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.

Monday, February 7, 2022
Production Class: PETER PAN
Feb 7 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Performing Arts Academy
PETER PAN (the play)

**All Ages**

Rehearsals: Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:30pm – 7:00pm (classes begin in February)

Show: June 3-5, 2022

 

J.M. Berrie’s seminal play that brought us the boy that would never grow up!

It tells the story of Wendy, John and Michael Darling’s adventures in Neverland with the inimitable Peter Pan, “the boy who would not grow up.” In Neverland, the Darlings are introduced to the Lost Boys, Peter’s jealous fairy friend Tinker Bell, the infamous pirate Captain Hook, and the crocodile who swallowed Hook’s hand.

Peter Pan Play3

Register Now

Improv I: The Basics of Inspired Improvisation
Feb 7 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Taught by Tom Chalmers
Ages 18+
Feb 7-Mar 14, 2022 | Mondays at 6:30-8:30 PM

This class will be offered in person on the ACT Mainstage, following all the recommended protocols for safety and sanitation. Limited to 8 students. In person classes are 50 minutes with an added 10 minutes for temperature checks. For ages 18+.

This course covers the fundamentals of improvisational acting with an emphasis on comedy; such as listening, commitment, intuitive reaction, as well as recognizing and capitalizing on emerging patterns. Final showcase to be held on Friday, March 18th. Tuition will be $180.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.

Visiting Writers Series: A Literary Reading and Talk by Dinty W. Moore
Feb 7 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Highsmith Union

UNC Asheville’s Department of English welcomes guest author and essayist Dinty W. More to the Ingles Mountain View Room in Highsmith Union for a reading and talk as part of their spring Visiting Writers Series.

Dinty W. Moore was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, and spent his formative years fishing for bluegill, riding a bike with a banana seat, and dodging the Sisters of St. Joseph. He earned a BA in writing from the University of Pittsburgh, worked briefly as a journalist, and also served short stints as a documentary filmmaker, modern dance performer, zookeeper, and Greenwich Village waiter. It was only after failing at each of these professions that he went on to earn an MFA in fiction writing from Louisiana State University.

A National Endowment for the Arts fellowship recipient, Moore is author of the memoirs Between Panic And Desire, and To Hell With It, the writing guides The Story Cure, Crafting the Personal Essay, and The Mindful Writer, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Creative Nonfiction, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity, the journal of flash nonfiction, and teaches master classes and workshops across the United States as well as in Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico. He is deathly afraid of polar bears.

This is the first of three events in the 2022 Spring Visiting Writers Series presented by the UNC Asheville English Department. Additional events include a reading and talk from Diné writer of fiction and non-fiction Natanya Ann Pulley on March 17 and a reading and talk from bestselling author Nadia Owusu on March 29.

Additional information may be found at english.unca.edu/engage/visiting-writers-series/

Community Expectations

As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Masks are required of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.


Accessibility

Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.

Visitor Parking

Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.

Neil deGrasse Tyson An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies – The Sequel
Feb 7 @ 7:30 pm
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Derived from an entirely different set of films, from the Wizard of Oz to Mary Poppins to Interstellar to Game of Thrones. An entertaining and enlightening review of all the science that our favorite movies got wrong, combined with some of the stuff they got right. Incorporates the latest films as well as some classics that you may not have known had any science in them at all.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Buncombe County Extends Indoor Mask Mandate to February 16, 2022
Feb 8 all-day
Buncombe County

Update Jan. 4, 2022

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended the countywide face covering requirement for all indoor public spaces through Feb. 16, 2022. The indoor mask requirement also extends to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin.

In Buncombe County, COVID-19 case rates continue to be high, and per the CDC definition, the County remains an area of high transmission. The percent positivity remains in the moderate category, and the death rate remains in the substantial category.

On this Day in WNC History Tidbit
Feb 8 all-day
online
On this Day in WNC History Tidbit
Do you follow us on social media? If not, you’ve missed our new 2021 series –
On This Day in WNC History!

Every week we explore the headlines and overlooked events that happened
on a particular day in Western North Carolina history.

Follow us on social media for more!

