Slow Food Asheville presents this Italian cooking class featuring Weaverville’s Wally Wyatt.  It’s not in Weaverville, but it’s close:

When: Sunday April 13, 4:00 p.m.
Where: Log Cabin Cooking & Music, 111 Bell Road, Asheville
Cost:  $20, Space limited to 40 participants
 
From the mother country of Slow Food comes this memorable pasta steeped in ancient Northern Italian tradition.  Learn to make this unusual and fragrant ravioli with Wally Maria Mazzucco Wyatt, a native of Pordenone in the Italian region of Friuli.  Bring those dusty forsaken pasta machines you have but never use to the Woodfin Community Center and we’ll make ravioli stuffed with potato, silene (a Friulian herb from Wally’s garden), nutmeg, and cinnamon topped with a spiced butter sauce, smoked ricotta and a dusting of bitter chocolate.  Pasta machine not necessary, we’ll be working in groups.
 
Bring a mixing bowl, wooden bread board, and pasta machine (if you have one), as well as a salad, bread, or dessert to share to accompany our ravioli feast and wine if you like. We’ll  provide tea and coffee. The cost is $20, and space is limited to 40 participants.
Mail your check, payable to Slow Food Asheville to:

Barbara Swell
109 Bell Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805

For more information, email Barbara at swellcookin@hotmail.com, or after April 1, call 298-2270 or 335-7219. 
 
Wally teaches traditional Italian cooking and language classes at her home in Weaverville. For more information about her, go to http://www.discoveritalian.com.

North Buncombe High School is asking for donated prom dresses for those students who cannot afford one. The school can use dresses of all sizes, but especially need sizes 14 and larger.  They are also collecting jewelry and formal shoes.  Items should be in good condition and clean.

Donations can be dropped off at the office of the school on 890 Clark’s Chapel Road. Office hours are usually 7:15 a.m.-4 p.m.  You can also make a monetary donation.  Checks should be made payable to North Buncombe High School.  For information call 645-4221.

The NBHS Prom is April 25.

This is going to be a tough year to stay out of the political fray, but rather than repeat everything I hear and see about GOP and Democratic events in the area (outside Weaverville), I’ll point you to two political blogs that can keep you well updated with what’s happening:

• On the left:  Scrutiny Hooligans, www.scrutinyhooligans.us
• On the right:  Thunderpig, www.thunderpigblog.blogspot.com

If any candidate plans an event specifically in Weaverville I will, of course, post that information here.  Haven’t heard of anything yet though. 

On Friday, April 4, 2008, you can dial 1-877-404-4149 and you will have a chance to talk, by phone, to a North Carolina lawyer about your legal issue at no charge to you. This number will be available from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.

A Q&A page describing the campaign and what to expect when you call can be found here. 

The service is part of something called 4ALL, an initiative of new N.C. Bar Association president Janet Ward Black.  According to their website, the campaign is about making legal services more available to everyone. 

From the Town Calendar: 

Special Called Weaverville Town Council Meeting 6 p.m. Thursday, April 3 at the Weaverville Town Hall.  At this meeting the Town Council will consider the following:

A RESOLUTION STATING THE INTENT OF THE TOWN OF WEAVERVILLE TO CONSIDER ANNEXATION OF THE AREA DESCRIBED HEREIN AND FIXING THE DATE OF A PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING AND A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE QUESTION OF ANNEXATION
North Main Street, Tri City Area, North Buncombe School Road Area

A RESOLUTION STATING THE INTENT OF THE TOWN OF WEAVERVILLE TO CONSIDER ANNEXATION OF THE AREA DESCRIBED HEREIN AND FIXING THE DATE OF A PUBLIC INFORMATIONAL MEETING AND A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE QUESTION OF ANNEXATION
Aiken Road, Stoney Brook, Bluberry Hill, and Highlander Woodland Hills

There is a Planning & Zoning Board meeting scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1 at the Weaverville Town Hall. On the agenda:

