Calendar of Events

The Caldwell Arts Council invites you to experience a perfect Labor Day Weekend on the banks of the Yadkin River, surrounded by mountain music, dance, food, and beautiful scenery.

Festival fun begins at 7 p.m. Friday, featuring a community dance with mountain music, cake walks, open caller mic & more.

Saturday is packed with great entertainment! Eight categories of music competitions begin at 10 a.m. on the main stage.   The Youth JAM Tent offers performances by talented young musicians. Non-music and children’s activities include hayrides, storytelling, children’s crafts, and rock stacking in the river.

The weekend concludes with a Sunday concert starting at 11 a.m. featuring a lineup of musicians including Piney Woods Boys, Shelby Rae Moore Band, Strictly Clean and Decent, the Burnett Sisters, The Harris Brothers, and the Jeff Little Trio.  The Youth JAM tent will host workshops in fiddle, banjo, guitar, and storytelling.

When was the last time you had the privilege of sitting on the banks of a mountain river with music echoing throughout the hills around you?  Come for a day, or camp for the weekend.

Featuring Kathryn Brown, pianist

Revel in the melodies, magic, and memories of American musical icons. Inspiration from our southern mountains, New York’s jazz clubs, and the coastline of a summer in Maine provide the muse for classical, jazz, and Broadway classics. Join us to celebrate our country’s rich classical and popular musical heritage. We’ll throw in a bit of blues and rock-n-roll, too!

Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring

George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue

Rodgers & Hammerstein – Orchestral Highlights from Carousel

Plus American Originals – Jazz, Blues, and Rock-n-Roll

Festival Overview

In early Appalachia, chow chow, a crunchy pickled relish traditionally put up each summer, brought welcome sunshine to dinner plates during cold months. The condiment added color, brightness, nourishment, and a bright piquant zest that transformed the seemingly ordinary. By fermenting the garden’s final summer harvests, chow chow was a creative way to harness the earth’s resources in a jar for future culinary inspiration. Its ingredients were determined by the creative maker filling each crock, no two chow chow recipes quite the same.

Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, presented by Kimpton Hotel Arras, celebrates the area’s unique community of makers, each adding singular ingredients to the city’s recipe for culinary identity. From nationally recognized chefs to multi-generational farmers to millers, bakers, potters, weavers, and brewers, Chow Chow shines a light on the ancient creative spirit of the region that continues to make the Blue Ridge Mountains a delicious place to taste, to see, to explore and to experience through immersive culinary experiences.

Discover the alluring alchemy of mountain traditions, heirloom ingredients, and urban energy that inspire the James Beard-nominated chefs, sustainable farmers, innovative brewers, artisans, and foragers who commune at Asheville’s collaborative table.

Much like its namesake condiment, this unique festival is far greater than the sum of its parts.

Join us for a house concert at the beautiful home of Doris Loomis in Biltmore Forest (I will send you the address in your email when you buy tickets)! Enjoy an intimate setting and excellent food and drinks served at intermission.

The program will explore different approaches of writing for two clarinets
and piano from all around the world. Italian music is showcased by
Amilicare Ponchielli’s “IL CONVEGNO,” which is a technically flashy and
enchanting piece for two clarinets and piano. Felix Mendelssohn provides
German music with his “CONCERT PIECE #1,” illustrating his whimsical
ideas and bold Germanic writing. French music is represented by Francis
Poulenc’s “SONATA” for two clarinets, where the listener is captivated by
hauntingly beautiful melodies. Czech music is featured in Franz Krommer’s
delightful “DUO CONCERTO” for two clarinets and piano. Finally, Clarinet
& Friends will feature a world premiere of a new piece by American
composer Donald Wheelock. The piece is called SONATINA” and it is an

elegant work for solo clarinet.

The concert will feature pianist Vance Reese, clarinetist Eric Taylor and 16-
year-old clarinetist and founder of Clarinet & Friends, Aaron Lipsky.
Clarinet & Friends was founded by clarinetist Aaron Lipsky in 2018. L

Festival Overview

In early Appalachia, chow chow, a crunchy pickled relish traditionally put up each summer, brought welcome sunshine to dinner plates during cold months. The condiment added color, brightness, nourishment, and a bright piquant zest that transformed the seemingly ordinary. By fermenting the garden’s final summer harvests, chow chow was a creative way to harness the earth’s resources in a jar for future culinary inspiration. Its ingredients were determined by the creative maker filling each crock, no two chow chow recipes quite the same.

Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, presented by Kimpton Hotel Arras, celebrates the area’s unique community of makers, each adding singular ingredients to the city’s recipe for culinary identity. From nationally recognized chefs to multi-generational farmers to millers, bakers, potters, weavers, and brewers, Chow Chow shines a light on the ancient creative spirit of the region that continues to make the Blue Ridge Mountains a delicious place to taste, to see, to explore and to experience through immersive culinary experiences.

Discover the alluring alchemy of mountain traditions, heirloom ingredients, and urban energy that inspire the James Beard-nominated chefs, sustainable farmers, innovative brewers, artisans, and foragers who commune at Asheville’s collaborative table.

Much like its namesake condiment, this unique festival is far greater than the sum of its parts.

September 13-22

Welcoming Week is all about what the Y does best – helping people
reach their potential and bringing the community together! 

Welcoming Week, an initiative of Y-USA’s national partner Welcoming America, celebrates the growing movement of communities across the U.S. that fully embrace new Americans and their contributions to the social fabric of our country. During Welcoming Week, communities bring together immigrants and U.S.-born residents to promote cross-cultural understanding raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone.

Sponsored and coordinated by The Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce, the team lovingly refers to this year’s event as the Second-THIRD-ANNUAL HARMON FIELD MUSIC FESTIVAL. On Saturday, September 14 (12:00 noon to 8:00 pm), five great bands all headline the event Rich Nelson Band, Nobody’s Fault, Citizen Mojo, Lecretia w/Thunder Road, Shane Pruitt and Gregory Hodges. The music offerings are a blend of Country, Rock and Blues.

Bring your dancing shoes, a pop-up chair and a great attitude to enjoy Harmon Field at its very best! The music festival is going to be a BLAST! An assortment of food trucks will be on site. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase. A car show and craft/vendor market will also be available for perusing during the day.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate or online at CarolinaFoothillsChamber.com. Tickets are also available at the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce office, One of the goals was to make this event affordable for attendees. Starting at 12:00 noon and running until 8:00 pm – it runs about a $1 an hour! Tickets are $8. In advance and $10. at the gate. Children 12 and under are free.

Band schedule:
Nobody’s Fault
12:20-1:45
Rich Nelson Band
2:05-3:20
Lecretia w/ Thunder Road
3:40-4:55
Citizen Mojo
5:15-6:30
SHANE PRUITT w/ Gregory Hodges
6:45-8:00 pm

Festival gate and parking will be near the Tryon Arts & Crafts Building. For more information, contact the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce at 828-859-6236 or visit the chamber’s website and Facebook Page.

Festival Overview

In early Appalachia, chow chow, a crunchy pickled relish traditionally put up each summer, brought welcome sunshine to dinner plates during cold months. The condiment added color, brightness, nourishment, and a bright piquant zest that transformed the seemingly ordinary. By fermenting the garden’s final summer harvests, chow chow was a creative way to harness the earth’s resources in a jar for future culinary inspiration. Its ingredients were determined by the creative maker filling each crock, no two chow chow recipes quite the same.

Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, presented by Kimpton Hotel Arras, celebrates the area’s unique community of makers, each adding singular ingredients to the city’s recipe for culinary identity. From nationally recognized chefs to multi-generational farmers to millers, bakers, potters, weavers, and brewers, Chow Chow shines a light on the ancient creative spirit of the region that continues to make the Blue Ridge Mountains a delicious place to taste, to see, to explore and to experience through immersive culinary experiences.

Discover the alluring alchemy of mountain traditions, heirloom ingredients, and urban energy that inspire the James Beard-nominated chefs, sustainable farmers, innovative brewers, artisans, and foragers who commune at Asheville’s collaborative table.

Much like its namesake condiment, this unique festival is far greater than the sum of its parts.