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.
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Each year, Asheville GreenWorks plants more than 1,000 trees as part of our commitment to restore Asheville’s tree canopy. However, we can’t do it without the help of our volunteers. Each year hundreds of tree lovers dedicate a day (or more) to potting, planting, or caring for the saplings that will keep urban Asheville cool and green now and in the future.
You are welcome to schedule a specific workday for your group or to join one of our public workdays every Tuesday from April to July from 10am-12pm. |

Current students, alumni, staff, faculty, and faculty emeriti of the UNC Asheville Department of Art & Art History are participating in THRIVE ! – an invitational exhibition of small works on paper.
“I wanted to express this idea that despite COVID, and despite our department’s relocation during renovation – art thrives here, it is the constant that cannot be disrupted,” says THRIVE ! curator Leisa Rundquist, professor of art history and curator of art collections at UNC Asheville.
The informal arrangement installation will be displayed in the hallway gallery next to the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in Owen Hall through August 1.
Viewing is available during open Owen Hall hours. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (M – F)
Community Expectations
As members of this community, we care about everyone. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors have a shared commitment to take the necessary precautions to avoid spreading COVID-19 while following all recommended health guidelines. Please see UNC Asheville’s Community Expectations. Be respectful of individual choice to wear or not wear a mask in any situation; wear a mask when and where encouraged, following guidelines and precautions outlined by the CDC.
Accessibility
Find accessibility information for campus buildings at maps.unca.edu. For accessibility questions or to request event accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 828.250.3832.
Visitor Parking
Visitors must have a permit to park on campus — please visit the Transportation website to register.
Old Kentucky Home -The Thomas Wolfe Memorial
American Novelist Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)
Considered by many to be one of the giants of 20th-century American literature, Thomas Wolfe immortalized his childhood home in his epic autobiographical novel, Look Homeward, Angel. Wolfe’s colorful portrayal of his family, his hometown of “Altamont” Asheville, North Carolina, and “Dixieland” the Old Kentucky Home boardinghouse, earned the Victorian period house a place as one of American literature’s most famous landmarks.
House tours are offered daily at half past each hour. Last tour leaves at 4:30 pm.
Group tours by reservation.
Adult – $5.00
Student (ages 7-17) – $2.00
Adult Group (10+) – $2.50 each
Student Group – $2.00 each
6 & under – Free
Hours of Operation
April 1st through May 26th, 2022

Escape to Biltmore for a unique spring getaway. Immerse yourself in waves of color as Biltmore Blooms transforms our gardens and grounds. Savor complimentary wine tastings at our Winery. All this and more—an array of outdoor activities, shops, and restaurants, and of course, the timeless beauty of Biltmore House—is yours this spring at Biltmore.

Featured Artists: Judi Harwood (clay) Colin Richmond (clay) Cori Saraceni (mixed media) Lyn Lyndall (leather) Lauren Faulkenberry (paper)

Featured Artists: Jude Stuecker (fiber) Erica Bailey (jewelry) Mary Dashiell (clay) Steve Miller (wood) Rex Redd (clay)

The Garden Helpline is open March 2 through October 27 in 2022.
Extension Master GardenerSM volunteers will be staffing the Helpline as indicated in the schedule below. You may send an email or leave a voicemail at any time and an Extension Master Gardener volunteer will respond during Garden Helpline hours. When emailing, please include a photo if it helps describe your garden question. Soil test kits can be picked up at the Extension office, 24/7, located in a box outside the front door.
Two ways to contact the Garden Helpline
Call 828-255-5522
Email questions and photos to [email protected]
Garden Helpline Hours
March: Monday 12:00 – 2:00; Wednesday 10:00 – 12:00
April – September: Monday and Wednesday 10:00- 2:00; Tuesday 10:00-12:00;
Thursday 12:00-2:00
October: Tuesday 10:00-12:00; Thursday 12:00-2:00
We are here to help and support you! Please contact us; we look forward to answering your gardening questions.



