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.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Breastfeeding Class
Aug 4 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mission Breastfeeding Center

Breastfeeding

Get breastfeeding off to the best start possible with our breastfeeding class. Designed for expectant mothers, we will go over everything you would want to know before your little bundle arrives.

There is a $20 class fee for this class that is due upon the start of class.

If you have to cancel this reservation, please call us at 828-213-1103.
Live Stream: Ron Rash Launches In the Valley
Aug 4 @ 6:00 pm
Live Stream

We’re thrilled to host the virtual launch for Ron Rash’s new story collection! This event is free but registration is required. Please click here to register. On the day of the event, registrants will receive the link required to attend. Pre-order In the Valley below to receive a bookplate signed by Ron Rash.

From bestselling and award-winning writer Ron Rash comes a collection of ten searing stories and the return of the villainess who propelled Serena to national acclaim, in a long-awaited novella.

In these ten stories, Rash spins a haunting allegory of the times we live in–rampant capitalism, the severing of ties to the natural world in the relentless hunt for profit, the destruction of body and soul with pills meant to mute our pain–and yet within this world he illuminates acts of extraordinary decency and heroism. Two of the stories have already been singled out for accolades: “Baptism” was chosen by Roxane Gay for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories 2018, and “Neighbors” was selected by Jonathan Lethem for The Best American Mystery Stories 2019. And in revisiting Serena Pemberton, Rash updates his bestselling parable of greed run amok as his deliciously vindictive heroine returns to the North Carolina wilderness she left scarred and desecrated to make one final effort to kill the child that threatens all she has accomplished. “A gorgeous, brutal writer” (Richard Price) working at the height of his powers, Ron Rash has created another mesmerizing look at the imperfect world around us.

RON RASH is the author of the PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestselling novel Serena, in addition to the critically acclaimed novels The Risen, Above the Waterfall, The Cove, One Foot in Eden, Saints at the River, and The World Made Straight; four collections of poems; and six collections of stories, among them Burning Bright, which won the 2010 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, Nothing Gold Can Stay, a New York Times bestseller, and Chemistry and Other Stories, which was a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Faulkner Award. Twice the recipient of the O. Henry Prize and winner of the 2019 Sidney Lanier Prize for Southern Literature, he is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University and lives in Clemson, SC.


Like most of our events, this online event is free. If you decide to attend and to purchase the author’s book(s), we ask that you purchase from Malalprop’s. When you do this you are supporting our work, keeping more dollars in our community, and telling publishers they should continue sending your favorite authors to Malaprop’s. Thank you!

Pardee UNC Health: Living Beyond with Breast Cancer Series Online
Aug 4 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Online

e Living Beyond Breast
Cancer, a survivorship series for young women affected by breast cancer, to a virtual platform. The
series will take place throughout the month of August and will provide answers and resources on
some of the most common concerns for young women diagnosed with breast cancer before the age
of 45. Topics include sex and intimacy, early menopause, the long-term effects of treatment and selfcare after breast cancer.
The sessions are free and will be offered Aug. 4, 11, 18, and 25 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. via a
live webinar. For more information and to RSVP, visit https://www.pardeehospital.org/classesevents/.
Pardee UNC Health Care is a not-for-profit community hospital founded in 1953 and is
managed by UNC Health Care. The hospital is licensed for 222 acute care beds. Pardee has several
locations separate from the main campus including a comprehensive physician practice network, a
cancer center, three urgent care locations and five orthopedic clinics. For more information or to
find a physician, visit www.pardeehospital.org

WILD (Women in Lively Discussion) Book Club
Aug 4 @ 6:30 pm
zoom

Check the WILD book club’s Facebook page for COVID-19 related updates. Please RSVP the moderator at [email protected] for the Zoom meeting passcode for the meetings.  

Join former Malaprop’s General Manager Linda-Marie Barrett for this woman-only book club that seeks to have fun by reading books (fiction & non) by women writers. Click here to see a full schedule of what the club is reading. Club attendees get 10% off the book at Malaprop’s!

The club meets at 6:30 P.M. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Battery Park Book Exchange. It will be held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Event date:
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 – 6:30pm
Tuesday, September 1, 2020 – 6:30pm
Tuesday, October 6, 2020 – 6:30pm
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 – 6:30pm
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Buncombe County Area Meal Sites
Aug 5 all-day
Buncombe County

Find locations around Buncombe County working hard to feed our community.

