1) Blue Ridge Parkway Ranger Programs
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Cone Manor – Milepost 294
10:30 am – Informal Upstairs Tour at Cone Manor
From 10:30-12:30, the second floor of Cone Manor will be open for a do-it-yourself tour. Rangers will be on hand to answer questions.
Saturday August 8, 2015
Cone Manor – Milepost 294
10:00, 11:00, 2:00, 3:00 -Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor
Ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. Tour is approximately 45 minutes long and reservations are required. To reserve a tour: call 828-295-3782 or sign up at the NPS information desk at the Manor House. Reservations are accepted beginning at 10:00am Friday for the upcoming weekend only. No advance reservations, please.
Julian Price Campground Amphitheater – Milepost 296
7:00 p.m. – The Animal that Changed a Continent
Some species of animals have the ability to change a habitat to suit their needs. This particular critter also creates a habitat that benefits others. Join a ranger to find out what amazing keystone animal this is.
Approximately 45 minutes in length
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Cone Manor – Milepost 294
10:00, 11:00, 2:00, 3:00 -Upstairs Tours at Cone Manor
Ranger led tours of the second floor of the former home of Moses and Bertha Cone. Tour is approximately 45 minutes long and reservations are required. (See Saturday above)
ALL PROGRAMS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Special thanks to Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Eastern National, and FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
2) Last Chance to Guarantee Seats with ASU Football Season Tickets
Less than one week remains for fans to purchase 2015 Appalachian State University football full- or half-season ticket packages and guarantee a reserved seat for games at Kidd Brewer Stadium this fall before single-game tickets go on sale next Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Purchasing season tickets before single-game tickets go on sale guarantees a reserved seat for Mountaineer football at The Rock. Reserved seats — particularly for premium games such as Hall of Fame Day (Sept. 5 vs. Howard), Homecoming (Oct. 3 vs. Wyoming) and Family Weekend (Oct. 31 vs. Troy) — traditionally sell quickly once single-game tickets go on sale.
Additionally, tickets from Appalachian State’s allotment for its six road games are available exclusively to season-ticket holders prior to Aug. 4. Once those tickets are made available to the general public next Tuesday, it is expected that Appalachian’s allotment of seats for highly anticipated road matchups at Clemson (Sept. 12) and Old Dominion (Sept. 26) will also sell out quickly.
The support of App Nation through ticket sales is crucial to Appalachian State as it seeks its first-ever NCAA bowl berth in 2015. With four guaranteed bowl slots available for Sun Belt Conference teams and six Sun Belt teams earning the NCAA-minimum six victories necessary for bowl consideration last season, the tangible support from a team’s fan base through ticket sales will likely be a big consideration for bowl committees when invitations are extended following the regular season.
Full season tickets, which include a reserved seat for all six of the Mountaineers’ home games in 2015, cost just $175 for adults, $140 for senior citizens (ages 60+) and Appalachian State faculty/staff and $110 for youth (ages 3-12). Additionally, a general-admission season ticket in the LET’S GO Family Fun Zone (South Grass Hill) costs just $99 per person.
A wide array of half-season packages are also available, including a very popular Saturday package that includes a reserved seat for the high-demand Hall of Fame Day, Homecoming and Family Weekend contests. Half-season packages cost just $97 for adults and $65 for youth.
Tickets can be purchased online at appstatesports.com/tickets, by phone at (828) 262-2079 and in person at the Appalachian State athletics ticket office, located at the Holmes Center.
3) Catawba Valley Astronomy Club Events
The Lucile Miller Observatory will be open twice in August for public observing. We will be open on the first and third Fridays, August 7 and August 21, 2015 from 8 until 11 p.m. The observatory is located on the campus of Maiden Middle School (the old high school) in Maiden, North Carolina. These are a free events, all ages and interests are welcome, and no reservations are needed. August 7 will be open rain or shine. August 21 will be clear sky only with no indoor presentations.
Weather permitting, our telescopes will be available to will observe Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, the Moon and the summer sky. Light refreshments will be available. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own telescope if they have questions on how to use it or if it needs adjustment.