May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month and Buncombe County is celebrating the incredible families who have stepped up to Foster Our Future. Becoming a Foster Parent is a big decision. “Many people begin their foster journeys with an idea of what being a foster parent should be,” says Amy Huntsman, Foster Care Supervisor for Buncombe County Health and Human Services. “But parenting, regardless of biological relation, is complex and encourages parents and children alike to grow in surprising and unexpected ways.” At Buncombe County, we like to refer to fostering as a journey; and if fostering is a journey, then social workers are the tour guides- supporting you supporting kids.
Buncombe County Foster Care Social Workers serve our foster parents in three categories throughout the fostering journey: preparation, placement, and maintenance.
Explore Options and Learn More!
The first step of the foster journey for any potential parent is training. The Foster Parent Training Class, or MAPP Class, combines storytelling with practical application techniques that offer a realistic, comprehensive understanding of what being a foster parent is like. Taught by our team of social workers and current foster parents, you can expect this course to be engaging and set you up for success on the licensure exam.
This course is taught over six weeks. Classes meet once a week for 3 hours per class. Completion of this course does not result in automatic licensure. Potential foster parents will have to seek licensure through the state of North Carolina. The Buncombe County social work team is here to educate and support you every step of the way and make sure that you are making the best possible decisions at every turn.
SIGN UP | CALL US: (828) 250-5868 | buncombecounty.org/foster
Placement
Once our foster parents get licensed, the placement phase begins. Each foster parent is assigned a social worker who facilitates the placement process including; helping you complete licensure requirements, assessing the best types of children for your home and skill set, and assisting you in process of meeting a foster child and having them settle into your family.
Maintenance
Once a child has been placed in your home, that same social worker will continue working with you to ensure you and the child are supported throughout this experience. Our social workers help foster parents; learn about a child’s individual medical. Behavioral, or developmental needs, refer and assist families in gaining supports for the youth, and engage foster parents in ongoing training and advocacy to ensure both the youth and the foster family’s needs are met.
There are currently over 340 children in foster care in Buncombe County. A shortage of foster parents in Buncombe County has resulted in approximately 100 of those children being placed outside their communities, away from their homes, schools, families, friends, and anything familiar to them. We know that children who are placed in their home communities have a better foster experience and are more likely to be reunited with their biological families when compared to those who are placed far away. If you have ever thought about becoming a foster parent, now is the time. Click here to sign up for Foster Parent Training classes and help us bring the kids in care back to Buncombe County.
Contact Us:
Facebook: @fosterbuncombe
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828) 250-5868
Website: buncombecounty.org/foster

“My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. These structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are continually being challenged, destroyed and forgotten. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. The buildings, often on the brink of ruin, have something very energized and present trying to escape from their fragmented reality.” –Seth Clark
This first solo show of Seth’s work at Momentum’s new space features large-scale works from his Barn, Ghost, and Aerial View Series. The collection also includes some of the artist’s sculptural objects in wood. Abstract works, which still reference weathered architecture, such as Lath Study and Vinyl Study, round out the exhibition.
Simpson is an imaginist who has worked in nearly every medium, including woodworking, painting, printmaking, ceramics, bookmaking, jewelry, and writing. Whether it’s a painting or sculptural object, in each of Simpson’s works there is an identifiable style that puzzles together the artist’s personal and cultural references into a signature blend of joyfulness and subtle commentary. On describing Simpson’s sensibility, Karen S. Chambers comments, “It’s whimsical and wry, naive yet saavy, inteligent but not cerebral.” Edward S. Cooke, Jr. (Yale University) wrote, “Simpson is simply a maker who deftly blends utility, memory, irony, and spirituality in his accomplishments. Fundemental to his life has been a conviction that ‘art can be meaningful and still give joy.’ He makes faciful, whimsical objects that incorporate verbal and visual puns and probe the meanings of cultural icons, but undertakes such commentary wthin comfortable settings. His works possess an engaging tension that employs friendly humor or familiar details and conventions to inspire long-lasting thoughtfulness.”
The collection presented at Momentum spans the past 30 years, and focuses on Simpson’s sculptural furniture including cabinets, clocks, and benches, paintings, whimsical wood sculptures, pottery, and works on paper. Tommy Simpson’s work is included in numerous public collections including the Renwick Gallery and the American Art Museum at the Smithsonian Institute, DC; and the Museum of Art and Design, NY.
- Arrangement by Patti Quinn Hill
- Ikebana International of Asheville is hosting an ikebana demonstration at the Folk Art Center, 382 Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC, on May 24, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. This program will focus on creating Ichiyo school ikebana arrangements that incorporate bamboo. Ikebana, translated from Japanese as “living flowers,” is flower arrangements known worldwide for its grace and beauty.
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Bamboo has many meanings in Japan. It symbolizes prosperity and good fortune as well as purity and innocence. Images of snow-covered bamboo bending under bitter winds evoke its unfailing ability to spring anew after the harshness of winter. In this demonstration Ichiyo Master Patti Quinn Hill will create arrangements demonstrating how to use lengths of bamboo in creating ikebana beauty. With her will be Bamboo Artist Carol Stangler who will demonstrate how to use a Japanese razor saw to cut three to five lengths of bamboo to be incorporated into arrangements. She will also show how to clean the surface of the bamboo with steel wool and oil, which will make it shine.
Guests who are interested in learning more about ikebana can join us at the Folk Art Center Auditorium. Please contact Lynn Forbes at the number or email above to obtain the necessary information.
We ask that everyone planning to attend to please wear a mask.
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Ikebana provides a well-matched creative expression for modern Asheville as it combines nature, reflection, and art. The Asheville Chapter of Ikebana International presents a program on ikebana flower design and/or Japanese culture on the fourth Tuesday of every month, February through October. For more information on our programs, teachers and workshops, contact Lynn Forbes, Chapter President, 828-273.2222; [email protected] or www.ikebanaasheville.org Membership Cost is $75.00 annually.