FOR STUDENTS: text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.

View meal sites by geographical area, day of the week, and/or service type offered.

Grounding and Centering Morning Meditation
Aug 5 all-day
Online

Enjoy a relaxing 20 minute guided meditation with didgeridoo from Robin and Corey, recorded live from their home in Asheville.

Stay Active with Your Library Card
Aug 5 all-day
Online

You don’t need to give up your fitness or workout routine just because COVID-19 has you spending more time at home. If you’ve got a library card and access to WiFi, it’s easy to stay active with digital resources. (If you need a new library card or renewal, call Ask a Librarian at (828) 250-4700 or follow these steps.)

North Carolina Digital Library

Free Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing for the Uninsured
Aug 5 @ 8:00 am – 11:00 am
Brevard Music Center Main Parking Lot
Free Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing For the Uninsured
The Brevard Music Center in association with the Pisgah Health Foundation announces a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site exclusively for those on Medicare and those who are uninsured.When: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. Testing begins on Wednesday, July 15.

Where: Brevard Music Center Main Parking lot (entrance on Music Camp Road off Probart Street)

Who: Testing available exclusively to those who are uninsured and those on Medicare. (Please note: This testing is not available to persons holding private health insurance or on Medicaid. Please consult your doctor for testing.)

Questions: For more information, visit our website or email [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Keystone Laboratory of Asheville will administer the COVID-19 tests and antibody tests, with results available within 96 hours.
Library Computer Appointments Available
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Buncombe County Libraries
The Perfect Turkey

Buncombe County Public Libraries will begin offering appointments for computer use on July 1. Forty-five minute appointments are available 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays at all library locations except the Oakley/South Asheville branch.

Miss Malaprop’s Storytime LIVE STREAM
Aug 5 @ 10:00 am
Live Stream

Due to Covid-19, we are live streaming Storytime in lieu of an in-store event. Join us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/malapropsbookstore/ to tune into Miss Malaprop’s Storytime from your home.

Join us with your wee ones every week on Wednesdays at 10 am for classic and contemporary stories sure to enchant and entertain. Together, we’ll introduce children to the wonderful world of books! Recommended for ages 3-9.

Event date:
Wednesday, July 29, 2020 – 10:00am
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 – 10:00am
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 – 10:00am
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 – 10:00am
Event address:
Karen Salyer McElmurray: Wanting Radiance, in conversation w/Abigail DeWitt
Aug 5 @ 6:00 pm
Online

This event is free but registration is required and attendance is limited.  If you elect to attend, we will email you on the day of the event with the link and password required to attend on Zoom.

Karen Salyer McElmurray won an AWP Award for creative nonfiction for her book Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey and the Orison Award for creative nonfiction for her essay “Blue Glass.” She has had other essays recognized as “Notable Essays” in Best American Essays, while her essay “Speaking Freely” was nominated for a Pushcart Award. She currently teaches at Gettysburg College and at West Virginia Wesleyan’s Low-Residency MFA. She will be in conversation with Abigail DeWitt, author of News of Our Loved Ones. 

Like most of our events, this event is free. If you decide to attend and to purchase the author’s book(s), we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are supporting our work and keeping more dollars in our community. Thank you!

Thursday, August 6, 2020
Buncombe County Area Meal Sites
Aug 6 all-day
Buncombe County

Find locations around Buncombe County working hard to feed our community.

FOR STUDENTS: text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.

View meal sites by geographical area, day of the week, and/or service type offered.

Grounding and Centering Morning Meditation
Aug 6 all-day
Online

Enjoy a relaxing 20 minute guided meditation with didgeridoo from Robin and Corey, recorded live from their home in Asheville.

Stay Active with Your Library Card
Aug 6 all-day
Online

You don’t need to give up your fitness or workout routine just because COVID-19 has you spending more time at home. If you’ve got a library card and access to WiFi, it’s easy to stay active with digital resources. (If you need a new library card or renewal, call Ask a Librarian at (828) 250-4700 or follow these steps.)

North Carolina Digital Library

The Blood Connection: FREE Bloomin’ Onion voucher! at Outback
Aug 6 all-day
The Blood Connection

donate blood and earn Outback Steakhouse rewards

VISIT:

https://thebloodconnection.org/outback/?fbclid=IwAR1atg5dOe3gxhuljqpCF1myxtpVmhy9iw-I60scxKkk_U69G-iZjO5fYCU  to find your nearest location and timea!

