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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.
This May, we made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 season due to COVID-19. The entire industry of live entertainment has been severely impacted by the pandemic, and your support is needed now more than ever by asking your representatives to support the Save Our Stages Act. Click here to easily contact your congressional representatives.
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.
If you are already registered, fill out a pledge that you will be voting and share with 3 friends here.
Absentee ballot deadlines
Info regarding absentee ballots
Request: Received by Oct. 27
Return by Mail: Postmarked by Nov. 3
Return in person: Nov. 3 by 5:00 p.m.
Early voting is Oct. 15 – Oct. 31, Asheville locations are listed below
Early voting lookup for all counties.
– Civic Center
– The Wesley Grant Center
– The Asheville Mall
– The Outlet Mall
– UNCA
– West Asheville Community Center
– Reynolds Village
Link to get a sample ballot
Nonpartisan candidate guide
Volunteer info
Link for Poll Worker Volunteer info
Starting Saturday, August 1, 2020, the Hominy Valley Wildlife Club will begin hosting a weekly flea market. Spaces will be $15.00 each, maximum of two spaces per seller. Grounds will open at 6 am for seller setup.
For more information contact Lane Brown at 828-231-5408, Bruce Whitt at 828-665-2114, Rachel Godwin at 828-273-6911 or email at [email protected]
Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13, most Buncombe County Public Library branches will reopen to the public with limited hours and services.
The safety of our patrons and staff is our highest priority, and our General Services staff has been working diligently to finish precautions to allow metered access in accordance with the Governor’s orders for 50 percent capacity. We look forward to welcoming you back in person.
The library schedule will be:
Note: The East Asheville Library remains closed for construction and Pack Library will reopen for service at a later date.
During these hours, the libraries will provide in-person check out and browsing. As we comply with reduced occupancy limits, we are encouraging brief “grab and go” visits to allow us to serve a larger number of patrons. Computer use is available, and seating will be provided for computer users only. The meeting rooms and study spaces will not be available for public use.
In-person library programs, including storytime, will not be offered, however, virtual programs will continue to be available. Learn more here. Curbside hold pickups will stop on Oct. 8. Late fees will resume on Oct. 27.
Our local history room is currently undergoing renovations, but the NC Room staff will continue to provide phone and email research assistance at (828) 250-4740 or [email protected].
Per the Governor’s mandate, all persons over the age of five will be asked to wear a face covering for the duration of their visit in the library. If you don’t have a face covering, we can provide one for you.
Wortham Center in collaboration with Hola Community Arts presents
Día de los Muertos Art Installation: Catrinas by Margarita Figueroa
Self-Guided, Physically Distanced Tours
In celebration of Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead, Hola Community Arts presents the work of renowned Mexican artist Margarita Figueroa at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts October 21 – November 2.
Margarita Figueroa sculpts whimsical, life-size Catrinas in the Alambroide technique, which consists of wire-structured figures covered with papier-mâché and painted with acrylic colors.
Catrina, an elegant, skeletal woman made famous by printmaker José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s, is one of the most recognizable figures in the Day of the Dead holiday and still permeates and influences Mexican Folk Art today.
The Día de los Muertos holiday has expanded beyond its roots in Mexico to provide comfort and community to those who have lost loved ones in cultures around the world.
“Día de los Muertos is distinctly different from Halloween in origin, celebration and culture. Día de los Muertos is truly a joyous celebration of life and the beauty of remembering those who have come before us,” says Adriana Chavela, executive director of Hola Community Arts. “During this celebration, the dead sort of become a part of the living world, as families tell stories and reflect on memories of them.”
The Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead holiday is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd throughout Latin America, but is more closely associated with Mexico, where it originated.
About Hola Community Arts
Hola Community Arts is building bridges between cultures, embracing diversity and creating more economically vibrant communities. We recognize the power of the arts to challenge and shift perceptions, spark creativity and connect people across cultures. HOLA Community Arts is a registered nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3). Donations are welcome. Learn more at www.holacommunityarts.org.
