Calendar of Events

Come and be inspired with new ideas for your garden! Join us for, Beyond the Garden Gate, tour starting at 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, June 1, 2019. Coordinated by Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener Volunteers (EMGV), this year’s self-guided garden tour showcases 5 diverse gardens, including The Learning Garden. The Learning Garden is a newly developed group of gardens established by EMGVs which are intended to demonstrate to the public sustainable gardening practices relevant to our area.

This biennial event features unique home gardens designed and tended by Master Gardener volunteers, as well as The Learning Garden. Learn while you explore the private gardens and educational demonstration sites at The Learning Garden. The Master Gardener volunteers will be on hand to answer your gardening questions and provide helpful information.

Tickets for this special event are $20 and available for purchase beginning on April 15th online at buncombemastergardener.org, NC Cooperative Extension Buncombe County Center at 49 Mt. Carmel Rd., and at EMGV events. Tickets may also be purchased on garden tour day at the Tour Registration Table at the Asheville Visitor Center, 36 Montford Avenue in Asheville. The tour is held rain or shine. For more information visit our website or call 828-255-5522.

All proceeds help support EMGV programs, such as School Garden Grants which benefits children in Buncombe County, continued development and maintenance of demonstration gardens at The Learning Garden, and other programs.

Please bring a friend, sun hat, bottle of water, and spend the day enjoying a selection of some of the most beautiful gardens in Buncombe County!

This tour stays centrally focused around the farm store, visits with the baby animals, and provides an in-depth history of the farm and family. This tour is great for limited mobility guests, those with young children, and anyone who is interested in the historical side of HNG.

Experience firsthand how food is grown and raised in the Southern Appalachian Mountains! Choose from over 20 WNC family farms to visit and encounter the sights, tastes, and stories of working farms through guided tours, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. The tour is family-friendly and a wonderful summer adventure for visitors of all ages and interests. Learn more and purchase your tour pass at asapconnections.org.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Wrenegade Sports is very excited to announce another brand new event for 2019: Farm to Fork Fondo – Asheville on June 29 & 30, 2019 in the picturesque foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, NC!
An organized bicycle ride where you get to choose the distance best for you and stop for chef-prepared bites at farms along the way.

All activities at Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd. NC 28730

SATURDAY JUNE 29, 2019
• 4 to 6:30pm Packet pickup at Hickory Nut Gap Farm
• 6:30pm Meet the Farmers Dinner (tickets required)

SUNDAY JUNE 30, 2019
• 6:30 to 7:45am Packet Pickup Forto Coffee Station, and Bicycle Tune-Up Station open
• 8am Farm to Fork Fondo (Piccolo, Medio and Gran) departs (pre-registration required)
• 10:30am Ramble Ride departs
• 11:30am to 6pm Post-Ride Farm to Fork Barbecue (tickets required)
• 1 to 5pm Live music
• 5pm Volunteer Competition Awards Ceremony

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see some of our area’s most inspirational, diverse and beautiful private gardens!

On June 29, 2019 the Garden Club of Weaverville presents the Weaverville Gardens Galore Tour, which will feature seven private gardens and the Weaverville Main Street Nature Park. This self-guided tour opens at 10AM and closes at 4PM. The themed gardens on the tour include an English Cottage Garden, Laughing Crow Ornamental Garden, Whimsical Fantasy Garden, Stone Fire Pit and Garden, Urban Food Garden, Kaleidoscope Garden and a Meandering Mediterranean Garden.

Visit the Garden Club website to view a Tour flier, descriptions of the gardens on the tour, & to pre-reserve a ticket (optional): https://gardenclubofweaverville.org/

Tickets and a Tour map for this fundraising event are available on June 29 at the Weaverville Town Parking Lot on Main Street beginning at 9:30AM. Suggested Adult Donation: $20. Supervised children 12 years and under are admitted free.

The Tour proceeds will support the programs, organizations and scholarships sponsored by the Garden Club of Weaverville, a non-profit organization. The Club is committed to providing gardening-related educational programs and promoting beautification and conservation in the Weaverville community.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

This tour goes exploring through our 80 acres of working farmland. Head to the top of UFO hill for a spectacular view, walk alongside the creek through forest, see the grazing animals on pasture, and learn about regenerative agriculture. You will get an overview of our farm history but a more in-depth look at our farming practices. We will be traversing over rough terrain, so suitable hiking attire is suggested.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Discover the beauty of the Appalachia’s both wild and rural. Your day begins with the expansive views of Chimney Rock State Park where your group is welcome to enjoy one of the many leisure or intensive hiking trails on the property. Lunch at the award-winning Old Rock Cafe is included with this package to enjoy at your leisure after 11am. At 2pm, join the park’s animal educators for the Animal Encounter, an interactive experience where you can touch, feel, and learn about the wildlife at the park. After meeting the animals of the wild, your group will drive an easy 20 minutes North up 74A for the evening portion of your day trip.

