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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.

Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Center For Craft Artist Grants
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Craft Futures Fund

The Craft Futures Fund will support craft communities throughout the United States and their creative responses to COVID-19. These one-time, unrestricted grants of $5,000 will be disbursed to craft-based education projects that seed resilience, foster community, and amplify impact.

COVID-19 Business Resources
Sep 1 all-day
Online

As our community responds to COVID-19, our staff are monitoring the situation and working to bring you information and resources. Please watch this page for news updates and emerging resources.

Digital BMC Mahler and Beethoven
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Digital BMC

Selected past performances by BMC orchestras, faculty, and guest artists on YouTube, SoundCloud, and Open Air Brevard.

MAHLER Symphony No. 4
I. Bedächtig, nicht eilen
Brevard Music Center Orchestra • Keith Lockhart, conductor
Recorded live on July 25, 2014,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at the Brevard Music Center.

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor
III: Rondo. Allegro
Brevard Music Center Orchestra
Matthias Bamert, conductor • Inon Barnatan, piano
Recorded on July 8, 2016,
at the Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium at the Brevard Music Center.

Fall Fling Raffle Benefit: Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders
Sep 1 all-day
Online

The raffle winner will choose from three amazing getaway packages, each valued at approximately $2,500:

  • The Lake Lure Relaxing Getaway includes a three-night stay at The Enchanted Cottage on Lake Lure, a $100 gift certificate to Chimney Rock State Park, a $150 gift certificate to La Strada at Lake Lure, and a selection of craft beverages provided by Green Man Brewery.

  • The Biltmore Estate Romantic Getaway includes a $2,500 Biltmore Estate gift card that can be used at all Estate locations, including overnight accommodations at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, dining at the Bistro, Estate tickets and tours, Biltmore Winery tastings, outdoor activities, or retail items.

  • The Asheville Glamping Adventure Getaway includes a $1,600 gift certificate to be used for accommodations at any of Asheville Glamping’s thirteen unique glamp-sites, a $500 gift certification to the Adventure Center of Asheville, a $250 gift certificate to the Mast General Store and a $150 gift certificate to Well-Bred Bakery & Café.

 

Tickets are priced at $40 each or 3 tickets for $100. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y4yvu8kz for full package details.

 

A limited number of raffle tickets will be available for purchase from August 18, 2020 through September 20, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. EDT on our specially created event website at https://tinyurl.com/y4yvu8kz. The winner will be selected at random, announced on all CRC for ED social media platforms on September 20th at approximately 7:00 p.m. EDT, and will be notified directly by telephone, mail, and/or email. Please see full Terms & Conditions here.

Free Back to School Resource Packets from Sylvan Learning
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Back to School Packets

BacktoSchoolResourcePacket-min

Reserve your FREE Back to School Packet now!

Are you ready for this school year?
Complete this form to reserve a FREE Back to School Packet containing a STEMTACULAR Activities packet for elementary and key school supplies for middle and high school-age students.  All packets will have some helpful information for preparing for a successful school year.  The center you choose will contact you (email or cell phone/text) to reserve a time for you to pick-up your kit:  https://bit.ly/BTSKit2020

Goodwill is Hiring!
Sep 1 all-day
Buncombe County

Great pay and benefits, medical coverage, PTO, and more. Join the Goodwill team and make a difference in your community.  We are hiring for retail and donation processing positions at locations across northwest North Carolina. To learn more and to view a list of available jobs, visit jobsatgoodwill.org.

Henderson County Public Schools: Hotspots to Families Without Internet Service
Sep 1 all-day
Online
As families are looking to start the 2020/2021 school year with remote learning, Henderson County Public Schools is addressing the need of families without access to internet in their homes. Families without internet access can request hotspots from HCPS. Spanish form available.
Hotline that can help connect families with child care options
Sep 1 all-day
Online
Child Care Hotline Available to Help Families with School-Age Children Find Care
Families have experienced an interruption in child care plans due to the COVID19 pandemic and North Carolina has responded with a hotline that can help connect families with child care options.
Families and caregivers in need of child care for children up to age 12 can call the child care hotline at 1-888-600-1685 to be connected directly to care options in their community that meet their families’ needs. As of Aug. 10, there are about 30,000 slots available for school-age children in licensed child care programs across the state.
How to Make Kombucha Video
Sep 1 all-day
Online

The first in our series of videos empowering you to make your own endless kombucha from scratch- follow along as we use a bottle of live, active Buchi kombucha to grow our own SCOBY for fermenting kombucha! Questions? Check out our FAQ: http://www.drinkbuchi.com/blog/make-y… Follow us on insta! http://instagram.com/drinkbuchi

