Downtown Asheville Blog

Nov. 26th, 2009 Thanksgiving break is a perfect time to renew your senses at the Arboretum. A popular destination for visiting families and post-meal hikes, the Arboretum’s 434 acres will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. While all buildings and the Bonsai Exhibition Garden will be closed, more than 10 miles of hiking and biking trails and 65 acres of cultivated gardens await. No parking fee is in effect.

Nov. 27th, 2009 A team of intrepid radio actors brings you the perfect holiday antidote to rampant cynicism and commercialism. Rediscover this classic story of friendship, love and sacrifice in times of financial struggle. Since 2006, North Carolina Stage Company and Immediate Theatre Project have produced a delightful radio play version of It’s a Wonderful Life. The show has been a hit in Asheville every year, earning raves from critics and audiences. This year, we are pleased to present a brand new adaptation that restores several much beloved scenes from the original movie including the Charleston dance contest scene and gives a richer life to the hard-working radio actors struggling to bring you this classic tale of friendship, family, and the power of community in the face of hard times.

Nov. 28th, 2009 This week featuring live music from Woody Pines & the Delta Blues Trio - enjoy the downtown festivities as the Asheville City Market continues into the holiday season. Find local Christmas trees, wreaths and arrangements, baked goods, farmstead and artisan goat cheeses, handmade jewelry, candles, quilts, knitware and woodworking, local produce, trout, meat and eggs, gift soaps, preserves, handmade pasta, local honey and spicy mustards.

Nov. 29th, 2009 Acony Records is proud to announce the November 17 release of the Dave Rawlings Machine record, A Friend Of A Friend. The album features members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Benmont Tench from the Heartbreakers, Karl Himmel, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes, and of course, Gillian Welch. Dave Rawlings Machine is hitting the road in November and December to play shows and visit some of the finest indie record stores in the Southeast and Mideast. The Machine will include Dave and Gillian along with Ketch Secor, Willie Watson and Morgan Jahnig of Old Crow Medicine Show. The Orange Peel

Nov. 19th, 2009  To celebrate the return of the Main Course Dining Program the participating restaurants are hosting a Taste of Asheville celebration on November 19 from 7-9 p.m. at The Venue on Market Street in downtown Asheville. The Taste of Asheville will feature small plate entrees from 18 independent restaurants. airasheville.org

Nov. 20th, 2009  Come hear music for the Holiday Season performed by stars of the Asheville Lyric Opera and some of western North Carolina’s finest musicians. ashevillelyric.org

Nov. 21st, 2009 This year’s Parade theme is “Our Appalachian Holidays” with singer/songwriters/storytellers David Holt and Laura Boosinger as co-Grand Marshals. The Express Personnel Clydesdale horses will headlining the Parade this year as well. Previous Parades have had 100 entries and lots to do with the family afterwards. Parade produced by the Asheville Downtown Association and Co-sponsored by The City of Asheville and the Asheville Merchants Corporation.  63rd Asheville Holiday Parade

Nov. 22nd, 2009  The Idiotarod is a legendary event that pits teams of 5 against each other for a 5k shopping cart race that is filled with trickery, challenge and some of the dumbest/coolest/most amazing costumes you have ever seen in your entire life. . . ever! The Idiotarod is a lot like the legendary Alaskan Sled Dog Race called the IdiDarod, which is a dog sled competition that spans over 1150 miles of Alaska’s roughest, most beautiful terrain that Mother Nature has to offer. The Idiotarod is essentially the same thing except we’ll cover 5 kilometers and instead of dogs we use people (idiots) and instead of sleds we use shopping carts (super pods of wonder). Participants usually adopt a theme for their team and decorate themselves and their cart accordingly. Teams will travel together with their cart for the entire 5k, but it’s not that easy. Teams will also have to complete community project based challenges that will help benefit MANNA, a community garden and a community building recycling program. Fun trickery also comes into play as participants compete for one of six awards including: The Hoff Award, The Chuck Norris Award, The Richard Simmons Award, The Picasso Award, The ‘I Piddy Da Fool Award’ and The Zoolander. Some of the awards are being hand made by local galleries in the River Arts District. Live music by Levi Douglas and Zach Blew at the Wedge After Bash!

Nov. 12th, 2009 The Asheville Film Festival welcomes filmmakers and film lovers to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains to celebrate four days of independent film. Enjoy the artistry and variety of the festival’s competition film selection and high-profile spotlight films that have in previous years included Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler and Diving Bell & The Butterfly. Parties, networking, local talent showcases and educational seminars will also highlight the festival.

Nov. 13th, 2009 Malaprop’s is honored to welcome former North Carolina Poet Laureate and 2005 Thomas Wolfe Prize winner Fred Chappell, who will read from his book, Ancestors and Others: New and Selected Stories. Chappell, who was born in nearby Canton, is acclaimed for both his fiction and his numerous essays and works of poetry, and is a master of rendering Southern society and tradition. Come early to get a good seat! The reading will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. “Anybody who knows anything about Southern writing knows that Fred Chappell is our resident genius, our shining light, the one truly great writer we have among us.” -Author Lee Smith

Nov. 14th, 2009 The Bi-Annual Studio Stroll of the River Arts District is your chance to tour the studios, meet with the artists and purchase artwork. Within just a few blocks you will find an eclectic mix of creative artists - from traditional to cutting-edge. Near downtown Asheville. Free.

Nov. 15th, 2009 Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for being an American Hasidic Jewish Reggae musician and for his single “King Without a Crown”, which was a Top 40 hit! He most recently released a new album called ‘Light’ and performed on NBC’s Tonight Show. Orange Peel

Nov. 5, 2009 Badfish is a tribute band dedicated to playing the music of Sublime. The group is named after a song appearing on the album 40 Oz. to Freedom. Formed in 2001 at the University of Rhode Island, the group’s members, who were computer science majors, began playing local Rhode Island clubs and quickly began selling out shows. They continued touring the East Coast and Midwest of the U.S., becoming popular on college campuses among Sublime fans who never were able to see the band due to Bradley Nowell’s 1996 death. Since then the group has done multiple national tours per year. In 2008, the band was nominated for Best Tribute Act in the Boston Music Awards.The Orange Peel

Nov. 6, 2009 Christmas at Biltmore. Holidays arrive at America’s largest home® in style. More than a century ago, George Vanderbilt chose this magical season as the time to unveil his new home to family and friends. On Christmas Eve 1895, he opened Biltmore House’s doors for a regal yuletide celebration. This year’s Christmas at Biltmore promises another beautiful celebration, complete with more than 40 Christmas trees, miles of ribbon, garland, lights and holiday music. Visit www.biltmore.com for details.

Nov. 7, 2009 A progressive tour open to the public with transportation provided by Gray Line Tolley. Four Asheville Legendary Inns (Albemarle, Abbington Green, Cumberland Falls and the Inn on Montford) will display artisan-designed gingerbread houses representing scenes from “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Tours are available on Saturday only beginning November 7th and ending on Saturday, January 2, 2010. The first tour will begin at 5:00 and take approximately 21/2 hours.The cost is $30.00 per person with transportation included. http://www.ashevillegingerbread.com/

Nov. 8, 2009 Join award-winning authors Mary Akers and Clifford Garstang as they each present their own collection of short stories. Akers will read from and sign Women Up On Blocks, which features 13 stories that explore the prices women must pay when they allow their roles as mother, wife, daughter, or lover to define them. Garstang will present In An Uncharted Country, a series of linked stories that portray ordinary men and women struggling to find their identities in a small Virginia town. Malaprops