ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) has released a survey to learn more about how people in Western North Carolina shop for food and why they choose the food they do. The survey, part of a three-year project by ASAP’s Local Food Research Center, is for any resident of Western North Carolina over the age of 18, no matter where or how they shop for food. It can be completed online at surveymonkey.com/r/WNCFoodASAP or over the phone by calling ASAP at 828-236-1282. It should take approximately 8 to 12 minutes to complete and will be open through Oct. 31, 2024. Respondents are encouraged to share the survey widely with families, friends, and co-workers.

“By completing this survey, you are helping local farmers understand and connect with consumers,” said Amy Marion, ASAP Associate Director and lead researcher. “The challenges of our food system are constantly evolving. Improving it requires active participation from all community members. With this research we can better understand consumer values and the barriers they face, and help farmers and food producers improve communications with their customers and their communities.”

The survey is part of a three-year research project, “Connections in Direct Markets: Assessing the feedback loop between consumer values and farmers’ marketing strategies,” which will examine and improve communication and alignment between farmers and consumers in Western North Carolina. The research phase will also employ consumer focus groups, farmer interviews and case studies, and more targeted surveying. The broad consumer survey provides an update to the last consumer survey conducted by the Local Food Research Center in 2014. Results from the current research project will be shared in 2025.

ASAP founded the Local Food Research Center in 2011 to study the economic, environmental, and social impacts of localizing food systems. From its inception, ASAP’s programs and services have been grounded in research and evaluation, adjusting based on a strong feedback loop and observation of current conditions in the food system.

This project is supported in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2022-38640-37488 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS23-382. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.

Sit back if you dare as we illuminate Asheville’s darkest history with astonishing stories of spirits & spies, ghosts & goblins, hauntings & hoodlums and mountain-made murder & mayhem.

Hear stories of . . .

  The legendary PINK LADY at the Grove Park Inn
  The GHOST of Church Street
  The 1936 UNSOLVED MURDER that shook Asheville
  The CHILD SPIRITS at the haunted hospital
  The architect walled into his own church!
  The KILLING SPREE of 1906
  NAZI AGENTS based in Asheville
  ARSON at hospital that claimed Zelda Fitzgerald

ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) has released a survey to learn more about how people in Western North Carolina shop for food and why they choose the food they do. The survey, part of a three-year project by ASAP’s Local Food Research Center, is for any resident of Western North Carolina over the age of 18, no matter where or how they shop for food. It can be completed online at surveymonkey.com/r/WNCFoodASAP or over the phone by calling ASAP at 828-236-1282. It should take approximately 8 to 12 minutes to complete and will be open through Oct. 31, 2024. Respondents are encouraged to share the survey widely with families, friends, and co-workers.

“By completing this survey, you are helping local farmers understand and connect with consumers,” said Amy Marion, ASAP Associate Director and lead researcher. “The challenges of our food system are constantly evolving. Improving it requires active participation from all community members. With this research we can better understand consumer values and the barriers they face, and help farmers and food producers improve communications with their customers and their communities.”

The survey is part of a three-year research project, “Connections in Direct Markets: Assessing the feedback loop between consumer values and farmers’ marketing strategies,” which will examine and improve communication and alignment between farmers and consumers in Western North Carolina. The research phase will also employ consumer focus groups, farmer interviews and case studies, and more targeted surveying. The broad consumer survey provides an update to the last consumer survey conducted by the Local Food Research Center in 2014. Results from the current research project will be shared in 2025.

ASAP founded the Local Food Research Center in 2011 to study the economic, environmental, and social impacts of localizing food systems. From its inception, ASAP’s programs and services have been grounded in research and evaluation, adjusting based on a strong feedback loop and observation of current conditions in the food system.

This project is supported in part by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2022-38640-37488 through the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number LS23-382. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider.

Whether you’re just getting into craft beer or we’re on your brewery bucket list, a Mills River tour is for you — so we recommend you reserve a spot! Our interactive tours offer everything from hop handling to nature hikes to — what you really came for — beer sampling.

Space on each tour is limited, and reservations are strongly encouraged. Make yours below. Looking to book a private tour? Fill out the private tour form, and we’ll get it organized. See you soon!

Sit back if you dare as we illuminate Asheville’s darkest history with astonishing stories of spirits & spies, ghosts & goblins, hauntings & hoodlums and mountain-made murder & mayhem.

Hear stories of . . .

