Oct. 10 This Week in the Swannanoa Valley
Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry needs
A current list of needs at the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry: Fitted sheets (king, queen, and twin in particular), towels, pillows, toilet paper, jelly, pancake syrup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and shampoo. Monetary donations designated to food are also welcome (send to P.O. Box 235).
Drop off items at 101 North Ridgeway Avenue, Black Mountain.
Celebrate Recovery meetings
Are you or someone you know struggling with anger, codependency, eating disorder, love & relationship addiction, abuse, alcohol, drug of other forms of addiction? Celebrate Recovery, which meets every Tuesday evening at Mountain View Church on 2221 North Fork-Right Fork, features inspiring teaching and testimonies of God’s healing power by our family in recovery.
Meetings begin at 6:15 p.m. with a free meal, before worship, testimony, or lessons begin at 7 p.m. Small groups take place at 8:00 p.m. for open share and 12-Step studies,before dessert is served at 9 p.m. Free child care is available. For more information contact Connie at 669-1981 or Jeanie at 669-4146.
Poker night at the VFW
VFW Post 9157 is now hosting Sunday night poker night. The weekly tournaments are open to the public, with the first one beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. tournament.
Dinner plates are available for $5. A $5 credit will be awarded to the winner of each tournament.
Free seminar for caregivers of people with dementia
The Lakeview Center for Active Aging has partnered with the Western Carolina Chapter Alzheimer’s Association to conduct a series of free Caregiver Dementia Educational Seminars for those affected by Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.
These seminars, which will be held from 11 - 11:45 a.m. on the first Monday of the month through November, are for caregivers or anyone wanting more information and resources.
The Lakeview Center is located at 401 Laurel Circle Drive in Black Mountain.
For more information contact Melinda Polites at melinda.polites@townofblackmountain.org or call 669-8610.
Cholesterol and pre-diabetes screening
The Swannanoa United Methodist Church, at 216 Whitson Avenue, Swannanoa, is hosting a cholesterol and pre-diabetes screening from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
The screenings will be conducted through a finger-stick blood sample, and check total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and glucose levels within five minutes. Counseling with a registered nurse will be available.
The cost of the screening is $15 and fasting the night before is required.
To make an appointment, call 828-686-5284. Checks should be made out to Givens LifeMinistries.
Become 'BearWise' at the Black Mountain Library
Want to learn how to co-exist safely with bears? Staff with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will discuss the natural history of black bears in Western North Carolina and how you can use that information to safely coexist with these North Carolina treasures.
This event, which is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, is free and open to the public.
Living on the Water's Edge presentation
If you own property next to a creek or river, then this workshop is for you. After the record rainfall our region received in 2018, many streamside landowners experienced property damage and streambank erosion.
These issues raise questions about landowner rights and responsibilities when it comes to flood prevention and recovery. Sponsored by the Town of Black Mountain and hosted by RiverLink, this workshop will cover these topics and more, including ways to make your property more flood resilient.
The presentation will be held from 5:30 - 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, at the Lakeview Center in Black Mountain. Registration is available through riverlink.org or by email through waterresources@riverlink.org. The event is free to attend and everyone who registers by Wednesday, Oct. 9 will be eligible to win a 55-gallon rain barrel.
Auditions for "The Santaland Diaries"
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts Theatre will hold auditions for its upcoming holiday production of "The Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris.
Auditions will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts at 225 West State Street. Auditions are open calls; no appointment is necessary.
The one-man comedy will run two weekends in December. Rehearsals begin Nov. 12.
Director Matt Lutz is looking for a witty, versatile male to play Crumpet the Elf in this hilarious and irreverent new Christmas classic.
For more information call 669-0930 or email bmcatheatre@blackmountainarts.org.
Swannanoa Valley Museum Book Club explores origins of NASCAR
The Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center's Book Club will meet again, at 11:30 a.m., on Friday, Oct. 11, at the Black Mountain Public Library.
October's read is "Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France" by Daniel S. Pierce.
The club is free and open to the public and meets every second Friday of the month.
For more information, visit swannanoavalleymuseum.org/book-club/
Tickets on sale for 'Wit'
Tickets are on sale now for "Wit" by Margaret Edson, presented by The Black Mountain Center for the Arts Theatre to open it’s seventh season. The production runs for three weekends, Oct. 11,12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees on Oct. 13, 20 and 27 are at 2 p.m. and tickets are $20.
