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.

Friday, July 22, 2022
Tools for Schools season has begun!
Jul 22 all-day
various locations in Buncombe County

The tools for Schools season officially began this week when our good friends at Biltmore came by to pick up 15 collection boxes!
We are very thankful to them and all who are ready to help!
You can also start shopping from our amazon wishlist
If your office, club or neighborhood organization would like to collect school supplies please contact Kathy Soule at [email protected] and we will be happy to provide you with a collection box!
Asheville Healthcare Financial Assistance and Medical Advocacy Fair
Jul 22 @ 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Virtual

The last thing you need when you’re not feeling well is figuring out how to pay to get better.

Even if you feel better now, trying to figure out how to pay for the healthcare you previously received could literally make you ill again.

Skip the complicated maze of the American healthcare system by signing-up for the Blue Cube Medical Asheville Healthcare Debt Elimination and Financial Advocacy Fair.

Make organizing and paying for your current and previous medical bills painless by obtaining the following services:

• a dedicated, single point-of-contact to guide you through the process (Patient Advocate),

• evaluation of outstanding medical debt (as applicable),

• high- level insurance benefits review (as applicable),

• review of insurance claims in order to best assist in negotiating and resubmitting denied or pending claims, obtaining preauthorization(s) for need care, and subsequent support in completing any required forms and related documentation,

• locate and complete diagnosis-based medical, service, prescription, and other healthcare financial assistance programs and grant applications,

• find in-network inpatient and outpatient medical providers to achieve care,

• provide access to direct financial assistance, reimbursement, and vouchers to help defray travel and transportation costs associated with long-distance and local medical services,

• help manage settlement of outstanding medical debt with medical providers using the resources listed above,

• and much more.

We are serious about flat-fee pricing. No hourly rates. Just quality medical debt elimination and financial advocacy services you can trust and afford. Results guaranteed.

Sign up for the Asheville Fair and achieve a new dimension of your health, July 21 – 24, 2022. Immediate, one-on-one aid options available for those who need support prior to July 21.

Saturday, July 23, 2022
Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 23 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Tools for Schools season has begun!
Jul 23 all-day
various locations in Buncombe County

The tools for Schools season officially began this week when our good friends at Biltmore came by to pick up 15 collection boxes!
We are very thankful to them and all who are ready to help!
You can also start shopping from our amazon wishlist
If your office, club or neighborhood organization would like to collect school supplies please contact Kathy Soule at [email protected] and we will be happy to provide you with a collection box!
Eblen Charities FANtastic Fan Project
Jul 23 @ 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
online

When temperatures rise, something as simple as a box fan can potentially save a life!

Asheville Healthcare Financial Assistance and Medical Advocacy Fair
Jul 23 @ 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Virtual

The last thing you need when you’re not feeling well is figuring out how to pay to get better.

Even if you feel better now, trying to figure out how to pay for the healthcare you previously received could literally make you ill again.

Skip the complicated maze of the American healthcare system by signing-up for the Blue Cube Medical Asheville Healthcare Debt Elimination and Financial Advocacy Fair.

Make organizing and paying for your current and previous medical bills painless by obtaining the following services:

• a dedicated, single point-of-contact to guide you through the process (Patient Advocate),

• evaluation of outstanding medical debt (as applicable),

• high- level insurance benefits review (as applicable),

• review of insurance claims in order to best assist in negotiating and resubmitting denied or pending claims, obtaining preauthorization(s) for need care, and subsequent support in completing any required forms and related documentation,

• locate and complete diagnosis-based medical, service, prescription, and other healthcare financial assistance programs and grant applications,

• find in-network inpatient and outpatient medical providers to achieve care,

• provide access to direct financial assistance, reimbursement, and vouchers to help defray travel and transportation costs associated with long-distance and local medical services,

• help manage settlement of outstanding medical debt with medical providers using the resources listed above,

• and much more.

We are serious about flat-fee pricing. No hourly rates. Just quality medical debt elimination and financial advocacy services you can trust and afford. Results guaranteed.