I-26 Connector Report Survey Open until September 12
Sep 1 all-day
Online

The City of Asheville is looking for input from the community on a report prepared by the I-26 Aesthetics Committee.  Read more and weigh in on the report at https://t.e2ma.net/click/nkulzj/jl0fq2/j5zs7ee

Job Retention Grant Applications Due Sept 1
Sep 1 all-day
Online
Job Retention Grant Applications Accepted through September 1st
Businesses and nonprofit organizations in North Carolina that have experienced interruption due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic could qualify for up to $250,000 from a new state grant program, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The Department of Commerce is now accepting applications for the Job Retention Grant Program (JRG) through the agency’s website.
To qualify for a grant award, applicants must meet certain eligibility requirements, which include:
  • The applicant cannot have participated in the federal Paycheck Protection Program, the federal Main Street Loan Program, or the state Rapid Recovery Loan Program.
  • The applicant must have maintained at least 90 percent of the number of full-time employees in North Carolina at the end of June 2020 as it did as the end of February 2020.
  • The applicant must have had a reduction in sales (in the case of a for-profit business) or receipts (for nonprofits) of more than 10 percent when comparing March-May 2020 to March-May 2019 levels.
Applicants are eligible for a grant up to 125 percent of two months of its 2019 average monthly payroll costs, up to a maximum of $250,000. All applicants that apply and are eligible may expect to receive some level of assistance, but the actual amount of the grant will depend on the total number of eligible requests received by the program. If requests exceed the $15 million that’s available, then individual grant amounts will be lowered on a prorated basis.
Applications must be submitted by Midnight on Tuesday, September 1st.
Labor Day Weekend at Coming Nantahala Outdoor Center
Sep 1 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

Classic Family Adventure in Western North Carolina

North Carolina’s shimmering Nantahala River, located just outside Bryson City, NC, at 13077 Highway 19 West, Bryson City, NC 28713. This location offers river rafting through family-friendly rapids that are mild but exciting. The Nantahala features eight miles of practice on easy Class II rapids before splashing through the exciting Class III whitewater of Nantahala Falls.

The Nantahala is also headquarters of the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Founded in 1972, NOC is located at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail and the Nantahala River in the Nantahala National Forest. Originally a roadside inn, the company has evolved into one of the largest outdoor recreation companies in the nation, hosting well over one million guests each year.

NOC’s 500-acre adventure center offers whitewater rafting, four aerial and zipline activities, mountain biking on nine miles of private trails, and stand-up paddleboarding on Lake Fontana. In between activities, you can shop at one of NOC’s four retail stores including NOC’s flagship Outfitter’s Store, eat at NOC’s two riverfront restaurants, and even stay in a cabin adjoining the Appalachian Trail.

LEAF’s Global Arts Center Open
Sep 1 all-day
LEAF's Global Arts Center

Celebrating 25 Years! LEAF is on a Mission:

To cultivate a thriving global community generated by the power of cultural curiosity, connection, and preservation through global music and arts education and experiences.

During your visit, you’ll follow a one-way path through the space and will have access to most engagement stations. Select features will be closed, while others will be modified.

  • C.A.V.E–All guests who wish to use the VR in the C.A.V.E. must wear a disposable face shield and be prepared to give 15 min between users to ensure proper cleaning protocols can be followed.
LEAF’s New Website
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Labor Day is almost here which means that Fall is just around the corner. As we close out this Summer of Change we are grateful to enter into a new season of LEAF and debut our new website! To many, a new website is not that exciting. But in a world where digital is the present and the future, our website is our entry point to the world, a world we hope to change for the better. This new website has been a year long process and we are still working on the kinks but the journey has been full of new discoveries, life long friendship development and new skills. As always, our goal is to expand connections, inspiration and resources.

LEAF’s mission comes to life as an agent for positive social impact in many ways and places.
The “ways” include: cultural exchanges, residencies, programs, workshops, mentoring, Easel Rider Mobile Art Lab, Learning Journeys, Signature Events and immersive experiences. “Places” include: LEAF Global Arts Center in downtown Asheville,  in communities across the world, in schools, in community centers, at event locations such as Lake Eden in Black Mountain, and downtown Asheville, and now LEAF is also Virtual.

Literacy Council of Buncombe County VOLUNTEERS needed!
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Equity underlies everything we do. We serve immigrants, low-wealth, and disadvantaged individuals of every age. We know that literacy is the primary determinant of health, employment, income levels, and constructive self-expression. In 2017, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that sixty percent of children nationwide are not reading proficiently. Without intervention children who do not read proficiently become adults with low literacy and the cycle continues. Our one-on-one and small group tutoring is free and based on students’ schedules, making it accessible to those who would otherwise be unable to afford or attend traditional classroom settings.

