Join us on a walking tour of the Foundy in the River Arts District where we learn about the only existing Street Art Gallery in Asheville and all the artists who have created graffiti and mural installations that have made our town an urban art destination.

THRIVE | Coworking provides a purpose-driven, socially engaged environment for freelancers, entrepreneurs and enterprises of all sizes, combining design-forward style and thoughtful amenities with philanthropy and community involvement. It’s a remote workspace for the contemporary, hybrid workforce set in vibrant, walkable neighborhoods and offering a curated culture that features scheduled events, 24/7/365 access, and monthly catered breakfasts, lunches and happy hours. Members have access to all THRIVE locations around the Southeast and Midwest, as well as workspaces around the country and internationally through reciprocal use of LExC coworking spaces. And THRIVE is on track to open 500 locations throughout North America in the next five years.

THRIVE | Coworking, a stylish, community-focused workspace for freelancers, entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes, is celebrating its Grove Arcade Grand Opening! Join in the festivities on August 17th — there will be plenty of food, catered by Huli Sue’s, as well as drinks, including the Grove Tonic, a cocktail created just for THRIVE’s opening in honor of Grove Arcade Founder E.W. Grove and his namesake “Chill Tonic.” You will also be able to tour the space and get a first-hand peek at this hybrid-work operation, which features private offices as well as shared workspaces, and have the opportunity to win some great prizes, too. We are also running a special deal for attendees on membership! THRIVE offers a curated workplace experience for a healthier work/life balance, featuring monthly events and networking opportunities, including monthly catered breakfasts, lunches and happy hours. Come check it out! If you’re tired of a long commute or working from a cramped kitchen table … this is your working solution.

The event is located in suite 280 on the 2nd floor of the Grove Arcade. The elevators are located at the center of the building. Parking is limited to around the Grove Arcade + nearby streets.

Asheville’s only and original DRAG QUEEN BAR CRAWL!
Experience Asheville’s one-of-a-kind Drag Queen Bar Crawl, a unique fundraiser supporting local non-profit organizations. “Beer Flight” offers an unparalleled opportunity to discover the vibrant craft brewery scene of Beer City while enjoying the delightful company of our hilarious drag queen flight attendant. Perfect for special occasions, including birthdays, weddings, and even divorce parties, this event promises a memorable and enjoyable experience for all fans of drag and beer alike. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to support local non-profits and have a blast doing it!

The two-hour tour promises a side-splittingly funny experience, featuring:

• The beer! The drag queen! FUN!
• 2-3 Flights of craft beer/seltzer/wine/sours ($45 value)
• Souvenir sticker ($5 value)
• Mid-flight snack (priceless!)
• VIP seats at an after-party event*
• No cover and no waiting at venues
• Photo ops with your drag queen guide
• See FAQs at the bottom of this page
• *After-party not available on all tours; ask!

Prepare for takeoff as Bearded Lady Productions presents a first-class “beer flight” bar crawl tour featuring the company of a hilarious drag queen wannabe flight attendant. You won’t want to miss this two-hour tour, where you’ll get to enjoy fine brews, seltzers, wines, and sours from multiple iconic downtown breweries, all while being entertained by a fabulous drag queen leading the way. Tickets for the first-class “beer flight” tour include the tour itself, all beverages along the route, fun surprises, and other perks. Seating is limited, so book your tickets now at https://www.AshevilleDragBrunch.com. You won’t want to miss this chance to experience the best of Asheville’s craft brewing scene while being entertained by a top-notch fabulous queen.

The tour has multiple dates and most tours end with VIP seats at a 2-hour special event, drag karaoke or drag music bingo. And don’t worry if a real airplane is not available for the tour, as the one-mile trip will be on foot. But that won’t stop you from experiencing the high-flying adventure that “Beer Flight” has planned for you. The after-party event is not available on all tours, so be sure to ask about it when booking your ticket. This is the perfect way to spend an afternoon or evening, so grab your friends and get ready for an unforgettable experience. The sky’s the limit with this unique first-class experience!