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ON THIS DAY in WNC history: On October 2, 1929, deputies fired into a crowd of striking workers in Marion, NC. Six were killed and even more wounded at the Marion Manufacturing Company in one of the deadliest acts of strike busting in the South.

This year marked an apogee of strikes and labor organization in southern textile mills. Eight years prior, over 100 miners were killed at the Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia in a period of coal clashes and unionization attempts. Later in the 1920s, many textile workers reacting to grueling and dirty work conditions under the “stretch-out” system, along with a reduction of their pay in company scrip, began organizing and demanding better conditions. Spearheaded by the National Textile Workers Union (an organization supported by the Communist Party), concurrent strikes began early in 1929 at the Bemberg-Glanzstoff Rayon Corporation in Elizabethton, Tennessee and at Loray Mills in Gastonia, North Carolina. Female employees were key to the organization of both strikes, and the latter is most famously remembered for the death of Ella May Wiggins. National Guard members, local police, and union-busting mobs were called to both of these events.

The Marion strikes (which occurred at the neighboring Clinchfield Mill as well) began July 11. Workers struck without official union support, resisting involvement by communist organizers. After frequent violence and threats, with two National Guard units present, workers returned to these mills September 11, with no raise in pay and a mandated 55-hour workweek. Marion Manufacturing Mill refused to rehire 114 of the strikers, leading to further anger. Workers struck again on October 2, and deputies were dispatched by the local sheriff. Though some details are murky, deputies shot into a crowd of strikers, killing four on site, wounding at least fifteen, with two others dying later. Nearby hospitals refused medical care to strikers, and churches of the mill village refused to administer their funerals. Eight deputies were charged, but acquitted in December. They contended the strikers were armed, but no guns were found, and the New York Times reported those killed were shot in the back.

The memory of these events will be examined in our upcoming event, Marion Mill Massacre in Memory, on Thursday, Oct 14.

Image: Raleigh News and Observer, Oct. 4, 1929

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Student Poetry Contest – “Ambition”
Feb 8 all-day
online

January through April

Actors performing Sandburg's works on stageActors portray characters from Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Story “Three Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions.”

NPS Photo

Educators in grades 3-12 are invited to submit original poems written by their students in February. The poems will be judged and winners announced in April. Find the 2022 Poetry Contest Information and submission guidelines here. The theme “Ambition” is from one of Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, to celebrate it’s 100th year of being published. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.”

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry, and is open to students nationwide!

Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be postmarked by March 1, 2022. See below for submission rules.

Winners will be notified by April 8, 2022, and will be invited to participate in a special virtual program on April 22.


2022 Contest Rules

Theme – “Ambition”
Carl Sandburg wrote millions of words reflecting on the American experience of the 20th century. Though his words often focused on war, labor, and social injustice, as a father of three, he also wrote imaginative, zany, and fantastical children’s stories, called “Rootabaga Stories.” Carl Sandburg’s “Rootabaga Stories” were first published in 1922 and celebrate 100 years of entertaining readers of all ages this year. The theme “Ambition” is from one of these stories. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.” Read the story here.

Poems submitted for the 2022 contest should reflect the theme of “Ambition.” By definition, a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Or setting goals to achieve success.

Submission Rules

  • Poetry accepted from 3-12th grades only. Poems will be grouped for judging by 3-5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th.
  • Poems must be submitted by a teacher (traditional classroom or homeschool teacher).
  • No more than three poems per class. Teachers with multiple classes, can submit up to three poems per class period.
  • Poem will be judged on its ability to communicate the theme.
  • Poem can be written in any style, but must not exceed one-page in length. No illustrations.
  • Poems must be typed, no handwritten entries, using standard computer fonts, like Times, Arial, etc…
  • Do not place any identifying information (name, school, grade, etc…) on poem sheet, that will go on the accompanying submission form.
  • Submission form must be complete to be accepted:
    • Paperclipped to poem, no staples
    • Must be signed by parent, student and teacher
    • Submissions must be postmarked, faxed, or e-mailed to [email protected], by March 1, 2022. Emailed submissions must be docs, .pdfs or scans. Low resolution pictures of the submission will not be accepted.

