Calendar of Events

Brighten your walls with with works from Artsville Collective’s upcoming exhibition, “In Living Color: At Home with Paint, Paper and Thread.”  Allow these abstract pieces, in varying sizes and mediums, to light up your life. Collectively, the artwork’s tonal range is of blended neutrals and ventures into spring and fall palettes. Suit your design pleasures with pure color or wabi-sabi textural designs in a range of perspectives from three uniquely talented artists: Betsy Meyer, fibers; Karen Stastny, painting, and Michelle Wise, mixed media. Also showing: the Retro pop art of Daryl Slaton, which can be activated on your phone to reveal an animated story. For a softer approach, consider the mixed media art of Louise Glickman using paint, textiles, and natural plant materials.

Start mentally preparing for the ceremonial start to the summer and your first dip in the pool! Buncombe County Recreation Services opens its five outdoor swimming pools on Saturday, May 28.

Pools are open Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, pools may close for a short period of time or the entire day. Follow individual pools on Facebook for the latest information on closings.

Cost to swim is $3.00 per day. Visitors are welcome to bring their own chairs and lounging towels.

For many local families, our pool openings signal the beginning of summer and more relaxing days. They’re an affordable, fun, and healthy way to beat the heat. Thanks to their locations, they’re also surrounded by stunning views of our mountains.

Pools are located across the county, ensuring easy access for all kids and families. The facilities are managed through an agreement with Swim Club Management Group of Asheville which oversees maintenance, hires staff, and handles daily operations. Community members can sign up for swim lessons and book private parties on the management group’s website, buncombepool.com.

Sun safety information is available at each location, but pool visitors are reminded to apply water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher before putting on a bathing suit and reapply every two hours or after swimming. Other tips to avoid the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays include wearing high-UPF swim shirts, wide brim hats, and wraparound UV-blocking sunglasses. More sun safety tips are available from the American Academy of Dermatology.

Pool Locations

Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732
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Erwin Pool
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806
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Hominy Valley Pool
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715
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North Buncombe Pool
892 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787
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Owen Pool
117 Stone Drive
Swannanoa, NC 28778
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Led by Stewart/Owen Co-Directors, Vanessa Owen and Gavin Stewart, this class begins with full body conditioning followed by a series of technical modern exercises, and culminates in either phrase creation or Stewart/Owen repertory. Dancers are encouraged to modify for their own bodies and spaces! We recommend this class to experienced dancers who are looking for a fast-paced contemporary class that pushes their physical and mental boundaries.

In person: $10, pay at the door

Online: $7 suggested donation, contact [email protected] for class link and details.

About Stewart/Owen Dance: Gavin Stewart and Vanessa Owen, a husband and wife duo, are the co-directors of Western North Carolina based Stewart/Owen Dance. Their choreography has been presented by festivals and companies across the U.S., and their careers have most notably taken them around the globe on fifteen U.S. State Department tours to teach, perform and choreograph contemporary dance with Washington D.C. based Company E. In 2017 they made North Carolina their home base where they work towards building a sustainable community for professional dance artists to set roots.They have choreographed music videos for artists such as Moses Sumney, Sylvan Esso and Ben Phantom. Gavin and Vanessa won the Audience Choice Award at the NYC Dance Gallery Festival 2018, were commissioned as Dance Gallery 2019 Level UP Artists, are recipients of a McDowell Regional Artist Project Grant, a North Carolina Artist Support Grant and were voted “Artists Who Most Pushed the Boundaries with the Human Body” by 2020 Asheville Fringe Arts Festival. Since the pandemic, they have focused on producing COVID-conscious dance experiences for live audiences, including drive-up performances and a guided walk-along dance exhibit presented in residence with Asheville’s beloved Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

The Asheville View is a daytime-style talk web series hosted by Aisha Adams, Kirby Winner, Myriam Weber, Tina White, and Kahlani Jackson. The show serves as a morning cup of coffee for equity advocates across the South.

Known for their edgy content, style, and witty banter, the show hosts share the grit of all things diversity, equity, and inclusion in true Asheville style. The Asheville View is produced by Aisha Adams Media.

