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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.

March 2024 Mar 2024
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Friday, March 22, 2024
Ghosted: Comedy Bus Tour
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
LaZoom Room Bar & Gorilla

Explore the dark side of Beer City on LaZoom’s Ghosted Tour!

Duration

1 hour

About

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Learn about Asheville’s strange, sometimes sordid past from our ghoulish guides. You’ll laugh! You’ll scream! You’ll discover mysteries and chilling tales of scandal and murder on the blood-stained streets of this picturesque town!

Ghosted runs approximately 60 minutes. Beer and wine are welcome onboard, but no open containers, and absolutely no liquor, please! All beer and wine must be purchased from the LaZoom Room. (Passengers must be at least 21 years old to drink on the bus, and must have valid ID.)

Age Restrictions

17 and up. No exceptions.

What’s Included

A bunch of bus seats
History of murders, ghosts and tragedies in the Land of the Sky
Tongue-in-cheek comedy
A live (not dead) tour guide

What’s Not Included

Bathroom breaks (It’s 60 minutes long – plan accordingly!)
Beer or Wine (Purchase at our bar, the LaZoom Room, and take on the bus)
Laughing (we’ll give you the funny, but it’s up to you to laugh)
Gratuity (guides only accept dead president currency)

Waitlist

If your desired time and availability is full, then please give us a call to be added to the waitlist.

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Categories: Comedy Tours
Sage + Spice Chef’s Table
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
Sage + Spice

Join Chef Jay at Sage and Spice Market for an Asian inspired culinary journey.  The entire menu is gluten free.  Enjoy 5 courses to include: Ube coconut bisque, watercress and butter lettuce salad, seared sea scallops, mango ponzu bison NY strip, black sesame poi mochi. Pairings and cocktails available!

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Categories: Food & Drink
The Asheville Files–A Comedy show all about Asheville NC
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
plēb urban winery

The Asheville Files–A Comedy show all about Asheville NC
Brought to you by Slice of Life Comedy
March 22, 2024 at pleb urban winery 289 Lyman Street in the heart of the River District
Hosts: Marlene Thompson & Petey Smith-McDowell
A comedy show about Asheville North Carolina and all the conspiracies that lie within the city.
Features:
James Harrod
Cary Goff
Blaine Perry
Located at 289 Lyman Street, Asheville, NC 28801, plēb urban winery offers the perfect setting for an evening of comedy and wine pairings in the heart of the River Art District. Food options will be available!
Uncork the laughs as Petey Smith McDowell & Marlene Thompson dive into a comedic conspiracy at the plēb urban winery featuring standup comedians Cary Goff, James Harrod and Blaine Perry
Embark on a laughter-filled journey in the heart of the mysterious Blue Ridge Mountains, where unexplained occurrences meet the tumultuous rhythm of Asheville, uncover a city that comedically defies ordinary or sanity.
The truth is out there: DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW
Promo code: AVLCOMEDYFILES $3 off

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Categories: Comedy Food & Drink Holiday Nightlife Other Theatre
The Asheville Files–A Comedy show all about Asheville NC
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
plēb urban winery

The Asheville Files–A Comedy show all about Asheville NC
Brought to you by Slice of Life Comedy
March 22, 2024 at pleb urban winery 289 Lyman Street in the heart of the River District
Hosts: Marlene Thompson & Petey Smith-McDowell
A comedy show about Asheville North Carolina and all the conspiracies that lie within the city.
Features:
James Harrod
Cary Goff
Blaine Perry
Located at 289 Lyman Street, Asheville, NC 28801, plēb urban winery offers the perfect setting for an evening of comedy and wine pairings in the heart of the River Art District. Food options will be available!
Uncork the laughs as Petey Smith McDowell & Marlene Thompson dive into a comedic conspiracy at the plēb urban winery featuring standup comedians Cary Goff, James Harrod and Blaine Perry
Embark on a laughter-filled journey in the heart of the mysterious Blue Ridge Mountains, where unexplained occurrences meet the tumultuous rhythm of Asheville, uncover a city that comedically defies ordinary or sanity.
The truth is out there: DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW
Promo code: AVLCOMEDYFILES $3 off

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Categories: Comedy Community Food & Drink Holiday Nightlife Other Theatre
What I’ve Learned So Far: Stories with Tim Lowry and Lee Lyons
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
Weaverville Community Center

