TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community. The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am. No RSVP needed, just drop by! Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

There not only will be bargains on ceramic functional and artistic pieces, but live music, snacks and drinks.  All are welcome!

The Wine and Chocolate Festival is coming to the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville on Saturday, March 11th. The festival features numerous regional wine and chocolate vendors, as well as other local businesses offering clothing, jewelry, and more. The festival will be split into two sessions: an early session from 1-4 p.m., and a later session from 5-8 p.m.

Festivalgoers will be able to sip and sample their way through the event.  Early bird wine lover tickets are on sale now through December 31 st for only $30. Starting January 1st , advanced sale wine lover tickets will be $40. All wine lover tickets include an etched wine glass and unlimited samples during the session.  Designated driver tickets are $20 in advance and include a water at entry and a wine glass at exit. All attendees also receive a pass to our Chocolate Bar, filled with tasty nibbles and sweet treats. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at WineAndChocolateFestivals.com.

ExploreAsheville.com Arena

DOORS

Session 1: 1pm & Session 2: 5pm

SHOW

Session 1: 1pm-4pm & Session 2: 5pm-8pm

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Designated driver and youth tickets available. Must be 21+ to consume alcohol at this event.

– ALL AGES
– FULLY SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM TICKETS AVAILABLE

BEN ROY

Roy cut his comedic teeth in Denver at the world famous Comedy Works. Since then, he has been selected to perform at the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs Toronto, Just For Laughs Chicago, The New York Comedy Festival, Austin’s South by Southwest festival, and many more. Roy has been featured on HBO’s Funny as Hell series; as well as on the Comedy Central shows Adam DeVine’s House Party, Corporate, @midnight, and This Is Not Happening. Ben has also released four stand-up comedy albums and was listed as one of Variety’s Top 10 Comics to Watch.

Along with fellow Denver Comedians Adam Cayton-Holland and Andrew Orvedahl (who collectively perform as The Grawlix), Ben created, wrote, and starred in TruTV’s original comedy series Those Who Can’t, which now has all three seasons available for streaming on HBOMax. He’s also currently host of two podcasts, 97.9 The Rat Race on the All Things Comedy network, and The Grawlix Saves the World available on The Starburns Audio Network. In addition to stand-up comedy, acting, and writing, Roy is a prolific musician and the current lead singer of pop punk outfit SPELLS

This is a relaxed and fun group for singles over 40 to connect with other singles and learn relationship and communication skills through various exercises, activities, and discussions. I’ve worked as a Couples Counselor and Dating & Relationship Coach for over 25 years, and I have the wisdom of knowing what makes relationships work. I’ll share these insights and teachings to help you change how you think about dating and learn to date successfully. Stay after to socialize, make new friends, and have a beer.

CAROLINA CELTIC, is a monthly concert series which showcases Irish and Scottish musical traditions and often explores their commonality with the Appalachian ballads and stories of the Carolina mountains..

Tonight’s show will be a solo concert by series hosts, ROBIN BULLOCK and SUE RICHARDS

A major new duo of two award-winning American masters of traditional Celtic music, Sue Richards and Robin Bullock blend the ancient and magical tones of the Celtic harp with the powerful resonance of the steel-string guitar, cittern and mandolin, drawing on Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Breton traditions to create something truly unique: beautiful and timeless, yet fresh and current.

Their individual achievements speak for themselves, with (among many other accomplishments) Sue being a four-time National Scottish Harp Champion and Robin being a longtime touring sideman with Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award winner Tom Paxton.

Sue and Robin have been friends and colleagues for decades, having both recorded WAMMIE Award-winning solo albums for the Maryland-based Maggie’s Music label and collaborated on many other projects over the years; now both transplants to the western North Carolina mountains, they’re delighted to be joining forces in a long-overdue chamber-Celtic duo. The magic of their combined artistic excellence and mastery of Celtic traditions is captured on their brilliant duo debut CD Highland Ramble.

SUE RICHARDS, four-time National Scottish Harp Champion, has performed numerous times for the Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC, as well as for President Bill Clinton (twice!) and Queen Elizabeth II. She has served as president and distinguished judge for the Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA) and founded the Washington DC Folk Harp Society. She has appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, sat in with The Chieftains, toured Norway and Scotland with the Harpa ensemble, and can be heard on dozens of award-winning recordings. Sue is a popular instructor at workshops around the country and has written several books of arrangements and original tunes. In addition to her solo work, Sue is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Ensemble Galilei.

