Calendar of Events

Spirit Fest Turns 30! Online ticket sales coming soon.

Spirit Fest 2022 returns to The Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Sunday September 4, 2022!  This year is a celebration of three decades of presenting gospel music in the Upstate of SC.

We celebrate “Shining 30 Years of Hope, Love, and Light to our Families, Faith, and Communities.”

Performing at Spirit Fest this year is Tye Tribbett, Tamela Mann, Bishop William Murphy, Tim Rogers, Roy and Revelation, Kelontae Gavin, and the Gospel Legends! More information to come on other Spirit Fest activities and artists to the 30^th celebration!

Tickets go on sale Thursday May 5, 2022 at the GSP International Airport Box Office at the Arena and Ticketmaster.com. Early bird tickets will be available through June 17.

A WNC PREMIERE! by Catherine Bush Directed by Rodney Smith Opening 8/19/2022 – 9/17/2022

Asheville’s Static Age Records will host Shared Walls ATX along with local bands: The Discs and John Kirby and the New Seniors. Shared Walls, Austin based garage band will be touring the southeast from 8/18 to 9/9 to promote their new album. The band is set to release new music by August 2022. Listeners can find music, merch, and more information through Shared Walls Spotify or the RIP Records Bandcamp (Tallahassee).

Join Blue Ridge Pride Center for their12th annual Blue Ridge Pride Pageant honoring Jasmine Summers Miss Blue Ridge Pride 2019 and featuring Annatomical, Ida Carolina, Natasha Noir Nightly and Coco Couture.

Those who donate with The Blood Connection, the non-profit community blood center, are directly impacting the lives of people in this community; people like children battling cancer, or a neighbor suffering from Sickle Cell Disease.  Those people rely on community blood donors every day to ensure lifesaving blood products needed for treatments are available in local hospitals.  That is why TBC is partnering with local and national organizations to shed light on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

Both causes have a close tie to blood centers, as blood products are vital for the treatment and management of these diseases.  TBC’s September campaign will give community members an opportunity to double their donation by donating blood to the community and donating their reward points to organizations that support childhood cancer and sickle cell patients.

TBC is also looking for organizations, companies, and groups to host blood drives to benefit these causes.
Blood drive coordinators can pick local chapters and organizations, and TBC will make a monetary donation
per donor. To speak with a TBC representative about hosting a blood drive in September, go to
thebloodconnection.org/host and fill out the form.

MrMaple Summer Festival, 8am-12pm both days, The MrMaple greenhouses will be open to the public for 2 days only over Labor
Day Weekend, This is the only chance you have to see the greenhouses, view the huge selection of Japanese maples and other
plants including conifers, azalea, flowering shrubs & trees, dogwoods, redbuds and more, Free, MrMaple Gardens, East Flat
Rock, 828-226-5684, MrMaple.com

The WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers & food producers to household & wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food & heritage.

House of Operation:

WNC Farmers Market: 24/7, 361 days a year market access for farmers
Office: Monday- Friday, 8am-5pm
Market Shops: 7 days a week, 8 am-5 pm
Wholesale and Truck Sheds: 7 days a week

In this exciting week-long, half-day summer theatre program, young artists will explore the foundations of musical theatre! With a fun combination of training, rehearsal, and performance, students will hone their skills in acting, singing, and dance, applying these skills in a short, informal musical revue presented at the end of the week for a small audience. This week is perfectly suited for imaginative students who love music and movement, are excited to collaborate with peers and professionals, and interested in expanding their theatre skill set. No previous experience required. Every program covers new material. Space is limited.

Bender Gallery is excited to present “A Clear Choice,” a solo exhibition of stunning abstract sculptures by internationally recognized master glass artist Karsten Oaks. “A Clear Choice” opens on Saturday, September 3rd with an artist’s reception with Oaks present from 6 – 9 PM, and runs through September 25th. Using specialized optical glass, Oaks creates sculptures that bend light and color via their unique forms. Reminiscent of graffiti marks, his forms are instantly recognizable and are made with meticulous perfection. When viewing, a discernible object often appears from a momentary perspective creating a vision that allows the viewer to connect on a more personal level with the piece. This mystery inspires a deeply personal relationship between viewer and object and sets Oaks’ work apart from that of his contemporaries. We hope to see you there!

