This Week In Buncombe

Find out at Successful Aging VII -- a day filled with fun and informative workshops, entertainment and health screenings!

The Census Bureau is reminding people that census address listers wear official identification badges and use handheld computers to record addresses.

Help your plants reach their fullest potential -- get your soil tested before you plant! Did you know that in N.C. most soils are acidic and low in nutrients?

Want to learn how to do some basic repairs around the house? This course is for you!

No room for a vegetable garden? That doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t grow at least a few fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Interactive puppets and songs will teach the kids about the importance of dental hygiene, and a registered dental hygienist will be available to check teeth and answer questions.

One truly pesky weed is ground ivy, also known as creeping Charlie and gill-over-the-ground. This member of the mint family creeps along the ground, rooting at nodes as it goes.

Buncombe County desires to allocate a portion of its EDTAP funds to agencies and organizations to help fund eligible transportation services.

Can you give a dog a home? Maybe a cat? How about a kitten? These animals need your help.

Congratulations to Carla Livingston for her Banana Cream Pie recipe!

Strive Not to Drive Events:

1. Join members of the Asheville Transit Commission during Strive Not to Drive Week for an hour long introduction to the bus system on May 13, 2009 at 10 a.m. at the Transit Center for "Bus Riding 101." For more information, email hannarmiller@hotmail.com.
   
   Bus Riding 101 Schedule
   
   
2. Passengers who ride Mountain Mobility Trailblazer routes during Strive Not to Drive Week will receive a pass for one free ride on a Trailblazer route. There are three Trailblazer routes: the Black Mountain Trailblazer, the Enka-Candler Trailblazer, and the North Buncombe Trailblazer. Additional information on these routes is available at buncombecounty.org/transportation by selecting “Service Routes.” 
   
   
3. For more information or to pledge to use an alternative mode of transportation during Strive Not To Drive Week, go to www.blueridgecommute.org.

To learn more about canning or just to brush up on the newest information on food preservation, come to the Canning and Preserving Made Easy program on May 19th from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This program will be an introduction to canning, pickling, making jams and jellies, freezing, drying and storage.

Pre-registration is required and a fee of $10 will cover costs for materials ($15 for couples). Call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522 to register or for more information.

Other upcoming hands-on canning classes this season are:

• Making Strawberry Jam:  June 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. - $10
• Making Dill Pickles and Relish:  July 9 from 1 to 4 p.m. -$10
• Canning Tomatoes:  August 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. - $10

Call to pre-register - 255-5522.

Mulch is no longer available to the public at the landfill. The North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) Division of Waste Management (DWM) has recently decided the County's facility can no longer release mulch to the public.

The landfill will continue grinding the wood material it receives into mulch and using it as an alternative daily cover. The mulch will be added to the soil onsite in a 30% mulch / 70% soil mixture to cover the garbage on a daily basis. Adding the mulch to the soil assists in conserving onsite soils for future use.

For more information, call 250-5460.

The Black Mountain Garden Show and Sale will be held on Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sutton Avenue, across from the Old Depot. The event will feature native plants, trees, perennials, annuals, herbs, books, and garden accessories. In addition, there will be free activities for children, a silent auction, demonstrations, Master Gardener’s plant clinic, garden author Peter Loewer and great food.

For more information, call Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522.

Plastic Plant Pot Collection & Swap at the Show 

Rainbow Recycling will be sponsoring a Plastic Plant Pot Collection & Swap at the Black Mountain Garden Show and Sale. Anyone can drop off unwanted PLASTIC plant pots (other than the thin, hand-crushable type) and anyone can pick up available plastic pots for re-use. If you have a very large quantity or any questions, please contact Rainbow Recycling in advance at 669-5459.