Passengers will enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride in our First Class cars with a private attendant and plush, well-appointed dining seating. A narrator will accompany the ride to present each pour to guests and share knowledge and history of the wines selected. Passengers on this specialty car will enjoy an exclusive sampling of cheeses and a surf and turf meal prepared fresh.

We have carefully selected our wine samples to accompany the meal. All passengers will receive a GSMR souvenir stemless wine glass, four samples of selected wine, and a dessert that’s perfect
for the season!

Uncorked is offered on the Nantahala Gorge Excursion departing on April 17, May 8, July 31, Aug 7, Sept 4 & Dec 31.

Tickets for this specialty experience is $139 per person (Adults 21+ only). Due to the exclusivity of this specialty car, tickets will be selling fast so make sure to reserve your seat today!

It’s a dance free-for-all! Featuring family friendly music from DJ Oso Rey!

The exhibit was developed as part of the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Juan Pardo expeditions. Several years ago, archaeologists identified a site near Morganton as the location of Joara, one of the largest Native American towns in what is today Western North Carolina.

Joara was occupied from approximately 1400-1600 A.D. Two Spanish expeditions led respectively by Hernando de Soto and Juan Pardo visited the town in the 1500s. The Pardo expedition was part of a larger effort to establish a string of forts from the coast of present-day South Carolina all the way to Mexico. In 2013, archaeologists confirmed that Joara was also the site of Fort San Juan, established by Pardo in 1567, nearly 20 years before the English settlement at Roanoke on the coast of North Carolina and 40 years before the settlement at Jamestown.

Through various artifacts uncovered by the archaeology, the exhibit showcases the Spanish occupation of Fort San Juan and the lives of the native people who lived in the Joara area.

The exhibit is on loan from the Exploring Joara Foundation Inc. Exploring Joara engages the public in archaeology in the Carolinas, and emphasizes the discovery of the Native American town of Joara and Fort San Juan. The exhibit will be on display at the Western North Carolina Historical Association’s gallery inside the Smith-McDowell House through December 15.

The gallery is open for visitation Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between 10:30am and 4:00pm. Reservations are recommended.

Continuum Arts Gallery will host its first, curated gallery show beginning on September 18th, 2021. Titled ‘Haec Culti’, the group show will run from September 18 – November 9th, featuring artists Kat Knutsen, Kevin Yaun, Frank Lombardo, and Conrado Lopez. For our opening day, light horderves will be served and live music will be showcased throughout the day. Miami Gold, a local Asehville band, hits the stage at 7pm! This event is free and open to the public.

Open Sun-Tues by appointment only

Hendersonville “Brew Ha-Ha Tour”

Saturday, September 18 (11:00 AM – 5:00 PM)

Tour departs from D9 Brewery
425 N. Main Street Hendersonville NC 28792

Our Tour Includes:

• Deluxe V.I.P. transportation
• Professionally trained tour escort
• Complimentary Marcos Pizza served at D9 Brewery
• Stops at Four Unique Breweries: D9, Oklawaha, Triskelion & Guidon
• Two Complimentary Souvenir Pint Glasses for Each Guest
• Five Door Prizes: including Four beer flights given away to Four lucky winners ($24.00 value) & TWO free tickets to a future Brew Ha-Ha Tour ($100.00 value)
• THREE complimentary beer tastings at each brewery
• Complimentary bottled water

Join us on Sunday September 19 for a trip to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. We depart from D9 Brewery at 10:30 AM and return at 7:30 PM. Only $35.00 per person. You will receive $25.00 downloadable free slot play vouchers. It will only cost $10.00 to join us for a day of fun and you may even win some money!

This event is being hosted by the Charlotte Special Events Group.

Price: $49.95 / $59.95 after 9/4

Purchase tickets:

Brew Ha Ha Tours

Contemporary art, interdisciplinary research communities, and the inspiration of Appalachia converge in Rural Avant-Garde: The Mountain Lake Experience. This exhibition showcases a selection of collaborative creative works that emerged from nearly four decades of the Mountain Lake Workshop series, a program sited in rural southwestern Virginia.