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Early voting begins October 15. Check the schedule and make a plan. |
For the general election, Early Voting will run Oct. 15-31, and you can use same-day registration during those dates. Get a downloadable .pdf of the Early Voting schedule with dates and times. During the early voting period you can choose to vote at any early voting location below.
Early Voting dates and times:
2020 A YEAR OF COVID, TURMOIL, UNCERTAINTIES, HEROES & HOPE
The year 2020 for better or worse will go down in American history as a pivotal moment. It has been often said that history is written for and by the victors.
But nowadays in a world overwhelmed with 2-second tweets, forgettable social media, conspiracy theories and online rages; modern history seems to be written by the distracted, the delusional and the destructive.
Mountain Made, a local arts & crafts boutique in Grove Arcade, is taking a different approach. We are creating a public history journal of poetry, personal musing, thoughtful insights and yes, rants on “The Year 2020”. They could be funny or serious.
We have setup two interactive art stations inside the gallery:
* The first one is where you can quickly put down your thoughts on some blank paper (the original “i-pad”) and leave it with us.
* The other is a shared, public painting series where you can lay brush to canvas if you are more a visual person.
It is with great excitement that we announce our opening schedule for 2020. We have not been able to reopen since March, when the Covid -19 pandemic hit and North Carolina shut down. Now the State of North Carolina is transitioning into Phase 2.5 of Governor Cooper’s phased reopening plan. Phase 2.5 allows museums to open at 50% capacity. This means the Swannanoa Valley Museum will be open starting Labor Day weekend. We will allow 10 visitors in the museum per hour. Opening hours are Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. Visitors can sign up on our website for a self-guided tour time or sign up at the museum. We are looking forward to seeing our visitors once more! To book a self-guided tour time click on this link. SVM Self-Guided Tour Reservation
Masks are required when entering the museum. This is for the safety of our visitors and our docents. Exceptions will be made according to ADA instructions. Visitors must make a reservation to visit the museum. Self Guided tour reservations are available Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm. To make a reservation you can call (828) 669- 9566, register at the front desk, or click here.
ACCESSIBILITY
The first floor houses our traveling exhibit gallery and our second floor houses “Our Pathways” exhibit. The first and second floor are accessible by ADA standards. A lift is available to take visitors to the second floor.
Upon reopening, the Nature Center will be open seven days a week, from 10 am until 4:30 pm. Asheville residents receive a discounted rate with local ID and children under the age of 3 are free.
Beginning October 7, the three-hour documentary-styled art installation Question Bridge: Black Males will be on view at the Asheville Art Museum. This innovative transmedia project facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse and contending backgrounds, and creates a platform for them to represent and redefine Black male identity in America. The work will be on view during regular public hours from October 7, 2020 through March 15, 2021.
Question Bridge: Black Males is a project that explores critically challenging issues within the African American male community by instigating a transmedia conversation among Black men across geographic, economic, generational, educational, and social strata of American society. Question Bridge provides a safe setting for necessary, honest expression and healing dialogue on themes that divide, unite, and puzzle Black males today in the United States.
Best of all, Porch Portraits by Suzanne will donate $15 of every session to our great friends at Flat Rock Playhouse. My goal is to raise $15,000 for the Playhouse by the end of the year so any money over and above the price of $65 will go straight to them.
Perhaps most exciting, an extremely generous Playhouse donor has agreed to a MATCHING GIFT CAMPAIGN up to $36,000.18! This incredibly generous donation draws on the magic of Chai, the Jewish belief that multiples of 18 bring good luck. Meaning that every session booked will result in at least $30 for the wonderful folks at Flat Rock Playhouse.
For decades, Flat Rock Playhouse has been opening their collective hearts and sharing their fabulous talents to bring joy and entertainment to western North Carolina. This is an opportunity to show our gratitude at a time when they really need our support.
Together, let’s make magic happen! Help us kick off this campaign by contributing today.