Award-winning Storyteller Tim Lowry will be joined by special guest Lee Lyons in a show about love, life, and lunacy. Lee is an author and actress hailing from the Appalachian town of Highlands, NC but she’s got roots in the South Carolina Lowcountry and family tree branches that reach back to Ireland. She’s from storied stock. Tim’s got mountain moonshine, South Carolina sea salt, and Scots-Irish DNA running through his blood. Tim often appears as the “teller in residence” sessions at The International Storytelling Center, and he’s been honored as a featured storyteller at several International Storytelling Festivals. He will be the featured storyteller at Asheville’s Tellabration in November. He and Lee will “carry on a bit” with stories that reflect the wit and wisdom of their cultures.

Sponsored by Troy Medicare
Free Admission

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Categories: Comedy
Yonder Mountain String Band
Mar 22 @ 7:00 pm
Salvage Station

Bluegrass music is currently experiencing widespread popularity among mainstream
audiences but transforming the vintage sound into music that could gain popular appeal
didn’t happen overnight. At 25 years old, Yonder Mountain String Band continues to
exist at the forefront of the progressive bluegrass scene as undeniable innovators and
pioneers of the modern jamgrass movement. Blending bluegrass with elements of rock,
alternative, psychedelic and improvisational music, Yonder Mountain String Band
brought their high-energy acoustic sound and light show into rock n’ roll settings with
tremendous success, proving it was possible for a bluegrass band to not only exist but
excel in a rock world, without drums. The inroads they made created opportunities for
like-minded acoustic bands to perform at festivals, rock clubs, theaters and stadiums
previously considered off-limits for string bands. Yonder Mountain’s high-energy sound,
compelling original music and anything goes attitude cultivated a spirit of collaborative
improvisation that continues to fuel today’s progressive bluegrass and jamgrass scenes.
It is a testament to the legacy of Yonder Mountain String Band that their original
songs and unique interpretations of covers are regularly performed by next generation
bands in the scene.

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Categories: Music
Sordid Lives
Mar 22 @ 7:30 pm
Hendersonville Theatre

In this beloved cult classic, chaos erupts in small-town Texas when the elderly family matriarch, an upstanding member of the community, accidentally dies during a clandestine meeting in a seedy motel room with her married lover. The woman’s family must deal with more skeletons coming out of the closet while preparing for what could be an embarrassing funeral. In this ‘coming out’ story, the hilarious, sad, trashy truth about their lives runs amuck.

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Categories: Theatre
The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical
Mar 22 @ 7:30 pm
HART Theatre
By Joe Tracz, Music by Rob Rokicki
Directed by Shelia Sumpter
Lloyd Main Stage

Unleash the power of the Gods.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is a high-voltage adventure that brings the beloved best-selling novel to life on stage. Join Percy Jackson, the teenage demigod, on an epic quest filled with humor, mythological marvels, and catchy rock-infused songs. With themes of friendship, self-discovery, and embracing uniqueness, this electrifying musical is a must-see for all ages. Mark your calendars now and be prepared to be swept away into a world where legends come to life!

Suitable for all Audiences.

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Categories: Family Fun Music Theatre
Uptown: The Music of Motown
Mar 22 @ 7:30 pm
Flat Rock Playhouse

Motown Remixed! From New York City, the epicenter of Soul and R&B, these young men of ‘UPTOWN’ will sing and dance their way into your hearts, and out of your seats in STYLE. With the class of young Temptations, moves like the Jackson 5, vocals like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and the contemporary feel of Bruno Mars … “Everybody’s Going UPTOWN!” It’s old school soul for a new generation!

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Categories: Music
ELIZA MCLAMB
Mar 22 @ 8:00 pm
The Grey Eagle

ELIZA McLAMB

Listening to Eliza McLamb lilt her vivid, carefully-placed lyrics rife with empathy, emotion, and sensitivity, you get the sense that this is an artist who takes her time. Her earliest releases were recorded in a laundry shed, with little else but her voice and a guitar. Now, with the help of producer Sarah Tudzin (aka illuminati hotties), her sound has opened up into gut-wrenching riffs and lush, full soundscapes — but that original intimacy remains, unwavering and unshakeable even as the sonic world around her expands.

