Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Thursday, August 2, 2018
North Carolina Mineral and Gem Festival
Aug 2 @ 10:00 am – Aug 5 @ 5:00 pm
The Commons Shopping Center

Since the early 1950’s Spruce Pine, North Carolina has been the host of the Festival and welcomed visitors from around the world to shop for beautiful jewelry, gemstones, minerals, beads, crystals, fossils and more! Even celebrities have been spotted at the Festival selecting their jewelry, gemstones and gifts! The Festival features gem, jewelry and mineral dealers from across the country showcasing their merchandise to fit every budget. Whether you are shopping for an engagement ring, a special stone for your own setting, a custom designed piece of jewelry or a special crystal display for your home, you can’t miss the NC Mineral and Gem Festival.

Th, Fri, Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sun: 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $3
Children under 10 admitted free
Friday: $1 admission for Senior Citizens

The Commons Shopping Center
12121 Hwy 226 S
Spruce Pine, NC 28777

Contact:
Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 828-765-9033
Website: www.ncgemfest.com
Email: [email protected]

Friday, August 3, 2018
7TH ANNUAL REUSE CONTEST
Aug 3 all-day

For the seventh consecutive year, the Asheville Habitat
ReStore at 31 Meadow Road near Biltmore Village is encouraging residents to show off their
creativity and talent for a chance to win in the ReStore ReUse Contest. Garden shed, artist
studio, chicken coop…tree house, playhouse, tiny house…if you recently built a structure like
this using predominantly reused building materials, Habitat wants to know. The contest runs
July 1-August 31 and submissions must be sent electronically. Information and entry form will
be available on ashevillehabitat.org starting July 1 st .
The purpose of the contest is to showcase innovative building projects constructed
predominantly of used building materials. “Our customers often tell us about the projects they
make using materials purchased at the ReStore. This contest is a great way to showcase their
projects and inspire others to reuse, recycle and repurpose usable materials,” said Scott
Stetson, ReStore General Manager.  Five judges will select winners in the following categories: Furniture, Homesteading, Live
and/or Work Space, Home Décor, Youth (age 16 and under), and Best in Show. Winners will
be announced in
mid-September.

LEAF Downtown AVL
Aug 3 – Aug 4 all-day
Pack square park

LEAF Downtown celebrates communities, creativity, diversity and families in
the heart of downtown Asheville & showcases dynamic musical talent, immersive cultural arts
performances and local handcraft & culinary artists. LEAF Downtown will further the goals of
inclusivity, community partnership and economic vitality in the greater Asheville area, while
driving the greater LEAF Community Arts mission to connect cultures & create community

through music & arts. Visit theLEAF.org/downtown for more info on this inclusive, family-
friendly, FREE event!

4TH ANNUAL LEAF DOWNTOWN AVL LINEUP:
Maceo Parker, Grandmaster Flash
Wax Tailor (Solo & Special Guests)
Maggie Koerner, Victory Boyd, Free Planet Radio
LEAF Funk Mixtape Allstars, Tall Tall Trees, Supatight
Ben Phan & The Soul Symphony, I,Star, Brie Capone
King Garbage, Nex Millen, Hope Giffin, Red Leg Husky, Liz Teague Band
Blue Ridge Pride Drag Show, Unifire Theater, NU Paradigm
Voted by WNC as the #1 Nonprofit Serving the Arts, #1 Music Festival, #1 Camping Festival, #1
Kids Festival, #1 Music-Related Nonprofit & #1 Cultural Arts Event, LEAF Community Arts is a
non-profit organization in which all donations & festival proceeds support cultural arts education
programming locally & globally! Since 2004, LEAF Schools & Streets has served over 55,000
youth with programs in over 20 Western North Carolina locations. LEAF International features
cultural preservation programs in 10 countries worldwide. Your attendance at LEAF not only
provides you with an amazing weekend experience with friends and family, but provides a
platform for fostering the growth of our youth into creative leaders in their communities
worldwide. Join the movement @ theLEAF.org

Mamma Mia!
Aug 3 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

The #1 most requested musical at FRP and international phenomenon…MAMMA MIA!

