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.
Take a bus ride to heaven in C.S. Lewis’ imaginative The Great Divorce!
C.S. Lewis’ mesmerizing fantasy about heaven, hell and the choice between them comes to life with Lewis’ signature wit, amazing actors and dazzling, state-of-the-art stagecraft!
Lewis’ brilliantly drawn characters take a fantastical bus trip from hell to the outskirts of paradise. Each receives an opportunity to stay . . . or return to hell, forever divorced from heaven. The choice proves more challenging than imagined.
A 90-minute theatrical joyride filled with C.S. Lewis’ wit and wisdom!
Get Involved with FEED ME!
FEED ME! is a fun opportunity to meet the apprentices and interns who come to study under the staff of Flat Rock Playhouse. On days that there are both afternoon and evening performances they are very busy between the shows and have little time to eat dinner.
This is where you come in!
FEED ME! volunteers select date(s) they would be willing to provide dinner in the Dan Dee Gift Shop and Dining Hall on the Playhouse property. A second-year Apprentice will be there to help you set up.
This is a Seated Dinner, with a cocktail hour followed by a five course meal with paired beverages, featuring 6 chefs and 5 craft beverage makers.
Menu sneak peek! These talented chefs are cooking up an exciting selection of dishes! Menu options being discussed are: oysters on the 1/2 shell; mini empanadas filled with herbs & green, made with yucca flour; South Indian coconut curry with trout; and deconstructed lemon meringue pie!
Join us on an exploration of traditional and contemporary eating practices to improve physical, emotional and mental health – and how this can be done deliciously, affordably and simply; as well as understanding better the connections between farming practices to take care of the land, as well as the body. After all, there is no gut health without land health. With each course, enjoy engaging conversations between land-body-health conscious chefs and speakers about how food serves as medicine in their lives and communities.
Speakers: Shanti Volpe – RN, BSN, IBCLC and Founder, Shanti Elixirs; April Jones – Founder, Pinehurst Farmers Market; Tyson Sampson – Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative, Brandon Ruiz, Yucayeke Farms
Featured Chefs/Restaurants: Brandon Ruiz, Yucayeke Farms, Mike McCarty – The Lobster Trap, Sarah Wickers & Katie McDonald – Well Seasoned Table, James Sutherland – Blue Dream Curry House, Matt Weinstein – Oak Steakhouse
Featured Beverage: New Belgium Brewing, Shanti Elixirs, Botanist & Barrel, Vidl Cellars, Noble Cider, Devil’s Foot Beverage Company, Mountain Valley Spring Water, Chemist Spirits, Sarilla Sparkling Tea, Cultivated Cocktails
FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROCK, JAZZ AND DYNAMIC ELECTRONIC MAYHEM WE FIND PAPADOSIO. THE ASHEVILLE, NC BASED QUINTET STRIVES TO CREATE MUSIC THAT IS STRANGELY FAMILIAR, AND CALLS ALL WALKS OF HUMANITY TO BASK IN A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE CELEBRATING THE ON E CONSTANT AND EVER CHANGING WORLD: MUSIC.
Descolada is the musical child of Asheville, North Carolina based singer-songwriter Colton Ray Nelson. Descolada’s sound treads the line between Country & Folk. The sounds of pedal steel, banjo, organ and fiddle are weaved into a bed of authentic, good ol’ Country vibes, with Colton’s sullen vocals taking listeners through a collection of heartfelt stories.
As Descolada, Colton released his debut record ‘Big Dam Foolishness’ in September 2021. It was recorded by Garrett Langebartels of Naptime Recordings in Indianapolis, Indiana. Big Dam Foolishness touches on themes of family, grief and loss, with an array of traditional instrumentation used to get his brand of melancholia across.
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Zachary Warren, at his core, is a songwriter. As a teen, he began remedially filling journals and finding melodies to match, and now, after amble incubation, is prepared for the next step: offering.
Growing up in a home with close quarters, his music naturally settled into a place of gentleness: light finger-picking and hushed singing, so as not to disturb his sleeping family. His style began taking shape during nightly front-porch listening sessions, where he learned the power of dynamics from Sam Cooke and the almost-hypnotic effect of clever storytelling from Tom T. Hall.
Eventually, he came across songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, and Karen Dalton who taught living intentionally for song’s sake and poets like William Carlos Williams, who emphasized a grounded perception of the local.
Emerging from necessity, centered by family, propelled by restlessness, Zachary hopes his songs encapsulate sincere, relatable narratives.