Judging
Judges from the literary community will make the decision for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place within each grade category (3-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th).

Poetry Partners
The 2022 Poetry Contest is a result of tremendous community support including the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, and literary volunteers who serve as judges. Thank you.

Poetry Resources
You may also find curriculum resources to use in the classroom at the park’s website: www.nps.gov/carl/learn/education/index.htm.

Send Submissions to:
Carl Sandburg Home NHS
Attn: Poetry Contest
81 Carl Sandburg Lane
Flat Rock, North Carolina 28731
Fax 828-693-4179
Email: [email protected]

Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity
Feb 8 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
zoom

Walking in this world

Walking in This World is a sequel to Julia Cameron’s* ground breaking book The Artist’s Way.  Filled with insights, motivations, and revelations this 12-week program brings clarity and understanding to creatives and those who would like a more artful life.

Meeting once a week on Zoom, this book club will study and share the readings and tasks in each chapter.  Discussions and the use of break-out rooms for small group interactions will help us get to know each other and lend the support that we all need to keep going and learning about ourselves and our creative gifts.

There are no-prerequisites. The program is for people who are embarking on or continuing a creative path; it is an individual journey.

Supplies:

  • a copy of Walking in This World.  Available on Amazon and Kindle, but if possible, please order from your local bookstore.
  • An 8 1/2 x 11” notebook for morning pages
  • paper and pen when you come to class.

Author Julia Cameron is an international teacher of the creative process and an author of more than 40 books.  She has inspired millions to overcome their challenges and reach their creative goals.  juliacameronlive.com

 

About the Facilitator Pamela Atkinson, Artist and Art Educator:
Besides painting, Pam has developed learning projects for school districts, participated in a variety of grant programs, and was the administrator of a successful, youth art program.  To see her artwork go to pamelaatkinson.net.

“Creativity has enriched my life since I was a small child.  Making a painting, teaching art, or appreciating the gifts of others, have all given meaning and substance to my world. Julia’s teachings have been a guiding light on my journey.”

 

Tanglewood Youth Theatre Classes: Journey to Imaginationland
Feb 8 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Taught by Janice Schreiber
Ages 5-7
Feb 8-Mar 29, 2022 | Tuesdays 

Join us on our way to imaginationland! Students will learn the basics of performance technique, explore exciting characterizations, and use their bodies, voices, and imaginations to bring stories and characters to life. Some of our favorite cartoon and real life characters just might make an appearance! Tuition will be $125.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.

IMPROV 3rd – 5th Grades ​(In-Person)
Feb 8 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Studio 52

Picture

Learn the fundamentals of improv in this fun, on-your-feet class! Learn to think outside of the box, collaborate, and build on a creative idea by saying “yes! and…”  Through exercises, improv games, and high-energy activities students will learn to take risks, access creativity, gain confidence, and discover the FUN in fundamental improvisation. This is a process-based class focused on skill and ensemble building.  

Tanglewood Youth Theatre Classes: Physical Comedy and Clowning
Feb 8 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Taught by Jon Monastero
Ages 10-13
Feb 8-Mar 29, 2022 | Tuesdays

This weekly workshop is an exciting, challenging, inspiring, and fun way for students to push themselves. We will dance, sing, act, not act, be and not be, immersed in the topsy-turvy, upside-down and messy world of the clown. Please dress to move. Tuition will be $175.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.

Tanglewood Youth Theatre Classes: Youth Acting: And Scene!
Feb 8 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Youth Acting: And Scene!

Taught by Michael Jorizzo
Ages 8-12
Feb 8-Mar 29, 2022 | Tuesdays

Learn how to bring scripts to life! During this class, students will explore short scenes and learn to analyze scripts, make strong acting choices, and create compelling characters. Students pick their favorite scenes for a showcase during the final class. Tuition will be $175.00 – payment plans and scholarships will both be available.

BROADWAY DANCE 4th – 7th Grades ​(In – Person)
Feb 8 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Studio 52

Picture

Boogie to Broadway in this low-pressure, high-energy Broadway Dance Class focusing on fun musical theatre steps and choreography for all levels! With an emphasis on listening and focus, body awareness, musicality, characterization through movement, and picking up steps, young actors will learn choreography from Broadway favorites and leave feeling more confident in their next audition or production. No prior experience is necessary.

