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.
Are you interested in helping Buncombe County expand reliable, high-speed internet? If so, we need your help. Please consider joining the Buncombe Broadband Working Group. Applications are due by Friday, July 17.
Objective:
This posting is for 3-5 community members to the Buncombe Broadband Working Group which will support the evaluation of proposals submitted to Buncombe County for high-speed internet solutions.
Term:
Members shall serve for approximately 6 months, but the term may be extended or reduced based on responses from high-speed internet providers. Members may be replaced at any time at the sole discretion of the respective institution or organization. Time commitment is an estimated 4-5 hours each month.
Responsibilities:
The workgroup will:
- Develop a Request for Proposal document for high-speed internet services in Buncombe County,
- Objectively evaluate the proposals received,
- Weigh proposals based on cost, and ability to deliver excellent, sustainable service using the scoring matrix provided to bidders through the RFP, and
- Provide a recommendation to County leadership.
Qualifications:
Applicants must be Buncombe County residents. Ideal candidates have an understanding of the technical requirements of high-speed internet operations, experience leading or supporting community high-speed internet initiatives, or experience/relationships working with high-speed internet providers. Candidates must report any potential conflicts of interest.
To Apply:
Please complete the Boards and Commissions application found here and return to Lamar Joyner at [email protected] by Friday, July 17.
“The goal of Hungry Paws is to provide pet food for homes that are having to choose between feeding themselves or their pets. We don’t want people to surrender their animals to shelters because they cannot afford them right now.” says Derek Fox. “The fund is intended to cover the needed window until people can go back to work or who need the support to get by. Until then, it’s up to us to provide for these wonderful animals.”
Derek got to work, contacting area rescues and finding other partners. Pet Source, a local Hendersonville pet supply store, jumped on board, contacting their suppliers to setup a discounted purchasing program that will make the donated funds go even further.
The fund partners with Blue Ridge Humane Society, as both a recipient and as distributer of funds and food to other rescues in the area with food support programs or that have a need in their community.
“The fund will help to set pet owners up for success and bridge the gap until folks are employed again or able to get ahead again.” shares Angela Prodrick, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Humane. “This is even more vital during this time as there is an increased need as people are finding themselves in the new situation of needing help when they haven’t before, and we are here to help.”
There are several ways to donate to the fund. The Hungry Paws Initiative can be found on Facebook with an easy donation process, or on www.refinedpup.com/. Donations can also be made to Blue Ridge Humane with a note designating it for Hungry Paws online at www.blueridgehumane.org or by mail to 14 Towne Place Drive, Suite 130, Hendersonville, NC 28792.
The Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption at the Adoption Center; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.
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.
Miss browsing the library’s shelves? Let us help with Bookfix. Call or email your local library to have a librarian put together a bundle of books tailored to your specific interests. You can pick up your personal Bookfix bundle at our curbside hold pickup service. Our Ask a Librarian line is available Monday-Saturday at (828) 250-4700 or you can email [email protected].
In addition to his role as the BMC Artistic Director, Keith is the Conductor of the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra. Here, Keith discusses working with composer John Williams and recreating the music of Star Wars. The featured performance is of the main title from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, with Williams conducting the orchestra during its 1993 Japan Tour.
Independence Day events across the country will not look the same this year.
Many communities have been forced to cancel their annual Fourth of July events, including most in Buncombe County. Although the fireworks display at Lake Julian Park will not take place, there are other ways to celebrate locally.
Buncombe County Recreation Services‘ parks and trails will be open, though some areas may be restricted including grills, picnic shelters, and restrooms. Access to the French Broad will be available at our seven river parks. The five outdoor pools operated by Buncombe County will also be open with new safety guidelines.
Park and pool visitors will be required to practice the Three Ws: wear a cloth face covering, 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.
The Asheville Downtown Association will host a virtual Independence Day Celebration in partnership with the City of Asheville with support from Explore Asheville. The online concert will feature eight Asheville area bands performing at local music venues.
Follow Buncombe County Recreation on Facebook and Instagram.
Ready to go wild? Join us “off the eaten path” as we uncover the Garden of Eden all around us. Learn how to safely identify, appreciate, and savor wild mushrooms, plants, and more. Then let one of Asheville’s top restaurants prepare it for you — for free!
We’ve been taking people “out to eat” for nearly twenty-five years. On TripAdvisor, we are the #1 foraging activity in the world. We have been featured on Bizarre Foods, The History Channel, PBS, CNN, and NPR as well as in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, USA Today, and more.
Discover how easy it is to “take in the landscape.” Our family-friendly tours available daily, year-round, by arrangement. Our introductory e-book is included and all equipment is provided. For a taste of the wild life, forage ahead.
The French Broad River MPO has been working with local governments and community stakeholders in the region over the last year to develop a plan for a regional trail network, the Hellbender Regional trail. This plan connects the various bicycle, pedestrian, and greenway plans developed locally in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties to illustrate existing and planned trails that may someday connect to form a regional network for bicycle and pedestrian travel.
