Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Casey Balsham is a comedian and cheese lover out of New York City. She has been seen on Gotham Comedy Live, Tidal’s No Small Talk series and can be heard as one of the co-hosts of the popular Not Another True Crime Podcast by Betches. Casey was also the lead in the Off Broadway musical HA! and wrote and starred in her own one woman show called “Casey Balsham Does A Thing”. She has an album coming out this summer and would really like you to follow her on Instagram @casefaceb.
Featuring Robby Slowik
Hosted by TBA
ages 18+
Tickets $8 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-casey-balsham-tickets-64181881736
The celebration is sponsored by Triskellion Brewing Company with entertainment provided by The Gathering
Dark. The Hendersonville Shrine Club will be on hand in the non-profit booth. Other offerings during the
festivities will be food demonstrations, samplings, the kid’s zone and other surprises.
The market now offers SNAP/EBT recipients a chance to use their benefits to purchase Henderson County goods,
with support from “Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas,” an initiative of the Duke Endowment. Debit and credit
cards are also accepted.
The Henderson County Tailgate Market features fresh county grown produce. It is one of the oldest and most
successful open air markets in Western North Carolina.
The season is open to the public through October 26 from 8am to 12 noon at 100 North King Street in the parking
lot of the county office building.
Put on your dancing boots and join Friends of the Smokies for the 2nd annual “Smokies Stomp” Barn Party just outside of Asheville, NC. The Smokies Stomp supports projects and programs in Great Smoky Mountains National Park like Parks As Classrooms, which brings thousands of schoolchildren into the Smokies every year. Folks will be treated to a gourmet farm-to-table dinner, live music, drinks, square dancing, and the opportunity to visit with rangers from the National Park Service. So come on out for fun and fundraising at the Smokies Stomp Barn Party!
July 20-21, 2019
Skip down the yellow brick road to auditions for next season’s opener, The Wizard of Oz! Mark your calendar for these dates (and make sure you note the ages for each time slot).
Director Jerry Crouch is seeking a large cast of children, teens, and adults! All roles are open to actors of all races and ethnicities:
Saturday, July 20: 12:00-3:00 pm – Auditions for children (ages 6-11)
Saturday, July 20: 3:00-6:00 pm – Auditions for teens (ages 12-18)
Sunday, July 21: 1:00-5:00 pm – Auditions for adults (ages 19+)
MUSICAL
By L. Frank Baum with Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg
Directed by Jerry Crouch; Music Direction by Sarah Fowler; Choreography by Alexa Edelman
PRODUCTION DATES: October 4-27, 2019; Performances Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm, plus 2 Thursday night performances 10/17 and 10/24 at 7:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: August 11-October 3, 2019; Rehearsals generally held Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. All actors will not necessarily be needed for every rehearsal or for the entire rehearsal. Full rehearsal calendar available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
AUDITION INFO: Please bring your own sheet music (prepare 32 bars; not a song from Wizard of Oz) in the key in which you will sing it
Every Wednesday Epic Karaoke at Alley Cat Social Club.
Anything Goes 9pm until 2am

ARMS AND THE MAN
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Jim Reid
AUDITIONS: August 13, 2019, 10:30 am-2:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: August 30-September 1, 2019
REHEARSALS: August 15, 20, 22, 27 and 29, 2019 from 10:30-2:30
DIRECTOR SEEKS: 3 women, 5 men
Director Jim Reid seeks a cast of 8 (3 women, 5 men) for this comedy that’s often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancee say? The plot, of course, thickens! Performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.
Auditions are open to all in the community; no previous experience required. All audition material provided at the auditions!