This event is FREE to attend. Tickets must be reserved in advance. Masks are required for all audience members, regardless of vaccination status.

N. C. Wyeth, Eight Bells (Clyde Stanley and Andrew Wyeth aboard Eight Bells), 1937, oil on hardboard, 20 × 30 inches. Bank of America Collection

The Wyeths: Three Generations | Works from the Bank of America Collection provides a comprehensive survey of works by N. C. Wyeth, one of America’s finest illustrators; his son, Andrew, an important realist painter; his eldest daughter, Henriette, a realist painter; and Andrew’s son Jamie, a popular portraitist. Through the works of these artists from three generations of the Wyeth family, themes of American history, artistic techniques, and creative achievements can be explored. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s Explore Asheville Exhibition Hall February 12 through May 30, 2022.

N. C. Wyeth (1882–1945) has long been considered one of the nation’s leading illustrators. In the early 1900s, he studied with illustrator Howard Pyle in Delaware. In 1911, he built a house and studio in nearby Chadds Ford, PA. Later, he bought a sea captain’s house in Maine and in 1931 built a small studio, which he shared with his son, Andrew, and his daughters, Henriette and Carolyn. The exhibition includes illustrations for books by Robert Louis Stevenson and Washington Irving as well as historical scenes, seascapes, and landscapes.

Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) is one of the United States’ most popular artists, and his paintings follow the American Realist tradition. He was influenced by the works of Winslow Homer, whose watercolor technique he admired, as well as by the art of Howard Pyle and his father, N. C. While Andrew painted recognizable images, his use of line and space often imbue his works with an underlying abstract quality. The exhibition includes important works from the 1970s and 1980s as well as recent paintings.

Henriette Wyeth (1907–1997) was the eldest daughter of N.C. Wyeth and an older sister to Andrew Wyeth. Like other members of her family, her painting style was realist in a time when Impressionism and Abstraction were popular in the early 20th century. She studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and was an acclaimed portraitist, though perhaps not as widely known as her father and brother. Most notably she painted the portrait of First Lady, Pat Nixon, which is in the collection of The White House.

Jamie Wyeth (born 1946), like his father and grandfather, paints subjects of everyday life, in particular the landscapes, animals, and people of Pennsylvania and Maine. In contrast to his father—who painted with watercolor, drybrush, and tempera—Jamie works in oil and mixed media, creating lush painterly surfaces. The 18 paintings in the exhibition represent all periods of his career.

This exhibition has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program.

Useful and Beautiful: Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge features a selection of functional silver works by Dodge drawn from the Museum’s Collection. Organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator, this exhibition will be on view in the Debra McClinton Gallery at the Museum from February 23 through October 17, 2022.

William Waldo Dodge Jr. (Washington, DC 1895–1971 Asheville, NC) moved to Asheville in 1924 as a trained architect and a newly skilled silversmith. When he opened for business promoting his handwrought silver tableware, including plates, candlesticks, flatware (spoons, forks, and knives), and serving dishes, he did so in a true Arts and Crafts tradition. The aesthetics of the style were dictated by its philosophy: an artist’s handmade creation should reflect their hard work and skill, and the resulting artwork should highlight the material from which it was made. Dodge’s silver often displayed his hammer marks and inventive techniques, revealing the beauty of these useful household goods.

The Arts and Crafts style of England became popular in the United States in the early 1900s. Asheville was an early adopter of the movement because of the popularity and abundance of Arts and Crafts architecture in neighborhoods like Biltmore Forest, Biltmore Village, and the area around The Grove Park Inn. The title of this exhibition was taken from the famous quotation by one of the founding members of the English Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, who said, “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” Not only did Dodge follow this suggestion; he contributed to American Arts and Crafts silver’s relevancy persisting almost halfway into the 20th century.

“It has been over 15 years since the Museum exhibited its collection of William Waldo Dodge silver and I am looking forward to displaying it in the new space with some new acquisitions added,” said Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Learn more at ashevilleart.org.

