Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity will host Blueprint Breakfast for Dinner on June 18 at 6 p.m. at Highland Brewing. Produced by Shay and Company, the event features creative breakfast foods, local brews, music by High Ground String Band and raffle packages supporting housing in the region. Sponsorships include event tickets, and raffle tickets will be available only at the event for $10 each or $100 for 11. Buy tickets here.
The Blue Ridge Parkway has announced a leasing opportunity for Bluffs Lodge, a historic motor lodge at milepost 241.1 near Laurel Springs, N.C. The Request for Proposals invites individuals, businesses and organizations to submit plans for rehabilitating and operating the long-vacant property. Completed in 1950, the former 24-room lodge has been vacant since 2010 and needs maintenance and repair. Interested parties can review key dates online or contact blri_leasing@nps.gov. Learn more and book the space here.
Buncombe County Parks & Recreation will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, at North Buncombe Fields in Weaverville. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with live music from the Fuzzy Peppers and Mission Accomplished, food trucks and face painting. Fireworks begin around 9:15 p.m. Parking will be available at North Buncombe High School, 890 Clarks Chapel Road. Learn more.
Churning Man returns June 19-20 as an immersive camping festival centered on music, art, playfulness and community care. What began as a whimsical birthday party has grown into a two-day outdoor gathering where attendees dance, camp, laugh and help create a temporary world rooted in curiosity, connection and “butter.” Organizers describe it as an experience participants help build, not simply a concert they attend. Learn more and buy tickets here.
The Decoda Chamber Music Festival is returning to the Asheville area for its 12th season, offering a program that trains young artists to reimagine their role in society through chamber music, creative collaboration and community-centered project design. The 2026 Festival Artists will present an evening of music featuring strings, winds, piano and voice. The event is free and open to the public, with tax-deductible donations supporting the festival and student scholarships. Learn more.
Haywood County will present Balsam Range in concert on Thursday, July 2, at Lake Junaluska’s historic Stuart Auditorium. Upstream Rebellion will open the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are available online. A barbecue meal will be sold from 6-8 p.m. near the Lakeside White Tent for $25 for adults and $12.50 for children ages 5-12, plus tax and gratuity; children 4 and under eat free. Buy tickets here.
Lake Junaluska will host a decorated boat parade on Friday, July 3, at 9:30 a.m. at the Lake Junaluska Outfitters boat beach. Participants should arrive by 9 a.m. to decorate non-motorized watercraft for the “Sweet Land of Liberty” theme. Prizes will recognize patriotic, creative and spirited entries. Winners will be announced during the July 4 cookout picnic from noon-2 p.m. after the 11 a.m. Independence Day Parade. Learn more.
The Montford Park Players will present “The Taming of the Shrew” from July 3-August 1 at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay Street, in Asheville’s Montford District. Performances run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m. As always, shows are free, with premium seating available for purchase through the organization’s website. Learn more.
The NC State Poole College of Management is hosting an informational webinar on July 21 from noon-1 p.m. about its Small Business Internship Program. The program connects talented students with small businesses seeking motivated interns and provides financial support to help students offset costs. Chambers and small business supporters are invited to learn how the program can help employers recruit emerging talent and support economic growth. Learn more and register here.
The PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville has opened registration for Birdies for Charity, a fundraising platform for eligible Western North Carolina nonprofits tied to the region’s first PGA TOUR event in more than 80 years. Donors can give at least $20 to participating charities and guess the tournament’s total birdies for a prize opportunity. A $50,000 bonus pool will provide additional support based on each nonprofit’s share of fundraising. Learn more and register here.
Third Room invites guests to experience Electric Garden, its immersive augmented reality exhibit, for free on Thursday, June 18, and Thursday, June 25. The exhibit is located at Third Room, 46 Wall Street in downtown Asheville. Visitors can explore the digital art installation, enjoy cocktails from the Electric Lounge and support participating artists through suggested donations. Learn more and register here.