These events are sponsored by The Catawba Valley Astronomy Club. Please visit our website at www.catawbasky.org for driving directions to the observatory. You may contact Jeff Whisenant at 828 850 6433 or clubinfo@catawbasky.org for additional information.
4) Startup Weekend in Asheville Aug. 28-30
Startup Weekend in Asheville is happening again this summer, after a two-year hiatus, and tickets are on sale now. As the kids head back to school, entrepreneurs and other business-minded creatives can participate in the 54-hour innovation marathon, held August 28–30, at Buncombe County Discovery Academy. The prize package for the event nears $15,000 in startup support services, all geared toward ensuring the winning team stays in business beyond that weekend.
Asheville was recently ranked #2 best startup city in America by Popular Mechanics. With the growth of Asheville Angels and Venture Asheville, ScaleUp WNC, the Kauffman Foundation’s Entrepreneur in Residence program in Asheville, and many other programs—NOW is the time to launch and grow your startup in Asheville and the surrounding areas.
Startup Weekends run successfully in over 175 countries worldwide, including many places across the South. Attendance is just $85 for the whole weekend ($40 for students) and includes meals and all the coffee you can drink, excellent networking opportunities, and mentorship from some of the area’s most respected business people. Participants get a hands-on, accelerated experience of developing an idea from concept to product. Whether you’re a programmer, designer, marketing professional, or business development whiz, your expertise is crucial to turning ideas into marketable products overnight.
The novelty of Startup Weekend is just that—only brand new ideas can be pitched as the teams organize themselves around bringing it to fruition. At the end, during the demos, the public can see what each team came up with, and the winning team will walk away with a prize package valued at nearly $15,000. This grand prize, which is unique to Asheville, includes three months of free office space from Biltmore Farms, legal consultation from Van Winkle Law Firm, a marketing course from JB Media, content writing by Angela Raimondo, website design by ZeroZen Design, a year of free hosting from SiteGround Hosting, and several other services that startups find essential to get the wheels rolling.
The event begins Friday evening with open mic pitches to build the teams based on ideas that excite and energize. Team building is crucial, as winners may want to pursue their products beyond the intense weekend—36 percent of Startup Weekend startups are still going strong after 3 months, and roughly 80 percent of participants plan to continue working on their idea after the weekend ends.
Saturday and Sunday, teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup Methodologies, and building a minimal viable product. At 4 p.m. Sunday, teams demo their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts. Tickets are available to the public for just $10 and are limited to the first 60 attendees only.
“The Asheville area has a lot of hidden talent, and we hope to flush all of it out into the open for Startup Weekend,” said Slagle, Co-Founder and President of MobRocket and ZeroZen Design. “If we can do this, some really amazing ideas and companies will be born that weekend!”
Justin Belleme, owner of JB Media Group, sees Startup Weekend as an event that fits into the growing landscape of entrepreneurialism. “The Asheville startup ecosystem has a lot of momentum right now,” said Belleme. “It has for several years, but it’s really increasing now under the leadership and support of organizations and programs like Venture Asheville, Accelerating Appalachia, and ScaleUP WNC.”
As the landscape grows, it is important for Asheville to continue to situate itself so that it can compete. “Much of the necessary business services that are less sophisticated in the Asheville market will only have a reason to be created, or expanded/imported from nearby markets, when there is enough startup activity to make them economically viable in Asheville,” said Belleme.
Events like Startup Weekend, 1 Million Cups, and more structured programs such as ScaleUp WNC and Accelerating Appalachia, contribute to the critical mass needed to grow the startup sector. “Part of the focus of this event is to build a core leadership team within the community of Asheville. This will be a group of individuals who collectively have a heart for startups, and for the people behind them,” Slagle said.
To purchase your tickets for this event so that you can compete for the grand prize, click here.
