828) 259-5800.

All Go West Fest Apr 23

All Go West is a one-day music and arts community festival located in West Asheville at the intersection of Waynesville Ave. and Haywood Road. Consisting of one top-of-the-line stage and production, All Go West showcases an extremely eclectic lineup, which supports highly demanded and up and coming talent both on the local and regional scene. All Go West is FREE – except for the beer and barbeque tasting. For more information go to allgowest.com.

Planet Art eARTh Day Celebration

Planet Art, a River Arts District business at 375 Depot Street is hosting a series of events, specials and parties during Earth Day week. Starting with a Ribbon Cutting on Wednesday Apr 20 and 25% off framing orders on Thursday Apr 21. Then finishing the week off with a costume party on Friday Apr 22 and a yART sale on Saturday Apr 23. Benefiting Arts for Life, RiverLink and Appalachian Voices, for more information go to discoverplanetart.com.

Riverlink Earth Day extravaganza in River Arts District Apr 23

RiverLink is holding an Earth Day extravaganza on Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the RiverLink Performance and Sculpture Plaza at 119 Riverside Drive, across from Warehouse Studios.

RiverLink will offer a full slate of activities that day:

Make your own rainbarrel clinic — RiverLink will provide all the parts and tools and help homeowners assemble their own rain barrels for $30. We’ll also have rainbarrels for sale ($50) and barrels to take home ($10).

Neighborhood Big Draw – We will have mountains of art supplies, canvas and paper available for kids and adults to draw or paint a scene of the River or the River Arts District.

Computer and electronics recycling – We’re inviting the public to bring old computer equipment and cell phones (no TVs) for recycling.

Swap meet – Reduce the clutter around your house by bringing it for trading with others. We’ll have some tables set up, but have no Dumpster service, so be prepared to haul away what you don’t swap.

Free hot dogs for kids! We’ll also have white pine seedlings to give to the first 50 kids who show up to plant in their own yards.

Please contact RiverLink’s Director of Volunteer Services Dave Russell at 252-8474 ext. 11 for more information.

Haywood Road Vision Plan meeting April 20th

Please join your west Asheville neighbors and staff for a third community discussion for the Haywood Road vision plan which has the following 7 subject topics identified (so far) for consideration: historic preservation; streetscape and community character; safety; transportation issues; zoning and land use; and economic development; and sustainability.

The next meeting will be Wednesday April 20, 2011 at the West Asheville Library, starting at 6:00 PM and ending around 7:45.

The specific discussion for this night’s meeting will be sustainability: In some ways sustainability is not very specific but instead is a broad goal or guiding principle. Principles of sustainability can be identified as particular items through the subject topics covered by the plan. At this next meeting on Wednesday April 20, we will be identifying those connections, overlaps and possibilities for incorporating sustainability principles into the vision document.

Hominy Creek Greenway presentation

Next Tuesday, April 5th at 6:30pm, at the West Asheville Library community room, there will be a presentation about our newest greenway along Hominy Creek covering its history, the present state and dreams for its future. The presentation will be followed by an organizational meeting for the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway to work with the City of Asheville Parks & Recreation department in its planning and development.
This is a wonderful new space for our community. It’s an historical spot in that it is the site of the first hydroelectric powered trolley in the world. Today it is a popular spot for cyclists and walkers for almost a mile along the banks of Hominy Creek.
Upcoming cleanup days:
Saturday, April 23, 10:00am-2:00pm – Cleanup of tires, litter and dump site in partnership with Asheville Greenworks. Meet at the Shelburne Road entrance.
Sunday, May 1, 10:00am-2:00pm – Creek cleanup sponsored by Second Gear and Riverlink. Contact jack@igleman.com to reserve a space in this cleanup.

Map of the Hominy Creek Greenway.

Find the Friends of Hominy Creek Greenway on Facebook or on the web.