Calendar of Events
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.
How to Understand
The Circle of Fifths
How is the Circle of Fifths used in music composition? Mark Newman uses visuals to help explain!
Tap-Dancing Noses At
The Royal Opera House
Don’t miss this scene from Shostakovich’s surreal and vibrant first opera, featuring tap-dancing noses.
Around The Web w/ BMC
Live-streamed performances, resources, and activities we love from around the web, updated weekly.
Beethoven Rocks!
Multimedia Experience
Join the Kennedy Center in a fun exploration of the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven.

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
Sharing this way to support our independent restaurants from our friends at the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. A bi-partisan group in the House and Senate introduced a bill called the RESTAURANTS ACT. This bill is the first industry-specific relief bill to be introduced for restaurants since the onset of the COVID crisis. The bill would create a Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which allows restaurants to obtain a lump sum from the Treasury to use towards a broad range of operating expenses over the balance of 2020. Learn more at saverestaurants.org |
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This form has been a signature piece in Sarah’s body of work for years. The award winning Dancing Pitcher celebrates gracefulness, soft lines, and movement. The process making this unique form is inspiring and challenging.
This workshop is designed to push our limits as potters and push the limits of clay. We will cover many techniques. The goal is to stretch our thinking when making and designing pots. Creating designs where the flow of line and space are key. The making of this sectional graceful pot is perfect for discussion about design and training our eye to see.
We will cover:
- Throwing w/excellence
- Throwing in Sections
- Throwing with larger volumes of clay
- Darting
- Fluid Handles
- Pulling a large handle off the pot
- How to glaze this 24″ tall form and not ruin it
- Art that functions and why it matters
I will have several Pitchers in the different stages so we can all see this pot made to completion in the set 2 hours.
Hang on to you potters stool because you are in for a beautiful ride!
The video workshop is available for 30 days after purchase.
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Suzanne has generously donated a portion of the session fee to Flat Rock Playhouse and she has a goal of raising $15,000 before the end of the year! She has currently raised $2,015, so help Suzanne reach her goal and capture some memories along the way. Check out some of her portraits above and click the link below to schedule your session today!
Inspired by the national trend of porch portraits, Suzanne of The Gallery at Flat Rock, will be offering portrait sessions and donating a portion of the session cost to Flat Rock Playhouse. A fifteen-minute porch portrait session is $65 (cash or check) of which $15 will be donated to the Flat Rock Playhouse, a friend and neighbor to the gallery which made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 season. |
Considered the author’s greatest work and one of the best plays of Classical Literature. This one is going to be a “can’t miss!”
STREAMING PERFORMANCE Montford Park Players
Despite the cancellation of the Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2020 season due to COVID-19, folks are being encouraged to take time to enjoy the lush gardens on the grounds of the historic campus.
With a QR code reader on any smartphone, garden visitors can tap into information about the individual plants wherever they’re standing. The codes direct the phone to webpages on a Muddy Sneakers site that the garden volunteers control.
The Master Gardners have been hard at work adding some tech to our gardens! QR codes can now be found on the 62 garden beds that make up the Playhouse gardens. Visitors can use their smartphones to learn more about the plants they are seeing. Congratulations and thank you to Tamsin Allpress and all of our gardening volunteers who work to keep our gardens beautiful! Photo by volunteer Mary Smit


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.
The Y’s childcare programs vary by school system and are subject to change. Here’s an overview:
- Asheville City Schools
As of July 23, ACS plans to reopen in Plan C for all grades for the first nine weeks of school. During this time, the Y will operate “School’s Out” care at the YMCA Youth Services Center for ACS students in K-5. - Buncombe County Schools
As of July 28, BCS will implement an enhanced version of Plan B. After one week in Plan B for onboarding and orientation, all K-8 students will switch to Plan C until Sept. 28. During Plan B weeks, the Y will offer onsite afterschool programs as well as full-day care at the YMCA Youth Services Center at Beaverdam and the Reuter Family YMCA. During Plan C the Y will operate “School’s Out” locations in the Roberson, Reynolds, Enka, and North Buncombe districts. - Henderson County Public Schools
As of July 20, HCPS will reopen in Plan C for all grades for the first six weeks of the school year. Under Plan C, the Y will offer full-day care at the UNC Asheville Kellogg Center. When HCPS moves to Plan B, the Y will offer afterschool and full-day care at the Kellogg Center. -
Hours of operations will vary by school system, and will adjust to meet local school day requirements. The Y will provide afterschool care during Plan B weeks. During Plan B and Plan C weeks, the Y will also offer full-day care.Families can sign up for afterschool care, full-day care, or both. In Buncombe and Henderson, afterschool is $95/week per child and full-day care is $200.
