There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

There is still time to stop in for a smoothie! Now through Wednesday November 15th at Clean Juice Asheville, guests will receive a 16oz regular smoothie for free with a $2 donation to the Quarters for Kids charity benefiting Verner (this is an in-store promotion only, while supplies last)!

MountainTrue and New Belgium Brewing Co. are proud to invite you to No Man’s Land Film Festival (NMLFF) – the premier all-women adventure film festival featuring environmentally-focused documentary shorts – at New Belgium Brewing’s Brewhouse in Asheville, NC, on November 28 (Giving Tuesday!). NMLFF is free to attend, and the event will also be available virtually for those who cannot attend in person. The NMLFF in-person screening is first come first serve – be sure to arrive early to get your seat(s)!

Learn more about NMLFF here.

Invoke your imagination and dawn your most creaturely costumes at the Mischief Moon Gala! This evening of ceremony, interactive art, empowered movement, and connection is coming Thursday, December 7th, to the Asheville Masonic Temple. Head to https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/mischief-moon-gala for tickets, and see below for more details!

The Mischief Moon Gala: Thursday, December 7th from 5 – 11 pm at the Asheville Masonic Temple

Join us as we celebrate the power of creativity and community with live music from beloved artists like Holy River, Sarah Louise, and Wild Roots Rising; a community waltz with a live band (waltz class beforehand!); traditional Cherokee foods from Bigwitch Wisdom Initiative, and an entire evening of beautifully bizarre performances, installations, and offerings.

This year, we are delving into the wide world of weird, with an emphasis on the bizarre iterations of creation. Start creating your most captivating costumes as you, The Wanderer, have many adventures into the underworld and beyond soon to come!

Begin your journey in The Underworld, where we’ve curated an assortment of oddities to entertain you, including the Fae Cleaning Crew and the FerryMan. When you need to revive your spirits, journey up the Haunted Staircase to sojourn in the Realm of the Fae, where ethereal music, poetry and the Otherworldly Art Gallery & Cantina await you.

All proceeds for the Gala go toward supporting artists and fundraise for Firefly Gathering’s year-round work to empower the people of the Southeast through earthskills workshops, the Annual Firefly Gathering, and community-building events.

Join us for a festive, fun-filled celebration for you and your pups this December 17th! We will have Santa here for photo opportunities, live music, and dog treats!
Donations will be accepted for the Blue Ridge Humane society during the month of December

Doors Open: 6:00 PM

– ALL AGES (kids 12 and under FREE)
– PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT LEAF GLOBAL ARTS

This is a very special show with two master musicians from Africa – Adama Dembele from the Ivory Coast, and Chinobay of Uganda – who have made WNC their home, and who are deeply connected with LEAF Global Art’s mission of connecting cultures and creating community through music, arts education and experiences, to cultivate curiosity, preserve cultures and promote global understanding. This year-end benefit show, which will also feature other talented local musicians from the Asheville area, is all about supporting this powerful work, and connecting our local and global communities as we celebrate the closing of one year, and the beginning of a new journey around the sun.

Learn more about these amazing musicians below, and visit theleaf.org/give to hear more about the work that you’re helping to support by buying a ticket to this event, and becoming a LEAF Member.

Chinobay is Uganda’s leading international world musician. He is a singer/songwriter, creative arts producer, educator, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist whose work has been described as “some of the most exquisite music coming out of Africa today.” For more than 15 years, he has captivated audiences with his soothing rhythms and powerful world-roots-dance melodies that emanate from the diversity of the many traditional instruments he customized to develop his unique sound. His educational and outreach programs are the gateway into Africa through which he introduces Africa’s culture, arts, history and lifestyle rarely covered by mainstream media to global audiences most especially those in schools and colleges.

