Calendar of Events
Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.
Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.
Effective June 15, 2020 virtual meetings will be held. See committee page for meeting details. This is formerly the Tree Commission.

Confit garlic aioli, Lusty Monk Mustard, house pickles, carrot catsup, smoked white cheddar, red onion and local lettuce.

All are welcome! Please stay inside your vehicles and have space inside your vehicle for boxes and produce.

Explore improvisation, characterization, voice and speech, costume design, and more as you create an original virtual play! With a combination of weekly in-person classes and one private 20-minute session with your instructor, students will develop, memorize, film, and share a video of their role in the play. At the end of the semester, each actor’s part will be edited together to create a virtual performance!
3rd – 5th Grades
Weekly Zoom class, one 20-minute private lesson
Instructors: Anna Kimmell, Tania Battista

https://zoom.us/…/tJcsc-ivpjMoGNRb335xIS_jVOhmgTPak9E4
Dive into the development of full and fun characters in this imaginative acting class where students learn about character creation and analysis. With an emphasis on improvisation, collaboration, and self-scripting, actors will leave feeling more confident making
bold and specific choices on screen, on stage, and in life. At the end of the semester, actors will share their original characters in a one-of-a-kind virtual showcase.
| Students learn about character creation and analysis. Actors will share their original characters in a virtual showcase. |
Weekly Zoom class
Instructor: TJ Medel
Whether you have already decided on us as your hospital choice, or if you are still in the decision making process, our orientation classes can help. They are designed to help you plan for your upcoming delivery. We will cover things like finding your way around the hospital, what to expect during your stay and even go over tips for preparing to bring your baby home, your first days with baby and caring for mom after delivery.
This class is free. Please register for mom only, each mom is allowed to bring one support person with them.

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Jazz Hour is back at Pack! Each month he will bring in new guest musicians, local and from around the country, to perform a free concert in our auditorium downstairs. Program is free to attend and no ticket is required. All ages are welcome. |
This event is free but registration is required. Please click here to register. You will then receive an email on the day of the event with URL and password you’ll need to attend.
If you decide to attend and to purchase the authors’ books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you are supporting our work and keeping more dollars in our community. If you would like to support us without purchasing a book, you may purchase a gift card or make a donation of any amount. Thank you!
America is at war with itself over the right to vote, or, more precisely, over the question of who gets to exercise that right and under what circumstances. Conservatives speak in ominous tones of voter fraud so widespread that it threatens public trust in elected government. Progressives counter that fraud is rare and that calls for reforms such as voter ID are part of a campaign to shrink the electorate and exclude some citizens from the political life of the nation.
North Carolina is a battleground for this debate, and its history can help us understand why–a century and a half after ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment–we remain a nation divided over the right to vote. In Fragile Democracy, James L. Leloudis and Robert R. Korstad tell the story of race and voting rights, from the end of the Civil War until the present day. They show that battles over the franchise have played out through cycles of emancipatory politics and conservative retrenchment. When race has been used as an instrument of exclusion from political life, the result has been a society in which vast numbers of Americans are denied the elements of meaningful freedom: a good job, a good education, good health, and a good home. That history points to the need for a bold new vision of what democracy looks like.
James L. Leloudis is professor of history, Peter T. Grauer Associate Dean for Honors Carolina, and director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also co-chair of the UNC Commission on History, Race, and a Way Forward.
Robert R. Korstad is professor emeritus of public policy and history at Duke University’s Terry Sanford School of Public Policy.

**In the case of rain, you may use the class pass purchased for future Outdoor Yoga class or any live stream yoga class.

This class will be offered in person on the ACT Mainstage, following all the recommended protocols for safety and sanitation. Class is limited to 8 students.
Incorporating aspects of the top improv programs in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, this course covers the fundamentals of improvisational acting with an emphasis on comedy; such as listening, commitment, adding information, agreement, intuitive reaction over desperate invention, as well as recognizing and capitalizing on emerging patterns. The class is crafted in such a way to have participants gradually gain their improv instincts through enjoyable and achievable exercises rather than teaching them the taste of disappointment and frustration. Students will gain experience and confidence in unscripted comedic performance through a series of improvised stories, scenes, and group structures; all done from a safe distance.
*In person classes are 50 minutes with an added 10 minutes for temperature checks*

