Slow Food Asheville Event: Franny's Farm Fest

June 8, from 10:00 AM - 10:00PM - Franny's Farm Fest is an all day festival benefit to establish a Future Farmers of America Chapter at Asheville High School. Enjoy LIVE MUSIC - FOOD - CRAFTS - FARM ANIMALS - FUN

This Family Friendly day is filled with live music starting at 11 AM.  Pierce Edens will be playing at 7:00 PM

Franny's Farm was founded in 2012 by Jeff, Frances and Zach Tacy and is located at 38 Came Sharp Road in Leicester, NC ( a suburb of Asheville). In addition to growing the very best in organic meats and vegetables they will be hosting a variety of events and providing a venue for educational opportunities. 

6th Annual Wheel Ride for Food

May 11 - Asheville's 6th Annual Wheel Ride for Food will be held at beautiful Carrier Park in Asheville off of Amboy Road. Year after year, participants are drawn back to the race by its wide range of features and amenities.

The event itself is highlighted by a diverse mix of rolling hills, fast flats and of course the treacherous Ox Creek Climb in the Metric ride option. The 32 mile, 50 mile and 67 mile (metric) rides stretch onto open back roads around Asheville, Weaverville, and Marshall, and along the French Broad River.

5th Annual Cajun Cook-off / Art and Oddities Silent Auction.

January 19,  4  PM. at Tressa's Downtown Jazz and Blues on Broadway in downtown Asheville sample some of the finest Cajun cuisine at the 5th Annual Cajun Cook-off / Art & Oddities Silent Auction. This fundraiser helps support the Asheville Mardi Gras Parade and Ball which are free to all and will occur on Bacchus Sunday, February 10th, 2013.

Everyone is welcome to try their hand at creating Asheville's best Cajun dish. The crowd's favorite will take home the coveted cook-off trophy and the bragging rights for next year's contest . Following the cook-off the Art & Oddities Silent Auction begins with bidding on spectacular, bazaar, collectible and crafty items created by local legends and folk artists. This event always boasts the talents of local artists, chefs and lovers of Louisiana cuisine.

For a $10 entry fee (or free with your Asheville Mardi Gras membership), you will enjoy delicious Cajun creations, dance to New Orleans style music and marvel at the costuming extravaganza that comes with the spirit of the Mardi Gras Season.

Asheville Urban Loft Tour and "Art for Art's Sake" Reception

October 11, 4:30 - 9:30 PM: Asheville Urban Loft Tour benefit for the Asheville Art Museum. Tour some of Asheville's most stunning downtown lofts, filled with original art and upscale furnishings and help support the Asheville Art Museum.

The Tour is followed by a reception, "Art for Art's Sake",  6 PM - 9:30 PM, hosted by the Cotton Mill Studios.  For tickets check in at the Art Museum's front desk or call 828-253-3227.  Artists of The Historic Cotton Mill Studios, located in the River Arts District at 122 Riverside Drive, are generously hosting a reception following the Urban Loft and Art Tour. 40% of art sales during the reception directly benefit the continued growth of the Asheville Art Museum and its capital campaign, Art WORKS for Asheville.  Free admission; participation on the Tour not required to attend reception.

Transportation to the Reception:  The event sponsor, the White Trolley Line (Asheville's Historic White Trolley Tours), will shuttle guests from the final stop on the walking tour to the benefit reception at The Historic Cotton Mill Studios, and back to the Museum throughout the evening.

For tickets check in at the Art Museum's front desk or call 828-253-3227. $50 for Members, $55 for non-Members  Tickets are timed (various start times for tours; spaces fill up quickly so please reserve your preferred spot early).

Asheville Pizza Showdown

August 12, 4 PM - 10 PM at  The Garage at Biltmore, 101 Fairview Road, Suite B in Asheville NC. Head for the Asheville Pizza Showdown and enjoy all-you-can-eat pizza, a mini-beer fest and live music. Tickets are $30 and benefits Manna Food Bank.  Former champions, Anthony Cerrato (from Strada) and Frank's Roman Pizza, will be on hand to defend their supreme pizza title.

Asheville Design Center Hosts Kickin' it old School Fundraiser

June 21, 6-9 PM   The Asheville Affiliates and Asheville Design Center invite you to "Kickin' it Old School"  at Celine and Company's On Broadway. This event is the largest fundraiser to date for the Asheville Design Center and is hosted by the Asheville Affiliates and sponsored by Charlotte Street Computers.

The Asheville Design Center is a nonprofit agency dedicated to engaging citizens in creative design that promotes healthy, thriving and equitable communities. Proceeds from the event will go towards ADC’s Klondyke Playground project. With the help of volunteer designers this summer, ADC volunteers will design and build a new playground for the over 200 children who live there.  Located at the end of Montford Avenue, the Klondyke Apartments currently lacks a safe place for children to play.  Working with Klondyke residents through all phases of the process, ADC’s volunteer professionals will design and build a new space that encourages a sense of ownership, respect and pride for the neighborhood.

At “Kickin’ it Old School!” there will be an amazing array of entertainment, food and drinks guaranteed to last all night. Come dressed in your favorite 80’s and 90’s fashions and dance the night away to the old school sounds of DJ Marley Carroll. Food from Mark Rosenstein’s kitchen ready GO program includes an all you can eat Tot’s bar with sauces from Crooked Condiments. Catawba Brewing will provide the kegs, with wine from Skyland Distributing. There will also be a raffle.

Tickets are only $25 if you RSVP in advance via the Asheville Affiliates Facebook event page or $30 at the door, if tickets remain. “On Broadway” is located downtown at 49 Broadway Street.

The First Annual Green Swan Fest Today at Warren Wilson College

June 2, 11 AM - 9 PM at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa, NC. The Green Swan Fest is  a full day of music with local and national performers on the main stage. There's something for the entire family with both children's events and environmental activities, plus raffles for great door prizes, local food trucks and micro-brews.

The event celebrates and encourages the work of Asheville GreenWorks, a local environmental non-profit, working diligently for 38 years to "clean & green" Buncombe County.

NC Aboretum Hosts Party Your Asana Off Fund Raiser

May 3, 6 - 9 PM: “Party Your Asana Off”, a fundraiser benefitting Asheville Community Yoga. The events will inlcude  an amazing array of entertainment, food and drinks - all guaranteed to last all night. Upon entry, enjoy the sounds of strolling fiddler Cailen Campbell. Then dance the night away with music provided by Asheville’s top DJ’s from Sound Extreme; making dance a key element of the party. Clan Destiny Circus will ramp up the fun with performances by their acrobalancers, stilt walkers and hoopers. Town Mountain Massage will offer donation based chair massages. 

Food, beer and wine are included with your ticket price - enjoy beer from Catawba Valley Brewing Company, Alamos wine and tables full of food from a variety of generous donors including Hickory Nut Gap, Zen Sushi and Roots. Bring your checkbook! There will be a raffle with over forty awesome items on which to bid.

Tickets are only $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Attendance is limited to 300 and a sellout is likely. This year, you need to purchase your tickets in advanced to receive the discount. Click Here to buy your tickets now. RSVPs on Facebook will not give you the discount at the door. Together we can help keep Asheville Community Yoga sustainable by attending this event, because 100% of the proceeds goes directly to the nonprofit.

The NC Arboretum is located on Brevard Road (Hwy 191), just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville NC. Parking is free for attendees.