Calendar of Events

We invite young LEAFers to join LEAF Resident Teaching Artist Adama Dembele for a virtual drumming and dance class for elementary age kids. Adama is a master djembefola (djembe player) from the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and has been a part of LEAF since 2005. He currently teaches year round after school classes with LEAF Schools & Streets, and he is excited to offer video classes in which students can take a journey to explore the sounds, rhythms and movements of West African culture right from their own home!

https://www.facebook.com/events/199994081418039/

Join me on Wednesday mornings at 10:00am (EST) through the month of April for “Baby Boogie Dance Party LIVE!” These fun and interactive Facebook Live dance parties will air from the Baby Steps Dance Asheville page (not from within this event page). I will post previous videos in the comment section of this event page so you can access them at your convenience! Be sure to follow Baby Steps Dance Asheville on Facebook to stay connected and interact with me during live videos! Spread the word to your friends- community and connection is what we all need these days, and I am happy to bring some movement and joy to your families!
Virtual Tip Jar (thank you for your support!):
https://paypal.me/babystepsdanceavl?locale.x=en_US

ABOUT BABY BOOGIE DANCE PARTY LIVE!
Together we’ll connect and get our wiggles out through fun action songs, movement games, sing-a-longs and skill building! Activities are focused towards toddlers and young children, but older children and caregivers are encouraged to join in on the dancing! I’ll see you on the virtual dance floor!

In partnership with Sidewalk Angels Foundation, we invite you to Rock the House for Animals, a livestream concert to help support critical work for all animals, including help for pets and their people who are impacted by COVID-19.

Rob Thomas, along with Chris Daughtry and Gavin DeGraw, will perform live from their homes for a special evening benefiting animals across the country. Before the show begins, please join us for an exclusive look at how heroes are helping animals nationwide.

This exciting event will be streaming live on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch. We hope you’ll join us!

We invite young LEAFers to join LEAF Resident Teaching Artist Adama Dembele for a virtual drumming and dance class for elementary age kids. Adama is a master djembefola (djembe player) from the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and has been a part of LEAF since 2005. He currently teaches year round after school classes with LEAF Schools & Streets, and he is excited to offer video classes in which students can take a journey to explore the sounds, rhythms and movements of West African culture right from their own home!

https://www.facebook.com/events/199994081418039/

Every Thursday starting May 4, we’ll have free dance class for kids to tune into!

Our instructor Rebecca will be plugging into Zoom to instruct kids of all ages and all experience levels from 4-5 PM. To get into the class, please create a free Zoom account. Follow this meeting information to get logged into class.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4527027407
Password: rodance

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring this program.
Bookends Used Book Store at Pack Library – Asheville, NC

We’ll do a two hour hike along one of Warren Wilson’s trail, choosing from among the River Trail, Jones Mountain, Suicide Ridge, Dam Pasture, etc. Trails are easy to moderate, but there are significant stretches that are very strenuous. Trails are not marked well and there are a lot of twists and turns on many trails.

Mountains-to-Sea-Trail hikes are designed for fitness and community among already experienced hikers. We repeat the same trails weekly so that, over time, we enjoy the beauty of each trail. We limit our hikes to two hours because many of us work and have to be somewhere else by 11:15 or so. Thus, it’s not possible to wait for slower hikers. We shuttle, so if someone is slower, the group would have to wait in order to give a ride back to the starting point. Thus, the need to be on the same page with regard to hiking pace.

Hikers who are new to hiking will likely be more comfortable on another meet up hike designed for people who are just beginning hiking or trying to get into shape for hiking. You might consider “WNC Easy Hikers Group,” for instance.

Join Irene Wortham Center’s 20th annual golf tournament fundraiser! As a non-profit, this annual event helps us continue serving the Buncombe County community. For 57 years and counting, we have been helping children and adults with developmental and/or socioeconomic challenges live more independent, happy, healthy, and full lives. Funds raised at this event will kick-start the building project for a new Early Learning Center. The current center, which is one of two organizations in Buncombe County helping pre-K children with developmental disabilities, enrolls 100 children and has a wait list of more than 400! We need YOUR support to expand our program and offer services to more children and families in need.
Please consider registering as a player, a sponsor, or making a donation toward the cause. The day will be full of golf, great food, cold beer, and lots of prizes and giveaways! Visit the event website to learn more and register!

The Haywood Street Fresco Team is thrilled to announce: IMAGINE…REPRISE! — a benefit concert to support the Fresco and core programs of the Haywood Street Congregation.

We invite young LEAFers to join LEAF Resident Teaching Artist Adama Dembele for a virtual drumming and dance class for elementary age kids. Adama is a master djembefola (djembe player) from the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and has been a part of LEAF since 2005. He currently teaches year round after school classes with LEAF Schools & Streets, and he is excited to offer video classes in which students can take a journey to explore the sounds, rhythms and movements of West African culture right from their own home!

https://www.facebook.com/events/199994081418039/

OBSERVING mitigation hiking guidelines we will meet at the trailhead, however, if you decide to carpool I suggest you wear masks and bring hand wipes to wipe down door handles…surfaces. Post where you plan to meet.