Hey you guys! Grab your tickets now for our first movie night at Rabbit Rabbit with 80’s classic The Goonies! We will be showing the movie on our giant new outdoor screen! Seating is sold by the table with a $5 ticket cost per person. We have limited availability of the various table sizes. We highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance, this might sell out!
Refreshments available from the AVL Taco Truck and the Rabbit Rabbit bar. No outside food or beverages permitted.
Please note: You’re purchasing the whole table and can bring up to the max number of guests with you, as listed with the table number. We are unable to adjust table sizes or placement on the night of the event. www.etix.com/ticket/p/5980499/the-goonies-outdoor-movie-asheville-rabbit-rabbit

Join a live, interactive online panel discussion on Monday, September 21, at 7pm about John Lewis’s history and impact on the social justice struggles of today.
Panelists include:
- Dawn Porter, John Lewis: Good Trouble film director
- Ras J. Baraka, Mayor of Newark, NJ
- Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Professor of History, Race and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and Director of the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project
- Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution — who worked extensively with Lewis to establish the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The FREE virtual conversation takes place at 7 pm on Monday, September 21, on Zoom.
This nationwide watch is in collaboration with over 60 of the nation’s arts and cultural institutions. The online conversation and coordinated effort amongst the country’s performing arts centers are produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) of Newark, NJ.
Stream the Film
Before the conversation, stream the film John Lewis: Good Trouble by clicking here.

President combines rare archival footage with era-defining live performances: Aretha Franklin, Jimmy Buffett, Paul Simon, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock only scratch the surface. Mary Wharton traces how Carter’s genuine approachability became key to his political appeal, and allowed him to connect with voters who may only have known him as a small-town peanut farmer. But even more urgently, it shows us the unifying potential of a leader who believed, in a twist on Dylan’s words, that America could get busy being born, even as it seemed busy dying. — Loren Hammonds
JOIN US IN PERSON:
Sunday, 9/20 at 8:00
Monday, 9/21 at 8:00
Tuesday, 9/22 at 8:00
**Doors Open at 7:30pm**
All tickets are $10 – Tickets Sold Online Only
**Seating will be limited in the taproom following social distancing guidelines
**Limited Concessions will be available at the Winery
**Beer and Wine will be available at the taproom before and throughout the film.
**This will be a 21 and over only show
**For COVID-19 updates and precautions along with more information about the winery go to www.pleburbanwinery.com
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this show has been cancelled. Please consider donating your ticket money to The Orange Peel! Email [email protected] for more info. Refunds will be processed shortly.
The Birthday Massacre – Meet & Greet Package includes:
– One general admission ticket
– VIP early entry into the venue
– Exclusive meet & greet with The Birthday Massacre
– Personal photograph with The Birthday Massacre
– Access to The Birthday Massacre photobooth (exclusive to VIP)
– Specially designed bunny enamel pin
– Exclusive VIP merchandise item
– Official meet & greet laminate; autographed
– Limited availability
Ages 18+
The Birthday Massacre is from Toronto, Canada. Combining their interests in various musical and artistic styles, the band has successfully accumulated an impressive international fan base, press accolades, and defied categorization with their unique sound and visuals.
The band was formed in 1999 and independently produced and recorded their first two albums, Nothing and Nowhere and Violet. Through both of these high-demand releases, as well as their highly acclaimed and beautifully atmospheric website, the band obtained a large and loyal fan base throughout the world. Due to their independent success, in 2005 they were approached and signed by Metropolis Records and the band began its steady climb to reaching a much wider audience with the 2007 release of the acclaimed and wildly popular Walking With Strangers.
In the last few years, the band has been performing internationally, traveling extensively across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia, the U.K. and Europe. They have become renowned for their high-energy live performances, drawing large, mixed crowds through their appeal to fans of a surprisingly wide range of genres. Equally comfortable playing intimate venues as they are on a festival stage, the band’s highly-praised performances will continue into the next year as they continue touring.

