Community Calendar

The 16th West Asheville Garden Stroll is Saturday, September 13 from 11 AM to 4 PM. It features 13 diverse gardens in the Falconhurst neighborhood, north of Haywood Road between Mitchell Avenue and Louisiana. Stroll Guides with a map and garden descriptions will be available from 11:00 until 3:30 at the parking lot across from West Asheville Baptist Church, 926 Haywood Road. (Note to regular attendees: there’s no kickoff program this year.)

The Garden Stroll is free, and all are welcome to join in this community event, rain or shine. However, leave your four-footed friends at home -- dogs are not allowed in the gardens.
In keeping with our “stroll” concept, we encourage you to park at one of the WAGS-designated lots on Haywood Road and walk or bike the 2.5 mile route.

This year’s gardens include a permaculture "grass to food" yard with all kinds of edibles; formal designs and eclectic ones that have evolved over time; a “photographer’s paradise;” a large Bountiful Cities community garden hidden among residential streets; whimsical yard art; and of course, chickens. You’ll see new and mature gardens as well as works-in-progress, all offering the chance to chat with friendly and enthusiastic gardeners.

Our theme, Entwined, was inspired by the amazing interconnectedness of nature. In a healthy garden the plants, insects, birds, fungi and soil bacteria form an interdependent community that allows them all to thrive. The same is true in a healthy neighborhood. After Helene, the Falconhurst community -- like many neighborhoods in WNC -- grew even more entwined, as neighbors gathered around the well at the small farm to collect water and share necessities, information, and good vibes. Let’s all work to make our communities and our gardens more “entwined!”

MountainTrue is BEYOND thrilled to bring the BANFF Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour to Asheville, NC, on September 12 & 13, 2025 — and you’re invited for not one, but TWO unforgettable nights of high-altitude excitement! Join us for a celebration of jaw-dropping adventure, heart-pounding sports, wild places, and inspiring stories from around the globe 🌍 Whether you’re a climber, paddler, trail fanatic, or armchair adventurer, there’s something here to spark your spirit.

Each night features a completely different lineup of films, so go ahead — double-dip the adventure!

This event is going to be hotter than a campfire on a chilly night! Don’t get left at basecamp — snag your tickets now and secure your spot for the adventure🔥

All proceeds support the work of MountainTrue

East Nash Grass exemplifies the best of what bluegrass has to offer — as being named the 2024 IBMA [International Bluegrass Music Association] New Artist of the Year would suggest. But their breathtaking talent as singers, instrumentalists, and composers is just the beginning. While other acts chase their tail in search of nostalgia, the secret to East Nash Grass lies in their unflinching ability to be themselves.

It certainly helps that they are a veritable supergroup of award-winners who have been performing longer than anyone would guess that they’ve been alive. With a lifetime of experience in both new and legacy acts (Dan Tyminski, Tim O’Brien, Sierra Hull, Rhonda Vincent, etc.), the tradition of bluegrass is fundamental to who they are as musicians and performers. Yet it’s their irreverent, adventurous, and audacious tendencies as next-gen performers that light a fire under audiences. Their ability to hone this edge was forged in the crucible of a dive bar outside of Nashville, TN that they all but single-handedly put on the (bluegrass) map during their seven-year weekly residency.

After hundreds of sets (and countless late-night jams), through personnel changes, industry changes, and a never-ending string of unprecedented world events, East Nash Grass has coalesced into the hair-raising ensemble of Harry Clark [mandolin], Cory Walker [banjo], James Kee [guitar], Maddie Denton [fiddle], and Jeff Partin [bass/dobro]. Their love of both bluegrass and the absurd can be felt in both their live shows and on their new album “All God’s Children” (Mountain Fever, 2025). Much like watching a bowling ball and feather fall together, expectations of what should and shouldn’t work are challenged as the paradox of authenticity is revealed. Shock leads to excitement as risks keep listeners on the edge of their seats and irrefutable mastery drives home that this is no mere imitation of bluegrass: this IS bluegrass.