Wands for Wildlife inspires people to help wildlife and the environment through re-purposing discarded mascara wands for use in wildlife care, art and education. Old mascara wands are received from people across the country and even around the world. When they arrive, they must be sorted to remove unusable (dirty/frayed) wands and specialty wands to use in art. The rest are provided to Wildlife Caregivers to help in their work to save injured and orphaned wild animals. Volunteers are needed to help with sorting the inventory of wands – email for more information and to sign up to help.

Round Up for RiverLink

Shoppers at any Mast General Store during the month of May will be invited to round up the last dollar of their purchase to benefit RiverLink! Those small gifts do add up over a month–often up to $5,000–so if you visit Mast General, please do round up for RiverLink!

Whether you’re seeking a swipe right on a dating app, need a business photo for your resume, or want a cute family photo because you never had time or money to get one; join us at Enka-Candler Library on May 28. There will be a professional photographer who will take a couple of photos of your best (or cheesiest) power poses. This event is free and everyone is invited.

A few program notes: You will receive photos from the photographer through your email address, photos will not be placed on a public forum.  You’re more than welcome to print your image at the library if you’d like for a cost of 25 cents per copy for printing. Your photoshoot is limited to five minutes, and please dress appropriately.

No registration is required, and you can drop in at any time. But please sign in when you get to the library.

What: Free professional photography

Come hang with us as we kick off AVL Beer Week with our First Picnic Party of the

Are you ready to make a SPLASH with us?

Join us on Saturday, May 28th from 1PM-5PM to kickoff your summer at Splash! Featuring live music from DJ Jaze Uries, a fashion show and pop-up shop with Nest Boutique + DIY Studio, delicious ice cream from Gospel Ice Cream, beer tastings from New Belgium Brewing, and many more surprises! 

Daily Pool Passes are $15/person and Seasonal Pool Passes are $250/person. Both can be purchased at the front desk.

Let’s have some fun in the sun

Japan’s top-ranking representative in the Southeast, Atlanta-based Consul General Kazuyuki Takeuchi, will attend the American Craft Sake Festival hosted by Ben’s American Sake in Asheville, NC. The Festival is the largest gathering of North American sake brewers in the country and will include tastings and lectures on sake and sake brewing from over a dozen producers from across the continent. Craft sake is a growing industry, with almost two-dozen breweries cropping up across Canada, the United States and Mexico. North American sake draws from the Japanese tradition of brewing rice, water, yeast and koji mold to create an alcoholic beverage with roughly the same ABV as wine (typically 16%)

In addition to the sake tastings, the organizers plan to hold educational seminars for sake newcomers as well as experts on sake and sake making. Consul General Takeuchi’s participation in the event demonstrates the importance of the growing American craft sake industry in deepening the cultural and commercial ties between Japan and the United States.

The American Craft Sake Fest Educational Seminars will cover the following topics:

• “What is sake and how to drink it” with Michael John Simkin (Uka Sake)
• “Growing sake grade rice and brewing techniques” with Whitney and Jeremy Jones (Isbell Farms, AR) and Brandon Doughan (Brooklyn Kura)
• 3) “Koji making for American craft sake” with Andrew Centofante (NASB)
• 4) “Sake and food: A match made in heaven” with Michael John Simkin (Uka Sake) and Byron Stithem (Proper Sake, TN)

The participating breweries are:

• Islander Sake Brewery – Honolulu, HI
• Proper Sake Co. – Nashville, TN
• Tsuki Sake – Salt Lake City, UT
• The Void – Lexington, KY
• Sawtelle Sake – Los Angeles, CA
• Brooklyn Kura – Brooklyn, NY
• Den Sake – Oakland, CA
• North American Sake – Charlottesville, VA
• moto-i – Minneapolis, MN
• River City Sake – Louisville, KY
• Ben’s American Sake – Asheville, NC

(UU requires vaccinations to enter the facility)

It’s easier than you think to turn your garden into a food paradise for native pollinators.

Join us for a fun, interactive workshop to learn the secrets of a successful pollinator garden. We’ll also share the process to certify your garden as a pollinator habitat.

Participants will receive one free native plant.

