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.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

Welcome to the 2021 Annual Corn Maze!
Join us for aMAZEing fun!
We are WNC’s ONLY non-profit Corn Maze with 100% of proceeds benefiting the children at Eliada! Not only does your ticket purchase come with access to family-friendly fun, but it directly aids in the growth and success of Eliada’s kids!
Service Pets Only!
Dates and Times
Eliada’s 2021 Annual Corn Maze will be open from Friday, October 1st through Sunday, October 31st on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Fridays:
- 3 pm – 7 pm
Saturdays:
- 9 am – 7 pm
Sundays:
- 10 am – 6 pm
You can purchase tickets, schedule birthday parties and corporate event nights. Tickets are $10 for adults and children 4 and up. Children 3 and under are FREE.
We have been an active club since 1924. We currently have 65 active members of all collecting interests and meet once per month to share programs, auctions, ideas, buy, sell & trade stamps, and just plain camaraderie. Many of our members have extensive collecting, exhibiting, or speaking experience, and discussions are always interesting and rewarding. New and developing collectors will find an audience ready and willing to help with expanding one’s knowledge and enjoyment of the hobby.
Western North Carolina is in an interesting geographical location: we get visitors from the north during the winter, from the south during the summer, and many people who decide they’ve had enough of either of those climates to move here permanently! We urge visitors of any age with philatelic interests to join us, even if only for a short time. We may even convince you to enjoy our region full-time!
Membership
We welcome collectors of all ages and interests.
Dues are $10.00 a year and includes our bimonthly newsletter “The Smoky Mountain Philatelist”, complete membership list that includes “what we collect” and notices about our meetings with urging to attend and share your interest with us.
Download the Membership Application in .pdf format.

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This is an outdoor event. We look forward to seeing you all there and thank you to everyone who helped make this dream come true! RAIL: The Railroad and Incarcerated Laborer Memorial ProjectThe construction of the Mountain Division of the Western North Carolina Railroad is widely considered one of the greatest human accomplishments in regards to both engineering and construction ever undertaken at the time it occurred. The project took place over a period of several years in the late 1800s. Many people are aware that the railroad provided the first dependable access to and from much of Western North Carolina for the rest of the state as well as much of the nation. Many also know the names of some of those who were instrumental in seeing through the completion of this ambitious project. Names such as Colonel Alexander Boyd Andrews, of Andrews’ Geyser fame. However, what most people are unaware of is that at least 95% of the labor which built the railroad across the Blue Ridge Escarpment was completed by inmates from the North Carolina State Penitentiary… and approximately 98% of those inmates were African American men… the majority of whom were unjustly imprisoned… |

Join us for the 12th Annual Queer Girls Literary Reading–a fantastic evening of original readings by your favorite literary queer girls! Save the date…
We missed last year because of the pandemic, but we hope you can join us this year at our outdoor event.
We are asking for a suggested donation of $5-10 (more if you can, less if you can’t). No one will be turned away.
Please invite your friends through this Facebook invite!

From the publisher: “Nineteen-year-old Cowney Sequoyah yearns to escape his hometown of Cherokee, North Carolina, in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. When a summer job at Asheville’s luxurious Grove Park Inn and Resort brings him one step closer to escaping the hills that both cradle and suffocate him, he sees it as an opportunity. With World War II raging in Europe, the inn is the temporary home of Axis diplomats and their families, who are being held as prisoners of war. Soon, Cowney’s refuge becomes a cage when the daughter of one of the residents goes missing and he finds himself accused of abduction and murder.
Even As We Breathe invokes the elements of bone, blood, and flesh as Cowney navigates difficult social, cultural, and ethnic divides. After leaving the seclusion of the Cherokee reservation, he is able to explore a future free from the consequences of his family’s choices and to construct a new worldview, for a time. However, prejudice and persecution in the white world of the resort eventually compel Cowney to free himself from larger forces that hold him back as he struggles to unearth evidence of his innocence and clear his name.”
Available to order at a 20% discount for SVM Book Club members through Black Mountain bookstore Sassafras-on-Sutton.
This event is free, but an RSVP is required in order to receive the Zoom link.

