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.
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, enjoy live music by Brian Ashley Jones Duo on the lawn at Appalachian Ridge. Brian is a Nashville-based performer playing the best Blues and Country tunes. Bonfires will be going, and s’more kits will be available for you to purchase and roast as you sit back and enjoy the view and music. The food truck will be on-site with dinner and snacks. Appalachian Ridge’s ciders, wines and beer will be available for you to enjoy. This is an outdoor event, dress for the weather, but we will have fires going to keep you warm and to toast your marshmallows!

Over the past decade, The String Cheese Incident has emerged as one of America’s most significant independent bands. Born in 1993 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, SCI has since released 10 albums, 5 DVDs and countless live recordings from their relentless tour schedule. Their 20 year history is packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. They have been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music.
When The String Cheese Incident’s growth first started gaining momentum over a decade ago, when the internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing, the band decided to make music on their own terms.
Since then, The String Cheese Incident has gone on to carve out a completely different approach to the business of music; they are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the World Wide Web as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information via the internet, such as tour dates, release information, and other news, to their growing fan base. Rather than doing business on such terms as “the bottom line,” The String Cheese Incident put their music and their fans first, opening companies of their own, including a ticketing company, a merchandise company and a fan travel agency, to best serve their community. The band’s record label, SCI Fidelity Records, has always operated under the same ideals. Even early on, SCI Fidelity embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI’s “On the Road” series, where every show the band plays is made available for download on the internet. Whether they realized it at the time or not, The String Cheese Incident was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to building a band.
The String Cheese Incident’s commitment goes well beyond their immediate community, and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and they were among the first performers to encourage “Green” shows and tours. SCI’s support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and Head Count. In 2002, when the band’s right to sell tickets to their own shows became threatened by ticketing giant Ticketmaster, the band stood strong for the independent music community and filed a lawsuit against the company. All the while, The String Cheese Incident has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor, not just in their recordings but also in their live performances. The list of SCI’s special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events such as Horning’s Hideout, and holiday shows such as New Year’s and Halloween, have helped redefine the concert experience and has garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.
Asheville’s LARGEST vaudeville show featuring WNC’s best comedy, juggling, magic, burlesque, acrobatics, aerial arts, short plays, puppetry, sideshow, music and more!
At the annual Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, Henderson County wineries and cideries partner together to create a signature weekend surrounded by all things cider, wine and food! It is an action-packed weekend filled with artisan hard cider, award-winning wines, new releases, grand openings, a variety of food, educational programs, live music, facility tours, friendly faces and much more.
Henderson County’s rich history in agriculture and wonderful climate makes the area ideal for the growing of a variety of apples and grapes. Henderson County is home to North Carolina’s newest wine country, the Crest of the Blue Ridge American Viticulture Area (AVA). Area wineries produce classic wines from European vinifera grapes and French-American hybrid grapes, as well as sweeter wines crafted from grapes native to North Carolina.
There are several types of transportation options available for hire in the Hendersonville area, including taxis and private Transportation Companies.
