Calendar of Events

Guests will meet at Dssolvr Asheville (63 N. Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

Invoke your imagination and dawn your most creaturely costumes at the Mischief Moon Gala! This evening of ceremony, interactive art, empowered movement, and connection is coming Thursday, December 7th, to the Asheville Masonic Temple. Head to https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/mischief-moon-gala for tickets, and see below for more details!

The Mischief Moon Gala: Thursday, December 7th from 5 – 11 pm at the Asheville Masonic Temple

Join us as we celebrate the power of creativity and community with live music from beloved artists like Holy River, Sarah Louise, and Wild Roots Rising; a community waltz with a live band (waltz class beforehand!); traditional Cherokee foods from Bigwitch Wisdom Initiative, and an entire evening of beautifully bizarre performances, installations, and offerings.

This year, we are delving into the wide world of weird, with an emphasis on the bizarre iterations of creation. Start creating your most captivating costumes as you, The Wanderer, have many adventures into the underworld and beyond soon to come!

Begin your journey in The Underworld, where we’ve curated an assortment of oddities to entertain you, including the Fae Cleaning Crew and the FerryMan. When you need to revive your spirits, journey up the Haunted Staircase to sojourn in the Realm of the Fae, where ethereal music, poetry and the Otherworldly Art Gallery & Cantina await you.

All proceeds for the Gala go toward supporting artists and fundraise for Firefly Gathering’s year-round work to empower the people of the Southeast through earthskills workshops, the Annual Firefly Gathering, and community-building events.

Guests will meet at Dssolvr Asheville (63 N. Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

Guests will meet at Dssolvr Asheville (63 N. Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

Join us for a festive, fun-filled celebration for you and your pups this December 17th! We will have Santa here for photo opportunities, live music, and dog treats!
Donations will be accepted for the Blue Ridge Humane society during the month of December

Guests will meet at Dssolvr Asheville (63 N. Lexington Ave, Asheville, NC 28801) and then depart with their treasure map on a walking team scavenger hunt where they will use their minds and feet to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes to find and unlock the treasure chest for a grand prize!

The hunt involves walking a distance of up to 2.0 miles in total and will take place rain or shine, so long as the weather does not become dangerous. The hunt typically takes about 60 minutes to complete.

Children under 10 years old are welcome to participate for free with the purchase of an Adult ticket.

Doors Open: 6:00 PM

– ALL AGES (kids 12 and under FREE)
– PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT LEAF GLOBAL ARTS

This is a very special show with two master musicians from Africa – Adama Dembele from the Ivory Coast, and Chinobay of Uganda – who have made WNC their home, and who are deeply connected with LEAF Global Art’s mission of connecting cultures and creating community through music, arts education and experiences, to cultivate curiosity, preserve cultures and promote global understanding. This year-end benefit show, which will also feature other talented local musicians from the Asheville area, is all about supporting this powerful work, and connecting our local and global communities as we celebrate the closing of one year, and the beginning of a new journey around the sun.

Learn more about these amazing musicians below, and visit theleaf.org/give to hear more about the work that you’re helping to support by buying a ticket to this event, and becoming a LEAF Member.

Chinobay is Uganda’s leading international world musician. He is a singer/songwriter, creative arts producer, educator, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist whose work has been described as “some of the most exquisite music coming out of Africa today.” For more than 15 years, he has captivated audiences with his soothing rhythms and powerful world-roots-dance melodies that emanate from the diversity of the many traditional instruments he customized to develop his unique sound. His educational and outreach programs are the gateway into Africa through which he introduces Africa’s culture, arts, history and lifestyle rarely covered by mainstream media to global audiences most especially those in schools and colleges.

Adama Dembele is a master djembéfola (djembe player) from Ivory Coast, West Africa and tailor of West African clothing, and for 12+ years Adama is a leading Master Teaching Artists with LEAF Global Arts! Adama come from a family of musicians for 33 generations, and has toured several continents with various major acts such Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita & many others. Adama has created and played in several drum and dance companies such as Yelemba d’Abidjan, Ensemble Koteba, Congoba and many more. You can play drums with Adama most Saturdays 12-2at his Yala! at LEAF Global Arts downtown Asheville. “When I share my culture, I am representing all of my family of drummers, storytellers and culture keepers in Ivory Coast and Mali. I am grateful to have a place to share my culture with so many great people. This means everything to me and the future.” – Adama

Enjoy the fresh air reading and walking along the StoryWalk® trail during regular hours at Weaver Park.

