Bakersville Art Festival

Release from Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival

The Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival Organizing Committee and the City of Bakersville, NC are happy to announce the sixth annual Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival in historic Bakersville, NC on September 25th, 2010. The festival will feature juried exhibitors from North Carolina and throughout the southeastern United States and will further establish Bakersville as a destination for individuals seeking fine art and craft.

We would like to invite local artists and craftsmen to apply for space at this year's show. Spaces are $75 and the application fee is $10. The jurying committee will require a cd with 3 images of your work and one of your booth set-up. Tents are recommended in the event of bad weather.

Entry deadline is August 31, 2010

You may obtain an application via:
Our website: http://www.bakersvillefestival.com/exhibitors.htm
Email: bakersvillefestival@gmail.com
Or by contacting our Festival Coordinator: Dawn Dalto at 828.216.9929

Water tank in Woodfin to be running in mid-September

It has been more than a year in the making due to the legal wranglings between several different parties, but the water tank at the Versant development in Woodfin is scheduled to begin running in mid-September, said Woodfin Sanitary Water and Sewer District Director Joe Martin. The tank will be half-filled (about 500,000 gallons) and provide much improved water pressure to the district's northern customers.

Getting the tank online has been a struggle after the Versant developers went bankrupt in 2008.

A day of living history

A release for Andrew Johnson National Historic Site

The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site is pleased to announce a day of living history, Saturday July 24, 2010, on the grounds of the Andrew Johnson Homestead, 209 South Main Street, Greeneville. The day’s events will feature members of the living history organization East Tennessee Civil War Campaigns and an evening concert presented by the Alabama based band Olde Towne Brass.

Living History programming will begin at 10am, with the last presentation at 3pm. Visitors will have the opportunity throughout the day to meet historic personalities from the region like Private George Whaley and Lt Col Miles W. Keogh just two storytellers to discuss the journeys of East Tennessee Unionist during the Civil War. Old Towne Brass band will perform at 6pm in the manner of Early American and Civil War bands, playing original Civil War Music on actual Civil War Over-The-Shoulder Brass Horns.

The days events are a celebration of the Journey Stories exhibit currently on display at the Nathanael Greene Museum stated National Park Superintendent Lizzie Watts. In honor of the theme, the Civil War historians and the band will be presenting stories, living history demonstrations, and dramatic performances to provide insight into the challenges and personal sacrifices endured by East Tennesseans during the Civil War.

The event is free of charge and the public is encouraged to picnic on the grounds of the Homestead during the band concert. For more information contact Jim Small at 423-639-3711.

Cell phone company donating to classrooms

U.S. Cellular is bringing back its program "Calling All Teachers," a campaign that will donate $1 million to fund creative classroom projects submitted by public school teachers.
More than 120 North Carolina teachers have registered since May.
Beginning Aug. 1 and continuing through Sept. 15, teachers can go to donorschoose.org and post their classroom projects for funding consideration.
Teachers will be notified in late September or October. For more information or to register, go to uscellular.com/callingallteachers.

Open burning on hold in Buncombe County

Due to the dry conditions the area is currently experiencing, officials have announced there will be no open burning until further notice.

Bridge work starts back

After a two-week reprieve, bridge rehabilitation work has resumed on portions of the future Interstate 26 in North Buncombe. Expect work to continue throughout much of the rest of the summer.

Signature piece for WNCAP benefit

The Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP) benefit auction, Raise Your Hand, is now looking for its 2010 Signature Piece. Any artists wishing to submit a piece for selection should contact Harry Brown, Signature Piece Chair, at 828-252-7489 at the WNCAP office. All piece submissions must be made by July 15.
The Signature Piece selected will be featured in all promotional materials and advertisements created and used for the Raise Your Hand event. The winning artist will also be awarded regional recognition and two premier tickets to the Sept. 25 event. The auction will feature wine selections, dinner packages, vacation trips and gift certificates offering special services in addition to fine art.
Doubletree Hotel in Asheville, near Biltmore Village, will host the benefit auction that features a format new for this year.
“The antics of our Roving Auctioneer and a special wine tasting room for the delicate palate are sure to add to the excitement of a great evening of festivities and fundraising,” said Pam Siekman, event chairperson.
The Western North Carolina AIDS Project has provided HIV/AIDS education, awareness and fundraising through the Raise Your Hand auction for over 20 years. WNCAP also offers case management and other supportive services to those in the area affected by HIV/AIDS.
To become a corporate sponsor, register to volunteer, donate an item for the auction or learn more about The Western North Carolina AIDS Project and the Raise Your Hand event, visit www.wncap.org or contact Siekman at pamsiekman@earthlink.net.

Asheville Community Theatre news

* The Autumn Players, the senior theatre group of Asheville Community Theatre, proudly presents its final Readers’ Theatre Showcase Series production of the season, The Sunshine Boys. The performance will run at ACT’s 35below on July 9-10 and at UNCA’s The Reuter Center on July 11 at 2:30pm

* New Umbrella, Inc. in association with Asheville Community Theatre presents Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath which depicts the desperation of an overworked housewife and poetess. July 2-18, 2010.

* Noises Off, called the “Funniest farce ever written,” will be performed on the Asheville Community Theatre Mainstage July 2 – 18, 2010.

More details at ashevilletheatre.org.