Asheville – For the last eight years, our city of Asheville has been proud to put on the Annual Distinguished Citizens Dinner to honor some of the exemplary people living in our community. Founded by the Daniel Boone Council, Boy Scouts of America, the award honors those who have gone above and beyond in showing service to their community through volunteer endeavors and business accomplishments that align with the ideals and principles of Scouting. Some of the past winners of this prestigious award are K. Ray and Glenda Bailey, who established the Glenda Bailey Veterinary Technology Endowed Scholarship at AB Tech, and Joe and Janice Brumit, who have donated millions of dollars to dozens of organizations, including Eblen Charities, United Way, and Child Abuse Prevention Services.
This year the award will honor Mr. Oscar Wong. Oscar is the founder of Highland Brewing Company and the current board chair of the ARC of Buncombe County, which helps serve people with special needs. Mr. Wong is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Civil/Structural Engineering. In 1994, Oscar and his family moved to Asheville to retire, but little did he know his biggest job was still ahead of him. Oscar started brewing as a hobby and has since founded Highland Brewing, a company well-known in the southeast that his daughter Leah is now running. Highland Brewing Company was honored as the Small Business of the Year in 2007/08, and Oscar was awarded the prestigious William A. V. Cecil Award for Leadership in Hospitality.
The Dinner honoring Oscar will be hosted by Hometrust Bank and held at the Crowne Plaza Expo Center on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Please mark your calendars for the chance to join us in raising a glass to toast Oscar and his accomplishments.
For more information call James Hylemon at (828) 275-3075 or email at james.hylemon@scouting.org