Starting at 4pm, your evening encounter begins with an in-depth tour of the farm’s history and agricultural model along with a meet-and-greet of our farm animals. Choose our standard top-tier tour or upgrade to a horseback ride for an intimate farm experience. Immediately following the tour, your group will be treated to a plated Farm-to-Fork meal prepared by our expert catering chef including an adult beverage of your choice. Finish the day with engaging conversations and gorgeous long-range views as the sun sets.

Every Saturday in July the park stays open late, until 9:00 p.m., so you can make more time for family memories. Enjoy evening train and stage shows, rides at dusk, and fun throughout the park.

This tour goes exploring through our 80 acres of working farmland. Head to the top of UFO hill for a spectacular view, walk alongside the creek through forest, see the grazing animals on pasture, and learn about regenerative agriculture. You will get an overview of our farm history but a more in-depth look at our farming practices. We will be traversing over rough terrain, so suitable hiking attire is suggested.

The Asheville-Buncombe Aeromodelers R/C Flying Club in cooperation with Buncombe County Recreation Services present the annual Flying Model Demo & Exhibit.

Weather permitting, there will be:
– Flying demonstrations, possibly including:
– Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) Jets
– Helicopters
– Quad Racers
– Ultra Aerobatic (3D) Planes
– Warbirds
– Vintage Aircraft
– Try your hand at flying with an instructor
– First Person View (FPV) video monitor

If the weather is bad, we will still have:
– Static displays with opportunities for questions and answers
– Information about the flying club
– A raffle for your chance to win a ready to fly (RTF) XK X520 VTOL provided by Motion RC. There is no cost for the tickets, but you must be present to win.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

The Asheville GreenWorks nursery is in need of some TLC. After multiple break-ins, vandalism, and theft of tools like weedeaters and chainsaws, we need your help more than ever.

For this workday, we are asking you to bring your weed eaters, if you can, and help clear out the brush in the nursery and hoop house. Don’t have a weed eater? That’s okay! In addition, we will do some hand weeding and other maintenance.

If getting in a good sweat and some hard work isn’t enough incentive, we’ll be sending you home with a native tree of your choosing. At the end of the workday, harvest some apples from the orchard and leave with a tree as well.

Wear work clothes to get dirty and close-toed shoes. Sunscreen, water, and hat are always a good idea. We will also provide some beverages.

All other tools and gear will be provided by GreenWorks.

Discover the beauty of the Appalachia’s both wild and rural. Your day begins with the expansive views of Chimney Rock State Park where your group is welcome to enjoy one of the many leisure or intensive hiking trails on the property. Lunch at the award-winning Old Rock Cafe is included with this package to enjoy at your leisure after 11am. At 2pm, join the park’s animal educators for the Animal Encounter, an interactive experience where you can touch, feel, and learn about the wildlife at the park. After meeting the animals of the wild, your group will drive an easy 20 minutes North up 74A for the evening portion of your day trip.

Starting at 4pm, your evening encounter begins with an in-depth tour of the farm’s history and agricultural model along with a meet-and-greet of our farm animals. Choose our standard top-tier tour or upgrade to a horseback ride for an intimate farm experience. Immediately following the tour, your group will be treated to a plated Farm-to-Fork meal prepared by our expert catering chef including an adult beverage of your choice. Finish the day with engaging conversations and gorgeous long-range views as the sun sets.

Attention all knights, pages, jesters, jousters, kings, queens, princesses and princes! Get your costumes ready, and come out and have some fun on September 7th! Boys, girls, moms, dads, come one, come all to the First Annual Renaissance Fair at the Farm. We have all sorts of fun demonstrations planned, such as fencing, sword fighting, and juggling. Other activities to be announced, including a costume contest!

The semi-annual event is open to all children ages 15 and under and is sponsored by Buncombe County Recreation Services.

Fishing begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends promptly at 11:30 a.m.