  The legendary PINK LADY at the Grove Park Inn
  The GHOST of Church Street
  The 1936 UNSOLVED MURDER that shook Asheville
  The CHILD SPIRITS at the haunted hospital
  The architect walled into his own church!
  The KILLING SPREE of 1906
  NAZI AGENTS based in Asheville
  ARSON at hospital that claimed Zelda Fitzgerald

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

Duration

1 hour and 30 minutes

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Historical and hysterical, The Hey Asheville tour features outrageously entertaining tour guides, outlandish comedy skits complete with special appearances and loads of Asheville information. You’ll get to see the best of downtown Asheville and the rarely seen but stunningly beautiful Montford neighborhood, not to mention the burgeoning River Arts District! You’ve never had a ride like this. It’s like a vaudeville show on wheels!

Find out what makes Asheville so unique on LaZoom’s City Comedy Tour. It’s the perfect mix of history, comedy, and entertainment. Our guides are trained professional actors working with an original script. It’s like a theatre on wheels! The tour highlights downtown Asheville, historic neighborhoods, the South Slope, and the River Arts District.

Age Restrictions

13 and up. No exceptions.

Stops

10 minute beer & bathroom break at Green Man Brewery

What’s Included

Guided tour of Asheville on a Purple Bus
Funny actors, fun bits
Actual History about Asheville
Green Man Brewery Stop

What’s Not Included

Beer/Wine (Must be purchased from LaZoom or the Brewery Stop)
Cash! You’ll want to tip the guides for changing your life for the better.

There is no better way to DISCOVER and EXPLORE Asheville!  Hop-on board one of Gray Line’s nostalgic trolleys for a fully narrated day tour, highlighting the history, homes, hang-outs and hot spots of this “city of surprises.”

Tour Highlights include  .  .  .  Downtown Asheville  |  Montford Historic District  |  The Grove Park Inn and Grove Park Historic District  |  Thomas Wolfe District  |  Pack Square and Asheville Art Museum  |  Grove Arcade  |  River Arts District  |  Biltmore Village

Hop-On and hear the story of a city rich in architecture, history and the arts  . . .

Hop-Off and experience its eclectic shops and galleries; its world class culinary and craft brew scenes.

Tour Duration:  The complete tour (one loop) lasts approximately 90 to 100 minutes.  There is an additional 15 minute stop at the Asheville Visitor Center.  The Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour ticket is valid for TWO consecutive days.

Departure Points: Join the Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour at any of the 10 stops.  If you’re driving in to join the tour, Stop 1, the Asheville Visitor Center may be your best option.  The Visitor Center, located at 36 Montford Ave. just off I-240 at Exit 4C, offers free parking (on a first come-first served basis) and restrooms. The Asheville Visitor Center is the ONLY place to join the Overview Tour.

The need for blood products as vital parts of life-saving medical procedures and treatments is constant. As summer begins to hit its stride, the need for these blood products in the community significantly increases while blood donor turnout typically drops.

The Blood Connection (TBC), your community blood center which serves local hospitals, wants to make the public aware of an urgent need for blood right now and urges the communities it serves to celebrate this Independence Day by volunteering to donate blood to fellow Americans – their neighbors in need – during TBC’s Freedom Week promotion July 1-4.

According to AAA, an estimated 70.9 million Americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes during the entire week of July 4^th this year. With the increase in travel during the summer months, hospitals in our communities have historically seen an increased volume of trauma cases. This is why TBC is urging any community member who is willing, to come out and donate blood.  The local life-saving organization stresses that it is the blood on the shelves – waiting in case of trauma events – that saves lives.

“It is imperative that the local community come forward to support the hospitals in their area during this time of urgent need for blood donations,” said Delisa English, President & CEO of The Blood Connection. “Unlike many of the other products used to treat trauma and other injuries, blood cannot be replaced through lab manufacturing or built on an assembly line. Blood must be donated from volunteer donors, who embody the selflessness that is a staple of our nation.”

TBC will have its donation centers open this entire week including July 4 and will continue hosting mobile blood drives July 1-4. As a thank you for donating during this time, all donors will receive $70 in rewards and an exclusive TBC Freedom Week t-shirt. To find a blood drive or center near you, visit thebloodconnection.org/donate. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are always welcome.

Sit back if you dare as we illuminate Asheville’s darkest history with astonishing stories of spirits & spies, ghosts & goblins, hauntings & hoodlums and mountain-made murder & mayhem.