While her audience connects deeply with the experiences and emotions put forward in her work, McLamb isn’t performing for the observer: her creative process is a personal practice that borders on spiritual. She’s been writing songs since she was six, and never really expected anyone to listen except herself. Even as her work spread to millions of viewers online, she never divested from her belief in art as a personal — almost therapeutic — act. The fact that her intimate anxieties and experiences can resonate so deeply with so many strangers only confirms the philosophy that runs through her oeuvre: that strong emotions are what connect us all to each other, and that we’re all a lot more connected than we may think.

McLamb doesn’t write her music to be gospel — to her audience, it’s something more like a mirror. When you connect with what she writes, you’re really using her writing as an intermediary to connect with yourself. Her work encourages you to self-reflect, accept sensitivity, embrace connection, and perhaps most of all, feel as deeply as you possibly can.

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Categories: Music
Pilobolus — Re: Creation
Mar 22 @ 8:00 pm
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts

Rediscover the joy of play and creativity with this highly acclaimed, returning fan-favorite company. Humor, happiness and hope abound in this rejuvenating program that takes Pilobolus into uncharted waters — which is exactly where this innovative company feels most at home. Featuring fresh works with new collaborators, these talented dancers create an experience both timely and timeless, proving once again that the human body is the most expressive, universal and magical of media.

Connect with the art and artists
-Dance workshop with Pilobolus — details forthcoming
-Pre-show discussions: Join members of the company and fellow patrons at pre-show discussions, 7 p.m. prior to the 8 p.m. performances.

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TINA – The Tina Turner Musical
Mar 22 @ 8:00 pm
Peace Concert Hall

THERE IS ONLY ONE.

HER VOICE IS UNDENIABLE. HER FIRE IS UNSTOPPABLE. HER TRIUMPH IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll. Set to the pulse-pounding soundtrack of her most beloved hits, this electrifying sensation will send you soaring to the rafters.

One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.

Featuring her much loved songs, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.

Official Website

Recommended for ages 14+.

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Categories: Music Theatre
Saturday, March 23, 2024
2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle
Mar 23 all-day
online

TAKE THE WHEEL & WIN BIG

Mosaic Realty and United Way invite you to take the wheel
and win big while doing good in the 2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle

 

AAAOne lucky winner will walk away with the keys to a new 2024 Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent). Your purchase is both transactional and transformative with each ticket purchase going to support the work of 15 high-impact local nonprofits.

Don’t miss this opportunity to fuel community change! Purchase your ticket today (or come back and purchase additional tickets, you can purchase as many as you want up until the date of the drawing).

AAA

Benefiting Nonprofits

 

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville on Bikes

Asheville City Schools Foundation

Asheville Humane Society

Beloved Asheville

Blue Ridge Orchestra

Bountiful Cities

LEAF Global Arts

MANNA Food Bank

Mountain Housing Opportunities

Sparc Foundation

Thrive Asheville

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

YMI Cultural Center

 

AAA

The drawing for the winner of the Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent) will be held at Mosaic Realty’s Art Walk & Benefit event on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Asheville Art Museum at 9:00 PM. Raffle ticket purchasers do not have to be present to win. For more information about the Art Walk & Benefit, visit Mosaic Realty’s event page.

 

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Categories: Raffle
2024 Flex Passes Parkway Playhouse
Mar 23 all-day
online w/ Parkway Playhouse
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Categories: Theatre
22nd Asheville Fringe ART Festival
Mar 23 all-day
Asheville Area- various locations
SATURDAY MARCH 23
The BeBe Theatre
20 Commerce St | Downtown

Argot Room
717 Haywood Rd | West Asheville

Citizen Vinyl
14 O’Henry Ave | Downtown

Non-traditional Venues
76 Biltmore Ave | 17 Foundy St

SATURDAY MARCH 23
Story Parlor
227 Haywood Rd | West Asheville

LEAF Global Arts
19 Eagle St. Ste 120 | Downtown

Art Garden
191 Lyman St #316 | River Arts District

Cloud Room (Wedge)
5 Foundy St Ste 10 | River Arts District

Read more
Categories: Art & Craft Festivals
Accepting Nominations for Clean Air Excellence Awards
Mar 23 all-day
online

The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency (AB Air Quality) is now accepting nominations for our twentieth annual air quality awards program. The goal of the Clean Air Excellence Awards is to recognize businesses and organizations that have truly gone above and beyond regulatory requirements to improve air quality for the residents of our area. Past years’ award recipients have included Dynamite Roasting Company, Eaton Corporation, and Western North Carolina Veterans Affairs Health Care System; each initiated voluntary efforts that improved air quality in the Asheville-Buncombe County Area.