Founded by artist and scholar Ray Kass in 1980 and co-organized with influential art critics Dr. Donald B. Kuspit and Dr. Howard Risatti, as well as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), the Mountain Lake Workshops integrated the arts and sciences in a dynamic experimental creative process that pushed past the traditional boundaries of art, dance, and performance.

Community-centered from its inception, the Mountain Lake Workshop demonstrated the relevance of the arts across disciplines, as well as social and participatory learning. This exhibition offers a focused look at art that investigated new conceptual limits, born of the region in southwestern Virginia, just a few hundred miles north of Asheville, NC. Works range from large-scale watercolors and photographic installation to relics of performances and other experimentations in artmaking.

Highlights include composer and conceptual artist John Cage’s New River Rocks and Washes(1990). A significant late-career work by Cage, this rarely exhibited watercolor extends nearly 30 feet in length, produced using methods of chance to trace stones gathered from the workshop’s natural surroundings.

This exhibition was organized by the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts at Longwood University. Generous funding was provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Artist Walter B. Stephen (Clinton, IA 1875–1961 Asheville, NC) contributed to Western North Carolina’s identity as a flourishing site for pottery production and craftsmanship in the early 20th century. Walter B. Stephen Pottery: Cameo to Crystalline features art pottery and functional vessels from each stage of Stephen’s career, from his origins discovering the medium alongside his mother Nellie C. Randall Stephen in Shelby County, TN from 1901 through 1910 to his multi-decade production just outside of Asheville. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Debra McClinton Gallery July 28, 2021 through January 17, 2022.

In 1926, Stephen founded his third and last pottery studio, Pisgah Forest, in Arden, NC, which he operated until his death in 1961. It was at this studio that the artist perfected the “cameo” decoration technique for which he became best known. His hand-painted images, achieved with layers of white translucent clay, often feature American folk imagery, from covered wagons and livestock to cabins and spinning wheels. A selection of works from the Museum’s Collection showcase his innovation in form and in decorative surface details, including experimentation with crystalline glazing.

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.

Connect with our region’s farmers and get a behind-the-scenes tour of local food in the mountains. ASAP’s Farm Tour is a chance to experience how food is grown and raised through guided tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and tastings. The tour is a family-friendly event and a great outing for visitors of all ages, abilities, and interests. A Farm Tour pass is good for all passengers in the vehicle at any farm on both days.

Barnardsville Cluster

*Burley Stick Farm, Barnardsville

*Barn Blossom, Barnardsville

Good Fibrations Angora Goats, Barnardsville

Fairview/Fletcher Cluster

Flying Cloud Farm, Fairview

Hickory Nut Gap Farm, Fairvew

*Cane Creek Valley Farm, Fletcher

*Raspberry Fields, Fletcher

West Cluster

Smoking J’s Fiery Foods, Candler

Sustainabillies/Two Trees Farm, Canton

The Ten Acre Garden, Canton

*Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, Waynesville

Leicester Cluster

*Mount Gilead Farm, Leicester

Long Branch Environmental Education Ctr., Leicester

Addison Farms Vineyard, Leicester

Farm Retreat/Farmhouse Beef, Marshall

*SAHC Community Farm: Blazing Star Flowers and Lunar Whale Herbs, Alexander

Henderson/Transylvania Cluster

North River Farms, Mills River

Holly Spring Farm, Mills River

*Pope Farms/Packa’s Place, Horse Shoe

Sideways Farm & Brewery, Etowah

*Clem’s Organic Gardens, Pisgah Forest

The Friends of the Henderson County Public Library knows how important books are to children and their parents. They are offering a special discount on children’s books at their bookstore in Hendersonville.

From Sept. 18 to Oct. 2, a box of children’s books is only $10. The Friends provides the boxes which are large enough to hold a lot of books.

For more than half a century, the Friends has been raising money to support the library system. They purchase books and equipment and sponsor programs.

The FOL bookstore is at 1940 Spartanburg Hwy (next to Dollar General) and is open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Thousands of books, DVDs, and CDs are for sale, and knowledgeable volunteers are there to help. (The entrance is in the back).