Join us via Zoom on Saturday, October 17 at 4:00pm for a virtual symposium focusing on monuments and commemoration in Asheville presented by the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) in collaboration with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Our city, like many others, is currently wrestling with the meanings and fates of many controversial statues and monuments. This symposium aims to help facilitate community engagement and dialogue in advance of the Vance Monument Task Force’s anticipated report at the end of October with their recommendations for the Vance Monument and Pack Square.This program, hosted via Zoom, will feature several notable scholars and allow for audience questions.
Dr. Steve Nash, Dr. Dwight Mullen, and Dr. Fitzhugh Brundage will speak about:
About the Speakers
Steve Nash (Associate Professor, Department of History, East Tennessee State University) Dr. Nash is an associate professor of history at East Tennessee State University and the author of Reconstruction’s Ragged Edge: The Politics of Postwar Life in the Southern Mountains.
Dwight Mullen (Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Asheville) As a Teaching Professor, Dr. Mullen was committed to both his students and to being professionally active. Specifically, he offered courses in public policy, American politics, and African and African-American politics. His scholarly activities included panels chaired and papers presented at meetings of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists; overseeing undergraduates’ research projects covering the State of Black Asheville; and serving in local, state, national, and international capacities that aim to improve the delivery of public services to underserved populations.
Fitzhugh Brundage (William Umstead Distinguished Professor, Department of History, University of North Carolina at Asheville)
Dr. Brundage’s general research interests are American history since the Civil War, with a particular focus on the American South. He has written on lynching, utopian socialism in the New South, white and black historical memory in the South since the Civil War, and the history of torture in the United States from the time of European contact to the twenty-first century. His current research project is a study of Civil War prisoner of war camps.
The Haunted Farm is Back! This year we are celebrating #10YearsOfTerror! Opening Night is Friday, October 9th, 2020! Are you ready for a night of terrifying Fun and Excitement you won’t soon forget?! Come see what The 2020 Haunted Farm has in store for our Biggest and Best year yet! ARE YOU PREPARED TO BE SCARED?!
The Adventure Center of Asheville is excited to be the 2020 venue for the 8th Annual The Haunted Trail presented by Mellow Mushroom. The no-touch no-contact outdoor Haunted Trail is the only Halloween event in Asheville that is ideal for children ages 3-12 years old. Experience a family-friendly heart pumping walk with live actors (at a distance), spooky sounds, and spectacular props. The younger ghouls can enjoy the (actor-free) “Sweet Peek Tour” of the Trail at 6:30pm before it gets dark.
This year The Treetops Adventure Park Aerial Glow Trail will also be available for ages 4 and over. Climb on one family-friendly aerial trail while it is illuminated with thousands of colored twinkle and laser lights.
In addition to the Trails, there will also be spooky live entertainment, no touch activities while in line, and food and beverages available including hot chocolate. It is a perfect way to celebrate the Halloween season with the family.
As the Haunted Trail and the Adventure Center are committed to safety, Social Distancing and Wearing Face Masks (for ages 4 years old and over) are required. The Haunted Trail Scenes will have barriers and at least a 10-foot space between guests and the performers. Guests lining up for both activities will be separated into Family Groups.
$6
Fall stargazing at the farm and Mars viewing party
Mars is at its best appearance for the year right now so come join us to have a look at it through some small telescopes. Local astronomer Stephan Martin will also point out some of the fall constellations and share of the myths and legends of the sky during this time of year, including some spooky star stories as we get close to Halloween!
FIND INFO AT: https://www.lwv.org/blog/100-days-and-100-ways-get-ready-election-day?utm_source=MonthlyHighlights&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=July2020
Covid-19 hasn’t stopped us from making an impact on local rivers and communities throughout WNC — so we’re adapting our 8th Annual Root Ball End of Season Party to celebrate quarantine-style… Save the dates for three awesome ways to participate!
Online silent auction (Oct 2nd-18th). We’ll have an incredible collection of items and experiences focused on outdoor recreation, arts + culture, food + beverage, and other offerings that are uniquely Asheville.
