ASAP is conducting research on why people in our community choose the food they do. We want to know where you shop, what you value most when purchasing food, and what factors motivate or discourage you from purchasing locally grown food. Whether you buy locally grown food or not, you can help farmers understand and connect with consumers—which creates a stronger local food system!

The survey can be completed online or by calling ASAP at 828-236-1282. It should take 8–12 minutes to complete and will be open until Oct. 31, 2024. You must be over the age of 18 and a resident of Western North Carolina.

Please share with families, friends, and co-workers!

Featuring over 300 beautiful quilts made by national, regional and local quilter makers, the Asheville Quilt Guild will showcase this unique Appalachian craft Thursday and Friday, September 26 and 27 from 9am-5pm and Saturday, September 28 from 9am-4pm. Fulfilling its mission to preserve and advance the tradition and art of quilting. The Quilt Show will give visitors the opportunity to get an up-close look at how quilters have creatively transformed fabrics and threads into works of art and admire the prize winning- works selected by professional quilt judges in an array of quilting styles and designs.

In addition, visitors can:
Attend free demonstrations of quilting techniques and new quilting products/machines
View Special Exhibits such as quilts by Mountain Art Quilters on the theme of “Reflections: Connecting to Nature” and special Ruby Anniversary Quilts made by Guild members
Peruse the Gift Shop and Gallery brimming with handcrafted quilted items to enhance their homes
Shop for the latest quilting and sewing products being sold by 27 regional vendors
Get a real bargain for gently used sewing/quilting supplies, fabrics and books/patterns at the What’s Old Is New booth
Take a $1 chance to win the exciting Opportunity Quilt made by the PhD (Projects Half Done) Bee
Enjoy the odds at the Product Raffle that gives away prizes donated by sponsors and vendors many times each day

To encourage the next generation of quilters the Guild offers a Kids Sewing Area where children from 4-12 years old create their own sewn projects to take home with them.

Held at the WNC Agricultural Center, Davis Event Center, 765 Boylston Hwy, Fletcher, NC 28732, the Quilt Show offers ample free parking and a cafeteria offering lunch and snacks. Groups of 10 or more people get a discount off the $10 admission price by contacting NancyLynn at [email protected] prior to the show.

Made possible by generous support from sponsors, including Moda Fabrics, Explore Asheville, and Aurifil Threads, the Quilt Show will award $12,000 in prize money to the winners. This elevates the show beyond what most quilt shows of 300+ quilts, 350 members and 3,000 visitors are able to offer. Further enhancing the show is the cadre of guild members who volunteer to help set up, operate and take down the show. Asheville Quilt Guild has helped develop and maintain Asheville’s reputation as a city known for its breadth and excellence in artistic and cultural achievements and welcomes visitors to explore this exciting Quilt Show.

Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.

Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.

• Parking Fees
  • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
  • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
  • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
  • Members: Free

  Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

Artists are invited to create artworks with the theme of “Red, White and Blue.“  Apply these patriotic colors at the center of your subjects, however there are no limits to your creativity, your artworks don’t need to be primarily patriotic theme, but viewers should be able to spot the use of recognizable amount of red, white and blue colors.

We are thrilled to announce the long-awaited grand reopening of the YMI Cultural Center! Please join us as we unveil our newly renovated facility and celebrate our rich cultural heritage with the community. This special event will mark the beginning of a new chapter for YMI, featuring an engaging program and tour of our updated spaces.

We look forward to celebrating this exciting milestone with you!

A lively language enrichment story time designed for children ages 4 to 18 months.

In the early 1900s, travel by train and automobile became more accessible in the United States, leading to an increase in tourism and a revitalized interest in landscape painting. The relative ease of transportation, as well as the creation of National Parks, allowed people to experience the breathtaking landscapes of the United States in new ways. Artists traveled along popular routes, recording the terrain they encountered.

This exhibition explores the sublime natural landscapes of the Smokey Mountains of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. While there were several regional schools of painting around this time, this group is largely from the Midwest and many of the artists trained at the Art Institute of Chicago or in New York City. Through their travels, they captured waterfalls, sunsets, thunderstorms, autumn foliage, lush green summers, and snow-covered mountains—elements that were novel for viewers from cities and rural areas. Though some of these paintings include people, they are usually used for scale and painted with little to no detail, highlighting the magnificence of nature.

Rudolph F. Ingerle, Mirrored Mountain, not dated, oil on canvas, 28 × 32 inches. Courtesy of Allen & Barry Huffman, Asheville Art Museum.

Bringing Local Farm Fresh Food to your Table

At each Plant Clinic, Master Gardener volunteers will be available to answer all of your gardening questions and address your related concerns. Feel free to bring plant or insect samples for identification and/or problem resolution.

You can pick-up soil test kits and receive information about in-person programs and activities at The Learning Garden and the Gardening in the Mountains seminars.

Enjoy an abundant selection of products provided by farmers and creators based in the greater Asheville and Western North Carolina area. From farm fresh seasonal produce, eggs, honey, handcrafted teas and foraged mushrooms to artisan baked goods, organic body care, flowers and more, this market promises to fulfill your shopping list with healthy, delicious, and local goods.

Share in the spirit of community and support local farmers, artisans, and crafters in Biltmore Park Town Square. Follow our socials for more Farmers Market updates!

