Calendar of Events

Give us 2-4 hours. Enjoy a day of music and memories — and the knowledge that you helped to bring a community together! You’ll also get a little swag: a 11th Annual Festival Tee Shirt, snacks, a drink ticket, and our new Blue Ridge Pride Center buttons and stickers. Volunteer roles include: setup and breakdown, selling wristbands, beverages or merchandise, and assisting with volunteer check-in or VIP. Learn more and sign up here.

We’re offering three progressive levels of classes, Basic Improv, Beyond Basic, and The Performance Lab. There’s room for everyone in these classes, no matter your experience level!

The Council on Aging of Buncombe County in conjunction with the N.C. Department of Insurance’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) announces its classes “Introduction to Medicare – Understanding the Puzzle” for August – September 2019. The classes will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money.

The classes are free and open to the public.

Residents who are new to Medicare, caregivers, and others who help senior citizens with their Medicare insurance should consider attending this informative class. The information presented is unbiased and accurate. No products are sold, recommended, or endorsed.

Medicare Classes:  August – September 2019

• Aug. 21, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. PM Blue Ridge Health, 2579 Chimney Rock Rd, Hendersonville
• Aug.  23, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Goodwill, 1616 Patton Ave, Asheville
• Aug. 28, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 150 Brian Berg Dr, Brevard
• Sept. 5, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Reuter YMCA, 3 Town Square Blvd, Asheville
• Sept. 13, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. OLLI/Reuter Center, UNCA, One University Heights, Asheville
• Sept. 17, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Woodfin YMCA, 40 N Merrimon Ave #101, Asheville
• Sept. 20, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Goodwill, 1616 Patton Ave, Asheville
• Sept. 25, 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. Black Mountain YMCA, 25 Jane Jacobs Rd, Black Mountain
• Oct. 1, 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. Ferguson YMCA, 31 Westridge Market Pl, Candler

DISOUNT TICKET DEADLINE EXTENDED *
Now Closing September 2nd @ 11:59 PM EST*
*Or until the number of tickets at this tier is reached, whichever comes first.

Visit Web Site for details.

Homework Diners take place weekly (except on school holidays or early release days). Families are invited to the cafeteria of the middle school during the scheduled time each week. No pre-registration is required to attend. Homework Diners currently take place at four area middle schools: Asheville, Enka, Erwin and Owen Middle. All are open to any family with a K-12 student in the surrounding school district with an adult family member in attendance with the participating student.

The 2019-20 Homework Diner schedule:

• Erwin Middle on Monday nights starting September 23, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Asheville Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5-7:00 p.m.
• Enka Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Owen Middle on Thursday nights starting September 26, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Momentum Gallery in downtown Asheville hosts new summer exhibitions – Mariella Bisson, Setting Shapes; Oil paintings by two new painters: Samantha Keely Smith and Paul Sattler; and a group invitational called Give Me Wood. These exhibitions continue at 24 N Lexington Avenue through the end of August.

Mariella Bisson deftly delineates the sculptural planes of regional waterfalls and sylvan scenes creating refreshingly contemporary landscape paintings. Her oil-over-collage paintings feature built-up texture, suggesting the complex surface of stone and tree bark, lichen, and moss. Bisson’s paintings demonstrate a strong understanding of formal composition and reflect a sensibility honed from time she’s spent immersed in the outdoors. Of note, Bisson is a two-time recipient of the Pollock-Krasner grant and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in painting.

Samantha Keely Smith creates inspired and stirring abstract paintings in oil. The Brooklyn-based artist sees her paintings “as an expression of our internal turbulence. They reflect the overwhelming reality of being constantly aware of what is happening in the wider world – Change is the only constant.” Smith’s nebulous compositions are evocative of luminous cloudscapes and primordial oceans. Brilliant areas of stained pigment collide with waves of painterly brush strokes ultimately conjuring imagined environments with a timeless quality. “These paintings are about the essence of who we all are, as human beings… We all want love and connection.” Smith’s works give form to fluctuations between turbulence and calm present in everything from our emotions to the temporal world. Overall, Smith’s focus is on the underlying psychological impact of the dawning awareness of our shifting reality.