Banjo player Tray Wellington’s approach to the quintessential American instrument is all about looking forward. An International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner, Wellington is critically acclaimed not only for his technical prowess, but also for leveraging his unique point of view to craft a one-of-a-kind voice on the instrument. It’s a feat that’s all too rare in these roots genres that seem to value emulation and regurgitation over all else. Instead, Wellington has time and time again reasserted that his playing style, and all of the many varied and disparate parts that combine within it, is wholly his own – and it’s unconcerned with tradition.

Cirque Us - Stories is a thoughtfully curated show for young audiences that flips through the pages of our troupe's favorite stories to bring you a touching, thrilling narrative about community and identity. Interweaving a collection of folktales, classic literature, children's stories, modern fiction, and more, this show jumps off the page with twists, flips, rewrites, and retellings of stories you'll love. The show features aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, clowns, and more, all ready to fly off the shelf and straight to you!

All seats: $10

This event is being sponsored in kind by the Burke Literacy Council and the Library Foundation of Burke County.

*Above prices include $3 per ticket facility fee
*PLUS 6.75% NC Sales tax
*All persons must have a ticket, including infants

Appalachian-Turkish fusion trio SoLa Bazaar brings their unique blend of haunting vocal harmonies and spontaneous instrumental improvisation in a free concert at St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock.

Appalachian fiddler Meade Richter, guitarist Savash Altuntash, and percussionist Jonathan Priest bring their experience in international musical circles to create music that has been described as "compelling, emotional, and dynamic." Accessible and mesmerizing, the music tells stories of seeking enlightenment, overcoming hardship, and finding joy.

With her enchanted voice and evocative songwriting, Leslie Mendelson has won the hearts and minds of both an adoring fanbase and fellow artists alike. No less than Jackson Browne has declared, “Leslie's melodies are timeless. They reach me way back in my youth somewhere. I hear traces of Burt Bacharach and Carole King, and hooks and passages that remind me of the pop songs I grew up hearing on the radio,” while The Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan shares: “Voices like Leslie’s can get away with almost anything. Along with being a great songwriter, this leaves her with few if any peers.”

“Leslie is one of these very rare singers who can combine elegant precision with the soul and emotional resonance of a deeply moving writer and performer,” concludes producer, Peter Asher. "She has a remarkable voice and one we need to hear.”
Molly Thomas’ latest album proved to be the biggest challenge and accomplishment of her 30-year music career. In the midst of recording, she was T-boned at an intersection and incapacitated for five months. Many of the songs were written before the accident, and their messages of resilience, hope, and self-revelation proved to be just what she needed to get through. Now, healed and with her wit intact, Thomas calls her latest album, Tumble Home.

Thomas’ cinematic folk sensibility melds Americana earthiness with symphonic grandeur. She’s a prodigiously gifted violinist who sees the big picture with her songs, bringing forth her heartfelt narratives with richly expressive instrumentation from her background as a string player. Thomas is also a dynamically expressive vocalist who can effortlessly sweep up from the dreamy to the dramatic.

Bonny Light Horseman - 9/17

WHERE: Third Room
WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
DOORS: 7pm SHOW: 8pm
GENRE: instrumental jam/rock‑fusion
TICKETS: $20 ga

PURCHASE: https://tixr.com/e/149147

LaMP:
WEBSITE: www.ilikelamp.com
HEAR SOME MUSIC: https://lampband.bandcamp.com
SEE A VIDEO: https://youtu.be/xowS03Q1dak?si=WEpURQZ2RTeUjoPf

On a magical night at Nectar’s in Burlington, Vermont in December of 2018, three musical masters—Russ Lawton, Scott Metzger and Ray Paczkowski—came together with alchemical synthesis, and created a fresh, so-tight-it's-free sound, permeated with technical prowess and a deep-pocket punch. The packed house fortunate enough to be in attendance that night witnessed the birth of something very special. The following spring, the trio took the name LaMP by combining the first letters of each members’ surname, and reconvened back in Vermont at Sugarhouse Soundworks for an intense recording session with sound engineer Roger Stauss laying down tracks that would become their eponymous debut EP.