Super 60s performs a free concert at Firehouse Subs in Hendersonville. Classic cars will be on display from the Carolina Mountain Car Club. Free line-dance classes from Betty Busch from 5:30-6:30pm. Concert to follow from 6:30-8:30pm. Please note: no smoking, coolers or pets.
Summer 2022 Concert Schedule:
May 14 | Super 60s
May 28 | 3 Cool Cats
June 11 | Super 60s
June 25 | Fine Line
July 9 | Deano & The Dreamers
July 23 | Fine Line
August 6 | Sound Investment
August 20 | Fine Line
August 27 | 3 Cool Cats
September 10 | Deano & The Dreamers
September 24 | 3 Cool Cats
October 8 | Sound Investment
October 15 | Super 60s (Halloween event)
When his husband dies, Remy Washington, a Black man, finds himself both the owner of a drive-in movie theater and a caregiver to his late husband’s straight, white teenage son, Peter, who goes by “Pup”. United by their love of classic American monster movies, the two have developed a warm and caring familial chemistry – but their relationship fractures when Remy discovers Pup and his friends have been bullying a gay teen at his school. Told through dueting monologue and playful dialogue, “Monsters of the
American Cinema” is a haunting and humorous tale about fathers and sons, ghosts, and the monsters we battle in the world and within ourselves.
The Fangmeyer Theatre at HART
Directed by Julie Kinter
See the play that inspired the movie we all know and love, Steel Magnolias. Step into Truvy’s Beauty Salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to get their hair done. The story follows six uniquely southern women over the course of three years as they form friendships as strong as steel. When tragedy strikes, this group of women draw on their underlying strength—and love—leaving the audience with a truly touching story by turns hilarious and poignant. “You have no idea how wonderful you are,” M’Lynn tells the ladies at the end of the play. Truvy responds, with a smile, “Of course we do.”
Suitable for all audiences.
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Red, White and Tuna is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
Directed by Hendersonville Theater’s Beth Bristol, performers Jonathan Forrester and Victoria Lamberth play 20 quirky characters of both genders and various ages. These memorable characters include matronly ladies, cowboy disc jockeys, hippies, and a dozen other memorable, unique characters all wrapped up in politics, relationships, and gossip.
“It’s just one of the funniest plays I’ve ever worked on,” said director Beth Bristol. “And between the absolute hilarity of the script and Jonathan’s and Victoria’s antics, I can barely keep a straight face during rehearsals. They’re the perfect pair to pull off this type of zany comedy.”
Bristol returns to HT to direct her third comedy on the Hendersonville stage. She previously directed The Foreigner and Moonlight and Magnolias. She was last seen on the HT stage in 2018 in Rumors. Bristol has been a teacher for 16 years for Henderson County Public Schools.
Victoria Lamberth is an actor, director and writer who lives in Hendersonville. Victoria started acting in middle school, and she has acted professionally in Nashville, Los Angeles and Memphis. Her last appearance on the HT stage was as Barbara in August: Osage County. When she is not onstage, Lamberth is employed as Artistic Director of HT.
Jonathan Forrester has been acting, directing and stage managing for over 20 years. Forrester directed Always a Bridesmaid in 2021. Forrester is the Life Enrichment Coordinator for Trinity View Senior Living Community in Arden and serves on HT’s board of directors.
Parental guidance is suggested due to references to alcohol and smoking, adult situations and language, some of which may be considered blasphemous. Showtimes are 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 PM on Sundays. Hendersonville Theater has made masks optional for patrons, but volunteers, staff and performers are fully vaccinated. No proof of vaccination is required to attend a performance.
By Ed Howard, Joe Sears, and Jaston Williams
DIRECTED BY BETH BRISTOL
Welcome to Tuna, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. It’s the Fourth of July and time for the Tuna High School Reunion! Two comedic actors ignite the stage with over 20 polyester-clad characters from Texas’ third smallest town. Full of fireworks, fun, and gossip, this loving send-up of rural America is full of memorable characters and hilarious spoofs.
Welcome to Tuna, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. It’s the Fourth of July and time for the Tuna High School Reunion! Two comedic actors ignite the stage with over 20 polyester-clad characters from Texas’ third smallest town. Full of fireworks, fun, and gossip, this loving send-up of rural America is full of memorable characters and hilarious spoofs.
by Rick Cummins & John Scoullar book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Directed by Jason Williams Opening 6/10/2022 – 7/9/2022
Take a bus ride to heaven in C.S. Lewis’ imaginative The Great Divorce!
