Calendar of Events

Namaste Beautiful Souls! I’m excited to announce that I’ll be presenting at LoveShinePlay Festival (previously known as Asheville Yoga Festival) for yet another incredible year, and would be so honored to have you join me!

I’m excited to offer 15% OFF of your 3-or-4 Day Pass! Simply enter the promo code TARA2021 at checkout.

♡ About The Festival ~

The name has changed but the Love is always here…

Since 2016, The LoveShinePlay Festival (formerly Asheville Yoga Festival) has been working to bring the gift of yoga to Asheville through a weekend filled with world-class instructors, dynamic musicians, motivating speakers and a diversity of vendors. Alongside co-owners Amanda Hale and Sara LaStella, we invite you for another year of conscious connection and compassion, through practice, discussion, communion with nature & celebration.

♡ So much to explore… Teachers, musicians, and speakers from all over the country and from just down the street! See who I will have the honor of joining, and check back often for schedule updates and offerings the closer we get here!

Vendors and more music, workshops, and other fun events happening all weekend long at the Mountain Air Market! Discover all of the exciting details on the festival’s website! https://www.loveshineplay.com/tickets

~ My offerings will be announced soon! ~

Mountain Makers Craft Market is a monthly indie art fair designed to cultivate community in Western NC. Located in Downtown Waynesville, we bring together 20+ artisans selling handmade and vintage goods that’ll make you smile! Join us on the first Sunday of each month from 12p-4p at 308 N. Haywood Street, and visit MountainMakersMarket.com

From sofrito to “soccarat” (those delicious crispy bits!), Chef Katie Button of Cúrate: Tapas
Bar, La Bodega, Wine Club and Trips will guide virtual guests through the timeless process
of building layers of flavor, culminating in a glorious one-pan meal that’s as perfect for
entertaining as it is a weeknight treat. Order a paella starter kit today from Cúrate, and take
it for a few test runs before the main event! $50 from every paella kit sold to ticket holders
will be donated to Chow Chow. Additional ingredient and recipe details will be shared prior
to the event

Are you ready to be part of the 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival^®? On August 5, 6, 7, 2021, a different show will be presented live on stage each evening allowing you to appreciate the talent and dedication of the hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. These traditions involve not only the hand-clapping, toe-tapping rhythms of Bluegrass, the style and stories of century-old ballads, the high energy of clogging, the elegance of Big Circle Mountain Smooth Dance, the fun and entertainment of storytelling, but also include an awareness of the hardships and trials that have brought us to this place and time.

This 94th Mountain Dance and Folk Festival^® has been made possible through the generosity of our music community volunteering their time and talent to preserve and promote the Southern Appalachian music, dance and storytelling heritage.

A listing of performers who volunteer their time and talent to make our events possible can be found on Our Performers page. Please visit their websites and support their generosity by purchasing music, merchandise, making a contribution to virtual tip jars where available or just to tell them you enjoyed their performance. Our artists especially need our support during these difficult times.

The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival was founded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford as a means for people to share and understand the beauty and dignity of the Southern Appalachian music and dance traditions that have been handed down through generations in western North Carolina. He saw the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival grow to be the oldest gathering of its kind in the nation and it continues in this way, a platform for the talented of the high country lying between the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Since 1928, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival has served a crucial role in raising awareness and understanding of the vitality and importance of Southern Appalachian culture throughout the region, nation and world. Bascom Lunsford’s mission was to present the finest of the Appalachian ballad singers, string bands and square dance teams for education and entertainment. The songs and dances shared at this event echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee and African heritage found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lunsford’s was the first dubbed a folk festival, and he later consulted with many communities across the country interested in organizing similar festivals.

If you like Shindig on the Green, you’ll love the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival!

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here for more history of the Festival.

Click here if you are interested in performing.

Click here if you are interested in becoming a Corporate Sponsor.

All donors will receive a $20 e-gift card

Sponsor Code
23AC

The pandemic continues to impact the rate of blood donations across our region. The
Blood Connection has an urgent need for donations.
To help make it easy for the public to donate, AdventHealth and TBC are following all
safety protocols including requiring face coverings and social distancing. TBC will screen
all donors for COVID-19 Antibodies after every completed donation.

Community is central to the human experience, giving us a sense of belonging to something
greater than ourselves. Connecting with others through shared experiences directly impacts
our physical, emotional and mental health. Join Chow Chow for a delicious meal and
discussion celebrating how community is created and nourished in our region, specifically
around the essential element of food. As you dine, you’ll hear from neighbors Sunil Patel,
who created the village-scale Patchwork Urban Farms in West Asheville; April Jones, founder
of Pinehurst Farmers Market, which addresses food sovereignty in Columbia, SC; and
Jeremy French and his team at Making Whole, a fine furniture studio and addiction recovery
program built into the framework of a traditional apprenticeship program, where every day
includes preparing and enjoying a shared meal around a communal dining table.