Sign up for the Asheville Fair and achieve a new dimension of your health, July 21 – 24, 2022. Immediate, one-on-one aid options available for those who need support prior to July 21.

Sunday, July 24, 2022
2022 RiverLink Annual Fund
Jul 24 all-day
online w/ River Link

What makes a place idyllic?

Start with an emerald river that flows from ancient mountains. Add an abundance of living creatures that co-evolved over millennia. Bring in humans who honor their place in the interconnected web. And rebuild a vital stream that supports us all.

Your support and engagement helps ensure the health of this watershed for the ages! We can’t do it without you.

Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 24 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Tools for Schools season has begun!
Jul 24 all-day
various locations in Buncombe County

The tools for Schools season officially began this week when our good friends at Biltmore came by to pick up 15 collection boxes!
We are very thankful to them and all who are ready to help!
You can also start shopping from our amazon wishlist
If your office, club or neighborhood organization would like to collect school supplies please contact Kathy Soule at [email protected] and we will be happy to provide you with a collection box!
Eblen Charities FANtastic Fan Project
Jul 24 @ 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
online

When temperatures rise, something as simple as a box fan can potentially save a life!

Asheville Healthcare Financial Assistance and Medical Advocacy Fair
Jul 24 @ 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Virtual

The last thing you need when you’re not feeling well is figuring out how to pay to get better.

Even if you feel better now, trying to figure out how to pay for the healthcare you previously received could literally make you ill again.

Skip the complicated maze of the American healthcare system by signing-up for the Blue Cube Medical Asheville Healthcare Debt Elimination and Financial Advocacy Fair.

Make organizing and paying for your current and previous medical bills painless by obtaining the following services:

• a dedicated, single point-of-contact to guide you through the process (Patient Advocate),

• evaluation of outstanding medical debt (as applicable),

• high- level insurance benefits review (as applicable),

• review of insurance claims in order to best assist in negotiating and resubmitting denied or pending claims, obtaining preauthorization(s) for need care, and subsequent support in completing any required forms and related documentation,

• locate and complete diagnosis-based medical, service, prescription, and other healthcare financial assistance programs and grant applications,

• find in-network inpatient and outpatient medical providers to achieve care,

• provide access to direct financial assistance, reimbursement, and vouchers to help defray travel and transportation costs associated with long-distance and local medical services,

• help manage settlement of outstanding medical debt with medical providers using the resources listed above,

• and much more.

We are serious about flat-fee pricing. No hourly rates. Just quality medical debt elimination and financial advocacy services you can trust and afford. Results guaranteed.

Sign up for the Asheville Fair and achieve a new dimension of your health, July 21 – 24, 2022. Immediate, one-on-one aid options available for those who need support prior to July 21.

Monday, July 25, 2022
Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 25 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Archetype Brewing is partnering with The Blood Connection to sponsor regular community blood drives
Jul 25 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Archetype Brewing--West
176368147_2899384213641696_716286062106311865_n
Archetype Brewing is partnering with The Blood Connection to sponsor regular community blood drives for our AVL community. The bloodmobile will be at 265 Haywood Road, Asheville. Each blood donor will receive a $20 Visa gift card as a thank you for donating!
The Blood Connection is also doing a COVID-19 antibody screening on all blood donations and you will be able to get these results 7 business days after donating.
Each blood donation saves up to 3 lives! Donors need to be at least 16 years old (16 year old need a permission slip which will be at the blood drive), weigh at least 110 pounds, have ID and be in general good health.
Auditions for Our Town
Jul 25 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Our Town

PLAY

By: Thornton Wilder

Directed by: Robert Arleigh White

Seeking a large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Be YOU! Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing for your audition.

PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!

Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing. You may additionally be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition. (Check back for sides here closer to audition date.) Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!

Auditions: Our Town PLAY By: Thornton Wilder
Jul 25 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Directed by: Robert Arleigh White

AUDITION DATES: Monday, July 25th and Tuesday, July 26th, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm

PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!

Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director encourages you to prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing, but it’s not required. If you don’t have a monologue, you will be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition.

Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!

Scripts are available for checkout from the theatre. Or, borrow the script here from the library. (Disclaimer: The library version may be slightly different from the version we are using.)