The University of North Carolina Asheville will host Movies on the Green, a free outdoor summer film series on Reynolds Green. Screenings include A League of Their Own on June 26, Jumanji on July 17 and School of Rock on August 7. Guests may arrive at 7:30 p.m. for seating, refreshments, lawn games and music; movies begin at dusk, around 8:30 p.m. Blankets and lawn chairs are encouraged. Learn more.
New & Noteworthy
AdventHealth is expanding access to specialized colorectal and surgical oncology care in Western North Carolina with the addition of Colin Bird, MD, as Medical Director of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Bird brings more than a decade of regional experience and will continue providing colorectal surgical care while helping grow AdventHealth’s surgical oncology services. He specializes in colorectal cancer, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and hemorrhoids and is board certified in Colon and Rectal Surgery and General Surgery.
ArtsAVL has released the draft Asheville-Buncombe Arts Recovery Framework, a long-term planning vision to strengthen the systems supporting arts and culture across Buncombe County and Western North Carolina. Unveiled during ArtsAVL’s State of the Arts Brunch, the framework reflects nearly a year of research, interviews, focus groups and community engagement through partnerships with local governments, Explore Asheville, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and Lord Cultural Resources. Learn more.
ArtsAVL has awarded $665,000 in recovery grants to 65 nonprofit arts and cultural organizations across 12 Western North Carolina counties, completing the first of two cycles in its Nonprofit Arts Recovery Grant Program. Funded by the North Carolina Community Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund and Dogwood Health Trust, the program supports Hurricane Helene recovery needs including salaries, operations, repairs, programming restoration, equipment replacement, marketing and audience outreach. Learn more.
Blue Ridge Acupuncture Clinic’s James Whittle has published “The Trigeminal Triad” in Elsevier’s Medical Hypotheses. The paper proposes a systems-based framework for understanding trigeminal neuralgia, an extremely severe form of facial nerve pain. The publication grew from more than two decades of clinical observation and research conducted through Whittle’s Asheville practice, offering a new hypothesis for considering the condition’s underlying mechanisms. Learn more.
The Boone Area Chamber of Commerce has been named a finalist for the 2026 Chamber of the Year award from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. The national honor recognizes chambers that demonstrate strength in areas such as economic prosperity, education and quality of life. Boone’s application highlighted childcare as an economic development priority, including tuition support, stabilization grants, educator development and retention efforts for childcare workers across Watauga County. Learn more.
Botanist & Barrel has earned Platinum for Forager’s Delight and Silver for Sugar Hollow Daybreak in Cidercraft Magazine’s Natural Cider category. Based in Cedar Grove with a downtown Asheville tasting bar, the cidery is known for dry, native-fermented ciders and wines made with Southern fruit and minimal intervention. The awards highlight its farm-driven approach, local agriculture partnerships and expressive ciders rooted in Western North Carolina fruit. Learn more.
Buncombe County will continue reduced permitting fees for Helene recovery through June 30, 2027, under its Reduce to Rebuild program. The program provides a 100% reduction on county planning and permitting fees for residents repairing or rebuilding primary residences damaged by Tropical Storm Helene. The extension, approved with the FY2027 budget, is intended to lower county-controlled recovery costs for storm survivors working to restore eligible homes. Learn more.
Chemist Spirits won a Gold Medal for its Rye Whiskey at the 2026 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Asheville distillery says the whiskey uses carefully sourced grains, including rye malt from Riverbend Malt House, and was developed with patience from grain selection through distillation and aging. Judges described it as distinctive and characterful, with notes including tobacco, cedar, caramel, herbs, spice and chocolate. Learn more.
The City of Asheville has partnered with Echoes of the Forest and YMI Cultural Center to create a custom bench and marker honoring the collective experience of Tropical Storm Helene in Western North Carolina. Artist Kwadwo Som-Pimpong made the functional artwork from storm-salvaged white oak, drawing inspiration from traditional Ashanti chief stools. The piece recognizes community resilience, shared memory and the role of cultural spaces such as YMI and The Block. Learn more.