2022 Cider, Wine & Dine Participants
Click to download the 2022 Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend Event Brochure and an Updated Directional Map
- Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider – the taproom is in a repurposed barn, surrounded by family-owned apple orchards – specializing in Normandy-style hard cider, brandy and pommeau, 749 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-699-7507
- Bold Rock Hard Cider – the North Carolina facility of one of America’s leading hard cider producers – in the heart of the scenic farm country of the Mills River Valley, located at 72 School House Rd., Mills River 828-595-9940
- Burntshirt Vineyards Chimney Rock – this beautiful new tasting room and bistro has views of both Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Falls, Located at 438 Main St., Chimney Rock, 828-436-2490
- Burntshirt Vineyards Hendersonville – a beautiful, estate winery and event center that overlooks their celebrated vineyards, 2695 Sugarloaf Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-2402
- Flat Rock Cider Company – Flat Rock Cider Company creates its hard cider in a variety of flavors – from apples grown right here in Henderson County – location TBD! 828-595-2992
- Marked Tree Vineyard – offers 10 wine varieties made with European vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes in a picturesque setting, surrounded by panoramic views, 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock, 828-513-3773
- Point Lookout Vineyard & World’s Edge Meadery – take in 30-mile views from an elevation of 3,000 feet atop Point Lookout Mountain while you taste a variety of wines and mead, 408 Appleola Road, Hendersonville, 828-393-5793
- Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards – the winery and tasting room are nestled between orchards and vineyards, 588 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-4002
- Sawyer Springs Vineyard – enjoy award-winning wines grown and processed right on the same location as the rustic tasting barn at this laid-back, family-run winery, 124 Sandy Hill Lane, Hendersonville, 828-698-4383
- Souther Williams Vineyard – located on land that has been in the same family for more than 200 years, Souther Williams cultivates well-known varietals like Cabernet Franc, Cynthiana, Reisling and Vidal Blanc, along with lesser-known grapes from Austria, Germany and eastern Europe, 655 Hoopers Creek Road, Fletcher, NC 28732, 828-483-6070
- Stone Ashe Vineyards – this state-of-the-art tasting room rests on a bluff overlooking a pond surrounded by vineyards, 736 Green Mountain Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792, 828-551-5643
Many events are free. Some events require tickets or reservations, which can be made by contacting the individual venue. Due to COVID-19 the event schedule may change, check back often for updates.
Make a Weekend of It!
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation, and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state, including more than 40 varieties of apples. The Cider, Wine & Dine weekend conveniently coincides with when the apple trees are in bloom. Apple trees produce gorgeous, delicate, pink, and white spring blossoms, just waiting on the bees to start pollinating them. This is a great time of year to enjoy the Apple Country Trail, a self-guided scenic driving tour in and around Henderson County’s apple country, to enjoy the sight of the trees in bloom, and to find local apple products to purchase. Click to download the self-guided Apple Country Trail tour.
Click here for lodging or area information, or call the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority at 828-693-9708
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, check out Appalachian Ridge for an orchard breakfast and guided farm tour. Breakfast starts at 9:30 with a walking tour of the farm, orchards, and vineyards at 10:30 am. Enjoy coffee, and breakfast on the patio at Appalachian Ridge. The walking tour starts at 10:30, wear comfortable walking shoes!
JOIN US FOR UNCORKED! THIS UNIQUE RAIL LINE AND WINE EXPERIENCE WILL FUSE THE ADVENTURE OF RAILROADING WITH THE LOVE OF GOOD WINE AND GOOD COMPANY.
About This Trip
Passengers will enjoy a full service All-Adult First Class ride in our First Class cars with a private attendant and plush, well-appointed dining seating. A narrator will accompany the ride to present each pour to guests and share knowledge and history of the wines selected. Passengers on this specialty car will enjoy an exclusive sampling of cheeses and a surf and turf meal prepared fresh.
We have carefully selected our wine samples to accompany the meal. All passengers will receive a GSMR souvenir stemless wine glass, four samples of selected wine, and a dessert that’s perfect
for the season!
Uncorked is offered on the Nantahala Gorge Excursion departing on April 23, May 7, June 4, July 30, Aug 6 & Sept 3.
Tickets for this specialty experience is $139 per person (Adults 21+ only). Due to the exclusivity of this specialty car, tickets will be selling fast so make sure to reserve your seat today!
On Your Plate
- Starters –
- Enjoy a sampling of cheeses.
- Soup –
- Fresh Soup or Salad (Seasonal) served with a Warm Dinner Roll.
- Main Course
- Fresh fish seasonally prepared at Chefs’ discretion. Accompanied by Tender Beef slices topped with a Port Wine Reduction and Carrot Soufflé.
- Dessert
- Chef choice
Visit Wands for Wildlife in the Asheville Mall to drop off used mascara wands during an open house on Saturday April 23rd from 11am – 3pm. Enter the mall by McAlister’s and the space is ahead on the left corner.
