Happy Thursday, Buncombe County!
💡 Buncombe Fact: Black Mountain College opened in September 1933 with 12 faculty members and 22 students at the Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain. It moved to its Lake Eden campus in the fall of 1941 and officially closed in 1957.
In today’s edition:
A Juno Award winner plays White Horse tonight
Wolf Howl-O-Ween at the WNC Nature Center
The Surreal Sirkus takes over Pack Square
Art by the Tracks in Black Mountain
A forest-themed pumpkin class in Weaverville
A dog festival at the Arboretum and an album release in Black Mountain
A Fairview marketplace with more than 65 local artisans
Let’s get to it.
— Sean Kolina
🎶 A Juno Award Winner Plays White Horse Tonight
The Manitoba singer-songwriter Andrina Turenne, a Juno Award winner, plays White Horse Black Mountain tonight. Her sound blends bluesy R&B, roots rock and old-time folk, and she has toured five continents and contributed to more than 50 albums. Charlie Murphey opens.
Her 2023 solo debut was Bold as Logs, and her 2024 French-language EP, Je suis un arbre, earned a Western Canadian Music Award nomination. She performs either solo or with a five-piece band, and the listing doesn’t say which this night is, so check White Horse’s page before you go.
📍 Where: White Horse Black Mountain, 105 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain
📅 When: Thursday, October 22nd | 7:30pm – 9:30pm
💲 Price: $20 in advance
🎃 Wolf Howl-O-Ween at the WNC Nature Center
The WNC Nature Center opens its red and gray wolf habitats after dark for Wolf Howl-O-Ween on Friday evening. Groups take a guided walk through the habitats as the sun sets, with information about the animals, then rotate to Halloween-themed nature activities at booths, including games and crafts.
The evening is designed for kids ages 5 to 12 and is open to the whole family, and children must be accompanied by an adult. A costume contest for kids runs at 7pm. Registration is required and tickets are non-refundable. As of Wednesday morning the 6:15 tour group was sold out and the 7:15 group still had tickets, and everyone needs to arrive at 6pm. The rain date is Saturday, October 24th.
📍 Where: WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd., Asheville
📅 When: Friday, October 23rd | 6pm – 8pm
🎉 The Surreal Sirkus Takes Over Pack Square
The Surreal Sirkus Arts Festival returns to Pack Square Park on Saturday for its 16th year, free and open to everyone. Organizer Arts 2 People promises three stages of live music and DJs, local art vendors, food and drinks, and a wide mix of performances, building to a show by the Surreal Sirkus itself.
The festival began in 1996 and ran through 2005 before Arts 2 People revived it in 2021. The main stage schedule starts at noon and runs to 10pm, with the Surreal Sirkus show listed at 8pm, so you can drop in for an hour or stay for the whole evening.
📍 Where: Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville
📅 When: Saturday, October 24th | Noon – 10pm
💲 Price: Free
🎨 Art by the Tracks at the Old Depot
The Old Depot Association holds its fall Art by the Tracks art and craft show on Saturday at the depot on Sutton Avenue in Black Mountain. The show features more than 50 artists from the region plus live music, and it has run for 27 years.
The show raises money for the Old Depot Association, which passes much of it along as grants for art programs in Swannanoa Valley public schools. Buying a piece or a handmade gift here supports the classroom too.
📍 Where: The Old Depot, 207 Sutton Ave., Black Mountain
📅 When: Saturday, October 24th | 10am – 5pm
💲 Price: Admission not listed by the organizer
🎃 Make a Forest-Themed Pumpkin in Weaverville
Reems Creek Nursery hosts a Forest-Themed Pumpkin: Make and Take workshop on Saturday morning at its garden center in Weaverville. Instructors Ruth Gonzalez and Cristi Bloch walk you through making a 7½-inch faux pumpkin, and all materials and instruction are included in the class fee.
Registration is required through Eventbrite, and the nursery’s page doesn’t say how many spots are left, so sign up before you head over. It runs two hours, which leaves the rest of the day open.
📍 Where: Reems Creek Nursery Garden Center, 76 Monticello Rd., Weaverville
📅 When: Saturday, October 24th | 10am – noon
💲 Price: $37 plus tax
Around the County
Buncombe is a lot bigger than downtown, so this is where the rest of it lives.
🌳 A dog festival at the Arboretum Sunday. The Tricks-n-Treats Dog Festival runs from 11am to 4pm on Sunday, October 25th, with live music on two stages, pet vendors, a scavenger hunt and a virtual costume contest. The event page doesn’t list a fee, so check it for parking before you go. Festival details
🌳 An album release in Black Mountain Friday. The South Carolina folk duo Admiral Radio, Coty Hoover and Becca Smith, celebrates its new album Heirloom with a full band at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts at 7:30pm. The Black Mountain Live calendar lists tickets at $18 in advance and $22 at the door. Concert details
🌳 The Swannanoa Market is Saturday. The weekend guides list the market at The Hub on Saturday, October 24th, from 10am to 1pm, with local makers and fresh food. Check the market’s social page to confirm before you go. Weekend guide
One to Know
A quick one every Thursday. Our full small business features run on Tuesdays, so think of this as the short version, and it is never paid and never sponsored.
🌿 Wilderness Muse, Fairview
Fairview’s Wilderness Muse Creative Marketplace describes itself as a car wash turned creative community, and it is home to more than 65 Appalachian artisans. The shop says it is redefining local consignment, and what you find on the shelves is locally made gifts, home goods and plants.
The store is at 1185 Charlotte Highway, Suite W, in Fairview. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, open noon to 6pm Wednesday through Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday. The site also lists make-your-own candle experiences you can book ahead, plus workshops and events at Cane Creek Station. The number is 828-458-4107 if you want to check before you drive over.
📣 Know a business that belongs here? Hit reply with a name and we'll check them out!
Other fun notes…
😋 Weekly Appalachian inspired recipe: Best Damn Chicken and Dumplings — Cousin Rosie Mayes’s shredded chicken and homemade dumplings simmered in broth and finished with cream, a good pot for the first real cold snap. It serves 10.
🎵 Who we are listening to: Andrina Turenne - Long Winter Nights — and Andrina Turenne plays White Horse Black Mountain tonight.
💛 Local Nonprofits. Brother Wolf Animal Rescue — an Asheville nonprofit founded in 2007 that places adoptable cats, dogs, rabbits and small animals, and runs foster and volunteer networks for people who can’t adopt but can help.
🙏 Positive News Around the Globe: After a run of crashes on its main street, the English village of Fillongley put up knitted speed cameras and life-sized knitted traffic officers, and locals say many drivers have slowed down. Read Article
🎃 Halloween is coming, so get your Halloween books ordered now. Here is one we recommend: Halloween book pick
✨ The best things around here tend to happen when neighbors simply show up for each other. Here's to a weekend of doing exactly that.
🗳️ One quick question, and it genuinely shapes what goes in here:
How far will you drive for a good local event?
As always, we read every reply and truly appreciate hearing from you. If there’s something you’d like to see more of locally, let us know. Thanks for being part of the Buncombe County Digest community.
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