Unlike highway and roads, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is primarily the responsibility of the various local governments in our region so the Hellbender Regional Trail Plan does not intend to usurp local brands or mandate designs, but intends to make the various sections of planned and existing networks greater than the sum of its parts through increased coordination and partnerships. This plan focuses on regional connections, but does not deprioritize more locally-focused infrastructure. It is primarily focused on multi-use paths (paved trails, greenways, rail-to-trails, sidepaths, etc.) but may include some sections with on-street and other connections where constraints may require exceptions to a typical off-road path. This is also a long-range plan. At more than 150 miles, the full build-out of this network would reflect a nearly ten-fold increase in the miles of multi-use paths in the region- a task that will likely take a considerable amount of time at current funding levels. At this point, organizers are inviting the public to comment on the Draft Hellbender Regional Trail Plan that reflects the work of the work group and stakeholders as well as the countless hours put into developing the local plans in our region on which the Hellbender Regional Trail Plan is based.
The Draft Hellbender Regional Trail Plan is available on the MPO’s website and comments bay be sent in by Friday, August 21st via the google doc form available on the website or by emailing [email protected].
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Join us as we celebrate the global movement of going plastic-free this July! Our Plastic Reduction Task Force will be celebrating all month with community shoutouts, games, reading lists, resources, and more! Follow our Facebook page @goingplasticfreeAVL and Instagram @going_plasticfree for updates so that you won’t miss a thing.
Save these dates:
Saturday, July 11th – Going Plastic Free Scavenger Hunt
Thursday July 23rd – Plastic Free July Trivia
If your business has been affected by COVID-19, call us to learn more about Free Business Counseling.
Availability is limited and is offered on a first come, first served basis.
- One-on-one remote counsel
- Access to industry & content experts
- 100% Confidential
- FREE!
For the month of July, genealogists and historians can access the popular Ancestry.com database from home for free. All you need is a library card.
Among the billions of records available, Ancestry.com includes census records and indexes, vital, church, military, public member trees; birth, marriage and death records; tax, criminal, land and wills stories, memories and histories, pictures, city directories, immigration and travel schools, maps and more. There are records from the United States as well as international records, so no matter where your family might be from, you will probably be able locate them in the Ancestry database.
Find a new branch of your family tree with Ancestry. Visit the library website at buncombecounty.org/library and use the Virtual Library tab to access Ancestry. If you don’t have a library card, email us at [email protected] and we can give you a card by email. Call 828-250-4700 with any questions.
The residents of Buck House were woven in to the fabric of Asheville.
This driving tour begins at the Smith-McDowell House Museum on the campus of A-B Tech and continues through historic sites related to early occupants of the house.
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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. |
Video of the Week Maestro Keith Lockhart leads the Brevard Concert Orchestra in a performance of the Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 2, “A London Symphony.”
IV. Finale
This heartwarming video featuring the iconic song from RENT showcases the talents of the cast members and the unique steps that their theatre is taking to ensure safety amidst COVID-19. Though theatres across the globe have had to close their doors during the pandemic, this production offers hope for the future of performing.
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT The hillbilly stereotype is one that is alive and well in American popular culture as a quick survey of the cable dial reveals with such shows as Moonshiners, Appalachian Outlaws, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and countless others.
Surprisingly, it is one often displayed among educated sorts here in Western North Carolina who would never dream of disparaging any minority or “out group,” but do not hesitate to characterize native Western North Carolinians, as a group, as ignorant, in-bred, hopelessly retrograde, violent, snake-handling, moonshining/meth-making rednecks.
The Hillbillyland Exhibition explores the power, prevalence, and persistence of the hillbilly stereotype from the days of its beginnings in the late 19th century to the present day. The exhibit takes a unique approach by focusing on photography featuring the people of the region, some of them stereotypical images, combined with poetry and short prose pieces that challenge and complicate these stereotypes.
Visit the Virtual Exhibit
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
In the midst of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, we take an in-depth look at the 1918 influenza epidemic in Western North Carolina through newspaper clippings, advertisements, ephemera, photographs, and oral history and place the events of 1918 into context with our present-day response to the coronavirus pandemic.
https://www.wnchistory.org/virtual-exhibits/influenza/?utm_source=Western%20North%20Carolina%20Historical%20Association&utm_campaign=78fa0bbdf8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_01_23_05_25_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7424f63c4d-78fa0bbdf8-329482143
There’s still time to volunteer with us!
Support the arts and Flat Rock Playhouse by joining our Supporting Players, a volunteer organization serving as the backbone of FRP for over 30 years. Whether a longtime member of this crucial wing of the Vagabond Family or someone interested in joining a program that supports the arts, economy, and history of our beautiful community, you can make a huge impact by joining our team. Be part of the first-ever “Stay at Home Supporting Players” and the first to discover new volunteer opportunities in 2020. To join, click the link below and select “Single Membership” or “Couples Membership” on the dropdown menu!
