Calendar of Events

The beginning of the year is a great time for Ashevillians of all ages to explore, connect, and discover. Asheville Parks & Recreation  (APR)’s new winter-spring program guide is filled with registration dates, information, and listings for hundreds of fitness and active living offerings, sports and clubs, arts and culture programs, out-of-school time activities, outdoor recreation, special events, parks and facilities’ hours of operation, and more.

The free guide is available at all APR community centers and online as a PDF or enhanced digital flipbook. Community members may also download the APR app for iPhone or search programs on avlREC.com.

Winter-Spring 2023 Guide Highlights

• Exercise at fitness centers with a free membership (through June 30, 2023).

• Walk, roll, or run your way to 50 miles in February and March during the Fit 50 Challenge for a free T-shirt.

• Celebrate Black Legacy Month with food, art, and festivals throughout the city in February.

• Meet neighbors over cards, board games, bingo, trivia contests, and community meals.

• Get an up-close look at big trucks, small trucks, transit buses, construction rigs, rescue vehicles, and public works equipment during Truck City AVL on April 15.

• Experience the fun, fellowship, fitness, arts, and competition of Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts Classic for local adults over 50..

• Flex creativity at art, painting, writing, scrapbooking, and crafting classes.

• Connect with neighbors over sports such as basketball, flag football, volleyball, pickleball, tennis, and archery for kids, teens, and adults.

• Enjoy the honor of dirty hands with community garden workdays and Green Thumbs Garden Club at Grove Street Community Center’s greenhouse.

• Witness the power of gravity at the Montford Pinewood Derby in May.

• Refine square, tap, line, and West African dance skills at multiple locations.

• And so much more!

• May 19: Baba Commandant with Coconut Cake
• June 16: Victoria Victoria featuring Charlie Hunter with Josh Phillips
• July 21: The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux with Funk’N Around
• August 18: Asheville All-Stars with Asheville Rock Academy
• September 15: The Sensational Barnes Brothers with Alex Krug Combo

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

– ALL AGES
– LIMITED PATIO SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

LUA FLORA

Lua Flora is the soundtrack of your favorite daydream. The Asheville, NC-based group’s sun-kissed melodies are rooted in the harmonies of Appalachia, rhythms of the West Indies, and lyricism of American folk. Live, the band allures listeners with gut-punching jams weaved between powerful lyrics. Lua Flora has supported Satsang, Franc Moody, Of Good Nature, Kendall Street Company, and more. Their recent debut album amassed over 150,000 streams in the first week.

“The musical embodiment of Asheville’s creative spirit”   -Face The Current

“…easy and melodic — a light, laidback recluse from the grind.”   -Top Shelf Music

“Lua Flora shows folk & reggae mix.”   -Grateful Web

Daniel Donato Live in Concert at The Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium April 21 7:30pm. Tickets on sale NOW

A CONCERT CELEBRATING

THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

NON-PROFIT

Come Celebrate With Us

Enjoy Great Live Music

and

Learn More About The Exciting

Benefits of Becoming a

Supporting Member

The Celebration will feature performances by:

Tony Cedras

(performed with Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, and

Hugh Masekala),

Anne Coombs

(founder of Asheville’s ‘Rock Academy’ and

legendary Asheville-based performer),

BJ Leiderman

(Songwriter and entertainer of NPR fame),

Connell Sanderson

(Extraordinary Celtic Piper),

Palmardelu

(featuring Ecuadorian native Patricia Kayser,

founder of Autism and Music)

Black Mountain’s own

David LaMotte

(singer, songwriter, author,

founder of PEG Partners)

and

Bob Hinkle

the founder and owner of the White Horse

White Horse Black Mountain has a long history of service to our community and our region. We love hosting benefits for worthy causes, and nourishing community through shared experiences of music and other events. Our new non-profit status will allow us to expand our ability to serve. We will be better able to collaborate with other organizations on events, pursue grants, and do a wide variety of new and exciting things.

We are inviting YOU to join us in our efforts to impact individual lives, impact our community, impact our region— and impact the world. We are kicking off the new non-profit with a BIG musical celebration on Friday, April 21, and YOU are invited to celebrate with us! The night will feature this awesome lineup:

Everyone will be warmly welcomed to all White Horse shows, with or without membership, but the members will have some extra perks that we are excited to share with you, including discounts on event tickets and merchandise, a cool White Horse lapel pin, private member events, public gratitude at the White Horse, and the knowledge that you are a part of the team that makes the White Horse a resource for the whole community.