BROADWAY DANCE 8th – 12th Grades (In – Person)
Feb 8 @ 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm
Studio 52

Picture

Get moving in this fun, high-energy, four-week dance class focusing on Broadway-style choreography and technique. Each class features a full-body warm up, a step-by-step breakdown of theatre dance vocabulary, across-the-floor exercises, and Broadway-style choreography to learn and perfect. Join Studio 52 to get a weekly workout, learn how to fill your movement with character, and step into your next dance audition or production feeling confident. No prior experience is required. Dancers of all levels can expect to learn some new musical theatre moves, break a sweat, and have fun!

Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Asheville City’s Homeless Initiative: Point-In-Time Count Dashboard Launch
Feb 9 all-day
online
homelessness
Point-In-Time Count

Point in Time (PIT) Count Dashboard and Web Page Available on the City of Asheville Website

 

2021 Point in Time (PIT) count data is now available on the City of Asheville website.  The PIT data is displayed via dashboard, and presents numbers on those experiencing homelessness, either in emergency shelter, transitional housing or who are unsheltered. The 2022 Point in Time Count happened on January 25, and this dashboard will be updated with the new data later in the spring.

 

Each year, the City of Asheville, in collaboration with a number of local organizations that focus on housing insecurity, collects data on the people in our community that are experiencing homelessness in the annual Point in Time (PIT) count. The data collected are aggregated, with identifying information removed, and then are reported to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which requires that all communities that receive HUD funding to address homelessness conduct an annual PIT Count. This count is a one night “snapshot” that, when taken each year, can provide an overview of the population and trends over time.

 

“Understanding who is homeless in our community and what their needs are is essential in the work of ending homelessness.  We’re excited to partner with the Office of Data and Performance to share this information with the community so that stakeholders can be empowered with the data we all need to develop strategies that move the needle on homelessness,” stated Emily Ball, Homeless Services System Performance Lead for the City of Asheville.

 

The dashboard displays information on homeless Asheville residents broken down by sheltered status and race. Visitors to the webpage can explore the data further by clicking the link at the bottom of the dashboard, which navigates to a spreadsheet where the data is broken down by gender, ethnicity, and veteran’s status, as well as the number of people who are chronically homeless in our community. The dashboard is a collaborative effort between the City’s Homeless Initiative in the Community and Economic Development department and the Office of Data & Performance in IT Services.

The PIT Dashboard and information regarding its findings are located on the City of Asheville’s website.  For more information on the City’s Homeless Initiative, contact Brian Huskey ([email protected]) or Emily Ball ([email protected]). For information on affordable housing, emergency housing, rental assistance or down payment assistance, or to learn how to assist our homeless community, please call 211. The service is free, confidential and available in any language.

Buncombe County Extends Indoor Mask Mandate to February 16, 2022
Feb 9 all-day
Buncombe County

Update Jan. 4, 2022

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended the countywide face covering requirement for all indoor public spaces through Feb. 16, 2022. The indoor mask requirement also extends to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin.

In Buncombe County, COVID-19 case rates continue to be high, and per the CDC definition, the County remains an area of high transmission. The percent positivity remains in the moderate category, and the death rate remains in the substantial category.

History @ Home – Visit Virtually Western North Carolina Historical Association
Feb 9 all-day
online w/ Western North Carolina Historical Association
Deep Dive into Archives is a living exhibit shining a light on the individuals who were once enslaved at the Smith-McDowell House through primary documentation.

 

 

 

Douglas Ellington: Asheville’s Boomtown Architect presents a look at Ellington’s iconic Asheville creations along with other buildings he completed throughout his career in other cities.
HillBilly Land 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.
In 1918 vs 2020, 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.
Student Poetry Contest – “Ambition”
Feb 9 all-day
online

January through April

Actors performing Sandburg's works on stageActors portray characters from Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Story “Three Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions.”