DMJPS CPAs + Advisors has been named one of Business North Carolina’s 2026 Best Employers for the thirteenth consecutive year and ranked No. 2 among large companies. The firm was recognized for workplace culture, flexible and hybrid work options, reduced schedules during off-peak months, paid time off, volunteer hours, professional development and employee engagement activities that support team well-being and community connection. Learn more.
Dogwood Health Trust has released a disaster response playbook based on lessons from its response to Hurricane Helene in 2024. The playbook and readiness checklist offer guidance for philanthropy and other organizations working to stabilize communities after disasters and support long-term recovery. It highlights four lessons from Dogwood’s response across its 18-county Western North Carolina service area, where Helene caused widespread systems disruption and recovery needs. Learn more.
The James Beard Foundation named Taylor Montgomery, chef-owner of Montgomery Sky Farm in Leicester, North Carolina, Best Chef: Southeast in its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Montgomery was selected over finalists from North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. Montgomery Sky Farm, located outside Asheville, is a 50-acre farm offering private dining experiences and emphasizing regenerative farming practices. Learn more.
McDowell Technical Community College is celebrating students Carter Wyatt and Kevin Rodriguez-Ramirez, who earned second place nationally in the SkillsUSA Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue Competition. Representing McDowell Tech and North Carolina at the postsecondary level, the pair won silver at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta. The achievement was especially notable because it was the college’s first time competing in the national robotics event. Learn more.
The RADA Foundation has received a significant grant from Biltmore Estate to advance the RAD Creative Campus in Asheville’s River Arts District. The project will provide permanent creative infrastructure for artists while expanding public access to exhibitions, education, workforce development and visitor experiences. Planned programming includes residencies, shared equipment labs, paid apprenticeships, business education, youth programs, performances and guided experiences designed to strengthen Asheville’s creative economy and resilience. Learn more.
The University of North Carolina Asheville has joined the inaugural Innovation Sandbox cohort of the Future Universities Alliance, a global initiative incubated at Duke University. UNC Asheville is one of 49 institutions from 23 countries selected and the only UNC System institution in the cohort. Its participation supports Asheville 2030 goals, including sustainable enrollment growth, student success, experiential learning, technology-driven solutions and career-ready outcomes. Learn more.
The University of North Carolina Asheville Professor of Biology Ted Meigs, Ph.D., has received a $430,000 National Cancer Institute grant, the first NCI award to a UNC Asheville faculty member. The highly competitive grant, “Regulation of Tumorigenic G protein Signaling by Novel Post-translational Mechanisms,” supports research into proteins that contribute to cancer. The long-term goal is to advance understanding that could help lead to new medicines for eradicating cancerous tumors. Learn more.
The YWCA of Asheville announced that CEO Diana Sierra will step down on August 31, 2026, after five years of leadership. Sierra became interim CEO in November 2020 during the pandemic and was named permanent CEO in May 2021. The organization credits her with sustaining childcare, meals, swim lessons, case management and education, employment and housing supports while navigating pandemic disruption, funding shifts and building needs.
Community Input
Best of AVL voting opens Wednesday, June 17, 2026, and runs through Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Winners will be selected across 268 categories based on daily vote totals. Businesses are encouraged to promote voting to customers and community members, with free marketing assets available for use on social media, websites, email and text messages to help boost visibility and customer engagement. Cast your votes here.
Buncombe County is seeking public input for its FY28-30 Opioid Settlement Funding Strategic Plan through an online survey. The county is expected to receive more than $30 million through 2038 to support prevention and long-term recovery. Since 2024, funding has expanded treatment access, recovery navigation, Naloxone distribution, housing and economic stability supports, job readiness pathways, community training and anti-stigma awareness efforts. Give your feedback here.
Buncombe County Parks & Recreation is seeking feedback on two design concepts for the new Charles D. Owen Park. The Redesigning Owen Park online survey is open through Friday, June 26, 2026. Community input gathered through the survey and earlier workshops will help refine the final design for a park intended to serve Swannanoa and the broader Buncombe County parks system. Give your feedback here.