Calendar of Events

Join us for games, food, entertainment, pony rides and more at our inaugural Fall Festival! Free admission. Pay for activities.

Join us in gathering at the grounds of Relia’s Garden on the campus of Nantahala Outdoor Center as we celebrate the life of Aurelia Kennedy.

Bring stories and remembrances of Aurelia and a Thanksgiving dish to share. Nantahala Outdoor Center will provide a main course featuring turkey and dressing.

Please RSVP here if you are attending so that NOC may plan the meal and space accordingly. If you would like to make a donation honoring Aurelia and further her life’s mission, donations may be made through the North Carolina Community Foundation for the Kennedy Endowment Fund. From this page you may search for and give to the Kennedy Endowment Fund.

Donation checks may be sent to:
The North Carolina Community Foundation
3737 Glenwood Avenue
Suite 460
Raleigh, NC 27612
*Please indicate that contributions are for the Kennedy Endowment Fund, #000386. All contributions are tax deductible.

Recipient organizations of the Kennedy Endowment Fund for 2019 in order of magnitude from $5,000 to $1,000 were:

• Clinic Nepal
• SOS Children’s Villages
• Medic Force
• Adventure Amputee Camp
• Swain County New Century Scholars
• American Red Cross
• IPAS

Join us to view one of the biggest meteor showers of the year at the farm with local astronomer and author Stephan Martin. While we’re enjoying the meteor show, we’ll also explore some of the stars, constellations, and other astronomical treasures of the fall night sky. All ages are welcome and no background in astronomy or science is required.

Chanel Ali is a standup comedian who blossomed on the Philadelphia circuit before moving to New York City in 2015. Her stage presence and story teller style make her a crowd favorite as she covers her upbringing, her world view and life as a comedian who doubles as a polite person in real life. She was been featured on the following shows:
– MTVs Girl Code 2018
– Laff Mobs Laugh Tracks on Tru TV 2019
– Food Network Digital Series Food Debate

Chanel has opened for nationally touring comedians like Howard Russell, Marc Maron and Michael Che.

Featuring Petey Smith McDowell

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-chanel-ali-tickets-71314853647

Do you love cars? If so, then join us at Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) for Cruise ‘In, a monthly car show featuring an exciting display of cars, trucks, motorcycles and special interest vehicles behind the Food Court on Sundays, May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20 and November 17, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Cruise ‘In is free to car owners and spectators.

Asheville’s monthly all queer stand up comedy showcase! This months headliner is Bobby Higley

“Bobby Higley turns anxiety, depression, and PTSD into comedy Gold.” – Stranger Magazine

Bobby Higley is wild eyed, sassy, gay-ex-Mormon, middle child of 7. Fashionable, dark, & deeply irreverent. Picture abused gender-bent Martha Stuart. Played by a Sassy Stoner Twink, post-prison.

Bobby’s been a participant of both the Midwest and Portland Queer Comedy Festivals, Mutiny Radio Comedy Festival, & the Altercations festival in Austin.

He regularly features & headlines in the PNW & has opened for Sandra Valls, Patti Harrison, Matteo Lane, Derek Sheen, Sabrina Jalees, & BenDeLaCreme. He also runs the successful traveling Kink/Consent comedy show “Safeword” & Gutter Twink Productions.

Bobby is also a recurring personality on Cut Casting, and his Youtube videos have gotten over 34 million views.

Featuring Jenn Snyder
Hosted by Moira Goree

Tickets $7 advance, $10 day of; visit www.eventbrite.com/e/queer-comedy-party-ft-bobby-higley-tickets-71315038199.

Dustin Clemons, RADTIP Construction Manager, will be joining us to talk about a plan for improving the RR crossing on Riverside Drive.  Your perspective on this difficult bit of infrastructure is important.

The task force meets the third Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in room A-109 at the City of Asheville Public Works Building at 161 S. Charlotte Street. You can enter the building from the north end, the end where you find the parking lot and bike rack.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Originally from Hendersonville, Katie Hughes is back in town for one killer night! Don’t wanna miss her!