OUTSIDE IN, a Caldecott Honor Award Winner written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby, is a mindful contemplation on the world’s connectedness and the many ways nature affects our everyday lives — even when we’re stuck inside, reminding emerging readers of ways nature creates and touches our lives in homes, apartments, and cars.

Outside is waiting, the most patient playmate of all. The most generous friend. The most miraculous inventor. This thought-provoking picture book poetically underscores our powerful and enduring connection with nature, not so easily obscured by lives spent indoors.

Rhythmic, powerful language shows us how our world is made and the many ways Outside comes in to help and heal us, and reminds us that we are all part of a much greater universe. Emotive illustrations evoke the beauty, simplicity, and wonder that await us all . . . outside.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Free Basic CPR Class if you live or work in the town of Mills River.

Dr. John Wilson Community Garden in Black Mountain will host this celebration. “Imbolc” translates as “the belly of the mother.” It is the time when the living world begins to stir and stretch beneath the dark earth in preparation for spring. All winter and last season they have been pruning fruit and nut trees and clearing invasive species from various areas of the garden. Join them to gather around a fire to burn the brush and mark the coming spring.

Bring a mug for tea and a blanket or chair to sit on.

Julie Valentine Center
Celebrates a Legacy of Hope:
Featuring 

Brooke Shields

Actress, Model, Author and Entrepreneur

Brooke Shields has spent her life in the spotlight. At the young age of 14 she was America’s Sweetheart, but that didn’t spare her the difficulties and insecurities faced by so many. In a conversation that deftly navigates between heartfelt and humorous, Shields talks candidly about her career trajectory and life in the public eye, living with an alcoholic parent and her own experiences as a mother. Audiences will find her story resonates with their own lives as Shields talks openly about finding the mental and emotional strength to live life to the fullest.

Actress, Model, Author and Entrepreneur, Brooke Shields began her accomplished professional career at only eleven months of age when she was selected as the Ivory Snow Baby, and by age 3 was a runway model. At age 9, Shields began her extensive film career when she won her first acting role in Alice Sweet Alice and rapidly gained fame after starring in Louis Malle’s Pretty Baby, the Palme D’or Award winner at the Cannes Film Festival, and the coming-of-age tales Blue Lagoon and Endless Love. As a model, she has graced the covers of hundreds of magazines, most notably Time Magazine as the “Face of the Eighties”. Today, Shields continues her prolific appearances in a broad range of worldwide publications, decades after it all began.

The two-part documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (which screened to critical acclaim at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and garnered recent Emmy nominations) premiered on Hulu in April 2023. This galvanizing look at Shields as actor, model, and icon, as she transforms from sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power, is directed by Lana Wilson ( Miss Americana ). Holding a mirror up to a society that objectifies women and girls, Shield’s story shows the perils and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world. The documentary is now ABC News most-watched Hulu debut program ever.

Shields will next be seen in the new romantic comedy, Mother of the Bride for Netflix. The film, directed by Mark Waters ( Mean Girls ) also stars Benjamin Bratt and Miranda Cosgrove. This generational comedy of errors follows Lana (Shields) as her daughter Emma returns from London and announces that she’s getting married the next month. Things become more complicated when Lana learns that the man who stole Emma’s heart is the son of the man who stole hers years ago.

Shields recently unveiled her latest entrepreneurial project “Commence” (formerly “Beginning is Now”), a digital platform that inspires women over 40 to live their best lives with beauty and wellness products developed for the challenges that arise during this period. Rooted in the idea that every second, minute, and day is a chance to start something new, “Commence” celebrates the complexity and diversity of women in this age group from a foundation of true well- being to overcome challenges and adversity and gain the courage to begin again. In addition to community, the site features a mix of content, commerce, and products to promote movement, self-care, rest, nutrition and foster resilience, and happiness.