Online native tree and plant sale (Oct 2nd-18th). Individuals will be able to purchase from a wide variety of plants and trees provided by participating partner nurseries (with all proceeds going to GreenWorks programs).
Virtual Dance Party on October 16th: Gather up your pod and safely dance the evening away in your own living room. The event will be kid-friendly and have lots of opportunities for audience participation.
Stay tuned for more information on how to join in these exciting events!
If you’d like to offer support by donating an item or service to our silent auction, please contact [email protected].
In the wake of the murder of 20-year old Vanessa Guillen, an Army specialist, the military has faced an immense amount of scrutiny in how they investigate gender-based violence. In response to cries for accountability, a group of former members of the armed services have banded together to seek justice for Vanessa and her family to hold the military accountable for their inaction. Lucy C. Del Gaudio, Melissa Bryant, and Lindsay Church speak with Alejandra Y. Castillo on how they are advocating for Vanessa and providing a new blueprint for proper investigation of gender-based violence reports within the armed services. As calls for transparency and accountability increase, these women are leading the way to achieve justice, and making history along the way.
Please follow along @LadyDelDJ, @mabryant256 @lkmchurch, and contribute to the conversation to demand using the hashtag #JUSTICEFORVANNESSAGUILLEN on Twitter.
For more information on what YWCA is doing to support survivors of gender-based violence visit our website here.
Week Without Violence is part of a global movement with YWCAs across the country and around the world to end violence against women and girls. At YWCA, we know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally and that some victims go unrecognized altogether. That’s why, for more than 20 years, YWCA has set aside one week in October as a Week Without Violence.
Join us from October 18 – 24, as we hold events nationally and locally, share information and stories, advocate, and more with a common goal in mind: together, we can end gender-based violence.
During this week we will be partnering with Our Voice, Helpmate, Youth Outright, Family Justice Center, and Mountain Child Advocacy to increase awareness of the resources available within our community. Join us on social media by using this profile frame all week long.
The BOOsters are happy little friendly ghosts sold throughout the month of October in area banks, restaurants, cleaners, convenience stores, and many other businesses. For only $1.00, anyone can purchase a BOOster, place his or her name or business card on it and have it displayed. This is a great way to decorate area businesses for the holiday while providing fun, friendly competition, and funds to help continue the outreach of the Eblen Charities.
Eblen Charitable Group Pumpkin Sales: Much like the BOOster sales, these bright paper pumpkins are sold for $1.00 during the month of October in area schools and Ingles Markets. This program sponsored by Outback Steakhouse, Ingle’s Markets, Pepsi, and Clear Channel radio stations benefits the programs of the Eblen Charities and helps provide a community program to the area schools with the premise of children helping children. Schools also have the opportunity to win prizes and equipment for their school. The school with the most over all sales is awarded the Frank Lewis Memorial Award, named in memory of our long time friend and Buncombe County educator, Frank Lewis.
Flat Rock Playhouse is proud to partner with The Breath Project to create an archive of 8 minute and 46 second works of live theater from multidisciplinary theater artists of color who are responding to this moment in history. All submissions that meet the Breath Project guidelines will be featured in the archive, and as partners in the project, CJ Barnwell will be the curator from our theater who will help select pieces from the archive to feature in a virtual festival in Fall 2020. For those who do not have access to video recording equipment, the Playhouse is able to offer the use of the Mainstage and video recording support. If you are interested in recording on the Mainstage, please email [email protected].
To be considered for the Fall 2020 virtual festival, please submit your piece by Sept. 14, 2020. For more information on the submission process, the mission of the Breath Project and other partner theaters, visit www.thebreathproject2020.com.
Do you need a cup of ambition before you start the day (or a few throughout the day)? During the month of October, popular coffee shops and cafés throughout Buncombe County donate up to five cents of each cup of coffee purchased to support local sports programs for community members with intellectual disabilities.