Our Ideal Volunteer Tutor

The ideal volunteer tutor is someone seeking to make a one-year commitment of two hours per week to help someone else make the change of a lifetime. For our volunteer tutors, an education background is helpful, but not necessary. The most important qualities are patience, an open mind, and resourcefulness. Tutors also need to be non-judgmental and sensitive to cultural differences. A GED or high school diploma is required. Ideal tutors enjoy seeing concrete outcomes from their efforts and sharing in the life-changing successes of others. See our full tutor position description here.

Manna Needs Volunteers
Sep 1 all-day
Manna Food Bank

If you’re able to volunteer, all of us at MANNA, as well as recipients of food boxes across WNC, would be incredibly grateful for your support. If you’re unable to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate you spreading the word and letting friends, family members and neighbors know of the need for food assistance that exists right now and how they can help by volunteering with us here at MANNA.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up for a shift on MANNA’s website. Volunteer shifts are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, and 1:00 – 3:00 PM.
MANNA NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
Without Key Groups of Volunteers, MANNA is Straining to Meet the Food Needs for 100,000 People Each Month
On Demand Fashion Show: Costume Drama Fundraiser
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Costume Drama 2020: A Fashion Show

Now available as Video On Demand!

All tickets are $25.00 plus taxes and fees and benefit ACT.


Asheville Community Theatre’s annual fundraiser Costume Drama: A Fashion Show is a fashion show where designers create garments from unconventional materials. Twelve designers competed in this year’s challenge, four were chosen as category winners – and one was named the Best in Show winner.

As in years past, Best in Show will receive a $500 prize, and the other 3 winners will each receive a $250 prize. Winners are revealed at the end of the broadcast!


Costume Drama: A Fashion Show originally aired on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Video On Demand of this show will be available for purchase until September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

Pandemic Arts w/ Flat Rock Playhouse
Sep 1 all-day
Online

The Pandemic Arts: a series “where performing artists from various genres discuss how the global pandemic is affecting their careers, their creativity, their finances, and their plans for the future.”

The final video is live and features a candid interview with Lisa K. Bryant about the history of the Playhouse and the challenges of running a theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll also see performances by beloved Vagabonds Matthew Glover, Bill Muñoz, and Scott Treadway.

Plug in this Election Season: Get Involved!
Sep 1 all-day
Online

This is not an election year you want to sit out. 

We are busy here at Down Home. Our local chapters are finishing up endorsing their local candidates, we are out in the community helping to educate folks on their voting rights and the ways they can vote during the pandemic, and, of course, we are continuing our on-the-ground organizing in our local communities… building power, building each other up, building hope. 

Here are some ways that you can plug in this election season: 

  • Get Down With Relational Organizing: Interested in moving the people in your life to vote this November? Our Relational Organizing Trainings will give you the tips, tools, and tech you need to get started mobilizing your community. Find a training that fits your schedule here.
  • Phone Bank With Down Home: Because of the pandemic, we are not going door to door this election year. Instead, we are rely on calling our neighbors on the phones. You can join a Down Home phone bank to help spread the word about voting by mail, our candidates, and the work of Down Home. Sign up to phone bank here.
  • Introduction to Down Home: Do you want to learn more about Down Home, how we organize, and what we do? Join us Thursdays at 1 PM for an informal discussion where our organizers can answer your questions and help find a role for you! Register for an Introduction to Down Home session here.
Resources for Your Equity Journey
Sep 1 all-day
Online

V-LEAF, LEAF’s 1st Virtual Festival- You can still experience!
Friday // Saturday // Sunday

Roots + Wings Creative Community

What Motivates People from Dominant Groups to Support Social Justice” Diane J. Goodman and Lee Anne Bell

“The Costs of Racism to White People” by Paul Kivel

Seeing White Series from Scene On Radio, a 14-part documentary series exploring whiteness in America.

Slavery By Another NamePBS Documentary

White Awake Manual — a set of educational resources for guiding white affinity processes

SAVE THE BEES National Honey Bee Day(s)
Sep 1 all-day
Online

While the UN reported that over 1 million species around the globe are at risk of extinction, the Trump administration responded by proposing rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act. Again and again, they have shown that they value profit over planet. But hope is not lost. Here is something you can do today. When you get any item in the Save the Bees collection, you are supporting LCV’s work to stop the climate crisis and protect endangered species. 

Vote 2020 available in English and Spanish made with sustainable materials artist designed only a few left

Series local businesses are adjusting COVID-19 crisis: The Lobster Trap
Sep 1 all-day
Online

 Chef Mike McCarty, Co-owner of The Lobster Trap, fills us in on how they’ve created ways to keep guests safe while enjoying the restaurant. They are also offering “Finish at Home” meals with a curbside pick up.

See the video interview here!