Award guidelines explain the criteria for the awards and different categories of awards apply to different types of permitted facilities, organizations, and individuals that would like to nominate themselves or another entity for consideration.

To submit a nomination for a Clean Air Excellence Award, please download the application form online and include a brief summary describing what was done to improve air quality for Buncombe County.  Examples of voluntary pollution prevention measures include:  significant energy efficiency upgrades, switching to more environmentally friendly and lower-emitting solvents and cleaners, installing renewable energy systems, and upgrading fleet vehicles to more fuel-efficient or lower-emitting models. We ask that nominations be submitted to our Agency by April 12, 2024. We encourage you to submit any and all efforts your company (or another company or organization) has undertaken to reduce emissions. Agency staff are available to assist with emissions-related questions.

More information and the application form are available at abairquality.org. Please contact Ashley Featherstone at 828-250-6777 or [email protected] with questions.

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Categories: Business and Networking Community
Adult Classes at the Wortham Center
Mar 23 all-day
Diana Wortham Theatre

Classes at the Wortham

Prioritize your health and wellness with a revolving series of ongoing classes for lifelong learners in yoga, dance, theatre, and more.

Classes are held in the Henry LaBrun Studio at the Wortham Center at 18 Biltmore Ave. Please access the front courtyard from the breezeway by White Duck Taco. Signs will then direct you to the studio door to the left. Parking information can be found here.

2024 Classes

Gentle Yoga - Open Level
Open Level Contemporary with Stewart/Owen Dance. Wednesdays, January 10–April 24, 8:15–9:30 a.m.
Intermediate Contemporary with Stewart/Owen Dance. Wednesdays, January 10–April 24, 6–7:30 p.m.
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Categories: Art & Craft Dance Education Music Theatre
Affordable Parking Program: 60 Spots Still Available
Mar 23 all-day
online

Do you work in downtown Asheville? If so, Buncombe County’s expanded affordable parking program could save you hundreds of your hard-earned dollars. The Affordable Parking Program includes 200 parking spaces at two locations in downtown Asheville. Of those 200, the County currently has 57 openings with 30 spots available at Coxe Avenue and 27 at College Street.

Parking spaces are located at the Coxe Avenue parking deck (located at 11 Sears Alley) and the College Street parking deck (located at 164 College Street, across from the judicial complex) for a discounted price of $40 per month. This initiative, focused on service industry and retail workers, is now taking applications for the remaining spots.

To be eligible, you need to work in Downtown Asheville and make 80% area median income (AMI), which is less than $22.88 per hour or $3,967 per month. Applications are now open for the program. If you think you’re eligible, then please go ahead and apply.

Apply here

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Categories: Community
Art Walk + Benefit RAFFLE
Mar 23 all-day
online

TAKE THE WHEEL & WIN BIG

Mosaic Realty and United Way invite you to take the wheel
and win big while doing good in the 2024 Drive For A Cause Car Raffle

 

AAAOne lucky winner will walk away with the keys to a new 2024 Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent). Your purchase is both transactional and transformative with each ticket purchase going to support the work of 15 high-impact local nonprofits.

Don’t miss this opportunity to fuel community change! Purchase your ticket today (or come back and purchase additional tickets, you can purchase as many as you want up until the date of the drawing).

AAA

Benefiting Nonprofits

 

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville on Bikes

Asheville City Schools Foundation

Asheville Humane Society

Beloved Asheville

Blue Ridge Orchestra

Bountiful Cities

LEAF Global Arts

MANNA Food Bank

Mountain Housing Opportunities

Sparc Foundation

Thrive Asheville

United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County

YMI Cultural Center

 

AAA

The drawing for the winner of the Volkswagen Electric ID.4 (or its cash equivalent) will be held at Mosaic Realty’s Art Walk & Benefit event on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Asheville Art Museum at 9:00 PM. Raffle ticket purchasers do not have to be present to win. For more information about the Art Walk & Benefit, visit Mosaic Realty’s event page.

