Bele Chere 2008  Photo: Urban News

There’s no shortage of things to do for families, couples, singles, music-lovers, gourmands, and creative types this summer… you name it, there’s a festival in or near Asheville to cater to your particular tastes. Since there’s something going on in the streets, the parks, or at great locations like the NC Arboretum almost every weekend, all you have to do is decide where you want to show up!

The big three festivals — Bele Chere, Sourwood, and Goombay! — are open to everyone free of charge. They’re big, laid-back street festivals with food, music, entertainment, family activities, and just plain partying.

Fun-For-All Street Festivals

Bele Chere 2010
July 23-25

Bele Chere is the largest free street festival in the Southeast, held in beautiful downtown Asheville each July. Arts & crafts, food, entertainment, interactive events, and a children’s activity area will fill the streets, drawing about 300,000 visitors throughout the three-day event. Visit the official festival website at www.belecherefestival.com.

Black Mountain Sourwood Festival
August 14-15

The 33rd Annual Festival in downtown Black Mountain is alcohol-free and features more than 200 vendors, great food and entertainment. Visit www.exploreblackmountain.com/festivals.php.

Goombay Festival
August 27-29

Since 1982, the YMI Cultural Center has presented Goombay!, one of several worldwide variations of the centuries-old Caribbean celebration. Goombay! offers a wide variety of traditional foods, African arts and crafts, stilt-walking, drummers, music for every taste, and endless fun. Visit the website at www.ymicc.org/goombay or call (828) 252-4614.

Music

Western North Carolina is known for its music heritage, including some of the biggest names in traditional mountain music. Its roots are in English ballads, Celtic tunes, African American work and gospel songs, and Cherokee music, so opportunities abound to hear the music you love.

Swannanoa Shindigs – First Fridays
July 2 and August 6

The first Friday of every month drive over to Beacon Mill Village in Swannanoa to enjoy live mountain music and dance (with lessons, too!), as well as a cake walk, crafts, yard sale, old timey toys, rope demonstrations, woodworking, crafts, farmers produce, pizza, hot dogs, barbecue, ice cream, popcorn, and children’s activities. BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR. No pets and no alcohol! Festival starts at 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (828) 337-4718 or SwannanoaShindig.com.

Shindig on the Green
Saturdays July 3 - September 4

Bring your instruments, families, friends, lawn chairs, and blankets and join us at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville every Saturday evening beginning around 7:00 p.m. Enjoy unique music and dance performances on stage, as well as informal jam sessions. Celebrate the treasured cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. FREE. For more information visit the Folk Heritage Committee’s website at www.folkheritage.org, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (828) 258-6101 x345.

Mountain Dance & Folk Festival
August 5-7

Discover the nation’s longest-running folk festival, founded by mountain music icon Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928. The three-night festival showcases an amazing repertoire of mountain performers who share songs and dances that echo centuries of Scottish, English, Irish, Cherokee, and African heritage. Each evening is a joyful exploration of the rich culture found in the valleys and coves between the Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Presented at Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place in downtown Asheville at 7:00 p.m. nightly. Tickets available at (828) 257-4530. For more information please visit www.folkheritage.org.

If all that music, dancing, and partying makes you hungry, you won’t want to miss these special events focusing on barbecue and brew!

Food

Carolina Mountain Ribfest
July 9-11

Featuring BBQ ribs, chicken and pulled pork prepared by world-class, award-winning barbecue rib vendors from around the country. A full lineup of top-name musical entertainment will perform each day. The carnival includes adult and children’s rides and games, arts and crafts and commercial exhibits, a Saturday bike show and the Sunday Custom and Classic Car Show. Fun for the whole family. For more information, contact festival coordinator John Patterson at (828) 628-9626 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

First Annual Hops Festival
July 31, 11:30 a.m.

Brewers and farm lovers alike are invited to Echoview Farm in Weaverville to visit the largest hops farm in the state. Learn about Echoview Farm’s success with hops and see demonstrations. Enjoy lunch and home brew, while supplies last. For details call (828) 645-7667 or visit the website at www.echoviewfarm.com.

Family Fun

55th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games
July 8-11

Over one hundred Scottish clans and societies sponsor this celebration of Scottish dance, music and athletics. Main events are at MacRae Meadows, at the base of Grandfather Mountain. Admission charged. www.gmhg.org.

Family Art pARTy!
July 11, 2010, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Come to the heart of Asheville at Pack Square and enjoy free activities for all ages. Get crafty with hands-on activities — all supplies provided. For more information, please call Sharon McRorie, Education Programs Manager at (828) 253-3227, ext. 122.
Gardening,

Arts & Crafts

4th Annual Bamboo Festival
July 10-11

The American Bamboo Society’s Southeastern Chapter hosts this popular event at The North Carolina Arboretum, which features bamboo nurseries offering living bamboo plants as well as artists and crafters demonstrating and selling their products. Visitors learn about the artistic value and functionality of this remarkable grass. The weekend includes lectures, demonstrations, crafts, and plant sales. Parking fee is $8 per vehicle, or free for Arboretum members. Visit the website at www.ncarboretum.org or call (828) 665-2492.