To learn more about membership, email: [email protected]

And by the way, if you join us on the 21st, you can become a ‘founding member’! And if you can’t make it to the big celebration event, you can become a member any time at www.WhiteHorseBlackMountain.com/membership

The April 21st Celebration is going to be one of those events that people will talk about for years to come, and we hope you will join us!

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Performed by a multi-talented cast.

Director Ben Hope adds “Having spent many years working on various productions of Ring of Fire (this production will be my personal 10th!), The most extraordinary thing I keep finding about Mr. Cash is how unanimously loved he is, even now, 20 years since his death. No other project seems to attract such a varied and enthusiastic crowd as the music of Johnny Cash. I think it’s because he wrote for the ordinary. His words and music are authentic and simple, and he speaks plainly about things we all connect with. He was fallible, with personal demons and shortcomings. He makes us feel like our own imperfections are normal and mundane, and he teaches us that there’s beauty and hope, even in despair. I love Johnny Cash, and I know Flat Rock audiences are going to love Ring of Fire’.”

Don’t miss this inspiring story, all the great music, and an evening of iconic Johnny Cash!

Ring of Fire is presented by WHKP and Carolina Ace Hardware. Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2023 Season is supported by Charlotte & Bob Otto, Optimum, WHKP, and WTZQ as well as the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org

For a complete lineup with show descriptions and to purchase tickets, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

Live Music at Hickory Tavern, 9:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m.

A Disney Channel Dreams & 2000s pop throwback Dance Party in Asheville, presented by Le Petite Fete!

The beginning of the year is a great time for Ashevillians of all ages to explore, connect, and discover. Asheville Parks & Recreation  (APR)’s new winter-spring program guide is filled with registration dates, information, and listings for hundreds of fitness and active living offerings, sports and clubs, arts and culture programs, out-of-school time activities, outdoor recreation, special events, parks and facilities’ hours of operation, and more.

The free guide is available at all APR community centers and online as a PDF or enhanced digital flipbook. Community members may also download the APR app for iPhone or search programs on avlREC.com.

Winter-Spring 2023 Guide Highlights

• Exercise at fitness centers with a free membership (through June 30, 2023).

• Walk, roll, or run your way to 50 miles in February and March during the Fit 50 Challenge for a free T-shirt.

• Celebrate Black Legacy Month with food, art, and festivals throughout the city in February.

• Meet neighbors over cards, board games, bingo, trivia contests, and community meals.

• Get an up-close look at big trucks, small trucks, transit buses, construction rigs, rescue vehicles, and public works equipment during Truck City AVL on April 15.

• Experience the fun, fellowship, fitness, arts, and competition of Asheville-Buncombe Senior Games and Silver Arts Classic for local adults over 50..

• Flex creativity at art, painting, writing, scrapbooking, and crafting classes.

• Connect with neighbors over sports such as basketball, flag football, volleyball, pickleball, tennis, and archery for kids, teens, and adults.

• Enjoy the honor of dirty hands with community garden workdays and Green Thumbs Garden Club at Grove Street Community Center’s greenhouse.

• Witness the power of gravity at the Montford Pinewood Derby in May.

• Refine square, tap, line, and West African dance skills at multiple locations.

• And so much more!

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk The Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Performed by a multi-talented cast, Ring of Fire paints a musical portrait of ‘The Man in Black’ that promises to be a foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to a unique musical legend!

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Performed by a multi-talented cast.

Director Ben Hope adds “Having spent many years working on various productions of Ring of Fire (this production will be my personal 10th!), The most extraordinary thing I keep finding about Mr. Cash is how unanimously loved he is, even now, 20 years since his death. No other project seems to attract such a varied and enthusiastic crowd as the music of Johnny Cash. I think it’s because he wrote for the ordinary. His words and music are authentic and simple, and he speaks plainly about things we all connect with. He was fallible, with personal demons and shortcomings. He makes us feel like our own imperfections are normal and mundane, and he teaches us that there’s beauty and hope, even in despair. I love Johnny Cash, and I know Flat Rock audiences are going to love Ring of Fire’.”

Don’t miss this inspiring story, all the great music, and an evening of iconic Johnny Cash!

Ring of Fire is presented by WHKP and Carolina Ace Hardware. Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2023 Season is supported by Charlotte & Bob Otto, Optimum, WHKP, and WTZQ as well as the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org

For a complete lineup with show descriptions and to purchase tickets, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

Wanna hear the best local music ​and​ drink the best local beers? Hop aboard LaZoom’s Purple Bus and rock out with a local band while we take you on a journey to Asheville’s premiere local breweries.