2020 Blue Ridge Pride Festival Cancelled
We are sad to announce the suspension of all previously planned summer and fall events. This includes:
- Blue Ridge Pride Festival
- Welcoming WNC Procession
- Mx Pride Pageant
- Movies & Mixer Series
- LGBTQ Story Slam
- We are looking into alternative events – both virtual and face-to-face.
2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled Over Ongoing COVID-19 Concerns
Drive’s 15th Anniversary Season in Downtown Greenville delayed until 2021
The Greenville Drive, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, and the South Atlantic League today announced that the 2020 season has been cancelled due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that has swept across the world.
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The ongoing concern regarding the safety of our community, and Minor League Baseball communities across America – including fans, front office staff, gameday staff, players and coaches – led to this decision.
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Summer Art Camp To Go!
Join us for Summer Art Camp To Go! Sessions are available for K–12 students. Each weekly session includes several age-appropriate art projects using a variety of materials to engage students in an exploration of art through creativity and imagination. Enrollment is limited, and registration is required.Registration includes instructional videos for each project, art materials, and daily virtual classes. Virtual classes—beginning at 10am via Zoom—include time for inspiration, Q&A, and sharing. Streaming instructional videos and creative challenges are designed to provide hours of creative engagement at your own pace each day. All art materials necessary for each session are available for curbside pickup at the Museum the week before each session begins; if you prefer to ship materials to your home, then two weeks’ advance registration is required. Registration starts this Monday. For more information, email Sharon McRorie, education programs manager, or call 828.253.3227 x124. Members: $85, Non-Members: $95 (additional charge for shipping materials) |
How To Enter:
Send in your submissions to [email protected]
Contest Timeline:
- Submissions will be accepted June 15, 2020 through July 31, 2020.
- Top 10 designs will be selected July 31, 2020 – August 31, 2020 on Facebook.
- We will select the winning artist based on portfolio/resume submissions to be announced on Labor Day Weekend.
A Note to the Artists Regarding the Final Mural:
Once the final artist has been selected, the mural artwork will need to include 2 of the following elements: The Toyota brand symbol, Fred Anderson Toyota of Asheville logo, OR 1 Toyota vehicle.
They’re small, just 9×12, but highly visible.
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In alignment with the community’s commitment to uplift racial healing and communal reconciliation, Councilwoman Sheneika Smith, along with other community groups and leaders, will be coordinating a public art installation in Asheville’s central business district. The purpose of this installation is to galvanize solidarity and celebrate our collective movement towards addressing systemic issues locally.
Upon final approval from the City of Asheville, the proposal envisions a street mural located at Pack Square Park on N. Pack and S. Pack Square – an area previously planned as part of the city’s public space initiative.
We need financial support to help make this happen! Our goal is to raise $24,000 for supplies, documentation, maintenance, removal, and most importantly to make sure the artists get paid. The Asheville Area Arts Council is the fiscal agent for this project. Please donate what you can and help us spread the word!
One of the main purposes of the Black Lives Matter mural is to elevate the voices of black artists and make sure they are paid for their work. But, it is much more than that. “The artists who will put their hands to this street mural represent many untold stories,” said Councilwoman Smith. “It is my hope that all eyes that connect with this piece will experience and appreciate the bloody truths released from our collective memory onto a hard canvas. Yet, this is more than a painting or bold expression. It’s an altar that observes the most sacred social movement of my lifetime.”
BUDGET
| $ 6,000 | Painting supplies and other event day expenses |
| $ 1,900 | Documentation (live stream video, photographer) |
| $ 2,000 | Maintenance (This temporary installation could be in place for up to a year. Because of wear and tear from vehicular traffic it will require additional maintenance.) |
| $ 6,000 | Removal (As part of the approval process, we must provide a maintenance and removal plan. This expense is based on quotes we have collected from other similar projects.) |
| $ 8,100 | Artist Honorariums ($1,000 for 1 lead artist per word & $300 per letter for supporting artists) |
| $24,000 | TOTAL* |
BMC guest artist Garrick Ohlsson was set to open the 2020 season on June 25. Instead, we are thrilled to share this recital from March 14, streamed live from the Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. The concert program includes Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-Flat Major, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Chopin’s Impromptu No. 2 and Six Études from Op. 25, and a special Rachmaninoff encore.
The coronavirus pandemic halted spay and neuter surgeries as communities were forced to suspend non-emergency veterinary services. This has resulted in a huge backlog of unaltered animals. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that the current backlog is over 260,000 animals nationwide. Brother Wolf currently has a waiting list of over 500 animals that are in need of spay and neuter services.
Even prior to this pandemic, we couldn’t meet the existing need with our original clinic. A second clinic will enable us to double our capacity and serve an average of 180 animals each week! Spaying and neutering is so critical because it saves lives by reducing pet overpopulation. Our Second Spay and Neuter Mobile Clinic will travel around Western NC, providing low-cost services to under-resourced communities.
We need your help to make this program a reality. Please donate today, thank you!