Sunday, August 02, 2015

Upcoming events for the week of August 2, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

08/03/15 PEACE WALK FROM SWANNANOA TO OAK RIDGE 
August 1 to August 8, Peace Walk from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge. Buddhist monks from the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda will lead a 7 day walk, 10 miles a day, from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge, TN to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oak Ridge is where the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was built and where nuclear weapons work continues to this day. All are invited to join for the whole walk, or any part of it, for a day, even hours.  On Aug 8, walkers will join commemorative activities being conducted by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA). For more information, contact Ken Jones, jonesk@maine.edu. Their schedule follows:
August 3. Walk begins in Alexander and ends in Hot Springs, NC
August 4. Walk to the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda.
August 5. Dandridge, TN to New Market, TN
August 6. Attend 6 AM vigil at Y-12 to remember the victims of the bomb. Walk after into Knoxville.
August 7. Walk to Oak Ridge. At 7 PM, we attend forum for the Transform Now Plowshares activists
August 8. Attend Peace Rally organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. Please see orepa.org for a full schedule of events to commemorate the 70th Anniversary.

08/03/15 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES 
Dinner with Progressives is a social outlet for thoughtful people in Asheville NC. The gathering includes time to eat together and then enjoy presentations which focus on solutions for a brighter future. This happens on the first Monday of the month. Please join us for dinner, dessert or beverage together at 5:30 PM at Green Sage cafe in Westgate with fellow progressives.  At 6 PM we will have Randy Bernard, regional organizer with MoveOn who will talk about MoveOn's upcoming activities. Contact Cheryl at ctorengo@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP.

08/04/15 HEALTH CARE PARITY: BENDING THE ARC FOR EQUITY IN BUNCOMBE
This exhibit is based on attempts of Asheville physician Dr. Charles Blair to enhance awareness of and address health disparities affecting primarily African Americans. The exhibition also is based on a non-empirical study of Sharon Kelly West, RN on “Access and Availability of Health Care For African Americans of Buncombe County 1890-1960″. Admission is free. Location is the YMI Cultural Center at 39 South Market Street in Asheville. This exhibit goes until 08/28/15 and the YMI Cultural Center is open during regular business hours. 

08/04/15 THE SPIRIT OF HIROSHIMA 1945 COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBIT
NC Peace Action is sponsoring a display of posters on the Hiroshima bombings in 1945 at First Congregational Church in Asheville, located on Oak Avenue in downtown Asheville. This will be up until 08/30/15. 

08/04/15 DINNER WITH BUNCOMBE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Pizza dinner with neighbors, community leaders and the sheriff’s department. Free to attend. Held at Leicester Community Center at 2979 New Leicester Highway in Leicester. Please call Buncombe County Sheriff’s office for more information.

08/04/15 ASHEVILLE TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING
Transit Committee Meeting is on Tuesday 8/4/15, from 3 - 5 PM.  Location is the First Floor Conference Room, City Hall, in downtown Asheville. All are welcome.

08/05/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING AND GREEN DRINKS
Sierra Club meeting on Waterfalls & Wildflowers - join us for Timothy Spira's presentation on "Exploring Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains".  Tim's latest book is Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes. Tim is emeritus professor of botany at Clemson University. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/06/15 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NUCLEAR BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA

08/06/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is North Buncombe High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/06/15 CLEAN ENERGY IN THE MOUNTAINS EVENT 
Clean Energy in the Mountains is back! Come have a beer with us on August 6th at Highland Brewing Company on Old Charlotte Highway in Asheville. This event will gather NC Sustainable Energy Association members and clean energy leaders from across the Southeast as we recognize the forward progress happening in the western North Carolina region and beyond. Enjoy local catering and a Highland beer while connecting with friends and colleagues. Please register by Monday, August 3rd. Find out how to register, or ask for more information from Christy at christy@energync.org or 919-832-7601 ext 111. Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

08/06/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING
All are welcome to take a moment to listen to one another, renew our spirits and learn about ways to engage the work of caring for creation.  Join us! Location is First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Be a part of the conversation. Call (828) 258-8737 or email: creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

08/06/15 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome! This group meets at 12 noon at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in  Asheville. 