Mon – Sat 10 – 6 Sun 12 – 5

The Garden Helpline is open March 2 through October 27 in 2022.

Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteers will be staffing the Helpline as indicated in the schedule below. You may send an email or leave a voicemail at any time and an Extension Master Gardener volunteer will respond during Garden Helpline hours. When emailing, please include a photo if it helps describe your garden question. Soil test kits can be picked up at the Extension office, 24/7, located in a box outside the front door.

Two ways to contact the Garden Helpline
Call 828-255-5522
Email questions and photos to [email protected]

Garden Helpline Hours
March:  Monday 12:00 – 2:00; Wednesday 10:00 – 12:00
April – September:  Monday and Wednesday 10:00- 2:00; Tuesday 10:00-12:00;
Thursday 12:00-2:00
October:  Tuesday 10:00-12:00; Thursday 12:00-2:00

We are here to help and support you! Please contact us; we look forward to answering your gardening questions.

40th Annual Henderson County Gem & Mineral Show, 10am-6pm, The Annual Henderson County Gem and Mineral Show
features minerals, gemstones, jewelry and fossils, demonstrations of lapidary arts and working jewelry crafters, as well as hourly
door prizes, Admission $5 | under age 12 is free, Whitmire Activity Center, Hendersonville, HCGMS.com

The NC Apple Festival will be held on Main Street in downtown Hendersonville, NC over each Labor Day Weekend. It’s a LABOR DAY TRADITION.

YWCA of Asheville is a nonprofit organization working to bridge gaps in education, health, childcare, and earning power for women and families in the Asheville region. The mission of the YWCA of Asheville is to eliminate racism; empower women; and promote peace,  justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

The YWCA indoor pool hosts a comprehensive Aquatics Program with activities for all ages, abilities, and interests.

Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities 

• Join the fun in the pool as a swim assistant. Help children and adults learn the basics of floating, kicking, breathing, and diving.
• Support the Aquatics Program with behind-the-scenes administrative work or on-the-deck supervising

Time Commitment

• Flexible time commitment

Volunteer Requirements

• Background check

“LIFE ART LIFE William Bernstein 50 year retrospective” exhibition August 6-October 9, 2022 at the Toe River Arts’ Kokol Gallery, Spruce Pine, NC, features the paintings and glass of this artist who has been on the forefront of the studio glass movement.

Graduating 1968 from the Philadelphia College of Arts and just married, Bernstein moved to Penland School of Crafts to be their second glass resident artist from 1968-70. He was a co-founder of the Glass Arts Society (GAS) that formed to bring together the glass community so people could work together and learn from each other. Receiving numerous awards, fellowships and grants, he has exhibited internationally and has artwork in many private and public collections. Bernstein has lived most of his professional life in the rural Celo community of Yancey, North Carolina along with his family and artist wife, Katherine Bernstin. This retrospective provides a great opportunity for one to imagine a life surrounded by art.

This has been not only been a year-long process of curating pieces for an exhibit, but a lifetime of making art that connects with all things about one’s life. Bernstein’s work in glass and paint showcases just that: his family, his pets, friends, his environs, his moods and so much more. A life well-lived in creating art. More on Bernstein Glass www.bernsteinglass.com

William Warmus (A Fellow and former curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum), writes for the exhibition catalog, “Bernstein is a minimalist whose style is based upon the dedication to the concepts of honesty, modesty, and humility. It has a feel of its surroundings and of the people of the region.”

The Toe River Arts Kokol Gallery is located at 269 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine, NC 28777. The exhibition dates: August 6 – October 9, 2022. Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 10:30 – 5:00 pm. 828-765-0520, www.toeriverarts.org

Public receptions on Fridays: August 12 and October 7, both 5:00-7:00 PM. Artist gallery talk Friday, August 12, 4:00 pm. The exhibition travels to Cary Arts Center November 30 – January 21, 2023.

