Calendar of Events

The Asheville Quilt Show displays over 300 high-quality traditional, modern and art quilts, from local and regional quilt artists. Over $10,000 of prize money is awarded. Also Vendors, Demonstrations, Special Exhibits, Silent Auction, Quilts for Sale, Gift Shop, Kids Sewing Station. Food available on site. Handicap accessible.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers began their musical journey in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the mid 1990’s, as a musician’s escape from the cookie cutter world of modern rock radio at the time. Jimbo Mathus along with drummer/percussionist Chris Phillips formed the band as a casual musical foray among friends and family in the area. It wasn’t long before the band’s quirky mix of jazz chords, folk music, and punk rock leanings spread out of the region and attracted a national audience. Between 1995-2000 the Squirrel Nut Zippers sold over three million albums. Their watershed album, Hot (1996) was recorded in the heat of New Orleans, fueled by a youthful hunger to unlock the secrets of old world jazz. This passion mixed with klezmer, blues and random bits of contemporary musical leanings became the bands signature style. At the time, there were few other bands inhabiting this space. The album would eventually break free of any “jazz” stereotypes and land on commercial radio, taking the band to remarkable heights for what was essentially an anti-establishment sound. Years later and through chronicles of every kind, the band has emerged from a lengthy recording hiatus, invigorated, invested, and rejuvenated. “It’s not a reunion, it’s a revival” has been the battle cry for Mathus since reforming the group in 2016. With an all-star cast of New Orleans musicians, the band breathed new life in to the old material, and inspired Mathus to return to the studio to reignite the band’s unique, enigmatic sound.

It’s Big Daddy’s 65th birthday.  The mood is somber, despite the festivities, because a number of evils poison the gaiety: greed, sins of the past and desperate hopes for the future as the knowledge that Big Daddy is dying slowly makes the rounds.

This year, Eliada will maintain some beloved attractions including the tractor ride, which now drives all the way around the Corn Maze, jumping pillow, corn kernel sand box, spider web climber, tube slides, and corn cannons.

The Asheville Quilt Show displays over 300 high-quality traditional, modern and art quilts, from local and regional quilt artists. Over $10,000 in prize money is awarded. Also Vendors, Demonstrations, Special Exhibits, Silent Auction, Quilts for Sale, Gift Shop, Kids Sewing Station. Food available on site. Handicap accessible.

The Madison County Arts Council is pleased to present the 7th annual ‘Art On The Island’ Festival on beautiful Blannahassett Island in downtown Marshall on Saturday, September 29. Art on the Island serves as an economic and cultural celebration of creativity in Madison County and Western North Carolina. There will be special hands-on demonstrations for young and old. There will be live demonstrations of natural dyeing, batik dyeing, brick making and interactive sculpture building. There will also be a sculpture display area featuring work of various sizes. This all day affair presents artists, crafters, food, a beer garden, and kid’s activities from 10am until 5pm and is free and open to the public.

When is a Pride Parade Not a Parade? … When it’s a Pride Procession!
This year, we kick off the Tenth Annual Blue Ridge Pride Festival with a special Procession across Asheville and into Pack Square Park.
Our purpose is to celebrate the multitude of organizations and businesses who envision Western North Carolina as a rich and welcoming community. The theme of the Procession is Welcoming WNC: Diversity + Inclusion = Success.
We want to give voice to the many organizations that strive to create spaces that welcome all to work, shop, and congregate as their authentic selves, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sex, disability, class, or religion.
TO WALK IN PROCESSION, register below.

Join us for Western North Carolina’s biggest Pride festival yet: Three Performance Stages, 175 Booths, 2 Dozen Food Vendors.
Where else can you bathe yourself in music while exploring social justice, shopping for swag, and meeting welcoming employers, healthcare providers and community service organizations? Come early for our first annual PRIDE PROCESSION through Asheville (10:30).
PERFORMERS INCLUDE: Rhoda Weaver & the Soul Mates; Jangling Sparrows; Modern Strangers; Wanda Lopez; The Gypsy Swingers; The Dirty Badgers; DJ Rexx Step; Wild Bodema; Second Line Band — and the Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus.

It’s Big Daddy’s 65th birthday.  The mood is somber, despite the festivities, because a number of evils poison the gaiety: greed, sins of the past and desperate hopes for the future as the knowledge that Big Daddy is dying slowly makes the rounds.

Joshua Hedley at The Grey Eagle

With the release of his highly anticipated debut album Mr. Jukebox via Third Man Records, Joshua Hedley will embrace the role he was born to play: this generation’s classic country champion.

An accomplished fiddle player, Hedley felt inexplicably drawn toward the instrument as a child. He got his hands on his own fiddle at age 8, and by 12, he was playing with middle-aged pickers at the VFW. At 19, he moved from his native Florida to Nashville, where he became an in-demand sideman at Robert’s Western World and other bars, and ultimately, a well-respected frontman. Armed with an easy croon and prodigious fiddle playing, he became known as the Mayor of Lower Broad. He hit the road to perform with artists including Jonny Fritz, Justin Townes Earle, and more, while the 2015 documentary Heartworn Highways Revisited featured Hedley prominently.

