Community Calendar

Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! Arbor Evenings runs Wednesdays and Thursdays through September 18, 2025, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Enjoy an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage from the bar, located on the lawn, between 4:00-8:00 PM.

Schedule:
5:30-6:45 PM Brian Dooley (Celtic music on guitar and bagpipes, old-time and Jazz)
7:15-8:30 PM Angela Easterling (Not quite country, not quite folk but rootsy, refreshing, and homespun tunes, with partner, Brandon Turner)
4:00-8:30 PM Ono Poke Bowl (Hawaiian style food truck)

*Non-members pay $20 for a day pass. Feel free to arrive as early as 8:00 AM when the gate opens. Hike the trails, walk through the gardens, shop, see our exhibit and then come back (or stay!) for Arbor Evenings!

Don Stiernberg, Evan Price, Greg Ruby and Kevin Kehrberg weave together Hot Club Jazz , mando-bop and old school swing – all on an acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin and upright bass. In town on the teaching staff for the Swannanoa Gathering Fiddle and Mandolin week, they will bring their improvisational collectivity to the Black Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, July 3, 2025.

What the Dance presents

UNCLE SAM’S HOUSE PARTY: AN EDM + HOUSE NIGHT

Asheville, it’s time to party!

Take it all out on the dancefloor at:

Asheville Music Hall

Friday, July 4

9pm

21+

Lose it on the dance floor to all your favorite house, tech house, and garage hits from Dom Dolla, John Summit, Sammy Virji, Fred again.., Disclosure, Tchami, Chris Lake, Peggy Gou, Joy Orbison, Galantis, TOKiMONSTA, Disco Lines, Rüfüs Du Sol, and more!

DJ sets by @justnieman @divine_thud_ & @ephraimdean

Red, white, & blue attire is encouraged

We bring it to you every time @thedanceparties

It’s time to pledge allegiance to the glam at Blue Ridge Drag Bingo - Asheville’s most star-spangled way to give back! The first ball drops at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 4th at the Hilltop Events Center. Tickets start at $20, include bingo cards, and are available at https://BeardedLadyProductions.org. This event is for ages 21 and up.

Join us for a concert with Balsam Range and Bil Lep in Lake Junaluska’s historic Stuart Auditorium on Saturday, July 5, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online. The event is part of Lake Junaluska’s multi-day Independence Day Celebration, which also features live music events with Whitewater Bluegrass, Blue Ridge Big Band, Singing Soldiers and more!

About Balsam Range

Balsam Range is a bluegrass and acoustic music group founded in 2007 in Haywood County, N.C. They are the 2018 IBMA “Entertainer of the Year” recipients and received the 2018 IBMA “Bass Player of the Year” for Tim Surrett. Learn more.

About Bil Lepp

Bil Lepp, a five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars’ Contest and a favorite on the History Channel’s Man vs. History, will open the show with his engaging and humorous tales. Lepp’s stories, celebrated for their wit and universal themes, are sure to delight audiences of all ages. Learn More.

The Broken Hearts - A Tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Saturday, July 5th

Show: 8pm | Doors: 7pm

The Orange Peel

Ages 18+

The Greenville Jazz Collective Jazz Underground series presents pianist Keith Davis performing “Jazz Conspiracy: Free and Uncensored” with fellow musical explorers Ron Brendle on bass and Al Sergel on drums.

Keith and the guys will be presenting a wide-ranging program of original music, ranging from straight ahead modern jazz to free improvisation. This program is music that you won’t hear everyday around town!

They’ll be performing in our venue, the Coffee Underground Theater, which is an intimate listening room which also serves homemade desserts, delicious coffee from beans roasted on premises, and an assortment of teas, wine, and cocktails.

Each summer hundreds of people come together in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina for the Annual Firefly Gathering, the largest earthskills gathering in the country. Skilled instructors, artists, musicians, speakers and thinkers co-create this experience to expand our capacity to live well with one another and our beloved Earth.

With over three hundred diverse classes to choose from, days are focused on deepening our relationship with the wisdom and rhythms of nature. Both classes and youth programs dip into the deep wells of ancestral knowledge, inspiring learning, play, and sharing skills that all ages can integrate into our daily lives and communities.

Evenings are filled with live music, poetry, stories, dancing and drumming under the moon and stars, opportunities to connect, and of course–the fireflies–who dazzle us with their beautiful display of light as they find each other in the darkness! For many, coming to The Firefly Gathering is a life-changing experience that they return to year after year.

Sip and stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens in the glow of the golden hour, all while listening to live music from a variety of local and regional artists! Arbor Evenings runs Wednesdays and Thursdays through September 18, 2025, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Enjoy an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage from the bar, located on the lawn, between 4:00-8:00 PM.

Schedule:
5:30-6:45 PM Wabi Sabi (Celtic, acoustic, instrumental)
7:15-8:30 PM Jane De Cuir (multidimensional singer/songwriter, raised with Big Band, Blues, Rock & Roll)
4:00-8:30 PM Appalachian Chic (southern style food truck)

Wild Earp comes to Asheville with his hot band as part of Double Crown's Western Wednesday series, along with local honky tonker Brody Hunt. Expect good old fashioned country & western tunes and plenty of dancing.