See website for details on the Wandraiser and how you can send in wands if not able to visit on the 23rd – https://www.wandsforwildlife.org/earthmonth.html
There is also a large display area showcasing Wand Art and some amazing local nonprofits like Asheville Greenworks and Appalachian Wildlife Refuge.
Wands for Wildlife inspires people to help wildlife and the environment through re-purposing discarded mascara wands for use in wildlife care, art and education.
As part of Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, join us for our Grand Opening at Souther Williams Vineyard. Be the first to experience our Eastern European and vinifera wines in our open-air pavilion overlooking the vineyards with mountain views. Our tasting crew will guide you through five unique wines. A souvenir glass will be included with purchase. Reservation requested for table service or step up to the tasting bar.
As part of Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, enjoy a Wine tasting that includes 6 wines served in Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards’ unique tubular wine flights. Enjoy our award winning French vinifera wines while sitting only steps away from the vineyard where the grapes are grown.
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, participate in a guided wine tasting of Marked Tree Vineyard staff’s five favorite wines and take home a souvenir glass. Reservations are requested. Indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the vineyard with 360-degree views of the mountains is available.

Come join us for our second annual Hemp Festival!
Fun for all ages! Located downtown Asheville in front of the court house at Pack Square Park for April
Wed 4/20 – Sat 4/23. We will be hosting a 4-day event with live music on 2 stages.
Pack Square Amphitheater
&
Instant Karma Bus Stage
One of our main goals is to make something accessible and engaging for the whole community.
In honor of the Hemp Plant, we are getting our community together to celebrate and inform about all the wonderful benefits Hemp has to offer!
In collaborating with local hemp farmers, musicians, community activist and educators, including diverse talent from live glassblowing, fire spinning, live painters, visual arts, and so much more.
This is one you dont wanna miss.
For volunteer, Vending, sponsorship, or more information about involvement visit.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, join us all day on the farm to enjoy tasting all our locally grown and produced Normandy-style ciders along with local beer by Oklawaha Brewing. We also offer a tasting of three different North Carolina native grape sweet wines. The tasting room is a refurbished 90-year-old barn set in the middle of the orchards where the apples are grown! Great Views, Great Ciders, Wine and Beer!
Details:
- 90 minute tour with beverages/light food pairings*
- Reservation only
- 21+ up
Designated drivers don’t need a reservation, but must accompany a ticketed guest.
*If you have an allergy or accomodation request, please note these while placing your reservation, or email [email protected] with your needs.
Attire + Footwear
- Closed-toe shoes with hard soles required
- This tour is exposed to the elements. Please check the weather in advance and be prepared!
Accessibility
There are elements of the tour that are not wheelchair accessible. Please reach out directly to [email protected] for information and accommodation.

Based in Asheville, the Feels are a female-fronted, soulful, rootsy 5-piece group, with a new-throw-back sound & captivating female harmonies. Their original music is a unique fusion of R&B, Groove, Soul, and Americana. Singer-songwriters Lange Eve and Sarah Roberts bring their spunky and engaging energy as they showcase their tunes, backed by the talents of Matt Gardner on lead guitar, Brian Grasso on bass, and Matthew Roberts on drums. If you’ve been in the WNC area long enough, you’ve seen these musicians around the music scene- including The Afromotive, Menage, Plankeye Peggy, and High Flying Criminals. Check out this newer musical formation: The Feels!

Over the past decade, The String Cheese Incident has emerged as one of America’s most significant independent bands. Born in 1993 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, SCI has since released 10 albums, 5 DVDs and countless live recordings from their relentless tour schedule. Their 20 year history is packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. They have been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music.
When The String Cheese Incident’s growth first started gaining momentum over a decade ago, when the internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing, the band decided to make music on their own terms.