Hedley didn’t start writing his own songs until he was about 28 years-old. So on the backend of his 20s, he finally started writing, eventually unlocking a flood of clarity and creativity. The heartbreaking, distilled, defiantly classic country that poured out of him became Mr. Jukebox, a salve and beacon for 60s honky-tonk devotees everywhere.

Album opener “Counting All My Tears” carves out the collection’s gloriously tear-jerking territory from the jump. As “oooooohhhs” and “aaaaahhhs” serve as spine-tingling harmonies––a classic-country flourish carried throughout Mr. Jukebox––lonely piano is joined by a familiar cast including steel and of course, fiddle. “Mr. Jukebox” is a swinging nod to those beloved machines––both inanimate and breathing––that dependably play a lot of songs for a little money. It’s impossible to listen to the tune and not smile thinking of Hedley’s years logged in cover bands on Nashville’s Lower Broad. Lush strings kick off the sauntering “Weird Thought Thinker,” which features harmonies that evoke both bass walkdowns and angels. An ace fiddle intro opens “Let Them Talk,” a carefree ode to being in love and not worrying about who knows it. “Let’s Take a Vacation” pleads for one last lovers’ getaway to try to remember what’s been lost. Hedley delivers a masterful recitation over crying steel, soft harmonies, and rich supporting strings. He penned shuffling “These Walls” about FooBar, a beloved East Nashville dive Hedley lived near before it shut down.

“This Time” paints a vivid picture of leaving that’s both proud and blue. Simple and brilliant, “I Never Shed a Tear” sounds like a standard, but just like all but one track on Mr. Jukebox, it’s a Hedley original. “You’re trying to say as much as you can in as few words as possible,” he says. “Trying to convey an emotion to make people feel their own emotions.” Hedley’s ability to capture feelings is on spellbinding display in album standout “Don’t Waste Your Tears,” a soaring, gut-punching vocal performance. The final track is the only cover: a goosebumps-inducing version of “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Hedley picked the song to honor his dad, who passed away about three years ago without seeing the record deal, glowing press, and peer admiration Hedley’s earned. “We spent a lot of Christmases at Disney World,” he says. “When I was searching for a cover song, it dawned on me that my dad didn’t get to see any of this happen, but he always wanted it.”

When asked what he hopes listeners get out of Mr. Jukebox, Hedley doesn’t hesitate. “I just want people to remember they have feelings, and that they’re valid,” he says. “Not everything is Coors Light and tailgates. There are other aspects of life that aren’t so great that people experience. They’re part of life, part of what shapes people. And that’s worth noting.”

https://www.facebook.com/events/212618135995369/

This year, Eliada will maintain some beloved attractions including the tractor ride, which now drives all the way around the Corn Maze, jumping pillow, corn kernel sand box, spider web climber, tube slides, and corn cannons.

The Asheville Quilt Show displays over 300 high-quality traditional, modern and art quilts, from local and regional quilt artists. Over $10,000 in prize money is awarded. Also Vendors, Demonstrations, Special Exhibits, Silent Auction, Quilts for Sale, Gift Shop, Kids Sewing Station. Food available on site. Handicap accessible.

Come visit the pumpkin patch and pick the perfect one to take home.

https://www.facebook.com/events/922060741332065/

Each Tuesday and Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., April through October, trained volunteer guides lead small groups of participants along woodland trails and through a variety of forest types. Depending on the season, topics of discussion include wildflowers, plant and tree identification, natural history, and the cultural and land use history of The North Carolina Arboretum. Guides may include areas such as the Natural Garden Trail and Bent Creek.

Programs are held rain or shine and participants should dress appropriately for the weather. Individuals should also wear sturdy shoes and bring water. Walks last 1.5- 2.5 hours, depending upon the interest of the group, and are approximately one to two miles in length. Due to length and content, this program is not recommended for children under 8 years of age.

Walks begin in the Baker Exhibit Center Lobby and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups of five or more are required to pre-register by calling 828-665-2492. Walks are FREE, however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are appreciated. Regular parking fees apply. Arboretum Society Members always park free.

Due to size limitations of the tours, groups of 10 or more are required to book a private guided trail tour.

It’s Big Daddy’s 65th birthday.  The mood is somber, despite the festivities, because a number of evils poison the gaiety: greed, sins of the past and desperate hopes for the future as the knowledge that Big Daddy is dying slowly makes the rounds.

This year, Eliada will maintain some beloved attractions including the tractor ride, which now drives all the way around the Corn Maze, jumping pillow, corn kernel sand box, spider web climber, tube slides, and corn cannons.

Do you have a gardening question? Looking to get that mystery plant identified? Need pruning advice? The North Carolina Arboretum is proud to introduce its newest educational series, “Ask the Gardener.” Every Monday from 9 a.m. – 12 noon, April through October, gardening experts will be on-site in the Arboretum’s Library, located upstairs in the Education Center, to help members and visitors address both common and unique gardening and landscape questions. The Arboretum’s extensive resource book collection will also be available for use by participants. The program is free, however, donations to The North Carolina Arboretum Society are welcomed.

Don’t get stumped! Let the Arboretum’s gardening experts help.