Metzger, described by The Village Voice as “…an ace guitarist of a thousand styles,” and a full-time member of the beloved Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, tested the decades-strong synergy between Lawton and Paczkowski forged from their time playing with Trey Anastasio Band and their duo project Soule Monde. It resulted in seven tracks crackling with energy and soul. The melodic and harmonic interplay between Paczkowski’s swirling organ and clavinet dancing with Metzger’s acrobatic melodies on telecaster, driven by Lawton's unflappable backbeat, produced a record that will stand the test of time. Ever since—as the three members busy schedules have allowed—LaMP has prioritized bringing the music to the people with shows across the East Coast. As word has spread and the crowds have grown with each subsequent tour, it’s become clear that LaMP will be a musical force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.

Join us for the Johnson Farms Volunteer Yard Sale, a community event filled with great finds and even greater purpose. Shop donated items at affordable prices while supporting the restoration and upkeep of of the Historic Johnson Farm. All proceeds go directly towards preserving the historic community space, made possible by the hard work of our dedicated volunteers.

Western North Carolina Music & Storytellers featuring Connie Regan-Blake, Sheila Kay Adams, Michael Reno Harrell, and Josh Goforth

Through music and words, storytellers keep history and memories alive. Four internationally acclaimed musicians and storytellers from Western North Carolina will sing their songs and tell their tales - Connie Regan-Blake, Michael Reno Harrell, Sheila Kay Adams, and Josh Goforth. This event is part of the Blue Ridge Roots Revival concert series hosted by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (BRNHA), Blue Ridge Music Trails, and the Jazz Foundation of America, in partnership with Surry Arts Council (SAC), the International Storytelling Center, and special donor Carol Black.

The WNC Music & Storytelling event is the most unique out of the series because it includes the ancient tradition of storytelling. While the tradition is used for various purposes – education, history, or entertainment – it is a skill that some artists have mastered. Each storyteller featured in the event calls WNC home and is listed in BRNHA’s Traditional Artist Directory as an influential artist in Western North Carolina. They are known among international audiences, weaving tales through words and music.

Connie Regan-Blake has blazed an extensive career spanning over 40+ years. She has performed in 47 states, 18 countries, and across six continents. Early in her career, she gained notoriety performing with her cousin, Barbara Freemen, as The Folktellers. Later, Regan-Blake became a founding board member of the National Storytelling Association. Her storytelling journey didn't just stop at performing or supporting the art. She also leads educational workshops and serves as a performance coach.

As a storyteller, musician, and visual artist, Michael Reno Harrell pulls inspiration from the Appalachian Mountains. Born in Tennessee and later residing in North Carolina, Harrell reflects on his life, the time he spent in the mountains, and America's story, using music and words to paint vivid pictures. He has performed across 44 states and numerous countries, and has been invited to perform at the National Storytelling Festival on multiple occasions.

Sheila Kay Adams is a 7th-generation ballad singer, a tradition of telling stories through song, a cappella, while occasionally wielding a banjo. She has carved a path for future generations of aspiring singers and musicians and continues to travel to teach and perform. Lately, she has performed both in and out of state with the Nest of Singing Birds (also known as the ballad singers of Madison County), including opening day of the 2025 Newport Folk Festival.

Josh Goforth grew up in Madison County and was inspired to pursue music and storytelling after watching Adams perform at his middle school while he was a student. His appetite for music has led him to learn over 15 instruments, with the fiddle being his specialty. Goforth tours with bands and has also been recorded on various albums. Additionally, he is a teacher at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville, sharing his knowledge and experience with others.

This event is hosted by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area and the Jazz Foundation of America in partnership with the Surry Arts Council and the International Storytelling Center. The event kicks off Mayberry Days in Mt Airy.

We "Come Together" n the Square in downtown Franklin NC to celebrate Recovery in the Mountains! We talk about Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder, Prevention, Rehabilitation and Support, with groups present like AA, Alanon, Full Circle Recovery, Hazelwood Healthcare, No Wrong Door, WNCW Harm Reduction and more! We will have fun kids' activities, food available for purchase from Wood Fired Grill BBQ and White Rabbit Concessions, and best of all we will have FREE musical performances by Marshall Ballew, Modern Mammals, and The Cannon Cohen Band! Come Together, Friday Sept. 26th at 3:30, in downtown Franklin NC, to help us prove that we Don't need Dope to Dance!