2020 has taught us that everything is subject to change. In the interest of protecting our artists, audience, staff and volunteers, we will be having very few, if any, in-person shows during this year’s festival. If there are opportunities for safe in-person performances, preference will be given to local artists. We cannot encourage any interstate travel during the pandemic. The good news is: because much of the festival will take place online, anyone, anywhere, who wishes to apply now has a chance to perform without traveling. Although this format may seem limiting, the audience is limitless. We are open to all sorts of new experiments in live or virtual performance, whether it be an unconventional show format, online platform or unusual venue. Email us if you’ve got any questions.

A Musical Love Letter from Asheville to the World
Celebrating the diversity of music in Western North Carolina, The Asheville Symphony Sessions features songs that combine the unique styles of locally based musicians, with the Asheville Symphony. The album was produced by Michael Selverne of Welcome to Mars, at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studios.
Featured artists are Doc Aquatic, Electric Owls, Free Planet Radio featuring Lizz Wright, Lovett, Matt Townsend, Rising Appalachia, Shannon Whitworth, and Steep Canyon Rangers. The album synthesizes a variety of genres including folk, country, roots, rock, pop, bluegrass, R&B, and jazz, with each track featuring ensembles from the ASO ranging in size from 9 players to 24.
A number of notable arrangers worked on the project including Michael Bearden, who works with Lady Gaga and Neil Young and was Michael Jackson’s musical director for the This Is It tour; Van Dyke Parks, who composed and arranged the score for Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967) animated film and composed Smile with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys; and Jonathan Sacks, a composer and orchestrator who has worked on many blockbuster films including The Princess and the Frog (2009), Disney’s Cars (2006), and Seabiscuit (2003).
Black Folks Camp Too launched as a marketing initiative aimed at connecting Black individuals with camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. Founder Earl B. Hunter was inspired by his son, Dillion, during a three month RV road trip in which they met only one other black family.
The inaugural class of the automotive apprenticeship program has kicked off at Blue Ridge Community College. The apprentices were presented with shop towels to mark the beginning of their time in the program.

The inaugural class of the automotive apprenticeship program has kicked off at Blue Ridge Community College. The apprentices were presented with shop towels to mark the beginning of their time in the program.
Earn while you Learn!
- Get paid full time—go to class 1 day/week and work 4 days/week
- Free college tuition
- Finish with a credential in your field

The raffle will offer three separate prizes to three separate winners: first prize, Moog Source, serial number 2628 (valued at $2,800); second prize, an updated Moog Prodigy, serial number 3078 (valued at $2,500); and the Moog Rogue, serial number 3674 (valued at $1,500) as third prize. The Moog Source and Moog Rogue were expertly restored by Tone Tweakers. The Prodigy was expertly restored by Wes Taggart, who also updated the instrument with a Synthrotek MST MIDI-to-CV Converter, which allows control of the Prodigy from a MIDI keyboard or sequencer, velocity routing, aftertouch or mod wheel MIDI messaging directly to the cutoff frequency of the Prodigy’s world-famous Moog filter.
All three synthesizers share the robust Moog build and rich sound quality as well as a shared technical lineage rooted in the legendary Minimoog, which is widely known as the most iconic, archetypal analog synthesizer of all time. The Rogue and Prodigy are renowned for their deep bass and flexible modulation capabilities while the Source is lauded for its rich sound, and for its sequencers, sample and hold, arpeggiator, presets, and unique data wheel.
The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project is part of the Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI) National Memorial for Peace and Justice nationwide initiative for individual counties throughout the United States.
The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project is a collaborative approach utilizing a diverse community coalition led by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County.
The Buncombe Community Remembrance Project aims to acknowledge and remember individuals lynched in Buncombe County, as well as to:
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More Accurately Reflect History of Racial and Economic Injustice and Inequity
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Heal from the Silent Trauma Surrounding Racial Violence:
- Jim Crow
- Lynchings
- Mass Incarceration
- Violence in Communities
- State Sanctioned Violence
- Contemporary Racial Trauma and Violence
- Such as “Black Lives Matter”
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Foster Local Conversations and Reflections Concerning Community Healing
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Community Healing Through
- Truth Telling
- Educational Programming
- Reconciliation Events
- Transforming Narrative