Since then, The String Cheese Incident has gone on to carve out a completely different approach to the business of music; they are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the World Wide Web as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information via the internet, such as tour dates, release information, and other news, to their growing fan base. Rather than doing business on such terms as “the bottom line,” The String Cheese Incident put their music and their fans first, opening companies of their own, including a ticketing company, a merchandise company and a fan travel agency, to best serve their community. The band’s record label, SCI Fidelity Records, has always operated under the same ideals. Even early on, SCI Fidelity embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI’s “On the Road” series, where every show the band plays is made available for download on the internet. Whether they realized it at the time or not, The String Cheese Incident was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to building a band.
The String Cheese Incident’s commitment goes well beyond their immediate community, and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and they were among the first performers to encourage “Green” shows and tours. SCI’s support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and Head Count. In 2002, when the band’s right to sell tickets to their own shows became threatened by ticketing giant Ticketmaster, the band stood strong for the independent music community and filed a lawsuit against the company. All the while, The String Cheese Incident has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor, not just in their recordings but also in their live performances. The list of SCI’s special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events such as Horning’s Hideout, and holiday shows such as New Year’s and Halloween, have helped redefine the concert experience and has garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.
Stick Men is a progressive rock band created by musicians with extensive experience playing together. Pat Mastelotto and Tony Levin are the rhythm section of the legendary band King Crimson. Mastelotto is in demand all over the world as the premier drummer for progressive rock. Levin plays in Crimson, with Peter Gabriel, and has recorded with John Lennon, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and others. Markus Reuter is a renowned composer and guitarist who designed and plays his own unique touch style guitar.
Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto, the powerhouse bass and drums of the group King Crimson for more than 2 decades, bring that tradition to all their playing. Levin plays the Chapman Stick, from which the band takes it’s name. Having bass and guitar strings, the Chapman Stick functions at times like two instruments. Markus Reuter plays his 8-string touch guitar – again covering much more ground than a guitar or a bass. And Mastelotto’s drumming encompasses not just the acoustic kit, but a unique electronic setup too, allowing him to add loops, samples, percussion, and more.
The result; audiences are fascinated by watching just three musicians onstage perform their unique compositions as well as wild improvisations and some cover versions of songs by King Crimson, Mike Oldfield, etc.
At the annual Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, Henderson County wineries and cideries partner together to create a signature weekend surrounded by all things cider, wine and food! It is an action-packed weekend filled with artisan hard cider, award-winning wines, new releases, grand openings, a variety of food, educational programs, live music, facility tours, friendly faces and much more.
Henderson County’s rich history in agriculture and wonderful climate makes the area ideal for the growing of a variety of apples and grapes. Henderson County is home to North Carolina’s newest wine country, the Crest of the Blue Ridge American Viticulture Area (AVA). Area wineries produce classic wines from European vinifera grapes and French-American hybrid grapes, as well as sweeter wines crafted from grapes native to North Carolina.
There are several types of transportation options available for hire in the Hendersonville area, including taxis and private Transportation Companies.
