Feeling a bit in the doldrums these days? Could you use good a pick-me-up? It might be time to indulge in some comfort food—particularly some super colorful superfood comfort from a winter farmers market. We’re talking about making sweet potato gnocchi.
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.
Blue Ridge Humane Society has been awarded a grant by the Community Foundation of Henderson County to provide assistance for pet owners seeking housing. Blue Ridge Humane Society is committed to keeping pets in loving homes through a range of programs and assistance for community pets. The new program adds a needed service to assist in the current pet-friendly housing challenges facing Henderson County residents.
The new program will assist pet owners through two avenues—either through assisting with temporary boarding cost while the owner is unable to keep an animal due to relocation or other emergency circumstances; or through assisting with one-time pet deposit for a rental unit.
Those needing assistance or interested in learning more about the program can call (828) 393-5832 (you may experience a delay on holidays and weekends).
Community Foundation of Henderson County, founded in 1982, supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area.
Blue Ridge Humane Society, Inc., is a 501(c)3 animal welfare organization started in 1950 dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of life for animals in Henderson County and our neighboring communities. BRHS cares for pets awaiting adoption and in foster homes; offers low-cost vaccine clinics, animal education programs, pet training classes, and youth education and projects; coordinates community pet food assistance, emergency vet assistance, and the Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), which is a collaboration with Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and the Henderson County Animal Services Center.
If you believe in our cause, consider making a donation or learning how to volunteer by visiting the Blue Ridge Humane Society’s website at www.blueridgehumane.org or call (828) 692-2639.

It’s time for kids to vote for their favorite books!
Throughout the month of March, kids can vote for the NC Children’s Book Award by visiting any Buncombe County Public Library location. The North Carolina Children’s Book Award is a children’s choice program sponsored by school and public librarians in North Carolina. The awards are designed to introduce kids to books and to instill a lifelong love of reading.
The Library has partnered with the Board of Elections to provide official voting booths for kids to vote.
Kids can vote in person at any of these libraries between March 2 and March 31:
- Enka-Candler
- Fairview
- North Asheville
- Pack Memorial
- South Buncombe
- Swannanoa
- Weaverville
- West Asheville
Kids can also vote “absentee” by asking for a ballot at any library, or they can drop their completed ballot in our book drop before the end of March to “mail in” their vote.
You are eligible to vote if 1) You’re a kid and 2) You’ve read or listened to at least 5 of the picture book nominees and/or 3) You’ve read or listened to at least 3 of the junior book nominees. Kids may vote for each category if they have read or listened to the required number of titles.
For more information on the NC Children’s Book Award and a list of the nominees, please visit the North Carolina Children’s Book Award.
If you’d like to have the picture books read to you, just click the “Read Aloud” link under any book.
Any questions? Contact your friendly neighborhood librarian.

Welcome to your new home, Samson and Bonita! The two red foxes will be joining the other residents of the WNC Nature Center and are coming to us from Izzie’s Pond Sanctuary in Liberty, S.C.
Samson and Bonita have something more in common than their new home. They are both less than a year old and were both injured as a result of being caught in leg-hold traps and each has three legs, which means they would not be able to survive in the wild but can live safely in a zoo environment.
“The Nature Center has long provided excellent care for animals that, for one reason or another, could not live in the wild,” said WNC Nature Center Director Chris Gentile. “We are so excited to be able to welcome red foxes back to our Center.”
Come say “Hi!” to Samson and Bonita at the WNC Nature center beginning Feb. 11, when they’ll enter their new habitat for the first time.
2021 WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards

The Museum, with the assistance of its volunteer docents and support from the Asheville Area Section of the American Institute of Architects, is proud to sponsor the WNC Regional Scholastic Art Awards. Students in grades 7–12 from all across our region are invited to submit work for this special juried competition. The Museum works with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers to facilitate regional judging of student artwork and recognition of our community’s burgeoning artistic talent.
In early spring each year, award winners are featured in an exhibition, and are honored at a ceremony. Regional Gold Key recipients’ work is sent to the National Scholastic Art competition hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.
Across the Atlantic

Across the Atlantic
American Impressionism Through the French Lens
This extraordinary exhibition, drawn from the collection of the Reading Public Museum, explores the path to Impressionism through the 19th century in France. The show examines the sometimes complex relationship between French Impressionism of the 1870s and 1880s and the American interpretation of the style in the decades that followed. More than 65 paintings and works on paper help tell the story of the “new style” of painting which developed at the end of the 19th century—one that emphasized light and atmospheric conditions, rapid or loose brushstrokes, and a focus on brightly colored scenes from everyday life, including both urban and rural settings when artists preferred to paint outdoors and capture changing effects of light during different times of day and seasons of the year.
Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens is organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.
Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges and The Maurer Family Foundation.