Coffee for Champions is the largest annual fundraiser for Special Olympics Buncombe County, a completely donation-funded, volunteer-driven program that provides year-round training and competitive programs in 11 sports for more than 480 youth and adults. Funds raised help build equitable opportunities for everyone who lives here, create a connection between athletes and the greater community, and celebrate changing attitudes about the talents of people with intellectual disabilities.
“We started Coffee for Champions five years ago,” says Karla Furnari, Local Coordinator for Special Olympics Buncombe County. “Each year, it continues to grow and helps expand programs and fund critical needs such as equipment, uniforms, and transporting athletes. Even though in-person training was put on hold because of COVID-19, volunteer coaches continued to engage with athletes on a regular basis to keep them mentally and physically healthy during a time that has been particularly taxing on individuals with intellectual disabilities. We have safely resumed some programs in which social distancing is possible and face coverings can be worn such as tennis and bocce.”
Donating Five Cents Per Cup
Donating One Cent Per Cup
Buncombe County Special Olympics is made possible through funding from donors and support from Buncombe County Government. To donate or volunteer, visit the organization’s website.
Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy in 1968 to celebrate changing attitudes about the talents of people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics Buncombe County provides year-round sports training and athletic competition for adults and children above the age of seven. Sports include alpine skiing and snowboarding, aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, powerlifting, soccer, and tennis, as well as a young athletes program. The organization also offers the Adaptive Athlete Program in a partnership with Buncombe County Recreation Services.
The message is simple – COVID-19 has made a severe impact on the blood supply and The
Blood Connection is asking the community to donate blood as soon as possible to support the
critical need of blood for local hospitals in this area.
To find a blood drive: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/zip
To find a center (5 in Upstate, 2 in Western NC): https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/centers
Those interested in hosting a blood drive in the community: thebloodconnection.org/host-a-drive<http://thebloodconnection.org/host-a-drive>
What is the wait? Buncombe County Website tracks waiting time for Early Voting in Buncombe County!
Through our efforts of informing Buncombe County about Reappraisal 2021 so far, we have received many questions from community members. So, we decided to compile them into this FAQ. Do you have more questions that aren’t covered here? You can email them to [email protected]. Otherwise, visit buncombecounty.org/MyValue2021 for everything you need to know about the reappraisal process.
WHY IS BUNCOMBE COUNTY REAPPRAISING PROPERTY?
North Carolina law requires counties to reappraise all real property once every eight years but also allows Counties to advance the reappraisal to less than eight years. Buncombe County Commissioners voted to conduct reappraisals every four years. The county must assess 127,000 parcels. The effective date of the reappraisal is Jan. 1, 2021.
The Great Trails State Plan will draw upon existing plans and new recommendations to identify a network of shared-use paths and trails that connect every county in North Carolina, with a focus on connections between population centers and North Carolina State Parks.
The primary outcome of this planning process is to develop a statewide trail map coupled with an action-oriented network plan and 5-year implementation strategy.
The Great Trails State Plan is being led by the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Integrated Mobility Division, in coordination with the NCDOT Transportation Planning Division and North Carolina State Parks.
We’re now hiring a Controller to join the Hickory Nut Gap team. The position is remote, but our new team member must be available to work during standard EST work hours. If you’re eager for your next challenge, HNG Meats is ready to welcome you to the team!
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Buncombe County is diverse. Playgrounds should be, too. The spirit of inclusion is straightforward in a recent partnership that has brought swing access for persons of all abilities to the three largest parks in the County’s Recreation Services system.
With support from Dogwood Health Trust, Sand Hill Lions Club, and the citizens of Buncombe County, wheelchair swings can be found at Buncombe County Sports Park, Charles D. Owen Park, and Lake Julian Park that adhere to Americans with Disability Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Front and rear ramps allow easy access onto and off a 32 inch wide platform (the same as standard doorway entries). Wheelchairs can easily navigate on specially engineered mulch that also acts as a safety feature in case a user should fall.
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