SIDES:

George and Emily

George and Emily 2

Stage Manager

Stage Manager 2

Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb

George and Dr. Gibbs

Mrs. Webb and Emily

Mrs. Soames and Mrs. Gibbs

Dr. Gibbs and Mrs. Gibbs

Mr. and Mrs Webb and George

Simon

Mrs. Webb

AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.

CAST OF CHARACTERS: 

Primary Characters:

  • Stage Manager – a narrator, commentator, and guide through Grover’s Corners. She joins in the action of the play periodically, as the minister at the wedding, the soda shop owner, a local townsman, etc., and speaks directly to Emily after her death.
  • Emily Webb – one of the main characters; we follow her from a precocious young girl through her wedding to George Gibbs and her early death.
  • George Gibbs – the other main character; the boy next door, a kind but irresponsible teenager who matures over time and becomes a responsible husband, father and farmer.
  • Frank Gibbs – George’s father, the town doctor.
  • Julia (Hersey) Gibbs –George’s mother. She dreams of going to Paris but doesn’t get there. She saved $350 for the trip from the sale of an antique furniture piece but willed it to George and Emily. Dies while visiting her daughter in Ohio.
  • Charles Webb – Emily’s father, Editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel
  • Myrtle Webb – Emily and Wally’s mother.

Secondary characters:

    • Joe and Si Crowell – local paperboys. Joe’s intelligence earns him a full scholarship to MIT where he graduates at the top of his class. His promise will be cut short on the fields of France during World War I, according to the Stage Manager. Both he and his brother Si hold marriage in high disdain.
    • Simon Stimson – the choir director and church organist. We never learn the specific cause of his alcoholism and suicide, although Joe Stoddard, the undertaker, observes that “He’s seen a peck of troubles.” He remains bitter and cynical even beyond the grave.
    • Howie Newsome – the milkman, a fixture of Grover’s Corners.
    • Rebecca Gibbs – George’s younger sister. Later elopes with a traveling salesman and settles in Ohio.
    • Wallace “Wally” Webb – Emily’s younger brother. Dies of a burst appendix on a Boy Scout camping trip.
    • Professor Willard – a rather long-winded lecturer
    • Woman in the Balcony – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with temperance
    • Belligerent Man at Back of Auditorium – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with social justice
    • Lady in a Box – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with culture and beauty
    • Mrs. Louella Soames – a gossipy townswoman and member of the choir
    • Constable Bill Warren – the policeman
    • Three Baseball Players – who mock George at the wedding
    • Joe Stoddard – the undertaker
    • Sam Craig – a nephew of Mrs. Gibbs who left town to seek his fortune. He came back after 12 years in Buffalo for Emily’s funeral.
    • Man from among the Dead
    • Woman from among the Dead
    • Mr. Carter (Dead)
    • Farmer McCarty
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 26 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Lunch and Learn: Substance Use, Misuse, and the Opioid Crisis with Vaya Health
Jul 26 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

Lunch and Learn: Substance Use, Misuse, and the Opioid Crisis with Vaya Health

Adults of any age can encounter problems with substance use. This class details common substance use issues and tips for those caring for those individuals.

Class is free and registration is required.
To Register (required): Go to VayaHealth.com/Calendar or Call Enka-Candler Public Library at 828- 250-4758.

Hosted by the Enka-Candler Public Library in partnership with the Vaya Health Geriatric & Adult Mental Health Specialty Team. All Vaya Health trainings are free and accredited through the NC Division of Health Service Regulation which awards one contact hour for each hour of training.

Auditions for Our Town
Jul 26 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Our Town

PLAY

By: Thornton Wilder

Directed by: Robert Arleigh White

Seeking a large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Be YOU! Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing for your audition.

PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!

Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing. You may additionally be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition. (Check back for sides here closer to audition date.) Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!

Auditions: Our Town PLAY By: Thornton Wilder
Jul 26 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Directed by: Robert Arleigh White

AUDITION DATES: Monday, July 25th and Tuesday, July 26th, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm

PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!

Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.

AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director encourages you to prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing, but it’s not required. If you don’t have a monologue, you will be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition.

Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!

Scripts are available for checkout from the theatre. Or, borrow the script here from the library. (Disclaimer: The library version may be slightly different from the version we are using.)

SIDES:

George and Emily

George and Emily 2

Stage Manager

Stage Manager 2

Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb

George and Dr. Gibbs

Mrs. Webb and Emily

Mrs. Soames and Mrs. Gibbs

Dr. Gibbs and Mrs. Gibbs

Mr. and Mrs Webb and George

Simon

Mrs. Webb

AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.

CAST OF CHARACTERS: 

Primary Characters:

  • Stage Manager – a narrator, commentator, and guide through Grover’s Corners. She joins in the action of the play periodically, as the minister at the wedding, the soda shop owner, a local townsman, etc., and speaks directly to Emily after her death.
  • Emily Webb – one of the main characters; we follow her from a precocious young girl through her wedding to George Gibbs and her early death.
  • George Gibbs – the other main character; the boy next door, a kind but irresponsible teenager who matures over time and becomes a responsible husband, father and farmer.
  • Frank Gibbs – George’s father, the town doctor.
  • Julia (Hersey) Gibbs –George’s mother. She dreams of going to Paris but doesn’t get there. She saved $350 for the trip from the sale of an antique furniture piece but willed it to George and Emily. Dies while visiting her daughter in Ohio.
  • Charles Webb – Emily’s father, Editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel
  • Myrtle Webb – Emily and Wally’s mother.

Secondary characters:

    • Joe and Si Crowell – local paperboys. Joe’s intelligence earns him a full scholarship to MIT where he graduates at the top of his class. His promise will be cut short on the fields of France during World War I, according to the Stage Manager. Both he and his brother Si hold marriage in high disdain.
    • Simon Stimson – the choir director and church organist. We never learn the specific cause of his alcoholism and suicide, although Joe Stoddard, the undertaker, observes that “He’s seen a peck of troubles.” He remains bitter and cynical even beyond the grave.
    • Howie Newsome – the milkman, a fixture of Grover’s Corners.
    • Rebecca Gibbs – George’s younger sister. Later elopes with a traveling salesman and settles in Ohio.
    • Wallace “Wally” Webb – Emily’s younger brother. Dies of a burst appendix on a Boy Scout camping trip.
    • Professor Willard – a rather long-winded lecturer
    • Woman in the Balcony – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with temperance
    • Belligerent Man at Back of Auditorium – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with social justice
    • Lady in a Box – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with culture and beauty
    • Mrs. Louella Soames – a gossipy townswoman and member of the choir
    • Constable Bill Warren – the policeman
    • Three Baseball Players – who mock George at the wedding
    • Joe Stoddard – the undertaker
    • Sam Craig – a nephew of Mrs. Gibbs who left town to seek his fortune. He came back after 12 years in Buffalo for Emily’s funeral.
    • Man from among the Dead
    • Woman from among the Dead
    • Mr. Carter (Dead)
    • Farmer McCarty
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 27 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Wellness Wednesday – Pickleball
Jul 27 all-day
various locations

 

wellness wednesday logo banner

What’s the “dill” with pickleball? Lots of local picklers treat the sport like the bread and butter of their week. The national total of 4.8 million pickleball players is a 14.3% increase from 2020 and 39.3% increase from 2019 (1.36 million additional players over that two-year span). Since Asheville Parks & Recreation lined its first pickleball courts in 2016, the sport has grown locally to include hundreds of regular players.

Though it traces its history to 1965, pickleball participation is at an all-time high and continues to grow. Often described as a mashup of table tennis, wiffle ball, and badminton, pickleball is accessible to all ages and is particularly well-suited for those who like fast-paced exercise, friendly competition, and easy-to-follow rules with the potential to improve with each match.

The basics

yellow pickleball on courtA pickleball court is 44 feet long and 20 feet wide, allowing plenty of space to move quickly from side to side while strengthening muscles and improving joint range of motion and flexibility. The court is small enough to keep conversation going with doubles partners and opponents. After teams win a match, they’ll often split up and rotate in new partners – a testament to the social nature of the game. (Don’t let the friendliness of the game fool you; pickleball is a sport and many players take it as seriously as any other.)

