Throughout the year, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area offers educational workshops, special events, group tours and our annual meeting, Gather 'Round the Blue Ridge.  Click on the individual event below for details.

Blue Ridge Music Trails Listening Sessions

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership and the North Carolina Arts Council invite you to attend one of the following “Listening Sessions.” Here you will meet Music Trail partners from throughout your region and get updates on the progress of the Music Trails initiative, guidebook and development timeline. You will also have the opportunity to provide your input into ways to sustain the music, strengthen our music sites/events, increase community engagement, and work together. These sessions are free, fun, and interactive, and we hope you’ll join in!

• Tuesday, April 9, Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau Conference Room, 36 Montford Ave,   Asheville, 1 – 4 pm. Region 4: Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.
• Wednesday, April 10, Old Rock School, Valdese, 1 - 4 pm. Region 5: Burke, Cleveland, Rutherford, and Polk counties.
• Thursday, April 11, Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, Robbinsville, 1 - 4 pm. Region 6: Haywood, Swain, Graham, Cherokee, Clay, Macon, and Jackson counties.
• Wednesday, April 17, Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre, West Jefferson, 1 - 4 pm. Region 2: Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Watauga and Wilkes counties.
• Wednesday, April 24, Chetola Resort, Blowing Rock, 10 am - 1 pm. Region 2: Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Watagua and Wilkes counties.
• Monday, April 29, Toe River Arts Council, 269 Oak St., Spruce Pine, 1 - 4 pm. Region 3: Mitchell, Avery, McDowell, and Yancey counties.
• Tuesday, April 30, Old Time Music Heritage Hall, Mount Airy, 1 – 4 pm. Region 1: Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Iredell, and Yadkin counties.
• Saturday, May 4, at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, Milepost 384, Asheville, 10 am - 12:30 pm. All regions welcome to attend this makeup session.

Workshops

“Those Valued Volunteers: How to Recruit, Inspire, Supervise and Keep Them!”

April 18, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, Mount Airy Museum of Regional History. Cost is $20 and registration is limited to 20 attendees. Workshop provides training for Volunteer Coordinators, Executive Directors,  leaders of youth group organizations and churches. Approximately $38 billion is said to be lost by nonprofits each year because volunteers don't return. Often, organizations don’t realize or appreciate the monetary value of their volunteers’ service.  Some don’t understand why people volunteer, and what motivates them to serve.  Or the true cost to the organization’s image when a volunteer becomes disgruntled and leaves.

This workshop will address these issues and more, including:

• Defining the role of the volunteer and volunteer job descriptions.
• Communication between paid and volunteer staff.
• Establishing a standard for the volunteer program.
• The importance of volunteers in supporting the brand of an organization.

Workshop presenters include:

• Jeff Futch, Regional Director, NC Dept. of Cultural Resources.
• Angie Chandler, Executive Director, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.
• Amy Hollifield, Volunteer Coordinator, Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Space will be limited to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.  To register, contact Amy Hollifield, 828-298-5330, ext. 301, or email amy@blueridgeheritage.com.