HIKE DESCRIPTION: We will begin hiking the Flint Creek River Trail return taking a ridgline loop spur, pick up the White Cliffs spur trail plus an optional trail. The trails are mostly under forest hardwoods, Flint Creek Trail follows the winding creek trail which snakes through the gorge fed by small streams and waterfalls. There are 10 log bridge-over-creek crossing plus a few smaller step-over streams. Like the Smoky Mountains National Park, Rocky Fork State Park has one of the most Biological diverse floras in the country. The trails are flat to rolling with moderate and steep climbing sections.
Elevation Gain Estimate.? 2,100-2,400′ (Level 7)**

PACE: See below*

DOGS: Friendly dogs are welcome and must remain close to their owners. Water is continuously available along the creek trail.

IF YOU SIGN UP THEN CHANGE YOUR MIND CHANGE YOUR RSVP TO “NOT ATTENDING” TO CLEAR A SPOT FOR ANOTHER HIKER

TRAIL HEAD DIRECTIONS:
I-26 West 31 miles and take Exit 50 toward Flag Pond Rd. Proceed for approx. 0.4 miles to a “T”. Turn left onto Upper Higgins Creek Rd for 0.6 mile. Turn right onto Old Asheville Hwy for 2.3 mile. Turn left on to Rocky Fork Rd for 1 mile to the Rocky Fork State Park Main Entrance Gate. Gravel road following Flint Creek for 1/4 mile with Parking on the right.

501 Rocky Fork Rd.
Flag Pond Tennessee.

OPTIONAL: Please post if you prefer to meet me just off the Flag Pond Exit (gravel pullover, or the road shoulder on left, Upper Higgins Creek rd. @ 9:30.

*ALL FITNESS HIKES ARE FAST PACED. HIKES HIKE LEVELS are based only on the total elevation gain for each hike while distances vary as described. Lower levels hikes focus on endurance conditioning and higher level hikes add increasing cardio challenges. Pace is adjusted for steepness of grade, and ruggedness of the trail.. Scout hikes are hikes where the trail is partially or completely unexplored by the hike leader (s).

HIKE LEVELS:
Hike Level (1) Up to 600 feet of elevation gain.
Level (2) 600′- 900′; Level (3) 900′ – 1200′; Level (4) 1200′ – 1500′; Level (5) 1,500′ – 1,800′; Level (6)*1,800′ – 2,100′; Level (7)* 2,100′ – 2,400′; Level (8) 2,400′ – 2700′; Level (9) 2700′ – 3000′ Level (10) 3000′ – 4000′;

ULTIMATE HIKES are hike > 4,000′ elevation gain; WE POST 3-4 of these hike challenges a year.

Every Thursday starting May 4, we’ll have free dance class for kids to tune into!

Our instructor Rebecca will be plugging into Zoom to instruct kids of all ages and all experience levels from 4-5 PM. To get into the class, please create a free Zoom account. Follow this meeting information to get logged into class.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4527027407
Password: rodance

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring this program.
Bookends Used Book Store at Pack Library – Asheville, NC

This hike follows along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Most of the time we do an in and out instead of a shuttle. We start from the side of the road near the exit to Highway 25 (Hendersonville Road) on the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can park along either side of the road. The dirt has eroded so the drop is kind of deep, so you’ll want to be careful with your car.

Mountains-to-Sea-Trail hikes are designed for fitness and community among already experienced hikers. We do the same trail on Monday and Friday and tend to repeat that same hike every five weeks so that, over time, we enjoy the beauty of each trail. We limit our hikes to two hours because many of us work and have to be somewhere else by 11:15 or so. Thus, it’s not possible to wait for slower hikers.

Hikers who are new to hiking will likely be more comfortable on another meet up hike designed for people who are just beginning hiking or trying to get into shape for hiking. You might consider “WNC Easy Hikers Group,” for instance.

This will be about a 3-hour hike, including rest stops. We will be doing the Coontree trail which is one of the few trails open at this time. This is a spectacular trail with a number of stream crossings and great mountain views along the ridgeline. It is a loop with an elevation change of 1000 feet. While poles are not necessary, they do make it much easier to hike. The only challenge is parking. It is very limited, probably no more than 7 to 9 parking spots, all parallel to the road. For this reason we will be starting earlier…at 8:30am. PLEASE NOTE…The directions for this location on this site are INCORRECT. It would not allow me to simple put Coontree trailhead, but required that I put a city. As a result, the map takes you to downtown Brevard, not Pisgah Forest. The Coontree trailhead is actually about 3 miles past the Pisgah Visitor’s Center, off US276. The trailhead is across from the picnic area. Please keep my phone number handy,[masked], in case we have trouble hooking up.

Every Thursday starting May 4, we’ll have free dance class for kids to tune into!

Our instructor Rebecca will be plugging into Zoom to instruct kids of all ages and all experience levels from 4-5 PM. To get into the class, please create a free Zoom account. Follow this meeting information to get logged into class.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4527027407
Password: rodance

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring this program.
Bookends Used Book Store at Pack Library – Asheville, NC

Join BJ as he performs some of your favorite tunes by Cat Stevens, Janis Ian, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, the Beatles (just to mention a few). And, of course, some of his best loved Public Radio Themes.

“A splendid time is guaranteed for all!”

The video should start automatically at show time (8pm Eastern on Saturday), but if it does not, please refresh this page, or click here.