08/08/15 RALLY AND MARCH IN OAK RIDGE TENNESSEE
This is a remembrance of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a rally to say no to more nuclear weapons. There will be carpooling arranged by WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility. Contact Bob at robfhow@gmail.com if you are interested in carpooling. OREPA events start at 8:30 AM and go until 10 PM, but main rally starts at 2 PM. Action for Disarmament at Y12, will consist of origami peace cranes being tied to a wire near the Y12 fence and we will issue a public call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the cessation of weapons production at Y12. We will also call for our government to abandon plans for their new $6.5 Billion Uranium Processing Facility, proposed for Y12, in favor of a dedicated dismantlement of nuclear weapons facility at Y12. Activities will raise the call of the hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombs which destroyed Hiroshima & Nagasaki, for the world to step away from the nuclear abyss and move toward complete disarmament, the only guarantee that the world will never again know the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please see orepa.org for a full schedule of events to commemorate the 70th Anniversary.

08/09/15 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NUCLEAR BOMBING OF NAGASAKI

08/09/15 GLOBAL ZERO EVENT
Have you ever considered what a nuclear catastrophe would look like in your hometown? It’s been 70 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- two of the most devastating humanitarian tragedies in history. And yet the world is still bristling with more than 15,000 nuclear weapons, thousands of which are locked and loaded, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The risk that these weapons will be used is growing and the consequences are greater than ever. Join Global Zero on Sunday, August 9, to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by biking what would be the perimeter of a nuclear blast in Asheville. The event will be one of many corresponding actions around the world, serving as a powerful reminder that nuclear weapons were designed to wipe cities like ours off the map. RSVP for Bike Around the Bomb Asheville, or for more information, email field@globalzero.org. Time is 10 AM and meeting location is Pack Square Park. 

08/09/15 RESILIENT AGRICULTURE AUTHOR EVENT
Join us with author Laura Lengnick to discuss her newly published book, "Resilient Agriculture," and the role that sustainable agriculture will play in the future as climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the productivity and profitability of agriculture in North America. Time is 3 PM and location is Firestorm Books & Coffee at 60 Haywood Road in Asheville.

08/09/15 ASHEVILLE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN MEETING
Monthly meeting, free. Held at YWCA of Asheville at 185 French Broad Avenue. Time is 2:30 PM. Email ashevillenow@live.com for more information.

08/10/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE MEETING
Topic is “Growing Food Where You Live: Cultivating Solutions to Hunger and Malnutrition in WNC Communities”. One in four children in Western North Carolina struggle for access to three meals a day.  Sydney Klein and Dylan Ryals-Hamilton will share stories, insights, and adventures working with low-income residents to grow healthy food right where it’s needed most – in low-income communities and in food desserts.  The case study presented is the pilot project for a greater campaign for food resilience and community abundance. Time is 6:30 PM to 8 PM and location is Parish Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church - parking available on street or off Evelyn Ally north of the church.

08/11/15 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING
Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. (Location of meeting may change to Firestorm, but that has not been confirmed yet.)

08/12/15 GREEN DRINKS
“Wild Utah: America’s Redrock Wilderness” is a multi-media slideshow documenting citizen efforts to designate public lands in southern Utah’s spectacular canyon country as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.  This journey through redrock splendor invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these unique lands. The multimedia slideshow will be shown in conjunction with a presentation on the status of the Utah wilderness movement by Travis Hammill, Eastern Grassroots Organizer for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. This inspirational and informational event is a must see for people wishing to become personally involved to make the difference in this tremendous American public lands conservation effort. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

08/12/15 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE
This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain.