The Asheville Art Museum announces Meeting the Moon, an exhibition featuring prints, photographs, ceramics, sculptures, and more from the Museum’s Collection. This exhibition will be on view in the Asheville Art Museum’s McClinton Gallery February 3 through July 26, 2021.
2021 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Apollo space program at NASA, but its inception was hardly the beginning of humankind’s fascination with Earth’s only moon. Before space travel existed, the moon—its shape, its mystery, and the face we see in it—inspired countless artists. Once astronauts landed on the moon and we saw our world from a new perspective, a surge of creativity flooded the American art scene, in paintings, prints, sculpture, music, crafts, film, and poetry.
This exhibition, whose title is taken from a 1913 Robert Frost poem, examines artwork in the Asheville Art Museum’s Collection of artists who were inspired by the unknown, then increasingly familiar moon. Meeting the Moon includes works by nationally renowned artists Newcomb Pottery, James Rosenquist, Maltby Sykes, Paul Soldner, John Lewis, Richard Ritter (Bakersville, NC), and Mark Peiser (Penland, NC). Western North Carolina artists include Jane Peiser (Penland, NC), Jak Brewer (Zionville, NC), Dirck Cruser (Asheville, NC), George Peterson (Lake Toxaway, NC), John B. Neff (NC), and Maud Gatewood (Yanceyville, NC).
“Meeting the Moon offers the opportunity to combine science and popular culture with works of art in the Museum’s Collection,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “I think all visitors will find something that draws them into this exhibition, whether it’s the artwork, poetry, music, or science of space travel. It’s such an affirmation of humanity to find these mysteries, like the moon, which enchant us all.”
This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Whitney Richardson, associate curator. Visit ashevilleart.org for more information about this and other exhibitions.