Upon arrival at one of Asheville’s premier craft breweries, guests will be greeted by a world-class drag queen who will serve as their stewardess for the night. As guests wait for the “flight” to board, they will have the opportunity to mingle with their fellow passengers. The tour will then take off, with the drag queen leading the way through the vibrant streets of Asheville. Although a real airplane may not be available, all seats are first-class and drinks are included. Guests will be treated like royalty, with no cover and no waiting at the breweries along the route, and a guided tasting of each flight.

Queer Music Exploration – Students will explore guitar, bass, drums, singing and piano with a focus on learning music by artists from the LGBTQ+ community. Students will have the chance to interact with their peers and share their experiences through music.

Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! ArborEvenings runs Thursdays and most Fridays through September 30, 2022 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

There is no additional cost to attend ArborEvenings beyond our standard parking fee. As always, Arboretum Society members and their accompanying guests can enter for FREE (guests must be in member vehicles to receive free entry). Proceeds from ArborEvenings help support the The North Carolina Arboretum Society and further advance the Arboretum’s mission.

Beverage Service

Beer, Wine, and soft drinks will be for sale onsite at the Green Gardener’s Shed from 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. each night of the event. Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited, but guests are welcome to bring in water or a favorite non-alcoholic beverage.

Food Available for Pre-Order, Picnics Welcome

Although the Bent Creek Bistro will not be open during the event, they will be offering their delicious dining options at ArborEvenings via pre-order! Simply place your online order — including alcoholic beverages — up until 11 a.m. on the date you plan to attend, then pick up your order at the Baker Information Desk between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. (In the event of rain cancellation, pre-orders will be fully refunded.)

Guests are welcome to bring in outside food and non-alcoholic beverages. However, outside alcohol is strictly prohibited. 

Find more information here. 

Please join us at The 2nd Act in Hendersonville, NC for our first monthly book club meeting that strives to read books that create a closer knit and more inclusive community! We will meet virtually and in person monthly to discuss a book, so read the book and then join in the discussion in person or online every third Thursday. All are welcome! At the end of each meeting we will vote on the next book! The virtual club meeting will be in Zoom format and will meet 2.5 hours after the in-person meeting (8:00pm EST). After the meeting there is live acoustic music so stay and enjoy the vibe with your new friends! Put us down on your calendar for every third Third Thursday!

The first book is going to be called Disability Visibility.

Synopsis from the back cover: One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent—but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Now, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people.

From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love. Preview:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51456746-disability-visibility
Message me for the Zoom link to the online meetup. Thanks!

ATTENTION! We will be meeting on August 17th at 5:30 AT A NEW VENUE! We are meeting at Guidon Brewing, 415 8th Ave. E. Hendersonville, NC 28792. It has free parking that is plentiful and it is quiet on Thursday in the early evening. https://guidonbrewing.com/

We’ll be discussing Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.

Thank you to all who attended July 20 meeting! It was great to meet so many newcomers. Thank you to Mike and Debbie who graciously offered to help me with some admin stuff. They will help add emails to the spreadsheet so that communication will become better via email.

Rhythm & Brews Concert Series

May 18: Hawktail [[Bluegrass/Americana/String]] with Holler Choir [[Americana/String]]

June 15:  Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights [[Blues Rock/Southern Rock]] with Carolina Drifters [[Southern Rock]]

July 20: The Stooges Brass Band [[New Orleans Brass Band]] with Zydeco Ya Ya [[Zydeco/Cajun Swing]]

August 17: Fireside Collective [[Progressive Bluegrass]] with The Roving [[ Americana/Indie/Rock]]

September 21: Melissa Carper [[Americana/Western Swing]] with Angela Easterling & The Beguilers [[Singer/Songwriter]]

Beer & Wine Garden

Adults can sip Henderson County beverages from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Bold Rock Hard Cider, Guidon Brewing Co., Oklawaha Brewing Co., Dry Falls Brewery, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards, and Flat Rock Cider Company. 

