Calendar of Events

Designed for enthusiasts with little to no artistic training, this foundation course focuses on creating accurate and beautiful botanical illustrations. Guided by artist and Carolina Naturalist Preston Montague, participants will learn basic observation and drawing techniques with pen and pencil and will use colored pencils to apply vibrant color.

Though designed for beginners, students with more intermediate skills are encouraged to join in, too. This program may involve less than one mile of easy walking. Limited to 12 participants.

Registration costs $60 standard or $20 for Bridge Club members. Bridge Club members must present a valid Bridge Club ID with their event ticket/receipt upon arrival, or they will be charged full price. To register, see below.

Adult Field Courses
Grandfather Mountain’s Adult Field Courses examine specific aspects of the park ecosystem through just the right combination of fun field excursions and classroom presentations. Our course leaders are experts in their fields and include professors, naturalists, scientists and acclaimed photographers, writers, historians and artists.

Most courses run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and lunch will be eaten in the field. Please bring your own lunch. Rates do not include taxes.

https://www.facebook.com/events/693149131146928/

Join us for the 43rd Annual Hey Day Fall Festival!
Hey Day is the largest WNC Nature Center event of the year and celebrates the wildlife, culture and community of Western North Carolina.

This year’s celebration will feature games, arts and crafts, educational animal programs, local food vendors and a wide variety of exciting wildlife.

Food will be available for purchase. There will also be a kick-off to the Friends’ fall raffle, with the opportunity to win great items!

Standard Nature Center admission rates apply for non-members. Friends members receive free admission. All activities are included with admission except for face painting and food/merchandise purchases.

https://www.facebook.com/events/578108335986592/

Folk School Fall Festival 2019

Golden fall sunlight and brightly colored leaves provide a scenic backdrop for the John C. Campbell Folk School‘s Fall Festival. This treasured annual celebration of Appalachian culture, held on the Folk School’s Brasstown, North Carolina campus, heralds its 45th anniversary in October.

The Folk School’s enduring commitment to the arts is evident in a vibrant exhibition showcasing the School’s Quilting and Surface Design Program. The Pitman Fiber Arts Building will feature a display of dozens of striking quilts made by the school’s instructors.

A slideshow of Painting and Photography Instructor art will run throughout the festival in the Keith House Community Room.

Visit over 200 fine craft exhibitors tucked along the school’s winding wooded paths. Watch more than 30 artisans demonstrate traditional and contemporary crafts. Fill your ears with bluegrass, gospel, folk, and Celtic music on both days. Tap your toes to clogging, Morris, and Garland dance performances throughout the weekend.

Children can visit the Kids Cove area where they’ll enjoy pony rides, petting the alpacas, and visiting Valley River Humane Society’s pet adoption booth. The Cove Theatre will offer children an opportunity to participate in creative play with dress-up costumes and musical instruments. Face painting and arts and crafts activities will be offered by the Cherokee County Arts Council.

Hungry festivalgoers can satisfy their appetites with a tasty lunch, dessert, or snack. Vendors’ concession proceeds benefit several non-profit and community organizations.

The Folk School’s renowned Craft Shop, containing fine crafts from over 600 juried regional artists, will draw visitors throughout the weekend and be offering a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Craft Shop.

Fall Festival Survival Guide

No pets allowed

Bring your camera

Wear comfortable shoes and a sun hat

Visit water stations as needed to stay hydrated

Two ATMS will be available, however we encourage you to bring cash to pay for tickets, food, and purchases from vendors who do not accept cards

Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 12-17, and free for children under 12

Music & Dance Schedule

Saturday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Butternut Creek and Friends
10:40 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
11:20 The Curtis & Geoff Show
12:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
12:40 Julie Helms & the Bluegrass Partners
1:20 Jones Brothers
2:00 Heidi Holton
2:40 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
3:20 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
4:00 Dave Peters and the Last Responders

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Jones Brothers
10:40 Greg Biltz
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Heidi Holton
12:40 Crane Creek Cliff Dwellers
1:20 Beansidhe
2:00 Black Mash Hollow
2:40 Mike Davis
3:20 Redwine Jam
4:00 Sea Notes

