Plus, controversial pizza opinions.
 
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Today’s Forecast

70º | Partly cloudy | 20% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 7:21 a.m. | Sunset 7:19 p.m.
 

🌳 Parks according to plan

Making a plan for Asheville parks
martin luther king jr park asheville nc
Get a say in the future of our local green spaces. | Photo by AVLtoday
From the fields of Carrier Park to the paths through Swannanoa Greenway, local parks give us space to commune with nature and create community. So when the City of Asheville approved funding back in March to develop a comprehensive parks and recreation plan, community need was the goal and community input was the name of the game for phase one.

The plan, called Recreate Asheville: Shaping Our City’s Parks, is being developed to inform and steer the next 10+ years of planning and decision-making for Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR). Now the department is putting out the call for your feedback, so let’s look at the plan’s next steps and how you can contribute.

Just a phase (or three)

The first phase of Recreate Asheville is to assess the community’s needs. Phase one runs now through this winter and involves focus groups with stakeholders and a citywide survey + public workshops. Once the needs have been determined, phase two will consist of drafting recommendations for the City and sharing them with the public and City advisory groups — phase two is expected to last from this winter to the spring of 2024.

Once draft recommendations have been finalized, APR will develop a strategic action plan to present to the City Council for adoption — aiming for the summer of 2024.

Speak your mind

APR is hosting four open house workshops in October to give you a chance to offer your ideas and feedback. There will be fun kids’ activities at each workshop, and you can get a transit voucher if you take the ART bus.
  • Thursday, Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m. at WNC Nature Center
  • Friday, Oct. 6, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. at Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center
  • Monday, Oct. 9, 2-6 p.m. at Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center
  • Thursday, Oct. 12, 5-7 p.m. at Carrier Park
    (Spanish language interpretation and translation services will be available.)
Even if you can’t attend in person, you can give your thoughts in the online survey now through Monday, Nov. 20 — or keep an eye out for the APR team at local farmers markets, festivals, and park events as they gather community comments.
White Labs
 
Events
Wednesday, Sept. 27
  • Appalachia on the Table | Wednesday, Sept. 27 | 12-1:15 p.m. | Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square, Asheville | Free with admission | Erica Abrams Locklear will speak about her new book + museum staff lead a conversation connecting book themes to selected exhibition works.
  • Outdoor Eats TV - Premiere Event | Wednesday, Sept. 27 | 7-8:30 p.m. | WNC Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave., Black Mountain | $5-$10 | Chef Corso is hosting a premiere of his new show, where he whips up delicious meals for outdoor adventures.
Thursday, Sept. 28
  • The Art of Pride | Thursday, Sept. 28 | 6-8 p.m. | Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St., Asheville | Free | Experience the art of drag up close + witness the transformation of local drag queens Ganymede and Indica Gemini.
  • Krafthouse 2023: Forest of the New Trees | Thursday, Sept. 28-Friday, Oct. 13 | Times vary | Center for Craft, 67 Broadway St., Asheville | $15 | Discover an imagined post-major event Appalachia as you descend into the basement to enter a world imagined by artists where craft is the only way to survive and thrive.*
Friday, Sept. 29
  • Ferguson Family Night | Friday, Sept. 29 | 4:30-6:30 p.m. | Ferguson Family YMCA, 31 Westridge Market Pl., Candler | Free | Stop by for face painting, games, crafts, and lots of fun kids activities.
  • Radium Girls | Friday, Sept. 29-Sunday, Oct. 1 | Times vary | Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., Black Mountain | $25 | This play is inspired by the 1920s true story of the women who painted with luminous radium — and had to fight in court for justice when they began to fall ill.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
Greybeard Realty
 
Try This

🦋 Celebrate Monarch Butterfly Day at The North Carolina Arboretum
A child holds a monarch butterfly on their hand.
Bonus: Browse The Fall Plant Sale and Market on Friday or Saturday at the Arboretum. | Photo provided by The North Carolina Arboretum
Did you know monarchs make a pit stop in WNC every September during their 3,000-mile migration to Mexico?

Learn more fun facts about monarchs this Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Monarch Butterfly Day at the Arboretum.

