Calendar of Events

Buncombe County Recreation Services has partnered with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks program to install a new TRACK Trail at Charles D. Owen Park in Swannanoa. Children and families are invited to hike the new TRACK Trail, which was installed in celebration with National Great Outdoors Month and with support from the Buncombe County Community Recreation Grant award.

The TRACK Trail follows the walking path around the ponds at Charles D. Owen Park and meanders along the Swannanoa River. The new trailhead sign, located between the ponds, provides four brochure-led activity guides that allow young hikers to learn about and connect with the natural features found along the trail. Activity guides are available in English y en español.

TRACK Trails are designed to turn an ordinary hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure – and the fun doesn’t stop when the trail ends. After their outing, kids can register their TRACK Trail adventures at KidsinParks.com to earn a series of prizes designed to make their next outdoor adventure more meaningful and encourage continued participation in the program. Since the program’s inception in 2009, more than 1.5 million TRACK Trail adventures have been completed.

Please note: Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks has been postponed until July; however, the exhibit will have an extended schedule and will be open until November 1. We look forward to seeing you!

The Arboretum is excited to welcome back the widely popular traveling exhibit, Nature Connects^®: Art with LEGO^® Bricks by Sean Kenney. Featuring 14 larger-than-life-size sculptures place created with nearly 500,000 LEGO Bricks, this family-friendly exhibit draws inspiration from the living world and combines art, play and science to create an inspiring intersection of education, entertainment and the environment. New sculptures include a 5-foot tall colorful peacock, giant dragonfly, bonsai tree and more!

The Fairy trail is open Monday thru Saturday, 9am-4pm. We encourage all visitors to be patient as there will be limits to the number of people allowed on the trail at the same time. While the trail is outdoors, there are some small spaces and we want to ensure our guests and fairies are safe. Please practice appropriate social distancing and bring a mask in case. Masks are not required, but are considerate in a close area. Our restrooms are not open to the public at this time. Please make arrangements prior to visiting.

Rules of the trail:

Do not move or rearrange fairy displays. The fairies are very fond of their own decorating.

Do not leave trash on the trail. Fairies do not like litter in their town.

Please ensure children and pets are supervised at all times. Dogs and loud noises can scare the fairies into hiding.

Do not disturb wildlife or vegetation. The fairies depend on the vegetation to build their homes.

The trail is one way only. Please stay on the trail at all times.

The Fairies can’t wait to see you all here!

P.S. the Fairies would like us to remind you that we are a non-profit and donations are greatly appreciated. Help us keep the fairies living in the style with which they’ve become accustomed.

Instructor: Kelsey Sickmeyer

This is the camp for students who have taken at LEAST one camp or class at Odyssey in the last year or two that was focused on the potter’s wheel. Students will be encouraged to develop their throwing skills to create bigger and better vessels on the wheel! We will move faster and have more freedom, so start sketching some ideas now and we will make them come alive!

Tuition: $225
$25 discount for siblings enrolled in the same class
Use promo code “claycamp25”

Interested in finding our more about the Literacy Council?

Wednesday/Thursday, October 7/8 OR Friday/Saturday, October 9/10. The spring session didn’t happen so we have set new dates for October. Justin & Shannon Roberts (@walkthewillow) from Murray, KY will be teaching two traditional Appalachian Willow Chair classes at Silver River:  Sign up HERE. But don’t pay yet, just let us know you’re interested. We will keep looking at COVID numbers….Thanks!

Kentucky Crafted Artist and 2019 Regional Bernheim Artist in Residence, Justin Roberts specializes in the rare folk art of bent-wood willow furniture. Learn about the history, uses and process of the craft through this engaging process. You leave with your own willow chair! Bring a hammer, hand pruners, and work gloves. No experience is necessary.

Justin and his wife, Shannon are creators of epic public art willow sculptures and bird habitats including “Sounds of a Whippoorwill – Bernheim” and “Sounds of a Whippoorwill – Josephine,” and “Choices @ Calloway County Public Library” in Kentucky. Follow them on Instagram @walkthewillow

The Blue Ridge Humane Society Thrift Store will begin accepting merchandise donations for resell from the public on Tuesday, June 30^th. Donations will only be accepted on Tuesdays and Fridays between the hours of 10:30am-4:00pm. The Thrift Store remains open for shopping with the reduced hours of 10:30am-4:30pm, Tuesday-Saturday, and with a limited shopper capacity.