NPS Photo

Educators in grades 3-12 are invited to submit original poems written by their students in February. The poems will be judged and winners announced in April. Find the 2022 Poetry Contest Information and submission guidelines here. The theme “Ambition” is from one of Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, to celebrate it’s 100th year of being published. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.”

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry, and is open to students nationwide!

Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be postmarked by March 1, 2022. See below for submission rules.

Winners will be notified by April 8, 2022, and will be invited to participate in a special virtual program on April 22.


2022 Contest Rules

Theme – “Ambition”
Carl Sandburg wrote millions of words reflecting on the American experience of the 20th century. Though his words often focused on war, labor, and social injustice, as a father of three, he also wrote imaginative, zany, and fantastical children’s stories, called “Rootabaga Stories.” Carl Sandburg’s “Rootabaga Stories” were first published in 1922 and celebrate 100 years of entertaining readers of all ages this year. The theme “Ambition” is from one of these stories. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.” Read the story here.

Poems submitted for the 2022 contest should reflect the theme of “Ambition.” By definition, a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Or setting goals to achieve success.

Submission Rules

  • Poetry accepted from 3-12th grades only. Poems will be grouped for judging by 3-5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th.
  • Poems must be submitted by a teacher (traditional classroom or homeschool teacher).
  • No more than three poems per class. Teachers with multiple classes, can submit up to three poems per class period.
  • Poem will be judged on its ability to communicate the theme.
  • Poem can be written in any style, but must not exceed one-page in length. No illustrations.
  • Poems must be typed, no handwritten entries, using standard computer fonts, like Times, Arial, etc…
  • Do not place any identifying information (name, school, grade, etc…) on poem sheet, that will go on the accompanying submission form.
  • Submission form must be complete to be accepted:
    • Paperclipped to poem, no staples
    • Must be signed by parent, student and teacher
    • Submissions must be postmarked, faxed, or e-mailed to [email protected], by March 1, 2022. Emailed submissions must be docs, .pdfs or scans. Low resolution pictures of the submission will not be accepted.

Judging
Judges from the literary community will make the decision for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place within each grade category (3-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th).

Poetry Partners
The 2022 Poetry Contest is a result of tremendous community support including the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, and literary volunteers who serve as judges. Thank you.

Poetry Resources
You may also find curriculum resources to use in the classroom at the park’s website: www.nps.gov/carl/learn/education/index.htm.

Send Submissions to:
Carl Sandburg Home NHS
Attn: Poetry Contest
81 Carl Sandburg Lane
Flat Rock, North Carolina 28731
Fax 828-693-4179
Email: [email protected]

Mission Accelerator class
Feb 9 @ 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
Blue Ridge Community College

Take your Business to the Next Level with the Mission Accelerator Program
Companies in 2022 will face a business landscape disrupted by a pandemic: staffing issues, supply chain issues, new business models, shift in consumer purchasing patterns, revenue disruptions, and new applications of tech just to name a few.
The 2022 Mission Accelerator class can help organizations you know develop new tools and strategies to proactively successfully navigate the ever changing business environment that 2022 will be.
Registration is open through January 24th. The program begins January 26th and will meet every-other Wednesday from 8:30 am – 1 pm through June 1st. The cost for the program is $295.
Not sure if your business could benefit from this program? Take the self-assessment below to rate your success.

Blue Ridge Community College and the Henderson County Chamber of Commerce have partnered once again to offer the Mission Acceleration Business Accelerator, a five-month, ten-course program.

 

January 26, 2022
Business Best Practices and KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Checklist by Department Identifying Opportunities for Acceleration

February 9, 2022
Management and Leadership

February 23, 2022
Human Resources, Legal and Insurance

March 9, 2022
Capital and Purchasing

March 23, 2022
Competition and Competitive Advantage

April 6, 2022
Branding, Marketing and Sales

April 20, 2022
Customer Service and Information Technology

May 4, 2022
Business Logistics: Best ways to meet customer needs

May 18, 2022
Accounting and Finance

June 1, 2022
Business Acceleration Plan Presentation and Graduation

Sessions run Wednesdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. except 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on January 26.
Cost for the course is $295.

