Business Buzz: 6/28/23

Announcement:

• The Asheville Symphony is moving the majority of its season in light of a problem with the HVAC system at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium that affects the ability to heat or cool the house of the auditorium. While the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is slated to remain open at a limited capacity, the audience portion of the venue will be heated and cooled primarily via an HVAC unit that heats and cools the stage, resulting in significant overheating or overcooling of the stage to keep the house regulated. All planned shows for the season will still go on, now in several locations across Asheville. The majority of the Asheville Symphony’s classical “Masterworks” series will be held in the First Baptist Church of Asheville in double shows, with Saturday matinee and evening performances. Other new venues include Salvage Station, Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena, and Brevard Music Center. A previously scheduled performance in the Wortham Center for Performing Arts will go on as planned.Details on the Asheville Symphony’s 2023-2024 season are available on www.AshevilleSymphony.org. 
• Blue Ridge Pride has announced the launch of BLUE RIDGE PROUD, a new individual donor initiative designed to further engage the Western North Carolina LGBTQ+ community and allies as backers of the Blue Ridge Pride organization and its growing family of programs and initiatives. This campaign launched on Wednesday, June 28th, the Anniversary of Stonewall, at the beautiful Grove Arcade Atrium. Blue Ridge Proud will be the organization’s first direct appeal to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond for ongoing financial support. Much as other organizations invite individual donors, Blue Ridge Proud will give contributors a structured program to tangibly demonstrate support for the community, Blue Ridge Pride and the growing programs and initiatives they offer. Donors will receive specific thank-you gifts based on their level of giving and those at the Champion level and above will be listed on the individual donor pages of Blueridgepride.org unless they specifically opt out. Donors may make a onetime contribution or establish an automated monthly giving plan that will be drafted in equal increments each month. Learn more.
• Devil’s Foot Beverage Company, the Asheville-based brewer of farm-to-can craft sodas, has announced a new look for eight of their unique sodas. The eight new cans center a vertical label in block text, a new Farm-to-Can icon, and illustrations of the fruits and plants (black tea or hops) featured in the sodas. The flavors with new designs include Future’s So Bright Sparkling Lemonade, Future’s So Bright Sparkling Limeade, Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade, Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade, Sparkling Black Tea Lemonade, Sparkling Peach Lemonade, Sparkling Cherry Limeade, and Sparkling Hop’d Lemonade. The brand’s Root Beer and four Ginger Beers (Ghost, Fuego, Classic, and Berry) will retain their classic Devil’s Foot label. Learn more.

Happenings: 

• The Ingles Independence Day Celebration returns to Downtown Asheville’s Pack Square Park on Tuesday, July 4. This event is produced by the Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) in partnership with the City of Asheville. The free event features The Ultimate Air Dogs, live music, local food and craft beverages, and a fireworks extravaganza. The event runs from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Learn more.
• Philip DeAngelo Studio will be presenting “The Art of Homage, New Works by Philip DeAngelo” Friday, July 21 through Saturday, July 29. There will be an free opening reception with light refreshments on Friday, July 21 from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Philip DeAngelo Studio in the Wedge Building in the River Arts District (115 Roberts Street). “The concept of homage is, in a sense, about connection to one’s influences, inspirations, and experiences, and may reach back beyond one’s lifetime, or overlap with contemporaries. Widely acknowledged across all creative fields as intrinsic to how people process and share and produce, it is particularly notable in the visual arts as a potentially honorific aspect within the creation process.” Learn more.