Calendar of Events

Adam Mamawala is a stand-up comedian based out of New York City. Named one of Funny or Die’s “Top 30 Under 30: Comedians to Watch”, Adam has appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, BET and SeeSo, and his debut album One of the Good Ones debuted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts in December of 2017. Adam has headlined over 200 colleges across more than 35 states and his recent festival appearances include the NBC/Second City Breakout Comedy Festival, Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, and New York Comedy Festival. Adam has been a freelance contributor to Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update and a writer for Someecards.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adam-mamawala-at-lazoom-friday-tickets-70464738931

SATURDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adam-mamawala-at-lazoom-saturday-tickets-70464921477

9:00 am Parade

         SIGN UP>

10:00 – 10:00 pm Food and Craft Vendors

        Contests

11:00 Bigfoot Costume Contest – under 17

11:30 Bigfoot Costume Contest – 17 and up

12:00 Big “Foot” Contest – women

12:30 Big “Foot” Contest – men

2:00 Tree Knock Contest – under 17

2:30 Tree Knock Contest – 17 and up

3:00 Bigfoot Look-a-like Contest

4:00 Bigfoot Calling Contest – under 17

4:30 Bigfoot Calling Contest – 17 and up

Live Music

11:00 Tugalo Holler

1:00 Those Guys

4:15 Diamonds and Whiskey

7:15 The Eric Scott Band

         MUSIC>

Guest Speakers

in the Westminster Music Centre

         SPEAKERS>

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Bold Rock Hard Cider invites you to celebrate what makes fall great in the Blue Ridge Mountains at our Annual Fall Foliage Festival on Saturday, October 26th at Bold Rock Hard Cider from 11:30 – 10 PM!

Festival admission is FREE and family/pet friendly! Activities include an artisan fair from 12-5pm, live music from The Pitching Fits from 1-4pm, tunes from Flashback Band from 6-9pm, food trucks and other food vendors, as well as fun fall-themed activities!

Stay tuned for more details and if you’re an interested vendor, please reach out to [email protected] for more information on how you can get in on the fun!

We hope to see you there!

Warriors, Wanderers, Wakandans, & Westerosi!  It is our very great pleasure to announce the next Festival of Heroes & Goblin Market on Saturday, October 26th!  Located at the Montford Park Players‘s beautiful outdoor Shakespearean amphitheater, this will be a wondrous day of skilled fighting and musical entertainment!

This fall Festival of Heroes will feature the Warriors of Ash and their marquee steel sword tournament, a live musical performance by Balkan & Turkish folk band Black Sea Beat Society, medieval battle and dancing with SCA Barony of Hawkwood, Finnish folk band Slack Bird, blessings by our very own SuperVixen Conversationalist, walk-on foam fighting with The Wandering Swordsmen and The Valley of Ashes, and sing-a-longs by the delightful Assemblage of Singing Folk!

We are also delighted to be joining forces with the Goblin Market to bring even more talented artisans, artists, and entertainers to display and offer their beautiful creations!  Of course we will also have Fox Hill Meadery‘s finest on tap and delicious feasts provided by The Wooden Ladle several other area chefs!

This is a FREE and inclusive event that EVERYONE of all ages, from all lands, and in all themes are welcome at!  It will be Rain or Shine!

Artisans, Artists, and Entertainers will be announced shortly.  In the mean time, those interested in joining us are HIGHLY encouraged to register without delay!

Guests will hear a narration of Schulz’s “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as the train travels to the Pumpkin Patch. Upon arrival, passengers will be greeted and have a photo opportunity with Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy. During your 1 hour and 30 minute layover, your activities to enjoy at The Great Pumpkin Patch will include:

• campfire marshmallows
• coloring station
• temporary tattoos
• trick or treating
• bouncy house (weather permitting)
• wagon rides

And kids, don’t forget to wear your Halloween costumes! There will be plenty of PEANUTS™ merchandise at the GSMR Gift Store and Train Museum! Each child will also select their own pumpkin from The Great Pumpkin Patch to take home.

Known for whip-quick wit and rollicking improvisations, Sam Tallent is one of the sharpest, most original rising talents in comedy today. Fresh off his New Faces debut at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, Sam has been called “the absurd voice of a surreal generation” by the Denver Post, and, when not maintaining a “Black Flag esque tour schedule” (Savage Henry Magazine), Sam has worked alongside many of the biggest names in comedy, including Russel Peters, Ron White, Dave Chappelle, Doug Stanhope, Dana Carvey and Hannibal Buress. He recently won his battle on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, and was seen on VICELAND’s Flophouse as well as the Chris Gethard Show. His writing has been published on VICE.com. His debut novel, “Running the Light”, will be available this fall wherever fine books are sold. He lives in Denver with his wife and dog.