The Common Word Community Read, curated by Wiley Cash ’00, brings the UNC Asheville community together to engage in a collective educational experience. Each semester, one book will serve as the focus of numerous virtual and in-person lectures and discussions that will allow participants to delve deeper into the text. Join the Facebook Group to learn more and pick up your copy of the first community read: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.
Join from 12 – 1 p.m in Highsmith Union 229 or watch the livestream on UNC Asheville’s YouTube channel as Dr. Fabrice Julien presents The Common Word Community Reads second faculty lecture of the semester, “Race Towards An Early Grave: How the American System of Ranking Human Value Drives {consequential} Health Outcomes.”
This event will be the second of three faculty-led lectures for the Fall 2021 Common Word Community Read series. Additional lecturers slated included a previously held talk from Ellen Holmes Pearson, Interim Chair and Professor of History on “‘ . . . a degraded caste:’ Color and Legal Status in the Early American Republic” (September 28), and an upcoming talk from Shawn N. Mendez, Assistant Professor of Sociology, on “Beyond the Binary: Gender, Sexuality, and Family in the American Caste System” (November 16).
Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Masks are required of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Everyone has a story. Many of us attempt to put our story in writing. Some of us get published. An even smaller number can take credit for having written something of lasting value.
On eight evenings from September to December at the West Asheville Library, the Wilma Dykeman Legacy will celebrate four memoirs of lasting value from the mountains of Western North Carolina. These sessions will be offered in person and online
Through four lectures and four book discussions the following writers will be featured:
Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.
Talk by Jim Stokely, son of Wilma Dykeman and President of the Wilma Dykeman Legacy, featuring Wilma’s memoir Family of Earth: A Southern Mountain Childhood.
Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.
Book discussion of Family of Earth: A Southern Mountain Childhood.
Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
Talk by Walter Ziffer, retired engineer, minister, and professor, featuring his memoir Confronting the Silence: A Holocaust Survivor’s Search for God.
Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.
Book discussion of Confronting the Silence: A Holocaust Survivor’s Search for God.
Thursday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Talk by Dr. Warren J. Carson, retired Professor of English and Director of the Gospel Choir at the University of South Carolina Upstate, featuring Nina Simone’s memoir, I Put a Spell on You.
Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
Book discussion of I Put a Spell on You.
Thursday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.
Talk by Mary Judith Messer, featuring her memoir Moonshiner’s Daughter.
Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.
Book discussion of Moonshiner’s Daughter.
All programs are free, and everyone is invited. Light refreshments will be served. To register for the online/zoom meetings, email [email protected]. For more information contact the West Asheville Library.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.
WE’RE LOCALS IS COMING TO ASHEVILLE!
We’re Locals is a unique live multimedia show where two bozos (Dan Vetrano and Aaron Nevins) do their best to blend in with the natives in a completely different town every seven days, culminating in one dazzling show at the end of the week.
Dan and Aaron comb your bars, businesses and peculiar classified ads to find the most fascinating people around, following strange paths to meet even stranger strangers, scouring your thrift shops for choice finds, and generally embarking on insane life-changing experiences that they’ll tell you all about.
In addition, We’re Locals aims to showcase the colorful and vibrant idiosyncrasies of each town, rounding up local bands, comedians and artists and shining a spotlight on the workers, craftspeople and small businesses that make each place unique.
Come on out to We’re Locals for one night only of charmingly idiotic powerpoint presentations, games, surprises, and weird Wifi names from your neighborhood. By the end of the week, you might even confuse Dan and Aaron for your neighbors.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

Welcome to the 2021 Annual Corn Maze!
Join us for aMAZEing fun!
We are WNC’s ONLY non-profit Corn Maze with 100% of proceeds benefiting the children at Eliada! Not only does your ticket purchase come with access to family-friendly fun, but it directly aids in the growth and success of Eliada’s kids!
Service Pets Only!
Dates and Times
Eliada’s 2021 Annual Corn Maze will be open from Friday, October 1st through Sunday, October 31st on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Fridays:
- 3 pm – 7 pm
Saturdays:
- 9 am – 7 pm
Sundays:
- 10 am – 6 pm
You can purchase tickets, schedule birthday parties and corporate event nights. Tickets are $10 for adults and children 4 and up. Children 3 and under are FREE.

Director Elliot Weiner seeks a cast of 7 for the Readers Theatre Showcase series production of The Outsider. This production will be performed as readers theatre – no script memorization required! – and will have two performances on the Mainstage and one at the Reuter Center at UNCA.
No previous experience required!
READERS THEATRE SHOWCASE
All performances at 2:30 pm. Friday and Saturday performances are held at Asheville Community Theatre; Sunday performances are held at the Reuter Center on the campus of UNCA in conjunction with OLLI Asheville.
The Outsider
By Paul Slade Smith; Directed by Elliot Weiner
About the show
AUDITION DATE: Tuesday, October 26, 2021; 10:30 am-2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE DATES: November 19-21, 2021; 2:30 pm
REHEARSAL DATES: November 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 2021; 10:30 am -2:30 pm
DIRECTOR SEEKS: Cast of 7 (3W, 4M) * Note: To attend a face-to-face program at OLLI Asheville, you must be vaccinated for COVID-19. Since the Sunday matinee performance is at OLLI, all actors will need to be vaccinated.