This exhibition features archival objects from the Theodore Dreier Sr. Document Collection presented alongside artworks from the Museum’s Black Mountain College Collection to explore the connections between artworks and ephemera. This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by lydia see, fall 2020 curatorial fellow, with support from a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant through the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Desire Paths looks at makers within the discourse of craft and those existing on the periphery of the craftscape who focus on the movement of the body towards something desirable. These desires of the body are in relationship to nature, technology, self, and society. Using architectural theory and queer curatorial strategies, Desire Paths examines the possibilities and futures of bodies, revealing connections between the corporeal and craft.
“Desire paths,” a term taken from urban planning, are lines trodden in the landscape when constructed walkways do not provide a direct or desired route. Through action, repetition, and intentionality, desire paths are crafted modifications to the landscape that allow for a body to move towards a horizon. The format of the works include traditional craft media, performance, video, and interactive web-based work. Through this variety of media and performative tactics the makers in Desire Paths consider how we view, value, and ascribe meaning to a body/the body/the others body. They show us the power and agency held in body and present us with crafted visions of the body that confront and expand expectations
The works in this exhibition reclaim the concept of craft from its historical associations with the decorative, frivolous, feminine, indigenous, and the other. The makers use the medium of craft, and the action of crafting, to produce powerful representations and counter narratives to dominant culture.
Two Ways to View
Virtual Tour
Online visitors can register to attend a virtual tour of this exhibition. This is a free event. A $5-10 donation at time of registration is recommended.
In-Person
The Center is offering free, unguided visits and affordable tours of its exhibitions to the public. Guests can reserve a 30-minute visit to explore the current exhibitions, learn more about the Center’s national impact in their Craft Research Fund Study Collection, and enjoy interactive activities. The Center is open to the public Tuesday-Friday, 11 am -5 pm. Hours of operation may be subject to change.
Center for Craft is monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the community and following the instruction of federal, state, and local health departments. Our top priority is always the health and safety of our staff, coworkers, and visitors. At this time, the Center can only allow a maximum of five guests in its public space at once and will require the use of masks or face coverings by all visitors, including children. The Center reserves the right to refuse entry to any visitor that will not comply.
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The Asheville Art Museum presents Fantastical Forms: Ceramics as Sculpture on view at the Museum November 4, 2020 through April 5, 2021. The 25 works in this exhibition—curated by associate curator Whitney Richardson—highlight the Museum’s Collection of sculptural ceramics from the last two decades of the 20th century to the present. Each work illustrates the artist’s ability to push beyond the utilitarian and transition ceramics into the world of sculpture.
North and South Carolina artists featured include Elma McBride Johnson, Neil Noland, Norm Schulman, Virginia Scotchie, Cynthia Bringle, Jane Palmer, Michael Sherrill, and Akira Satake. Works by American artists Don Reitz, Robert Chapman Turner, Karen Karnes, Toshiko Takaezu, Bill Griffith, and Xavier Toubes are also featured in the exhibition.
Join us for a virtual, via Zoom, four part series; March 2, 3, 4, 5 from 11:00 am – 12:00 noon each day.
Part 1: Defining a Crisis
Part 2: Battling Distractions During a Crisis
Part 3: Character in a Crisis
Part 4: Real Leadership in Crisis
Based on the teaching of John C. Maxwell participants will learn via a series of videos and discussion. Each lesson is designed to prompt questions from the reading, draw out key values and encourage discussion. John Maxwell is a leadership expert, speaker and author. His books have sold millions of copies, with some on the New York Times Best Seller List. For more information: https://www.johnmaxwell.com/
Participants will learn:
1. Learn practical ways to maneuver through times of difficulty and adversity
2. Adopt successful thinking habits to think your way through any crisis
3. Effectively battle distractions during times of crisis and stress
Timothy Polis, owner of You Lead Unlimited will facilitate the seminar series. Tim is a Certified John Maxwell Speaker, Coach, and Trainer. As a leadership and personal growth teacher and keynote speaker, Timothy works with individuals and organizations that understand the value of personal growth, who want to sharpen their current leadership skills and want to develop a larger pool of emerging leaders in their organization.
For more information on the John Maxwell Masterminding program please visit Timothy’s website:
https://youleadunlimited.com/
Participants will have access to a 17 page Participant Guide that will be emailed prior to the event and each participant who completes the course will be mailed a Certificate of Completion.

The women of the SEC are back to compete in the 2021
Women’s Basketball Tournament! Catch all of the action
and see who will be crowned champion at the Bon Secours
Wellness Arena March 3-7!
March is Red Cross Month, and for more than 130 years, heroic American Red Cross volunteers have provided hope and urgent relief to families in communities across the country.
This March the community is invited to join in the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and be
someone’s hero by rolling up a sleeve to give blood.
According to the Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds to respond to
patient emergencies. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients,
and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood.
All blood types are needed.
Be a hero in your community by rolling up a sleeve….
To make an appointment or to learn more, download the American Red Cross Blood Donor
App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood
Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Completion of a RapidPass® online health history
questionnaire is encouraged to help speed up the donation process. To get started, follow the
instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App. A blood donor card
or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who
are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height
and weight requirements.
Black Is Beautiful is a collaborative effort in partnership with our friends at @weatheredsoulsbrewing whose shared mission is to bring awareness to the injustices that many People of Color face daily. Additional proceeds from select retailers will be donated to the Know Your Rights Campaign.


Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, our Library Tax-Aide program is changing the way you can get help with your taxes in 2021. Tax assistance is available now through April 8.
You will need an appointment this year to speak with a tax help aide at the library. At your appointment, you can drop off your tax documents and you’ll be given another appointment in about two weeks to pick up your paperwork and completed tax form.
How it works
- Pick-up a Tax Record Envelope and instructions at Black Mountain, West Asheville or Pack Library during library hours.
- Complete the Intake/Interview Booklet in your envelope by answering all questions. Then sign and date the last 3 pages. Place all your tax forms and any information relating to your tax return in your envelope.
- Make an appointment to drop off your Tax Record Envelope and meet with a Tax-Aide volunteer.
Schedule
Weaverville Library and Weaverville First Baptist Church: Thursdays, appointments available between 1-5pm
- To make an appointment for tax help at the Weaverville First Baptist Church email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR call the Weaverville Library at (828) 250-6482 with questions. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.
Tax help is available now through April 8.
Bring the following documents and tax forms to your tax help appointment (photocopies are recommended):
- Photo ID / Driver License for Taxpayer and Spouse
- Social Security Cards for Taxpayer, Spouse and ALL dependents
- Prior year (2019) Federal and State tax returns
- W-2 Wages, W-2G (Gambling winnings)
- SSA-1099 Social Security Benefit Statement
- 1099-R Retirement, 1099-RRB (Railroad Retirement Benefits)
- 1099-Interest, 1099-Dividend, 1099-OID
- 1099-B Brokerage Statement, Sale of Stocks and Bonds, 1099-Ks
- 1099-G Unemployment and State refunds
- 1099-NEC Self-Employment, 1099-MISC
- 1099-C Sale of Home, Forgiveness of Credit Card Debt
- 1098- Home Mortgage Interest and Real Estate Taxes
- 1099-T Education Credits PLUS Student Account Statement
- 1098-E Student Loan Interest
- 1099-SA and/or 5498-SA (HSA = Health Savings Account)
- 1095-A Health Insurance – Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace
- Schedule K-1 (Forms 1065, 1120S or 1041)
- Any other documents or information relevant to preparation of the tax return
- Voided check for direct deposit of any refund to your checking / savings account

Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, our Library Tax-Aide program is changing the way you can get help with your taxes in 2021. Tax assistance is available now through April 8.
You will need an appointment this year to speak with a tax help aide at the library. At your appointment, you can drop off your tax documents and you’ll be given another appointment in about two weeks to pick up your paperwork and completed tax form.
How it works
- Pick-up a Tax Record Envelope and instructions at Black Mountain, West Asheville or Pack Library during library hours.
- Complete the Intake/Interview Booklet in your envelope by answering all questions. Then sign and date the last 3 pages. Place all your tax forms and any information relating to your tax return in your envelope.
- Make an appointment to drop off your Tax Record Envelope and meet with a Tax-Aide volunteer.
Black Mountain Library: Thursdays, appointments available between 1-5 p.m.
- To make an appointment at Black Mountain Library email [email protected] with your name and telephone number OR call (828) 419-0030. An AARP volunteer will contact you to set up your appointment. At your appointment, a tax volunteer will check all documents and give you a follow-up appointment to pick up your completed tax return and documents in 1 or 2 weeks.
- Bring the following documents and tax forms to your tax help appointment (photocopies are recommended):
- Photo ID / Driver License for Taxpayer and Spouse
- Social Security Cards for Taxpayer, Spouse and ALL dependents
- Prior year (2019) Federal and State tax returns
- W-2 Wages, W-2G (Gambling winnings)
- SSA-1099 Social Security Benefit Statement
- 1099-R Retirement, 1099-RRB (Railroad Retirement Benefits)
- 1099-Interest, 1099-Dividend, 1099-OID
- 1099-B Brokerage Statement, Sale of Stocks and Bonds, 1099-Ks
- 1099-G Unemployment and State refunds
- 1099-NEC Self-Employment, 1099-MISC
- 1099-C Sale of Home, Forgiveness of Credit Card Debt
- 1098- Home Mortgage Interest and Real Estate Taxes
- 1099-T Education Credits PLUS Student Account Statement
- 1098-E Student Loan Interest
- 1099-SA and/or 5498-SA (HSA = Health Savings Account)
- 1095-A Health Insurance – Affordable Care Act, Health Insurance Marketplace
- Schedule K-1 (Forms 1065, 1120S or 1041)
- Any other documents or information relevant to preparation of the tax return
- Voided check for direct deposit of any refund to your checking / savings account

Beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19, Pack Memorial Library will reopen to the public with limited hours and services. See below for schedule information for most other Buncombe County Public Libraries.
The Pack library schedule will be:
- Tuesday-Thursday, 1-6 p.m.
- Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Sunday & Monday, Closed