Give back, Outback, repeat. Every Thursday during August, all blood donations made at a TBC Center will receive 400 reward points and a FREE Bloomin’ Onion voucher! You can also cash in those points for an Outback Steakhouse – National gift card and make it a whole meal! To find out more or to make an appointment: thebloodconnection.org/outback/

Free Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing for the Uninsured
Aug 6 @ 8:00 am – 11:00 am
Brevard Music Center Main Parking Lot
Free Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing For the Uninsured
The Brevard Music Center in association with the Pisgah Health Foundation announces a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site exclusively for those on Medicare and those who are uninsured.When: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. Testing begins on Wednesday, July 15.

Where: Brevard Music Center Main Parking lot (entrance on Music Camp Road off Probart Street)

Who: Testing available exclusively to those who are uninsured and those on Medicare. (Please note: This testing is not available to persons holding private health insurance or on Medicaid. Please consult your doctor for testing.)

Questions: For more information, visit our website or email [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Keystone Laboratory of Asheville will administer the COVID-19 tests and antibody tests, with results available within 96 hours.
Additional Library Curbside Service
Aug 6 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches

 

Buncombe County Public Libraries will be opening three additional locations for curbside pickup service, the Fairview, Leicester, and Oakley/South Asheville branches. These locations will operate from 1-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, in addition to our current curbside pickup service locations at the Black Mountain, North Asheville, South Buncombe, and West Asheville locations. For more information about library curbside pickup service or to place an item on hold for pickup, please call your local library or the Ask-A-Librarian line (828-250-4700) or visit buncombecounty.org/library. We hope to see you soon!

Odie Lindsey: Some Go Home, in conversation w/ Chanelle Benz
Aug 6 @ 7:00 pm
Online

Some Go Home: A Novel Cover Image

Odie Lindsey is the author of Some Go Home and We Come to Our Senses: Stories. He received an NEA fellowship for combat veterans, holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the University of Mississippi, and is writer-in-residence at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Medicine, Health, and Society. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be in conversation with Chanelle Benz, author of The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead. 

Like most of our events, this event is free. If you decide to attend and to purchase the author’s book(s), we ask that you purchase from Malalprop’s. When you do this you are supporting our work and keeping more dollars in our community. Thank you!

Friday, August 7, 2020
Anti-Racisim: Resources Literacy Council
Aug 7 all-day
Online

Recognizing and understanding racism, and actively unlearning the everyday, built-in mechanisms of systemic racism is an ongoing effort that must be made by every single one of us. It can be difficult to navigate issues, origins, and solutions surrounding systemic racism, especially with so many different angles portrayed by the media.
There are countless truthful resources to help us find our way to social justice and equity. Here are just a few educational resources and ways to help our Black communities:
Educational reading:
The above photo has an excellent list of books!
Community:
Media:
Follow Black activists and voices on social media! Please reach out to us if you’d like suggestions on whom to follow.
Buncombe County Area Meal Sites
Aug 7 all-day
Buncombe County

Find locations around Buncombe County working hard to feed our community.

FOR STUDENTS: text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.

View meal sites by geographical area, day of the week, and/or service type offered.

Grounding and Centering Morning Meditation
Aug 7 all-day
Online

Enjoy a relaxing 20 minute guided meditation with didgeridoo from Robin and Corey, recorded live from their home in Asheville.

Stay Active with Your Library Card
Aug 7 all-day
Online

You don’t need to give up your fitness or workout routine just because COVID-19 has you spending more time at home. If you’ve got a library card and access to WiFi, it’s easy to stay active with digital resources. (If you need a new library card or renewal, call Ask a Librarian at (828) 250-4700 or follow these steps.)

North Carolina Digital Library

UNC Weight Research Program: Free 8-week program Health-E From Home
Aug 7 all-day
Online

Health-e from Home is a free 8-week program designed to help you make a few small changes to your everyday health habits – and it can be done at home, or anywhere. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are evaluating the acceptability and usage of this free online program that is designed to help people who are spending more time at home due to COVID-19 build healthier habits.  Those who join the study will receive access to weekly lessons and tailored feedback from the study team that will encourage small changes to their eating, small increases in activity, and simple activities to promote well-being. Participants will complete a brief, 20-minute survey at the beginning and end of the program, as well as weekly check-in questions to help the study team provide personalized feedback to help individuals meet their health goals.  Those who are interested in focusing on maintaining or losing weight will also be invited to a private Facebook group to join other study members working to meet weight goals during the study. To learn more and find out if you are eligible to participate, please visit http://healthefromhome.org.