2nd Saturdays - Arts and Heritage Crafts Showcase
July 10 and August 14, 10:00 a.m.

Experience a sampling of some of our region’s finest artisans and crafters while exploring some of the unique aspects of the history of Asheville. Whether it’s handmade pottery, jewelry, or contemporary artwork created from recycled material you’re sure to find something to provide lasting memories of your visit. Held at the Thomas Wolfe Historic Site on N. Market Street downtown. For more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (828) 253-8304, or visit www.ncdcr.gov/2ndsaturdays.asp.

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
July 15-18

The Civic Center in Asheville (87 Haywood St.) comes alive with fine traditional and contemporary crafts made by members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Fair also features craft demonstrations, regional music, and entertainment. Thursday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $7, children under 12 free. www.southernhighlandguild.org.

Asheville Quilt Guild
28th Annual Show
August 6-8

The North Carolina Arboretum hosts the Asheville Quilt Guild’s popular annual show, a juried event featuring more than 250 quilts of exceptional craftsmanship from across the U.S. and worldwide. “Stars Over the Mountains” is the theme for the three-day show, which offers live demonstrations, a merchant’s mall, and more. The show runs Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for the Quilt Show plus an $8-per-vehicle parking fee. Free parking to Arboretum members.

Visitors to the Arboretum during the Quilt Show will also be able to explore engaging indoor and outdoor exhibits, including:
•    Balance and Beauty: A Visual Celebration of Rural Life, featuring paintings by Margaret Scanlan at the Baker Exhibit Center
•    Inflorescence, a new outdoor sculpture exhibit throughout the Arboretum’s gardens by Jason S. Brown and Elizabeth Scofield that features a variety of botanical forms created from synthetic nylon fabric
•    65 acres of cultivated gardens, 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, engaging exhibits, and bountiful opportunities to connect with nature.

For more information, call (828) 665-2492 or visit http://67.23.15.90/press-releases/asheville-quilt-guilds-28th-annual-show/.

38th Annual Village Art & Craft Fair
August 7-8

The fair hosts 125 exhibitors from 20 states, representing the full spectrum of craft media — jewelry, ceramic, wood, fiber, metals, two-dimensional art and more. The craft fair is a great opportunity to encounter new artists and to talk with crafters one-on-one. Most exhibitors are not represented at New Morning Gallery, so visitors are sure to find new treasures along with a few old favorites. For more information, www.biltmorevillage.com/craft_fair.

Sometimes it’s important to turn inward instead of out to the public, and if you and your beloved other want to work on making your lives better, you may want to try this personal growth weekend.

Personal Growth

Creating Loving Marriages & Unions
July 10-11

Whether you’re married, single, separated, or divorced, young or not-so-young, this weekend will help you break down the barriers that prevent or limit you from creating and sustaining the loving union you envision. Real love can enter a relationship as you free it of fantasies and illusions, neurotic needs, and unrealistic expectations.

The goal of the weekend is to implant in your heart the understanding of the true function of all unions — to learn to love another unconditionally. It is our Creator’s gift to us! The weekend includes wisdom circles on issues such as the three stages of marriage, the spiritual function of unions, arguments, sex, divorce and separation, communication, and much more.

The gathering is small (10-20) with a relaxed atmosphere where participants are welcome to share as much or as little as they like. At night, there is entertainment and relaxation. $120/single & $195/couples includes all meals & private lodge rooms w/bath at the beautiful Light Center Lodge. Get details at www.onelovepress.com or at (828) 295-4610.

Sports & Fitness

Numerous sporting events are sponsored by the City of Asheville, including sports leagues for adults and youth. For more information, visit the city and county websites at www.ashevillenc.gov/departments/ParksRCA or www.buncombecounty.org/common/parks.

Buncombe County also offers swimming lessons at its public swimming pools. Registration begins at noon July 12, 2010 for the second session. Here’s the info:

Buncombe County Pools
Swim Lessons
July 19-29, 2010

Classes held Monday through Thursday at the following times:
•    11-11:45 a.m. – Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5
•    11-11:30 a.m. – Preschool Class for 3 & 4 year olds
•    6-6:45 p.m. – Levels 1, 2 and 3

The cost is $25 per person for a session of eight of classes. A $2 discount will be offered for families that have two or more family members enrolled. You must register and pay at the pool you will be attending.

•    Cane Creek Pool (Fairview/Arden)
•    Erwin Community Pool (Leicester)
•    Hominy Valley Park Pool (Candler)
•    North Buncombe Park Pool (Weaverville)
•    Owen Pool (Swannanoa/Black Mountain)

For more information, call Teri Gentile at (828) 684-5072 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mountain Unicycle Festival

There’s even a Mountain Unicycle Festival coming up this fall. It’s the fourth annual MuniFest September 17-19, for those who ride or want to watch people on unicycles! For details visit http://ashevillemunifest.webs.com.