An evening of live performances showcasing amazing abilities and comedic acts.
Headliners:
Rick StrongBack -
Carrying on the Legacy of Oldetime Strongmen & Strongwomen performers, Rick StrongBack astounds and amazes audiences with fantastic Feats-Of-Strength.
The art of oldetime feats of strength is a balance of raw brute force coupled with well-practiced finesse. Many stunts such as bending steel bare-handed and tearing phonebooks with grip alone began as tests of prowess. They have since evolved into displays of extreme devotion to pushing the human body past its
limits!
Parker Vahn Haus-
A circus artist with a classical ballet background, Parker Vahn Haus is dripping with camp. A local van lifer and artist bringing something a little edgy covered in rhinestones. She’s a one woman show filled with fire and aerial acts.
Featuring:
Spoony Juggler-
One half of the Juggling Team, The Dynamic Do-Over
One Quarter of Forty Fingers and a Missing Tooth
and One Hell of a performer, all by his lonesome.
Toybox the Clown-
The Clown Alter Ego of Toybox Theatre, America's Favorite Cartoon Witch.
Mr. Face-
Asheville's Wack Wizard of Weird and member of
Asheville's Two or More Iconical Clowns
Mackenzie Manent-
Stand Up Comedian from Greenville, SC. Stand Up that's actually funny.

Hosted By:
Rigel the Clown
Another Member of Asheville's Two or More Iconical Clowns
and Show Producer

A lover's triangle and the nations first highly publicized crime of passion. This is the story behind the famous award winning international ballad "Tom Dooley" by The Kingston Trio. Tom Dula (Dooley). Tom was hanged for the murder of Laura Foster. But many believe he was innocent of the crime. Come see it unfold before your very eyes onstage at Benton Hall, 300 D Street, North Wilkesboro, NC this July - and you decide Tom's innocence or guilt.

Four concerts featuring area musicians who have all had their music featured on WNCW.
Jun 13 - The Lillie Syracuse Trio
Jul 11 - Slow Runner
Aug 8 - R. Shayne Floyd
Sep 12 - The Wilder Flower
These free outdoor concerts are overseen by the Saluda Downtown Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity, and made possible by a grant from the Saluda Community Fund of the Polk County Community Foundation. The concerts go on rain or shine.

YMSB & RRE After Party with

Suns of Stars

Orbiting around Asheville’s grateful music scene since late 2023, Suns Of Stars blends contemporary and traditional bluegrass with a high energy jam style.

At its core lies the trio of Alex Bazemore (guitar), and Asheville’s own Jackson Chisholm (upright bass) and Johnny Humphries (mandolin), son of local Bluegrass legend Don Humphries. As Suns Of Stars has been gathering momentum they’ve picked up Alex Ball (fiddle) and Jason Flournoy (banjo). Suns Of Stars members are all hometown heros in various musical projects around town which has led to great turnout at their shows. That, along with a massive song repertoire and growing list of original music make for a unique performance each time.

Join us for an enchanting afternoon in the gardens with vendors, food and FAIRIES!! Fun, educational activities for kids, music and dance are sure to provide a magical experience for all.

Admission is free for children and adults dressed in mythical attire, $3 for non-costumed adults. Admission proceeds and a portion of vendor proceeds benefit the Daniel Boone Native Gardens, a non-profit garden which highlights the importance of native plants.

Located in Daniel Boone Park - stop by after the Watauga County Farmers' Market.

🌿🌎Calling all nature fans, climate champs, and curious minds! 🌎🌿
Join MountainTrue and NC Conservation Network for a night of environmental trivia where you can flex your knowledge on forests, rivers, wildlife, climate, and all things green.

📅 Date: Wednesday, July 16th
🕖 Time: 7 to 8:30 pm
📍 Location: The RAD Brewing Co. 13 Mystery St. Asheville, NC 28801

🍃 Free to play
🌟 Prizes for the sharpest green minds
🥤 Snacks, drinks & good company
👥 Come solo or bring a team (up to 6)

We’ll see you in the wild (or at least at the trivia table)! (Sign-ups not required, but encouraged).

Get ready to kick up your heels and do-si-do for a good cause at the Second Annual Hendersonville Hoedown!

This ain’t your average Saturday night—join us for a rootin’-tootin’ evening of square dancing, toe-tappin’ tunes, and good old-fashioned fun, all in support of the Junior Appalachian Musicians of Henderson County (JAM Kids).

Join us for an unforgettable evening with:

🎻 Live Traditional Appalachian Music provided by JAM Kids & Instructors – Feel the rhythm of fiddles, banjos, and mountain harmonies that’ll have you dancing in no time
🕺 Square Dancing – Family dance for all ages and levels, beginners welcome!
🎂 A Cake Walk – Win homemade treats
🍖 A BBQ Buffet – Because dancing works up an appetite
🎟️ Raffles, games, and plenty more surprises

💥 PLUS – Enter our special online raffle for a chance to win a pair of 3-day tickets to the 2025 Earl Scruggs Music Festival!
That’s right—TWO lucky winners and their guests will enjoy three days of incredible music and memories at one of the region’s most beloved festivals. Winners will be announced at the event. Click here to learn more.

Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just in it for the food and good vibes, this is one event you don't want to miss!

Spots are limited—grab your tickets now!

Henderson County Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM Kids) is operated by the French Broad Valley Music Association and is an after-school program for children ages 8-17 to learn regional mountain music and dance.

And a special thank you to this year's sponsors: Hendersonville & Mills River Family Dentistry, United Community Bank, Trailside Brewing Co., Sky Top Orchard, and Stipe Creative.