Calendar of Events

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville will host a virtual film screening of Brave New Films “Suppressed 2020: the Fight to vote”. This documentary covers the story of widespread deliberate voter suppression during the 2018 midterm election in Georgia. Following the film, your Organizer, Edward Peters, will lead a Q&A and discussion on how volunteers are working to counter similar voter suppression strategies in North Carolina this election season.

REGISTER: https://secure.everyaction.com/lGCpXr5dPU668d-o69EY6w2?emci=bfc4b803-9cec-ea11-8b03-00155d0394bb&emdi=c402cfb9-31ee-ea11-99c3-00155d039e74&ceid=40674

It is with a heavy heart that we must deliver the news that the Dirty Dancing Festival is pressing pause on the 2020 event in September and will resume next year. This decision has not been made lightly and has been considered by all angles. Since the announcement from Governor Roy Cooper on June 24, 2020, stating North Carolina will continue in Phase II of regulations and restrictions due to COVID-19, we are choosing to make the commitment of keeping our community, fans and participants safe and healthy during these uncertain times. The Dirty Dancing Festival will resume live on September 24 & 25, 2021!

The festival requires the year-round dedication of our volunteer committee to plan and execute the two-day movie-inspired entertainment hub for thousands of fans to attend. The mission of the Dirty Dancing Festival is to raise awareness and funds towards the two charities we hold dear to our hearts, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Hickory Nut Gorge Chamber of Commerce. This year, we are developing ways for everyone to participate in virtual festival activities throughout 2020. Stay tuned for more information to come!

To the attendees who have already purchased tickets, you will be receiving an email from our team and Eventbrite explaining the options available to you regarding your ticket purchase. To all of you who wish to resume having the time of your life in 2021, tickets will go on sale this fall!

We thank our dedicated fans, annual participants, devoted volunteers and vendors, and loyal supporters for your continuous backing, generosity and passion for the Dirty Dancing Festival to carry on!

COVID-19 Update
At this time the 11th annual Dirty Dancing Festival is still scheduled for September 11-12, 2020 in Lake Lure, NC. The event committee is moving forward with  the planning efforts to successfully host a safe and fun event weekend  and will post news as it becomes available.
We know that there is a lot of uncertainty right now and  hope that everyone is staying safe out there. We are carefully monitoring the situation and keeping up to date with the most recent guidelines set forth as we navigate during the phases of reopening. As new updates are announced and stipulations continue to be put in place, please be aware that  the festival will take place in a modified venue setting.
We are dedicated to providing our fans, small businesses and local communities an environment to bounce back, get outside with love ones, and enjoy an experience together in celebration of our all-time-favorite movie.
We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Watch LIVE AND BECOME on your own on the screening site ChaiFlicks here. ChaiFlicks is $5.99 a month, and all 7 films in the Virtual Israeli Film Series will be available from the site. 

Location: AB Tech Campus-Persistence Drive
No registration required. First come, first serve, no holds, until the lot is full.

Asheville Parks and Recreation has teamed up with AB Tech and Black orthodontics to present Movies in the Parking Lot. The FREE movie begins at dusk on a giant outdoor screen in the Parking Lot at AB Tech parking lot on Persistence Drive.

Asheville Parks and Recreation will offer the community a chance for a safe, entertaining change of scenery with a FREE drive-in screening of the Jumanji, The Next Level. The teens return to the game they thought they had defeated to discover that everything has changed. The group must enact a rescue mission when one of their ranks finds themselves in peril. PG-13. 123 minutes.

The movie will be shown in the AB Tech parking lot in the back of the campus on Persistence Drive.
The lot will open at 7 p.m. and the movie will begin at sunset, approximately 8:45 p.m. No “walk-in” viewers will be admitted. In case of inclement weather, the film will not be shown and the parking lot will be closed. Please visit our facebook page for updates.

ENTER/EXIT TRAFFIC FLOW: We ask that guests enter on Persistence Drive off Victoria Road, and exit to the left on Fernihurst to Victoria.

Food trucks will be on-site with food for purchase, and handwashing stations and portable toilets will be provided. Maintaining six-foot social distancing and mask-wearing are required when viewers visit the food trucks or other facilities. Cars will be parked ten feet apart and viewers are encouraged to remain in their vehicles.

On Thursday, September 17, 2020 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm the Center will discuss the second film in our Reel Spirit Film Project series—The Truman Show (1998), a comedy/drama/science fiction film starring Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, and Laura Linney, and directed by Peter Weir. This movie is an allegory dealing with timeless questions and dilemmas: Is each of us alone? Who is really in control? What or who pulls our strings? Can we break the illusion? If so, what will it take to do so? Join us for a discussion of the life and decisions of Truman Burbank and how these might relate to our own lives.