A Wyoming native and second-generation Japanese American, Lee Ann Roripaugh is the author of five volumes of poetry: tsunami vs. the fukushima 50 (Milkweed), Dandarians (Milkweed), On the Cusp of a Dangerous Year (Southern Illinois University Press), Year of the Snake (Southern Illinois University Press), and Beyond Heart Mountain (Penguin Books). From 2015-2019, she served as South Dakota State Poet Laureate.
This is the fourth and final event in the 2021 Visiting Writers Series presented by the UNC Asheville English Department. Additional events included A Literary Reading by poet Diamond Forde, the English Department’s University Fellow for Faculty Diversity on September 9; UNC Asheville Alumnus and Writer-in-Residence Wiley Cash’s ’00 Book Launch for When Ghosts Come Home on September 21; and, The Katherine Min Memorial Reading with UNCA Alumnus Mason Currey ’02 on October 6.
Additional information may be found at the English Department website.
Accessibility
Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.
Visitor Parking
Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.
Lee Ann Roripaugh
in the Mountain View Room
A Wyoming native and second-generation Japanese American, Lee Ann Roripaugh is the author of five volumes of poetry: tsunami vs. the fukushima 50 (Milkweed), Dandarians (Milkweed), On the Cusp of a Dangerous Year (Southern Illinois University Press), Year of the Snake (Southern Illinois University Press), and Beyond Heart Mountain (Penguin Books). From 2015-2019, she served as South Dakota State Poet Laureate.
Accessibility
Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.
Visitor Parking
Visitors may park in faculty/staff and non-resident lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

The Friends of the Weaverville Library (FOWL) are excited to announce the opening of their used bookstore in Weaverville on Thursday, July 8. Located in the lower level of the Weaverville Library at 41 N. Main St., the store will be open Thursdays 1-5 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-2 p.m., with expanded hours beginning in September. The store is stocked with thousands of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and more. All adult books are priced at $1.50-$3.00, children and teen books at $1.00-$1.50, audio and video at $2.00.
There is also a bargain-priced area and a collection of special finds that are priced individually. Please feel free to contact us at 828-641-1812 or [email protected]. All proceeds from the store will benefit the Weaverville Library.

The Omni Grove Park Inn, home of the iconic National Gingerbread House Competition, announced a reimagined Competition for 2021. After a virtual 2020, the Resort is planning to welcome back participants in-person this year, along with an esteemed panel of judges, including renowned Food Network Chef, Carla Hall.
Gingerbread enthusiasts are now encouraged to enter the Competition (find entry details HERE) and begin dreaming up dazzling designs for their confectionary creations. The 2021 Competition will take place at The Omni Grove Park Inn on November 22, 2021.
November 8, 2021: Competitor Entry Form Deadline.
November 15, 2021: Digital Content and Description Summary Form Deadline.
November 22, 2021: Awards Ceremony and Winners Announcement.
December 1-12, 2021: 12 Days of Gingerbread series on The Omni Grove Park Inn social channels highlighting top finalists. Assets will be available.
November 2021 – January 2, 2022: In-person Gingerbread Display will be open for public viewing at The Omni Grove Park Inn.

Welcome to the 2021 Annual Corn Maze!
Join us for aMAZEing fun!
We are WNC’s ONLY non-profit Corn Maze with 100% of proceeds benefiting the children at Eliada! Not only does your ticket purchase come with access to family-friendly fun, but it directly aids in the growth and success of Eliada’s kids!
Service Pets Only!
Dates and Times
Eliada’s 2021 Annual Corn Maze will be open from Friday, October 1st through Sunday, October 31st on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Fridays:
- 3 pm – 7 pm
Saturdays:
- 9 am – 7 pm
Sundays:
- 10 am – 6 pm
You can purchase tickets, schedule birthday parties and corporate event nights. Tickets are $10 for adults and children 4 and up. Children 3 and under are FREE.
READERS THEATRE SHOWCASE
All performances at 2:30 pm. Friday and Saturday performances are held at Asheville Community Theatre; Sunday performances are held at the Reuter Center on the campus of UNCA in conjunction with OLLI Asheville.
On Golden Pond
By Ernest Thompson; Directed by RoseLynn Katz
AUDITION DATE: Tuesday, November 2, 2021; 10:30 am-2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE DATES: December 17-19, 2021; 2:30 pm
REHEARSAL DATES: December 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 2021; 10:30 am -2:30 pm
DIRECTOR SEEKS: TBD * Note: To attend a face-to-face program at OLLI Asheville, you must be vaccinated for COVID-19. Since the Sunday matinee performance is at OLLI, all actors will need to be vaccinated.