08/12/15 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION FOCUS GROUP
Join Us  on August 12th for the NC Division of Childhood and Early Education (DCDEE) western North Carolina focus group. DCDEE is gathering input on the state's 3-year plan for operating the child care subsidy program. Why is that important? The state has a unique opportunity to review and make improvements to many aspects around quality, market rates, safety, and parent/provider education. NC will submit a 3-year plan for the child care subsidy program, so now is the time to give your feedback. We hope you will join us at the focus group to share your perspectives and experiences to shape the future of this important program. WNC Early Childhood Coalition recommendations: Our coalition will be particularly focused on how to align the cost of quality care with the value of the voucher. We welcome you to join us in this advocacy. The focus group will be held at the Smart Start of Buncombe County Offices (2229 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC) on Wednesday, August 12. It is divided into three sections:
9:00-11:00 AM – Subsidized Child Care
12:00-2:00 PM - Program Standards and Quality Improvement
2:30-4:30 PM - Consumer Education
Contact Greg at gregb@childrenfirstbc.org for more information.

08/13/15 DOCUMENTARY SHOWING  FOR SIERRA CLUB AND MOUNTAIN TRUE
The documentary “Merchants of Doubt” will be presented by The Orange Peel, the Sierra Club, and Mountain True at the Orange Peel in downtown Asheville on Thursday August 13 at 7:30 PM with doors opening at 7 PM. By the creator of Food, Inc., Merchants of Doubt is an important new documentary that focuses on climate change and its deniers' political agenda to discredit the inarguable facts. This will be a fully seated event, open to all ages. Entry is free, but a $5 donation is suggested to support the event's co-sponsor organizations, Mountain True and Sierra Club of WNC. Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/14/15 DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY FUNDRAISER
Time is 8 PM to midnight, location is The Orange Peel. Get your groove on at Dance For Democracy – a fun night of dancing and music at The Orange Peel, from Motown to rock ‘n roll and swing to hip-hop. Tunes to be cued up by amazing DJ Marley Carroll... Proceeds support Democracy North Carolina's work to promote access to voting in our state. Tickets are $10 per person or $50 for patrons (includes pre-event reception with complimentary food and drink). Buy tickets online at http://bit.ly/1L0hgNv. Some of the other groups supporting this are Children First, Green Opportunities, League of Women Voters, Mountain Voices Alliance, Mountain Peoples Assembly, YWCA-Asheville.

08/15/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE PROTEST
Just Peace for Israel/Palestine will hold their next street protest on August 15th at Pritchard Park from 11AM - 12:30 PM.  Focus will be on the effect of the occupation on children.

08/15/15 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE
Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Pritchard Park at 5 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us! This happens on the third Saturday of every month. 

08/16/15 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE MEETING
“Ordinary People Making a Real Difference: A Report from the 100th Assembly of the American Ethical Union” will be presented by Joy McConnell and Jackie Simms at the Sunday, August 16th meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:00-3:30 PM, at The Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC. Ours is the first generation that can end poverty, and the last that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if humanity has the will to do so. To those ends, the United Nations prepared Sustainable Development Goals as a roadmap to fight against extreme poverty, strive toward more equitable economic growth and environmental sustainability, and reduce the dangers of human-induced climate change. To support those UN Goals, our 100th Assembly gave participants opportunities to hear experts on social, environmental, and economic development speak about the many grass-roots ways we can protect our world for future generations. Jackie and Joy will share what they learned at the Assembly and how they were inspired and energized by their experiences. Informal discussion and refreshments will follow the presentation. All are welcome. For more information call 828 687-7759 or email EHSAsheville@gmail.com.