All net proceeds from adult beverage sales will benefit the Friends of Downtown Hendersonville 501c3 nonprofit serving the Downtown Program, whose mission is to identify, preserve and enhance the key factors that contribute to the authentic small town urban character of historic downtown Hendersonville. 

Kids love Rhythm & Brews, too!  

For the youngest in the family, the Hendersonville Honeycrisps & the Hendersonville Toy Company Kid Zone will provide kid-friendly fun, including hula-hooping and activities provided by Hands On! Children’s Museum.

Camp chairs and picnic blankets are welcome. Please leave coolers and pets at home. 

R&B Super Fan Package  – LIMITED QUANTITIES REMAIN – Purchase here!

The R&B Super Fan Tent provides an enhanced experience with an exclusive, shaded viewing area including beer, wine, and refreshments. Individuals can become R&B Super Fans by purchasing a season package sponsorship for $200 per show. The package includes two sponsor tent tickets to each show and two R&B season t-shirts. By becoming a R&B Super Fan, you are supporting our 501c3 nonprofit organization Friends of Downtown Hendersonville. Your support will not only help sustain R&B, but all our other events as well, including Garden Jubilee, Hendersonville Farmers Market, the Bearfootin’ Art Walk, and more. The Super Fan Sponsor Tent is sponsored by B Squared Realty.

Volunteer

Looking for a fun volunteer opportunity? Lending your time at Rhythm & Brews is a great way to meet new people and get involved in a community event. Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form to get started. 

The Inclement Weather Policy is to delay each act by 30 minutes before moving onto the next act. If the headlining act is unable to perform by 8 p.m. the show will be cancelled. Follow the weather decisions on our Facebook page. 

Please leave your pets and coolers at home.  

Based on The Buncombe County Name Game Book by Mary McPhail Standaert, PhD. Over 300 posts written and distributed serially during the year of COVID-19. Mary will take participants on a journey through Asheville and the Swannanoa Valley using vintage postcards from her and her husband Joe’s vast collection

Enjoy an evening of live music in the Museum’s Windgate Foundation Atrium featuring Jessie Meltz and her harp. Jessie enjoys using her wide repertoire to provide her audiences with an eclectic musical experience. The harp is capable of playing far more than classical music and she often surprises those listening with song choices ranging from those familiar classical standards to pop and rock and roll favorites. You will be amazed to hear all the musical possibilities of the harp! Top off your evening with the stroll through the galleries and enjoy a light fare at the Museum’s Perspective Café.

Please join Eliada Homes at our free-to-attend annual Farm-to-Fork Dinner & Social event! Mingle with Asheville business leaders, eat great farm-fresh food, go on a tour of our farm, and enjoy a Silent Auction throughout the dinner. Eliada Homes’ mission is Helping Children Succeed, and we reach over 400 children and youth annually across our Foster Care, Residential Treatment, affordable childcare, and other programs (more information on our website www.eliada.org).

This event is FREE TO ATTEND, but please RSVP using this form (https://forms.office.com/r/txEiGykBDw), or contact Dillon Rubalcava at [email protected] or (828)-254-5356 ext. 308.

• Live Music, 6:00 p.m. and $8 specialty martinis all day at Leo’s Italian Social

Let’s get together for fantastic views, delightful conversation, tasty cocktails and yummy nibbles at a new roof top bar in downtown Asheville .

COMING! Sheila Kay Adams with Donna Ray Norton and William Ritter in a special evening performance on the Pavilion.
Sheila Kay Adams is the seventh-generation bearer of her family’s two-hundred-year-old ballad-singing tradition, and is the mother and teacher of the eighth generation.

One of the best-known living ballad singers in North Carolina, as well as a fine old-time banjo player, she has recorded prolifically and performed at many dozens of venues and festivals in the United States and Great Britain.

Adams won the 1997 North Carolina Society of Historians’ Clark Cox Historical Fiction Award, and received the North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award for outstanding contributions to the folklore of her home state.

In 2013, Sheila Kay Adams received the National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The North Carolina Arts Council honored her with the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award in 2015.