Adama Dembele is a master djembéfola (djembe player) from Ivory Coast, West Africa and tailor of West African clothing, and for 12+ years Adama is a leading Master Teaching Artists with LEAF Global Arts! Adama come from a family of musicians for 33 generations, and has toured several continents with various major acts such Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita & many others. Adama has created and played in several drum and dance companies such as Yelemba d’Abidjan, Ensemble Koteba, Congoba and many more. You can play drums with Adama most Saturdays 12-2at his Yala! at LEAF Global Arts downtown Asheville. “When I share my culture, I am representing all of my family of drummers, storytellers and culture keepers in Ivory Coast and Mali. I am grateful to have a place to share my culture with so many great people. This means everything to me and the future.” – Adama

Join the growing tech scene in Asheville and connect with fellow developers and designers in town. Each event will include a presentation (or two) and the opportunity to discuss technical, design, and product challenges with our talented community of creators and engineers.

Interested in presenting? Apply here: https://forms.gle/bJyj9AK9ruJpXzYX6

AVL Tech Connect starts at 5:30 with 30 minutes of socializing and presentations start at 6:00.

Event series supported by: AVL Digital Nomads, Venture Asheville, and the NC Biotech Center

Hosted at The Track at Asheville, there will be an opportunity to experience the thrill of SIM racing toward the end of the event.
Sign up and help us spread the word!

Are you curious or even passionate about using advocacy, technology and sensible design to create more equitable social and civic structures in Western North Carolina?
Whether you call yourself an organizer, a technologist, a designer, planner, concerned resident, all of the above or something else entirely, we want to be in relationship and build community together with you.
Check out a list of our current projects: https://github.com/CodeForAsheville/projects
What to expect:
Since project work takes place asynchronously—individually and in smaller squads—the goals of our monthly gatherings are to:

• build relationships and learn about each other’s skills, interests and goals,
• learn what we are doing across the organization (project updates),
• provide opportunities to get involved with and/or initiate projects, and
• shape where we are going as an organization, co-creating the culture and course of our work together.

In this meeting, we will:

• gather virtually using Zoom for group video chat,
• do brief introductions, with a prompt,
• share updates about the projects that we’re working on, highlighting deliverables for the next month and areas where additional resources would be useful, and
• discuss proposals and new opportunities to engage with local government and community organizations.

It isn’t all glamorous, but the stakes are low for showing up and we’d be delighted to join together with you in this work.

Julie Valentine Center
Celebrates a Legacy of Hope:
Featuring 

Brooke Shields

Actress, Model, Author and Entrepreneur

Brooke Shields has spent her life in the spotlight. At the young age of 14 she was America’s Sweetheart, but that didn’t spare her the difficulties and insecurities faced by so many. In a conversation that deftly navigates between heartfelt and humorous, Shields talks candidly about her career trajectory and life in the public eye, living with an alcoholic parent and her own experiences as a mother. Audiences will find her story resonates with their own lives as Shields talks openly about finding the mental and emotional strength to live life to the fullest.

Actress, Model, Author and Entrepreneur, Brooke Shields began her accomplished professional career at only eleven months of age when she was selected as the Ivory Snow Baby, and by age 3 was a runway model. At age 9, Shields began her extensive film career when she won her first acting role in Alice Sweet Alice and rapidly gained fame after starring in Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby, the Palme D’or Award winner at the Cannes Film Festival, and the coming-of-age tales Blue Lagoon and Endless Love. As a model, she has graced the covers of hundreds of magazines, most notably Time Magazine as the “Face of the Eighties”. Today, Shields continues her prolific appearances in a broad range of worldwide publications, decades after it all began.

The two-part documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (which screened to critical acclaim at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and garnered recent Emmy nominations) premiered on Hulu in April 2023. This galvanizing look at Shields as actor, model, and icon, as she transforms from sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power, is directed by Lana Wilson ( Miss Americana ). Holding a mirror up to a society that objectifies women and girls, Shield’s story shows the perils and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world. The documentary is now ABC News most-watched Hulu debut program ever.

Shields will next be seen in the new romantic comedy, Mother of the Bride for Netflix. The film, directed by Mark Waters ( Mean Girls ) also stars Benjamin Bratt and Miranda Cosgrove. This generational comedy of errors follows Lana (Shields) as her daughter Emma returns from London and announces that she’s getting married the next month. Things become more complicated when Lana learns that the man who stole Emma’s heart is the son of the man who stole hers years ago.