Buncombe County Public Libraries will start offering in-person story times the week of May 24. There will be story times for all ages spread out across the library system so you can find one that works for your schedule. There will be two bilingual Spanish-English story times for any interested families.
Join us for a bilingual hora del cuento (story time)! We’ll share books, rhymes, and songs in Spanish and in English–fun for the whole family

Buncombe County Public Libraries will start offering in-person story times the week of May 24. There will be story times for all ages spread out across the library system so you can find one that works for your schedule. There will be two bilingual Spanish-English story times for any interested families.
Join us for a story time designed for children ages 3 to 5 years as we share books, songs, rhymes, and activities.
May 23 & 24 | Founded more than 30 years ago, ARTS Day is an annual gathering of art and action that draws hundreds of North Carolinians to learn, network, celebrate, and speak with one voice on behalf of the arts.

ARTS Day 2022
North Carolina’s Annual Conference of Art & Action
May 23 & 24 Afternoons – Virtual Conference
This year’s conference includes Asheville’s own Aisha Adams speaking about How To Champion Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity as an Arts Leader.

Our ARTS Day Conference will be virtual once again in 2022. Our interactive digital platform allows comprehensive engagement with high-quality content that will both inform and inspire while also allowing for the peer-to-peer networking we have always provided in Raleigh.
May 23 – Virtual Conference Hub
| 11:00 | Arts Advocacy 101 & 2022 Legislative Agenda – Nate McGaha, Executive Director, Arts North Carolina |
| 12:00 | ARTS Day Welcome Featured Speaker: Frank Bruni |
| 12:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 1:00 | How To Champion Diversity, Equity, & Inclusivity as an Arts Leader – Aisha Adams |
| 1:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 2:00 | State and Federal Legislative Update – Ken Melton, & Nate McGaha |
| 2:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 3:00 | Arts Education Panel |
| 3:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 4:00 | Speaker: Darlene McClinton |
May 24 – Virtual Conference Hub
| 11:00 | Arts NC Organization Updates – Nate McGaha, Executive Director, Arts North Carolina |
| 12:00 | Speaker: Donna Walker Kuhne |
| 1:00 | Accessibility and the Arts/LEAD Conference Panel |
| 1:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 2:00 | Candidate & Voter Engagement Panel |
| 2:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 3:00 | Resources for Independent Artists Panel |
| 3:45 | Artist Spotlight: TBA |
| 4:00 | Speaker: Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle |
Cook teams of 4-6 individuals are invited to bring ingredients and prepare meals onsite or bring meals that have been prepared elsewhere. To meet our dietary standards, we ask that each meal provides a meat, vegetable and starch.
Requirements:
- Background Check
- Brief orientation prior to service
- Ability to Multi-Task
- Friendly Demeanor
Health & Safety:
- We are asking volunteers to wear/bring their own face mask if you have not been fully vaccinated
- Temperatures will be checked and a COVID-19 disclosure will be signed at the volunteer entrance
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Before you even begin thinking about volunteering, ask yourself – Am I well enough to volunteer?
Your safety and limiting the spread of COVID-19 is everyone’s main priority. We encourage you to review and adhere to the recommendations on the Buncombe County readiness site on how best to avoid COVID-19 and what to do if you think you might have it.
ABCCM Transformation Village provides up to 100 beds of transitional housing and will provide emergency shelter beds, post Covid-19. Transforming lives is through four developmental phases called Steps to Success including stabilization, life skills, education and reintegration. We are honored to report that 8 out of 10 leave us with a living wage job and permanent housing.
Transformation Village gives hope, healing, health and a home to single women, mothers with children, and female Veterans experiencing homelessness. We provide residents a fresh start and a place to heal surrounded and supported by Christian love, trust, education and companionship.
We are seeking energetic volunteers to prepare and serve meals for our residents for lunch and dinner. This opportunity provides you with the chance to prepare meals in our commercial kitchen alongside our trained staff while serving the women and children of Transformation Village.
During the month of May, buy one entrée and get a free dessert at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Biltmore Park. Mention that you saw this offer in the Town Square Reminder email newsletter and enjoy warm, friendly service over scratch made wood fired fare either in the dining room or on the spacious patio.