Coinciding with the United Nations’ Year 2022 as the Year of Glass and the 60th Anniversary of the Studio Glass Movement, this has been made possible by Toe River Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Cary Art Center, Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass, the Blumenthal Foundation, and Mountain Electronics in Micaville, NC.

Jessie B. Telfair, Freedom Quilt, 1983, cotton with pencil, 74 × 68 inches. Collection American Folk Art Museum, NY, gift of Judith Alexander in loving memory of her sister, Rebecca Alexander, 2004.9.1. © Estate of Jessie. B. Telfair, image Gavin Ashworth.

American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection showcases over 80 stellar works of folk and self-taught art including assemblages, needlework, paintings, pottery, quilts, and sculpture. Organized by the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will be on view in the Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall at the Asheville Art Museum from June 18 through September 5, 2022. Everyone has stories to tell from both the private and mutual experiences encountered throughout their lifetime. American folk and self-taught artists capture these stories in powerful visual narratives that offer firsthand testimonies to chapters in the unfolding story of America from its inception to the present. Beautiful, diverse, and truthful; the art illuminates the thoughts and experiences of individuals with an immediacy that is palpable and unique to these expressions. These artworks held meaning in the makers’ worlds filtered through their own perceptions. The artworks are organized into four sections—Founders, Travelers, Philosophers, and Seekers—that respond to such themes as nationhood, freedom, community, imagination, opportunity, and legacy. Evocative visual juxtapositions and accessible contextual information further reveal the vital role that folk art plays as a witness to history, carrier of cultural heritage, and a reflection of the world at large through the eyes, heart, and mind of the artist. “While the Asheville Art Museum exhibits many folk and self-taught artists, most are local to the Southeast,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “American Perspectives adds a national voice to the conversation by adding New England, Midwestern, Southwestern, and West Coast artworks that the Museum could never achieve alone. The amount of creative output from folk and self-taught artists was (and still is) on a national level and this exhibition helps to put that into a clear context. Traveling to Asheville from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York, this exhibition will complement and expand the Museum’s ongoing conversations around American history and storytelling through works of art.” This exhibition has been organized by the American Folk Art Museum, NY, with support provided by Art Bridges. Originally curated for installation at the American Folk Art Museum February 11, 2020–January 3, 2021 by Stacy C. Hollander, independent curator. Tour coordinated by Emelie Gevalt, Curator of Folk Art and Curatorial Chair for Collections, the American Folk Art Museum.

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge features a selection of functional silver works by Dodge drawn from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator, this exhibition will be on view in the Debra McClinton Gallery at the Museum from February 23 through October 17, 2022.

William Waldo Dodge Jr. (Washington, DC 1895–1971 Asheville, NC) moved to Asheville in 1924 as a trained architect and a newly skilled silversmith. When he opened for business promoting his handwrought silver tableware, including plates, candlesticks, flatware (spoons, forks, and knives), and serving dishes, he did so in a true Arts and Crafts tradition. The aesthetics of the style were dictated by its philosophy: an artist’s handmade creation should reflect their hard work and skill, and the resulting artwork should highlight the material from which it was made. Dodge’s silver often displayed his hammer marks and inventive techniques, revealing the beauty of these useful household goods.

The Arts and Crafts style of England became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Asheville was an early adopter of the movement because of the popularity and abundance of Arts and Crafts architecture in neighborhoods like Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and the area around The Grove Park Inn. The title of this exhibition was taken from the famous quotation by one of the founding members of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, who said, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Not only did Dodge follow this suggestion; he contributed to American Arts and Crafts silver’s relevancy persisting almost halfway into the 20th century.

“It has been over 15 years since the Museum exhibited its collection of William Waldo Dodge silver and I am looking forward to displaying it in the new space with some new acquisitions added,” said Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?

Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.

Bounty & Soul is a community-based non-profit with a mission to connect people to food, education and each other. 

