April 12 This Week

Join the annual Swannanoa Sweep community cleanup

The annual Swannanoa Sweep community cleanup, sponsored by Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa (FANS), will take place 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 14. Volunteers will gather in the parking lot of the Swannanoa Ingles near Bank of America to form crews. Gloves, vests and bags will be provided. Wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable working clothes, and bring a water bottle and a smile. Crews will fan out to a variety of areas to pick up trash and debris along the roadways. Almost every year, volunteers find some treasure buried among the trash. The biggest find to date was a very dirty but serviceable $100 bill. It pays to volunteer!

If you’d like to suggest an area to be cleaned, or want to learn more about volunteering, send an email to mdillow2@bellsouth.net or call Maureen Dillow at (828) 713-8836. Church, school, and Scout groups are encouraged to participate.

Professors to talk about building of Swannanoa Tunnel

Join Warren Wilson College professors Jeff Keith and Kevin Kehrberg as they present public memories about slavery and the Jim Crow South through the story of the Swannanoa Tunnel and efforts to maintain the South Asheville Cemetery.  

While  often associated with southern Appalachia, the "myth of racial innocence" is lost in the exclusive use of African-American convict labor to build the Swannanoa Train Tunnel that connected the mountains of Western North Carolina to the N.C. Piedmont in the late 1870s.  This tragic construction story is highlighted through the conversations as well as the music of the laborers. 

In addition, an overview of the current community work to cultivate and protect the oldest public African American cemetery in WNC, the South Asheville Cemetery, will be developed. The South Asheville Cemetery is the final resting place for nearly two thousand people - many of them slaves. 

 The talk will be from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14 at the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville. The donation is $5 (free to members of the Western North Carolina Historical Association). 

Light Center offers events in April

On Saturday, April 14 from noon-4 p.m., the Light Center on N.C. 9 will offer "Opening the Energy Body" with Dale Allen and Loretta Hoffman. August Worley who will bring his Paradym instrument. The season for the center's drum circle, facilitated by Jonna Rae Bartges and Nicholas Andrea at the labyrinth, begins Saturday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. Kennedy OneSelf will present a "Symphony of Serenity" sound healing on Sunday, April 29 starting at 2 p.m. For more, including ticket prices, contact the UR Light Center at 828-231-6931, URLight.org or via Facebook.

Beautification committee seeks more volunteers

Have you noticed the beautiful spring flowers in the containers and gardens throughout town? Have you wondered who maintains these to keep the town looking beautiful?  Come to the monthly Black Mountain Beautification Committee meeting Tuesday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall to find out.  Learn what this volunteer group does throughout the community and how you can get involved.  There's more at blackmountainbeautification.org.

Seminar on getting more out of life available in Lake Lure

"Embracing Joy: How to get the most out of every moment in life" is an interactive seminar sponsored by Mountains Branch Library in Lake Lure.

The free event, from 3-4:30 p.m. Wednesday April 18, will be at the library, 150 Bills Creek Road, Lake Lure. Continuing the library's monthly “Coffee and Conversation” series, Mary Reitano, a licensed counselor practicing in Lake Lure, will share ideas, images, and inspiration about how to get the most out of every moment in life.  Using principles from positive psychology, the seminar will explore ways to maximize positive experiences, relationships and emotions in your life.  RSVP at maryalisonreitano@gmail.com not required, but helpful. 

Christmount serves brunch - and nonprofits

Christmount is donating a portion of its Sunday brunch proceeds to local nonprofits each month.

This money, 10 percent of proceeds will go to Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry. Brunch is served on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The buffet begins with breakfast items and transitions to include a lunch menu around 11:30 a.m. Each week features a different menu, posted on Christmount’s Facebook page on Wednesdays. A suggested donation of $12 per person is requested.

Contact Christmount for more at info@christmount.org or 669-8977.

Swannanoa library is selling books at half price

Swannanoa Branch Library's continuing book sale is selling books at half price through April 28. Adult hardcover books are 50 cents, and adult paperbacks are 25 cents. Young adult and juvenile hardcovers are 25 cents, and young adult and juvenile paperbacks are 15 cents. 

DVDs and CDs are 50 cents per disc. There are lots of new items in the sale because people have been spring cleaning and the library staff has been weeding the library collection. The library is at 101 W. Charleston Ave. in Grovemont. The book sale is during library hours.

Duplicate bridge group posts results from April 3

The Lake Tomahawk Duplicate Bridge Group played at the Lakeview Center on Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain April 3 and had a great time. Coming in first for East/West were George Ackerman/Dan McGaughey.  Coming in first for North/South were Helen Kraus/Lynda Briggs. The game is free, and if you would like to join in, whether you are local or from out of town, email rongibson1@yahoo.com for information.

And coming up ...

Film depicts Palestinian life under Israeli occupation

The documentary film "Hebron" will be part of a presentation at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, April 19. Cosponsored by Just Peace for Israel Palestine, the 40-minute film tells the story of director Yousef Natsha's Palestinian community under Israeli occupation. Afterward there will be a panel discussion with the filmmaker, an Israeli-American veteran of the Israeli Army and members of Christian Peacemaker Teams. RSVP by Tuesday April 17 for the optional pizza dinner ($8) at 669-2715 or goo.gl/73X2nr.

Broad River VFD Auxiliary holds

annual pancake benefit and yard sale

The Broad River Fire Department Auxiliary will hold its annual pancake breakfast and yard sale from 8-10 a.m. Saturday, April 21 at the Broad River Community Center, 46 Broad River VFD Road. off N.C. 9 halfway between Black Mountain and Bat Cave.

Sellers may reserve a $10 table for their yard sale items by calling Becky at 828-388-0360 or Jeannette at 828-329-3531. Breakfast will include buttermilk pancakes, sausage, baked apples, toppings, coffee, juice, and milk for $5.

Arts league has oil painting workshop for beginners

"Oil Painting for the True Beginner" on Monday, April 23 will entail a brief morning 
program and an afternoon workshop at the Red House Studios and Gallery, 310 W. State St., Black Mountain, next to the Monte Vista Hotel. Presented by Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League member Bobbie Roberts, the event starts at 10 a.m. for the program and a league general meeting. Lunch is on your own, then the workshop begins at 1 p.m. 

The workshop fee is $35 for league members, $45 nonmembers. To preregister (required) and a supply list, visit svfalarts.org and scroll down on the workshops page. 

Black Mountain Presbyterian hosts retreat for widowed women

More than 700,000 women are widowed in the United States each year, and their average age when widowed is 57. Widowed women have unique challenges and life journeys that most people sympathize with but don’t really understand. While some hospices offer bereavement counseling, there are few programs that help widowed women move forward and develop a new life.

That’s why Black Mountain Presbyterian Church is hosting “A Widow’s Tale Retreat,” a fun-filled day just for widows on Thursday, April 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Developed by writer, storyteller and certified grief recovery specialist Donna Marie Todd with a grant from the National Storytelling Network, the retreat has helped women across the country find a supportive, caring and understanding community of other women who “get it.” 

While a few tears are inevitable, this day is filled with laughter, fun, food, stories and inspiration for moving forward. The cost is $25, and pre-registration is required.  To participate, contact Ginny Soll at 669-2725 or gsoll@bmpcnc.org. BMPC is at 117 Montreat Road, Black Mountain.