Featuring Steve Vanderploeg

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
FRIDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-sam-tallent-friday-tickets-70464738931

SATURDAY: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-sam-tallent-saturday-tickets-70464921477

Guests will hear a narration of Schulz’s “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as the train travels to the Pumpkin Patch. Upon arrival, passengers will be greeted and have a photo opportunity with Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy. During your 1 hour and 30 minute layover, your activities to enjoy at The Great Pumpkin Patch will include:

• campfire marshmallows
• coloring station
• temporary tattoos
• trick or treating
• bouncy house (weather permitting)
• wagon rides

And kids, don’t forget to wear your Halloween costumes! There will be plenty of PEANUTS™ merchandise at the GSMR Gift Store and Train Museum! Each child will also select their own pumpkin from The Great Pumpkin Patch to take home.

Oscar-winning producer Melissa Berton, creator of the short documentary “Period. End of Sentence.” will speak at Warren Wilson College on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m.

“Period. End of Sentence.” follows a group of women in rural India as they learn how to operate a machine that makes low-cost, biodegradable sanitary pads, which they sell to other women at affordable prices. The film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject this year, and it sparked a worldwide conversation about menstrual justice and menstrual equity.

Berton, who is a graduate of Warren Wilson’s MFA in Creative Writing, works as a high school English teacher at Oakwood School in Los Angeles. After learning that the lack of hygienic sanitary products and taboos around menstruation cause nearly a third of Indian girls to miss school during their periods, her class became inspired to raise money for a pad machine and to create a documentary. They raised funds by doing bake sales and yogathons.

At the lecture at Warren Wilson College, Berton will speak about the importance of girls staying in school and how youth voices can contribute to the global movement for education. She will also give an overview of “how that whole crazy journey took place.”

The lecture will be followed by a showing of the documentary and Q&A session. The event is free and open to the public. It will take place in Warren Wilson College’s Kittredge Theatre. Register online at www.warren-wilson.edu/lecture.

BRANDIE POSEY Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Brandie Posey is a stand up comedian, writer and producer who now calls LA’s comedy scene home. She has been featured as a performer at the Bentzen Ball, New York Comedy Festival, RIOT Comedy Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest, FEST in Gainesville, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, High Plains in Denver, among many others. She has opened for all of your favorite comics, including Kyle Kinane, Maria Bamford and the legendary punk band Against Me! Brandie has appeared on MTV, E! and Comedy Central. She made her feature film debut in the indie dark comedy, “The Worst Year Of My Life” directed by Jonathan Smith and her first stand up record Opinion Cave debuted at #1 on iTunes & #12 on Billboard.com. Brandie’s comedic style has been described as a “Riot Grrl on acid”.

Brandie tours the country, headlining every dark corner with a microphone that will have her – from a basement in Whitesburg, KY to the stages of the Kennedy Center (twice!). She is the co-creator & host of Picture This!, the popular comedy-animation show with consistently sold out shows in Los Angeles & New York. In 2018 Picture This! shot a pilot for TruTV in partnership with Page Hurwitz & Wanda Sykes’ Push It Productions. At the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre & The Hollywood Improv, Brandie co-hosts Lady to Lady alongside Barbara Gray & Tess Barker. Lady to Lady is also a celebrated weekly podcast with over 7 million downloads & loyal fans around the world.

Tickets $10
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-lisa-curry-brandie-posey-tickets-71705806999

The Asheville Moth GrandSLAM 2019
October 28, 2019 • 8:00 PM
The Moth Website

The Moth presents the GrandSLAM, a battle of wits and words – fierce, hilarious, heartbreaking and all points between. The Moth is dedicated to finding intriguing people to tell inspired stories. At The Moth StorySLAM, those people find us. On this night, using words as weapons, they compete to determine The Moth’s Asheville GrandSLAM Story Champion.

There will be a TON of sausage samples this year!! We listened to the feedback from last year and you’ll get to not only sample lots of different sausages, but we’re also showing you how we make it in a live demo. Brian, our butcher, has 18 different flavors and will be adding a special sausage just for the festival.

With your ticket, you’ll take part in:

• Sausage sampling ALL DAY LONG!
• Fantastic sausage-centric menu
• Live sausage making demos
• Adult Musical Chairs (with prize)
• Oktoberfest Games like “Pass the Pretzel”
• Local beers and ciders
• Fresh soft pretzels by Blunt Pretzels
• Live Music by Mile High Band
• Hot Beverages by Snowbird Mountain Coffee
• All Fall Festival activities like hay rides, etc.

Food Truck Festivals of America is bringing the 3rd Annual Asheville Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival to Asheville Outlets on Saturday, Nov 2, in Asheville, NC from Noon-5pm (VIP hour 11am-Noon). While popular food trucks dish out fan favorites, craft ales and beers will be available for sale. There will also be music playing, lawn games to enjoy, and an artisan market where local artists will showcase their work.

For those foodies that want a little more out of their festival experience, the VIP hour is for you (from 11am-Noon)! VIP tickets are $25 in advance online and entitle you to:

• Early access to the festival
• No lines!
• One free dessert from our designated VIP food truck
• Unlimited bottled water throughout the festival
• $1 off any craft beer throughout the festival

This year for beer lovers looking for something special FTFA is introducing their new Beer Lovers Package. These tickets are $40 in advance online only and includes:

• Early access to the festival (11 AM)
• 3 beer tickets for 3 craft beers of your choice
• $1 off additional craft beers
• Free FTFA koozie
• Unlimited bottled water

You can also purchase our Beer 6-pack add on in advance and get 6 beers for the price of 5!