Like to get creative and crafty? Enjoy preparing fun educational games for children? We invite you to be a part of this small, sweet, and  intentional shift that directly supports our Kids Programming. We are looking to have 1-2 folks join us Mondays from 1:30-3:30pm at the Bounty & Soul office. We’re talking bubbles, meditation pin wheels, produce fortune tellers, mini-cook books, exercise games and more!

Requirements: 

• Must agree to adhere to all safety measures implemented at the site
• A positive attitude to bring to the group
• A passion for sharing information on children’s health and wellbeing
• Excellent customer service and communication skills

Health/Safety:

• We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face covering when delivering items
  • Cloth covering nose and mouth
  • Fabric or disposable face mask
• Asking volunteers to maintain physical distance of 6 feet or more when possible
  • Note: there are times when the volunteer task requires volunteers to engage closer than 6 feet. Please do not sign up if you feel uncomfortable.

Hosted by: The Buddhist Studies Institute

FREE – ONLINE – 30 MINUTES – DAILY
🌺Guided meditation support and community🌺

🌸Stabilization and Liberation:
In order to liberate our minds– we need stable calm.

🌸Consistency & Commitment:
Stabilizing in calm clear presence takes consistent training.

🌸Support & Community:
Daily Meditation is a container and support for your meditation focus.

Expand your meditation circle- join us online any day or every day!

Formerly known as 100 Days of practice to support a Tibetan Yogis tradition to practice 100 days in the winter, this has now been expanded to continue daily. To learn more and register: https://buddhiststudiesinstitute.org/daily-meditation/

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 4:30pm – 7:30pm; Saturdays 10:00am-2:00pm (when called)

The Company is an individualized pre-professional performing arts conservatory for intermediate/advanced artists in Middle and High School who are committed to deepening their performing arts education in American Musical Theatre.

The Company at the APAA is an individualized pre-professional/pre-collegiate performing arts conservatory, for artists committed to deepening their performing arts education in American Musical Theatre.

The Company program is for rising 6th-12th graders who show a love for being on stage. This conservatory program offers weekly classes in Dance, Acting, and Music. The Company students also put on a fully produced musical and attend theatrical performances/conferences.

Please note, students must apply and be accepted into the program before Registering.

Ever wonder how a stage production comes together? In our Youth Production Classes, students work with directors, an artistic team, and their fellow students to learn and perform an exciting full-length play or musical. Our fall YPC session features A Wrinkle in Time, a fantasy drama about the bonds of family and the power of love through time and space. Based on the much-loved Newbery Medal winning novel of the same name.

Registration begins on Wednesday, July 13, 2022. Tuition will be $350.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available. 

Student Ages: 11-13
Classes/Rehearsals: Aug 22-Oct 5 | Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:30-6:00 PM
Tech Week: Oct 10-13 | Monday through Thursday | 4:30-6:30 PM
Performances: Saturday, Oct 15 at 2:30 PM and Sunday, Oct 16 at 6:30 PM

NOTE: If applying for a scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship Application INSTEAD of filling out a registration. If your application is approved, we will be in touch with you to register.

Join us every Monday night for Singo (Musical Bingo)!

Singo will run from 7-8:15 pm.

No reservations needed, just get ready for a good time and a chance to win some Down Dog prizes!

September Mourning is a dark culture fantasy based on a graphic novel(Top Cow/Image Comics) created by singer, Emily Lazar (September) and comic legend, Marc Silvestri. Over the past year, the band has released three singles (Wake The Dead, Kill This Love, Falling Awake) through standard media platforms and a new single (Dirty) exclusively through a generative project collaboration with NFT Media Box (September’s Monsters). This generative drop is the follow-up to NFTs that Lazar minted and released in early 2021.

Lazar and September Mourning hold the prestigious accomplishment of being the first female-fronted hard rock/metal band to successfully mint and sell NFTs, reaching #17 on the Opensea.io music charts. In 2022, September Mourning will partner with Crypto.com to release Soul Collection NFT Cards and Async.art to release a generative/programmable project.