Bele Chere 2009 in Asheville

It's that time again. Bele Chere 2009 begins Friday of this week in downtown Asheville. The event promises to be a little smaller this year, which is good in the sense that there are no ticketed events. All entertainment is 100% free to the public. There is also stronger emphasis on the local artists, musicians and businesses of Asheville. This is a welcomed effort on the the part of local organizers and citizens of Asheville. This lively street festival began 31 years ago as part of an effort to revitalize the downtown area and bring locals together. Today the vision of the festival has been realized as downtown is a vibrant city center with unique shops and restaurants.

Local and national vendors will be on hand with beautiful artwork and crafts. Metalwork, fabric, paint, ceramics, woodwork and a variety of other mediums will be featured throughout the festival.

There will be plenty of food and beverage vendors on hand. Two food court stations have been established. One area is for the 'Taste of Asheville' where local restaurants will be serving their favorite dishes. The other is for all of your favorite street festival foods such as corn dogs, cotton candy, candied apples, funnel cakes, etc. Alcohol is sold on Friday and Saturday, however Sunday is alcohol free.

There are four stages this year and the musical lineup includes some local favorites such as Stephanie's Id, Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band, Laura Blackley, Sons of Ralph, GFE and the young and very impressive band Skinny Legs and All. For a complete list you can visit the official site of the festival.

The event begins Friday, July 24th and goes until Sunday July 26th. Hotel rooms are still available for this weekend, but they are booking fast. You can make your reservation here.

Jazz in Asheville featuring Joey Calderazzo

This Sunday, July 19 at 7:00PM the Western North Carolina Jazz Society presents the sounds of the Joey Calderazzo Quartet.

Pianist and composer Joey Calderazzo has carved a reputation as one of the most fearless and commanding of the new jazz generation. In addition to building an impressive recording and performing career as a leader, Joey has held the piano chair of one of the leading groups in jazz, the Branford Marsalis Quartet, for ten years. Previously he contributed similarly to the Quartet of the late, great, Michael Brecker for ten years.

The Society's pre-concert reception from 6:15-7:00 has a delicious new twist this year. Audience members are invited to enjoy a sampling of Frankie Bones Restaurant's American-Italian cuisine as they offer complimentary tastes of signature items from their lunch and dinner menu as well as specialties from the Chef. While there is no charge for these items, donations of cash or food for MANNA FOOD BANK will be appreciated. 100% of proceeds will go to MANNA. Beverages will also be available at a cash bar operated by Frankie Bones.

If you are traveling to Asheville you can take advantage of special packaging offers with Biltmore Farms Hotels. See you at the show!

Day In The Life Of Asheville

From now until August 14th the Day In The Life Of Asheville (DITLOA) photography exhibit will be on display at the Pack Place library. This community photo project took place in May and over 200 photographers took part in documenting Asheville over a 36 hour period.

The exhibit contains 100 photos selected by three judges as well as a photographers choice photo that every participant could submit. The judges of the event were Marti Saltzman, Heff Wignall and George Schaub, all leading experts in the field of photography. There were a total of 890 photographs submitted for judging. You can view these images here.

During this same weekend the Citizen Camera project was also put into place by DITLOA volunteers. Disposable cameras were placed at various stations around Asheville asking whoever stumbled across it to take a picture. These were later collected and the images have been recorded here.

This is an annual event open to photographers of all skill levels.

Biltmore Summer Concert Series is almost here

Summer is here and with it comes the Biltmore Summer Evening Concert Series in Asheville. This is the 13th year of this popular concert series. Many musical celebrities have graced the stage at Biltmore including Travis Tritt, KC & The Sunshine Band, Clay Aiken, Loretta Lynn, The Four Seasons, The 5th Dimension and many more. Each show takes place next to the Biltmore House on the South Terrace with the Blue Ridge mountains as a backdrop. There is no denying that Biltmore is one of the best outdoor venues for a concert in Western North Carolina.

This year's line up includes:

July 23 - Mercy Me

July 24 - ABBA The Music - A Tribute

July 25 - Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers

July 30 - An evening with Tom Jones

July 31 - Rick Springfield with special guests, Loverboy

Aug. 1 - The Oak Ridge Boys and Doc Watson & David Holt


All concerts begin at 8PM. For ticket information please call 866-336-1255 or book online. If you need a hotel reservation please visit here.