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Categories: Raffle
Brevard Music Center’s 2024 Summer Festival Subscriptions
Mar 23 all-day
online

2024 Subscription Packages

One of America’s premier music festivals, Brevard Music Center’s 2024 summer lineup features a diverse offering of symphony, opera, chamber, jazz, bluegrass, and Broadway performances. The season will be highlighted by Legendary Artist Wynton Marsalis, who will appear with The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in three extraordinary concerts in late June. Additional festival highlights include classical masterpieces Prokofiev 5, Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, and world premiere concertos by two of today’s top composers; Janiec Opera Company productions of The Threepenny Opera, Flight, La Bohème, and An Evening of Jerome Kern and Friends; a family-friendly film with live orchestra presentation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™ in Concert; and BMC Presents lighter concert fare featuring Bryan Sutton, David Sanborn, Aoife O’Donovan, and Béla Fleck.

Led by Artistic Director Keith Lockhart, Brevard’s hallmark is the powerful sense of community that re-emerges every June as faculty and students work together to present over 100 performances and events to more than 40,000 enthusiastic fans from across the country. Primary BMC performance venues include the 1800-seat, open-air Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium and the 400-seat Parker Concert Hall.

Package List

  • Golden Ticket (Thursday)

    Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Thursday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

    Save 25% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Golden Ticket (Saturday)

    Description: Receive one ticket to all performances included in the Symphony Series, Opera Lovers Series (Saturday), and the Parker Concert Hall Summer Series. Also includes Opening Night and Season Finale.

    Save 25% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Symphony Series

    Description: Receive all sixteen (16) symphony events at Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium.

    Save 20% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Compose Your Own

    Description: Purchase at least eight (8) eligible* events from our summer season.

    Save 15% on single ticket prices.

    *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, and Legendary Artists Series are not eligible for inclusion.

  • Opera Lovers (Thursday)

    Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Thursday night events: Flight, La Bohème, The Threepenny Opera, and An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

    Save 10% on single ticket prices.

    Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Opera Lovers (Saturday)

    Description: Receive one (1) ticket to each of the following Saturday afternoon events: Flight, La Bohème, The Threepenny Opera. Includes one (1) ticket to the following Thursday evening event: An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends.

    Save 10% on single ticket prices.

    Please note that seating assignments for An Evening of Jerome Kern & Friends are on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Parker Concert Hall Summer Series

    Description: Receive all twelve (12) Parker Concert Hall Summer Series events.

    Save 15% on single ticket prices.

    BMC Presents and Legendary Artists Series are not included.

  • Flex

    Description: Purchase at least three (3) eligible* events, and receive a 5% discount off single ticket prices.

    Flex tickets cannot be purchased during the subscription renewal/purchase phase and will be available during the donor presale to qualifying purchasers.

    *Opening Night, Season Finale, BMC Presents, Legendary Artist Series are ineligible for this discount package.

    This discount will activate automatically once you add the required number of eligible events to your cart.
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Categories: Music
BRING ON SPRING w/ Nantahala Outdoor Center
Mar 23 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

 
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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports
Brunch at Golden Hour
Mar 23 all-day
Golden Hour

Brunch at Golden Hour is available Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-2pm. Enjoy shellfish beignets, pain perdu and more!

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Categories: Community Food & Drink
Code Purple: Emergency Weather Program
Mar 23 all-day
Asheville
Code Purple illustration
code purple

As cold weather moves into the region, many in our community turn their thoughts to the unhoused population and the additional hardships they face during winter months.

One of the most immediately responsive assets is the Code Purple program.

Driven by community organizations, this effort provides emergency shelter to people experiencing homelessness during freezing weather.

 

The Code Purple program kicks off this year on October 15, 2023 and runs through April 30, 2024. During that time members of the Homeless Coalition will determine when a Code Purple will go into effect. You can find details about the program in the Code Purple Manual

 

Exciting news about the expansion of services this year.

 

When a Code Purple Can be called. 

Code Purple emergency shelters and services are typically available at 32 degrees or below. A Code Purple may also be enacted this year when temperatures are 33-40 degrees with precipitation.

 

Additional Beds

ABCCM has 75 beds available between their Veterans Restoration Quarters and Transformation Village sites.

The Salvation Army will also participate this year, adding 16 new Code Purple beds for  people who are unhoused to seek shelter in extreme weather

A recorded message will be available at 828.398.6011 confirming that Code Purple is operational and providing information about shelter locations.

How is the City continuing to support this community-driven initiative?