2022 Cider, Wine & Dine Participants
Click to download the 2022 Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend Event Brochure and an Updated Directional Map
- Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider – the taproom is in a repurposed barn, surrounded by family-owned apple orchards – specializing in Normandy-style hard cider, brandy and pommeau, 749 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-699-7507
- Bold Rock Hard Cider – the North Carolina facility of one of America’s leading hard cider producers – in the heart of the scenic farm country of the Mills River Valley, located at 72 School House Rd., Mills River 828-595-9940
- Burntshirt Vineyards Chimney Rock – this beautiful new tasting room and bistro has views of both Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Falls, Located at 438 Main St., Chimney Rock, 828-436-2490
- Burntshirt Vineyards Hendersonville – a beautiful, estate winery and event center that overlooks their celebrated vineyards, 2695 Sugarloaf Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-2402
- Flat Rock Cider Company – Flat Rock Cider Company creates its hard cider in a variety of flavors – from apples grown right here in Henderson County – location TBD! 828-595-2992
- Marked Tree Vineyard – offers 10 wine varieties made with European vinifera and French-American hybrid grapes in a picturesque setting, surrounded by panoramic views, 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock, 828-513-3773
- Point Lookout Vineyard & World’s Edge Meadery – take in 30-mile views from an elevation of 3,000 feet atop Point Lookout Mountain while you taste a variety of wines and mead, 408 Appleola Road, Hendersonville, 828-393-5793
- Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards – the winery and tasting room are nestled between orchards and vineyards, 588 Chestnut Gap Rd., Hendersonville, 828-685-4002
- Sawyer Springs Vineyard – enjoy award-winning wines grown and processed right on the same location as the rustic tasting barn at this laid-back, family-run winery, 124 Sandy Hill Lane, Hendersonville, 828-698-4383
- Souther Williams Vineyard – located on land that has been in the same family for more than 200 years, Souther Williams cultivates well-known varietals like Cabernet Franc, Cynthiana, Reisling and Vidal Blanc, along with lesser-known grapes from Austria, Germany and eastern Europe, 655 Hoopers Creek Road, Fletcher, NC 28732, 828-483-6070
- Stone Ashe Vineyards – this state-of-the-art tasting room rests on a bluff overlooking a pond surrounded by vineyards, 736 Green Mountain Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792, 828-551-5643
Many events are free. Some events require tickets or reservations, which can be made by contacting the individual venue. Due to COVID-19 the event schedule may change, check back often for updates.
Make a Weekend of It!
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation, and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county in North Carolina, producing 85 percent of all the apples grown in the state, including more than 40 varieties of apples. The Cider, Wine & Dine weekend conveniently coincides with when the apple trees are in bloom. Apple trees produce gorgeous, delicate, pink, and white spring blossoms, just waiting on the bees to start pollinating them. This is a great time of year to enjoy the Apple Country Trail, a self-guided scenic driving tour in and around Henderson County’s apple country, to enjoy the sight of the trees in bloom, and to find local apple products to purchase. Click to download the self-guided Apple Country Trail tour.
Click here for lodging or area information, or call the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority at 828-693-9708
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, check out Appalachian Ridge for an orchard breakfast and guided farm tour. Breakfast starts at 9:30 with a walking tour of the farm, orchards, and vineyards at 10:30 am. Enjoy coffee, and breakfast on the patio at Appalachian Ridge. The walking tour starts at 10:30, wear comfortable walking shoes!
As part of the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, check out all the fun that Bold Rock Hard Cider has to offer! We will have hard cider tastings as well-as pints, flights and locally crafted beer. The Bold Bites Mobile Kitchen prepares fresh food daily and features an expansive Cider Garden ensures plenty of space for guests to spread out and relax. Since a delicious food truck is on-site, outside food is not allowed. We are dog and kid-friendly!
As part of Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, join us for our Grand Opening at Souther Williams Vineyard. Be the first to experience our Eastern European and vinifera wines in our open-air pavilion overlooking the vineyards with mountain views. Our tasting crew will guide you through five unique wines. A souvenir glass will be included with purchase. Reservation requested for table service or step up to the tasting bar.
As part of Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, enjoy a Wine tasting that includes 6 wines served in Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards’ unique tubular wine flights. Enjoy our award winning French vinifera wines while sitting only steps away from the vineyard where the grapes are grown.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB
This event is free and open to the public
In WNC we are so lucky to have a bounty of incredible natural spaces surrounding us. These ancestral lands of the Cherokee Indian are full of life, beauty, and magic that deserves to be experienced by everyone. This Earth Day we want to celebrate our planet and natural resources with you and your family!
Join RiverLink and a host of local environmental organizations to learn about: plants and animals, mountains and streams, composting and recycling, and so much more. Every participating organization will have fun games and activities, interactive displays, arts and crafts, etc for kids to engage with. We hope that these future stewards will have a chance to connect deeper with their environment and learn about what these groups are doing to protect it.