We invite you to spend a couple hours listening to Sheila Kay Adams and her friends Donna Ray Norton, considered a new generation balladeer and William Ritter, a long-time Orchard musician who plays many instruments and with a story for each.The three take to the stage and perform a night of traditional Appalachian ballads (including a story or two) in this second of a series of evening Orchard “fun”draising events. Support our mission by supporting our music program.

This exhibition tour focuses on the Museum’s Collection of American art of the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring the connection between art and artists of WNC/Southern Appalachia and the US at large. Intersections of American Art presents three themes loosely derived from and inspired by Black Mountain College. Many objects reflect Time & Place in which artists created them, capturing a particular moment, a national mood, or geographical location. Other artists took risks through Experiments in Material & Form, using non-traditional art materials or questioning what defines a painting, sculpture, photograph, or other art form. Some artworks are enriched by Collaboration & Interdisciplinary Dialogue, in which multiple artists worked together or partnered with musicians, scientists, or other professionals in the creative process. This exhibition is organized and curated by the Asheville Art Museum. Major support for this project is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. This project is also funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Join us for our monthly meeting!

Concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to each show. The 2023 series is made possible by the following sponsors: Pisgah AVL, Mark Kleive DDS, Cup of Jomo, Dough House, LEAF Global Arts, Greybeard Realty, Four Sisters Bakery, Acoustic Corner, The Red Radish, and Sarah Sunshine Pottery.

Our jazz trio with Thommy Knoles on keys, Felix Pastorius on bass, and Paul Gladstone on drums will perform an opening set from about 7-8:15 pm.

An open jam session follows. Drop-ins are welcome and encouraged for a suggested donation of $10.

Jazz Jam will feature a diverse array of music from jazz’s rich history, ranging from 1940s bebop up to 1970s jazz fusion, as well as material from prominent present-day composers. Bring your instruments and jam with us, or just come and enjoy!

Hosted by Freeburg Pianos, the Local Legends discussion series provides attendees with insight into notable personalities in Western North Carolina. Led by Asheville author and arts/entertainment journalist Bill Kopp, Local Legends is a 90-minute conversation, held at the Freeburg Pianos MasterWorks Theatre in Hendersonville, N.C. The August 17 event features noted music business figure Bob Hinkle.

Founder of the White Horse Black Mountain music hall in Black Mountain, Bob Hinkle is a longtime music industry figure whose experience reaches most every corner of the business, including working closely with The Band during the era that yielded their classic album Rock of Ages.

But that’s merely one of many historically significant pieces of Hinkle’s work in music. He got his start as a musician here in WNC, eventually forming a group; recording an album; going solo and releasing another album; working for Dylan’s notorious manager Albert Grossman; serving as head of A&R for a record label; becoming an artist manager himself, and managing several high-profile artists including Harry Chapin, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, The J. Geils Band and more. And even all that is only part of the story; Bob Hinkle went on to a VP position at a major label, overseeing one of its popular divisions.

After he did all that, Bob Hinkle could have moved back to the mountains and taken a quiet retirement. Instead he did half of that – leaving New York City – and soon after settling in WNC, he opened White Horse Black Mountain, hosting some of the most compelling local, regional and nationally touring musical artists and developing a solid reputation as one of the Carolinas’ best venues to play and hear music.

Those who have met Bob or seen him onstage introducing shows at White Horse may know bits and pieces of his background. But the Local Legends discussion series presents an opportunity to hear much more about Hinkle’s fascinating life in music, from Black Mountain to The Band to beyond and back again.

Join host Bill Kopp at Freeburg Pianos in Hendersonville for an evening in discussion with Bob Hinkle about his life in music. We’ll listen to key tracks that figure into his story, and invite questions from the audience.

Matisyahu and G. Love & Special Sauce will be performing LIVE on the Outdoor Stage at Salvage Station on Thursday, August 17th with special guest Cydeways! Doors open at 6:00 PM and the music starts at 7:00 PM. This is an ALL AGES show, with General Admission and VIP Packages available for this event! Check out your options below! This is a LARGE EVENT, so please read our FAQs to learn more about parking options and our shuttle service.

