07.01.2024

Today’s Forecast

86º | 20% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 6:18 a.m. | Sunset 8:49 p.m.

🌳 Answer the call of (urban) nature

Asheville Parks and Recreation releases the Recreate Asheville draft plan

Recreate Asheville is in its final stages. | Photo by AVLtoday

Our local green spaces offer sanctuary — communion with nature, lively fellowship with friends, exercise, activity, fresh air. But with throngs of Ashevillians wandering their fields and footpaths every day, these parks need some support. Thus, the development of Recreate Asheville.

The plan, designed by Asheville Parks and Recreation (APR), is intended to guide the park system’s strategies, priorities, and projects for the next 10 years. And after more than a year of eliciting feedback and conducting research, APR has released the draft plan. This is the last step before the final plan is presented to the Asheville City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 27, so now’s the time to voice your park opinions.

Panoptic priorities

The vision includes five focus areas:

Steward and maintain parks for all
Access and connectivity
Community health and wellness
Gathering and placemaking
Resilient natural environment

To guide implementation, these high-level goals are tied to specific action items (e.g. under “resilient natural environment” is “preserve and enhance the city’s tree canopy”).

The plan divides the city into equity investment zones, indicating support structures like healthcare access and giving investment priority to areas that have less support.

To align investments with the community’s overall vision, the plan also outlines a set of questions to evaluate future projects — like, “Does it serve vulnerable residents?” and “Can it help meet climate justice goals?”

Upcoming undertakings

Planned projects are divided into four phases, from short-term (one to four years) to future (20+ years). Phase one includes six major existing park upgrades or redevelopments, two center redevelopments, a new pickleball complex and aquatic facility, and the creation of Sweeten Creek Road Park.

Programming priorities include expanding aquatic and youth camp programming as well as cultural enrichment.

Well, did they hit it out of the park? There’s a lot more in store, so check out the full plan or peruse the presentation — then let APR know your thoughts by Sunday, July 7.

Events

Monday, July 1

Pickin’ in the Park | Monday, July 1 | 6-8 p.m. | Pritchard Park, 67 Patton Ave., Asheville | Free | Take a seat in the park for intimate, relaxed performances with local singer-songwriters.

Tuesday, July 2

French Broad River Clean-Up | Tuesday, July 2 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Alexander River Park, 2590 Old Marshall Hwy., Alexander | Free | Bring your gloves to lend a hand to the environment by removing litter and large items along the river.
“Brothers and Sisters Like These” Veterans Writing Classes | Tuesday, July 2 | 4:30-6 p.m. | East Asheville Library, 3 Avon Rd., Asheville | Free, RSVP | Capture your stories and find your voice with the help of the NC Veterans Writing Alliance Foundation.

Wednesday, July 3

Senior Splash | Wednesday, July 3 | 1-3 p.m. | Recreation Park, 66 Gashes Creek Rd., Asheville | Free | Grab your suit and slather on some sunscreen for a special poolside gathering for folks ages 50+.
Wine Down Tasting | Wednesday, July 3 | 3-6 p.m. | Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Rd., Ste. 102, Asheville | $15 | Drop in for a sip or two as founder + owner Josh Spurling guides you through tastings of refreshing whites and roses.

Thursday, July 4

Mental Health is No Bull | Thursday, July 4 | 12 p.m.-12 a.m. | Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, 135 Coxe Ave., Asheville | Free | Support new-to-Asheville nonprofit Linked4Life Foundation in its initiative to provide mental health services to food + bev industry workers.
ArborEvenings | Thursday, July 4 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville | Free with parking | Savor the summer air and stroll through the gardens while you listen to live music from local artists.

Friday, July 5

Southside Block Party | Friday, July 5 | 6-9 p.m. | Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St., Asheville | Free | Gather with friends and neighbors for a night of music from DJ Audio, food, and family fun.

Make your Monday a fun day

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Featured

Bring on the bubbly. Wine Spectator honored nine Asheville restaurants in its 2024 Restaurant Awards. Posana was honored with the Best of Award of Excellence, the second highest ranking, and eight other restaurants, including Chestnut and Avenue M, were given Awards of Excellence. See the full list. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Cause

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County is hosting its annual School Supply Drive, collecting backpacks and supplies for local students + families in need. With just 19 days left in the campaign, the nonprofit still needs to fund 2401 items. Earn an A+ in helping your neighbors by getting involved.

Sports

It’s tee time — the Skyview Golf Tournament has returned for its 64th year. The storied event, started in 1959 as a tournament for African American golfers, will take place Tuesday, July 9 through Thursday, July 11 at the Asheville Municipal Golf Course. Amateurs and professionals can register online.

Transit

At the Tuesday, June 25 meeting, the Asheville City Council heard an update on the I-26 Connector project from the NCDOT. The $1.14 billion design-build contract for the north section of the project was awarded to Archer-Wright Joint Venture, but the NCDOT is working to reduce costs. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Environment

These local landowners are a force of nature. The Buncombe County Agricultural Advisory Board and the Land Conservation Advisory Board hosted the 12th Annual Land Conservation Hall of Fame dinner, recognizing eight families who have placed conservation easements. Collectively, they have protected 757.76 acres.

Edu

Warren Wilson College appointed Keith McDade as the director of the new Master of Science in Applied Climate Studies program, which will welcome its inaugural class in 2025. McDade has a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and the Environment and served as a program director at Lenoir-Rhyne University for 12 years.

Plan Ahead

Asheville Design District’s Anniversary Event is right around the corner, bringing food, live tunes, market shopping + more. See the deets on this family and pet friendly community celebration.*

Fact or Fiction

Your HVAC should be serviced twice a year — fact or fiction? See the answer.*

Trending

☄️ Were your eyes on the skies?

Your stargazing guide to astronomical events in 2024

A photo of the starry night sky at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute

Views of the night sky go for miles at PARI. | Photo by Tim Reaves

We’re seeing stars (well, comets). Last night, the Comet 13P/Olbers appeared in the night sky for the first time in almost 70 years. Although last night was its perihelion, the comet will spend the rest of the summer crossing into constellations like Ursa Major and Leo Minor before continuing its 69-year orbit.

If you missed the astronomical event (cloud cover probably didn’t help), don’t worry — 2024 will be a great year for stargazing. Here are a few cosmic occurrences on this year’s calendar.

Meteor showers

At least a dozen annual meteor showers are visible across the world each year, according to the American Meteor Society. These are a couple to look forward to:

Perseids | Sunday, July 14-Sunday, Sept. 1 | Peaks Monday, Aug. 12
Geminids | Tuesday, Nov. 19-Tuesday, Dec. 24 | Peaks Friday, Dec. 13

The Buy 7.01.24 (Affiliate)

A five-star rated swimsuit from Nordstrom — we like this lace-up back one-piece for an adjustable fit or this v-wire one-piece for a dipped neckline with support.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Molly

From the editor

I think my dog might be solar powered. No matter how hot it is, Reginald will find the nearest patch of sunshine and pass out. He’s also taken to doing that on our walks — but he’s not terribly discerning about where he lies down. Which means he’s been subjected to more baths than usual. Luckily, Bath + Bones is celebrating its one-year anniversary with $5 off baths in the self-service station. Definitely a better deal than wrestling Reg into our bathtub.

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