Donations will need to be able to unloaded without staff assistance and placed into the appropriately labeled bin to ensure a contact-free drop-off. This will also assist with ensuring that all items can be properly transported and quarantined before processing and placement for resell in the store. During drop-offs all donors are asked to practice physical distancing and wear a mask following state mandates. Donated items will be quarantined before processing by staff and volunteers to ensure that all items are safe for resell.

Staff and volunteers continue to adhere to additional cleaning, sanitizing, scheduling, and social distancing practices as recommended by the CDC and current safety regulations. The number of customers allowed in the store remains limited to reduce the risk of exposure. Markers are placed to designate 6ft spaced waiting areas for shoppers to enter the store or for waiting in line for check-out. Customers, as well as staff and volunteers, are required to wear a mask while on Thrift Store premises and shopping and follow CDC recommendations.

All customers will be required to follow the procedures listed below:

• All staff, volunteers, and customers are required to wear a mask while on the Thrift Store premises and during shopping.
• Store hours are adjusted; keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for current hours.
• The number of customers allowed in the store is limited. Please expect a wait and be patient with other shoppers while waiting, and our staff and volunteers managing the entrance and exit.
• Practice social distancing while shopping or waiting in line. Markers will be placed for checkout and entry lines.
• Shields are installed at checkout locations for the safety of our customers, volunteers, and staff.
• Hand sanitizer stations are available for customers, volunteers, and staff at stations located at each door.
• Anyone exhibiting signs of illness is asked to stay home, including staff and volunteers.
• Follow CDC recommendations at all times:
  • Three W’s: Wear a cloth mask, Wait 6’ apart and Wash your hands!
• Donations will be accepted on Tuesdays and Fridays only, between 10:30am-4pm. Items must be able to unloaded without staff assistance and placed into bins for quarantine. Donors are asked to practice physical distancing and wear a mask while on Thrift Store property.

If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

Buncombe County Recreation Services will open its five outdoor swimming pools. Safety and sanitation measures have been taken to comply with Buncombe County’s Stay Safe, Stay Smart order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pool visitors will be required to practice the Three Ws: wear a cloth face covering when entering/exiting the pool and when not in the pool, wait at least six feet apart from and avoid close contact with anyone who does not live in your household, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often.

Pool will open for two sessions Monday-Saturday, closing between sessions for a sanitation period that includes wiping down all common touch points. Sunday hours include one session. Admission for each session is $3 per guest. Due to limited capacity, guests are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online. If a pool is unable to open for any reason or is forced to close within the first hour of operation, all guests will receive a raincheck via the email address provided when purchasing the original ticket. Booking are currently available through July 10.

Monday-Friday
10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
2:15-5:15 p.m.

Saturday
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
3-6 p.m.

Sunday
1-6 p.m.

“While this summer is different in nearly every way for local families, we’re happy to safely and responsibly open our pools to the community,” said Josh O’Conner, Director of Buncombe County Recreation Services. “While we are not allowing toys, balls, noodles, dive sticks, and other communal items inside pools, the guest experience should be enhanced as visitors will be able to enjoy pools with a capacity limit of roughly 30% normal occupancy.”

Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732

Erwin Pool
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806

Hominy Valley Pool
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715

North Buncombe Pool
892 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787

Owen Pool
117 Stone Drive

The Gallery at Flat Rock is excited to announce a dog-friendly event and exhibition celebrating adoptable canines weighing 50 pounds or more. “A Cause for Big Paws” is the result of a partnership between the Blue Ridge Humane Society, Barkers Anonymous and The Gallery at Flat Rock artist Marsha Hammel; they have joined forces to highlight the loving big dogs at BRHS that are currently seeking forever homes. The exhibition of Hammel’s work in her Hendersonville studio will feature a reserved ticketed opening party with all proceeds going to BRHS.

“We wanted to draw attention to big dogs, in that big dogs are slower to be adopted than small dogs,” said Marsha Hammel. “We’re celebrating the joys of living with big dogs.”

“A Cause for Big Paws” will showcase new paintings inspired by big dogs at M.Hammel Studio. A dog-friendly opening on July 2 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the studio will include treats for humans and dogs, as well as a chance for attendees to receive an original sketch drawn by Hammel, created on-site at the event.