Root Down will be serving their delicious twist on Southern Soul food and we’ll have a few rotating food trucks on-site as well! There will also be MULTIPLE full bars open for you to enjoy!

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz are Brevard’s newest and most exciting and entertaining jazz band with a sound that combines the funkiness of George Benson, the soulfulness of Ray Charles and the smoothness of Diana Krall all wrapped together in big Count Basie style arrangements of American and Latin jazz classics. If you are looking for an amazing live jazz experience then check out the hottest jazz band in the coolest city in North Carolina performing every Thursday at The DFR Lounge from 7pm to 9pm

Rachel Watson longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love. Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated. Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and DreamWorks film.

*Adult language and content. Parental discretion advised.

So much happened before Dorothy dropped in.

WICKED, the Broadway sensation, looks at what happened in the Land of Oz…but from a different angle.  Long before Dorothy arrives, there is another young woman, born with emerald-green skin—smart, fiery, misunderstood, and possessing an extraordinary talent. When she meets a bubbly blonde who is exceptionally popular, their initial rivalry turns into the unlikeliest of friendships…until the world decides to call one “good” and the other one “wicked.”

From the first electrifying note to the final breathtaking moment, WICKED—the untold true story of the Witches of Oz—transfixes audiences with its wildly inventive story that USA Today cheers is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry, and think.”

The Indomitable Little Feat

Little Feat is the classic example of a fusion of many styles and musical genres made into something utterly distinctive.  Their brilliant  musicianship transcends boundaries, uniting California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly, and New Orleans swamp boogie into a rich gumbo, that has been leading people in joyful dance ever since.

It began in 1969 when Frank Zappa was smart enough to fire Lowell George from the Mothers of Invention and tell him to go start a band of his own.  Soon after, Lowell connected with Bill Payne, which stirred up sparks.  They then found drummer Richie Hayward.

They were quickly signed by Warner Bros. and began working on the first of twelve albums with that venerable company.  The first album, Little Feat, featured the instant-classic tune “Willin’,” and the follow-up Sailin’ Shoes added “Easy to Slip,” “Trouble,” “Tripe Face Boogie,” “Cold Cold Cold” and the title track to their repertoire.  Paul Barrére, Kenny Gradney (bass), and Sam Clayton (percussion), joined up, and the latter two remain rock-solid members of Little Feat’s rhythm section.

1973’s Dixie Chicken gave them the title track and “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” as good a blues as any rock band has ever written.  Their career to that point was summed up with the live Waiting for Columbus, truly one of the best live albums rock has ever heard.

Fifty years on the road cost them Lowell George, then Richie Hayward and Paul Barrére, but the music has carried them forward. When you spend your life on the road you can get eaten up by the stresses, or you can hold on to your music and your friends and the joy of the people out front and keep the priorities straight the way the Featsters have.

Fifty years on, they’ve been up and they’ve been down and they know where they belong—standing or sitting behind their instruments, playing for you.  And anything’s possible, because the end is not in sight.

Poetry Open Mic Hendo is the all-new sister event of Poetry Open Mic Asheville, the
longest-running open mic in Western North Carolina, this weekly event welcomes all people and all forms of creative expression at
Hendersonville’s only Kava lounge.

Red NOT Chili Peppers-THE NATIONS #1 RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS TRIBUTE–have been performing to packed venues, amphitheaters, parties, and festivals across the country for over fifteen years. With a focus on the John Frusciante-era LIVE performances, Red NOTS recreate the look, sound, and feel of one of the biggest and most successful bands to ever do it. In December 2021, Red NOTS became INTERNATIONAL once again with a landmark tour stop in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, rocking to nearly 10,000 who were singing along to every word and demanding multiple encores! The band pays tribute to all eras of RHCP–so even the most die-hard enthusiasts will find satisfaction in the ever-evolving list of songs. Deep cuts, massive hits, covers and B-sides–Red NOTS does it all. The energy is exhilarating, the musicianship is mind-blowing, and the show is not to be missed.