An accomplished oil painter, Paul Sattler was the recipient of the John R. Solomon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. In 2004, he was selected to exhibit at the 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Design in New York, where he received the Wallace Truman Prize. Dramatic narratives unfold in his charged and enigmatic oil paintings which reference historic and literary sources. Sattler comments, “A diverse population of animals are enmeshed in my works’ human-inhabited environments, theatrical locales, and domestic dramas.”

Give Me Wood is an imaginative and evocative collection of contemporary painting and wood sculpture. Central to the identity and creation of all the extraordinary two- and three-dimensional works in the exhibition is the common material of wood. The participating artists defy logic, explore space (both real and imagined), carve, bend, turn, and otherwise construct some truly amazing and innovative work! Featuring Michael Alm, Garry Knox Bennett, Gil Bruvel, Christian Burchard, Tom Eckert, David Ellsworth, Ron Layport, Wendy Maruyama, and Sylvie Rosenthal.

This urban scavenger hunt will take teams of four around the downtown area via a series of clues to sixteen different locations where they will be required to complete a task before receiving their next clue.  Two volunteers will staff each secret location, checking teams in and out, throughout the day. Contact [email protected] directly if you are interested in assisting with this event or sign up by CLICKING HERE.

In this class, students will learn a variety of acting techniques with a focus on character development and relationships, deciding what your character wants and how you are going to achieve it, and making choices in scenes to fully develop the scene with specific blocking and movement. Students will work on scenes and monologues from a variety of popular youth plays and musicals, including Charlotte’s Web, Peter Pan, Into the Woods, The Secret Garden, and Beauty and the Beast, taking them from auditions to performance. They will also write their own original, creative scenes to perform in a final showcase during the last class.

Class Schedule:

Classes: September 7​ –​November 9, 2019: Saturdays from 1​1​:00 am-1​2​:00 ​pm
Final Showcase: Saturday, ​November 16, 2019 at 11:​0​0 am (combined with improv)
Cost: $150

Hot Works 4^th Asheville Fine Art Show, October 26 & 27, 2019 takes place in Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. This art show is juried by art professionals and brings artists to sell his/her art in all discipline including paintings, sculpture, clay, glass, fiber, jewelry, wood and more. All art is original and personally handmade by the artist who is present at the show. There is something for everyone, in all price ranges. You will see many artists at this show who do not attend other shows in North Carolina or South Carolina.

As part of our commitment to bring art education into the community, a Youth Art Competition for grades K-8 or ages 5-13 is integrated within a 10×20 space at the Asheville Fine Art Show. Sponsored by Institute for the Arts & Education, the associated 501c3 non-profit organization, all students in grades K-8 or ages 5-13 are encouraged to enter his/her original and personally handmade art that will be publicly displayed in the art show the entire weekend. On Sunday, October 27 at 3pm, there is $250 in youth art awards presented. Students are exposed to the rules and entrepreneurship opportunity of doing art shows for a living. The program brings families to the art show and exposes them to great art.

This class will include instruction on improv skills, including character development, connecting in scenes, “Yes and…” acceptance technique, and building the beginning, middle, and end of a scene. We will play a variety of fun and interactive improv games, including Freeze, Murder Mystery, Props, Styles, ABC game, Changing Channels, Survivor, and Slide Show. Some of the games will be similar to the show, Whose Line it Anyway? The last class will be open for parents to watch a mini improv show to demonstrate the games and skills learned during each class. This class is open to all levels of improv from beginning to advanced.

