Downtown Asheville Blog

April 1, 2010 Jonathan Lethem (ChronicCity) calls David Shields’ new book, Reality Hunger: A Manifesto, “an urgent book: a piece of art-making itself, a sublime, exciting, outrageous, visionary volume.” Shields is the author of eight other books including The Thing About Life Is That One Day You’ll Be Dead, a New York Times bestseller. www.malaprops.com

April 2-4, 2010 Godspell is returning to The Orange Peel of Asheville. The local Highland Acting Company will again deliver powerful vocals, innovative theatre, and a strong production- all with a humorous edge. This is a great new culturally relevant version of a Broadway classic - and a great way to spend Easter weekend. Tickets are $15 and available at www.godspellasheville.com

April 3rd, 2010 More than 100,000 tulips will herald the start of Biltmore’s 25th Annual Festival of Flowers on April 3. Through May 16, the stunning floral displays across the estate celebrate the majesty of Frederick Law Olmsted’s legacy. Floral décor will focus on iris, fleur de lis and silver, all symbolic of the 25th anniversary. Expect live music daily in the Winter Garden in Biltmore House and the Conservatory, and daily seminars at A Gardener’s Place. Biltmore’s restaurants will feature special silver anniversary menu items, drinks and desserts, with the Winery offering a commemorative Festival of Flowers wine, wine programs and children’s activities on Saturdays and Sundays.

April 4th, 2010 Celebrate the glory of Easter as our guest at this inter-denominational community worship. This special service will be filled with song, scripture, special music and spectacular sunrise views over beautiful Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge. John Mason, the Park’s featured hammered dulcimer player, will perform. Arrive early, dress warmly and bring a flashlight. Gates open at 5am and close at 6am for the 6:30am service. No admission charged and guests are welcome to stay for the day. www.chimneyrockpark.com

April 4th, 2010 The Easter Rabbit makes his annual appearance on Biltmore’s Front Lawn on Easter Sunday, along with special children’s entertainment including magic shows, music, storytelling, crafts and photos with the Easter Rabbit. Highlighting the day are the grand Easter Egg Hunts at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Children ages 9 years old and younger may attend the hunt for free when accompanied by an estate pass holder or a ticketed adult. Day-of registration will be required. Bring your own basket or bag to collect eggs!

March 26th – 27th, 2010  The Funny Business Comedy Club in Asheville, NC welcomes Comedian, Actor, and Director Bobcat Goldthwait. WORLD’S GREATEST DAD is Bobcat’s latest movie. It stars long time friend Robin Williams, and was again made independently from the studio system (although this time Process and Darko Productions came on board and prevented any pawn shops from having to be involved). Shooting again with a cast made up primarily of close friends, WORLD’S GREATEST DAD was completed in fall 2008 and released by Magnolia pictures in fall 2009. The new flick was met with rave reviews; “HILARIOUS”– Washington Post, “See it. A gem with a terrific, remarkably funny script.”– “At the Movies”, “Scandalously entertaining!”– Village Voice ,“”– Time Out Chicago “Wonderful” – MTV. Also at Sundance in 2009 was Bobcat’s short film GOLDTHWAIT HOME MOVIES: ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Upon hearing that he would have 2 separate films at the festival this year, Bobcat reportedly cried like a little baby girl. Bobcat has directed for many television shows including The Demetri Martin show, The Chappelle’s Show, the Man Show, and Crank Yankers. As a comic, he had 3 HBO specials and had appeared on the David Letterman show by the time he was 20, and as an actor he appeared in an innumerable slew of movies and was huge in the 80’s, all of which has allowed him to live in an impossibly luxurious rental home in the Los Angeles area. Showtimes: Friday and Saturday 8:00PM & 10:30PM Tickets: $20 Call: 828-318-8909 Visit: www.ashevillecomedy.com The Funny Business Comedy Club is located at 56 Patton Ave. Asheville, NC 28801

March 27th, 2010 Four-time Grammy winner, musician, storyteller, historian, television host and entertainer, Asheville’s own David Holt is a national folk icon dedicated to performing and preserving traditional American music and stories. www.dwtheatre.com

March 28th, 2010 5k Run & 1 mile Dog-Walk and Pet Wellness Fair This event is dedicated to celebrating the special relationship between humans and their furry friends! You’ll help Brother Wolf to continue its mission to save lives, while having a dog-gone good time! As a way to reduce our environmental impact, registration will be available online at active.com from Feb 1st - March 25th. If space is available, registration wil also be possible at the event, but beware there’s a cap of 600 friends. 5k run for humans only, 1 mile walk for pets and their humans, and Pet Wellness Fair - free nail trims for dogs, face painting for kids, pets available to adopt, “Ask the Vet” table and much more! Why: 100% of the proceeds go to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue to help support our furry friends. We are their voice. Cost: $25 for the walk/run (no refunds or substitutions - it’s for the animals!) Weather: Rain or shine Note: Pets are welcome in the 1 mile walk, people only for the 5K Packet Pick-up March 26th from 10am - 6pm at: Foot Rx Asheville - 63 Turtle Creek Dr, Asheville (828-277-5151) and at the event from 11 am - 1 pm. Prizes Each participant will receive a t-shirt with the Run For the Paws logo and run date For the Dogs: Prizes will be awarded to the first dog, the oldest dog, and the smallest dog to cross the finish line For our Human Friends: Top finishers in the different age groups (active.com) will have their names engraved on Brother Wolf’s Inaugural Trophy Cup and kept at Pet Soup in Asheville, NC. 1st - 3rd place finishers will receive special recognition at the end of the race and awarded medals commemorating the first Run for the Paws event! Run Requirements • All dog owners must provide proof of current rabies vaccinations at the event (current tags/documentation) • All dogs must remain leashed during the entire event and owner is responsible for cleaning up after their pet (remember to bring baggies!)