Shields recently unveiled her latest entrepreneurial project “Commence” (formerly “Beginning is Now”), a digital platform that inspires women over 40 to live their best lives with beauty and wellness products developed for the challenges that arise during this period. Rooted in the idea that every second, minute, and day is a chance to start something new, “Commence” celebrates the complexity and diversity of women in this age group from a foundation of true well- being to overcome challenges and adversity and gain the courage to begin again. In addition to community, the site features a mix of content, commerce, and products to promote movement, self-care, rest, nutrition and foster resilience, and happiness.

Shields launched her new podcast, Now What? With Brooke Shields which is focused on asking people about pivotal moments in their lives, now available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

Shields has also announced an upcoming book, currently untitled, that promises to explore the humility and power of aging. Blending personal narrative and guidebook, Shields hopes to flip our popular beliefs about aging by lifting the voices of experts and everyday women who find this era of life a period for self-discovery, energy and opportunity.

In addition to her film achievements, Shields has maintained a successful and critically acclaimed television career. Her work on The NBC hit Suddenly Susan garnered her a Golden Globe nomination, and she received an American Comedy Award nod for her guest role on Friends. She is the recipient of five People’s Choice Awards, and has previously starred in NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, in addition to guest appearances on a wide range of hit shows including That 70’s Show, Hannah Montana, Two and A Half Men, The Middle, Army Wives, and Murphy Brown. Shields lent her voice to the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles . She also starred in and executive produced Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ mystery movie franchise, Flower Shop Mystery . Shields starred in Law & Order: SVU as a major recurring character in the hit show’s 19th season, and had a reoccurring guest turn as River Fields in the critically acclaimed comedy Jane The Virgin. Shields other films include, Hot Flashes, Daisy Winters, Furry Vengeance, Out of Order, A Castle for Christmas, and Holiday Harmony.

Shields is the best- selling author of several books, including The Brooke Book, On Your Own, and the highly publicized and critically acclaimed Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. She tapped into her experiences as a mother, successfully branching out into the world of children’s books, penning Welcome To Your World, Baby and It’s the Best Day Ever Dad for Harper Collins. Her latest book There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me, quickly became a New York Times best seller.

While attending Princeton University, Shields pursued her love of Theatre as a member of the Princeton Triangle Club. Shortly after graduating with an honors degree in French literature, she made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the hit musical Grease , for which she earned the Theatre World Award in 1994 for “Outstanding Debut on Broadway.” Shields went on to star in Chicago, Wonderful Town, and Cabaret all of which earned her rave reviews. In 2011, she assumed the iconic role of Morticia Addams alongside Roger Rees in the hit Broadway show, The Addams Family. Shields appeared in the acclaimed ensemble Girls Talk, written and directed by Roger Kumble. She also made her directorial debut with the Hollywood Bowl production of Chicago. She had her critically acclaimed nightclub debut at Feinstein’s at The Loews Regency, performing In My Life, a freewheeling music and stand- up romp through her life’s ups and downs. The show sold out its entire run. She can next be seen at her one-woman show Previously Owned by Brooke Shields, a unique theatrical event where Shields will tell her story in a way only she can, at the Café Carlyle in New York City.

In addition to her professional career, Shields continues to be a strong advocate for women’s issues and keeping the arts alive in schools. She is a happily married mother of two strong and intelligent daughters.

Please come and support Chef Bailey and Our Voice at this lovely dinner on February 22, 2024, at The Mule.

Produced by Shay & Company in Partnership with Devil’s Foot Beverage Company

Stay Tuned for Menu Details

Lace up your running shoes, grab your winter hat, and join us for the 9th Annual Chilly Challenge 8K & 1-Mile Chili Chase on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Run or walk with us to benefit North Buncombe Middle School!

We’re thrilled to present the “Blue Ridge Jamboree: ON THE RISE”, a showcase of our region’s top artists ages 25 and younger.

Hosted by acclaimed musician and storyteller Josh Goforth, ON THE RISE features:

• Addie Levy
• Appalachian Roots
• Bayla Davis
• Eric + Addie
• Newfound Gap
• Hightop Mountain Harmony

All proceeds of The Blue Ridge Jamboree will support FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge’s Lynn Davis Scholarship program, which funds students who are pursuing college degrees with a commitment to enhance the natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge region.