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Join us as we discuss, The Tall Woman: A Novel by Wilma Dykeman via ZOOM. Registration is necessary. Newcomers are welcome. |
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Free Drive-thru COVID-19 Testing
The Brevard Music Center in association with the Pisgah Health Foundation announces a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing site for everyone – the insured and uninsured, those on Medicare and Medicaid – everyone!
Keystone Laboratory of Asheville will administer the COVID-19 tests and antibody tests, with results typically available within 5 business days depending on volume.
When: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Please no early arrivals.
Where: Brevard Music Center Main Parking lot (entrance on Music Camp Road off Probart Street)
Who: Anyone who wants a test.
How:
- Appointments are not necessary. Participants will be served in the order of their arrival.
- Participants can choose to be tested for COVID-19 via nasal swab or have the COVID-19 antibody test via blood sample.
- Participants will receive their test results at the contact information provided at check-in, typically within 5 business days depending on volume.
What:
- A driver’s license is helpful, but not required.
- A doctor’s order is not required.
- If you have private insurance, please bring your insurance card with you.
- If you have Medicare or Medicaid, please bring your card with you.
- If you do not have insurance, you will be asked to sign an affidavit stating so.
- Please wear a mask and stay in your vehicle while on BMC’s campus.
- If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, please seek medical attention from your medical provider, urgent care, or the hospital.
- Please leave pets at home.
Questions: Please email [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Join the Asheville Fit Tribe Group for a 60 minute of strength training. You will get personalized training with the power of the group to positively motivate you. Get ready to get a full body workout in for all fitness levels. So, no matter where you are at from beginner to collegiate athlete Trainer Preston will make sure you get a phenomenal workout. For Strength day we focus on slow controlled weight lifting. Learning how to become more aware of our bodies. We hope you give us a shot and see what we are all about!! For any question shoot Preston a text/call (984)204-0591.

“Getting to know you…” Meaningfully connect and collaborate with young artists from across the country in this virtual musical theatre class featuring Broadway songs about friendship! In high-energy zoom classes combining singing, acting, and movement, students will hone their theatrical skills while developing a virtual musical revue shared with friends and family at the end of the semester.

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Looking to practice your Spanish Language skills? Come to the Spanish Conversation Group at Pack! The group meets once a week virtually to practice their language skills and to help each other out when needed. Newcomers are always welcome. |
The Executive Committee of WNC Sierra Club meets monthly on the first Thursday at 5 pm, currently on Zoom. Meetings are open to the public and are a good way to learn about our activities. Contact Judy Mattox if you wish to receive the email invitation for our meetings:
[email protected] or 828-683-2176.
Join the Asheville Fit Tribe Group for a 60 minute of strength training. You will get personalized training with the power of the group to positively motivate you. Get ready to get a full body workout in for all fitness levels. So, no matter where you are at from beginner to collegiate athlete Trainer Preston will make sure you get a phenomenal workout. For Strength day we focus on slow controlled weight lifting. Learning how to become more aware of our bodies. We hope you give us a shot and see what we are all about!! For any question shoot Preston a text/call (984)204-0591.

Push your imagination to the limits as you collaborate with artists from across the country to devise original, virtual theatrical performance art. With inspiring, out-of-the-box artistic challenges, this class encourages artists of all kinds to use their voices and talents in new and unexpected ways. Whether you’re an actor, writer, dancer, comic, storyteller, artist, musician, or editor, this class led by improviser and actor TJ Simba-Medel will encourage you to create art from anywhere!
January 28 – March 25
Virtual Platform: Zoom
Instructor: TJ Simba-Medel
Supplies Needed: Internet connection, a device (mobile phone, tablet, or computer) with a working camera for video submissions.

The women of the SEC are back to compete in the 2021
Women’s Basketball Tournament! Catch all of the action
and see who will be crowned champion at the Bon Secours
Wellness Arena March 3-7!
Join the Asheville Fit Tribe Group for a 60 minute of strength training. You will get personalized training with the power of the group to positively motivate you. Get ready to get a full body workout in for all fitness levels. So, no matter where you are at from beginner to collegiate athlete Trainer Preston will make sure you get a phenomenal workout. For Strength day we focus on slow controlled weight lifting. Learning how to become more aware of our bodies. We hope you give us a shot and see what we are all about!! For any question shoot Preston a text/call (984)204-0591.





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