Bring your questions and get expert advice from pollinator landscape expert Betsy Savely, co-chair of GreenWorks Asheville Bee City’s Leadership Committee. This workshop is part of Bee City’s 10th anniversary yearlong pollination celebration.

“It’s not a regular musical. It’s a Cool Musical.” (Entertainment Weekly)

Direct from Broadway, Mean Girls is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde), and director Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. Soon, this naïve newbie falls prey to a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.

New York Magazine cheers, “Mean Girls delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” USA Today says, “We’ll let you in on a little secret, because we’re such good friends: GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!”

Official Website

From May 28 through June 4, daily, short, guided strolls will highlight Grandfather Mountain’s rhododendron species and blooms. The weeklong rambles culminate on Sunday, June 5, during which the park will host a special speaker and activities throughout the day. Included with admission.

Ballet Conservatory of Asheville presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”,

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, a frolicking ballet based on Shakespeare’s spriteful play, is set by Ballet Conservatory director Angie Lynn, ballet master Nadia Iozzo and Gavin Larsen after Sir Frederick Ashton’s ballet “The Dream.” Felix Mendelssohn’s prolific score showcases it’s celebrated overture and famed “Wedding March.” Tender, fading melodies and playful rambling riffs capture the imagination of youthful romance.

Ballet Conservatory’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” runs May 27-28 at the Wortham Theatre, with performances Friday at 7pm & Saturday at 3pm & 7pm.

Ballet Conservatory’s Helen Coates and Esme Hair alternate the role of Titania alongside Manuel Mata as Oberon. Sarah Adams dances the role of Helena & Sophie Feinblatt as Hermia, with partners Jonah Bell as Demetrius and Eli Simpson as Lysander. Addie Rockoff and Jillian Epstein alternate as the mischievous fairy, Puck, plus Iris Schreiner as Peasblossom.

Ballet Conservatory’s thirteenth Performance Season includes: “Winter Works: Innovations and Variations”, back in March with guest choreography by Nederlands Dans Theater’s Fay Van Baar; “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, May 27-28; and “The Nutcracker”, performing at Western Carolina University and the Wortham Theatre this December 2022. The Ballet Conservatory offers excellent classical training in its comprehensive Pre-professional program and full schedule of children’s open classes in ballet, modern, jazz & tap. This year BCA students were awarded spots to attend prestigious Summer Intensives, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, School of American Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. BCA students have been accepted into ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis school in NYC, North Carolina School of the Arts and the top U.S. universities for ballet: Indian University, Oklahoma University, Butler University, Utah University & Cincinnati University; and one just signed a professional contract with Finnish National Ballet.

Hosted by: The Buddhist Studies Institute

FREE – ONLINE – 30 MINUTES – DAILY
🌺Guided meditation support and community🌺

🌸Stabilization and Liberation:
In order to liberate our minds– we need stable calm.

🌸Consistency & Commitment:
Stabilizing in calm clear presence takes consistent training.

🌸Support & Community:
Daily Meditation is a container and support for your meditation focus.

Expand your meditation circle- join us online any day or every day!

Formerly known as 100 Days of practice to support a Tibetan Yogis tradition to practice 100 days in the winter, this has now been expanded to continue daily. To learn more and register: https://buddhiststudiesinstitute.org/daily-meditation/

Schedule of Events:

5:00 pm—Opening statement by Adrian Dallara, Director of the Harry Dallara Foundation, cousin of the late Stephen Dallara and Grandson of Harry Dallara.

5:05pm—Welcome by The Honorable Mayor, Alan Peoples of Tryon, NC

5:10pm—Invocation by Sam Foster, Senior Advisor of the Harry Dallara Foundation

5:15pm—Special Memorial Remarks by Vanessa Dallara, Daughter of the Late Stephen Dallara

5:20pm—First Pitch Opening Game: Boiling Springs D2 Dodgers vs. Polk County Wolverines; 3-Inning Game

6:15-7pm— Intermission Complete with Refreshments and Games

7:00pm—Honoring Police Officers and Firefighters; Youth baseball players honor local law enforcement and first responders

7:10pm— Opening Pitch: Police Officers vs. Firefighters for a 7-inning game

9:00pm— Adult Game Concludes

Food will be available for purchase throughout the event by our friends at Kirk’s Kitchen and Manzonlina’s.