At the festival we will also be showcasing entries and announcing the winners for RiverLink’s Voices of the River: Art and Poetry contest. Our mountains and rivers are an incredible source of creative inspiration and artistic exploration. These talented young artists and writers have created beautiful works that honor our rivers and Mother Earth herself.
We hope you’ll join us for a day of fun, education, and creativity as we celebrate everything that our planet does for us.
Details:
- 90 minute tour with beverages/light food pairings*
- Reservation only
- 21+ up
Designated drivers don’t need a reservation, but must accompany a ticketed guest.
*If you have an allergy or accomodation request, please note these while placing your reservation, or email [email protected] with your needs.
Attire + Footwear
- Closed-toe shoes with hard soles required
- This tour is exposed to the elements. Please check the weather in advance and be prepared!
Accessibility
There are elements of the tour that are not wheelchair accessible. Please reach out directly to [email protected] for information and accommodation.
Each ticket includes one hand-crafted bowl (all donated by area potters) and a soup-based meal
(a variety of soups, breads and desserts). Tickets are available at St. John in the Wilderness
Parish House Office, from Backpack team members or at the door on the day of the event. For
more information, call 828-693-9783. Credit cards are accepted; checks should be made out to
SJIW, noting Empty Bowls.
Please join us for this fun community event. Donations are gratefully accepted throughout the
year.
Updated COVID-19 restrictions will be in place.
Flat Rock Backpack Program: Each week during the school year, volunteers gather at Hubba
Hubba Smokehouse on Friday mornings to pack between 100-125 grocery bags of food;
nourishment for area nursery and school age children identified as those in need of weekend
food. Food includes oatmeal, tinned meat, rice, pasta, beans, vegetables and fruit. To do this,
volunteers buy food and supplies (with supplemental food from MANNA FoodBank), organize
packing, pack, and then deliver bags to the schools where the administration slips the bags into
backpacks for discreet delivery home (when there is a home). Annually, the group buys for, and
packs approximately 6,000 backpacks which cost about 22 thousand dollars. Neighbors from
throughout the community donate their time while Saint John in the Wilderness acts as the
‘home’ base providing technical and administrative assistance (including 501c3 status). To
meet our budget, we rely on corporate and individual donations, and our local pottery artists,
pivotal partners, who generously donate their time and talents for this annual fundraiser.
Empty Bowls was started over 25 years ago in Michigan as a high school service project. The
goal is to address hunger needs in local communities. The event concept is a simple one. The
community is invited to a meal of soup, bread and dessert (donated by local businesses and
organizations). As part of the admission fee, the ticket holders choose a
handmade bowl (crafted/donated by local artists) to take home as a thank you gift. The bowl
serves as a reminder that, as long as children in our community go hungry, we will help.
A video of the mission was produced by volunteers to show how the program works. Here’s the
link: https://youtu.be/AYKbzLHI_zM The video is also available by visiting YouTube – St. John
in the Wilderness, Flat Rock NC
The S&W Market is hosting a weekly Brews & Blues series featuring Mr. Jimmy & Friends. From 1pm-4pm every Sunday, there will be beer and mimosa specials in Highland Brewing’s Downtown taproom and great live blues in the building. Also enjoy delicious brunch specials from all vendors!

Jazz Sunday at One World Brewing West is a modern jazz jam held every Sunday afternoon from 1-4pm. Previously known as Jazz Monday, the jam has been running non stop since July, 2018 at the West Asheville brewery and is hosted weekly by The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, consisting of Ray Ring on guitar, Jason DeCristofaro on drums, piano and vibraphone, and Connor Law on bass. Jazz Sunday typically features a guest artist for a short set and then welcomes jazz musicians of all levels to sit in for the remainder of the afternoon on One World’s spacious outdoor stage.