  • The City of Asheville, once again, agreed to fund 50-thousand dollars of the Code Purple from this year in their annual budget.
  • ART buses will continue to over free rides to shelters for those in needs
  • Community Responders will assist in the transport of individuals on an “as needed” basis
  • The marquee at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center will post messaging indicating when a Code Purple will be or is in effect.

 

Stay Connected

To join the Homeless Coalition’s distribution list to receive notifications about when Code Purple is called, email [email protected].

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Categories: Community
Community Recreation Grants
Mar 23 all-day
online

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation will open its Community Recreation Grants application on February 5, 2024. The application window will remain open until March 29, 2024. The project application and supporting guidelines will be posted on the Buncombe County Grants webpage, located at www.buncombecounty.org/grants.

Eligible projects must:

  • Belong to a nonprofit organization.
  • Improve the quality of life within our community through the promotion of recreational initiatives that emphasize health and wellness, outdoor recreation, environmental education, athletics, and/or cultural experiences.
  • Operate in Buncombe County serving primarily Buncombe residents.

Preferred applications will:

  • Foster an atmosphere of inclusivity by extending recreation opportunities to underserved or underrepresented populations such as BIPOC and rural communities.
  • Promote goals highlighted within the Buncombe County Strategic Plan.
  • Promote recreational opportunities that emphasize health and wellness, outdoor recreation, environmental education, athletics, and/or cultural experiences.

For any questions, email [email protected].
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Categories: Grants Parks & Recreation
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Free Books for Children ages 0-5
Mar 23 all-day
online w/ Literacy Together

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library impacts the pre­-literacy skills and school readiness of children under the age of 5 in Buncombe County. The program mails a new, free, age-appropriate book to registered children each month until they turn five years old. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library creates a home library of up to 60 books and instills a love of books and reading from an early age. If you have any questions about the program, please send an email to [email protected].

A national panel of educators selects the Imagination Library titles, which include: The Little Engine that Could, Last Stop on Market Street, Violet the Pilot, As an Oak Tree Grows, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Llama Llama Red Pajama, Look Out Kindergarten, here I come, and many more (take a look at all the titles).

Register your child now!

Program Launch and Expansions

Literacy Together became a Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library affiliate in November 2015 with support from the Buncombe Partnership for Children. Through this program, registered children in Buncombe County receive a free book in the mail each month. Their parents also have the opportunity to attend workshops to learn how to build their children’s early literacy skills. Parents in need of literacy assistance are encouraged to receive tutoring through Literacy Together’s adult programming.

The program served 200 children during the 2015/16 fiscal year. The program expanded to serve 400 children in July 2016, and 600 in August 2017. In July 2018, capacity increased to 1,900 thanks to a special allocation in the North Carolina state budget. We’re now serving 4,600 kids in Buncombe County.  

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Categories: Bookclubs Community Education Family Fun
Farmers: Appalachian Grown Cost Share Available
Mar 23 all-day
online

ASAP, through support from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, has funds available for Appalachian Grown certified farms and farm groups in North Carolina to promote locally grown food in 2024. These funds can be used for design and production of labels, packaging, or promotional materials featuring the Appalachian Grown logo. The promotion must reach the public and support farmers within one or more of the Appalachian Grown counties in North Carolina. Appalachian Grown Cost Share operates on a reimbursement basis, for up to 75% of total project costs. Find out more about project eligibility and guidelines and apply.

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Categories: Farmers Market
Growing Minds Farm to School Mini-Grant
Mar 23 all-day
online

Farm to School Funding

Growing Minds Farm to School Funding Opportunities

We want to help fund your farm to school project in Western North Carolina! Mini-grants are available for schools to engage children in the following farm to school experiences:

  • Local food taste tests & cooking demonstrations
  • Incorporating local food into meals or snacks
  • Farm field trips or farmer visits to preschools and classrooms
  • Growing edible gardens

Funding can be used to start new projects, or to expand upon existing activities.

Pre-k through 12 schools and homeschool groups are eligible to apply. Schools must be located throughout our 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina. 

  • Smoky Mountains, NC: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain
  • Southern Mountains, NC: Henderson, Polk, Transylvania
  • Central Mountains, NC: Buncombe, Madison, Yancey
  • Foothills, NC: Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Rutherford
  • High Country, NC: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes

Growing Minds 2023-24 Farm to School / Preschool Funding

Applications are due by: March 31, 2024 and recipients will be selected by April 15, 2024.       