Shields launched her new podcast, Now What? With Brooke Shields which is focused on asking people about pivotal moments in their lives, now available on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.

Shields has also announced an upcoming book, currently untitled, that promises to explore the humility and power of aging. Blending personal narrative and guidebook, Shields hopes to flip our popular beliefs about aging by lifting the voices of experts and everyday women who find this era of life a period for self-discovery, energy and opportunity.

In addition to her film achievements, Shields has maintained a successful and critically acclaimed television career. Her work on The NBC hit Suddenly Susan garnered her a Golden Globe nomination, and she received an American Comedy Award nod for her guest role on Friends. She is the recipient of five People’s Choice Awards, and has previously starred in NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, in addition to guest appearances on a wide range of hit shows including That 70’s Show, Hannah Montana, Two and A Half Men, The Middle, Army Wives, and Murphy Brown. Shields lent her voice to the Adult Swim animated series Mr. Pickles . She also starred in and executive produced Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ mystery movie franchise, Flower Shop Mystery . Shields starred in Law & Order: SVU as a major recurring character in the hit show’s 19th season, and had a reoccurring guest turn as River Fields in the critically acclaimed comedy Jane The Virgin. Shields other films include, Hot Flashes, Daisy Winters, Furry Vengeance, Out of Order, A Castle for Christmas, and Holiday Harmony.

Shields is the best- selling author of several books, including The Brooke Book, On Your Own, and the highly publicized and critically acclaimed Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. She tapped into her experiences as a mother, successfully branching out into the world of children’s books, penning Welcome To Your World, Baby and It’s the Best Day Ever Dad for Harper Collins. Her latest book There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me, quickly became a New York Times best seller.

While attending Princeton University, Shields pursued her love of Theatre as a member of the Princeton Triangle Club. Shortly after graduating with an honors degree in French literature, she made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the hit musical Grease , for which she earned the Theatre World Award in 1994 for “Outstanding Debut on Broadway.” Shields went on to star in Chicago, Wonderful Town, and Cabaret all of which earned her rave reviews. In 2011, she assumed the iconic role of Morticia Addams alongside Roger Rees in the hit Broadway show, The Addams Family. Shields appeared in the acclaimed ensemble Girls Talk, written and directed by Roger Kumble. She also made her directorial debut with the Hollywood Bowl production of Chicago. She had her critically acclaimed nightclub debut at Feinstein’s at The Loews Regency, performing In My Life, a freewheeling music and stand- up romp through her life’s ups and downs. The show sold out its entire run. She can next be seen at her one-woman show Previously Owned by Brooke Shields, a unique theatrical event where Shields will tell her story in a way only she can, at the Café Carlyle in New York City.

In addition to her professional career, Shields continues to be a strong advocate for women’s issues and keeping the arts alive in schools. She is a happily married mother of two strong and intelligent daughters.

Please come and support Chef Bailey and Our Voice at this lovely dinner on February 22, 2024, at The Mule.

Produced by Shay & Company in Partnership with Devil’s Foot Beverage Company

Stay Tuned for Menu Details

Beginner’s workshop lesson at 7:30 P.M., then 8-11 P.M. Contra Dance with Country Waltzing at the break and the final dance. This is a partner dance but it’s not necessary to come with a partner. We have different live bands and callers.

Lace up your running shoes, grab your winter hat, and join us for the 9th Annual Chilly Challenge 8K & 1-Mile Chili Chase on Saturday, February 24, 2024. Run or walk with us to benefit North Buncombe Middle School!

We’re thrilled to present the “Blue Ridge Jamboree: ON THE RISE”, a showcase of our region’s top artists ages 25 and younger.

Hosted by acclaimed musician and storyteller Josh Goforth, ON THE RISE features:

• Addie Levy
• Appalachian Roots
• Bayla Davis
• Eric + Addie
• Newfound Gap
• Hightop Mountain Harmony

All proceeds of The Blue Ridge Jamboree will support FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge’s Lynn Davis Scholarship program, which funds students who are pursuing college degrees with a commitment to enhance the natural beauty, ecological vitality, and cultural distinctiveness of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge region.

