Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
More of what’s going around, including highlights from the first Asheville Entrepreneurship Week:
-Asheville Entrepreneurship Week runs Tuesday through Sept. 10. Some key events: On Tuesday, there’s a candidate forum at noon at the Hatch AVL Foundation on South French Broad Avenue; Wednesday, 1 Million Cups will celebrate its third anniversary in Asheville at RISC Networks; on Thursday, there’s a Hatch Pitch Party at The Hatch on South French Broad Avenue for entrepreneurs to give a 1-minute business pitch; and on Sept. 10, TEDxAsheville arrives at Isis Music Hall.
-Green Opportunities recently landed a $910,655 federal grant for a YouthBuild program. The U.S. Department of Labor grant will “allow GO to engage more 18-24 year old young adults in our building trades training program while constructing affordable housing in partnership with the Asheville Housing Authority,” according to the nonprofit. YouthBuild is a pre-apprenticeship program that helps at-risk youth complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, earn industry-recognized certifications for in-demand occupations, and undergo training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities,” according to the federal government. Full press release here.
-Jared Kushner was in Erwin Hills last week for a fundraising event for U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports. Kusher is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and an advisor the the president.
-Word on the street: the old J&S Cafeteria in Candler is going to be a new Ace Hardware.
-The Mountain State Fair starts Sept. 8 at the WNC Ag Center.
-Goombay is coming up Sept. 8-9 at Pack Square Park.
-A Harvest Wine Dinner is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Tod’s Tasties. Table and Tod’s is teaming up with Haw River Wine Man and Rosenthal Wine Merchant for the event. It starts at 6 p.m. and costs $60 per person. Dinner is served at Tod’s Tasties, 102 Montford Ave. Make a reservation via [email protected] or 828.259.8980.
-Ten Thousand Villages in Asheville is celebrating its 25th anniversary of its fair trade business operation in downtown with an International Moveable Feast set for Oct.3, according to a press release. More:
Ticket holders will begin the evening at the downtown store at 5 p.m., where tea and wine will be served and an introduction to the space, the ethos of Ten Thousand Villages, and the flow of the evening will be shared. From there, participants will begin the restaurant tour, making their way to Nepalese restaurant Kathmandu Café for appetizers, then head just around the corner to Ethiopian restaurant Addissae for a vegetarian course, and onward to Living Wage Certified international eatery Blue Dream Curry House for the main dish, and finally guests will make their way back to the store for a final fair trade chocolate and coffee hour along with a brief program about their history and artisan’s stories. Tickets for the evening are $45 and can be purchased online here. Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade, non-profit retailer with more than 100 stores in North America.