March 18th, 2010 A blues-rock guitarist who draws his inspiration from Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor, and Chuck Berry, George Thorogood never earned much respect from blues purists, but he became a popular favorite in the early ’80s through repeated exposure on FM radio and the arena rock circuit. Thorogood’s music was always loud, simple, and direct — his riffs and licks were taken straight out of ’50s Chicago blues and rock & roll — but his formulaic approach helped him gain a rather large audience in the ’80s, when his albums regularly went gold. The Orange Peel

March 19th, 2010 Asheville’s premier Home Show since 1976. The Home Show features displays of the latest home construction techniques, materials and products. Home furnishings, home builders, home improvement contractors, lawn and garden equipment, landscaping, pools and spas, home financing, appliances, home security and entertainment, decorating ideas, decks and patios, sporting goods, heating and cooling equipment, home repair and renovation, and much more.

March 20th, 2010 Porgy & Bess will celebrate the production’s 75th Anniversary in 2010 and Living Arts’ brilliant updated production features a cast of 30 and a live orchestra that will prove to enthrall. Porgy & Bess melds classical music, popular song, jazz, blues and spirituals in this quintessentially American masterpiece that tells the poignant story of a crippled beggar, the headstrong woman he loves, and the community that sustains them both. Set in South Carolina in 1912 you will hear the classic arias: “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’”, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “Summertime.” Asheville Bravo Concerts

March 21st, 2010 The Moody Blues are an English rock band . Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their seminal 1967 album Days of Future Passed. The Moody Blues have sold in excess of 50 million albums worldwide and have been awarded 14 platinum and gold discs. As of 2010, they continue to remain active. Asheville Civic Center

March 11th, 2010 Pomodoros invites you to join Jennifer Sage of Rodney Strong Vineyards at our South Asheville location as she presents their world class wines that capture the essence of Sonoma County. We will be featuring Rodney Strong’s finest wines artfully paired with a five-course dinner created by our chefs.

March 12th, 2010 John Boy and Billy are back as the hosts of our 22nd Annual Comedy Classic Weekend! This weekend for comedy lovers gets better every year! Comedian Sinbad headlines this year’s laugh-out-loud weekend. Grove Park

March 12th, 2010 Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by fellow banjo renegade Tony Trischka. In 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, with material that ranged from straight ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea’s “Spain.” In 1982, Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, making a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects ever since as a virtuoso instrumentalist. In 1989 he formed the genre-busting Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as himself. Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in Béla’s renowned Tales From the Acoustic Planet series, is his most ambitious project to date. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Béla Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves. Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning film of the same name, which Béla and director Sascha Paladino are currently premiering at festivals nationwide. Transcending barriers of language and culture, Fleck finds common ground with musicians ranging from local villagers to international superstars such as the Malian diva Oumou Sangare to create some of the most meaningful music of his career. Orange Peel

March 13th, 2010 Come watch Asheville’s all-female roller derby team, The Blue Ridge Rollergirls in their fourth season Home Opener! Doors open at 6 PM and the bout begins at 7 PM as they take on the Rollergirls of Central Kentucky. Unifire performs at half-time and a portion of the night’s proceeds will be donated to the Buncombe County Rescue Squad.

March 14th, 2010 The Original Harlem Globetrotters are playing at the Asheville Civic Center on Sunday, March 14 at 3pm as part of their 2010 World Tour.

March 4th, 2010 Arlo Guthrie and the family’s current tour officially introduces the fourth generation of Guthries to the stage, Woody’s great-grandchildren. The entire clan performs the songs that they’ve written and learned together, all performed in the family tradition generations have come to love. www.dwtheatre.com

March 5th, 2010 20th Annual Model Train Show with 4 working layouts, over 100 vendor tables,great raffle and door prizes, kids under 13 free with adult Admission $5.00 at the WNC Agricultual Center Mar 5 & 6 2010 FREE parking WNC Agricultural Center

March 6th, 2010 Join North Carolina’s only commercial producer of maple syrup for their second annual Maple Syrup Tour. March 6 and 7, Maple Creek Farm will be offering tours on the hour for visitors to see the maple syrup making process from tapping trees to cooking syrup. Hike up through the “sugar bush” to see the taps and tubing, visit with our farm animals, smell the sweet steam of cooking syrup, and of course sample our fresh syrup and maple sausage. For directions or more information please visit www.maplecreekfarm.net

March 6th, 2010 In the ’90s, Henry Rollins emerged as a post-punk renaissance man, without the self-conscious trappings that plagued such ’80s artists as David Byrne. Following Black Flag’s breakup in 1986, Rollins was been relentlessly busy, recording albums with the Rollins Band, writing books and poetry, performing spoken word tours, writing a magazine column in Details, acting in several movies, and appearing on radio programs and, less frequently, as an MTV VJ. The Rollins Band’s records are uncompromising, intense, cathartic fusions of hard rock, funk, post-punk noise, and jazz experimentalism, with Rollins shouting angry, biting self-examinations and accusations over the grind. On his spoken word albums, he is remarkably more relaxed, showcasing a hilariously self-deprecating sense of humor that is often absent in his music. All the while, he has kept his artistic integrity, becoming a kind of father figure for many alternative bands of the ’90s. The Orange Peel