To maintain proper social distancing, this ticketed event is open only by reservation to individuals and small groups. Barkers Anonymous will provide the goodies and treats for pets. Tickets to this event are $20 each with part of the proceeds to fund the mission of Blue Ridge Humane Society.

The Gallery at Flat Rock represents finely curated art and craft, and is located in Flat Rock Square at 2702-A Greenville Highway in Flat Rock, North Carolina. Gallery hours are currently Thursdays – Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; or by appointment. To learn more, please visit the gallery website at galleryflatrock.com or call the gallery at 828-698-7000.

Asheville Outlets has announced that the majority of retailers and eateries at the center are now open, including American Eagle Outfitters, Lucky Brand, RH Outlet, West Elm Outlet, Pandora, Skechers, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Bradley Factory Outlet Store, Johnston & Murphy Factory Store, Talbot’s Outlet, and Le Creuset, among many more.

Asheville Outlets is an open-air shopping center; hours are Monday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12 noon to 6:00 p.m.

Asheville Outlets will host the Warehouse Sale, a traveling pop-up shoe store concept, from Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 12, 2020. The Warehouse Sale Pop-Up Shoe store will feature men’s, women’s, and children’s brand name shoes at up to 80% off traditional retail prices. Brands include Michael Kors, Timberland, BCBG, Adidas, and hundreds of others.

This year, we weren’t able to host our “Strolling through History” series of walking tours, but thanks to some awesome work by interns we hosted from UNC Asheville this spring, they will be partially available virtually!

Enjoy “Scrolling” through history from your couch, or grab your tablet or smartphone and follow the tour in real life. (Make sure to follow local safety guidelines!)

The tours will be posted as links in this event discussion. Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Reginald Marsh, Merry-Go-Round, 1930, etching and engraving on paper, edition 53/59, plate: 6 ⅞ × 9 ⅞ inches. Gift of Dr. Herbert S. Johnson, 1997.05.63. © Estate of Reginald Marsh / Art Students League, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Join Doris Potash, master docent, for an interactive conversation about three artworks in our Collection. Before the discussion, find a quiet space. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Now open your eyes, and engage with the artworks in the image gallery; click on the thumbnail for a larger image, and spend about 15 minutes looking slowly at each.

• What’s going on in this artwork? What do you see that makes you say that?
• Do you see anything to indicate when the artwork was created? What era does it depict?
• Did the artist react to events that were happening at the time?

Join me in the studio as we use hammers, saws, files and fire to transform silver wire into a beautiful pair of silver drop earrings. Class price includes all materials.

Enjoy an archived BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert on Friday, July 10 at 1pm BST. Members of the London Symphony Orchestra perform the heroic Brahms Trio for Piano, Horn and Violin. This concert was first performed and broadcast from LSO St Luke’s in November 2018 and will be available for viewing on the LSO website for 48 hours.

Instructor: Paige Janeri

Food is something that everybody needs, deserves, and enjoys! In this week of camp, we will prepare some of our personal favorites in the clay studio. No experience or prior knowledge of clay is necessary to enjoy hand building sculptures that resemble our favorite things to eat. We will literally be playing with our food! Students will have the opportunity to use the wheel to make a bowl or plate to serve their favorite meals. These fun exercises will get us thinking creatively about what we like to eat and get us talking about the importance of balanced nutrition.

Tuition: $225
$25 discount for siblings enrolled in the same class
Use promo code “claycamp25”

Buncombe County Recreation Services will open its five outdoor swimming pools. Safety and sanitation measures have been taken to comply with Buncombe County’s Stay Safe, Stay Smart order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pool visitors will be required to practice the Three Ws: wear a cloth face covering when entering/exiting the pool and when not in the pool, wait at least six feet apart from and avoid close contact with anyone who does not live in your household, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often.

Pool will open for two sessions Monday-Saturday, closing between sessions for a sanitation period that includes wiping down all common touch points. Sunday hours include one session. Admission for each session is $3 per guest. Due to limited capacity, guests are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online. If a pool is unable to open for any reason or is forced to close within the first hour of operation, all guests will receive a raincheck via the email address provided when purchasing the original ticket. Booking are currently available through July 10.

Monday-Friday
10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
2:15-5:15 p.m.