Find out more on our website here:
https://centersw.org/progams/reel-spirit-movie-project-registration-open-for-the-truman-show-9-17

Join a guided tour of Historic Oakdale Cemetery, Hendersonville’s municipal cemetery which whispers stories of the town’s early days. The famous Italian marble monument which inspired the title of Thomas Wolfe’s novel Look Homeward, Angel is in Oakdale, along with both marked and unmarked graves of historic figures. The heritage of the local African-American community is told in the Black section of the cemetery, while the designated Jewish cemetery reveals how the town grew to embrace ethnic and religious groups through the years. How and why the cemetery was created, names of those who helped build the town and where they were laid to rest, where the Sunshine Lady is buried, and more questions will be answered. The walk will begin at 10 a.m. in the cemetery, two miles west of downtown on U.S. 64 at Valley St. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, space is limited and reservations are required. Participants should wear a cloth face covering. Phone history walk leader Mary Jo Padgett at 828-545-3179 to make a reservation. Private tours for small groups can be arranged anytime.

​Join us for a RARE and unique opportunity to learn DIRECTLY from Hollywood Industry Professionals what they do in their jobs, how they got their positions, and what advice they have for their fellow filmmakers, crew and actors.

Each day will comprise three professionals, currently working in New York and/or Hollywood.  They will each individually discuss their job, how they got started, and have Q&A from participants. Check out the Facebook Event for Ongoing Speaker Announcements!

We are offering this COMPLIMENTARY workshop as a Zoom meeting on  three separate days:

Sunday September 13th, 2020  • Preproduction, 3-6 pm
Sunday September 20th, 2020  • Production, 3-6 pm
Sunday September 27th, 2020  • Postproduction, 3-6 pm

Registration (below) is REQUIRED. Please indicate day(s) of interest. You will get an email Zoom invite to the seminar at least 24 hr prior to the start of the lectures.    Registration is complimentary, but Donations are accepted (and will support your fellow filmmakers and students!).

Hey you guys! Grab your tickets now for our first movie night at Rabbit Rabbit with 80’s classic The Goonies! We will be showing the movie on our giant new outdoor screen! Seating is sold by the table with a $5 ticket cost per person. We have limited availability of the various table sizes. We highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance, this might sell out!
Refreshments available from the AVL Taco Truck and the Rabbit Rabbit bar. No outside food or beverages permitted.
Please note: You’re purchasing the whole table and can bring up to the max number of guests with you, as listed with the table number. We are unable to adjust table sizes or placement on the night of the event. www.etix.com/ticket/p/5980499/the-goonies-outdoor-movie-asheville-rabbit-rabbit

President combines rare archival footage with era-defining live performances: Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock only scratch the surface. Mary Wharton traces how Carter’s genuine approachability became key to his political appeal, and allowed him to connect with voters who may only have known him as a small-town peanut farmer. But even more urgently, it shows us the unifying potential of a leader who believed, in a twist on Dylan’s words, that America could get busy being born, even as it seemed busy dying. — Loren Hammonds

JOIN US IN PERSON:
Sunday, 9/20 at 8:00
Monday, 9/21 at 8:00
Tuesday, 9/22 at 8:00
**Doors Open at 7:30pm**

All tickets are $10 – Tickets Sold Online Only
**Seating will be limited in the taproom following social distancing guidelines
**Limited Concessions will be available at the Winery
**Beer and Wine will be available at the taproom before and throughout the film.
**This will be a 21 and over only show
**For COVID-19 updates and precautions along with more information about the winery go to www.pleburbanwinery.com

President combines rare archival footage with era-defining live performances: Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock only scratch the surface. Mary Wharton traces how Carter’s genuine approachability became key to his political appeal, and allowed him to connect with voters who may only have known him as a small-town peanut farmer. But even more urgently, it shows us the unifying potential of a leader who believed, in a twist on Dylan’s words, that America could get busy being born, even as it seemed busy dying. — Loren Hammonds

JOIN US IN PERSON:
Sunday, 9/20 at 8:00
Monday, 9/21 at 8:00
Tuesday, 9/22 at 8:00
**Doors Open at 7:30pm**

All tickets are $10 – Tickets Sold Online Only
**Seating will be limited in the taproom following social distancing guidelines
**Limited Concessions will be available at the Winery
**Beer and Wine will be available at the taproom before and throughout the film.
**This will be a 21 and over only show
**For COVID-19 updates and precautions along with more information about the winery go to www.pleburbanwinery.com