Sunday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Sunday Morning String Band
10:40 The Pressley Girls
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Just Us Gals
12:40 Liz Nance & Friends
1:20 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
2:00 Granny’s Mason Jar
2:40 Little Brasstown Baptist Church Choir
3:20 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
4:00 Gnarly Fingers

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
10:40 Kilmer and Cooley
11:20 Bona Fide
12:00 Greg Biltz
12:40 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
1:20 Mountain Area Storytellers
2:00 Liz Nance & Friends
2:40 The Pressley Girls
3:20 Scott Low
4:00 Anne & Rob Lough

The MakeHER Market at the Mothlight – Women’s Work Empowers the World

The MakeHER Market returns to The Mothlight in West Asheville on Saturday, October 5th.
The debut event was held in March 2019 as a way to highlight and create connections between the talented community of local female entrepreneurs in celebration of International Women’s Day. The MakeHER Market will feature more than 20 female, independent creatives, makers and designers and their unique, hand crafted goods. Fair Trade coffee, jewelry and home décor as well as locally made art and botanicals will be available to purchase. Created and organized by Incite Coffee Company and Maadili Collective, Fair Trade companies working with female owned cooperatives in developing countries, the event aims to honor the enterprising ventures of women locally and abroad.

Event hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free and families are welcome.

Women’s Work Empowers the World!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeHERmarket

WHAT: The MakeHER Market
WHERE: The Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road, West Asheville
WHEN: Saturday, October 5th, 10-3pm. Rain or shine.

Join us any Saturday for outdoor activities at the garden. Local youth involved in programming for building life skills, improving literacy and leadership development welcome young people in the area to join them, and we are always in need of adult volunteers to help with mentoring. Involvement in the Shiloh Community Garden also includes the experience of growing produce organically, lessons in permaculture and the science of sustainability, healthy meal preparation, and entrepreneurship. Come join the fun!

https://www.facebook.com/events/524392424698351/?event_time_id=524392431365017

The MakeHER Market at the Mothlight – Women’s Work Empowers the World. The MakeHER Market returns to The Mothlight in West Asheville on Saturday, October 5th. The debut event was held in March 2019 as a way to highlight and create connections between the talented community of local female entrepreneurs in celebration of International Women’s Day. The MakeHER Market will feature more than 20 female, independent creatives, makers and designers and their unique, hand crafted goods. Fair Trade coffee, jewelry and home décor as well as locally made art and botanicals will be available to purchase. Created and organized by Incite Coffee Company and Maadili Collective, Fair Trade companies working with female owned cooperatives in developing countries, the event aims to honor the enterprising ventures of women locally and abroad. Event hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free and families are welcome. Women’s Work Empowers the World!

Qigong (alternatively spelled chi gung or chi kung) is a form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times, often stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph) and building awareness of how the body moves through space.

The classes and the introduction to Qigong will be taught by Dr. John Akers.

Dr. Akers is a recently retired Wofford language professor and classical guitarist who has taught wellness classes at Wofford, the Spartanburg YMCA, and Zen Garden. Dr. Akers played and coached collegiate soccer, has practiced meditation over 40 years, and teaches a daily routine of yoga and core strengthening enhanced by Qigong energy play. Dr. Akers is also an avid golfer committed to carrying his own clubs, without a cart.

https://www.facebook.com/events/414684999313998/?event_time_id=414685082647323

Our Vintner’s Table Food Truck is here for the season! Buy salads, cheese boards, our BRAND NEW lobster rolls and more to enjoy with Burntshirt Vineyards wine!

Saturday Hours: 12pm to 6pm
Sunday Hours: 12pm to 5pm

https://www.facebook.com/events/2430723993715642/?event_time_id=2430724057048969

The 6th Annual WNC Garlic Fest is returning to Asheville NC. A family focused free festivity of all things garlic.

Our extremely popular WNC Garlic Trail allows you to follow a trail map around the event, collecting delicious and whacky garlic samples from local vendors. Our garlic education series will help you grow and cook garlic, and Sow True Seed plus local farmers are on hand to with seed garlic to grow in your own gardens.

We have a food truck and drinks area with kids activities and invite you to join the fun with friends and family because no one wants to be the only one to eat garlic all day!