- Community donations fund scholarships, which are available for each program on a sliding scale.
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.
Unlike so many canceled events, the Tour d’Apple will take off on Labor Day, September 7, 2020 with rolling starts beginning at 7:00am until 10am from Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC! Tour d’Apple invites up to 350 cyclists to ride from 25-100 miles one of four scenic routes around the apple orchards and beautiful mountains of Henderson County, NC.
New for 2020
To help with social distancing, this year the ride has been limited to 350 participants.
All staff/volunteers will be required to wear a face covering during the event. These will be provided to volunteers if necessary. Participants must wear a face covering (the free TDA buff meets this requirement) until the event starts, at all rest stops, and after they finish the event.
Participants will not be permitted to form in groups. They must maintain 6 foot distancing while in the start/finish area, in the event hub, and at all rest stops.
Custom Tour d’Apple buffs will be given to all 350 participants to register. The deadline to register and receive a free buff is August 15th.
An optional Virtual event experience is being offered so riders can participate in this cycling event from anywhere. Ride from your home, the park, or anywhere else you choose and submit your results online.
New Packet Pick-up Procedures: The packet, numbered bib and swag for this event can be shipped before the ride for $10, an option that is available when you register. Deadline to have packets mailed is August 15th. For those who do not want their packets mailed, there is a Drive-thru Packet Pick-up the day prior to the event (September 6th) from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Blue Ridge Community College Parking lot. To encourage social distancing, there will be no packet pickup or registration on the morning of the ride.
Look for updates on the Tour d’Apple website http://tourdapple.com/ for updates and changes as Labor Day approaches. We have also published a Blog Post on what we are doing to adhere to the NC guidelines.
Free Ride T-shirt
Those cyclists who register by August 14th will receive a free Tour d’Apple t-shirt if registered prior to August 14th at midnight. After that, shirts will be available on a limited basis for an additional $10.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Grandfather Mountain is only selling tickets online.
Only a select number of tickets will be sold per day for certain time-slots to limit the number of guests in the park at one time, in accordance with the state of North Carolina’s phased “reopening” plan and social gathering guidelines.
Please check back closer to your visit for ticket availability. As of now, reservations are only available through June 21.
Each guest entering the park must have a ticket, which includes a time-slot. Prices are as follows:
Adult: $22
Senior (age 60+): $20
Child (ages 4-12): $9
AAA Adult: $20 (must present valid AAA card)
AAA Child: $8 (must present valid AAA card)

Please note: Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks has been postponed until July; however, the exhibit will have an extended schedule and will be open until November 1. We look forward to seeing you!
The Arboretum is excited to welcome back the widely popular traveling exhibit, Nature Connects®: Art with LEGO® Bricks by Sean Kenney. Featuring 14 larger-than-life-size sculptures place created with nearly 500,000 LEGO Bricks, this family-friendly exhibit draws inspiration from the living world and combines art, play and science to create an inspiring intersection of education, entertainment and the environment. New sculptures include a 5-foot tall colorful peacock, giant dragonfly, bonsai tree and more!