Buncombe County has opened the 2020-2021 application cycle of the Community Recreation Grants program. The grants are part of other countywide initiatives that help make Buncombe County a place everyone from infants to retirees has the opportunity to be strong, healthy, and successful. The program is intended to help community nonprofits make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress that align with the Buncombe 2025 plan. Grants range in amounts from $500-$6,000, depending on the number of qualifying applicants.
Eligibility
Eligible entities include Buncombe County nonprofits focused on providing equitable access to recreational, fitness, cultural, and wellness activities to the public at no- or low-cost. These funds are intended to be a leveraging tool that promote partnerships between the County and area nonprofits and are not a donation, funding stream, or sponsorship opportunity. Programs applying for funding should align with the Buncombe 2025 plan’s focus areas, as well as embody the spirt of Buncombe County Recreation Services’ mission: Connect Communities. Preserve Culture. Change Lives.
Projects funded in the past have included creative placemaking, increasing safe connections to a wider range of play and wellness activities for underserved residents, supporting access to experiences that preserve regional and international cultures, improvements to public athletic fields and fitness courses, expanding environmental education, building food security through community gardens, and establishing multigenerational outdoor spaces for neighbors to connect with each other and foster community pride.
Want to apply?
Application, guidelines, and a list of 2019-2020 recipients are available online. Questions should be directed to [email protected].
The grant application deadline is 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. Late applications will not be accepted. The Community Recreation Grant Committee will notify all applicants via email no later than Friday, Nov. 15, 2020.
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September is National Suicide Prevention Month. If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can talk to a live person by calling the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Even though it may feel like it, you are not alone.
Before COVID-19, people in hazmat suits, state of emergency lock downs, and social isolation were concepts reserved for movies and far away places. Collectively, we draw our support from our community, friends, and families. Overnight, COVID-19 made it unsafe for many of us to stay meaningfully connected to the ones we love, leaving millions of people to go through this pandemic alone. Without a support system, people experience higher rates of physical and mental illness and overall wellbeing decreases. Add a pre-existing condition such as anxiety and depression to the already immense stress of the situation, the burden of this pandemic gets even greater.
These services are available to anyone in our community that needs them, especially those struggling with increased depression, anxiety, and suicidality. During this crisis, VAYA Health has agreed to refer to all mental health and developmental disability services, even for those agencies they do not manage. Their phone number is (800) 849-6127. You can also access this information, and a list of virtual peer support and recovery meetings, by calling 211.

Your contributions help us face the challenges. Please consider a generous Gift of Literacy to support students and tutors working together to improve literacy in our community.


Vulnerable North Carolinians can request free PPE as they head to the polls.
Protecting Voters
Whether you Early Vote or vote on Election Day, NCBA wants to protect voters at the polls by providing FREE single-use PPE kits. These kits will include:
- A pair of disposable gloves
- Hand sanitizer
- Single-use protective mask
- A pen and simple instructions on how to cast your ballot in person
- A template to create your voting plan
- A voter guide (will be mailed separately)
Need Assistance Requesting a PPE Kit?
Thanks to our partners at Disability Rights NC, voters can call 888-WEVOTE-2 for additional assistance, and to request a free PPE Kit.
Now available as Video On Demand!
All tickets are $25.00 plus taxes and fees and benefit ACT.
Asheville Community Theatre’s annual fundraiser Costume Drama: A Fashion Show is a fashion show where designers create garments from unconventional materials. Twelve designers competed in this year’s challenge, four were chosen as category winners – and one was named the Best in Show winner.
As in years past, Best in Show will receive a $500 prize, and the other 3 winners will each receive a $250 prize. Winners are revealed at the end of the broadcast!
Costume Drama: A Fashion Show originally aired on Saturday, August 8, 2020. Video On Demand of this show will be available for purchase until September 30, 2020 at 11:59 pm.

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Vote AVL is a nonpartisan movement to increase voter turnout in the Asheville Area. The site features voter resources including registration info, a calendar of important dates, and information on candidates at the local, state and national levels. Businesses can take the pledge to provide information and resources to their employees, so that they can use their voice to make their vote count. Learn more at voteavl.org.
Important Dates:
Friday, October 9th – Voter Registration deadline (online or postmarked by)
Thursday, October 15th – Early Voting begins, including same-day registration
Tuesday, October 27th – Deadline to request an Absentee Ballot (received by)
Saturday, October 31st – Early Voting Ends
Tuesday, November 3rd – Election Day and Absentee Ballot deadline (received by)
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