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The Garlic Trail: Select participating vendors will be listed on a postcard available from Sow True Seed. Follow the WNC Garlic Trail, find the vendors and show them your postcard for a FREE garlicky experience. Collect all the experiences and return to Sow True Seed for a small Garlic-Guru prize.

WNC Garlic Fest was founded by Sow True Seed with the aim of bringing the awesome world of garlic to the awesome people of Western Northern Carolina. Join us for the 6th WNC Garlic Fest for a FREE celebration of all things garlic! This year Sow True Seed’s non-profit arm, The Utopian Seed Project is organizing the event to raise funds for their ongoing work to support diversity in food and farming across the southeast.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1105117499677386/

with craft beverage sampling, games and activities, live music.

This workshop will introduce you to one of the earliest forms of weaving, backstrap weaving. You will learn how to set up your own backstrap loom to create and weave unique pieces of art that can be made anywhere.

In this workshop, we will explore setting up a backstrap loom from start to finish using a string-heddle method and a plain weave structure. Naturally dyed hemp, wool and alpaca yarns/fibers will be available for use and experimentation. You will leave the workshop knowing how to set up a backstrap loom, with an informational zine to support your future backstrap weaving and having created a unique piece of woven art! All materials are included in the class fee, and loom kits will be available for purchase following the class ($60). No experience necessary.

About the teacher:
Neil Goss focuses his art on Earth processes while responding to human impacts upon those processes. In 2012 he received two BFA’s in Design (Textiles and Ceramics) from the University of Kansas SOTA. He has been dedicated to researching sustainable arts processes such as natural dyeing, weaving, utilizing hand-dug clay, and foraging art materials. Goss has taught workshops, installed public art and done artist talks from coast to coast in the United States. He currently is a practicing professional artist and educator. Most recently he was an artist-in-residence at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York, NY hosted by the Textile Arts Center.

From Oct. 1-11, guests can enjoy 20-minute guided walks that highlight Grandfather Mountain’s fall colors. On Oct. 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., guests can meet the park’s naturalists at the Nature Museum to obtain a map and information on where to find the most beautiful fall color. Plus, special programming throughout the day will allow families to explore the natural phenomenon.

This event is included with regular admission.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2326407340907982/?event_time_id=2326407360907980

Part of the 2019 – 2020 Broadway Season. Learn more about subscribing: http://bit.ly/2J6KMcs.

Roald Dahl’s amazing tale is now Greenville’s golden ticket!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray.

Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory…to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!

https://www.facebook.com/events/392992761537807/?event_time_id=392992778204472

Happy Fall with The Alligators at Silver Fork!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1970130876625937/

The Montford Moppets, Asheville’s ONLY Shakespeare Summer Camp is prepping for their first official NON-summer productions.

The great play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is already in production and heading for a late October debut!

And, for the second-year in a row, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol will be a Moppet affair.

Auditions for the latter are being held at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre this coming Saturday, October 5th, from 2:30-4pm. And rumor has it that tweens and teens will be the bulk of the cast, but they are looking for an adult Scrooge! So we hope everyone will come out for that.

With the school year in full swing, we highly recommend you get the kids involved with this great program that will challenge them, give them a sense of accomplishment and provide some great fun and friends, like only theater can.

Tickets go on sale:
08/07/2019
9:00 AM

Swannanoa Valley Montessori School (SVMS) is excited to bring the Inaugural Creekside JamFest to Pisgah Brewing Company (PBC).  This event will be a day filled with great music featuring Larry Keel, Dangermuffin and the Get Right Band in addition to fun family-friendly activities to include Mountain Circus Arts, Asheville Hoops, and Asheville Plays.  There will be food trucks, refreshments for all ages, and craft vendors on site for all your festival needs!

Every year SVMS raises funds to support our scholarship program because our school is committed to diversity and inclusion in the classroom. SVMS believes a school should be reflective of its community. SVMS strives not to turn away students due to socioeconomic status or different learning styles. Over the last 5 years, SVMS has been able to grant financial assistance to a number of families seeking alternatives to public education. With smaller class sizes, individualized attention, and alternately paced curriculum,  SVMS is able to meet their needs and support them as they thrive.