ROBIN BULLOCK has been hailed as a “Celtic guitar god” by Baltimore City Paper, “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine and one of the 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com. His honors include the Association for Independent Music’s prestigious INDIE Award (with the world-folk trio Helicon), Player’s Choice and Album of the Year Awards from Acoustic Guitar Magazine, and the Swannanoa Gathering’s Master Music Maker Award. Robin has played hundreds of concerts as touring sideman with Grammy Award-winning folk legend Tom Paxton, and was the sole support musician on four of Tom’s “Together at Last” tours with fellow Grammy winner Janis Ian. Writing about Robin in The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Celtic Music, Thistle and Shamrock host Fiona Ritchie says “Bullock’s music accents the connections between Celtic and American traditional and acoustic music. That he is able to do so by playing almost any stringed instrument to perfection is his specialty.”

With the release of their duo CD Highland Ramble joining their many critically-acclaimed solo albums, Sue and Robin prove that their individual talents together create a world-class combination, carrying Celtic tradition into new and transformative realms.

• VISIT THE ROBIN BULLOCK and SUE RICHARDS WEBSITE

– ALL AGES
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE

WILLI CARLISLE
WILLI CARLISLE is a poet and a folk singer for the people, but his extraordinary gift for turning a phrase isn’t about high falutin’ pontificatin’; it’s about looking out for one another and connecting through our shared human condition. Born and raised on the Midwestern plains, Carlisle is a product of the punk to folk music pipeline that’s long fueled frustrated young men looking to resist. After falling for the rich ballads and tunes of the Ozarks, where he now lives, he began examining the full spectrum of American musical history. This insatiable stylistic diversity is obvious in his wildly raucous live performances, where songs range from sardonic trucker-ballads like “Vanlife” to the heartbreaking queer waltz “Life on the Fence,” to an existential talkin’ blues about a panic attack in Walmart’s aisle five. With guitar, fiddle, button-box, banjo, harmonicas, rhythm-bones, and Willi’s booming baritone, this is bonafide populist folk music in the tradition of cowboys, frontier fiddlers, and tall-tale tellers. Carlisle recognizes that the only thing holding us back from greatness is each other. With a quick wit and big sing-alongs, these folksongs bring us a step closer to breaking down our divides.

“Willi Carlisle is an absolute force of nature. From the moment he walks on stage you can’t take your eyes off of him and the minute he opens his mouth you can’t help but hang on every word. Even if the songs weren’t there, the showmanship alone would be worth the price of admission, but the scary part is the songs are just as good as the stories.” — BJ Barham

WILLY TEA TAYLOR

There is no question that Willy Tea Taylor’s life as a singer/songwriter was predetermined – his role realized the moment he wrote his first song. With inspiration drawn from two separate wells. Living the life of a cattleman’s kid while experiencing true visionaries music Greg Brown, …, watching Guy Clark and friends sitting around the kitchen table loaded with ashtrays full of butts and half-smoked cigarettes, food, and booze on one Christmas Eve in 1975. Those guys, swapping songs without pretense, lit Willy Tea’s fire. And ever since, it’s led purpose with passion – finding a hang by curating relationships through musical friendships that get him closer to his own Clark style kitchen table.

From his early days co-fronting The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, to singing solo in countless cowboy bars, to pitching countless wiffle ball games, Willy Tea has never lost the vision. Now Willy Tea Taylor has taken his vision of the “hero hang” on the road. and his talented traveling band The Fellership is made up of his fantastically talented buds who play Willy’s songs with a brand of reckless abandon and utter humility that spits in the face of pretense. The way The Fellership plays Will’s songs is the way they demand to be played and, in their short time together, they have been aweing every audience lucky enough to see them.

Please join the Chamber to celebrate the Grand Opening of Fastests Labs!

Fastest Labs is an Asheville based lab company that assists in drug and alcohol testing as well as DNA paternity testing. They can test soil and water and offer policy creation as well as background testing. Fastest Labs is a rapic on site test center with no appointments needed.

Please join us for small bites, a tour of the facility and to learn more about Fastest Labs.

Join the Asheville Downtown Association(ADA) for our annual State of Downtown Luncheon, presented by First Bank. We’ll take a look back at our work in 2022, discuss priorities for downtown in 2023, and review the results from our issues survey.

You’ll also hear from City of Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Buncombe County Commission Chair Brownie Newman. Both will discuss city and county priorities and initiatives for downtown.

Doors will open at 11:30am and the program will begin promptly at 12pm.

Lunch included.

Thanks to First Bank and Harrah’s Cherokee Center for making this event possible.