A Virtual Summer Camp Experience – Rising 1st-2nd Grade – CO20032201
A virtual camp experience for socializing and fun for your rising 1st-2nd grader. Each day staff lead activities, crafts, and virtual field trips. Multiple sessions offered at different times throughout the day for an easy going virtual camp. Parents should enroll their children for ALL weeks they wish to attend.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 – FRIDAY, JULY 31
Summer is all about outdoor fun, spending quality time together as a family and taking in the wonderful sights of nature. During this time of year, it’s easy to find many human faces in the Park, but you can also see other faces as well. Whether it’s faces of animals, faces in the rock formations, or even outlines of faces in the ground. Be sure to submit your best photo interpretation into our summer-themed “The Many Faces of Chimney Rock” Photo Contest. We’ll use the winning entries on our website and Facebook album, and you can win some fun prizes. Photos must be taken within the Chimney Rock section of the Park.
GREAT PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO 3 WINNING ENTRIES
CONTEST RULES:
- There is no fee to enter the contest. All photographs must be taken inside Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park only in areas accessible to guests between January 1, 2020 – February 29, 2020.
The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers. - Up to three photos per person can be submitted via any of the following ways to be eligible to win:
- Facebook: First, like the Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park page and share our photo contest post on your wall. Then post your photo to our wall with the photographer’s name and a brief caption (25-75 words) through your personal Facebook account. Next, send us a private message including your contact information specified in rule #3.
- Pinterest: First, re-pin our photo contest pin to one of your boards and follow our 2017 The Different Seasons of Chimney Rock Spring Photo Contest Board so we can easily contact you. Then pin your photo with the hashtags #chimneyrock AND #photocontest with your personal account, and include the photographer’s name and a brief caption (25-75 words).
- Twitter: First, follow Chimney Rock Park and retweet our tweet about the photo contest. Then tweet your photo to @ChimneyRockPark with the photographer’s name and the hashtag #photocontest. Next, send us private messages with your brief photo caption.
- E-mail: If you don’t have access to any social media sites listed above, you may email your digital photo with your contact information specified in rule #3 to [email protected].
- Snail Mail: Send your print photo with the clearly marked photographer’s name, city & state, a brief typed photo caption and a phone number to: Photo Contest, Chimney Rock Management LLC, PO Box 39, Chimney Rock, NC 28720.
- Every entry should be clearly labeled with the photographer’s name, city & state, a brief photo caption your photo of the Seasons of Chimney Rock, an email address and the best phone number to reach you.
- Photos should be available at a minimum resolution of 1200 x 1600 pixels (1 MB minimum) to be eligible to win. Photos taken via smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices are welcome if they meet minimum requirements.
- For entries showing human faces, you must list their name(s) and have written permission from any photographed person(s) to use their image.
- Entries should reflect the photographer’s interpretation of love at Chimney Rock. Emphasis will be placed on quality, composition and creativity. All entries may be used in promotions of Chimney Rock and park-related activities.
- Digital images can be optimized but not dramatically altered with photo editing software. Black and white photographs are welcome.
- Decisions of the judges are final.
Winners will be notified and announced on Chimney Rock’s social media channels. For more information, call 1-800-277-9611 or email us at [email protected].
Summer Camp Passport Program: A Virtual Experience – Rising 3rd-5th Grade
A virtual camp experience for socializing and fun for your rising 3rd-5th grader. Each day staff lead activities, crafts, and virtual field trips. Multiple sessions offered at different times throughout the day for an easy going virtual camp. Parents should enroll their children for ALL weeks they wish to attend. Call 828-450-4896 for more information.
This exhibit will reopen on Wednesday, July 1, and will be on display daily through Sunday, August 2. On display daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the Baker Exhibit Center, Environmental Impact II features more than 50 artworks, including paintings, photography, sculptures and film, focused on generating public attention surrounding environmental issues and unintended consequences…
To help protect the safety of our guests and staff, a one-way route will be enforced inside the exhibit hall. All guests ages 11 years and older will be required to wear a face covering while inside the Baker Exhibit Center. Thank you for your cooperation!

The Fairy trail is open Monday thru Saturday, 9am-4pm. We encourage all visitors to be patient as there will be limits to the number of people allowed on the trail at the same time. While the trail is outdoors, there are some small spaces and we want to ensure our guests and fairies are safe. Please practice appropriate social distancing and bring a mask in case. Masks are not required, but are considerate in a close area. Our restrooms are not open to the public at this time. Please make arrangements prior to visiting.