Fun + informative activities include:
Celebrate these colorful creatures
News Notes
Civic
  • Buncombe County and Frontier Communications are expanding broadband fiber access in unserved and underserved areas in the county. Frontier will be hosting an information session on Monday, Oct. 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Weaverville Community Center and streamed online.
Health
  • Buncombe County Health and Human Services has stock of the updated Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for insured adults and children and for uninsured children as well as the Moderna COVID vaccine for children ages 12-18 who are uninsured or have Medicaid. Stop by the immunization clinic during walk-in hours or make an appointment.
Closing
  • Don’t worry — it’s only temporary. The Enka-Candler Library will be closed for renovations from Tuesday, Oct. 3 to Saturday, Oct. 7. Book drops will also be unavailable that week, so stop by any of the other library locations for all your literary needs.
Festival
  • Grab your bike and your costume because Tour de Fat is ready to ride. On Saturday, Oct. 7, cyclists will gather at New Belgium Brewing in support of Asheville on Bikes. Join the bike parade at 11:30 a.m., then stick around the brewery for a fashion show, dance contest, and music.
Environment
  • Get educated and activated at the 2nd annual Environmental Sustainability Symposium tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m. at the Pack Square Fire Station. The Blue Horizons Project will host environmental experts at five subject stations so you can learn about steps toward a healthier ecosystem.
Arts
  • All Together Art, a nonprofit that provides art education and experiences to people lacking the resources, is celebrating its one-year anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. at New Belgium Brewing. Join the team for refreshments, a raffle, and the presentation of the first Citizen Artist Award.
Shop
  • If you’re an Earth Fare shopper, get excited: The store’s new rewards program grants new users 1,000 points — which translates to a $10 store credit — when they sign up. (Pro tip: That’s two free boxes of Annie’s mac and cheese.)^
Drink
  • Love whiskey? Join Vinovest’s exclusive whiskey investing community and own your own casks hassle-free. Sell casks for a profit, or opt to bottle them to drink.*
Atelier Maison
 
Festival

🏡 A beautiful day in the neighborhood

Connect with your community at the Festival of Neighborhoods
city of asheville fire truck at the festival of neighborhoods
The Fire Department will be ready to talk emergency preparedness. | Photo via City of Asheville
Asheville is coming closer together during the Festival of Neighborhoods this Saturday, Sept. 30 at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Hosted by the City of Asheville’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee, the free festival hopes to provide education + resources to residents while strengthening community connection through fun and festivity.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., representatives from 11 neighborhood associations will be on hand to talk about the work they’ve done locally, ongoing initiatives and projects, and how you can get involved through volunteering. City reps from a wide variety of departments — like Public Works and Transportation, Human Resources and Library Services — will provide resources and chat about programs.

But it’s not just about learning (this is a festival, after all), so you can also expect food from Daddy D’s Suber Soul Food and Tin Can Pizzeria, music, games, and prizes — plus an appearance from a few big trucks for the little ones to explore.
Shop

Shop 9.27.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)
Seasonal
Try This
  • Freshen any room with a new candle scent from Six & Main. From floral to spicy, you’ll find the perfect scent for your space. Shop now.
Award
  • It’s here — Allure’s 2023 Best of Beauty Award Winners list. Shop Best of Skin winners and Best of Hair winners to discover today’s breakthrough beauty technology.
Drink
Home
Answered

On Monday, we asked, “What’s your controversial pizza opinion?” and here’s what you said:

“The only real pizza is a margherita, and yes, the first slice is eaten with a fork and knife. After that, it’s the NY fold!” - Joseph R.H.

“If it’s hot, I eat the toppings off first with a fork and then the crust. If it’s cold, I shove it in my mouth like a frat boy.” - Val S.

“Celery on pizza! Especially pepperoni. Don’t sleep on it.” - Amy A.

“Smoked baby oysters — best pizza I have ever had.” - Bob R.
Drop your contentious claims
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The Wrap
 
Molly Wilson.jpeg

Today’s edition by:
Molly
From the editor
As a fan of the macabre and a former theater kid who still loves dressing up, this pre-Halloween season is my favorite time of year (yes, I know it’s still September). So I’ll be adding White Labs Brewing’s FrankenBash to my increasingly spooky schedule — live music, cocktails, a costume contest, tarot card readings + a beer called Frankenstout all on Friday, Oct. 13.
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