Notepad

Taking their demand to the world — As a follow-up to their recent news conference (held outside the gates of the Buncombe County’s School Board offices), the Intertribal Association of Buncombe County has posted a Community Resolution of Respect for American Indian Culture on the World Wide Web.

The resolution calls for an end to the use of American Indian mascots at Clyde A. Erwin High School. For those in the community who haven’t had a chance to consider signing the resolution — or even take a look — it can now be found, along with other local and national information, at www.main.nc.us/wncceib/.

For more information, call Don & Pat Merzlak at 254-0010, or Bruce Two Eagles at 683-1889.

Host an exchange student, learn about Brazil

Ever wondered what the secret ingredients in feijoada are? Or how to make that caiparinha really zing? Host a Brazilian exchange student this semester, and find out firsthand.

Brazilian students with good English skills are arriving in the U.S. this month to learn about the American way of life. Families in Asheville willing to host these excited young people are invited to participate.

Academic Year in America (AYA), sponsored by the nonprofit American Institute for Foreign Study Foundation, has been bringing international students and American families together for the past 17 years. Students range in age from 15 to 18 years old, and have their own medical insurance and spending money. The program calls for them to attend the local high school for a semester, or even an academic year. In return, the host family can learn about another culture, make a special friend, and even earn a scholarship worth up to $1,000 toward an AIFS College or ACIS travel/study program.

“I wish every family would host a student,” says AYA host mother Laura Weir. “Then they would realize how rewarding the experience is, and how much love they receive. [These kids] come into your life as strangers and leave as a member of your family.”

For more information, call Andrea Baskinger at 800-322-4678, ext. 6078.

Call the litter hotline

For citizens unable to attend the city’s Aug. 20 litter roundtable, the city of Asheville has established a temporary litter hotline, through Aug. 31. Comments to the hotline will be used in compiling strategies to address this important issue.

The hotline number is 259-5498, ext. 3300.

For more information, contact Robin Westbrook at 251-9973.

Southern Highland Craft Guild wants you

Southern Highland Craft Guild — a nonprofit, educational organization promoting the crafts of the mountain region — is seeking new members.

With an active, juried membership of more than 700 craftspeople from a nine-state region, the guild has been an arts leader in the Appalachian mountain area for more than six decades. Membership benefits include: connection with an instant network of crafters throughout the region; the opportunity to work with a professional staff who can advise you on such subjects as marketing, gallery affiliation, pricing, methods-and-materials research; access to an extensive library and archives for research; scholarship monies for craft-related travel and study; and professional affiliations with other craft organizations throughout the country.

The deadline for the next upcoming jury is Sunday, Nov. 15.

For a membership application and information about the craft-jury process, contact: Administrator — Southern Highland Craft Guild, Folk Art Center, P.O. Box 9545, Asheville, NC 28815, or call 298-7928.

Asheville Regional Airport service increased

Atlantic Southeast Airlines has recently announced plans to expand its Canadair regional jet service between Asheville and Atlanta.

ASA passenger traffic at the airport has increased 6 percent over the last year, prompting the airline to add another jet aircraft to the fleet serving the Asheville airport. There are now seven Canadair jets in service at the airport,plus two ATR-72 turboprops.

Five air carriers now serve the airport, which had 263,715 enplanements in the last year, according to a press release from the Asheville Regional Airport Authority. The airport’s estimated annual economic impact on the region includes close to 3,000 jobs, $65.7 million in payroll, and $141.3 million in capital output.

To learn more, contact Kathryn Solee at 684-2226, ext. 152.

High-school football is in the air

Local radio station 570 WWNC-AM recently announced the creation of the Buncombe County Football Network, which will broadcast the Ingles Video Department High School Football Game of the Week each Friday night during the 1998 season.

The season will kick off on Aug. 28, featuring Clyde A. Erwin at North Buncombe. Longtime local-sports announcer Chris Kelly will call the game. Live coverage starts with the pregame show 15 minutes before kickoff, offering a comprehensive look at the night’s matchup. A post-game show will recap the evening’s highlights, and take a look at the following week’s action.

The season will cover 11 weeks of high-school football, plus the playoffs. Schools involved with the network include: A.C. Reynolds, Asheville High School, Charles D. Owen, Clyde A. Erwin, Enka, North Buncombe, and T.C. Roberson.

For more information, contact John Ciriello at 257-2700.

The wonderful world of grants

Grants are great: Just ask the Black Mountain Swannanoa Center for the Arts. With a $75,000 donation from the Asheville-based Janirve Foundation, the Center has now raised more than $900,000 — three-fourths of the $1.2 million needed to begin renovating its future home.

“This is a true milestone,” said Executive Director Ed Pauley. “We’re well on our way to making a home for the arts in our community a reality.” The Center for the Arts plans to open to the public by the year 2000; as the largest arts facility serving east Buncombe County, it will offer visual, performance and literary arts programming, with emphasis on creative development and accessibility.

Janirve is a private foundation established by the late Irving J. Reuter and his wife Jeanett. The foundation provides seed money and matching grants, as well as funds for special projects, capital projects, equipment and general operating expenses.

Warren Wilson College, another eastern Buncombe County organization, is also celebrating a sizable grant. The college has matched a $250,000 “matching challenge grant” awarded by the William R. Kenan, Jr., Charitable Trust of Chapel Hill.

“This generous grant … has given a significant boost to our continuing efforts to increase endowment,” said Warren Wilson President Doug Orr. “All of us at Warren Wilson are extremely grateful to the Kenan Trust for its support.”

All gifts made to the school’s permanent general endowment this year qualify for the grant match.

Another local nonprofit, Asheville’s Arts Alliance, has received a $22,000 grant from the CP&L Foundation, to help replace an outdated computer system and give the Alliance the technology to establish a Web site and an ongoing cultural calendar on the Internet. This will give subscribers nationwide a chance to learn more about the wealth of cultural resources available in the Asheville area.

The CP&L Foundation, formed in 1992, supports programs and activities that benefit Carolina Power & Light’s customers and employees. The foundation focuses on the areas of education, economic development and the environment.

And, finally, Asheville’s High Country Art and Craft Guild has received a $12,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. The grant will pay the salary of a part-time education director, who will supervise the guild’s educational programs, and will also help the guild launch an Art Start Program for preschool children in western North Carolina.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, formed in 1936, has made grants totaling more than $252 million to recipients in all 100 North Carolina counties. In recent years, the foundation has focused on strengthening public elementary and secondary education, environmental preservation, stimulating community economic development, and issues facing women and minorities.

To learn more about the Black Mountain Swannanoa Center for the Arts, contact Ed Pauley at 669-0930. For more information about Warren Wilson College, call Ben Anderson at 298-3325. To find out more about the Arts Alliance, call 258-0710. For more information about High Country Art and Craft Guild, contact Gail Gomez at 252-3880.

— caffeinatedly compiled by Paul Schattel