Hear stories of . . .

  The legendary PINK LADY at the Grove Park Inn
  The GHOST of Church Street
  The 1936 UNSOLVED MURDER that shook Asheville
  The CHILD SPIRITS at the haunted hospital
  The architect walled into his own church!
  The KILLING SPREE of 1906
  NAZI AGENTS based in Asheville
  ARSON at hospital that claimed Zelda Fitzgerald

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

Duration

1 hour and 30 minutes

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Historical and hysterical, The Hey Asheville tour features outrageously entertaining tour guides, outlandish comedy skits complete with special appearances and loads of Asheville information. You’ll get to see the best of downtown Asheville and the rarely seen but stunningly beautiful Montford neighborhood, not to mention the burgeoning River Arts District! You’ve never had a ride like this. It’s like a vaudeville show on wheels!

Find out what makes Asheville so unique on LaZoom’s City Comedy Tour. It’s the perfect mix of history, comedy, and entertainment. Our guides are trained professional actors working with an original script. It’s like a theatre on wheels! The tour highlights downtown Asheville, historic neighborhoods, the South Slope, and the River Arts District.

Age Restrictions

13 and up. No exceptions.

Stops

10 minute beer & bathroom break at Green Man Brewery

What’s Included

Guided tour of Asheville on a Purple Bus
Funny actors, fun bits
Actual History about Asheville
Green Man Brewery Stop

What’s Not Included

Beer/Wine (Must be purchased from LaZoom or the Brewery Stop)
Cash! You’ll want to tip the guides for changing your life for the better.

There is no better way to DISCOVER and EXPLORE Asheville!  Hop-on board one of Gray Line’s nostalgic trolleys for a fully narrated day tour, highlighting the history, homes, hang-outs and hot spots of this “city of surprises.”

Tour Highlights include  .  .  .  Downtown Asheville  |  Montford Historic District  |  The Grove Park Inn and Grove Park Historic District  |  Thomas Wolfe District  |  Pack Square and Asheville Art Museum  |  Grove Arcade  |  River Arts District  |  Biltmore Village

Hop-On and hear the story of a city rich in architecture, history and the arts  . . .

Hop-Off and experience its eclectic shops and galleries; its world class culinary and craft brew scenes.

Tour Duration:  The complete tour (one loop) lasts approximately 90 to 100 minutes.  There is an additional 15 minute stop at the Asheville Visitor Center.  The Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour ticket is valid for TWO consecutive days.

Departure Points: Join the Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour at any of the 10 stops.  If you’re driving in to join the tour, Stop 1, the Asheville Visitor Center may be your best option.  The Visitor Center, located at 36 Montford Ave. just off I-240 at Exit 4C, offers free parking (on a first come-first served basis) and restrooms. The Asheville Visitor Center is the ONLY place to join the Overview Tour.

The need for blood products as vital parts of life-saving medical procedures and treatments is constant. As summer begins to hit its stride, the need for these blood products in the community significantly increases while blood donor turnout typically drops.

The Blood Connection (TBC), your community blood center which serves local hospitals, wants to make the public aware of an urgent need for blood right now and urges the communities it serves to celebrate this Independence Day by volunteering to donate blood to fellow Americans – their neighbors in need – during TBC’s Freedom Week promotion July 1-4.

According to AAA, an estimated 70.9 million Americans are expected to travel more than 50 miles from their homes during the entire week of July 4^th this year. With the increase in travel during the summer months, hospitals in our communities have historically seen an increased volume of trauma cases. This is why TBC is urging any community member who is willing, to come out and donate blood.  The local life-saving organization stresses that it is the blood on the shelves – waiting in case of trauma events – that saves lives.

“It is imperative that the local community come forward to support the hospitals in their area during this time of urgent need for blood donations,” said Delisa English, President & CEO of The Blood Connection. “Unlike many of the other products used to treat trauma and other injuries, blood cannot be replaced through lab manufacturing or built on an assembly line. Blood must be donated from volunteer donors, who embody the selflessness that is a staple of our nation.”

TBC will have its donation centers open this entire week including July 4 and will continue hosting mobile blood drives July 1-4. As a thank you for donating during this time, all donors will receive $70 in rewards and an exclusive TBC Freedom Week t-shirt. To find a blood drive or center near you, visit thebloodconnection.org/donate. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are always welcome.