Your Voice Matters: Advocate for those experiencing poverty
Aug 7 all-day
Online
MANNA’s mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger, and an important part of this mission is advocating for those living in and experiencing the effects of poverty.
As a non-partisan organization, dedicated to sharing information about the issues affecting the people we serve together, MANNA does not endorse political parties or candidates. We simply ask people to work with our elected officials to make legislation that works for us all, and makes our region, our state, and our country stronger from the ground up.
If you are interested in receiving advocacy-related emails from MANNA FoodBank, please follow link. By clicking here, you are signing up to receive information from MANNA about ways you can use your voice, and actions you can take, to help work towards our vision of a hunger-free Western North Carolina.
Library Computer Appointments Available
Aug 7 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Buncombe County Libraries
The Perfect Turkey

Buncombe County Public Libraries will begin offering appointments for computer use on July 1. Forty-five minute appointments are available 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays at all library locations except the Oakley/South Asheville branch.

Storytimes Online with Buncombe Librarians
Aug 7 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
Online

Join us a for a fun, socially distanced story time!

A brand new story time video will be posted every day. Keep checking back!

Hemp Xpress Trolley:  Cruisin’ Asheville 
Aug 7 @ 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Carolina Hemp Company

 The Hemp X Hot Box:Roll with us Fridays from 5-10pm as we coast a route through West Asheville and Downtown. Stops at UpCountry Brewing, One World Brewing West, Foggy Mountain, and The One Stop. We’ll have smokable and edible hemp products for purchase to enjoy alongside any wine or beer you bring yourselves (closed containers only). We’re happy to provide an affordable way for locals and visitors to Roll Up, Stay Safe and Party Down! Cruisin Asheville July 10th, July 31st, August 7th, August 21st. More dates to come! 

Purchase Tickets on board! One Way Pass $3 and All Night Unlimited Pass $5

Private Rentals: Spark up your next Asheville area celebration with our personalized rental platform! We offer several packages at different price tiers to best cater to your party’s needs! Our team is dedicated to working with you to create an experience that will leave your guests (and your smoke) blown away!

The Hemp Xpress is dedicated to the safety of the Asheville community; public routes and experiences are operating at half capacity within social distance guidelines. Hand sanitizer is readily available to riders, and surfaces are regularly sanitized. Buncombe County requires a face mask be worn in public places.

Saturday, August 8, 2020
Anti-Racisim: Resources Literacy Council
Aug 8 all-day
Online

Recognizing and understanding racism, and actively unlearning the everyday, built-in mechanisms of systemic racism is an ongoing effort that must be made by every single one of us. It can be difficult to navigate issues, origins, and solutions surrounding systemic racism, especially with so many different angles portrayed by the media.
There are countless truthful resources to help us find our way to social justice and equity. Here are just a few educational resources and ways to help our Black communities:
Educational reading:
The above photo has an excellent list of books!
Community:
Media:
Follow Black activists and voices on social media! Please reach out to us if you’d like suggestions on whom to follow.
Buncombe County Area Meal Sites
Aug 8 all-day
Buncombe County

Find locations around Buncombe County working hard to feed our community.

FOR STUDENTS: text FOODNC to 877-877 to locate nearby free meal sites. The texting service is also available in Spanish by texting COMIDA to 877-877.

View meal sites by geographical area, day of the week, and/or service type offered.

Chill with Carolina Hemp Company in the latest #digAVL Video
Aug 8 all-day
Online

Meet Brian Bullman of Carolina Hemp Company. What better way to kick back and relax and help keep your immune system up then with some local hemp. Brian tells us all about the newest additions to their lineup of immunity-boosting and anxiety-reducing hemp. Find out more by checking out the video.

See the video interview here!

While we’ve all had to adjust to the “new normal” (whatever that is), our local business owners and managers each have their own story to tell about how they’ve been affected and what they are doing during these unprecedented times. Dig Local is proud to partner with our friend, Ann Smith, at Leap Frog Tours to interview some of the awesome folks who make Asheville, Asheville.