The Pulitzer-prize winning drama is produced with permission from Dramatists Play Service and tells the story of brilliant English literature professor Dr. Vivian Bearing’s journey with terminal ovarian cancer. Over the course of her treatment, she begins to seek the warmth and care that, in her quest for excellence, she denied her students during her many years of teaching. "Wit" is a poignant and humorous look at life, death, poetry and compassion.
Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 West State Street in Black Mountain. Tickets to Wit can be purchased by calling 669-0930 or by visiting blackmountainarts.org.
Senate candidate Garland Tucker to appear at Black Mountain Library
Garland Tucker, a US Senate candidate challenging Republican Thom Tillis for his seat, will hold a meet and greet at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Black Mountain Library.
The event is free and open to the public.
Benefit Biker Ride for Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries
A motorcycle ride benefiting the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry will take place from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12. Participants will meet at Appalachian Tool & Machine, 121 Lytle Cove Road, Swannanoa.
The motorcycle ride will be followed with food, music, and guest speakers until 4 p.m. Riders, passengers, and volunteers eat free.
All proceeds benefit Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries. The event is sponsored by Celebrate Recovery and Broken Chains JC.
Contact Jeanie Wallace at 669-4146 or 828-331-1410.
Fall Festival at Black Mountain Home for Children
The Black Mountain Home for Children, 80 Lake Eden Drive, Black Mountain, will hold its annual Fall Festival from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
The event, which will feature a ribbon cutting for the nonprofit's Thirteen Pennies Cafe and Mountain Home Thrift Store, is free and open to the public. Activities are mostly free and include silent auctions, bounce houses, games and more.
For more information visit blackmountainhome.org.
Make Your Mark Monday
Create a watercolor bookmark at the Black Mountain Library, with Swannanoa Valley Fine Arts League artist Donna Davis, beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14.
The event is free, but those interested in attending must register. Call the Library 828-250-4756 or visit the Events Calendar at www.buncombecounty.org/library to reserve your space.
And coming up...
Hand in Hand fundraiser
Hand in Hand of the Swannanoa Valley will hold a fundraiser before the Owen High School homecoming football game from 4 - 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18.
The dinner, which is being held at Grove Stone Baptist Church, will include homemade chili, featuring soup, cornbread muffins, dessert and drinks. Take-out orders are available and meals are $7.
The money raised by the dinner will benefit Owen District schools.
For more information, or to place an order, call 828-686-5501 or 828-775-5602.
Job fair at Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center
The Black Mountain Neuro-Medical Treatment Center located at 932 Old US Highway, Black Mountain, is hosting an open house and job fair, from 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 19. Come out and tour the facility, meet the hiring managers and directors and enjoy food, games and live entertainment.
Museum Hosts Annual Historic Haunted House Walking Tours
This year, the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center's annual Historic Haunted House Tour will take guests back in time to discover the ghostly, spooky, and fun parts of downtown Black Mountain’s history.
Participants will enjoy snacks and drinks in several lavishly-decorated historic buildings around town as costumed guides explain Black Mountain's haunted history. Tours last two hours and leave the Museum on the half hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26. The last tour leaves at 7:30 p.m. both evenings.
Advance registration is recommended as there is limited space on each tour. Purchase tickets ($25 members, $35 nonmembers) for this Museum fundraiser at www.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/events.
Swannanoa Church of God Ladies Ministry yard sale
The Swannanoa Church of God Ladies Ministry will hold a yard sale from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. The sale will take place at the church, which is located at 199 Wilson Avenue.
Homer's Chapel barbecue dinner
Homer's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church will hold a barbecue from 4 - 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. The fundraiser will benefit the church's Chapel Gleaners Circle.
Plates are $7 and include barbecue, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, roll, drink and a dessert.
Homer's Chapel is located on 202 Chapel Road in Black Mountain.
Launch party with Sarah Loudin Thomas
Local author Sarah Loudin Thomas will sign copies of her latest Appalachian story, "When Silence Sings," at Sassafras on Sutton, located at 108 Sutton Avenue, from 3 - 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov 3. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, and Thomas will host a talk and question and answers session.
For more information or to preorder copies of the book, call the store at 828-419-0677.