5) August Live Music Events
Old Hampton Store
828-733-5213
Thursday, July 30-Tom Pillion
Friday, July 31-Don Robertson
Saturday, August 1-The Honeychasers
Barra’s Sports & Cigar Bar
828-898-7727
Karaoke Every Friday Night
Sushi Club
828-898-1940
Karaoke Every Friday Night
Nick’s Restaurant & Pub
828-898-9613
Karaoke every Friday Night
The Alpen Restaurant
828-387-2252
Sundays 5-9 PM
August 2 – The Lucky Strikes Orchestra (LSO)
August 9 – BE Jazz
August 16 – The Lucky Strikes
August 23 – Klee & Mike Show
August 30 – The Lucky Strikes Orchestra (LSO)
Sept 6 – The Swing Set Big Band
Grandfather Vineyard & Winery
828-963-2400
Sundays
August 2-The Corklickers
August 9-The Johnson Bros.
August 16- Titanuim Hipsters
August 23-The Analog Men
August 30-Edward Main
September 6-Don Vallarta
September 13-Edward Main
Carolina BBQ
828-737-0700
Live Music Every Saturday Night
Town of Newland Riverwalk Concerts
(828)457-2736
Friday Nights 6-9
July 31-The Neighbors
August 7-Whip Daddies
August 14-Benny Wilson Band
Lost Province Brewing Company
(828)265-3506
July 26-Dane Page
July 30-Jimmie Griffith
July 31-The Paper Crowns
August 1-Danny Whittington & A Killa Band
August 6-Andy Ferrell
August 7-Jacob Johnson Band
August 8-Hilltop Riot
August 13-Matt Walsh
August 14-Klee & Mike
The Inn at Crestwood
828-963-6646
Thursday Nights
July 30-Handlebar Betty
August 6-Patrick Williamson
August 13-Red Leg Husky
August 20-Jimmie Griffith
August 27-Handlebar Betty
September 3-Folk & Dagger
Bella’s Italian Restaurant
828-898-9022
Live Music Every Saturday
Banner Elk Café
828-898-4040
Music on the Patio
Friday & Saturday Nights
Bayou Smokehouse & Grill
828-898-8952
Live Music Every Tuesday Night 6-9 PM
Fred’s Mercantile
828-387-8952
Sundays 6:30
August 2-Rebecca Eggars-Gryder w/ Amantha Mill
August 9-The Watauga Community Band
Banner Elk Winery
828-898-9090
Saturdays & Sundays
1-6 PM
Featuring House Musicians
Dillon Cable, Sound Traveler
& Danny Whittington
Linville Falls Winery
828-765-1400
Saturday August 1-Gatorbone Band
Sunday August 2-Darrin and Brooke Aldridge
Saturday August 8-Wayne Taylor
Saturday August 15-TBA
Friday August 21-Blue Grass Blend
Saturday August 29-Clay Lunsford & Friends
Sunday August 30-Andy Ferrell
6) QDMA Wildlife Habitat Workshops
The Southern Appalachian Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association and the Western Carolina Quality Deer Management Program are hosting a free wildlife habitat management workshop in Leicester on August 8, 2015 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A partnership with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), Sustainable Forestry Initiative, University of Tennessee Extension, WNC Wildlife, and the N.C. State Implementation Council of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, the workshop is geared towards deer hunters and landowners interested in wildlife habitat development.
Tyler Ross, Southern Appalachian Branch QDMA President, says the workshop is a tremendous educational opportunity for the public. “This is a unique chance to learn first-hand about the habitat practices used by the NCWRC and interact with a panel of experts with a half century of combined wildlife habitat experience.”
Workshop topics include deer habitat requirements, improving forest habitats for deer, early successional habitats, native warm season grasses, food plots, NCWRC technical assistance available to landowners, and the N.C. Tree Farm Program.
NCWRC Burnsville Wildlife Management Crew and biologists will lead a tour of Sandy Mush Game Lands, one of the top rated game lands in western North Carolina.
Local QDMA member John Culclasure hopes non-hunters also attend the workshop. “While it’s geared toward deer, the larger discussion is about wildlife habitat. When you manage for deer, you’re improving habitat for a host of species, game and nongame. White-tailed deer are an umbrella species.”
To register for the workshop, please call (828) 442-2674.
The QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization dedicated to ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and hunting heritage with over 50,000 members nationwide.