Members of the Friends get a 10 percent discount on all purchases. (You can join the Friends at the bookstore). Anyone can donate books, CDs, and DVDs during the hours the store is open.

Everything is in excellent condition. Books are shelved by author or subject and are easy to find, and they are restocked throughout the week. The half-price table at the front of the store offers great bargains on books.

Join us for a fun art class at the LEAF Global Experience and see our Easel Rider Art Bar in action! Each Saturday we’ll have a different craft available that’s included with your admission. Drop-in from 1-3. We hope to see you there!

Hit the trails and learn more about the Arboretum’s botanically diverse forest with the return of guided trail walks in 2021! In response to COVID-19, new safety measures have been put in place to protect our guests, members, volunteers and staff: Walks will be limited to 10 people, including the guide, and all participants will be required to wear face coverings for the duration of the walk.

This free hiking program is led by trained volunteer guides who take small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season, topics of discussion may include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history and more.

Guided trail walks depart from the Baker Exhibit Center Lobby every Tuesday and Saturday at 1 p.m. through the month of October. Walks last 1.5- 2.5 hours and are approximately one to two miles in length, and as such are recommended for guests 14 years or older. Walks are held rain or shine, so all participants should dress appropriately for the weather.

Register In Advance

Space is limited and advance registration is encouraged. Pre-registered participants must check in at the Baker Information Desk no later than 10 minutes before the scheduled program to keep their spot. Unclaimed spots will be offered to other guests.

Guests may sign up for trail walks in the following ways:

• Pre-register online
• Sign up in-person at the Baker Information Desk.

Outdoor Skills Workshops
FREE
Call, 828-350-2062 for more information
and to register.
September 11 | 5-6pm
Location: Carrier Park
Backpacking Essentials: Learning to pack a
backpack and necessary gear.
September 18 | 5-6pm
Location: Montford
Introduction to Indoor Rock Climbing: Knot tying
and belaying.
September 25 | 5-6pm
Location: Carrier Park
Backcountry Camping Basics: Safety, tent set
up, cooking and water treatment techniques.

Relia’s Lost Kitchen is a series of exclusive pop-up dinner events in honor of NOC founder Aurelia Kennedy and the original restaurant that nourished visitors from all over the globe.

Guests will enjoy a freshly prepared five-course dinner, with each course featuring a refreshing pairing of beer from New Belgium Brewing. Dine overlooking Relia’s Garden with the Nantahala River just below.

Tables will be set up to seat four guests at a time and guests are required to book in parties of four to maximize seating availability for this exclusive, socially distanced event. Doors will open at 6PM for the 6:30PM dinner service.

This division is Machine Pitch for kids ages 7 & 8 years old. Age is determined their age as of December 31, 2019.
A league age 6yr old or 9yr old may be permitted by league approval.
For more information contact Maria Young at 251-4026 or Kim Turner 232-4526.

For ages 6 to 18.  Divisions include T-ball and coach pitch through junior and Senior leagues.  Registration is open now through July 27.  Practices begin August 16 and games start September 7

SQUATCH EP RELEASE DURING MARION BIGFOOT FESTIVAL, SEP. 18TH
Squatch is hosting an EP release party during the Marion Bigfoot Festival on Saturday, September 18th at The Heathen’s Den Axe Throwing and Ales with special guests Awen Family Band. The music will kick off just as the Bigfoot Festival winds down in downtown Marion at 8:00pm, and they’ll keep kickin’ til the bar closes.
Squatch is led by Burke County native Mat Masterson. His skillful songwriting and lyrical prowess shine, and yet still leave plenty of room for the world class musicians in the band to bring the house down. The songs are steeped in the joys and sorrows of growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, traveling the world to escape them, and eventually landing right back at home to focus on family and community. Squatch is an ever changing, ever growing collective of musicians hand-picked by Masterson throughout his years back home in WNC from the finest players the region has to offer. Expect heartfelt originals and down home covers to celebrate this new release. Support from regional festival juggernaut Awen Family Band will keep The Heathen’s Den rockin’ til the bar closes down.