There’s also a relatively low cost for new players. Local sports shops, big box retailers, and online stores sell quality paddle and ball sets starting around $20. Since none of Asheville’s public outdoor courts have permanent pickleball nets, local picklers bring their own or coordinate with friends who have nets. Like the courts, pickleball nets are shorter than tennis nets. Throw on some athletic attire and smooth soled athletic shoes and join both new and old friends for a game.

Looking to start slow?

Asheville Parks & Recreation’s pickleball league currently plays in Murphy-Oakley Park (715 Fairview Rd.) from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesdays through August 17. Spectators can watch advanced picklers, make friends in the community, and learn the rules.

Stephens-Lee Community Center and Recreation Complex (30 George Washington Carver Ave.) has scheduled a free introductory clinic for beginners on August 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. Advance registration is required.

Looking to jump in?woman playing pickleball

Picklers are a pretty laid-back group and usually enjoy sharing the joy of the game with newcomers. With 12 outdoor and six indoor public pickleball courts, there are a variety of spots to take in the game. All outdoor courts are dual-lined with tennis, so city park court rules should be followed.

Outdoor courts (free to use)

  • Kenilworth Park – 79 Wyoming Rd.
  • Malvern HIlls Park – 75 Rumbough Pl.
  • Montford Park – 345 Montford Ave.
  • Murphy-Oakley Park – 715 Fairview Rd.

Indoor courts ($3 per visit, multi-visit discount passes available)

  • Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center and Recreation Complex (hours) – 121 Shiloh Rd.
  • Stephens-Lee Community Center and Recreation Complex (hours) – 30 George Washington Carver Ave.
Tai Chi Ten Form: Eight Sessions
Jul 27 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
The North Carolina Arboretum

 

This elegant short form introduces the signature movements of Tai Chi Chuan in a simplified and compact sequence. A wonderful practice for beginners, participants will learn the basic principles of each movement as well as modifications to accommodate individual needs. Tai chi is a safe and effective form of meditative exercise consisting of relaxed and focused movements that clear the mind and relax the nervous system while improving balance, strength, flexibility, stability, coordination, joint health, memory and attentional skills.

“Get to Know Your Local YMCA”
Jul 27 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Enka-Candler Library

"Get to Know Enka-Candler" series presents "Get to Know Your Local YMCA"

Gyms can be intimidating, scary, frustrating, or all of the above, but that’s not every gym. Join us in the community room to Get to Know the Ferguson Family YMCA! Located around the corner from our branch and next to the Food Lion. Meet the Youth and Family Director to learn about classes offered, equipment made available, and the mobile market.

Is there childcare? What is the sliding scale of payment or do they have one, are there scholarships? What’s happening there this summer and into fall? Learn all about it at this next program of our “Get to Know Enka-Candler” series.

This program is free and no registration is necessary.

Thursday, July 28, 2022
2022 RiverLink Annual Fund
Jul 28 all-day
online w/ River Link

What makes a place idyllic?

Start with an emerald river that flows from ancient mountains. Add an abundance of living creatures that co-evolved over millennia. Bring in humans who honor their place in the interconnected web. And rebuild a vital stream that supports us all.

Your support and engagement helps ensure the health of this watershed for the ages! We can’t do it without you.

Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 28 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!

Tools for Schools season has begun!
Jul 28 all-day
various locations in Buncombe County

The tools for Schools season officially began this week when our good friends at Biltmore came by to pick up 15 collection boxes!
We are very thankful to them and all who are ready to help!
You can also start shopping from our amazon wishlist
If your office, club or neighborhood organization would like to collect school supplies please contact Kathy Soule at [email protected] and we will be happy to provide you with a collection box!
The Blood Connection Partners with Outback Steakhouse
Jul 28 @ 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Outback Steakhouse

See the source image

The Blood Connection (TBC), the community blood center serving the Carolinas and Georgia, is partnering with local restaurant chain, Outback Steakhouse, to call attention to the importance of blood donation this summer.  While TBC has avoided a blood shortage so far, the non-profit community blood center is currently experiencing a shortage of blood donors. The two groups are partnering to host blood drives at select Outback locations, to make blood donation accessible for more community members.