Join WNC Magazine senior editor and Friends of the North Carolina Room board member Jon Elliston as he recaps his yearlong written series with a multimedia presentation in the Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library.
Learn more about:
**Asheville’s Fascist: William Dudley Pelley’s obscure but infamous Silver Shirt movement lives on in his paper trail
**Swannanoa’s Superspy: Carl Duckett’s unlikely journey from small-town roots to top CIA official
**Rosman’s Spy Base: When the National Security Agency set up a mountain espionage station, it was a hard secret to keep
**Senator Sam Ervin’s Secret Wars: He stuck to the Constitution through clashes with McCarthy, the Army, CIA, and Nixon
**School Under Scrutiny: The FBI’s files on Black Mountain College tell a little-known story of art, politics, and surveillance
My name is Meagan Lucas and I am a Hendersonville-based writer. I’m having a book launch for my debut novel, Songbirds and Stray Dogs, at the new Malaprop’s Pop-Up in downtown Hendersonville.
In Songbirds and Stray Dogs, 21 year old Beaufort waitress, Jolene, has spent the majority of her life living in the shadow of the pain her mother caused, and trying to prove herself worthy of her Aunt’s stingy love. Unintentionally pregnant and abandoned again, Jolene tries to outrun her shame in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Penniless, alone, and chased by demons from her past, she is forced to confront her mother’s legacy, and her own fear. Song Birds and Stray Dogs is a Southern story, born of sweet tea and the Bible Belt, chow-chow and cornbread, shot guns and porch rocking. But it is also a universal story of escaping the burden of your past and finding yourself at home in a strange land.

| Teen – (grades 6-12), Adult | |
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Join us at Pack Memorial Library to welcome Kathy Izard, author of “The Hundred Story Home” and children’s book, “A Good Night for Mr. Coleman.” She will be conducting a reading followed by a Q&A with guests from AHOPE Day Center- Homeward Bound of WNC. Kathy Izard is an award-winning author and speaker who helped bring transformation to Charlotte in homelessness, housing and mental health. Her memoir “The Hundred Story Home” has been featured on NPR and the TODAY Show and inspires people to be changemakers in their communities. kathyizard.com Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe will be here for book sales and help with the book signing. Program is free and everyone is welcome. Doors open at 5:30. |
An all star evening of secrets and truths. This immersive cabaret event will initiate you into a society of mysteries by our talented performers. High in the air or down on the earth, this show will amaze and enlist you to a wondrous otherworld.
Featured performers:
Carmel Clavin – Your Host
Luke Schares – Your Musician
Dana Beaufait Stevens – Your Bellydancer
Boo Velvet – Your Pole Artist
Satya Jvala – Your Aerialist
with Ella Minnope rounding out the cast
Encounter the Very Serious & Not At All Silly Disorder of the Key at this sumptuous display of variety talent!
Speakeasy, your loose lips could sink ships…
Produced by Spectacle & Mirth
$20 – General Admission – STANDING room only!
$28 – General Seating
$40 – VIP with preferred seating and swag

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.
Mia Jackson is a bonafide Georgia peach (that’s Georgian for “native”) and self proclaimed know-it-all. After graduating from the University of Georgia she hit the local comedy scene and has thrilled audiences since day one. To her credit she has appeared on NickMom’s Night Out, Viceland and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and the movie Mother’s Day. In 2017, she was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Atlanta’s Creative Loafing named her the city’s Best Stand-Up. Smart, funny, and versatile, Mia entertains all types of crowds. She just filmed her Comedy Central special at the end of January.
Featuring Petey Smith McDowell
Hosted by Morgan Bost
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-friday-night-tickets-64202408131
SATURDAY: Doors at 9pm, show at 9:45pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-saturday-night-tickets-64203472314

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.
Mia Jackson is a bonafide Georgia peach (that’s Georgian for “native”) and self proclaimed know-it-all. After graduating from the University of Georgia she hit the local comedy scene and has thrilled audiences since day one. To her credit she has appeared on NickMom’s Night Out, Viceland and was a semi-finalist on Season 9 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing. She has appeared on Inside Amy Schumer and the movie Mother’s Day. In 2017, she was named a New Face at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Atlanta’s Creative Loafing named her the city’s Best Stand-Up. Smart, funny, and versatile, Mia entertains all types of crowds. She just filmed her Comedy Central special at the end of January.
Featuring Petey Smith McDowell
Hosted by Morgan Bost
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
ages 18+
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-friday-night-tickets-64202408131
SATURDAY: Doors at 9pm, show at 9:45pm
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mia-jackson-saturday-night-tickets-64203472314