Rules of the trail:
Do not move or rearrange fairy displays. The fairies are very fond of their own decorating.
Do not leave trash on the trail. Fairies do not like litter in their town.
Please ensure children and pets are supervised at all times. Dogs and loud noises can scare the fairies into hiding.
Do not disturb wildlife or vegetation. The fairies depend on the vegetation to build their homes.
The trail is one way only. Please stay on the trail at all times.
The Fairies can’t wait to see you all here!
P.S. the Fairies would like us to remind you that we are a non-profit and donations are greatly appreciated. Help us keep the fairies living in the style with which they’ve become accustomed.
Instructor: Kelsey Sickmeyer
This week we will focus on HANDBUILDING strategies to make BIG pots and sculptures that you actually get to KEEP! We are aiming for 1-2 foot sculptures and vessels. We’ll warm up to proper construction methods on the first day with 1-2 smaller pieces that we will raku on the last day, and then spend the rest of the time focusing on just 2-3 larger pieces- constructing them well so they can survive the firing, while bringing those dreams to life! Come with BIG ideas 🙂
Tuition: $225
$25 discount for siblings enrolled in the same class
Use promo code “claycamp25”
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Explore the world of three-dimensional art! Students use sculptures from the Museum’s Collection as inspiration for creativity. Students explore a range of materials including wood, wire, Model Magic, and found objects to create unique sculptures of their own.

THE YEAR 2020 While we aren’t able to do our live demos so far this year, we have another idea! Nancy Dillingham is one of our local writers and Nancy is a poet. She has written at least 10 books of poetry because we have them at Mountain Made. She has probably written more. “In Fred Chappell’s introduction to Dillingham’s book, Like Headlines: New and Selected Poems, he says: “Poetry is news that stays news” and that, in Dillingham’s poetry, “we wait both for the future to appear and for the past to subside.” Nancy is going to be our feature demo artist for the year and sharing her writing experiences. We are doing a book of poetry or thoughts on “The Year 2020”. They could be funny or serious. So our demo this year is going to be writing. Email it to us, bring it by Mountain Made, or use our demo table to put your thoughts down on paper and leave it with us. We are then, around the middle of Nov., going to put it all together into a book! It won’t be fancy but it will be for sale. We will take donations and it will all go to charity. We haven’t decided if it will be one or several but “The Year 2020” will let us know where it is most needed! We have a lot to think about this year so put it on paper and share your thoughts! Be sure to put your name on it, city and state but if you want to remain anonymous that is fine too.
The Blue Ridge Humane Society Thrift Store will begin accepting merchandise donations for resell from the public on Tuesday, June 30th. Donations will only be accepted on Tuesdays and Fridays between the hours of 10:30am-4:00pm. The Thrift Store remains open for shopping with the reduced hours of 10:30am-4:30pm, Tuesday-Saturday, and with a limited shopper capacity.
Donations will need to be able to unloaded without staff assistance and placed into the appropriately labeled bin to ensure a contact-free drop-off. This will also assist with ensuring that all items can be properly transported and quarantined before processing and placement for resell in the store. During drop-offs all donors are asked to practice physical distancing and wear a mask following state mandates. Donated items will be quarantined before processing by staff and volunteers to ensure that all items are safe for resell.
Staff and volunteers continue to adhere to additional cleaning, sanitizing, scheduling, and social distancing practices as recommended by the CDC and current safety regulations. The number of customers allowed in the store remains limited to reduce the risk of exposure. Markers are placed to designate 6ft spaced waiting areas for shoppers to enter the store or for waiting in line for check-out. Customers, as well as staff and volunteers, are required to wear a mask while on Thrift Store premises and shopping and follow CDC recommendations.
All customers will be required to follow the procedures listed below:
- All staff, volunteers, and customers are required to wear a mask while on the Thrift Store premises and during shopping.
- Store hours are adjusted; keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for current hours.
- The number of customers allowed in the store is limited. Please expect a wait and be patient with other shoppers while waiting, and our staff and volunteers managing the entrance and exit.
- Practice social distancing while shopping or waiting in line. Markers will be placed for checkout and entry lines.
