Asheville's Annual Goombay Festival this Weekend

Date:      September 9 - 11, 2016   Annual Goombay Festival   “Goombay Festival represents an opportunity to highlight the African American experience and the YMI’s role in crafting that experience. It continues to promote the historical legacy of the “Founding Fathers” to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of African Americans in Asheville, NC.” — Stephanie Swepson-Twitty, Board Chair of the YMI. Enjoy 3 days of music arts and community.

 

Heritage Weekend at Asheville's Folk Art Center

September 20 - 21, 2014   Heritage Weekend    is a two-day celebration of traditional crafts and music. This 34th annual free festival is sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild and features traditional music, dancing and heritage craft demonstrations. A highlight of the weekend is the 32nd Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition on Saturday, 2:00-3:00 PM. Joe “Colonel Buncombe” Bly will emcee the competition. 


The Folk Art Center   is home base for the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center is the hub of traditional and contemporary mountain art and crafts, with changing exhibits in both the focus gallery and the main gallery and the permanent exhibit all styles are displayed. Demonstrations and educational opportunities are scheduled regularly and there are special events throughout the year. The members shop is visited by thousands of tourists and locals annually.  The Folk Art Center is located at milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC

What to do this weekendin AsheivlleL Stories on Asheville's Post

July 6   Stories on Asheville's Front Porch   Stories from the Heart: Travel and Travail.  The Tellers are Gwenda Ledbetter, Sherry Lovett, Nancy Reeder, and VixiJill Glenn. This event is FREE!

Rain or Shine and held in Pack Place Rhino Courtyard - enter under the Diana Wortham marquee on Biltmore Avenue. Event Sponsors: Creperie Bouchon, Clark Communications, Asheville Storytelling Circle ,Pack Place, JMonet, White Pine Acupuncture. 10:30 - 11:30 AM

4th of July Weekend Events: Stories on Asheville's Front Porvh

July 6    Stories on Asheville's Front Porch   Stories from the Heart: Travel and TravailThe Tellers are Gwenda Ledbetter, Sherry Lovett, Nancy Reeder, and VixiJill Glenn. This event is FREE! Rain or Shine and held in Pack Place Rhino Courtyard - enter under the Diana Wortham marquee on Biltmore Avenue.  10:30 - 11:30 AM
 
Event Sponsors: Creperie Bouchon, Clark Communications, Asheville Storytelling Circle ,Pack Place, JMonet, White Pine Acupuncture.

Find more Asheville NC events on the Asheville Visitor Guide.

Storytelling Festival begins today in Hendersonville

April 6 - 8    Do Tell Storytelling Festival   This is the 4th annual event filled with the magic of live, up close performance in historic downtown Hendersonville. Never scripted, fresh every time. This festival is living proof that Storytelling is not just for kids. This is intelligent entertainment for all ages by some of the region's best performers. The Festival is held at the Downtown Flat Rock Playhouse, 125 Main Street.

Learn more about Hendersonville NC HERE.

 

Battle of Swannanoa Gap - Revolutionary War re-enactment this weekend

March 23 - 24    Battle of Swannanoa Gap   An event presented by Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 379 and 22nd North Carolina, Company- . Admission is $7.00, Children under 12 years are FREE. Battles take place at 2:00 PM each day and the event is open 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Throughout the day there will be various period demonstrations and displays including women fashions and show along with period cooking demonstrations.

The battle re-enactment will be held at Davidson's Fort Historic Park, Inc. in Old Fort, NC.

Grove Park Inn Hosts " Best of our State 2013" this Weekend

January 4-6   Best of our State 2013    Our State magazine comes to life during this 15th annual weekend celebration at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa. Enjoy a weekend of music, humor, history, storytelling, and even a little dancing.

Entertainment this year includes Roy Underhill, Ron Rash, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Victoria Livengood, Tom Higgins, Dr. Elliot Engle, The Gospel Jubilators and Bruce Johnson.

Shop for North Carolina specialty foods, crafts, and other unique items in our bustling North Carolina Market Place. Meet the artists, sample delicious dishes, and learn about new places to visit from our travel destination exhibitors.


The Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa is an historic Asheville mountain inn with renowned spa services. Additional facilities include the scenic golf course and a sports complex with swimming pool, tennis courts,  racquetball and training equipment. The Resort offers onsite restaurants, lounge and bars. A large variety of accommodations include rooms and suites in varying stages of updates and ages with some original Inn antiques. Check Inn rates and dates

The Grove Park hosts a variety of winter events and weekend packages from  New Year's Eve Celebrations to Big Band Dance Weekend to the All That Jazz Festival. Get a link for details on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.

 

The Folk Art Center Hosts Heritage Weekend

A whimmy diddle is an
Appalachian mountain toy
made of two wood sticks

September 15 - 16  at the Folk Art Center, Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC - Heritage Weekend is a two-day celebration of traditional crafts and music.

The 32nd free festival is sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild and features traditional music, dancing and heritage craft demonstrations. A highlight of the weekend is the 32nd Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition on Saturday, 2:00-3:00 PM. Joe “Colonel Buncombe” Bly will emcee the competition.

Apple Chill Cloggers

During Heritage Weekend, visitors learn from area experts about beekeeping, rifle making, coopering, heritage toy making, natural dyeing, spinning, quilting, whittling, print making and furniture making. Other highlights include sheep shearing demonstrations throughout the day on Saturday. The entertainment schedule is jam-packed with regional musicians on both days.

85th Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville

August 2-4   85th Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival  The nation's longest running folk festival, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival showcases the top talent in traditional mountain music and dance during a three-evening festival at the wonderfully intimate Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in Asheville NC.  Come enjoy performances by hundreds of the Southern Appalachians' best traditional mountain musicians and dancers and celebrate the treasured cultural heritage of Western North Carolina.

Since 1928, mountain fiddlers, banjo pickers, dulcimer sweepers, dancers, balladeers and others have come to enjoy themselves “along about sundown” the first weekend in August at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival. At the  2012 Festival,  performers  will take to the stage for the 85th time in downtown Asheville at 7 PM each evening.

Tickets are for sale on-line before the event.

65th Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

July 19 - 22 in Asheville NC -   65th Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands.  One of the most popular NC mountain events,  this bi-annual Fair includes over 200 exhibitors, craft demonstrations,  live regional music and entertainment in downtown Asheville's Civic Center ( now officially US Cellular Center). The event brings together state-of-the-art contemporary crafts with traditional heritage crafts.

Both levels of the Center offer artisans exhibiting and selling works of clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, mixed media, natural materials, paper, wood and jewelry.  The Fair  showcases the work of members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild with members living in the mountain counties of nine states from Maryland to Alabama.

Storytelling on Asheville's Front Porch

July 14, 10:30 AM in the Rhino Courtyard at Pack Place - Stories on Asheville's Front Porch Series features Pat Stone, spinner of Jack Tales, with a special opening performance with teller VixiJill Glenn.This is a free event, open to the public.

The 2012 Festival Series, themed "Stories Whispered by a Mountain Breeze", is dedicated to the memory of Ray Hicks.