08/19/15 GREEN DRINKS
People of faith are installing solar panels, planting gardens, recycling, testifying, protesting, marching, writing, preaching and engaging in all sorts of acts of courageous compassion. Come explore some of the transformative work that is already happening on behalf of all creatures great and small. Scott Hardin-Nieri is the Director of The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina. He has served in faith communities for over twenty years and after a “climate conversion” experience left his work in Monteverde, Costa Rica for the Blue Ridge Mountains. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

08/20/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is Owen High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/21/15 to 08/23/15 MONTREAT CONFERENCE CENTER REMEMBRANCE OF MLK
On this weekend in August, at the Anderson Auditorium, Montreat College, in Montreat NC, there will be a weekend of remembrance of  Martin Luther King’s address at Montreat in 1965, called “Dr. King's Unfinished Agenda: A Teach-In for Rededicating Ourselves to the Dream”. There will be nine speakers; the main speaker will be U.S. Representative John Lewis. Events include programming and break out sessions for teens and adults. Basic registration fee is $40; for those able to help provide scholarship funds for the conference, a registration of $100 is appreciated. To register  or call 828.669.2911, ext. 339.   

08/28/15 REMEMBRANCE OF EMMETT TILL’S MURDER
Wear Black and White on July 25 (Emmett Till's 74th Birthday) and August 28. A Time For Unity In Black And White: Please join us again! Let's Remember Emmett Till and those who have lost their lives #CharlestonNine #TrayvonMartin #JordanDavis #OscarGrant #RenishaMcBride #EricGarner #MikeBrown #RekiyaBoyd #SeanBell #StephenBiko and so many others to hate, violence and racism in the US and in other parts of the world. How? Please Wear black and white attire/clothing items on July 25 and August 28 (the day Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, 60 years ago). This is a silent but powerful way to show that we will never forget.

08/28/15 ASHEVILLE TIMEBANK KICK OFF
Friday, August 28, at 6 PM, Asheville TimeBank kicks off with a potluck and orientation open to all. Location is the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Share your talents, exchange services outside the cash economy. Please bring a potluck dish and a laptop if you have one. Voluntary donation. Contact help@ashevilletimebank.org or call 828-348-0674 for more information, including how to access an application for the TimeBank.

09/02/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING AND GREEN DRINKS
Sierra Club meeting on French Broad River Odyssey by Dr. Chris Lechner. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

09/09/15 GREEN DRINKS
Interested in making your home greener, but frustrated because you don’t have thousands to spend for a major renovation? This discussion focuses on ways that homeowners on a tight budget can change how they operate their homes to achieve significant energy savings.  We will also discuss inexpensive upgrades that make easy do-it-yourself projects. Amy Musser will speak, and she is co-founder and principal of  VandeMusser Design, PLLC, founded in 2002. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

09/19/15 AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH EXHIBIT
Saturday, September 19 at 6 PM the exhibit at YMI (39 S. Market St.) called “Americans Who Tell the Truth” will open. Rev. William Barber of Moral Monday fame will speak as his portrait is unveiled September 19th for the first time as a new addition to other heroes on display for the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit.  Mountain People's Assembly is hosting this event with YMI. This is a ticketed event, tickets start at $25. Go to YMI webpage for more information.

09/21/15 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE - MARCH FOR PEACE
A new partnership of peace makers have come together to plan an exciting weekend of peaceful activities as communities around the globe celebrate International Day of Peace in Asheville and Black Mountain. The new group calls itself WNC 4 Peace, with members representing all facets of peace, from the spiritual, the community, and the world. On Monday, September 21, at 12 noon WNC 4 Peace hosts a March for Peace downtown to the Peace Pole behind Pack's Tavern where participants will observe a moment of silence.   Asheville bells will be rung all around town, Peace Activist and Performer David LaMotte plans to sing with people of diverse beliefs gathered to explore the spirit of peace in a troubled world, while white doves are released to send our message out into the universe. Participants will then be invited to join with planners as they watch other peace celebrations live streamed from around the world at a nearby location. For more information, call Rachael Bliss at 828-378-0125.

09/23/15 GREEN DRINKS
This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

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ONGOING EVENTS
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TUESDAY
Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY
Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY
Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in Asheville.  
Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church of Christ on 20 Oak Street in Asheville at 5 PM

FRIDAY
Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville
Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY
Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 
Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY
Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

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