Saturday
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
3-6 p.m.

Sunday
1-6 p.m.

“While this summer is different in nearly every way for local families, we’re happy to safely and responsibly open our pools to the community,” said Josh O’Conner, Director of Buncombe County Recreation Services. “While we are not allowing toys, balls, noodles, dive sticks, and other communal items inside pools, the guest experience should be enhanced as visitors will be able to enjoy pools with a capacity limit of roughly 30% normal occupancy.”

Cane Creek Pool
590 Lower Brush Creek Road
Fletcher, NC 28732

Erwin Pool
58 Lees Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28806

Hominy Valley Pool
25 Twin Lakes Road
Candler, NC 28715

North Buncombe Pool
892 Clarks Chapel Road
Weaverville, NC 28787

Owen Pool
117 Stone Drive

Swannanoa, NC 28778

Change can be good! As members of a cooperative, the 31 artists of Asheville Gallery of Art are used to being and working together to keep the gallery functioning. With COVID-19, everyone is working in their home studios and finding that they have the chance to do what they might not have tried before. Many say they have found infinite possibilities within their work as well as new ways to sell work they’ve been creating.

 The Hemp X Hot Box:Roll with us Fridays from 5-10pm as we coast a route through West Asheville and Downtown. Stops at UpCountry Brewing, One World Brewing West, Foggy Mountain, and The One Stop. We’ll have smokable and edible hemp products for purchase to enjoy alongside any wine or beer you bring yourselves (closed containers only). We’re happy to provide an affordable way for locals and visitors to Roll Up, Stay Safe and Party Down! Cruisin Asheville July 10th, July 31st, August 7th, August 21st. More dates to come! 

Purchase Tickets on board! One Way Pass $3 and All Night Unlimited Pass $5

Private Rentals: Spark up your next Asheville area celebration with our personalized rental platform! We offer several packages at different price tiers to best cater to your party’s needs! Our team is dedicated to working with you to create an experience that will leave your guests (and your smoke) blown away!

The Hemp Xpress is dedicated to the safety of the Asheville community; public routes and experiences are operating at half capacity within social distance guidelines. Hand sanitizer is readily available to riders, and surfaces are regularly sanitized. Buncombe County requires a face mask be worn in public places.

Join us at The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall every Friday at 5:30PM for our FREE Acoustic Grateful Dead series Featuring members of Phuncle Sam and great drink and food specials.

What happens when you mash up singer-songwriter music, a banjo, pop cover songs, a jazzy bass player, and a world-beat/rock drummer?: Eleanor Underhill & Friends. With varied backgrounds and influences, this group creates music that is both fresh and timeless with unique grooves, bluesy banjo, jazzy chops, and soul-stirring vocals. New adventurous album drops August 7th, 2020.

Come enjoy an evening of live music, food and drinks at the Isis patio and lawn. Reservations are highly recommended.

Streaming thanks to Iamavl.
Donations can be made direct to the artist.
https://www.paypal.me/TheOrangePeelAVL

Streaming options:
Website
www.iamavl.com
Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Iamavl/
YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/iamavl

https://www.facebook.com/jointkillerBB/

Join us for a memorable evening of jazz-infused ChamberSoul, featuring live interviews with cellist/singer-songwriter Shana Tucker and her band, moderated by Todd Wright, Professor of Jazz Studies in the Hayes School of Music.

With a deep respect for lyrical storytelling, cellist/singer-songwriter Shana Tucker delivers a unique voice through her self-described genre of ChamberSoul™. Shana’s melodies weave strong hints of jazz, classical, soulful folk, acoustic pop and a touch of R&B into a distinctive rhythmic tapestry. Touted by JazzTimes Magazine as a jazz talent “…whose imprint and vitality has already been quite visible…” Shana’s style and sound as been described as a blend of Dianne Reeves, Joni Mitchell, and Tracy Chapman, with an efficient complexity that is reminiscent of Bill Withers.

To learn more about Shana Tucker: http://www.shanatucker.com/bio

Available via YouTube Live, appsummer.org

The Arboretum’s popular ArborEvenings summer after hours series will return this season with a special LEGO twist. Held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July through September, from 8 to 11 …

An entirely unique guitarist and singer, Hiroya has become a favorite at White Horse. He’s hard to pin to a genre — just a wonderful artist!