Show rating: Ages 21 and up

See all of our upcoming events at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/beardedladyproductions

Join us on Thursday, March 14th at 7:00 p.m. at New Belgium Brewing for an evening of non-stop fun and laughter! Bearded Lady Productions is proud to bring back “Divine Intervention,” the sell-out smash hit game show fundraiser. This event is a fundraiser with all profits being donated to Our VOICE. Ages 21 and up. The $15 tickets are available now at www.AshevilleDragBrunch.com.

Step into the fabulous world of “Divine Intervention,” a 90-minute game show that channels the spirit of the classic Family Feud but with a fabulous twist! Hosted by the charismatic Divinity Holeburn, this show guarantees real audience engagement with saucy side-commentary, cheeky prizes, and dazzling drag performances that will leave you in awe. But that’s not all! If you’re feeling lucky, you could even be chosen to participate as a contestant in the game show and win some fabulously tacky prizes. And while the contestants take a break, the audience will be treated to silly commercial breaks and even more dazzling drag performances.

New Belgium has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ communities for over 20 years. They employed the first Diversity + Inclusion specialist in the craft beer industry, and now have a DEI Director leading this work across our fast-growing business. They are a member of the Human Rights Campaign Business Coalition for the Equality Act and advocate against discriminatory public policy. They are proud to support organizations working for LGBTQ+ health, education, and equity year-round (https://www.newbelgium.com).

OurVOICE is Buncombe County’s anti-sexual violence and anti-human trafficking agency that takes an intersectional, person-centered approach to support survivors and prevent future acts of sexual violence. Their core values are as follows: to believe all survivors, promote dignity, support individual agency, shift paradigms, and create a culture of care and honesty. Learn more at https://www.ourvoicenc.org.

See this and a variety of other fundraiser shows planned for the year at www.AshevilleDragBrunch.com. Tickets are non-refundable. Bags and backpacks are subject to search. Seating at this event is theatre style. Produced by Bearded Lady Productions 501c3.

Can’t make it but still want to help? Donate at https://www.ashevilledragbrunch.com/donate.

Asheville Catholic School presents the 17th Annual Shamrock Run on Saturday, March 16. The event will benefit the O’Brien and William Edward Gibbs Memorial Scholarship Fund. There are two races: a 5K and a 10K, both of which start and finish at ACS and run through the beautiful neighborhoods of North Asheville. A fun run will precede the start of the 5K and 10K. The 5K and 10K will start 15 minutes apart. The 10K will start at 8:30 AM and the 5K at 8:45 AM. The Fun Run will begin at 8:00 AM. This year’s race will be on the day before St. Patrick’s Day giving everyone a perfect way to celebrate this fun holiday. There will be great food, beer, and a DJ before and after the race.

Presented by North Carolina Veterans Writing Alliance Foundation, Inc. Hear veterans’ stories of healing. Free.
No registration is required.

Looking to be challenged physically and spiritually?… join us for the 2024 Carry Your Cross 5K, 1K Kid’s Run, and Little Kid’s (Ages 2-5) Fun Run – Saturday, March 30, 2024.  – 5K participants carry a 4ft length of 2×4 lumber across your back for the final 2/10 of a mile – uphill! Come join us for a run that you won’t soon forget. * 5K AWARDS & AGE GROUPS Special Commemorative Awards to: * Top 3 Male/Female Overall * Top 3 Male/Female Masters [40+] * Top 3 Male/Female in the following Age Groups: * 12+ under, 13-15, 16-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 + KIDS 1K AWARDS to the Top 3 Male/Female Overall  Schedule Saturday – March 30th * 7:00 – 8:45    Packet Pick Up and Onsite Registration in the Family Life Center (gym). * 9:00              5K START * 9:45 +/-         Little Kids Fun Run START * 10:00 +/-       Kids 1K START * 10:30            5K Awards Ceremony

Come eat, drink, and be merry at Beacon’s Spring Town Square event, where we will connect across Asheville’s many communities. Join us Saturday, March 30th from 12 to 3 pm at One World West in West Asheville. This is an opportunity for locals to learn and share about what’s happening in their communities. Attendees will have an opportunity to make announcements, requests, and offers during our Community Forum portion of the evening.

Donations are requested but not required. Food and drink will be available for purchase.