Class Schedule:

Classes: September 7​ –​November 9, 2019: Saturdays from 10:00-11:00 am
Final Showcase: Saturday, ​November 16, 2019 at 11:​0​0 am (combined with acting)
Cost: $150

Registration is now open for the next session of indoor youth tennis classes starting September 3rd at Hendersonville Racquet Club.  Kids are put in groups based on age and ability with seven levels available.  The session is six weeks long and is $79 for members or $99 for non-members for one class a week or $129/$149 for two classes a week plus a play day at the end of the session.  Each player also gets a half hour one-on-one session with one of our certified pros.

The format for this session is having classes once or twice a week for six weeks. Then the session concludes with a fun L6 Play Day where they can get match experience.  All classes are taught by certified tennis professionals and will be held on HRC’s outdoor or indoor courts.

We’re offering three progressive levels of classes, Basic Improv, Beyond Basic, and The Performance Lab. There’s room for everyone in these classes, no matter your experience level!

• THE NATION’S LARGEST 

  ADULT SOCCER EVENT

   ASHEVILLE 
•  ENTRY TO THE BEER CITY CUP IS FREE!! … AND FAMILY FRIENDLY!! 

Fast Track Your Nonprofit Career!

This extremely hands-on Leadership Development Program is proven to position professionals for long-term employment success.

How it Works

After completing the core requirements, students are awarded the CNP credential, which gets uploaded to LinkedIn and other digital platforms. Throughout the program, students receive career support and assistance connecting to nonprofit employers.

CNP Course Modules (approximately 12 months to complete)

The following courses makeup the curriculum required for the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP). Each course starts with a one-day workshop at the WCU Biltmore Park Instructional Site, that will be held on a Thursday or Friday, and is followed by 4 weeks of online content with discussion boards, presentations, and weekly assignments. There is approximately one week in between each course and a holiday break after the third course.

DISOUNT TICKET DEADLINE EXTENDED *
Now Closing September 2nd @ 11:59 PM EST*
*Or until the number of tickets at this tier is reached, whichever comes first.

Visit Web Site for details.

SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER

• Bouncy House (Weekends)

• Music Making Sound Silo

• U-pick Apple Orchard

• Rides Included with Admission (Weekends)

• Outdoor Corn Pit Box and Parent Lounge

• Daily Baby Calf Feeding at 10:30am (Everyday)

• Weekend Baby Chick Holding at 2pm (Weekends)

• Weekend Only Demos (Vary per weekend)

  • Examples: WNC Nature Center, Chimney Rock State Park Animal Encounter, spinning and weaving demo, pottery demo, other animal encounters

Time Honored Traditions

• Hay Rides (Now Included in Fall Admission)

• Kiddie Cart Rides (Now Included in Fall Admission)

• Horseback Rides

• Pumpkin picking (October)

• Apple Tasting and picking

• Meadow Maze

• Lawn Games

• Trike Track

• Farm Scavenger Hunt

• Cider Pressing and Sampling

The Caldwell Arts Council invites you to experience a perfect Labor Day Weekend on the banks of the Yadkin River, surrounded by mountain music, dance, food, and beautiful scenery.

Festival fun begins at 7 p.m. Friday, featuring a community dance with mountain music, cake walks, open caller mic & more.

Saturday is packed with great entertainment! Eight categories of music competitions begin at 10 a.m. on the main stage.   The Youth JAM Tent offers performances by talented young musicians. Non-music and children’s activities include hayrides, storytelling, children’s crafts, and rock stacking in the river.

The weekend concludes with a Sunday concert starting at 11 a.m. featuring a lineup of musicians including Piney Woods Boys, Shelby Rae Moore Band, Strictly Clean and Decent, the Burnett Sisters, The Harris Brothers, and the Jeff Little Trio.  The Youth JAM tent will host workshops in fiddle, banjo, guitar, and storytelling.

When was the last time you had the privilege of sitting on the banks of a mountain river with music echoing throughout the hills around you?  Come for a day, or camp for the weekend.

