Community Calendar

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area announces Returning to the Ridge: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitation at Mars Landing Galleries in Mars Hill, NC, from July 2 through September 28, 2025. The exhibit brings together the exceptional talents of 33 artists featured on the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, showcasing the vibrant artistic landscape of Western North Carolina.

The artistic spirit of Southern Appalachia, deeply rooted in its stunning natural environment, will be on full display. From the intricate details of pottery to the masterful craftsmanship of woodworking, the exhibition will feature 60 pieces spanning a diverse range of traditional mediums, including fiber art, printmaking, metalworking (including jewelry), and basketry. This celebration of local artistry comes at a crucial time, as Hurricane Helene impacted many artists. Artists participating are from the central and western sections of BRNHA’s 25-county footprint, encompassing the NC mountains and the Qualla Boundary.

This workshop is open to individuals studying for the NC Environmental Education Certification or those needing CE Credits to maintain their certification and will focus on salamanders in North Carolina. Hosted by Tanya Poole of N.C. Wildlife Commission and Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation’s own Interpretation and Education staff, this workshop will focus on the various types of salamanders in North Carolina, specifically those found in Western North Carolina. We will cover life cycles, habitats, identification, anatomy and much more, and hopefully spend time outdoors looking for salamanders. Participants will also test out activities they can take back to their classrooms. The program is open to all interested educators. All participants qualify for CEU and EE Criteria II or III credits. This workshop is free to attend, although advance registration is required. Limited to 25 participants.

We're kicking off Fall by resuming our guided downtown tours!
Step into the world of Thomas Wolfe with this guided walking tour through downtown Asheville- Wolfe's hometown and the vivid backdrop for his (in)famous novel Look Homeward, Angel.
The tour begins at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial at the front of the Historic Old Kentucky Home Boardinghouse where Wolfe spent his childhood. From there, participants will stroll through downtown exploring sites connected to Wolfe's life.
Throughout the walk, our guide will share excerpts from Wolfe's writings, anecdotes about his life, and insights into the Asheville of the early 20th century. Roughly 90 minutes, the tour will finish at the First Presbyterian Church, where our guide will be happy to chat and answer questions with anyone who wants to learn more!

Tickets for this special tour are $10/person and must be purchased online at:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/look-homeward-asheville-a-downtown-walking-tour-through-thomas-wolfes-eyes

Please arrive 10 minutes early to check in with your tickets (printed or e-tickets are fine). If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at the Memorial at 828-253-8304. Thank you for your support! See less

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!”

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

Endangered Impressions: a collection of drawings highlighting nature threatened by the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Management Plan

This is your chance to snag a masterpiece with heart! These one-of-a-kind works–created by fellow supporters– might just become your next favorite wall art and a daily reminder to stand strong for the places we all love to call home.

The online art auction will kick off at 3 pm on Sunday, August 24th, and will run until 11:45 pm on Friday, September 20th. Winners will be contacted the week of September 22nd. Don’t want to wait to take home your favorite piece? Check out the “Buy Now” options. All proceeds will benefit MountainTrue.

Art is framed in re-used frames to embrace a more sustainable approach.

Modern folk duo Friction Farm performs their new album "Stone By Stone" for the first time in public!
With the release of “Stone By Stone” Friction Farm lives up to their name, nurturing strong and beautiful songs from the creative fertile ground of a troubled world.
From the anthemic, Phil Ochs inspired, opener “Louder Than A Gun” to the happy folk-pop “Spread A Little Sunshine” Friction Farm calls on listeners to participate. Not only to sing along, but also to take bold and compassionate action. In Every Drop Of Rain, and American Dream they ask us to face the harder truths that life's inequities are often by intention. But, as in Everything Will Be All Right, Friction Farm always delivers a road map to higher ground.
Friction Farm's previous album was released one year after covid gave the world a time out. Christine and Aidan scratched the hard ground and found Evidence of Hope in small and mundane things during those days. As the world rebounded, prospects seemed ripe for joyful, exuberant songs. But the never ending storm clouds of American politics gathered. The foundations of our institutions, which we had believed were built of stone, turned out to be made of sand. Rather than look for hope, Friction Farm planted seeds of hope. Seeds of action, of community, and of faith in one another.
He’s from Berkeley CA, she’s from Woodstock NY. With their roots in places so rich in social activism and history, it was inevitable that these two would meet while studying materials engineering and geology. Eventually they got around to music and for two decades Friction Farm has traveled the world singing songs filled with story telling, social commentary and humor. Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay, believe in the uplifting power of song, the power of the people, and the miraculous wonder of everyday life. They have toured across the US and internationally, been Kerrville New Folk Finalists, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists, and South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter winners.

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

The Dirty Doors celebrate the energy, excitement, and passion of the timeless music of The Doors like no other tribute band.

Based in Atlanta, The Dirty Doors faithfully recreate the magic of a Doors concert in sound and stage presence with all the classic hits like “Light My Fire,” “Riders On The Storm,” “Hello, I Love You,” and “L.A. Woman” for audiences everywhere.

Reed Barrickman - Vocals
Matt Boehnlein - Guitar
Geoff Lewis - Keyboards
Eric Sanders - Drums

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.