We have been looking up to him from the beginning . . . the lanky 6’ 7’’ man of the mountains, who came bearing old-world gifts that have enriched modern lives beyond measure.  Connie Regan-Blake first met Ray Hicks on October 14, 1973 in Jonesborough, Tennessee. It was an afternoon that changed her life . . . and the course of storytelling in the United States. The setting was the first National Storytelling Festival. Come listen to stories of how Ray became the face of traditional Appalachian Mountain storytelling along with reflections on Connie’s long friendship with the Hicks family and her own personal storytelling journey.

Connie Regan-Blake is one of America’s most celebrated storytellers. She has captivated the hearts and imaginations of children and adults all across the globe with her powerful performances and workshops. Entertaining audiences in 47 states, 18 countries, and 6 continents, Connie brings the wisdom, humor and drama of stories to main stage concert halls, schools, festivals, libraries and into the corporate world.

Doors open at 6:30pm for the 7pm performance. Seating is general admission. Online ticket sales end 1 hour prior to performance time. There may still be tickets available for purchase in the office after online sales have ended. Contact BMCA for information – 828.669.0930.

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk The Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Performed by a multi-talented cast, Ring of Fire paints a musical portrait of ‘The Man in Black’ that promises to be a foot-stompin’, crowd-pleasin’ salute to a unique musical legend!

To attend a Tret Fure concert is to be drawn into warmth, to family, to shared humanity. Tret sings from the depth of our collective experience with vision for a world that could be and gratitude for the simple gifts of the world as it is. Not only a prolific songwriter, Tret Fure is a poet, artist and storyteller whose career spans five decades. An icon of the women’s and folk music scenes, Fure is preparing to release her 18th album, “The Language of Love.

La Sylphide (translated to “The Sylph”) is a magical morality tale about the pitfalls of temptation.  Set in Scotland, the ballet tells of James, his fiancé Effie, and a beautiful Sylph who first appears as a dream, ultimately luring James into the woods, abandoning friends and his bride.  La Sylphide features exquisite classical technique, intriguing characters, and leaves questions for the audience to ponder about the choices we make. La Sylphide is one of the oldest full length classical ballets still in repertoires of major ballet companies across the globe.

International Ballet’s La Sylphide will feature Greenville Native Ekaterina Nechayeva as the Sylph.

Hendersonville Theatre proudly presents Asheville’s progressive ensemble, the Jon Stickley Trio, as April’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. The Jon Stickley Trio is rooted in bluegrass, but also incorporates Gypsy jazz, grunge, folk-punk and jam-band styles. This genre-defying and cinematic instrumental trio, who’s deep grooves, innovative flatpicking, and sultry-spacy violin moves heads, hearts, and feets “…churns out a mixture of bluegrass, Chuck Berry, metal, prog, grunge, and assorted other genres—all thoroughly integrated into a personal style,” writes Guitar Player Magazine. With inspiration ranging from Green Day to Duran Duran to to Nirvana and the Grateful Dead, the Trio has released several albums on the Organic Label and is currently touring nationally.

Jon Stickley plays flat-pick guitar; Lyndsay Pruett plays violin; Hunter Deacon plays drums. The trio began as a group of friends in Asheville, North Carolina.

Stickley is known for his rapid-fire flat-picking and his ability to blend different musical elements from across the board to create a sound that is all his own. The Durham native has been with various bands throughout the years, including Colorado’s legendary Broke Mountain.

Pruett is an extremely diverse fiddle player whose influences include bluegrass, swing, classical, Latin styles, country, and hip hop. Lyndsay has a BM in Commercial Violin Performance from Belmont University in Nashville, TN.

Deacon, who is both classically trained and boasts heavy jazz influences, joined the trio in 2018. From Knoxville, Hunter studied with drummer Keith Brown and received a BM in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Tennessee.

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.” Performed by a multi-talented cast.

Director Ben Hope adds “Having spent many years working on various productions of Ring of Fire (this production will be my personal 10th!), The most extraordinary thing I keep finding about Mr. Cash is how unanimously loved he is, even now, 20 years since his death. No other project seems to attract such a varied and enthusiastic crowd as the music of Johnny Cash. I think it’s because he wrote for the ordinary. His words and music are authentic and simple, and he speaks plainly about things we all connect with. He was fallible, with personal demons and shortcomings. He makes us feel like our own imperfections are normal and mundane, and he teaches us that there’s beauty and hope, even in despair. I love Johnny Cash, and I know Flat Rock audiences are going to love Ring of Fire’.”

Don’t miss this inspiring story, all the great music, and an evening of iconic Johnny Cash!

Ring of Fire is presented by WHKP and Carolina Ace Hardware. Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2023 Season is supported by Charlotte & Bob Otto, Optimum, WHKP, and WTZQ as well as the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org

For a complete lineup with show descriptions and to purchase tickets, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.