ACTING Class: ​​K – 2nd Grades (In – Person)
Feb 9 @ 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Studio 52

Picture

In this high-energy acting class, young artists will use their voices, bodies, and imaginations as tools to create new characters, atmospheres, and narratives inspired by books! With fun exercises, games, and activities rooted in creative play, students will learn the fundamentals of theatre while also gaining confidence, sensory awareness, focus, and the ability to collaborate within a group. This is a process-based class focused on skill and ensemble building.  

Production Class: PETER PAN
Feb 9 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Asheville Performing Arts Academy
PETER PAN (the play)

**All Ages**

Rehearsals: Mondays & Wednesdays, 5:30pm – 7:00pm (classes begin in February)

Show: June 3-5, 2022

 

J.M. Berrie’s seminal play that brought us the boy that would never grow up!

It tells the story of Wendy, John and Michael Darling’s adventures in Neverland with the inimitable Peter Pan, “the boy who would not grow up.” In Neverland, the Darlings are introduced to the Lost Boys, Peter’s jealous fairy friend Tinker Bell, the infamous pirate Captain Hook, and the crocodile who swallowed Hook’s hand.

Peter Pan Play3

Register Now

IMPROV 6th – 8th Grades (In – Person)
Feb 9 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Studio 52

Picture

Unlock your imagination in this fun, on-your-feet improv class! Students will learn to think outside of the box, collaborate, quickly develop characters, and build on a creative idea by saying “yes! and…”  Through exercises, improv games, and creative prompts, young artists will learn to take risks, access creativity, gain confidence, meaningfully connect with peers, and discover the FUN in fundamental improvisation. This is a process-based class focused on skill and ensemble building.  

AUDITION PREP 6th – 12th Grades (In – Person)
Feb 9 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Studio 52

Picture

Learn audition etiquette and techniques in this low-pressure, four-week program led by Flat Rock Playhouse’s Director of Education, Anna Kimmell. In this class, students will learn how and what material to prepare for auditions, get tips on calming anxiety and nerves, and have the opportunity to get coaching on pre-prepared songs or monologues. Whether you’re a first-time auditionee, stepping back into theatre after some time off, or adding new material to your audition repertoire, this class will get you feeling ready to put your best foot forward! 

Thursday, February 10, 2022
Asheville City’s Homeless Initiative: Point-In-Time Count Dashboard Launch
Feb 10 all-day
online
homelessness
Point-In-Time Count

Point in Time (PIT) Count Dashboard and Web Page Available on the City of Asheville Website

 

2021 Point in Time (PIT) count data is now available on the City of Asheville website.  The PIT data is displayed via dashboard, and presents numbers on those experiencing homelessness, either in emergency shelter, transitional housing or who are unsheltered. The 2022 Point in Time Count happened on January 25, and this dashboard will be updated with the new data later in the spring.

 

Each year, the City of Asheville, in collaboration with a number of local organizations that focus on housing insecurity, collects data on the people in our community that are experiencing homelessness in the annual Point in Time (PIT) count. The data collected are aggregated, with identifying information removed, and then are reported to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which requires that all communities that receive HUD funding to address homelessness conduct an annual PIT Count. This count is a one night “snapshot” that, when taken each year, can provide an overview of the population and trends over time.

 

“Understanding who is homeless in our community and what their needs are is essential in the work of ending homelessness.  We’re excited to partner with the Office of Data and Performance to share this information with the community so that stakeholders can be empowered with the data we all need to develop strategies that move the needle on homelessness,” stated Emily Ball, Homeless Services System Performance Lead for the City of Asheville.

 

The dashboard displays information on homeless Asheville residents broken down by sheltered status and race. Visitors to the webpage can explore the data further by clicking the link at the bottom of the dashboard, which navigates to a spreadsheet where the data is broken down by gender, ethnicity, and veteran’s status, as well as the number of people who are chronically homeless in our community. The dashboard is a collaborative effort between the City’s Homeless Initiative in the Community and Economic Development department and the Office of Data & Performance in IT Services.