Inspired deeply by the brave spelunking into the depths of the human psyche and appreciating the wonders of the natural world, Samara’s music comes from the place where her soul meets the soul of the earth. Bird language, fermentation, natural burials, heart-break – who can broach such a vast array of quirky yet relevant subjects wrapped in a bundle of personal narrative and musical expertise but Samara Jade? Leave it to Samara to slyly pick up a thread of an interesting conversation and come back an hour later saying “I have a song” – and likely it’s one that gets you dancing, laughing, crying, singing along – perhaps all at the same time!
Originally from the Hudson Valley of New York, Samara studied guitar on scholarship at Berklee College of Music for a year before heeding the call of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and pursuing a more earth-based path. Though she studied environmental education and worked organic farming gigs for many years, nothing could keep this bird from singing, and by a decade later she had released three albums and become a fixture in the Asheville music scene. Upon turning 30 and perhaps hitting a ⅓-life crisis, Samara moved into her van and toured out to the west coast. Utterly wooed by the forests and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula, she’s been loosely anchored there amidst touring up and down the coast and questioning the concept of “home.” The Covid-19 lockdown found her quarantining at an artist residency in Arcata, California, where she self-recorded her fourth album, “Zero,” released November 2020.
Straight from the source of flowing rivers, old growth trees and mountain peaks, and delivered with an emotive voice, intricately groovy guitar riffs, catchy melodies and a clever intellect, Samara’s songs are grounding medicine for these wild and shifting times. Thanks to the neural networks of community singing and song sharing, as well as the 2019 release of her meticulously orchestrated folk epic “Wave of Birdsong” by California record label Jumpsuit Records, many of Samara’s songs have spread far and wide (much like the airborne helicopter seeds of maple trees – not coincidentally, called “samaras”), and she is honored to follow in their footsteps.
Marion Cabell Tyree (Lynchburg, Virginia was the author of the influential cookbook Housekeeping in Old Virginia (1877). A granddaughter of Patrick Henry, she compiled the recipes in her cookbook with the help of “two hundred and fifty of Virginia’s noted housewives”.
Modern scholars of the culture of the Southern United States after the American Civil War have identified the rhetorical techniques used by Tyree to establish credibility for her book and its heritage. For instance, she lists the names of all those who contributed recipes; “they establish a pedigree for the book”. Tyree explicitly staged the book as “a response to changes wrought on upper-class white households”; these recipes and household tips, she says, will help the “elegant and refined women” who may find themselves without a cook.

Over the past decade, The String Cheese Incident has emerged as one of America’s most significant independent bands. Born in 1993 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, SCI has since released 10 albums, 5 DVDs and countless live recordings from their relentless tour schedule. Their 20 year history is packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. They have been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music.
When The String Cheese Incident’s growth first started gaining momentum over a decade ago, when the internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing, the band decided to make music on their own terms.
Since then, The String Cheese Incident has gone on to carve out a completely different approach to the business of music; they are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the World Wide Web as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information via the internet, such as tour dates, release information, and other news, to their growing fan base. Rather than doing business on such terms as “the bottom line,” The String Cheese Incident put their music and their fans first, opening companies of their own, including a ticketing company, a merchandise company and a fan travel agency, to best serve their community. The band’s record label, SCI Fidelity Records, has always operated under the same ideals. Even early on, SCI Fidelity embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI’s “On the Road” series, where every show the band plays is made available for download on the internet. Whether they realized it at the time or not, The String Cheese Incident was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to building a band.
The String Cheese Incident’s commitment goes well beyond their immediate community, and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and they were among the first performers to encourage “Green” shows and tours. SCI’s support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance, Rock the Earth, and Head Count. In 2002, when the band’s right to sell tickets to their own shows became threatened by ticketing giant Ticketmaster, the band stood strong for the independent music community and filed a lawsuit against the company. All the while, The String Cheese Incident has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor, not just in their recordings but also in their live performances. The list of SCI’s special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events such as Horning’s Hideout, and holiday shows such as New Year’s and Halloween, have helped redefine the concert experience and has garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.