Brighten your walls with with works from Artsville Collective’s upcoming exhibition, “In Living Color: At Home with Paint, Paper and Thread.” Allow these abstract pieces, in varying sizes and mediums, to light up your life. Collectively, the artwork’s tonal range is of blended neutrals and ventures into spring and fall palettes. Suit your design pleasures with pure color or wabi-sabi textural designs in a range of perspectives from three uniquely talented artists: Betsy Meyer, fibers; Karen Stastny, painting, and Michelle Wise, mixed media. Also showing: the Retro pop art of Daryl Slaton, which can be activated on your phone to reveal an animated story. For a softer approach, consider the mixed media art of Louise Glickman using paint, textiles, and natural plant materials.
Round Up for RiverLink
Shoppers at any Mast General Store during the month of May will be invited to round up the last dollar of their purchase to benefit RiverLink! Those small gifts do add up over a month–often up to $5,000–so if you visit Mast General, please do round up for RiverLink!

Anxiety can be a debilitating force in life and at times, so debilitating that it interferes with the ability to manage one’s own activities of daily living. When this happens, it’s important to know that there are supports available to treat and assist in the management of symptoms. This free workshop focuses on different types of anxiety disorders and specifically details ones more commonly seen in older adults. The class will also cover interventions available to assist in calming the anxious mind.
These events will be facilitated by the Vaya Health GERO team. CEU’s are provided through NC Department of Health and Human Services. The workshops are free, but you do need to register here.
Workshop information
Thursday, May 12 at 10:30 AM
Pack Memorial Library – 67 Haywood St. – Asheville
(828) 250-4700
Tuesday, May 24 at 1:00 PM
Enka-Candler Library – 1404 Sandhill Rd. – Candler
(828) 250-4758
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Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 2:45-6pm
K-6th graders.
Does your child enjoy having fun and making new friends? Offering
arts, crafts, special events, homework assistance and more!
Families currently enrolled in the school system’s reduced or free
meal program, please contact your recreation center for discount
fee information.
Locations: Burton, Grant, Montford, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

Hosted by: The Buddhist Studies Institute
FREE – ONLINE – 30 MINUTES – DAILY
🌺Guided meditation support and community🌺
🌸Stabilization and Liberation:
In order to liberate our minds– we need stable calm.
🌸Consistency & Commitment:
Stabilizing in calm clear presence takes consistent training.
🌸Support & Community:
Daily Meditation is a container and support for your meditation focus.
Expand your meditation circle- join us online any day or every day!
Formerly known as 100 Days of practice to support a Tibetan Yogis tradition to practice 100 days in the winter, this has now been expanded to continue daily. To learn more and register: https://buddhiststudiesinstitute.org/daily-meditation/
WELCOME TO THE HISTORIC MARION TAILGATE MARKET
IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT THE TAILGATE MARKET!
No cash is not a reason to miss the Market!
Marion Tailgate Market accepts cards; credit, debit and EBT. EBT/SNAP users can use Market Fresh Bucks to double up to $40 to provide additional funds for fresh, seasonal items to supplement their Food and Nutrition Income.

The live stream will take place at the West Asheville Tailgate Market and will highlight the benefits of the Double SNAP program.
Did you know that SNAP (formerly “food stamps”) can be used at many farmers’ markets? In fact, your SNAP dollars can DOUBLE at some markets! Join us from the West Asheville Tailgate Market and learn more as we go shopping with SNAP.
Montford Pre-Teen Afterschool Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021 – June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
5th-6th graders.
New program designed to meet the needs of your pre-teen.
Providing time dedicated to school assignments, life skills, arts,
communication, leadership, fitness, nutrition, and loads of fun.
Location: Montford
Teen Leadership Program
Pre-registration required. FREE for the 2021-2022 school year
August 23, 2021-June 3, 2022 | Monday-Friday | 3:30-6pm
6th-9th graders.
Looking for a cool and enriching alternative for your Teen to attend
this school year? We offer creative activities, diverse projects,
field trips, and more.
Locations: Grant, Shiloh, Stephens-Lee

ABOUT WEST ASHEVILLE TAILGATE MARKET
• We accept SNAP EBT + Credit Cards •
At the West Asheville Tailgate Market, vendors’ tables are abundant with an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, meat, poultry, and fish. You will also find plant starts for gardens, locally made specialty items, natural beauty products, herbal medicine, and locally made art and crafts. We have live music and free kids activities so there’s fun for the whole family.




