Plus, inform long term improvement of the ART bus system.
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Today’s Forecast

49º | 12% chance of precipitation

Sunrise 7:37 a.m. | Sunset 7:39 p.m.


♻️ Green day

Compost program buncombe county
The Food Scraps Drop-off site at Stephens-Lee. | Photo by AVLtoday
In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re going green in more ways than one. Here are 5+ local ways to be a bit kinder to Mother Nature.

Get down to earth

If you don’t want to start your own compost pile, the City of Asheville and Buncombe County have a Food Scraps Drop-Off Pilot Program. Drop off your scraps at one of the eight participating locations. Not sure what’s accepted? They’ve already sorted it out.

Bin there done that

Make sure you know what can and can’t go in the recycling bin. Have items that can’t be picked up curbside? Thanks to some eco-conscious Ashevillians like Paul Allen of Feed Me Foam, you can give items like Styrofoam new life.

Pro tip: Be on the lookout for Asheville Greenworks’ Hard 2 Recycle events, where you can bring items from batteries to electronics.

Built different

Save your energy and let Green Built Alliance do the work. The nonprofit helps residents and businesses build green homes, offset their carbon footprints, and reduce energy consumption through a plethora of programs and resources.
Go bulk or go home

Events

Monday, March 17

St. Patrick’s Day at Well Played | 10 a.m.-10 p.m. | Well Played Board Game Cafe | Free | Don your green for a day of free gameplay.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration | 1-10:30 p.m. | Jack of the Wood | Free | Sip on a Guinness and dig into shepherd’s pie while tapping your toe to traditional Irish tunes from local musicians.

Tuesday, March 18

Women of WWI in Fact and Fiction | 6-7:30 p.m. | Pack Memorial Library | Free | A local author will teach you all about two Asheville women who served on the frontlines, Anne Penland and Madelon “Glory” Hancock.

Thursday, March 20

Wine By the Vines: Americana | Thursday, March 20, Thursday, March 27 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Gemelli | $75 | Indulge in distinctly American delights like fried chicken and funnel cakes paired with wines.

Asheville StorySLAM: “Beef” | 7:30 p.m. | The Grey Eagle | $18+ | If you can’t let go of a grudge, get up on stage and talk about it — or get the tea in the audience.

Friday, March 21

Harlem Globetrotters 2025 World Tour | 7 p.m. | Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville | $47+ | Bring the whole fam to see the high-flying tricks and amazing athleticism of the exhibition basketball team.
Nobody puts calendar in a corner
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Festival

Cozy up to a bookish weekend in Columbia

Presented by Richland Library
An image of books by various authors displayed on a table.
Enjoy talks by bestselling authors, genre-focused panels, live entertainment, hands-on activities, and more at Read Freely Fest. | Photos provided by Richland Library
Book lovers, rejoice Read Freely Fest is taking over Richland Library Main in Columbia, SC, from Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30.

Start your weekend on the right page at the “Overdue” kickoff party. Then, meet NYT bestselling authors like Abbott Kahler and Patti Callahan Henry at interactive panels, get your favorite books signed, and experience an audiobook silent disco.

Plus, score great deals at a book sale, explore indie-published works, and connect with fellow literature lovers.
Flip to the full schedule

News Notes

Open

Morning brew with a view. The Flatiron Hotel just opened Caffé, a rooftop stop for coffee, tea, pastries, and sandwiches. In another scrumptious scoop, Luminosa is bringing back brunch service this Saturday, March 22.

Announced

Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority are now accepting nominations for the second annual Heroes of Hospitality awards. Nominations are open until Friday, April 11 at 5 p.m.

Civic

The City of Asheville has partnered with a transit planning firm to conduct the ART Comprehensive Operational Analysis, assessing ridership data, demographic trends, and roadway conditions to create improvements to our transit system. Be on the lookout for community engagement opportunities coming up.

Ranked

No. 3. That’s where Asheville lands in Southern Living’s list of The South’s Best Cities 2025. “If you love this place, there’s no better time to support it,” the magazine writes. Our hospitality also earned kudos in their best resorts, classic, and new hotels lists.

Job

Make an impact with your social media + graphic design experience. MANNA FoodBank is hiring a Communications & Creative Content Lead to manage social accounts, capture digital assets, and assist with grant and foundation reporting. Apply to the role — and also check out AVLtoday’s job board.

Regional

Due to continued fire danger, there is a parkwide fire ban throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park until further notice. Certain cookstoves and grills with on and off switches are permitted but must be attended at all times.

Finance

Car insurance premiums are projected to hit $2,101 annually by 2025 — a record high. Switching providers might save you over $1,300 each year. Why leave money on the table? Get matched with a more affordable plan.*

Edu

Looking for an affordable way to continue your education? Warren Wilson College has 21 undergraduate programs and recently lowered tuition by 40%, to ensure education is more accessible than ever. Apply now + see if you qualify for free tuition.*

Biz

Calling all business owners. For a limited time, we’re offering 15% off your first advertising purchase on our self-service ad portal. No long-term contract required — simply use the code NEW15 at checkout to redeem the discount.

Sports

Hoping for a #cupset

AVL City Soccer Club
Let’s go Blues. | Photo via @ashevillecitysc
We heard there’s some big basketball tournament happening... but we’re a bit more excited about the men of the Asheville City Soccer Club’s second appearance in the US Open Cup tomorrow, March 18.

What exactly is the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup? Just the biggest knockout tournament in the country. Across nine leagues, 96 teams are participating — Asheville City SC is one of nine USL2 teams and the only one in their division.

In the first round of the cup, 32 amateur teams will face off against 32 professional teams. In this case, the Blues are the amateur team, taking on the pros, Greenville Triumph.

If Asheville advances to the second round, the team will play on Tuesday, April 1 or Wednesday, April 2 — by the quarterfinal round, 16 MLS teams join. Bring on the upsets.

Cheer on the team at UNC Asheville’s Greenwood Field. Adult tickets are $15.

The club also announced the men’s and women’s 2025 season schedule — tickets are on sale now.

The Buy

Really cute palazzo pants on sale at Nordstrom Rack. The lightweight, flowy pants can be dressed up or down for spring events and come in fun prints.
More worth The Buy

The Wrap

Today’s edition by: Grace

City Editor Grace posing with a life-size Duke mayonnaise.
With the news of Duke’s Mayo’s parent brand being sold to... a Northern company, I figured it was a good time to reminisce on Tubby’s Asheville visit from a couple years back. Don’t let them change you, Tubby.

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