Dance the night away to such ABBA favorites as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “The Winner Takes It All” and “Thank you for the Music” in this delightful musical comedy and Broadway sensation.

Following the release of the brand new musical movie, Mamma Mia 2 in movie theaters on July 20th, see where it all began at the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage from July 27th to August 18th as WE present Mamma Mia!

Matinees: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM

Evenings: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM

Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage
2661 Greenville Highway Flat Rock, NC 28731

Saturday, August 4, 2018
7TH ANNUAL REUSE CONTEST
Aug 4 all-day

For the seventh consecutive year, the Asheville Habitat
ReStore at 31 Meadow Road near Biltmore Village is encouraging residents to show off their
creativity and talent for a chance to win in the ReStore ReUse Contest. Garden shed, artist
studio, chicken coop…tree house, playhouse, tiny house…if you recently built a structure like
this using predominantly reused building materials, Habitat wants to know. The contest runs
July 1-August 31 and submissions must be sent electronically. Information and entry form will
be available on ashevillehabitat.org starting July 1 st .
The purpose of the contest is to showcase innovative building projects constructed
predominantly of used building materials. “Our customers often tell us about the projects they
make using materials purchased at the ReStore. This contest is a great way to showcase their
projects and inspire others to reuse, recycle and repurpose usable materials,” said Scott
Stetson, ReStore General Manager.  Five judges will select winners in the following categories: Furniture, Homesteading, Live
and/or Work Space, Home Décor, Youth (age 16 and under), and Best in Show. Winners will
be announced in
mid-September.

Blossman Gas Community Open House
Aug 4 all-day
Blossman Gas & Appliance

Blossman Gas & Appliance, located at 170 Sweeten Creek Road in Asheville, invites the community to join them for the annual Customer Appreciation Day and Community Open House on Saturday, August 4th, 2018, 9am to 4pm. Guests will enjoy a complimentary BBQ lunch, served noon to 3pm, and a variety of other appetizers and desserts throughout the day. There will be fun for the entire family including a dunking booth, giant slide for the kids, and corn hole for the adults. Asheville Radio Group will be doing a live remote and Teddy from the Asheville Tourists will be on-site at lunch time. All are welcome!

Customers can enter for a variety of door prizes, and a raffle for the two grand prizes of a Broil King Grill and Rinnai Tankless Water Heater. Proceeds raised from the raffle will go to support Meals on Wheels of Buncombe County. Representatives from Rinnai water heaters, Empire gas logs, and Primo grills will be available to answer questions and help people find just the right propane appliance for their homes. Guests can also take advantage of a 15% discount on items purchased on the event day, plus $6 cylinder refills on 20# certified, in-date grill cylinders (see store for details and restrictions).

Asheville Manager David Lipe looks forward to welcoming his community to the store, sharing, “My team looks forward to hosting our community at a fun store event for the whole family. We are really grateful for our neighbors’ support, and enjoy giving back to our community with great food, excellent sale prices, and outdoor fun & games on a nice summer day. We hope some new faces will come through, too, to see what Blossman Gas is all about and how we can help them prepare their homes for cold weather.”

If you would like more information about the Asheville Customer and Community Appreciation event, contact branch manager David Lipe at 828-667-0437 or [email protected].

Mamma Mia!
Aug 4 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

The #1 most requested musical at FRP and international phenomenon…MAMMA MIA!

Dance the night away to such ABBA favorites as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “The Winner Takes It All” and “Thank you for the Music” in this delightful musical comedy and Broadway sensation.

Following the release of the brand new musical movie, Mamma Mia 2 in movie theaters on July 20th, see where it all began at the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage from July 27th to August 18th as WE present Mamma Mia!