• Watch head butcher Kelly demonstrate how to break down each part of the hind quarter of the cow, explaining each step of the process along the way. The hind quarter contains some of the most popular cuts: tenderloin, sirloin, rump roast and more.
• You’ll learn from our butcher about the differences between each cut, including how they differ in texture, flavor and best preparation methods. 
• A tasting of both roasts and steak with accoutrements will be served with a local beverage pairing of your choice. 
• Each participant will take home a portion of different cuts of beef from the class! 

 

Cost: $124–$144 ($124 early bird, $144 within a week out) 

Every Tuesday 1/2 off bottles of wine at 131 Main Restaurant

What they should have taught us in school!

Network and learn about local investing, risk, debt, budgeting, and entrepreneurship.

Free to attend, space is limited.

The Community Financial Education Course is a monthly resource for the greater Asheville area to help empower small businesses and families with the information and resources they need to create financial wellness on any level.

Topics will include Financial Literacy, Community Investing, Understanding Taxes, Debt Strategies, and Entrepreneurship, including a Q&A session with a variety of financial professionals.

Presenters Include
Joel Skene – Host of The Mindful Marketplace and Owner of The Skene Agency Inc.
Michael Diettrich-Chastain – Author, Coach, and CEO of Arc Integrated
Justin Sheaffer – Risk Management at Consolidated Planning
Joel Edelson – Debt Elimination Specialist at Symmetry Financial Group
Alex Cardona – Host of The Golden Key Radio Show and CEO of Cardona Business Solutions

– ALL AGES
– SEATED SHOW
– LIMITED NUMBER OF PREMIUM SEATING TICKETS AVAILABLE

JIGJAM
When virtuoso Irish playing jumps the pond running naked through the wide open fields of bluegrass/Americana JigJam is born. Bluegrass and American Folk music originated from their homes and now JigJam are here to take it back!

This Offaly and Tipperary born band have started The first wave of attack in the new Irish invasion of Americana! ‘Foot stomping’, ‘high energy’ and lots of badass is what you’re in for when you see this musical powerhouse live in concert.

Founding members from Offaly Jamie McKeogh (Lead singer and guitar) and Daithi Melia (5 String Banjo and Dobro) were joined by Tipperary born Gavin Strappe (Mandolin and Tenor Banjo) in 2016. Scottish man Danny Hunter (Fiddle) joined JigJam in 2021 to make up this iGrass (Irish Bluegrass) Quartet.

Described as ‘The best Irish band in bluegrass’ and ‘sparkling, infectious’ these lads have been hailed as ‘Ireland’s answer to New Grass Revival’ Bluegrass has it’s roots in Irish music and Irish immigration. iGrass and JigJam is what happens when the Irish find their prodigal son.

Table for Three, MANNA’s popular hunger-ending initiative, returns for its fifth year on March 15! This unique raffle features a grand prize of 52 restaurant gift certificates for a meal for two from the Asheville-area’s finest local restaurants – a value of nearly $3,000! The $104 ticket price is intentional. Every raffle ticket sold will provide one meal per day for more than a year for a food-insecure neighbor – hence the winning ticket equals a Table for Three. Tickets go on sale March 15 at 10 a.m. Only 500 tickets will be sold. Table for Three tickets sell out every year, so mark your calendars now to be one of the first lucky few to purchase tickets! We’re grateful for our incredible Restaurant Partners – their partnership continues to make this popular fund-raising event possible.

Please join the Chamber to celebrate the Grand Opening of  WNC’s first co- warehouse, Ernest- Ready Made Warehouse!

What is co-warehousing? It’s sort of like co-working, but in warehouse form. Ernest allows you to outgrow the garage and work in a workspace of your own, in concert with other entrepreneurs, but without the overhead. It’s a place to fill orders, accept a pallet, take product photography for your site, have a meeting in a private conference room, or just post up with your laptop and a cup of coffee in a clean, comfortable, shared coworking space. It’s kind of like a subscription to a warehouse.  (Conference rooms,  meeting spaces, and photo studio available for day rentals)

Ernest will be sharing the spotlight with a new entrepreneur Brad Currin in Western North Carolina. He is a US Army Veteran and Owner of FCI Floors where they bring the mobile show room to you.

There will be tours of the space and the opportunity to chat with other members. Light bites and drinks provided.

Directions: Located off exit 51 of I40 on Sweeten Creek Road. Plenty of parking available in shared lot with Devil’s Foot Beverage.

I’m ready for a calmer event where we can chat with each other. This brewery is chill and by the river near Brother Wolf. Let’s visit a local business and try some new beers!
***ALSO*** I may gather a group for contra dancing the next night (March 16th) at Warren Wilson. We had such a good time I want to go back. This won’t be an official Meetup event so send me a message if you would like to go, and I’ll add you to the list. Or you can leave a comment below.
Beth Jones is who I am :)