Transition Asheville celebrated!
Transition Asheville Celebrated!

Transition Asheville celebrated its status as the 88th Official Transition Town in the US on Saturday, August 27th, at gracious Carrier Park in West Asheville. It was a beautiful summer day and evening; the only evidence of Hurricane Irene was the presence of a constant lively breeze!
On hand to help with the celebration was our MC Lesley Groetsch, from Local Edge radio, who introduced Asheville City Council member Cecil Bothwell, reading the proclamation issued by Mayor Terry Bellamy, which declared the day "Transition Asheville Day". Howard Hanger, from Jubilee!, offered an spirited invocation for the event, and the festivities began!
Over 150 folks came out and were able to learn about the various local Action Groups, which are involved in supporting individuals, organizations, neighborhoods, and the City itself in becoming less fossil fuel dependent and more locally self sufficient. Transition Asheville action groups include those focused on: Food, Energy, Local Economy, Education, Skill Sharing, Neighborhood Building, Transportation. The bottom line in all these areas is how to lower our overall carbon footprint and create communities that are healthier, more resilient and able to deal with change and, dare we say it, happier and more satisfying.
And what is a celebration without music? We had plenty of it, from the French Broad River family band, bluegrass with original tunes on highly topical themes; Billy Jonas and his unique approach to music making (instant pick-up band of kids aged 6-12!), and Deja Fuze, which took us into the night with their beautiful, danceable jazzy tunes and vocals.
See more pictures at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150292706743484.355412.736013483&type=1
We wish to thank those who supported our celebration and honored Asheville in becoming the 88th Transition Townin the United States
Speakers who supported our celebration:
- Local Edge Radio MC Leslie Groetsch
- Jubilee’s own Reverend Howard Hanger
- Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell
- Permaculture teacher Dylan Ryals-Hamilton
Bands that supported our celebration:
- The French Broad River Band
- Billy Jonas
- Deja Fuze
- Nomadic Minstrels
- DJ Skew Records
Sponsors that supported our celebration or contributed to our door prizes:
- Geri Littlejohn of Green Grass Flutes
- Asheville Macrobiotic Alliance
- Mellow Mushroom
- Malaprop's Bookstore and Café
- Mosaic Realty
- FFRTrikes
- Fine Arts Theatre
- Eartheart Radio
- Sundance Power Systems
- Helixilah – The Flower of Life Game
- Firestorm Café & Books
- Rudi Simko
- Ron and Alice Martin-Adkins
- Jeanie Martin
And of course we thank all of our action committee volunteers who made this event possible.