Katie Hughes is a perfect combination of snarky and spunky. Her stand-up is delightfully irreverent and aggressively silly. Dogs love her. Audiences love her, You’ll love her.

Featuring Katherine Blanford

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of; visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-katie-hughes-tickets-78531053495.

We’re so excited for the Woodfin Greenway and Blueway project that we’re a part of! There’s a lot of work that still need to be done though, if you’d like to help us move this area one step closer to some beautiful riverside parks and greenways then this event is for you.

Join us as we work to cleanup some of the future locations of the Woodfin Greenway. RiverLink will provide all of the proper equipment, and Riverside Rhapsody Beer Company will provide some tasty refreshments afterwards! Bring your friends and family and a passion for protecting and improving our local waterways.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Gabe Pacheco, originally from Washington, DC, is an actor, comedian, host, friend, and roving academic. He’s an entertainer who inspires you to think, moments after you’ve already laughed. A bilingual performer with progressive leanings, watching 10 minutes of Gabe on stage can feel like you’ve smoked a joint of Ghost Train Haze sativa and mockingly laughed at headlines from the Sunday Times.

Animated, literate, and with a touch of sly post-Millennium wit, Gabe shimmies and flickers his way through a set. No one gyrates their hips better to the notion of the world crumbling around us, and no one better evokes the spirit of norteño music with the message of early-80’s DC hardcore. It’s comedy that is steeped in the present, while hoping for a less ridiculous future.

With a decade of experience on the NYC scene under his belt, Gabe has appeared on stages as big as Caroline’s, as experimental as The Creek & The Cave, and as buzzed about as the Knitting Factory. He’s been accepted into the Asheville Comedy Festival and the Accidental Comedy Festival. He’s shared insights on Sirius XM’s “Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang” and “Affirmative Reaction with Xorje Olivares”, while also sitting in as the permanent guest host of the widely popular, left-wing humor and journalism podcast, “The Katie Halper Show”.

Gabe has trained at the UCB Theater in NYC and is a veteran in the Story Pirates Acting Company, preparing him for his starring role in the short film “Leaves in Autumn”, which was screened at the Anthology Film Archives (NYC) as part of the New Filmmakers Festival in 2018.

Gabe Pacheco is a performer. And a storyteller. And an informed bystander of the seemingly never-ending spectacle of current world affairs and humanity that demand our attention…moments after we’ve already laughed.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of; visit www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-gabe-pacheco-tickets-71321718179.

Join me along the pathways of Hendersonville’s Historic Oakdale Cemetery where the “Look Homeward Angel” statue is located. Grave markers throughout this place tell interesting stories and whisper secrets from the past … so come along to discover illustrious and notorious characters of long ago. These 90-minute walks occur rain or shine.
Meeting place: Oakdale Cemetery, U.S. 64 W. at Valley St.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

• Hop on board the Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley for a fun and festive celebration of the season featuring the sights and soundsof the holidays!

• This seasonal favorite features an entertaining blend of holiday storytelling and traditional Christmas caroling. Enjoy stories of local lore and holiday traditions, then join-in with our on-board musician singing classic carols and songs of Christmas. And all the while the Holly Jolly Trolley is rolling past festive holiday decorations in downtown Asheville, Biltmore Village and the Montford and Grove Park neighborhoods.

The City of Hendersonville will be hosting their annual Turkey Trot 5k Thanksgiving morning. The Trot is a run/walk event open to all ages, all fitness levels and all family members! The 5k starts in front of City Hall on Thanksgiving morning at 8:30 and travels through downtown ending back at City Hall. The entry fee is $12 which includes a t-shirt. This is a non-sanctioned event – we’re here for fun and exercise. Event is rain or shine, sleet or snow!

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

Instead of standing in shopping lines for Black Friday, enjoy a great adventure outside.  Up to 50% of proceeds from the entire day will go to environmental or sustainable programs and projects in the Asheville and Western NC region. Reservations are suggested. 877.247.5539 or adventureavl.com.   Ages 4+

Wildwater is excited to announce their Green Friday event— a Black Friday alternative for families looking to get outdoors while giving back to the local community. On November 29th only, a portion of proceeds from all Nantahala and Asheville-based aerial adventures will go to benefit local watershed conservation nonprofit Riverlink, local Hemlock restoration efforts, and other area nonprofits.