The Blood Connection’s mobile donation units will be at twenty Outback Steakhouse locations across North and South Carolina on July 28.  As a thank you for helping save local lives, all donors will receive a $20 eGift card, redeemable for an Outback eGift card, plus a coupon for a free Bloomin’ Onion.

You can also donate between July 28 and July 30 at a TBC donation center to receive a $20 Outback eGift card and a free Bloomin’ Onion!

North Carolina

Cary
901 Walnut St.
Durham
3500 Mount Moriah Rd.
Garner
845 US Hwy. 70 W.
Goldsboro
2617 N Park Dr
Asheville
30 Tunnel Rd.
New Bern
111 Howell Rd.
Raleigh
7500 Creedmoor Rd.
Smithfield
911 Outlet Center Dr
Charlotte
1412 E Boulevard Suite A
Matthews
9623 East Independence Blvd.
Jacksonville
1435 13th Avenue Drive Southeast
 Farm Fresh for Health Regional Symposiums for healthcare professionals
Jul 28 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
KT’s Orchard and Apiary

Throughout the summer of 2022, ASAP will present a series of on-farm symposiums for healthcare professionals in Western North Carolina to highlight the principles of Farm Fresh for Health. Farm Fresh for Health addresses the real and perceived barriers that influence what we eat and determine health outcomes. ASAP and community partners are using strategies and initiatives built around:

  • Produce Prescriptions
  • Nutrition Security
  • Workplace Wellness
  • Wrap-Around Clinical Health Services
  • Cooking Classes
  • Farm to School
  • Social Determinants of Health

Each symposium will introduce key strategies and highlight examples from ASAP and the community, including projects from ASAP’s Community in Action initiative. Attendees will take part in farm tours, hands-on activities, and facilitated discussion about how they can use Farm Fresh for Health tools in their own practices to improve health outcomes. A seasonally focused farm-to-table meal (lunch or dinner) will be provided by a local food partner. Space is limited at each symposium. A $20 registration fee offsets the cost of meals and materials.

DINNER

Catered by Luis Martinez of Tequio Foods.

KEY STRATEGIES

Wrap-around clinical health services, local food and nutrition security programs, cooking classes in the community, social determinants of health

PRESENTERS

KT Taylor is a nurse at Mission Hospital and the farmer and owner of KT’s Orchard and Apiary, where she grows a variety of apples, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, pears, and local honey.

Marianne Martinez is the executive director of VecinosValeria Barrera Vizcarra manages the organization’s Farmworker Health Program. Vecinos is on a mission to provide culturally appropriate health and wellness services for the uninsured Latinx community​. Agricultural work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country and workers face many barriers when it comes to accessing care. Vecinos aims to break down health care barriers by bringing services directly to the community through out-patient clinics and mobile medical clinics.

Jenna Kranz is the founder and executive director of Uncomplicated Kitchen. Uncomplicated Kitchen teaches community members how to plan meals, shop for ingredients, and cook healthy, simple, and affordable recipes. The organization seeks to bridge the gap between the food people have access to and the tools and knowledge they have to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families.

Nilofer Couture is a Registered Dietician and the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, NC. She also serves on the board for both Uncomplicated Kitchen and ASAP. She’s dedicated her career to helping people make better food choices and her work with Uncomplicated Kitchen fits right in with her passion for nutritious eating.

David Smiley is the program manager of ASAP’s Local Food Campaign. During the pandemic, he developed and implemented ASAP’s Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program, which connected farms with feeding sites across the region.

Mike McCreary is ASAP’s farmers market program manager and has developed ASAP’s SNAP incentive programs. Under Mike’s management, in 2009 Asheville City Market was the first market in Western North Carolina to accept SNAP/EBT.

Sarah Hart is ASAP’s communications manager. She coordinated Healthy Eating in Practice, a national conference for physicians and healthcare professionals to better support healthy eating, presented by ASAP in 2018.

