Heritage Postcards

Hiking in the Swannanoa Valley

BLACK MOUNTAIN, N.C. — This winter, go exploring with the Swannanoa Valley Museum on thier Rim Hike Series. On Saturday, February 19th, our popular Swannanoa Rim Hike Series begins with the Rhododendron Rim segment, which runs from Wendell Begley's home on Sunset Mountain to Route 9, and passes through property once owned by Rafael Guastavino II, a Biltmore architect who built his own estate in Black Mountain called Rhododendron.

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Featured Concerts

Hot Bluegrass and Cold Beer at Pisgah Brewing:

Keel has weathered the changing tides of traditional bluegrass, country, jam rock, roots reggae, and even the currently emerging indie-alt scene always honoring the pioneers that introduced Bluegrass and Mountain Music into popular culture. Larry Keel and his band, Natural Bridge are headed back to Black Mountain on Thursday February 3rd for a concert performance at Pisgah Brewing.

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White Horse Swings To the Big Band Beat
The Asheville Jazz Orchestra Returns to White Horse Black Mountain on Friday February 4th at 8pm. This 17 piece ensemble performs the classic sounds from the Big Band Era featuring swing and jazz standards from the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bennie Goodman and others

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Valley Blog Directory

Ebook Publishing Workshop at the Black Mountain Library

The Friends of the Black Mountain Library will host a program on Monday, January 31, at 6:30 p.m.entitled "How to Turn Your Book into an E-book and Get Published."

The program will offer publishing tips including how to get a book contract, how to find the right editor for your book, and how to establish a publicity track record.

The program is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact the library at 250-4756 or emailblackmountain.library@buncombecounty.org.

Example of a Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

This is a fantastic website. Congratulations.

John Doe

Public Transportation in the Swannanoa Valley

BY BUS

Getting From Black Mountain to Swannanoa to Asheville

Getting Around Black Mountain and Montreat on the Black Mountain Trailblazer

BY TAXI CAB

Getting Around The Valley, Airport Shuttle, Etc

Black Mountain Cab Company

BY RAIL

Plans for Passenger Rail Service from Raleigh to Asheville (including stops in the Swannanoa Valley) are in the works but no date has been set.

For additional information:

New Fishing Pier To Be Constructed at Charles D Owen Park

Charles D. Owen Park is located next to the Swannanoa River. It has 29.17 acres.

This facility offers two large pavilions for rent, three lighted baseball fields, two outdoor basketball courts, restrooms, playground, concessions (during baseball games), picnic tables, grills, and a 1 mile “figure-eight” walking and bird watching trail. The Swannanoa river is a fish hatchery supported river, and the two lakes at Owen Park are open for lakeside fishing.

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is partnering with the Buncombe Co Parks, Greenways, and Recreation Department to construct the pier.

[excerpt from Asheville Citizen-Times]

Personnel from Buncombe County and the Wildlife Commission constructed the six-section, floating fishing pier on the larger of the two lakes in the 29-acre park.

The pier is 59 feet long with a 48 foot wide T-section at the end and incorporates low, angled handrail sections that allow easy access for children and anglers confined to wheelchairs.

In addition to constructing the pier, commission personnel plan to install a solar-powered fish feeder within casting distance of the new pier. Park staff anticipates the pier and fish feeder attracting anglers of all ages and abilities.

The Swannanoa River is a hatchery-supported river, and the two lakes at Owen Park are open for lakeside fishing. Anglers ages 16 and over must have a valid North Carolina fishing license to fish the park’s two lakes.

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Send the News Soaring at the Black Mountain Library

Youngsters ages 5 - 12 are invited to come to Black Mountain Library to try their hand at making paper airplanes from recycled newspaper.

"Send the News Soaring" will take place from 4 - 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11 in honor of the day Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo over the Pacific Ocean.

During the program, participants will learn about the history and mechanics of flight, and have the opportunity to test their plane against others.

This program is free and the public is invited. For more information ,contact the library at 250-4756 or email blackmountain.library@buncombecounty.org.

Local and Regional Weather for the Swannaoa Valley Area

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Take a look at one of our local webcams

Our Local Newspaper

The Black Mountain News is a weekly publication dedicated to covering the Swannanoa Valley area.

Located at the home of Billy Graham, Brad Daugherty and Brad Johnson, the newspaper has a circulation of around 4,000.

The newspaper was founded in 1945 by a couple from Illinois and was purchased one-year later by Gordon Greenwood, a local man who served for years as a state legislator from Black Mountain.

Through the years the newspaper has grown from a small 10-page paper with no color to the 32-page four-section newspaper it is today. The Black Mountain News also publishes several special sections each year highlighting community events.

CLICK HERE To explore the on-line version of the Black Mountain News

CLICK HERE To Subscribe to the print version of the Black Mountain News

The Swannanoa Valley Scene