Experience Asheville’s BRIGHTEST holiday tradition at Winter Lights at The North Carolina Arboretum. Open nightly November 22, 2019 – January 4, 2020, from 6 to 10 p.m. Walk through an outdoor winter wonderland and see the Arboretum’s gardens and landscapes dressed in more than half-a-million holiday lights. Listen to the sounds of your favorite holiday tunes or enjoy a cup of holiday-inspired cocoa, cider or beer.

$18-$8. See website for tickets and specials.

Specials

Friends & Family Discount Night – Tuesdays

Tickets are reduced to $15 for adults and $10 for children. Arboretum members receive an additional $2 off each ticket. (Excludes Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve.)

Available on Thursdays through Saturdays only, this special ticketed event offers visitors the chance to enjoy a holly, jolly ride from downtown Asheville or Biltmore Village to Winter Lights courtesy of The Trolley Company. Upon arrival, guests will receive a complimentary cup of hot chocolate and access to the Winter Lights. Pick-up is at 6:00 p.m. from the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Asheville and 6:15 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Biltmore Village. Guests will be dropped back off at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 per person (children 4 & under are free) and can be purchased through The Trolley Company’s website here. (Note: Arboretum member discounts do not apply for this tour). For additional questions, please call Eva Ritchey at The Trolley Company at 828.606.8606.

• Hop on board the Holly Jolly Christmas Trolley for a fun and festive celebration of the season featuring the sights and soundsof the holidays!

• This seasonal favorite features an entertaining blend of holiday storytelling and traditional Christmas caroling. Enjoy stories of local lore and holiday traditions, then join-in with our on-board musician singing classic carols and songs of Christmas. And all the while the Holly Jolly Trolley is rolling past festive holiday decorations in downtown Asheville, Biltmore Village and the Montford and Grove Park neighborhoods.

Boston Native Mary Kennedy can be seen as recurring character “New Fiona” on Shameless, Season 7. She wrote and stars in her one woman show, Mid Life Mood Swing, about being a roadie for her mom’s wedding band in the 80’s. It premiered in Los Angeles and now is touring.

In Los Angeles, she was in the theatre production of AfterGlow the Musical Experience with the #originalgorgeousladiesofwrestling (GLOW) as the legend manager, Jackie Stallone. Tiffany Johnson’s Girl Callin with production company REFINERY 29 has cast Kennedy in their new short, as the Waitress. The waitress plays a pivotal role in the dark comedic ending plot.

She is in the feature film, Shattered starring, Ray Wise, Arianne Zucker and Molly Burnett. Guest star on People Magazine Investigates-ID Discovery. She is a supporting character in the short, The Layover. She co-stars in the feature film Creative Differences. You can also see her comedic acting regularly in various sketches for CONAN, TBS.

Was a featured mom commentator on The Mom Rules Webseries, TLC Pilot and did the pilot, for Nickelodeon’s new network, NickMOM called Road Mamas which she also Co-Created. She was a featured dancer in Allee Willis’ BADEYA BABY! with choreographer, Keith Young (RENT). She was also a recurring on NBC’s ER as “Officer Trudy Lange” for Season 12. Recently she appeared as Queen Elizabeth, on VanityFair.com which accompanied their cover, The Queen and Her Corgis.

You have seen her in national commercials for, FLIR, HULU Plus, FORD, Vonage, Cingular Wireless, Sony Ericcson, Captain Morgan and E-Trade. Promos, for George Lucas’ Star Wars and CBS Sports, with sports personality, Jim Rome.

A Professional Comedian, she Headlines all over the country and appears regularly at The Laugh Factory, The Ice House and Flappers Comedy Clubs in Los Angeles.

Featuring Craig Holcombe

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of; visit www.eventbrite.com/e/lazoom-comedy-mary-kennedy-tickets-79789838555.