1. Acknowledgement of Guests and/or Officials
2. Review & Approval of 4 & 12 March 2008 Board Meetings Minutes
   1. Comments or amendments; approval
3. Major sub-division: C. Kent Cole, 7 Indian Lane in the ETJ (re-application by different owner of property previously sub-divided)
   1. Applicant presentation
   2. Board questions and discussion
   3. Public comments
   4. Board recommendation
4. Conditional Zoning District: Weaverville Partners, LLC, approx. 13 acres on Weaverville Blvd
   1. Town Manager update on developments subsequent to March meetings
   2. Board questions and discussion
5. Weaverville Zoning & Subdivision Codes Revisions
   1. Chair re-cap project
   2. Town Manager comments (incl Town website changes)
   3. Town Attorney comments
   4. Board discussion & suggested Phase 1 changes
   5. Interim report on Phase 2 research (Chair, Sullivan, Staton)
6. Upcoming events:
   1. Town Council Meeting, Monday, 21 April 2008, 7.00 p.m.
   2. Next regular P&Z Meeting, Tuesday, 6 May 2008, 5.30 p.m.
   3. Proposed 13 May Public Hearing on Phase 1 changes (up to Council)

Funeral services for Sgt. Thomas C. Ray, II, killed in action last week in Iraq, will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 1 in the Chapel of West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Avenue.  West will be bringing the family to the funeral home for the service via Main Street, then going in procession after the funeral north through town and out Weaver Boulevard.  The Rotary Club of Weaverville is placing American flags along the streets in Ray’s honor, and the public is invited to show their respect by lining Main Street or Weaver Blvd. during the procession.  The procession is expected to begin at 10:40 a.m.

The family will also receive friends 6-8 p.m. Monday, March 31 at West Funeral Home, and memorials may be made to: Carolina Army National Guard, Operation Kids on Guard, PO Box 32127, Raleigh, N.C. 27622 or Soldiers & Airmen Assistance Fund, 7410 Chapel Hill Road, Raleigh, N.C. 27607.

Put down the matches. A Burning Ban is in place again throughout North Carolina:

The N.C. Division of Forest Resources has imposed a statewide ban on all open burning and canceled all burning permits as of noon Thursday, March 27. The ban on open burning will remain in effect until conditions improve.

Under North Carolina law (G.S. 113-60.25 and 113.60.27), the ban prohibits all open burning statewide or in the affected counties, regardless of whether a permit was issued. The issuance of any new permits has been suspended until the ban is lifted. In addition to the $100 fine, people in violation of the open burning ban will have to pay for court costs.

Tonight I received what surely will be the first of many political phone messages left on my answering machine. It is part of the political process I do not covet, since it’s rare that I learn anything from these calls (and it makes no difference which side is calling me). Nonetheless, tonight’s call was providing details about Bill Clinton’s visit to Asheville tomorrow (Friday, March 28). If you’re interested, here’s the transcript:

Hello. This is North Carolina for Hillary, calling on behalf of Hillary Clinton for President, to invite you to join President Bill Clinton tomorrow for a special solutions for America event at Asheville High School, located at 419 McDowell Street in Asheville. Doors open at 8:15 p.m. To RSVP or for more information, please visit www.hillaryclinton.com/northcarolina. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow at Asheville High School. This call paid for by Hillary Clinton for President.

If you haven’t entered the March contest yet, you only have a few days left.   Remember you have to enter each month’s contest separately (in other words, if you entered the February contest you are NOT automatically entered for the March contest).   Submit your contest entry here.

This month’s prizes are:

• $20 Gift Certificate to Blue Mountain Pizza
• $20 Gift Certificate to Angel of Chocolate
• $20 Gift Certificate to Maggie B’s Wine and Specialty Shop
• $10 Gift Certificate to The Garden Station
• $10 Gift Certificate to Weaverville Pet Pantry

Good luck!

Also, if you haven’t taken the MyWeaverville.com Reader Survey you still have a few days left to do that. 

A few weeks ago I posted videos showing erosion issues at local development sites.  The response I received from those videos was “what can I do?”  I posed that question to Hartwell Carson, the French Broad Riverkeeper who took the videos.  This is his response:

The Muddy Water Watch program is a terrific outlet to help improve our region’s water quality. It was derived from the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s Get the Dirt Out. Both are very similar programs where we train citizens how to recognize erosion control problems and how they can help enforce those problems.