This comedy is often viewed as Shaw’s wittiest play! This is a borderline farce that will stimulate serious thinking about the nature of both romance and war. What is Raina to do when she finds that an enemy soldier has taken refuge in her room? What will her fiancée say? The plot, of course, thickens! Directed by Jim Reid and performed as Readers Theatre as a part of The Autumn Players’ Readers Theatre Showcase Series.
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!
Director Ellen Pappas seeks a cast of 7 (4M, 3W) for this sharp and witty comedy! Auditions are open to all and all audition material is provided at the audition!
By Tom Griffin
Directed by Ellen Pappas
AUDITIONS: September 10, 2019, 10:30 am-2:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: September 27-29, 2019
REHEARSALS: September 12, 17, 19, 24, and 26, 2019 from 10:30-2:30
DIRECTOR SEEKS: 4 M, 3 W
About the show: A renowned writer has it all, fortune, fame, women and adoration, when one excruciating miscalculation causes him to lose everything. As penance he hides away in a small New England town where he runs a bookstore in a shambling farmhouse. Then comes a knock on his door. Can the lost be found? Can the sinner gain redemption?

Set amid the most turbulent social and political period of modern times, Ninth Street Women is the impassioned, wild, sometimes tragic, always exhilarating chronicle of five women who dared to enter the male-dominated world of 20th-century abstract painting—not as muses but as artists. These women changed American art and society, tearing up the prevailing social code and replacing it with a doctrine of liberation. In Ninth Street Women, acclaimed author Mary Gabriel tells a remarkable and inspiring story of the power of art and artists in shaping not just postwar America but the future.
| A mystery novel set in Yonah, N.C.