While we’ve all had to adjust to the “new normal” (whatever that is), our local business owners and managers each have their own story to tell about how they’ve been affected and what they are doing during these unprecedented times. Dig Local is proud to partner with our friend, Ann Smith, at Leap Frog Tours to interview some of the awesome folks who make Asheville, Asheville.
Support Flat Rock Playhouse with AmazonSmile
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Sign up for Amazon Smile today and support FRP at no cost to you. Amazon donates 0.5% of your purchase price directly to FRP. Participation is easy, and, once you’re set-up, you shop online and Amazon takes care of the rest.

To register, visit http://smile.amazon.com/. If you are not already supporting another organization, you will be prompted to select one. To contribute to Flat Rock Playhouse, search our business name: The Vagabond School of the Drama, Inc. Once you select us, you are all set! Don’t forget to bookmark your smile page, as purchases will only be applied through Amazon Smile.

Grow your impact by spreading the word to your friends and family!

Take The COVID-19 Economic Impact Survey
Sep 1 all-day
Online
We all know that even before COVID-19, many of our neighbors were unable to earn enough to cover basic expenses and save for an unexpected crisis. In some cases, the job loss and healthcare expenses associated with COVID-19 have turned existing difficulties into catastrophic situations while others face financial hurdles they have never before navigated.
Right now (through August 21) United Way of North Carolina is conducting a survey to collect information about the economic impact of COVID-19 on the people of our state.
Data will be used to identify family priorities and gaps in services and will help to inform state-wide COVID-19 recovery strategies. The survey is open for North Carolinians in any situation and is available in both English and Spanish.
This one is important, folks, please take a few minutes of your time to complete the survey and be sure to share with all your networks.
https://www.unitedwayabc.org/news/take-covid-19-economic-impact-survey
Tasuta N-Imal – Amekraz – The Farmer LEAF free Music Video
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Our Recording Journey brought us this time to the Moroccan Highlands where we had the chance to record 2 songs with “Tasuta N-Imal”

The United Way’s 2-1-1 Number for questions about general community support services
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Call United Way’s 2-1-1 if you have questions about general community support services (24 hours a day/7 days a week) and please encourage others to call as well.

virtual presentation: North Fork Dam Improvement Project
Sep 1 all-day
Online
Voting in the 2020 General Election: What You Need to Know
Sep 1 all-day
Online

News
                            article image

Voting in the 2020 General Election: What You Need to Know

The upcoming general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Buncombe County Election Services wants to make sure you have all the information you need. Buncombe County is committed to having a safe and secure election in the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic. For more information about precautions regarding COVID-19, click here.

Below is information about Early Voting, absentee ballots, voter registration, sample ballots, and more. If you have additional questions, contact Election Services at (828) 250-4200.

Western NC Regional Online Poetry Competition
Sep 1 all-day
Online

Caldwell Arts Council announces its “Western NC Regional Online Poetry Competition,” featuring Final Judge Kari Gunter-Seymour, Poet Laureate of the state of Ohio and $1200 in total cash awards! Click here for a printable pdf of these guidelines.

Eligibility and Guidelines:

  • Residents of the following 31 counties in western North Carolina are eligible to enter:  Alexander,
    Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.
  • The deadline for entry is midnight, September 15, 2020.
  • Entrants must be at least 18 years of age at time of submission.
  • Each entrant may submit up to two original poems.
  • Cost to enter is $10 for up to two poems.
  • All entries AND entry fees must be submitted electronically. See below for submission and payment details. No U.S.P.S. mailed entries, checks or cash will be accepted.
  • Poems must not have been written before January 1, 2019.
  • Previously published poems are not eligible for submission.
  • Poems can be of any subject matter or style; however the Caldwell Arts Council reserves the right to decline the written or audible posting/performance of any entered poem to its website, or other Arts Council platform due to its unsuitability for wide audiences as determined solely by the Caldwell Arts Council.
  • Poems must be submitted electronically as a WORD document using .doc or .docx as your file
    extension.
  • Poems cannot exceed 100 lines.
  • All poems must be single spaced, in Times New Roman font, and be 12pt. type.
  • Winning entrants must agree to allow their poems to be posted on the Caldwell Arts Council’s website and/or to be used in subsequent marketing/promotional materials by the Caldwell Arts Council.
  • Entrants reserve/keep all other publication rights.
  • Caldwell Arts Council staff, board members and their immediate family members are ineligible to
    enter.
Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum Tickets on Sale Sept. 1
Sep 1 all-day
N.C. Arboretum

Winter Lights at The N.C. Arboretum

November 20, 2020 – January 10, 2021

5:30 – 10:30 p.m. Nightly

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. This year, guests are invited to take a dreamy ride through the Arboretum’s enchanted forest and attend Winter Lights safely within their own vehicles. In light of COVID-19, the Arboretum has converted its popular event into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights. As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.

Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.” Celebrate the holiday season with the entire family at Winter Lights.

***Tickets go on sale September 1***