Hey y'all, 

When I woke up one morning this week, I had to push aside my hangers of sundresses and tank tops to find a long, wool sweater to slip on. I stepped outside to a cool, dewy breeze rustling leaves that leaned a new, golden shade of green. 🍁 My early heralding of fall often garners an eye roll, but it's right around the corner—and you don't have to take my word for it. The surest sign of autumn's preview around here is our apple orchards, and they are officially open for business.  

Things are weird this year, so we did a little digging and put together a list of local orchards that are open during COVID (it's not comprehensive, but it's a good place to start). 

Happy picking! 🍎

• Education in Equity  🤝   Lenoir-Rhyne will introduce its new Equity & Diversity Institute next month, a non-degree training program that provides participants with the strategies and tools to create a culture of equity and inclusiveness in their workplace and community. With concentrations in education, business, and tech, the course was developed by Aisha Adams (read more about her in our True Colors series) with instructors like J Hackett and Dr. Monique Taylor. Register now.  

• An Update on the Arts 🎙 Over 100 businesses have responded to the Asheville Area Arts Council's Buncombe County Arts Business Impact Survey. Here's what respondents reported: $18.7 million in lost revenue since March 2020; 70% of jobs have been lost or furloughed; 2,499+ canceled artists contracts, leading to $5.4 million in lost revenue; and 16.2% are still not open in any capacity. While they've received funding in the form of PPP loans, BC Tourism Jobs Recovery Fund Grants, and more, many of the nonprofit orgs said donations are down in 2020. Learn more. 

JOBS

• Capital at Play (that's us!) 📖 is looking for an Account Executive and Marketing Coordinator. 
• Foothills Humane Society 🐕‍🦺 is looking for an Executive Director. 
• Symmetry Financial Group is looking for a Contracting Assistant. 

• Mission Hospital is looking for an Early Childhood Education Teacher.  🧒🏻

• The McDowell YMCA is looking for an Afterschool Youth Mentor.

• Pardee Hospital  🏥  is looking for a Patient Experience Manager.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe is the recipient of a 3-year, $84K grant as part of Buncombe Co.'s Isaac Coleman Economic Community Investment funding. 📕 The grant supports R2S's work to eliminate racial disparities and champion equitable opportunities regionally. Learn more.

• 3 Mountains, maker of Silverback Beverage, has won the new product award in the Ready-to-Drink Coffee and Tea category as part of the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 2020 sofi™ Awards.  🍵  Learn more. 

• WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will offer a 2-day online Effective Organizational Change Management Certificate, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Wed. Oct. 21 and Mon. Oct. 26.  

• The Center for Craft's Craft Futures Fund, monthly $5K grants for individuals and orgs economically impacted by COVID, is at its midpoint.  👩🏻‍🎨  Panelists have chosen at least one AVL-based artist each month, including Anna Helgeson, Liz Williams, Asheville Writers in the Schools and Communities, and Ani Volkan.

• The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Carolinas Chapter is hosting the inaugural STANDOUT Blue Ridge program, which honors professionals throughout the region and will culminate in a virtual event celebrating the honorees on Nov. 5. 🏆 Nominate a young professional who's active in volunteer roles and has excelled in their chosen profession and community. 

• A $100K grant to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s (CFWNC) Janirve Sudden and Urgent Needs (SUN) grant program from the Deerfield Retirement Community Advised Fund will support human service nonprofits across WNC in fulfilling their missions. 💸 Learn more. 

• UNCA is featured in The Princeton Review’s 2021 edition of The Best 386 Colleges, which includes only 13% of America’s four-year colleges. 🎓 Their rankings include LGBTQ-Friendly (#10) and Most Politically Active Students (#16).  Learn more. 

• ASAP's 2020 Local Food Guide is available now and features stories from farmers and updated listings for tailgate markets and on-farm activities still open this season. 🌶  Find it at farmers markets or online here.

• The Outdoor Economy Conference announced its 5 keynote speakers this week: Dr. Nooshin Razani of the Center for Nature and Health at UC San Francisco; Teresa Baker of the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge; Abby Dione of Coral Cliffs Climbing Gym; Lise Aangeenbrug of the Outdoor Industry Association; and Ray Rasker of Headwaters Economics. 🌳

🖥 Justice for All | OLLI—the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNCA—will continue its series of webinars on racial disparity with a discussion of criminal justice issues at 3 p.m. today.

🦁  Movies in the Parking Lot | Tonight at 7 p.m. Asheville Parks & Rec hosts Movies in the Parking Lot at AB-Tech. What's screening? The Lion King. 

🏛  Craft Your Commerce | The Craft Your Commerce 2020 Online Summer Workshop Series continues tomorrow with Crafting the Built Environment: How to Work with Designers, Architects, and Developers from 2–4 p.m.

💵  A Quick Pitch | Hatch AVL and Venture Asheville will host a Virtual Pitch Party today at 5 p.m.