View the full list of 2024 Biltmore Park Farmers Market vendors:

Appalachian DiviniTEA – Handcrafted teas, tea-infused soap, tea tinctures and tea-ware

Barnhouse Kitchen – Handmade frozen savory pies, quiches, savory strudels

Black Dog Flowers – Fresh cut, Appalachian-grown flowers and arrangements

Bobian Designs – Handmade textiles and fabrics including reversible hats, stoles and shawls

Bonny Bath – Organic body care including salt scrubs, magnesium sprays, deodorant and more

Brooms Blooms – Cut flowers, bouquets and dried flower arrangements, seasonal vegetables, watermelons and peppers

Conjure Craft Chocolate – Chocolate baked goods and bean to bar chocolate roasted and ground in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains

Country Fields Greenhouse – Fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef; perennials and annuals, shrubs, hanging baskets and trees

Hillbilly Shrimp Market – Wide variety of fish and seafood fresh-caught of the coast of NC; seafood products including fish batter, tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and hot sauce

Honeybee Bliss – Honey, honeybee propolis, beeswax items, creamed and infused honey, brand apparel

Ivy Fields Farm Stand – Pastured pork and chicken cuts, charcuterie, bone broth, pasta, ramen broth and noodles, seaweed salad, marinated eggs, menma, pesto, dry rubs, pickles, soup and sourdough starter kits

Lanning Road Farms – Seasonal vegetables, farm fresh eggs, chorizo, Lanning Road Farms shirts

McConnell Farms – Fruit ciders, hand pies and pastries, greenhouse plants and seasonal fruits and vegetables including peaches, apples, blackberries, cherries, figs, strawberries, squash, potatoes, beans and sweet corn

Personalized Herbals – Candles and candle wick clippers; take home herbal tea, cups of tea and tea infusers, herbal baths

Raspberry Fields & Mini Batch Bakery – Seasonal, fresh picked raspberries; baked goods including bread, cakes, pies, cookies, pastries, raspberry jam and vinegar, raspberry shrub beverages and lemonade

Riverview Farms – Seasonal fruits and vegetables and fresh cut flowers

SAVOR Shrub Bitters – Non-alcoholic, fermented apéritif-inspired craft cocktail and mocktail mixers

Sugar Creek Meat – Heritage breed red waddle pork, infused salts, barrel-aged soy sauce, dog treats

Tryon Mountain Farms – Simple syrups including kudzu blossom and blueberry prickly pear and flavored salts from hibiscus chili garlic to lavender white wine and more

Wild Goods – Foraged mushrooms and mushroom logs and seeds, ramps and ramp vinegar, wild greens and wild fruits and nuts; mushroom salts, seasonings and teas; tinctures and tonics, truffle salt and freeze-dried slices, grass fed butters, handmade artistic brand apparel

Buncombe County farmers markets are opening throughout April and May—or, for year-round markets, shifting back to regular season hours. Spring markets offer an array of produce as well as meat, cheese, eggs, bread, prepared foods, and a wide selection of plant starts.

Nine markets in Buncombe County will continue to offer ASAP’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables and Farm Fresh Produce Prescription.

Please join us for the Democratic Women of Buncombe County general meeting on the fourth Thursday of each month.

Who should attend: Anyone who supports electing democratic women to office.

Empowerment Collective: Inspired Women, Elevated Conversations. Join us on Thursday, September 26th for an in-person upscale networking and speaking series that highlights the remarkable stories of women who have defied odds, shattered glass ceilings, and triumphed in their personal and professional lives.

Our mission at Empowerment Collective is to provide a dynamic platform where accomplished women can unveil their transformative journeys. In hosting our events, we cultivate a community brimming with inspiration, knowledge-sharing, and meaningful connections—uniting women throughout every stage of their personal and professional evolution.

Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, a Candler-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, is excited to announce its 10th Anniversary Celebration, “A Wild Night for Wildlife: Ten Years of Saving Wild Lives and Counting!” The event will take place on Thursday, September 26, from 6:30-9:00 pm at The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, located at 131 Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville.

For the past decade, Appalachian Wildlife Refuge has provided care for more than 7,000 wild animals while also offering conservation education and promoting a deeper appreciation for local wildlife.

Event Highlights:
Date: Thursday, September 26
Time: 6:30-9:00 pm (6-6:30 pm early admission for VIPs)
Location: The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, 131 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, NC
Dress Code: Business Casual
Tickets: $50 per person
VIP Tickets: $85 per person (benefits listed at ApplachianWild.org)

This special celebration will feature live music, food, drinks, silent auction, and live ambassador animals. Guests will have the opportunity to meet ambassador animals and learn about getting injured and orphaned wildlife into care.

Ticket Information:
Tickets are available for $50 per person. VIP tickets, which offer early entry at 6 pm and additional perks outlined on AppalachianWild.org, can be purchased for $85 per person. All proceeds from the event will directly support the rescue and rehabilitation efforts of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge.

“We are thrilled to invite the community to join us in celebrating this milestone,” said Savannah Trantham, executive director of Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. “This event is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our supporters, volunteers, and staff over the past ten years. We look forward to continuing our mission and making an even greater impact in the years to come.”

Tickets for “A Wild Night for Wildlife” will be available in late August. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit AppalachianWild.org. For information on sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected].

Appalachian Wildlife Refuge is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured and orphaned wildlife in Western North Carolina. The organization also focuses on educating the public about conservation and wildlife protection, fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and the natural world.

Please join the Junior League of Asheville for a Self Defense seminar at the YMCA on Thursday September 26th from 6:30 – 9pm. The class will utilize multiple martial arts distilled into a system of self defense that is easily learned and very street effective. Wear comfortable, loose clothing and any type of glove or hand protection. Shoes recommended. Light to moderate exercise level.
We will be taught by Dr. Jon R Wiener. He is a 5th Dan in Karate-Do, and Senior Tai Chi instructor, with 49 years experience in martial arts. This class is completely free and open to all members, prospective members, friends and families. Please note, the subject matter can be more sensitive so bring children at your own discretion.

Contact Susy at [email protected] with any questions.