C.S. Lewis’ mesmerizing fantasy about heaven, hell and the choice between them comes to life with Lewis’ signature wit, amazing actors and dazzling, state-of-the-art stagecraft!
Lewis’ brilliantly drawn characters take a fantastical bus trip from hell to the outskirts of paradise. Each receives an opportunity to stay . . . or return to hell, forever divorced from heaven. The choice proves more challenging than imagined.
A 90-minute theatrical joyride filled with C.S. Lewis’ wit and wisdom!
2 Day Pass Outdoor Show
FALLING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ROCK, JAZZ AND DYNAMIC ELECTRONIC MAYHEM WE FIND PAPADOSIO. THE ASHEVILLE, NC BASED QUINTET STRIVES TO CREATE MUSIC THAT IS STRANGELY FAMILIAR, AND CALLS ALL WALKS OF HUMANITY TO BASK IN A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE CELEBRATING THE ONE CONSTANT IN AN EVER CHANGING WORLD: MUSIC.
Proud Mary Theatre Company presents the Upstate premiere of the bold new musical comedy Head Over Heels by The Go-Go’s, the Musical Comedy of the Summer for seven performances only June 24-July 2, 2022.
This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980’s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s (2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee), including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Head Over Heels,” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”
There’s Always a Story represents a new chapter for Midnight North. Ten stories told through song on their most polished album to date.
Reflecting on the time since their origin, Midnight North is ready to tell the world its story. A group of multi-instrumentalists with songwriting roots in Folk and Americana, Midnight North is a mainstay on the stages of the national touring circuit. Rolling Stone hailed Midnight North as the “Best New Act” in its review of 2018’s Peach Music Festival saying the band “takes the best parts of roots music and weaves them into a tapestry of rock and Americana.”
Grahame Lesh, Elliott Peck, & Connor O’Sullivan began playing together in San Francisco. In early 2012 they played their first show as Grahame Lesh & Friends. Grahame & Elliott both brought a repertoire of original music to this new project that was a perfect marriage once the band began performing in earnest. In late 2012 the band went into the studio for the first time, tracking the entirety of their debut album End of the Night in just 2 days. End of the Night (mixed & produced by Connor) was released in June 2013 as they officially debuted the name Midnight North.
The band began touring in June 2015, with the release of their second album Scarlet Skies. That began a five year run as a touring band, playing in 36 states in front of thousands of people across the country. They released Under the Lights, their most successful studio album to date, in summer 2017. “Across all of the tracks, when you think you have the band pegged for a style or a genre, all of a sudden a chorus, or a new solo or new instrument altogether, diverts the music boldly but smartly to a new sound and feel,” said The Poke Around in their review of Under the Lights. They also released two live albums including 2018’s Selections From the Great American Music Hall which featured Bob Weir & Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead plus members of Twiddle as special guests.
A pivotal moment for the band came when Grahame met drummer Nathan Graham at a benefit show in Philadelphia in 2016. A month later Nathan sat in with the band for a show, eventually joining the band for their longest tour to date in the Spring of 2017. Bringing on the well seasoned drummer as a full-time member of the band (and learning about his banjo playing, singing, and song-writing skills) represented the next step forward as plans were made to record their fourth studio album.
In January 2020, the band went into a California studio with producer David Simon-Baker to craft their fourth studio album, There’s Always a Story, released in 2021 on Americana Vibes. As the world shut down in March and the band quarantined separately around the country, the album was finished remotely in California and Pennsylvania. As the months ticked by they let the rest of the newly written & recorded songs sink into their consciousness so that when work resumed on the album in June the entire album became even better than they could have hoped.
2022 and beyond is a new beginning, and while Midnight North longingly looks ahead, hand-in-hand with the rest of the world, There’s Always a Story will serve as a collective and reflective narrative.
Hunter Park is finding her way.
She lives with her beloved grandmother, Patricia Smith, who she calls “mom,” and great aunt Fern Tuten. They occupy a little white house in the middle of nowhere, on family land near Jacksonboro. Nearby is blind Uncle Parker Tuten, who lost an arm in a youthful accident.
“It’s very swamp-witch,” she said. “It’s my aesthetic.”
Park comes from a big Southern family, but her birth parents both are gone now. She struggled through her adolescence, attending Porter-Gaud. “It was a great education, but I hated it,” she said. She was misunderstood, rejected, the subject of patronizing talk.
