Asheville Oktoberfest Scheduled for Oct. 9

Beer lovers rejoice! The Asheville Downtown Association announced the schedule and line up for the second annual Oktoberfest celebration, set for October 9 on Wall Street in the heart of downtown Asheville. The festival will feature brews by Highland Brewing, Asheville Brewing Company, Pisgah Brewing, Green Man Brewery, Craggie Brewing and French Broad Brewing Company. Most of these breweries are crafting marzen or Oktoberfest beers for the season.

Oktoberfest Entertainment

This year's Asheville's Oktoberfest will be headlined by The Stratton Mountain Boys who have delivered the sounds of their four alphorns, happy yodeling songs, shoe slapping dances, and lively Polka music to audiences across the country for over 30 years.

Oktoberfest Food

This year's Oktoberfest will also feature great food from Asheville restaurants such as Cucina 24, Jack of the Wood and The Market Place. All will be preparing authentic German food served with local mustard from the Lusty Monk.

Schedule of Events

All events at 21 and older. Schedule subject to change; please check back often.

11:00 a.m.: Check-in at the Flat Iron on Wall St.

11:45 a.m.: The Stratton Mountain Boys start the festival by blowing the Alpine Horn. This will signal the parade towards the stage for the official tapping of the keg.

12:00 noon: The official tapping of the keg. The Stratton Mountain Boys start the party!

1:00 p.m.: Games begin with the Keg Roll

2:00 p.m.: Pretzel Toss

3:00 p.m.: Costume Contest and Brat Eating Contest

4:00 p.m.: Three-Legged Lederhosen Race

5:00 p.m.: Beer Goggle Tricycle Race

6:00 p.m.: The Winning Team of Oktoberfest announced.

What’s Up with Asheville’s Wayfinding Signs?

If you’ve been in and around the city during the last couple of months, you may have noticed some of Asheville’s new directional signs are peeling. The Partnership on Wayfinding team and the members of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (BCTDA) have been working to resolve the issue.

On Friday, August 27, three sign fabricating companies were invited to Asheville to discuss repair options for the failing signs. You can find out more here.

Celebrate Mushrooms at Asheville’s FungiFest

There’s a fungus among us that’s useful and delicious according to Asheville’s Mushroom Club. Get the inside scoop at FungiFest at the North Carolina Arboretum on September 18.

This daylong celebration of mushrooms includes displays, classes and workshops. Festivities kick off in the morning and include a free display of local mushrooms and the opportunity to interact with a local mushroom expert.

Classes are also offered at an additional cost and include:

• Meet Your Mushrooms: The Good, The Bad, and The Deadly: an introduction to fungi, 9:15 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Cost: $15 for the public.
• Recycling & Composting with Mushrooms: Learn how to grow mushrooms using ordinary household materials, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Cost: $17 for the public.
• Cooking with Mushrooms: Enjoy a cooking demonstration and tasting featuring recipes from the cookbook “Cooking with the Asheville Mushroom Club,” 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. Cost: $19 for the public.
• Medicinal Mushrooms for Immunity and Well-Being: Discover the health benefits and medicinal uses of mushrooms, 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Cost: $15 for the public.
• Growing Your Own Shiitake Mushrooms: Master the basics of drilling, inoculating, stacking and caring for shiitake logs, 2:45 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Cost: $15 for the public.

Admission to the North Carolina Arboretum is free for Arboretum Society members or with the parking fee of $8 per vehicle.

Image courtesy of The N.C. Arboretum. Photographed by Joan Halbig.

New Mobile Service Showcases Asheville's Food Scene

Looking for a quick and easy way to connect with Asheville's hot restaurant scene? There's a fun, new mobile service that makes dining in Asheville easier than ever.

Foodies Asheville brings foodies and Asheville's diverse restaurants together for a match made in heaven. They've also obtained the Appalachian Grown certification from ASAP, an organization at the heart of Asheville's farm-to-table movement. The Appalachian Grown symbol is displayed with farm products grown or raised in Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian mountains. When you see the Appalachian Grown logo, you know you’re buying fresher foods that support family farms!

Foodies Asheville is a free service, offering up to two deals per week. Interest areas include: farm-to-table, fine dining, casual dining, breweries/clubs, ethnic cuisine, and special foodie events. Offers are transmitted via text messaging, and subscribers redeem the deal by presenting the message received on their cellular telephone at the restaurant.

Can't wait to subscribe to the service? Get great Asheville dining ideas here.

Enjoy Three Days of Music at Moogfest

The joy of music comes alive during Asheville’s Moogfest, October 29-31. This three-day, multi-venue event is designed especially for avid music fans. The line-up stretches across all genres and includes Big Boi, Devo, DJ Spooky, El-P, Bonobo, Disco Biscuits, Massive Attack and others.

In addition to the concerts, Moogfest will include panel discussions featuring the artists, question and answer sessions, workshops, art exhibitions and film screenings. The event will boast plenty of interactive experiences that allow attendees to play and experiment with Moog instruments.