A big part of this training is educating our volunteers and the public on the severity of the problem of sediment. It is the number one polluter in the French Broad Watershed, the number on polluter in the state of North Carolina, and the number one polluter in the country. Yet there is still an extreme lack of enforcement and regulation to prevent that type of situation you saw on the video at the future Walmart site. The pollution from the Walmart site has completely choked the two streams that are featured in the video and severely impacted Reems Creek and the French Broad. Because of sites like this for the first time since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 the French Broad River is becoming less healthy. According to the Division of Water Quality the amount of failing streams has increased by 75% in the last two years, mostly because of the impact from sediment.
 
I would encourage anyone that is interested to help with the problem to volunteer for our Muddy Water Watch training that will start September 9. This program will give them the tools they need to successfully address the rampant erosion control issues in our community.

I would also encourage everyone to let their city and county officials know this is unacceptable and we need more strict laws and better enforcement. Buncombe County erosion control is completely overwhelmed by the number of sites they are required to monitor and almost nothing is done in a proactive manner. It is all reactive after sediment has already impacted our waterways. RiverLink is also working on a tracking website to highlight how frequent and severe these issues are. 

Continuing to let our leaders know that the destruction of our streams and rivers is unacceptable will bring much needed change.

April Happenings at the Weaverville Library.  For more information about any event, call the library at 250-6482.  They’re located at 41 North Main Street.

PM Book Club: Slaughterhouse Five
Tuesday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m.
The book to be discussed is Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.  All interested readers are invited to attend.

AM Book Club: My Antonia
Wednesday, April 2 at 12:30 p.m.
The book to be discussed is My Antonia by Willa Cather.  All interested readers are invited to attend.

Movie: The Hot Rock
Tuesday April 8 at 7:00 p.m.
Your host Bill Brittain will present The Hot Rock, a funny, action-filled, suspenseful movie, based on a book by Donald Westlake. It is a humorous look at the “Big Caper” crime story.  Dortmunder, (Robert Redford) and his friend Kelp, (George Segal) have developed a plan to steal a huge diamond. The rest is the movie!
Sponsored by the Friends of the Weaverville Library

Teddy Bears’ Picnic at the Weaverville Library
Thursday, April 10 at 6 p.m.
Teddy bears will be gathering at Buncombe County Public Libraries for a Teddy Bears’ Picnic in April. Children of all ages (and their parents) are invited to attend this fun, free event!  Little ones and their best bear buddies will enjoy a pizza picnic, teddy bear stories, songs, and activities.  All children age five or under will receive a free teddy bear (while supplies last).  So come to the library and picnic with the bears!

Book Sales
Friends of the Weaverville Library host the Wednesday Book Sale on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Wednesdays of every month. The sale takes place 1-3 p.m. in the lower level of the Weaverville Library.

Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store is hosting a Four Sisters Wine Tasting 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 28.

Four Sisters is a wonderful winery in Victoria, Australia. This week we will be tasting four of their wines:  Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Shiraz

Can’t wait to see you there!

For information call Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store at 645-1111.  They’re located at 113 North Main Street.

Earlier in the year I posted information about the low cost pet vaccination clinics at Tractor Supply on Monticello Road.  The clinics now have a new time slot:  1-4 p.m.  They will still be held the last Saturday of every month this year (except December), with the next clinic this Saturday, March 29.

These clinics are provided by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Division.  Costs are:

• Rabies shots - $6 per pet
• Combination shot - $15 per pet (available for cats or dogs) 
• Microchip - $10

To receive a three-year rabies vaccine, you MUST bring the one-year certificate with you. Keep in mind the rabies tag your pet wears around its neck does not include a date and cannot be used to verify prior vaccination. Please make sure to bring restraints for all your pets.

For more information, contact Buncombe County Animal Services at 253-1195.

North Buncombe High School’s Odyssey of the Mind team is having a fund raising car wash on Saturday, March 29, at Ace Hardware on Weaver Blvd. from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. (weather permitting).  The team is raising funds for their April 5 trip to East Carolina University to compete in the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition. They qualified for the state competition after winning 2nd place in the Western Regional Division Competition for their performance in the “Eccentrics” problem. 

Pictured are team members, all freshman, Mary Cartherine Rubisch, Megan Tweed, Dillon Hunter, Lauren Eddins, Huey Tillett, Trent Arwood, and Kelsey Mitchell.  Third-year coach for the team is Carla Mitchell.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition in which students select a problem, create a solution, and present their solution against other teams from the same division.  Coaches facilitate the team’s work, but all work is completed solely by the team members.

Good luck to the NBHS team on April 5!