Homework Diners take place weekly (except on school holidays or early release days). Families are invited to the cafeteria of the middle school during the scheduled time each week. No pre-registration is required to attend. Homework Diners currently take place at four area middle schools: Asheville, Enka, Erwin and Owen Middle. All are open to any family with a K-12 student in the surrounding school district with an adult family member in attendance with the participating student.

The 2019-20 Homework Diner schedule:

• Erwin Middle on Monday nights starting September 23, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Asheville Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5-7:00 p.m.
• Enka Middle on Tuesday nights starting September 24, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.
• Owen Middle on Thursday nights starting September 26, 2019 from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Asheville’s hospitality industry is proving sweet dreams can truly turn into full plates.

This September, over 45 hotels are coming together for the third annual Sweet Dreams, Full Plates campaign – a major collaboration aimed at connecting Asheville area’s thriving tourism industry to local hunger relief issues.

The idea is simple. Hotel guests, during the month of September, are given the opportunity to forgo stayover services by hanging a door hanger on their room door. The door hanger says, “We Fed A Family,” and for every room that chooses to participate, the hotel makes a $2 donation on their behalf.

With each $2 donation, MANNA FoodBank is able to provide enough food for seven meals.

• AC Hotel
• Aloft Asheville Downtown
• Best Western Tunnel Road
• Country Inn & Suites
• Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Asheville Westgate
• Courtyard Marriott
• Crowne Plaza Tennis and Golf Resort – Asheville
• Doubletree by Hilton Asheville – Biltmore
• Four Points by Sheraton – Asheville Downtown
• Hampton Inn – Tunnel Road
• Hampton Inn & Suites – Asheville South
• Hampton Inn & Suites Biltmore Area
• Hampton Inn & Suites Asheville – Biltmore Village
• Haywood Park Hotel
• Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park
• Hilton Garden Inn – Asheville Downtown
• Holiday Inn – Biltmore West
• Holiday Inn Express and Suites (Donation Only)
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Asheville
• Hotel Indigo – Asheville Downtown
• Hyatt Place Asheville Downtown
• Quality Inn and Suites – Biltmore East (Donation Only)
• Renaissance Asheville Hotel (Donation only)
• Residence Inn Biltmore
• Springhill Suites Marriott
• THE WINDSOR – Boutique Hotel
• Cambria Hotel & Suites Downtown
• POSH
• Country Inn & Suites Tunnel Road
• Comfort Inn – Tunnel Road

Hot Works 4^th Asheville Fine Art Show, October 26 & 27, 2019 takes place in Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. This art show is juried by art professionals and brings artists to sell his/her art in all discipline including paintings, sculpture, clay, glass, fiber, jewelry, wood and more. All art is original and personally handmade by the artist who is present at the show. There is something for everyone, in all price ranges. You will see many artists at this show who do not attend other shows in North Carolina or South Carolina.

As part of our commitment to bring art education into the community, a Youth Art Competition for grades K-8 or ages 5-13 is integrated within a 10×20 space at the Asheville Fine Art Show. Sponsored by Institute for the Arts & Education, the associated 501c3 non-profit organization, all students in grades K-8 or ages 5-13 are encouraged to enter his/her original and personally handmade art that will be publicly displayed in the art show the entire weekend. On Sunday, October 27 at 3pm, there is $250 in youth art awards presented. Students are exposed to the rules and entrepreneurship opportunity of doing art shows for a living. The program brings families to the art show and exposes them to great art.

Registration is now open for the next session of indoor youth tennis classes starting September 3rd at Hendersonville Racquet Club.  Kids are put in groups based on age and ability with seven levels available.  The session is six weeks long and is $79 for members or $99 for non-members for one class a week or $129/$149 for two classes a week plus a play day at the end of the session.  Each player also gets a half hour one-on-one session with one of our certified pros.

The format for this session is having classes once or twice a week for six weeks. Then the session concludes with a fun L6 Play Day where they can get match experience.  All classes are taught by certified tennis professionals and will be held on HRC’s outdoor or indoor courts.