Ticket Information

General admission tickets will be available for purchase in advance online for $5, or at the gate for $10. Children 12 and under are free.
For more information or to purchase VIP or General Admission tickets please visit www.foodtruckfestivalsofamerica.com.

Paying Tribute to the Amazing Work of Those Who Keep Us Safe
First Responders will receive Free Admission at all festivals – from police, to fire, to EMTs – with a valid ID.

More Information

For the very latest news please follow @FTFofAmerica on Twitter and “like” us on www.facebook.com/FTFofAmerica/.

From traditional paintings, jewelry, wood, pottery, and glass, to unique photography, furniture, clothing, and mixed media art; the idea behind Artisanville is to have something for everyone to appreciate and to take home.
Artisanville invites its guests to investigate and explore our unique items during a two-day long fine art and craft show. With over 175 regional and national artists—each handpicked and personally invited to the event— this show promises to surprise and entrance you. Visitors can interact with artisans, see live art demos, purchase beautiful artwork, or simply enjoy the craftsmanship behind each piece. When in need of a break, art lovers can also relax, get a drink or snack, listen to live music and log into the Internet at the new Art Patron Lounge area. There are even free drawings for “Artisanville bucks” to spend at the show. Be sure not to miss ARTISANVILLE…the newest Fine Art/Fine Craft Show coming to Greenville, SC!

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

A multi-media performance exploring the interplay among luminosity, acoustic, architectural, and emotional relationships within the space. Performing with various types of lighting equipment such as theater lights, flashlights, bare light bulb, mirrors and other objects, Onda arranges and rearranges the tools composing the visual and aural as a total environment. Aki Onda is a New York-based artist, composer and curator. He is known for his “Cassette Memories”—works compiled from a “sound diary” of field-recordings collected by using the cassette Walkman over a span of last three decades. Onda often works in interdisciplinary fields and collaborates with filmmakers, visual artists, musicians, and choreographers. For the last fifteen years, he has worked with artists such as Ken Jacobs, Michael Snow, Paul Clipson, Raha Raissnia, Daisuke Yokota, Annea Lockwood, Loren Conners, Alan Licht, David Toop, Rie Nakajima, and Akio Suzuki. Onda has presented his work at The Kitchen, MoMA, P.S.1 MOMA, REDCAT, Time-Based Art Festival, documenta 14, Louvre Museum, Palais de Tokyo, Fondation Cartier, Présences électronique, Bozar, ICA London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Nam June Paik Art Center, and many others.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the “STAFF ONLY” doors at the Nature Center?

Now’s your chance to find out! Areas visited on the Wild Walk may* include the Small Mammal habitat, the Predator area, and the Animal Kitchen. Don’t miss out on this amazing up-close encounter with some of your favorite wildlife!

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

The Buncombe County Public Library system is supporting Asheville writers during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) by offering quiet writing spaces, raffle prizes, and a NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party in early December.

NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. It began in 1999 and is supported by an international nonprofit organization of the same name.

The Black Mountain Library, Leicester Library, Pack Library, North Asheville Library, South Buncombe Library, and West Asheville Library will all be offering quiet spaces for writers to work on their 50,000 word count goal throughout the month. Some branches will offer tea, coffee and snacks as well. The Pack Library Youth Services department will host a Teen Writer’s Café every Friday afternoon. “We wanted to have a space at a library in the county every day where a writer could come plug in their laptop or pull out their notebook and chip away at their word count with no interruptions,” Anna Booraem, Branch Manager of the South Buncombe Library, says.

Each time a writer comes to one of the library writing spaces to work on their novel in November, they will be entered into a raffle for prizes to be given away at the NanoWrimo NoMo’ party. The raffle prizes will include treats from local businesses, including Dynamite Coffee, as well as some official NaNoWriMo swag.

The NaNoWriMo NoMo’ party will be held at the Lord Auditorium in the Pack Library on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 2-3:30 pm. The party is for any writer who participated in NaNoWriMo. There will be food, activities and opportunities to meet other writers, as well as a “micro mic” that will give each writer a chance to read one paragraph from their novel to the group.

Kelly McInerney has been on the cult podcasts Doug Loves Movies, Getting Doug With High and Doug Stanhope’s podcast. She has been featured on Funny or Die and at clubs throughout the country and North America including Comedy Works, Improv and Punchline. Kelly also been invited to many comedy festivals including Blue Whale Comedy Fest in Tulsa, OK and the Memphis Comedy Fest. You can also check out more info at www.kellymcinerney.net

Jon Durnell grew up in the mean streets of a beautiful suburban community in Nashville, TN. He has performed in colleges, coffeehouses, dive bars, fancy bars, theaters, comedy clubs, backyards, abandoned/condemned buildings, and skateboard shops across the USA. Jon has appeared on Comedy Central and LATV Network. He has also been in many comedy festivals including CROM, Beast Village, Memphis Comedy Fest and Laughing Skull.

Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-at-fleetwoods-kelly-mcinerney-jon-durnell-tickets-72174809799