A born & raised Cincinnati comedian, Ran Barnaclo has proven himself a front runner in the local scene after winning the title of 2017’s Funniest Person in Cincinnati. Ran has also been nominated as ‘Best Comedian’ in Best of Cincinnati’s 2018 locally voted contest.
Ran’s comedy is full of calculated descriptions that have audiences laughing for days. His story telling abilities are so aggressively masterful they can take the crowd out of their seats and into the mind of a tattooed wizard.
Ran has been able to build a fan base at his home club, Go Banana’s Comedy Club; located right outside of Cincinnati. He has shared the stage with national headliners such as Cy Admundson, Sean Patton, Kyle Kinane, and has done CYSK in NYC and The Brew Ha-Ha comedy Festival.
-Anna Mazza
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-ran-barnaclo-tickets-67290350249
Friday Night- 6:30-8:30pm, Full Retreat (9/13 and 9/14)- 9:30am-5:30pm
Based his new book, Drinking from the River of Light, this Mark Nepo workshop will center on the lifelong process of listening, reflecting, and expressing, and on how bearing witness to the truth of living reveals the mysteries of life.
As no one can live without inhaling and exhaling, no one can live without feeling and expressing. The life of expression is how the heart breathes and how our spirit grows in the life that carries it. The life of feeling, dialogue, and writing, whatever form they take—poetry, story, memoir, or reflection—open us to a personal form of expression, a necessary conversation with the Universe that helps us move through obstacles and transitions. As meditation is an ancient art that deepens our relationship to how we breathe, writing and storytelling are ancient arts that deepen our relationship to all that matters. And just as the reward for practicing meditation is not that we’ll become great breathers but that we’ll become clear vessels of life-force, the reward for practicing a personal form of expression is not that we’ll become great writers or great storytellers but that such practice will help us be more resilient and wake closer to life.
In this Mark Nepo workshop, Mark will open a heart space through which participants can discover their own rhythms of expression. Through poetry, stories, and metaphors, Through reflection, journaling, and dialogue, each participant will have the chance to practice listening and expressing. We are constantly being shaped by life into finer instruments of care and expression. The deeper we go, the more attuned we become, and the more we join with everything around us. This workshop will help you to inhabit a personal form of expression, by which you can strengthen your connections and find your way.
Topics in this Mark Nepo workshop include “The Chord in Our Heart,” “What It Means to See,” “Bearing Witness,” “Unraveling the Self,” “Giving and Getting Attention,” “Breaking Surface,” “Understanding Practice,” and “Fitting Things Together.”
Mark Nepo is a poet and philosopher who has taught in the fields of poetry and spirituality for forty years. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, he has published fourteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes: Reduced to Joy (2013), Seven Thousand Ways to Listen which won the 2012 Books for a Better Life Award, Staying Awake (2012), Holding Nothing Back (2012), As Far As the Heart Can See (2011), Finding Inner Courage (2011),and Surviving Has Made Me Crazy (2007), as well as audio books of The Book of Awakening, Finding Inner Courage, and As Far As the Heart Can See (2011). As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.
Save the date for our End of Summer Pop Up Market featuring some of Asheville’s finest artisans. Celebrate our Indian summer with shopping, bubbly, and tasty treats on Saturday, September 14th from 4-6pm!
Atlas Beauty will be hosting a market like no other that will feature local makers including Rachel Weisberg Apparel and Natalie Ray Fine Art, Sleep Swag, and Robin Lee Essentials, among other exciting brands!
Jake Marshall Head is a southern stand-up comedian living in New York City. Jake made his television debut on Fox’s “Laughs.” He has been a regular guest on SiriusXM, and he’s appeared at numerous festivals around the country, including Comedy Central’s South Beach Festival, Laughing Skull Fest, & Seattle International Comedy Competition.
Featuring Mimi J Benfield
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-jake-head-tickets-67294889827
Live music, food, and family fun! Deep River will be performing. The name ‘Deep River’ conjures up thoughts about the natural circle of life, and that’s exactly how one might describe their music—stories of love and loss told in the context of family-style harmonies and danceable rhythms. The Deep River just keeps rolling…
Fri. Sept. 20 – 4pm – 6pm • Sat. Sept. 21 – 10am -2pm
1855 Little River Road, Flat Rock, NC • Studio 52 Education Building
Rehearsals are Mon.-Thurs. 6 – 9pm Oct. 1 – Nov. 7 (Not everyone will be called every day. (Some Saturday TBD) Show runs Nov. 8 – 17
All roles open. All ages encouraged to audition. Roles include humans and animals.
Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign.
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967
Fri. Sept. 20 – 4pm – 6pm • Sat. Sept. 21 – 10am -2pm
1855 Little River Road, Flat Rock, NC • Studio 52 Education Building
Rehearsals are Mon.-Thurs. 6 – 9pm Oct. 1 – Nov. 7 (Not everyone will be called every day. (Some Saturday TBD) Show runs Nov. 8 – 17
All roles open. All ages encouraged to audition. Roles include humans and animals.
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.
Valerie Tosi is a comedian, actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Recent credits include guest stars on IFC’s Stan Against Evil, Netflix’s The Joel McHale Show, and the lead in the feature film The Sex Addict. She features for Dana Gould on the road, and has featured at several comedy festivals including Limestone, Laughing Skull, Out of Bounds, All Jane, etc. Valerie also hosts The Mermaid Comedy Hour, the longest running all female show at The Hollywood Improv. An alumni of both The Second City & iO West, her improv background led to several Buzzfeed videos garnering millions of views including a video with Kevin Hart & Ice Cube. You may have heard her voice literally everywhere as the voice of the Google Home Mini campaign.
Sponsored by BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hair
Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
Friday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-friday-tickets-67297507657
Saturday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-valerie-tosi-saturday-tickets-67299282967