The PIT Dashboard and information regarding its findings are located on the City of Asheville’s website.  For more information on the City’s Homeless Initiative, contact Brian Huskey ([email protected]) or Emily Ball ([email protected]). For information on affordable housing, emergency housing, rental assistance or down payment assistance, or to learn how to assist our homeless community, please call 211. The service is free, confidential and available in any language.

Buncombe County Extends Indoor Mask Mandate to February 16, 2022
Feb 10 all-day
Buncombe County

Update Jan. 4, 2022

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has extended the countywide face covering requirement for all indoor public spaces through Feb. 16, 2022. The indoor mask requirement also extends to Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Black Mountain, Town of Montreat, Weaverville, and Woodfin.

In Buncombe County, COVID-19 case rates continue to be high, and per the CDC definition, the County remains an area of high transmission. The percent positivity remains in the moderate category, and the death rate remains in the substantial category.

On this Day in WNC History Tidbit
Feb 10 all-day
online
On this Day in WNC History Tidbit
Do you follow us on social media? If not, you’ve missed our new 2021 series –
On This Day in WNC History!

Every week we explore the headlines and overlooked events that happened
on a particular day in Western North Carolina history.

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ON THIS DAY in WNC history: On October 2, 1929, deputies fired into a crowd of striking workers in Marion, NC. Six were killed and even more wounded at the Marion Manufacturing Company in one of the deadliest acts of strike busting in the South.

This year marked an apogee of strikes and labor organization in southern textile mills. Eight years prior, over 100 miners were killed at the Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia in a period of coal clashes and unionization attempts. Later in the 1920s, many textile workers reacting to grueling and dirty work conditions under the “stretch-out” system, along with a reduction of their pay in company scrip, began organizing and demanding better conditions. Spearheaded by the National Textile Workers Union (an organization supported by the Communist Party), concurrent strikes began early in 1929 at the Bemberg-Glanzstoff Rayon Corporation in Elizabethton, Tennessee and at Loray Mills in Gastonia, North Carolina. Female employees were key to the organization of both strikes, and the latter is most famously remembered for the death of Ella May Wiggins. National Guard members, local police, and union-busting mobs were called to both of these events.

The Marion strikes (which occurred at the neighboring Clinchfield Mill as well) began July 11. Workers struck without official union support, resisting involvement by communist organizers. After frequent violence and threats, with two National Guard units present, workers returned to these mills September 11, with no raise in pay and a mandated 55-hour workweek. Marion Manufacturing Mill refused to rehire 114 of the strikers, leading to further anger. Workers struck again on October 2, and deputies were dispatched by the local sheriff. Though some details are murky, deputies shot into a crowd of strikers, killing four on site, wounding at least fifteen, with two others dying later. Nearby hospitals refused medical care to strikers, and churches of the mill village refused to administer their funerals. Eight deputies were charged, but acquitted in December. They contended the strikers were armed, but no guns were found, and the New York Times reported those killed were shot in the back.

The memory of these events will be examined in our upcoming event, Marion Mill Massacre in Memory, on Thursday, Oct 14.

Image: Raleigh News and Observer, Oct. 4, 1929

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Student Poetry Contest – “Ambition”
Feb 10 all-day
online

January through April

Actors performing Sandburg's works on stageActors portray characters from Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Story “Three Boys with Jugs of Molasses and Secret Ambitions.”

NPS Photo

Educators in grades 3-12 are invited to submit original poems written by their students in February. The poems will be judged and winners announced in April. Find the 2022 Poetry Contest Information and submission guidelines here. The theme “Ambition” is from one of Carl Sandburg’s Rootabaga Stories, to celebrate it’s 100th year of being published. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.”

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry, and is open to students nationwide!

Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be postmarked by March 1, 2022. See below for submission rules.

Winners will be notified by April 8, 2022, and will be invited to participate in a special virtual program on April 22.


2022 Contest Rules

Theme – “Ambition”
Carl Sandburg wrote millions of words reflecting on the American experience of the 20th century. Though his words often focused on war, labor, and social injustice, as a father of three, he also wrote imaginative, zany, and fantastical children’s stories, called “Rootabaga Stories.” Carl Sandburg’s “Rootabaga Stories” were first published in 1922 and celebrate 100 years of entertaining readers of all ages this year. The theme “Ambition” is from one of these stories. “An ambition…creeps in your heart night and day, singing a little song, ‘Come and find me, come and find me.” Read the story here.