ASAP’s Growing Minds mini-grants help early childhood education (ECE) centers and K-12 schools provide children positive experiences with healthy local foods through these components of farm to school: school gardens, farm field trips and farmer classroom visits, and local foods served in meals, snacks, and/or taste tests.

Mini-grant applications are available three times during the 2023-2024 school year. You may apply one time during this cycle. Receive up to $500! The amount awarded will be based on availability of funding, number of applicants, and the scope of your project. Mini-grants must be used within a year after receiving the funding.

If you have questions about your eligibility to apply for funding, please email us at [email protected] before submitting your application. We are unable to provide mini-grants to schools located outside of our 23-county service area or to folks who have received a grant from us within the past year. 

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Categories: Grants
Haunted History + Murder MYstery Tour
Mar 23 all-day
Gray Line Trolley Tours of Asheville

Sit back if you dare as we illuminate Asheville’s darkest history with astonishing stories of spirits & spies, ghosts & goblins, hauntings & hoodlums and mountain-made murder & mayhem.

Hear stories of . . .

  The legendary PINK LADY at the Grove Park Inn
  The GHOST of Church Street
  The 1936 UNSOLVED MURDER that shook Asheville
  The CHILD SPIRITS at the haunted hospital
  The architect walled into his own church!
  The KILLING SPREE of 1906
  NAZI AGENTS based in Asheville
  ARSON at hospital that claimed Zelda Fitzgerald

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Categories: Tours
Hey Asheville: City Comedy Tour • Ages 13+ Only
Mar 23 all-day
LaZoom Room Bar & Gorilla

Come enjoy our most popular Asheville tour!

Duration

1 hour and 30 minutes

About

Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties are not permitted on this tour. The Fender Bender Bus is bachelorette/bachelor friendly!

Historical and hysterical, The Hey Asheville tour features outrageously entertaining tour guides, outlandish comedy skits complete with special appearances and loads of Asheville information. You’ll get to see the best of downtown Asheville and the rarely seen but stunningly beautiful Montford neighborhood, not to mention the burgeoning River Arts District! You’ve never had a ride like this. It’s like a vaudeville show on wheels!

Find out what makes Asheville so unique on LaZoom’s City Comedy Tour. It’s the perfect mix of history, comedy, and entertainment. Our guides are trained professional actors working with an original script. It’s like a theatre on wheels! The tour highlights downtown Asheville, historic neighborhoods, the South Slope, and the River Arts District.

Age Restrictions

13 and up. No exceptions.

Stops

10 minute beer & bathroom break at Green Man Brewery

What’s Included

Guided tour of Asheville on a Purple Bus
Funny actors, fun bits
Actual History about Asheville
Green Man Brewery Stop

What’s Not Included

Beer/Wine (Must be purchased from LaZoom or the Brewery Stop)
Cash! You’ll want to tip the guides for changing your life for the better.

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Categories: Comedy Food & Drink Tours
Hop-on/Hop-off SIGHTSEEING TOUR
Mar 23 all-day
Asheville Area

There is no better way to DISCOVER and EXPLORE Asheville!  Hop-on board one of Gray Line’s nostalgic trolleys for a fully narrated day tour, highlighting the history, homes, hang-outs and hot spots of this “city of surprises.”

Tour Highlights include  .  .  .  Downtown Asheville  |  Montford Historic District  |  The Grove Park Inn and Grove Park Historic District  |  Thomas Wolfe District  |  Pack Square and Asheville Art Museum  |  Grove Arcade  |  River Arts District  |  Biltmore Village

Hop-On and hear the story of a city rich in architecture, history and the arts  . . .

Hop-Off and experience its eclectic shops and galleries; its world class culinary and craft brew scenes.

Tour Duration:  The complete tour (one loop) lasts approximately 90 to 100 minutes.  There is an additional 15 minute stop at the Asheville Visitor Center.  The Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour ticket is valid for TWO consecutive days.

Departure Points: Join the Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour at any of the 10 stops.  If you’re driving in to join the tour, Stop 1, the Asheville Visitor Center may be your best option.  The Visitor Center, located at 36 Montford Ave. just off I-240 at Exit 4C, offers free parking (on a first come-first served basis) and restrooms. The Asheville Visitor Center is the ONLY place to join the Overview Tour.

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Categories: Tours