The Harry Dallara Foundation is a registered non-profit 501c (3), and was created to help disadvantaged populations explore their love of team sports and outdoor play by providing and maintaining Harmon Field and making necessary improvements to facilitate the enjoyment and use of the park.

The foundation believes that by doing so, children of all ages can learn and develop life-long skills such as team building, positive social interaction and fair play. For more information, please visit: http://harrydallarafoundation.org/

The sirens of Spring that nests within our veins. Sharpen the Blades has arisen. Our annual Festival of Saison will take place for the third year at our Forestry Camp Taproom. Enjoy a list of curated saisons and mixed culture beers from a selection of our talented friends across the country.

 The Asheville Tourists in conjunction with the Western NC Black Business Expo are proud to announce Black Business Nights Presented by UScellular.

During five designated nights during the 2022 season five local Black-owned Businesses will be able to showcase their products or professional services on the concourse during Asheville Tourists Games. The first featured game is this Saturday, May 28. The remaining four games are scheduled for June 15, June 29, July 26, and August 12.

This Saturday’s game at McCormick Field will feature the following local Black-owned Businesses: HOTWORX, The Plug Chiropractic, Makeba Loving Hands, Rita Lee & Associates, and Upstate Essential Solutions, LLC.

The initiative is part of Minor League Baseballs “The Nine” outreach platform. Prior to the 2022 season Minor League Baseball launched “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

It is named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946

The Western NC Black Business Expo is a creation of the Western NC Minority Business Association. The WNCMBA is a non-profit organization created to advocate and promote the development of minority-owned businesses in Western North Carolina through networking events, workshops, and annual business expos.

Tickets for this Saturday’s game are on sale at TouristsTickets.com and will feature the ZOOperstars entertainment.

The pre-pandemic brain child of JP “Jangles” Pennington and Sean “Bubs” Richardson, BadRabbit has grown by leaps and bounds in 2021. After recruiting rhythm-section veterans Jes “Clutch” Bradley, Brent ‘Dr. Detroit’ Fleury, and finally Cate “Don’t Call Me ‘Kate’ ” Bradley on the keys, JP and Sean quickly dropped all their pandemic songs on the others, and faster than a jackrabbit on a date, they got to work. The result so-far has been some of the most wide-ranging, satisfying and just plain fun songs they’ve ever collaborated on.

Songwriter and Arkansas son JP is all about three things – family, music and “doing redneck shit”. Oh, and whiskey. And he’s good at all four of ‘em! Inspired by the Beatles at a young age, his knack for innovative and authentic lyrics is remarkable, by any standard.

Put on the musical path by his own percussionist father (Edward Bradley), drummer and Tallahassee boy Jes keeps the rest of these guys in line and on time. Onstage and off, he’s the kind of guy who’s always got your back. A huge Stevie Wonder fan, he’s never at a loss for coming up with a killer beat.

Avowed Deadhead and songwriter, Sean learned to smoke some mean-ass ribs in his hometown of Memphis, which is also where he learned to shred that guitar! His taste in and knowledge of reggae is impeccable, and for the record… he’s pretty damn good at whiskey too.

Hailing from the one and only Motown, Brent first picked up a bass at age 13 and quickly and unexpectedly turned into a Metalhead. Exposed daily, growing up to jazz, classical, big band, folk and even opera by his father, he has developed a style the band likes to call… “interesting”.

Armed with an incredible voice and a really cool-ass keyboard, nobody works harder than Cate. Blessed with a natural talent for vocal harmonies and an abiding love for Patsy Cline, she is the linchpin of BadRabbit. Not to mention she makes the best damn cheese dip you ever tasted!

Spring in the Garden Music Series: Free concert with Jason Whitaker, Saturday Night May 28th, 2022 at the Hilton Garden Inn – Asheville South outdoor terrace! Come celebrate Memorial Day weekend with us. Jason is one of the top booked acts in Western NC. This is an outside show, weather permitting.