There is a short list of nationally recognizable names in the art of butchery and both Camas Davis and Adam Danforth make the grade. On Saturday, October 5th, Hickory Nut Gap and Chop Shop Butchery join together to bring this dynamic due into Western North Carolina for an intimate dining and butchery event. A strong supporter of ethical and sustainable meat production and consumption, the Appalachian Meat Collective has joined the festivities to also help further promote Hickory Nut Gap’s mission to ‘build community through agriculture’.

“By joining everyone together, we are able to move agriculture forward in a big way. We all strongly value humane animal treatment, have a deep respect for the livestock that we consume, and can unite together to educate people while enjoying a wonderful meal together,” Jamie Ager, Owner and Farmer, Hickory Nut Gap.

Mark your calendars now for Asheville GreenWorks’ annual

End of Summer Party by the River!

By October, GreenWorks knows we will have much to commemorate — during the summer months, hundreds of volunteers “get dirty for a great cause” by joining river and neighborhood cleanups, creating and maintaining pollinator gardens, and participating in other environmentally-focused activities. At our 7th Annual Root Ball, we’ll gather with our volunteers, friends, and supporters, to celebrate our love of WNC and our shared passion for keeping our communities beautiful.

Tickets are $25 and include an all-you-can-eat barbecue-style buffet, live music, and complimentary beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages.

Join us for “Saturday Night Lights,” a family-friendly event at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC, happening every Saturday evening May through October featuring FREE carousel rides, pony rides, bounce house, face painting, entertainers and live music, plus horse show competition. General admission and parking are also free and open to the public. With onsite dining options, concessions, shopping, and lodging, come for the night or for a vacation getaway! Learn more at Tryon.com/SNL.

Phone: 828-863-1000

Email: [email protected]

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

The Blue Ridge Orchestra opens its 2019-20 season with The Young Masters, featuring compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Weber, written while in their 30’s. This all German program spans across the Baroque, Classical and Romantic musical eras. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto  No. 5 and Webers Oberon Overture.

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

Originally formed in 2010, in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville NC, Circus Mutt draws from a spectrum of musical influences including rock and roll, jazz, and bluegrass.

The band cut their teeth on the road, touring literally non-stop from 2011-2016. Breweries, festivals, bars and thousands of miles of highway have been the proving ground for this group of blue-collar musicians.

Behind the songwriting of Dan Falkenstein, Circus Mutt has woven a unique blend of American sounds on their first studio album “Old Dogs & New Tricks.” Live Mutt performances vary from solo/duo shows, to full-blown, 6-piece band extravaganzas.

https://www.facebook.com/circusmuttband/

https://www.facebook.com/events/239502490328170/

Attention men: At what point in your life did you stop thinking of yourself as a boy and start to think of yourself as a man?

Was there a special, foundational, transformational experience—a hero’s journey perhaps—which ferried you from the world of being a youth into the world of an adult? Maybe it was a series of experiences which offered you the opportunity to take a new level of responsibility for yourself and others? Maybe a trial of some sort? A challenge through which your perseverance connected you with unique inner strengths?

Journeymen’s Rites Of Passage Adventure Weekend is an opportunity for teenage boys to initiate their journey into adulthood consciously within a strong community of committed men.

Enrollment is open for both adult staffers and initiates ages 13-17 for the Fall Rites Of Passage Adventure Weekend. Please get in touch for more information or to enroll or visit journeymenasheville.org/ropaw/

As staffers in Journeymen’s Rites of Passage, we are maintaining a commitment to a very sacred and gravely important aspect of cultures throughout time. Though our modern culture has let these intentional initiations fall by the wayside, we are keeping them alive to hand off to future generations. No one has taught us how to do this, but we are picking up on clues, themes and principals left by our ancestors and calling on bits and pieces we carry in our DNA to create this weekend. We show up because we see the importance and we feel the responsibility, because we understand that no institution, book, curriculum or program can do this for us—it’s truly on us each as individuals to keep this flame alive and pass it on. Journeymen’s ROPAW is only a vessel, template and container for the gifts that YOU bring.

https://www.facebook.com/events/495528747867109/