White Squirrel Artisans Market
Spring means a busy calendar in Transylvania County, with plenty of exciting events to make use of the warmer weather.
On Saturday, April 6, the spring edition of the White Squirrel Artisans Market will be held at the Deerwoode Reserve, showcasing five bands, local food trucks and more than 80 artisans. “My mission is to create an affordable, safe space for local artisans to display, share and sell their work,” says Kyzandrha Zárate, founder and organizer for the event. “I aim to build bridges of opportunity between artisans and their community.”
Many artisans who first displayed their work at the White Squirrel Artisans Market are now featured in local businesses around town. “The artisans featured are masters at their craft and hail from Brevard and throughout Western North Carolina,” says Zárate.
Pisgah Project Day 2023
“Alongside the local artisans, visitors will also have the opportunity to see Brevard’s local celebrity white squirrel, Pisgah Penny.” The event also features a raffle of items donated by the featured artisans and other local businesses. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the event or online, with all proceeds donated to the local nonprofit Cedar Mountain Music Project.
On Saturday, April 20, The Pisgah Conservancy presents Pisgah Project Day (PPD), an all-hands-on-deck community volunteer day in the forest. Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of improvement projects, from trail maintenance and trash cleanup to graffiti removal and bridge construction. “Public lands are intrinsically connected to quality of life in WNC and are one of the major draws for visitors,” says Nina Ardle, chief administrative and development officer for The Pisgah Conservancy.
“Directly giving back to the forest so many of us spend time in year-round helps us feel more connected to Pisgah. Volunteering, whether with The Pisgah Conservancy on Pisgah Project Day or throughout the year with one of our partner groups, or both, gives us all a greater sense of appreciation for Pisgah and our individual ability to improve it for future generations.”
PPD is made possible by the returning lead sponsor, the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority, and a number of local businesses and partner groups, including the Carolina Mountain Club, Pisgah Area SORBA, the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Carolina Climbers Coalition, the Back Country Horsemen of Pisgah, Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council, Transylvania County Extension Master Gardeners and FIND Outdoors.
Also mark your calendars for The Assault on the Carolinas, a bike ride fundraiser for the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club happening on Saturday, April 6; and the 6th Annual Luft Wasser Porsche Celebration, happening on Broad Street in Brevard on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Learn more at Facebook.com/WhiteSquirrelArtisansMarket, PisgahConservancy.org, AssaultontheCarolinas.com and aprpca.org.