Register online now through September 12 at midnight. On-site registration will also be available at 8:00 a.m. the day of the tournament. Your registration fee covers fishing bait, snacks, and a hot dog lunch at the conclusion of the tournament. No fishing license is required for children under 16 years of age.

This is a catch and release event. Lake Julian Park will supply a bucket for each competitor’s catch. After the fish has been weighed and measured, it will be released back into the lake. Participants bring their own pole.

Fishing is allowed anyplace inside the Lake Julian Park boundaries. No boat fishing is allowed. All children must be accompanied by at least one adult.

Children will be grouped into one of five age categories and prizes awarded in each category. Prizes will be given for the biggest fish, the smallest fish, and the most fish caught. In addition, all competitors in every age group will have an opportunity to show off their casting skills. Casting poles and targets are provided and children can demonstrate their ability anytime during the tournament. There are prizes for the winners of the casting competition, too!

Cost: FREE for all participants (but pre-registration is required)

This hike to Clawhammer Mountain, namesake of Highland Brewing Company’s seasonal Clawhammer Oktoberfest Lager, will be a long and strenuous 10+ mile trip along multi-use trails that traverse mountain bike, equestrian, and hiking trails as well as forest service roads. We will follow the trails up a steep climb along a creek, through wildflower patches and rich cove forest. From Clawhammer Cove to the summit, we will climb close to 1,500 feet to finish at 4,072 ft elevation. The summit offers scenic views of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Looking Glass in Pisgah National Forest.

This year we will be departing as a group from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, NC and returning there for a Clawhammer pint following the hike!

This hike is offered as part of our “For Love of Beer and Mountains” partnerships.

Please Note: There are a couple single log bridges, muddy areas, rocky and steep inclines and a chance of yellow jackets; SAHC wants to provide a fun and safe trip so please be aware of these conditions.

Dogs: Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but must be kept on a leash.

Hike difficulty ratings are based on this formula: (0.002 x elevation gain (ft.)) + round trip distance (mi.) = difficulty rating (1 – 10+)

Newer trails with small treats such as a play meadow and splashing streams highlight this trail with a 360-degree view that includes the summits of Bearwallow Mountain, Little Pisgah Mountain, and the upper end of Hickory Nut Gorge. This medium-steep hike is a 2-mile loop and its suburban location offers plenty of lunch options nearby. Meet at the Collier Cove Nature Preserve parking area (175 Rhododendron Drive in Arden).

For years, the Sierra Club has worked with Asheville Greenworks (which provides all the equipment) to be on the French Broad River in Asheville (or perhaps the Swannanoa River) picking up trash by canoe. Kayakers can bring their own craft.

Varied hike following S. Mills River with multiple small stream crossings. Some trails overgrown; a little slippery if wet. Long pants and poles suggested. Proceed left of sign to S. Mills River and cross suspension bridge. Follow the river north on the Bradley Creek trail; then left on Squirrel Gap to a snack break on Poundingstone Mtn. Descend on Poundingmill trail to S. Mills River Trail, back to the suspension bridge; then right to the parking lot. Type: loop. Ascent: 1200’. Max elev: 3100’. Avg moving pace: 2.6 mph. Difficulty (1=effortless, 10=hard): 5. Dogs: welcome if well-behaved, subject to area restrictions. Trailhead: Turkey Pen. Directions from Waffle House to Mills River Ingles (12 miles): Right (north) on NC-191 Brevard Rd for 0.2 miles; right onto I-26 East for 7.5 miles; right on NC-280 West, Airport Rd, for 4.3 miles. From Mills River Ingles to the trailhead (8.1 miles): Right (south) on NC-280 Boylston Hwy for 6.9 miles. Right on Turkey Pen Rd to parking at the end. (Note: Turkey Pen Rd is rough; sedans not recommended.) Est. return to Waffle House: 1:30 p.m. PLEASE DON’T SIGNUP IF YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE DISTANCE, ASCENT, OR PACE. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR RSVP TO “NO” IF YOU SIGNUP, BUT CHANGE YOUR MIND.

We’ll gather under the last evening skies of summer to observe the night sky and its wonders. Local astronomer Stephan Martin will give a tour of the stars and constellations of the summer sky while discussing some of their myths and the astronomical phenomena happening at this time. We may even see a few Taurid meteors cross our skies! All ages are welcome and no background in astronomy or science is required.