But she found music and, along with it, a purpose and a safe space to express herself.
Now her band, She Returns From War, is gathering steam and attention. In just a few years, Park went from an open mic to the Spoleto Festival USA finale concert this year at Middleton Place. She’s working on a second album with some well-known local collaborators and planning a new tour.
Park calls her musical style “Cosmic Americana.” She strums an acoustic guitar and sings heartfelt, recondite lyrics, often about love and relationships, while her bandmates provide a swaying, understated, embracing sound — a simple beat, tasteful guitar licks, a rich ambiance.
Her physique belies the gentleness of the music. Park cuts a striking, self-assured, hard-to-miss figure. She’s tall, dresses exuberantly, wears her hair long and dyes the ends blonde. She came out as transgender in high school, which wasn’t easy.
“Nobody knew what that was,” she said. “They tried to be nice but in a very demeaning way.”
Park already was drawn to the stage. She appeared in theater productions and sang in the choir. Charles Carmody, a fellow Porter-Gaud student who now runs the Charleston Music Hall, taught Park how to play guitar.
Starting at about 16 years old, Park began to write songs. She spent summers during her high school years in Nashville “trying to get famous.” She posted ads, threw away some money, met some people who were not always helpful.
“But it was a good experience because I understood what was up from an early age,” she said.
When, after Porter-Gaud, she spent six months at Queens University in Charlotte, Park began to get more serious about music, and when she moved to New York City at the beginning of 2012, she spent another six months searching for opportunities — and landing one or two.
But Park is attached to her hometown and inspired by its vibrant popular music scene, so she soon returned from her northern trials and rejoined a Charleston community that provides a safe and creative niche in which she is happy to put down roots.
“I bloom more when planted,” she said.
Being transgender is a little easier now. Park hates that people still think it’s all so mysterious, or that many turn away in fear or discomfort.
“And I think they sexualize people, which I don’t think is fair,” she said. Being transgender is about identity, not sex. “There is still so much violence and fear and ignorance.” But not so much within Park’s musical and social circles. “I have a great community.”
Sometimes called “Cherokee Artisanal Tacos”, Fry Bread is both at once nothing more than fried dough, and also the representation of decades of perseverance against oppression. Fry Bread rose out of internment camps of forcibly displaced tribes in the mid-1800s. Removed from their lands and their food resources, tribes subsisted on government issued rations, including flour, salt and oil. In this hands-on workshop, Tyson Sampson & Charles Taylor of the Bigwitch Indian Wisdom Initiative and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will share the complicated history of a food that is both delicious and comforting, while also holding within its golden exterior 150+ years of the complex narrative of indigenous tribes across the country. Attendees will learn how to make Fry Bread, and enjoy sampling this tasty dish & toppings – which can be sweet or savory (think fresh fruit or a rich stew) using fresh and foraged ingredients from the Qualla Boundary.
RiverLink is honored to be the beneficiary of the community giving program at High Five Coffee in June and July! Stop by for a beverage and add a $5 donation at the register—100% of your gift goes to RiverLink! In addition, 10% of branded merchandise sales will support our efforts to restore the French Broad. Three locations to serve you: 13 Rankin Ave., 190 Broadway St., or (our favorite) the 2000 Riverside Drive location in Woodfin, offering coffee drinks, pastries and smoothies plus outdoor seating and walking trails on the bank of the river. Now that’s a coffee stop!
Of course, you can always donate directly from this newsletter. Thank you for considering a gift today!
Enjoy limited-release honey beer at Hillman Brewery and a talk by Painters Greenhouse owner, Dana Owen and Angela Esmond, Painters assistant office and retail floor manager.
Learn how to incorporate important native and pollinator friendly plants into your gardens while maintaining a beautiful landscape of color and texture all season. You’ll also learn how to qualify and register your gardens as Certified Wildlife Habitats.
All ages.
Beer and food are not provided, but are available for purchase.
No registration required
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.
The Fangmeyer Theatre at HART
Directed by Julie Kinter
See the play that inspired the movie we all know and love, Steel Magnolias. Step into Truvy’s Beauty Salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to get their hair done. The story follows six uniquely southern women over the course of three years as they form friendships as strong as steel. When tragedy strikes, this group of women draw on their underlying strength—and love—leaving the audience with a truly touching story by turns hilarious and poignant. “You have no idea how wonderful you are,” M’Lynn tells the ladies at the end of the play. Truvy responds, with a smile, “Of course we do.”
Suitable for all audiences.