Poems submitted for the 2022 contest should reflect the theme of “Ambition.” By definition, a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Or setting goals to achieve success.

Submission Rules

  • Poetry accepted from 3-12th grades only. Poems will be grouped for judging by 3-5th, 6-8th, and 9-12th.
  • Poems must be submitted by a teacher (traditional classroom or homeschool teacher).
  • No more than three poems per class. Teachers with multiple classes, can submit up to three poems per class period.
  • Poem will be judged on its ability to communicate the theme.
  • Poem can be written in any style, but must not exceed one-page in length. No illustrations.
  • Poems must be typed, no handwritten entries, using standard computer fonts, like Times, Arial, etc…
  • Do not place any identifying information (name, school, grade, etc…) on poem sheet, that will go on the accompanying submission form.
  • Submission form must be complete to be accepted:
    • Paperclipped to poem, no staples
    • Must be signed by parent, student and teacher
    • Submissions must be postmarked, faxed, or e-mailed to [email protected], by March 1, 2022. Emailed submissions must be docs, .pdfs or scans. Low resolution pictures of the submission will not be accepted.

Judging
Judges from the literary community will make the decision for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place within each grade category (3-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th).

Poetry Partners
The 2022 Poetry Contest is a result of tremendous community support including the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara, and literary volunteers who serve as judges. Thank you.

Poetry Resources
You may also find curriculum resources to use in the classroom at the park’s website: www.nps.gov/carl/learn/education/index.htm.

Send Submissions to:
Carl Sandburg Home NHS
Attn: Poetry Contest
81 Carl Sandburg Lane
Flat Rock, North Carolina 28731
Fax 828-693-4179
Email: [email protected]

The 13th Annual Student Food Drive
Feb 10 all-day
online

#MANNAStudentChallenge2022

The past few years, we have been unable to host our annual student food drive due to the pandemic. This year, however, the student food drive and the competition between schools to see who can collect the most food returns!
Throughout the entire month of March, schools will be hosting food drives and competing between each other to see who can donate the most pounds of food to MANNA or their local partner agency. Students can also earn points that will be added to their total score by making financial donations, volunteering at their local partner agency, participating in hunger and nutrition education opportunities and joining us in our #MANNAStudentChallenge2022 TikTok campaign.
To earn points for their school through the #MANNAStudentChallenge2022, students can create TikTok videos that either feature them eating a fruit or vegetable they have never tried before or highlight a recipe that they believe is unique to their family.
At the end of the campaign, we will announce winners for each of our categories: high school, middle school, elementary school, college or university, most improved, rookie of the year and most creative.
If you are interested in having your school participate in MANNA’s Annual Student Food Drive, contact Jake Deuterman.
MLK/FBI documentary
Feb 10 @ 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Harvest House Community Center

MLK, Jr and J Edgar Hoover

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering career, he was often harassed and  treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. This acclaimed documentary lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover, reminding everyone that true American progress is always hard-won. Call 828-350-2051 for more info.

Lectures/Performances with Jamie Laval
Feb 10 @ 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Hybrid: Tryon Fine Arts Center and Zoom

World-renown Celtic musical artist Jamie Laval presents a behind-the-scenes view of how he creates music. Months of research, creative inspiration, skilled application of technological tools and diligent practicing go into each new song before it is ready to be shared with the public. Learn about the process from inception to manifestation in this three-part lecture/performance series.

TFAC will follow CDC and Polk County COVID recommendations. Participants will have space to social distance and appropriate face masks are strongly recommended. The program will also be available via Zoom.

Description

Registrations are for ONE HOUSEHOLD.

All sessions will be held on Thursdays, from 4:30-5:30.  For those desiring to participate by Zoom, a link will be sent out the morning of the call.

Schedule: 

  • February 10:  Celtic Music: Cultural History and Performance Practice
  • February  17:  How I use Technology to Create Music
  • February 24:  Violins to Bagpipes and Beyond: All about Musical Instruments