This Week in the Swannanoa Valley
Knitters & crocheters meet in Asheville
The Western North Carolina Knitters and Crocheters for Others will meet 7-9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11 at New Hope Presbyterian Church, 3070 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville. In December, it donated more than 1,000 handmade items to local charities including hats (men's, women's teen's, children's), scarves, mittens,
sweaters and afghans. All skill levels are welcome. If interested, contact Janet Stewart at (828) 575-9195.
Military officers to meet again
The Military Officers Association of America will meet at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday Jan. 13 at Highland Farms, lower Fountain Room. RSVP to 828-505-5511.
Make some art at the Carver Center
Beginning Jan. 12, Art For the Fun of It will be held for six Tuesdays at the Carver Center from 10-11:30 a.m. The cost is $90 or $20 for walk-ins. No art experience is required; the cost includes art supplies.
Gatlinburg attraction seeks summer talent
Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales is looking for storytellers, artisans and musicians with self-contained acts ready to perform to millions of visitors along the streets of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The popular seven-week event is assembling the 2016 cast and looking for talented acts presented in an Appalachian style.
Tunes & Tales is a summer-long street performance festival featuring costumed musical performers, storytellers and artisans portraying characters from time periods as far back as the 1800s. This event truly highlights one of Gatlinburg’s greatest assets in the walkability of the city and provides guests with an interactive, educational and entertaining experience.
Auditions will be Jan. 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23. To learn more, email Ginger Brown at Ginger@Gatlinburg.com or call (423) 421-3205. To learn more about Tunes & Tales, visit Gatlinburg.com/Events.
Black Mountain knitters to meet again
The Black Mountain group of Western North Carolina Knitters and Crocheters for Others will meet at Highland Farms on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 1-3 p.m. In December the Black Mountain and Asheville groups donated more than 800 handmade items to local charities including hats (men's, women's teens’, children's), scarves, mittens, sweaters and afghans.
Sphere therapy to help at BM Yoga
Release stress and tension with Sphere Therapy, which uses therapy balls, foam rollers and yoga, from 7-8:15 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7 with Katie Hay at Black Mountain Yoga. For more, visit blackmountainyoga.com or call 669-2939.
Weight-loss principles begin weight-loss contest
Ascending Fitness, 203 Black Mountain Ave., is offering a free weight loss workshop from 7-8:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11. Principles of successful weight loss and weight management will be covered, as well as rules for the Win by Losing Right 10-week weight loss contest that starts the next day. The speaker will be Jim Frith, the owner of Ascending Fitness. For more, 828-707-3798
High School Equivalency classes resume
After a two-year absence, High School Equivalency preparation classes, formerly referred to as GED classes, will resume in Black Mountain, this time at the Opportunity House at Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry. Classes will be 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 12 and will be in addition to current daytime classes held 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. A-B Tech offers the classes free of charge. Evening classes, held for decades at the Carver Community Center, were discontinued by A-B Tech in December 2013, due to budget constraints.
Learn about being a certified nursing assistant
If you’re considering becoming a certified nursing assistant, the next CNA informational meeting at Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center will be 6 p.m. Jan. 12 in the G-2 Training Room.
The meeting is to discuss with prospective students the next CNA class offered at the center and how to participate. Attendance at this free class is the first step in getting into the CNA class. The cost of the class is $178, to be paid the first day of class. The cost of the state test is $101, to be paid the last day of class. For more, contact 259-6766 or debra.bartlett@
Museum hosts hike “interest” meetings
The Swannanoa Valley Museum, Buncombe County’s primary museum of local history, will host interest meetings about its popular annual hiking programs in Black Mountain and Asheville in early January.
The meetings provide an introduction to the hiking programs, details about the individual hikes, advice for hikers and registration information. The meetings are free.
The meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7 at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., Black Mountain; at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Black Dome Mountain Sports,140 Tunnel Road, Asheville; and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13 at REI, 31 Schenck Parkway at Biltmore Park.
The museum offers two year-round hiking programs - the Swannanoa Valley Rim Series and the Valley History Explorer Series - that provide an experiential way to learn about the social, cultural, and natural history of eastern Buncombe County.
The cost to attend all Rim Series hikes is $280 for museum members and $500 for nonmembers. Each hike is $30 for members and $50 for non-members.
The Valley History Explorer Series is $140 for members and $210 for nonmembers. Each hike is $20 for members and $30 for nonmembers.
For more visit swannanoavalleymuseum.org or call 669-9566.