Farm Fresh for Health Regional Symposiums
Jul 28 @ 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
KT’s Orchard and Apiary

 

Throughout the summer of 2022, ASAP will present a series of on-farm symposiums for healthcare professionals in Western North Carolina to highlight the principles of Farm Fresh for Health. Farm Fresh for Health addresses the real and perceived barriers that influence what we eat and determine health outcomes. ASAP and community partners are using strategies and initiatives built around:

  • Produce Prescriptions
  • Nutrition Security
  • Workplace Wellness
  • Wrap-Around Clinical Health Services
  • Cooking Classes
  • Farm to School
  • Social Determinants of Health

Each symposium will introduce key strategies and highlight examples from ASAP and the community, including projects from ASAP’s Community in Action initiative. Attendees will take part in farm tours, hands-on activities, and facilitated discussion about how they can use Farm Fresh for Health tools in their own practices to improve health outcomes. A seasonally focused farm-to-table meal (lunch or dinner) will be provided by a local food partner. Space is limited at each symposium. A $20 registration fee offsets the cost of meals and materials.


DINNER

Catered by Luis Martinez of Tequio Foods.

KEY STRATEGIES

Wrap-around clinical health services, local food and nutrition security programs, cooking classes in the community, social determinants of health

PRESENTERS

KT Taylor is a nurse at Mission Hospital and the farmer and owner of KT’s Orchard and Apiary, where she grows a variety of apples, peaches, nectarines, raspberries, pears, and local honey.

Marianne Martinez is the executive director of VecinosValeria Barrera Vizcarra manages the organization’s Farmworker Health Program. Vecinos is on a mission to provide culturally appropriate health and wellness services for the uninsured Latinx community​. Agricultural work is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country and workers face many barriers when it comes to accessing care. Vecinos aims to break down health care barriers by bringing services directly to the community through out-patient clinics and mobile medical clinics.

Jenna Kranz is the founder and executive director of Uncomplicated Kitchen. Uncomplicated Kitchen teaches community members how to plan meals, shop for ingredients, and cook healthy, simple, and affordable recipes. The organization seeks to bridge the gap between the food people have access to and the tools and knowledge they have to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families.

Nilofer Couture is a Registered Dietician and the Clinical Nutrition Manager at Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, NC. She also serves on the board for both Uncomplicated Kitchen and ASAP. She’s dedicated her career to helping people make better food choices and her work with Uncomplicated Kitchen fits right in with her passion for nutritious eating.

David Smiley is the program manager of ASAP’s Local Food Campaign. During the pandemic, he developed and implemented ASAP’s Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program, which connected farms with feeding sites across the region.

Mike McCreary is ASAP’s farmers market program manager and has developed ASAP’s SNAP incentive programs. Under Mike’s management, in 2009 Asheville City Market was the first market in Western North Carolina to accept SNAP/EBT.

Sarah Hart is ASAP’s communications manager. She coordinated Healthy Eating in Practice, a national conference for physicians and healthcare professionals to better support healthy eating, presented by ASAP in 2018.

Friday, July 29, 2022
Donate to our Community Ticket Fund Community Ticket Fund
Jul 29 all-day
Online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association

As a small nonprofit, we rely on donations, memberships, and program fees to continue to preserve and promote the history of our unique region. Still, we want to make sure that anyone, regardless of income, can attend our programs.

In 2020, we began offering our “Community Funded Ticket” program. This program allows anyone to register for our in-person or virtual events at no cost and with no additional barriers. We’ve been delighted by the response to this program with many participants donating extra with their ticket purchases to ensure that our Community Fund account stays active.

As we start as new fiscal year, we hope that you will consider making a donation to our Community Fund to help continue this program through the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023.

$10 donation provides a ticket to one of our virtual events.

$25 donation provides a ticket to one of our in-person events.

$50 donation provides a family membership to a family who could not otherwise afford to be a member of WNCHA. As you know, members receive free and discounted tickets to our events for the entire year of membership.

Your support is vital! We appreciate you!