Calling All Crafters - Rent a Booth at the Scarecrow Festival!

Join us for this one-day festival, located on beautiful Lake Julian, to show off your handmade arts and crafts. Application deadline is September 1.

Ride For Free with Asheville Transit Starting August 14!

Zip. Zero. Zilch. That's how much it will cost you to use Asheville's bus system from Aug. 14-Nov. 11.

Basic Home Maintenance Course

Join Cooperative Extension for this five-session Basic Home Maintenance Course.

Reducing Indoor Humidity

Here are some suggestions for reducing the humidity that can lead to added mold issues.

Skyland Library Book Sale

Books, paperbacks, CDs, and videos will be available for purchase with proceeds benefiting the South Buncombe Friends.

Tim Burton: Big Fish - August 19

Join Ken Hanke, film critic and author of Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography as he shares his enthusiasm for Tim Burton.

Pet Picture of the Week

Congratulations to Tininha Vieira of Arden for the picture of her cat, Dalai ama.

Recipe of the Week

Congratulations to Clint Bledsoe of Asheville for his Honey-Barbecued Ribs recipe!

By now you have probably heard the news about the Asheville Transit System 90 Day Ride for Free program. It makes sense that riding the bus can help you save money on gas, car wear and tear, and reduce energy consumption and air pollution. However, have you considered how taking the bus can help you be more physically active? Using public transit requires a walk or bike ride to and from the bus stop. It also means that errands during the day or a trip to pick up lunch must be done on foot or by bike as well. A 15 minute walk to and from the nearest bus stop can help you get the 30 minutes of daily physically activity that health experts recommend…without going to the gym!

Maybe riding the bus is not an option for you. However, with a little planning most of us can identify ways to be more active in our daily life. Instead of picking up the phone, walk down the hall to talk with a co-worker. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get a pedometer to keep track of your activity.

10 Ways to Fit Fitness Into Your Day (PDF)

For more information on riding the bus, go to Asheville Transit's website or call 253-5691.

Fraudsters take advantage of innocent consumers daily through checks, ATM, and Internet rip-offs and they’re using the latest technology to pull off their scams. Know the latest trends to protect yourself:

• Phishing scams – Phishers send fraudulent e-mails containing authentic looking logos and graphics and ask for financial information.
• Check scams – Fraudsters increasingly use e-mail to contact victims, and the most common check scam is the “Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud.” You’re told you’ll be sent a check for an extra sum and you’re asked to wire back the excess money.
• ATM scams – Using a skimmer (a card-swipe device that reads your ATM card) the fraudster uses a blank card to encode information from your ATM card and create a counterfeit. Your PIN is confiscated through a small camera mounted on the ATM

If you believe you’ve been scammed, contact your financial institution immediately and the Federal Trade Commission.

The Buncombe County Cooperative Extension has scheduled a workshop for mobile home park owners and or managers and campground owners.

The August 22 workshop will provide information on wells and the new permitting rules and regulations, keeping public water supplies safe for park occupants, septic system regulations, and maintaining septic systems to avoid potential problems. The day will also include a tour of the North Carolina State University septic system demonstration site. During the tour participants will be shown alternative septic systems approved for our area.

The workshop will be held at North Carolina State University's Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center at Fletcher. The registration fee of $25 includes lunch and all workshop materials. Pre-registration is necessary as space is limited and can be done through the Buncombe County Extension Center, 828-255-5522. Registration deadline is August 18.

While several library systems in North Carolina have issued a recall on toys that were given as prizes as part of their Summer Reading Program, Buncombe County Libraries did not give these, or any toys, away as prizes in their Summer Reading Program.

The Buncombe County Library awards books as prizes for summer reading contests. If you have any further questions, please call Ed Sheary, Library Director at 250-4713.