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Take a bus ride to heaven in C.S. Lewis’ imaginative The Great Divorce!
C.S. Lewis’ mesmerizing fantasy about heaven, hell and the choice between them comes to life with Lewis’ signature wit, amazing actors and dazzling, state-of-the-art stagecraft!
Lewis’ brilliantly drawn characters take a fantastical bus trip from hell to the outskirts of paradise. Each receives an opportunity to stay . . . or return to hell, forever divorced from heaven. The choice proves more challenging than imagined.
A 90-minute theatrical joyride filled with C.S. Lewis’ wit and wisdom!
When his husband dies, Remy Washington, a Black man, finds himself both the owner of a drive-in movie theater and a caregiver to his late husband’s straight, white teenage son, Peter, who goes by “Pup”. United by their love of classic American monster movies, the two have developed a warm and caring familial chemistry – but their relationship fractures when Remy discovers Pup and his friends have been bullying a gay teen at his school. Told through dueting monologue and playful dialogue, “Monsters of the
American Cinema” is a haunting and humorous tale about fathers and sons, ghosts, and the monsters we battle in the world and within ourselves.
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Red, White and Tuna is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
Directed by Hendersonville Theater’s Beth Bristol, performers Jonathan Forrester and Victoria Lamberth play 20 quirky characters of both genders and various ages. These memorable characters include matronly ladies, cowboy disc jockeys, hippies, and a dozen other memorable, unique characters all wrapped up in politics, relationships, and gossip.
“It’s just one of the funniest plays I’ve ever worked on,” said director Beth Bristol. “And between the absolute hilarity of the script and Jonathan’s and Victoria’s antics, I can barely keep a straight face during rehearsals. They’re the perfect pair to pull off this type of zany comedy.”
Bristol returns to HT to direct her third comedy on the Hendersonville stage. She previously directed The Foreigner and Moonlight and Magnolias. She was last seen on the HT stage in 2018 in Rumors. Bristol has been a teacher for 16 years for Henderson County Public Schools.
Victoria Lamberth is an actor, director and writer who lives in Hendersonville. Victoria started acting in middle school, and she has acted professionally in Nashville, Los Angeles and Memphis. Her last appearance on the HT stage was as Barbara in August: Osage County. When she is not onstage, Lamberth is employed as Artistic Director of HT.
Jonathan Forrester has been acting, directing and stage managing for over 20 years. Forrester directed Always a Bridesmaid in 2021. Forrester is the Life Enrichment Coordinator for Trinity View Senior Living Community in Arden and serves on HT’s board of directors.
Parental guidance is suggested due to references to alcohol and smoking, adult situations and language, some of which may be considered blasphemous. Showtimes are 7:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 PM on Sundays. Hendersonville Theater has made masks optional for patrons, but volunteers, staff and performers are fully vaccinated. No proof of vaccination is required to attend a performance.
Proud Mary Theatre Company presents the Upstate premiere of the bold new musical comedy Head Over Heels by The Go-Go’s, the Musical Comedy of the Summer for seven performances only June 24-July 2, 2022.
This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980’s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s (2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee), including the hit songs, “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Head Over Heels,” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.”
By Ed Howard, Joe Sears, and Jaston Williams
DIRECTED BY BETH BRISTOL
Welcome to Tuna, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. It’s the Fourth of July and time for the Tuna High School Reunion! Two comedic actors ignite the stage with over 20 polyester-clad characters from Texas’ third smallest town. Full of fireworks, fun, and gossip, this loving send-up of rural America is full of memorable characters and hilarious spoofs.
Welcome to Tuna, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. It’s the Fourth of July and time for the Tuna High School Reunion! Two comedic actors ignite the stage with over 20 polyester-clad characters from Texas’ third smallest town. Full of fireworks, fun, and gossip, this loving send-up of rural America is full of memorable characters and hilarious spoofs.
Get Involved with FEED ME!
FEED ME! is a fun opportunity to meet the apprentices and interns who come to study under the staff of Flat Rock Playhouse. On days that there are both afternoon and evening performances they are very busy between the shows and have little time to eat dinner.
This is where you come in!
FEED ME! volunteers select date(s) they would be willing to provide dinner in the Dan Dee Gift Shop and Dining Hall on the Playhouse property. A second-year Apprentice will be there to help you set up.
The lads are a four piece band doing covers and originals. The play a mix of classic rock with blues and roots music. The Lads are not one style, one format or one gender. The Lads are what you want to hear.