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation is announcing the launch of its new online reservation system for park pavilions.

ACTIVENet, the new online reservation system, allows for a hassle-free user experience for Buncombe County park visitors. With just a few clicks, visitors can make and cancel reservations from the comfort of their home, in addition to checking real-time availability of the pavilions. Park pavilions are located at Lake Jullian, Charles D. Owen, and the Buncombe County Sports Park. Field rental is also available through this new portal.

Key takeaways of the new reservation system include: 

Seamless Interface: The user-friendly layout of the reservation system allows for hassle-free bookings and cancelations.

Real-time Park Pavilion Availability: Users are able to check the availability of the park pavilions at their favorite park, and on their preferred date and time.

Secure Payment: ACTIVENet’s secure payment portal ensures data protection and encryption with Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant technology.

Email confirmations: Once a reservation is made or canceled, users will receive a confirmation email with the details of their booking.

Click here to view a tutorial on how to book a park pavilion. 

To access the new park pavilion reservation system, please visit www.buncombecounty.org/parks. There is a “Reserve & Register” button that will take users directly to the reservation portal. Please note that users must create an account prior to booking a park pavilion. For any inquiries or additional information, please contact [email protected] or call (828) 250-4260.

Birding: For the birdwatchers, there will be monthly bird excursions at Lake Julian Park. The birding events will occur at 8:30 a.m. on the last Saturday of every month from March through October. These events allow participants to enjoy the beautiful sights and sounds of various avian species in Buncombe county. Fun fact: Lake Julian Park is home to a successfully paired eagle couple that has raised at least 6 eaglets over the past 3 years! Admission is free. Pre-registration is required. 

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation is announcing the launch of its new online reservation system for park pavilions.

ACTIVENet, the new online reservation system, allows for a hassle-free user experience for Buncombe County park visitors. With just a few clicks, visitors can make and cancel reservations from the comfort of their home, in addition to checking real-time availability of the pavilions. Park pavilions are located at Lake Jullian, Charles D. Owen, and the Buncombe County Sports Park. Field rental is also available through this new portal.

Key takeaways of the new reservation system include: 

Seamless Interface: The user-friendly layout of the reservation system allows for hassle-free bookings and cancelations.

Real-time Park Pavilion Availability: Users are able to check the availability of the park pavilions at their favorite park, and on their preferred date and time.

Secure Payment: ACTIVENet’s secure payment portal ensures data protection and encryption with Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant technology.

Email confirmations: Once a reservation is made or canceled, users will receive a confirmation email with the details of their booking.

Click here to view a tutorial on how to book a park pavilion. 

To access the new park pavilion reservation system, please visit www.buncombecounty.org/parks. There is a “Reserve & Register” button that will take users directly to the reservation portal. Please note that users must create an account prior to booking a park pavilion. For any inquiries or additional information, please contact [email protected] or call (828) 250-4260.

Buncombe County Parks & Recreation is announcing the launch of its new online reservation system for park pavilions.

ACTIVENet, the new online reservation system, allows for a hassle-free user experience for Buncombe County park visitors. With just a few clicks, visitors can make and cancel reservations from the comfort of their home, in addition to checking real-time availability of the pavilions. Park pavilions are located at Lake Jullian, Charles D. Owen, and the Buncombe County Sports Park. Field rental is also available through this new portal.

Key takeaways of the new reservation system include: 

Seamless Interface: The user-friendly layout of the reservation system allows for hassle-free bookings and cancelations.

Real-time Park Pavilion Availability: Users are able to check the availability of the park pavilions at their favorite park, and on their preferred date and time.

Secure Payment: ACTIVENet’s secure payment portal ensures data protection and encryption with Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant technology.

Email confirmations: Once a reservation is made or canceled, users will receive a confirmation email with the details of their booking.

Click here to view a tutorial on how to book a park pavilion. 

To access the new park pavilion reservation system, please visit www.buncombecounty.org/parks. There is a “Reserve & Register” button that will take users directly to the reservation portal. Please note that users must create an account prior to booking a park pavilion. For any inquiries or additional information, please contact [email protected] or call (828) 250-4260.