Hey y'all, 

I realize that, according to the calendar, summer just started—but to me, the 4th of July has always felt like the season's apex. By this time I usually feel lulled by the languid humidity of the season, thoroughly contented by a gluttony of ice cream cones and sunshine. The 4th of July is, after all, the ultimate testament to summer, a celebration of all its glories: late nights and hot sun and memories lit by sparklers. ✨

We've put together three (socially distant) itineraries for your Independence Day (or the weekend after). Whether you want to hit the road or head for home, we've got plenty of ideas for how to make the most of the warm weekend ahead. 

Until next week,

• Featured Capitalist | Yome Sweet Yome: Red Sky Shelters  ⛺️
  The year was 1987, and Peter Belt was camping near some hot springs outside of Eugene, Oregon. He decided to take an early morning hike when he happened upon a tipi someone had set up along the river. “The mist was coming up off the ground, and it was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen,” he reminisces. “I immediately thought, I am going to make myself one of those.” Little did he know that desire would redefine his future. Continue Reading

• Featured Capitalist | The Great Outdoors: Bryson City Outdoors  🌲  
  The term “serial entrepreneurs” seems like an understatement when it comes to Ben King and Brett Hackshaw of the growing Bryson City Outdoors (BCO) empire. These co-owners, collaborators, and friends are savvy businessmen who have opened a new location almost every year since 2013, when Ben first founded a rental company out of his home in Bryson City.  Continue Reading

• Leisure & Libation | Playing it Cool: WNC Ice Creameries  🍦
  From friendly soft-serve stands to high-end gelato bars, Western North Carolina communities are home to a smorgasbord of frozen-treats traders, including some Asheville-area businesses who take pride in sourcing from nearby farmers and makers to churn out hand-crafted frosty offerings with a distinctly local taste. Continue Reading

• Local Industry | Lands of the Sky: Landscape Architecture  🌾
  The region’s long history of noteworthy landscape architecture began with the famed work of Frederick Law Olmsted at Biltmore Estate in the 1890s and continues today through residential projects and monuments as wide-ranging as the grounds of Trinity Episcopal Church’s Asheville campus to the North Carolina Arboretum. Continue Reading

JOBS

• The United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County 💙 is looking for a Resource Development Manager, Data and Evaluation Specialist, Equity and Network Development Specialist, NC 211 Community Resource Specialist, and AmeriCorps Positions. 

• Mother Earth Food is looking for a Warehouse Manager. 🥕

• Eleven Eleven Logistics, Inc. is looking for a Director of Operations.

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 🔬 is looking for a Director of Purchasing.

• Eliada Homes 🧒🏾 is looking for a RISE (Residential Intern Seeking Excellence) Program Manager.

• The City of Asheville is looking for a Community Development Analyst.

• DigitalChalk (check out our 2017 profile on the biz) is looking for a Controller. 💰

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Asheville Tourists announced this week that there will be no Minor League Baseball season in 2020. ⚾️ The league is expected to resume in April 2021.

• The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership's 2020 Heritage Grants Program will provide funding for projects that preserve, interpret, and promote WNC's agricultural, craft, Cherokee, music, and natural heritage. 🧵  Nonprofit orgs, academic institutions, and units of state and local governments can apply through Oct. 1. 

• Highland Brewing founder Oscar Wong is the recipient of the 2020 Brewers Association's Recognition Award for “individuals whose inspiration, enthusiasm, and support have contributed to the craft brewing movement.” 🍺  Watch his daughter (and current president) Leah Wong Ashburn surprise him with the news!

• The Albemarle Inn, a 1909-era Asheville bed and breakfast, has entered the market for $2.6 million. Originally the estate of local physician Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, the property has also been a school for girls and a boarding house. 🛁  Check out the listing.

• In honor of their 26th anniversary, The Grey Eagle Music Hall & Pub has announced a “Golden Ticket” raffle in which one winner will receive unlimited access to free shows for a year. 🎟  Buy a raffle ticket. 

• Designs for the Cherokee Cultural Corridor Master Plan, which outlines the growth and development of the tribal lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), received the 2020 Honor Award in the Analysis and Planning category from the NC Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). Learn more. 

• Authorized in 2015, the Fonta Flora State Trail will connect Morganton to Asheville with a hiking and biking trail. A new section is under construction that will run from the Depot in Old Fort to the Depot in Black Mountain.  🥾

• Blue Ridge Public Radio has hired its first Director of Content, Catherine Komp. 🎙  A multi award-winning journalist, Komp is also a 2020 Fellow in the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative. Learn more.

• No Taste Like Home is seeking foraging tour locations 5-35 minutes from downtown Asheville to expand their tour areas. 🍄  Learn what’s edible on your property for free by emailing them here. 

• In an effort to create learning environments that are more diverse and inclusive, ASAP has added an Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Bias Resources page to the Growing Minds website to help farm to school programs follow equity-minded best practices.

• A celebration of coastal communities, classic seafood, and culinary traditions, Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian chef Eric Scheffer will open Jettie Rae’s Oyster House at 143 Charlotte Street (formerly Gan Shan Station) on July 10.  🦪

✏️ Supply Schools | The United Way's 2020 School Supply Drive is officially underway and will run through July 24. Donate online.

⏰  Manage Your Time | WCU's professional development workshop, Driving Your Success through Effective Time Management, will be held virtually Thu. July 9 from 9:30–11 a.m.

🧵 Stitch Fix | Stitching Fox will begin hosting Wednesday evening classes and Thursday evening Stitch Club Tryon gatherings this month.

🧺 Pic-a-nic | During National Picnic Month, you can help the Blue Ridge Parkway by hosting a Picnic for the Parkway—in-person or virtually.

🇺🇸 Celebrate Independence | The Asheville Downtown Association is planning a virtual Independence Day celebration featuring an online concert series with eight local bands. (Find more ideas for celebrating around the region in this week's newsletter exclusive!)