It's time to fall back. Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, November 1, 2015.

When local standard time is about to reach 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2015, clocks are turned backwards 1 hour to Sunday, November 1, 2015, 1 a.m local daylight time instead.

It always feels as if winter is approaching when sunrise and sunset come an hour earlier. In a few days it will be darker much quicker in the evenings! It's a good time to check the outdoor lights on your home, or headlights and tail-lights on your car. This time of year is also a great reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detectors in your home. 

Daylight Savings Time is practiced to conserve energy. In general, energy use and the demand for electricity for lighting our homes is directly connected to when we go to bed and when we get up. Bedtime for most of us is late evening through the year. When we go to bed, we turn off the lights and TV.

In the average home, 25% of all the electricity we use is for lighting and small appliances, such as TVs and stereos. A good percentage of energy consumed by lighting and appliances occurs in the evening when families are home.

Embrace the time change and the extra hour you will have this Sunday, November 1st! Don't forget to turn your clock backwards an hour when you go to bed this Saturday evening. 

When's the next time change?

Spring forward one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 6, 2016.

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There is a chill in the air in Asheville, and this weekend rain is in the forecast! As the weather continues its turn from Summer to Fall in the mountains of Western North Carolina, there are a couple things we are excited about! 1. The leaves, and 2. Ciderfest NC!! It is the time of year where cravings of apple cider start to take over thoughts of summer cocktails, and in its third year, CiderFest NC is something we all look forward to!

This year’s event is packed with new opportunities to taste and experience Cider.  With over twenty Cider makers serving up tasty varieties of hard cider, and a new addition of two local mead makers Bee & Bramble & Fox Hill Meadery, this festival will not disappoint!   To compliment your cider we have added a new Chef’s Station where apples and hard cider will be the featured ingredients for small plates, and food trucks will be serving up food as well.  Back again by popular demand, the WNC Cheese Trail will be there to offer samples from local creamerie, and if that was not enought, Postre Caramels will be offering samples of caramel on apples!

On the music front,  the festival will feature local bands and buskers from the Asheville area sprinkled throughout the festival, unplugged, allowing attendees to enjoy live music as they are in line for a sample of cider or mead!  You will enjoy music by Goldie & The Screamers, Shifty Drifters (Abby the Spoon Lady), and more great bands.

True to its roots, this year’s event will also feature something for the home cider makers.  A Home Cider Making Booth sponsored by Asheville Brewers Supply will offer cider making kits, educational demonstrations, and a casual area for home cider makers to share their cider as well as lessons they have learned.

The family friendly event has had great fun painting pumpkins and doing fall crafts in previous years but this year will offer anInteractive Children’s Area focused on green living.  This area will have hands on fun educational activities and demo’s for both the children and adults to learn.

For more information or to purchase your tickets, visit www.ciderfestnc.com.