ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Each November, millions of people recognize the service and sacrifice of military veterans on Veterans Day. Initially commemorated as Armistice Day but renamed Veterans Day in the United States in 1954, the holiday is a federal holiday throughout the country.

Veterans Day Ceremony

A Veterans Day Ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville.

The keynote speaker will be Sa’eed Mustafa, who served in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War, including two tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mustafa, who retired, is a Bronze Star recipient and author of “Resilient Translation.”

The ceremony will be available on the City of Asheville YouTube channel at 3 p.m. As a reminder, ART Bus service is currently free of charge with a bus stop at the Charles George VA.

In observance of Veterans Day, the city of Asheville offices will be closed Monday.

Here is a look at any impact on services.

Transit

Asheville Rides Transit (ART) bus service will run on a normal schedule. ART service will continue to be free of charge to all community members until further notice.

Sanitation

Collection of trash and recycling is on a regular schedule. Debris collection contractors will also be operating during daylight hours. The sanitation office will be closed.

Parks & Recreation

Parks and greenways are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Please check here for lists of open and closed locations as many were affected by recent storms. All riverfront parks and greenways, Riverside Cemetery, Memorial Stadium and Mountainside Park are closed until further notice.

Community centers and administrative offices are closed. After postponing all programs and events to devote resources to debris removal, water and food distribution, and other immediate community recovery resources, regularly scheduled activities return on Nov. 12.

Community & regional entertainment facilities

The Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day. The WNC Nature Center continues to remain closed because of access road damage as a result of Tropical Storm Helene.

The Aston Park Tennis Center and Asheville Municipal Golf Course will be open for normal operating hours.

Emergency services

All public safety services, including police, fire and emergency response, will operate to normal schedule – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Water resources

Staff will be available for water-related emergencies 24 hours a day over the holiday. Customers can call the customer service line at 828-251-1122 to report water-related emergencies, leaks, breaks and no water calls. Teams continue to work around the clock at North Fork Reservoir to restore potable water.

Buncombe County closures

Buncombe County Government offices will close Monday, Nov. 11, in honor of Veterans Day. The county is still under a state of emergency, please check the full schedule below.

Counties play an important role in connecting veterans with supportive housing, employment and education resources, as well as mental health services that treat trauma and prevent suicide. Buncombe County is no exception. The Buncombe County Veterans Services Office provides a wide array of assistance to veterans and their dependents. This assistance includes disability compensation, non-service-connected pension, survivor benefits, and more.

Buncombe County Veterans Services is one of the best in the state of North Carolina, with a team of dedicated Veteran Services Officers (VSO) including Sherry Manning, Clint Cook (Air Force), Ivan Sarabia (Army), and Heath Smith (Marine Corps). The office provides a wide range of assistance to veterans and their dependents, including disability compensation, non-service-connected pension, survivor benefits, and more. Find more information and resources here.

Buncombe County Animal Shelter

The Buncombe County Animal Shelter will be closed Monday, Nov. 11. Please note the Animal Shelter does not operate the same hours as the Adoption Center. On holidays, it is run an emergency schedule, opening for 15 minutes only at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m.

Buncombe County Courthouse

Buncombe County courts observe the North Carolina Judicial Branch holiday schedule and will be closed Monday, Nov. 11.

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office front desk will be closed Monday, Nov. 11; all other operations will be on a normal schedule.

Emergency services & public safety communications

Administrative offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11. EMS and 911 will maintain normal operations.

Election Services

Election Services will be open at 9 a.m. to conduct the sample audit following the 2024 General Election. The sample audit count, also required by state law, helps ensure the reliability of the machine-tabulated results. Bipartisan teams in each county conduct hand-to-eye counts of all ballots in the randomly selected precincts and compare the results with the results of the machine counts. The sample audit will be open to the public and takes place at 9 a.m.

Family Justice Center

The Family Justice Center will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11.

Health & Human Services

BCHHS services will be closed Monday, Nov. 11.

Identification Bureau

The ID Bureau at 52 Coxe Ave. will be closed Monday, Nov. 11.

Mountain Mobility

Mountain Mobility will only be offering city of Asheville ADA complementary paratransit service on Monday, Nov. 11.

Parks & Recreation

Parks & Recreation administration offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11. While crews work to assess serious safety issues at some parks, the community is asked to only use park facilities that are officially open.

Bent Creek River Park is now open. While the park will be accessible, avoid using the river at this time.

Other Buncombe County parks currently open include:

  • Buncombe County Sports Park, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Please note: The park has limited access. Open portions of the park include the dog park, community garden, disc golf course, fields 1, 2, 8 and 9, and the playground area. Additional areas of the park remain closed as we serve the community with a with a water distribution, showers and laundry facilities. There will be no shelter reservations at this time.
  • Cane Creek Playground | Daylight hours only
  • Corcoran Paige River Park | Daylight hours only
  • Glen Bridge River Park | Daylight hours only
  • Hominy Valley Park | Daylight hours only
  • North Buncombe Fields | Daylight hours only
  • Do not enter closed parks such as Lake Julian, Owen Park, Karpen soccer fields, the Ledges, Alexander, and Walnut River Parks.

Permits & inspections

The Permits Office will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11.

Public libraries

All Buncombe County Public Libraries are regularly closed on Mondays. The digital library is always available at buncombecounty.org/library.

Register of Deeds

The Buncombe County Register of Deeds will be closed Monday, Nov. 11. Online services will remain available.

Solid Waste

The Buncombe County Landfill and Transfer Station will be open Monday, Nov. 11.

Recycling note: Curbie will now accept political signs for recycling. If you have political signs from the recent election, Curbie invites you to bring them to our facility for proper disposal and recycling. To make the process as easy as possible, they will have two separate carts available. Simply drop off the signs and stakes in their designated carts. Thank you for helping reduce waste and promote a cleaner, greener community.

Debris clean-up will continue in Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Barnardsville, Lower Brush Creek, and Julian Shoals. Debris clean-up includes private roads, but due to additional legal approvals are needed, so collection is beginning with public roads.

Tax Department

Tax Collections and Property Assessment will be closed on Monday, Nov. 11.

Waste Pro

Waste Pro trash and recycling collection services will operate accessible routes on a regular schedule on Monday, Nov. 11.

Henderson County

The annual Veterans Day service at 11 a.m. Monday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Tracy Grove Road .

Veterans are invited to meet at the American Legion Post 77, 214 Fourth Ave. W., at 9:30 a.m. for a free honorary ride in classic cars to Forest Lawn. Classic and antique cars, trucks, jeeps and military vehicles will depart at 10:15 to take veterans to the event. The service includes a keynote speaker, patriotic music and programs honoring veterans from all branches of service.

Henderson County local government offices and agencies, the animal services center, the transfer station and convenience center, the public library and its branches, and the Henderson County Courthouse will be closed Monday.

All Henderson County parks are open 365 days a year.

The delivery of emergency services will not be disrupted.

All Henderson County local government offices and agencies, including animal services, the transfer station and convenience center, the public library and its branches, and the Henderson County Courthouse will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday.

City of Hendersonville offices will be closed on Monday.

Garbage, recycling and brush collection for city of Hendersonville customers will not be taking place on Monday. Collection for Monday customers will be delayed by one week with collection resuming on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.

For water/sewer issues occurring on the City holiday, please use the after-hours number at 828-891-7779.