While Moogfest centers around creativity and great music, its ultimate goal is to celebrate the life and vision of Robert Moog, who spent his last 30 years of life in Asheville. Moog was a sonic pioneer responsible the creation of a wide range of Moog instruments—the Minimoog Voyager, Little Phatty, Etherwave Theremin, Moogerfoogers and Moog Guitar.

LAAFF Serves Up Labor Day Fun

Send summer out in style at the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival (LAAFF) on Sunday, September 5. The free, family-friendly event takes over three blocks of N. Lexington Ave from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The epitome of Asheville’s fun and creative spirit, LAAFF includes local art, food, beer, music, street performers and inspired acts of creativity.

Six stages and performance areas host a variety of talent throughout the day. Musical acts include rock and roll, indie pop, funk, folk, ragtime, reggae, bluegrass and world beats. Performances range from African drummers and belly dancers to contortionist and clowns.

Family fun includes a special LaZoom bus tour, bicycle jousting, big wheels for big kids and Earth Fare Kids Universe.

NC Arboretum Celebrates Heritage Crafts Weekend

Southern Appalachian traditions come alive at the North Carolina Arboretum during Heritage Crafts Weekend on September 25 and 26. Festivities include craft demonstrations, juried craft vendors, plant sales and musical performances from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Arboretum’s new Green Garden Shed will also be open and host a demonstration exhibit that provides real-world and affordable examples of how to infuse sustainable practices into an existing shed structure.

Admission to Heritage Crafts Weekend is free for Arboretum Society members or with the parking fee of $8 per vehicle.

Photo courtesy of The NC Arboretum.

New Non-stop Flight from LaGuardia to Asheville Added

Looking for quick and convenient way to reach Asheville from New York City? US Airways is adding a new non-stop service from LaGuardia Airport to Asheville Regional Airport beginning October 31. This new flight complements an already existing non-stop flight from LaGuardia Airport to Asheville Regional Airport via Delta Airlines.

US Airways flights to Asheville will operate twice daily Monday through Friday, with one outbound and two inbound flights on Sundays.

Asheville Stargazers Enjoy Meteor Shower

Mother Nature puts on a stunning theatrical show in the sky tonight with the annual Perseid meteor shower. Stargazers can view up to 90 meteors per hour if they look to the sky from 11 p.m. to dawn. The meteor shower continues Friday night, but at a less impressive rate.

For the best chance of viewing the meteors, look northeast towards the constellation of Perseus the hero. Newbies to stargazing can also look just below the “W” of Cassiopeia. Telescopes or binoculars are not needed to enjoy the show, making this a perfect event for the entire family.

Best Stargazing Spots in Asheville

Need help finding a great spot to view the meteor shower? Check out our list of prime stargazing spots in the Asheville-area.

Asheville Musician Auditions for American Idol

Asheville is known for its incredible music scene and is home to a thriving community of musicians. Next week, Asheville’s music scene goes on the road as singer-songwriter Aaron LaFalce auditions for American Idol in Austin, TX, thanks to the support of Frankie Bones Restaurant & Lounge.

Frankie Bones owner Alan Wolf is sponsoring Aaron’s trip, because he’s seen Aaron’s talent first-hand. Aaron performs every Tuesday evening at Frankie Bones Restaurant & Lounge during Carolina Spirits Night. “He’s way too talented not to at least give it a shot,” says Wolf, “and this is a great opportunity to support our local arts community by hopefully helping Aaron to grow as an artist.”

Want to see the next American Idol in action? Drop by Frankie Bones to show your support. Discover other great regional talent by checking out Asheville’s music scene.

Goombay Arrives in Asheville Aug. 27-29

Asheville’s Goombay festival is bigger and better than ever this year, as it expands beyond the historic Eagle-Market Street business district to Pack Square Park. This year’s event is scheduled for August 27-29 and includes a larger festival area with two stages, live music, street entertainers, a parade, local food and local crafts.

Goombay Schedule

Friday, August 27: Live entertainment, 12 noon-9:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 28: Children’s area, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; live entertainment 12 noon-10 p.m.

Sunday, August 29: Worship service, 11 a.m.; closing ceremony, 6 p.m.

Celebrate Asheville’s Food & Wine Scene on Aug. 14

On Saturday, August 14, the moon and the stars align to create a foodie’s dream come true. The WNC Magazine Asheville Wine & Food Festival Grand Tasting will be the largest gathering of local delicacies and wines under one roof.

Join the fun at the WNC Agricultural Center to enjoy live music and samples from more than 60 regional, national and international wineries, local restaurants, food producers and artisans. The day also includes the opportunity to see the finalists of the Iron Chef Challenge battle for the title of “Best Chef in WNC.”

Tickets are still available. Purchase ticket in advance for $35 at ashevillewineandfood.com or at select Asheville wine stores.