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Meander through this historic part of town encircling the old Railroad Depot. When the first steam locomotive arrived in Hendersonville on July 4, 1879, crammed with tourists and visitors from the low country of South Carolina, it was the beginning of an exciting era of big-band music, dancing, numerous inns and hotels, much real estate trading, and huge agricultural growth. Money was made and lost, famous musicians and sports figures came calling, delicious food was enjoyed at every inn and boarding house … Hendersonville was in its hey-day from that moment until the financial crash of 1929. This neighborhood boasted many businesses run by Black and white owners. Let’s hear about it. The walk will start at 10 a.m. at the front steps of City Hall, corner of Fifth Avenue E. and King St. . Due to COVID-19 restrictions, space is limited and reservations are required. Participants should wear a cloth face covering. Phone history walk leader Mary Jo Padgett at 828-545-3179 to make a reservation. Private tours for small groups can be arranged anytime.

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

• Sandburg Home Free Tour Days and National Park Fee Free Days (when noted)
  Visitors can enjoy free tours of the Sandburg Home on 10 days in 2020. Five days are also fee free days at all national parks.
• April 11, 2020 (first Saturday of local school spring break)
• April 18, 2020 – First Day of National Park Week (national fee free day)
• June 13, 2020 (Sandburgs’ wedding anniversary)
• August 25, 2020 – National Park Service Birthday (national fee free day)
• September 26, 2020 – National Public Lands Day (national fee free day)
• October 17, 2020 (Park Anniversary)
• November 11, 2020 – Veterans Day
• December 26, 2020 (Saturday after Christmas)

Last year, our own Chris Joyell, Director of the Asheville Design Center guided us on a walking tour of downtown Asheville. This year, we’re touring Asheville on bikes. We’re teaming up with The Flying Bike Tours to take out a fleet of electric bikes. We will still pass through downtown, where Chris will share his extensive knowledge about Asheville’s urban core, including stories of how redlining has shaped our city and what the future could hold for Asheville. With the bikes, we will expand our range, pedaling through the River Arts District and the Southside, experiencing the highlights (and lowlights) of Asheville’s bike infrastructure. We will stop frequently to hear from Chris about the history of development in these areas and what the future might look like in these places.

The bike rental includes a helmet and the bikes have a basket with a waterproof cover to store your belongings while riding. We encourage folks to bring water and snacks, wear close-toed shoes, and dress appropriately for the weather (sunscreen, raincoat, sunglasses/hat etc.). We do recommend that folks have prior experience riding a bike, the transition from a normal bike to an electric one is easy, but they do require some knowledge of how to ride. If you’re not in professional biker shape, don’t worry! The electric bikes are much easier to ride than a normal bike. Uphills are a breeze.

All participants will be required to agree to our COVID-19 event guidelines listed below and again agree to comply with the policies on the day of the event in addition to signing our standard wavier.

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

​Join us for a RARE and unique opportunity to learn DIRECTLY from Hollywood Industry Professionals what they do in their jobs, how they got their positions, and what advice they have for their fellow filmmakers, crew and actors.

Each day will comprise three professionals, currently working in New York and/or Hollywood.  They will each individually discuss their job, how they got started, and have Q&A from participants. Check out the Facebook Event for Ongoing Speaker Announcements!

We are offering this COMPLIMENTARY workshop as a Zoom meeting on  three separate days:

Sunday September 13th, 2020  • Preproduction, 3-6 pm
Sunday September 20th, 2020  • Production, 3-6 pm
Sunday September 27th, 2020  • Postproduction, 3-6 pm

Registration (below) is REQUIRED. Please indicate day(s) of interest. You will get an email Zoom invite to the seminar at least 24 hr prior to the start of the lectures.    Registration is complimentary, but Donations are accepted (and will support your fellow filmmakers and students!).

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

GHOSTED: COMEDY WALKING TOUR

COVID has postponed our bus tours, but it won’t stop us from laughing! Our brand new experience is an up tempo theatrical walking tour of haunted Asheville. You and 13 others will depart from the LaZoom Room and follow an undead guide through Asheville’s creepy streets in search of window into the past. Along the way, we’ll encounter real ghosts that will have you jumping out of your skin. Not really! Or really? Take the tour and find out!

Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.

Grab your tickets now for our second showing of The Bride movie this Tuesday at Rabbit Rabbit! We will be showing the movie on our giant new outdoor screen. Seating is sold by the table with a $5 ticket cost per person. We have limited availability of the various table sizes. We highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance, this might sell out!

Refreshments available from the AVL Taco Truck and the Rabbit Rabbit bar plus some movie night treats including popcorn, candy bars, and fresh cotton candy! No outside food or beverages permitted.

Please note: You’re purchasing the whole table and can bring up to the max number of guests with you, as listed with the table number. We are unable to adjust table sizes or placement on the night of the event.