- Shields are installed at checkout locations for the safety of our customers, volunteers, and staff.
- Hand sanitizer stations are available for customers, volunteers, and staff at stations located at each door.
- Anyone exhibiting signs of illness is asked to stay home, including staff and volunteers.
- Follow CDC recommendations at all times:
- Three W’s: Wear a cloth mask, Wait 6’ apart and Wash your hands!
- Donations will be accepted on Tuesdays and Fridays only, between 10:30am-4pm. Items must be able to unloaded without staff assistance and placed into bins for quarantine. Donors are asked to practice physical distancing and wear a mask while on Thrift Store property.
If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

Buncombe County Recreation Services will open its five outdoor swimming pools. Safety and sanitation measures have been taken to comply with Buncombe County’s Stay Safe, Stay Smart order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pool visitors will be required to practice the Three Ws: wear a cloth face covering when entering/exiting the pool and when not in the pool, wait at least six feet apart from and avoid close contact with anyone who does not live in your household, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often.
Pool will open for two sessions Monday-Saturday, closing between sessions for a sanitation period that includes wiping down all common touch points. Sunday hours include one session. Admission for each session is $3 per guest. Due to limited capacity, guests are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online. If a pool is unable to open for any reason or is forced to close within the first hour of operation, all guests will receive a raincheck via the email address provided when purchasing the original ticket. Booking are currently available through July 10.
Monday-Friday
10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
2:15-5:15 p.m.
Saturday
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
3-6 p.m.
Sunday
1-6 p.m.
“While this summer is different in nearly every way for local families, we’re happy to safely and responsibly open our pools to the community,” said Josh O’Conner, Director of Buncombe County Recreation Services. “While we are not allowing toys, balls, noodles, dive sticks, and other communal items inside pools, the guest experience should be enhanced as visitors will be able to enjoy pools with a capacity limit of roughly 30% normal occupancy.”
Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
Erwin Pool
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Hominy Valley Pool
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715
North Buncombe Pool
892 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
Owen Pool
117 Stone Drive
Sulton Rogers, Two-Faced Woman, not dated, wood and paint, 14⅜ × 4 × 2¼ inches. Museum purchase, 2017.14.02. © Estate of Sulton Rogers, image David Dietrich.
This virtual program takes place via Zoom.
Join Sarah Reincke, master docent, for an interactive conversation about three artworks in our Collection. Before the discussion, find a quiet space. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Now open your eyes, and engage with the artworks in the image gallery; click on the thumbnail for a larger image, and spend about 15 minutes looking slowly at each.
- What’s going on in this artwork? What do you see that makes you say that?
- What are the stories happening in each artwork?
- What emotions are part of the stories?
- What questions would you ask the artists?

We’ve got a variety of kayaks on sales from high end fishing kayaks to fun in the sun recreational models – no matter the budget, we’ve got something for you!
Here are just a few samples of kayaks we have but hurry in, this list changes daily and supplies are limited!
• Seastream Angler
• Seastream Backwater
• 3 Waters Kayaks Big Fish 108
• 3 Waters Kayaks Big Fish 120
• Feelfree Lure 13.5 v1
• Feelfree Dorado
• Aventura 140
• And much more!
All demo, used and clearance kayak sales available in person at our shop in Asheville, North Carolina:
We are open on a limited basis Tuesday – Saturday 12pm-5pm. We are doing everything we can to keep our employees safe due the COVID-19 situation so are following county, state and city guidelines. Prefer to shop curbside? We do that too! Just let us know when you want to stop by.
*All sales final. No warranty services and returns available on these kayaks. First come first serve basis, supplies, options and colors are limited.




Sharing this way to support our independent restaurants from our friends at the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association. A bi-partisan group in the House and Senate introduced a bill called the RESTAURANTS ACT. This bill is the first industry-specific relief bill to be introduced for restaurants since the onset of the COVID crisis. The bill would create a Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which allows restaurants to obtain a lump sum from the Treasury to use towards a broad range of operating expenses over the balance of 2020. Learn more at 