Matinees: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM

Evenings: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM

Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage
2661 Greenville Highway Flat Rock, NC 28731

Paddle Grapple
Aug 4 @ 8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Nantahala Outdoors Center

Choose your class of SUP, surfski, marathon, kayak, or canoe and race on beautiful Fontana Lake in the Great Smoky Mountains. With a 3 and 6 mile race option, the Paddle Grapple offers an option for every boater, whether recreational or elite. Awards will be given to top finishers in each class.

Book Sale for Teachers
Aug 4 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Pages On Pine Book Store

Category: Book Sales
Contact Phone: 864-285-9013

The Friends of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries invites teachers to attend our Book Sale for Teachers. Children’s books will be priced 5 for $1. Hardback books will be priced for $1 each as well. Other special section discounts will also be available. Stop by Pages on Pine (2355 South Pine Street) and help stock your classroom for the coming school year.

Volunteens
Aug 4 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Headquarters Library

Room: Vann Studio
Category: Educational Workshops
Contact Phone: 864-596-3506
Link: http://www.spartanburglibraries.org/-/media/Files/Teens-Main/Teens_Volunteens_Application.ashx

Help out in the Teen Services Department to gain work and community service experience, earn service learning or volunteer credit or just for fun. Volunteen drop-in hours are every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (limited to the first 3 teens) or by appointment (email [email protected]). For teens ages 12-18 or in grade 7-12. See the link below for the required Volunteens application.

Orienteering at Buncombe County Sports Park
Aug 4 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Buncombe County Sports Park

Join us at Buncombe County Sports Park on Saturday, August 4th for an orienteering meet!

BEGINNERS WELCOME and you can participate as an individual or in teams.

Orienteering appeals to young and old, fast and slow, runners and walkers alike. It is 100% KID FRIENDLY, too, so bring the whole family!

What is it? Orienteering is a sometimes-competitive international sport that combines racing with map-and-compass navigation. It is a timed activity in which individual participants use a specially created, highly detailed map to select routes and navigate through diverse and often unfamiliar terrain and visit checkpoints in sequence.

You can arrive and begin your choice of course ANY TIME BETWEEN 10am and 1pm.

This event is open to the public and FREE (though donations are appreciated!)

There will be TWO or THREE courses to choose from – details TBA

SCHEDULE

10:00am – 1:00pm — Begin your course any time during the “starts window”

2:30pm — All participants should be off the course

3:00pm — Sweep the course to collect the controls (volunteers loved forever)

EQUIPMENT

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes you can be active in (and maybe get dirty.)

If you have a compass, bring it. It doesn’t need to be a fancy one, and there are tons of free Android and iOS apps that can function just fine on your smartphone.

Maps will be provided.

TRAINING SESSION FOR NEWCOMERS

We will offer a crash course in map reading and navigation before you start — just ask when you arrive and we’ll get an impromptu classroom set up!

PARKING

We’ll be congregating in the first parking lot on the left as you get down into the park.

Please invite your friends, share this event, and see you there!

Yoga
Aug 4 @ 10:15 am – 11:00 am
Middle Tyger Library

Category: Health & Fitness
Contact Phone: 864-439-4759

Join us for our yoga exercise class.

Mini Makers Morning Out: Slime Time
Aug 4 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Headquarters Library

Room: Art Studio
Category: Craft, DIY & Maker
Contact Phone: 864-596-3505

Do you want to learn about the science of slimy things? Join us for Mini Makers Morning Out for an educational and messy morning of making. Program is for school-aged kids ages 6-11. To register call 864-596-3505.

Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Aug 4 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NC Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

Sunday, August 5, 2018
7TH ANNUAL REUSE CONTEST
Aug 5 all-day

For the seventh consecutive year, the Asheville Habitat
ReStore at 31 Meadow Road near Biltmore Village is encouraging residents to show off their
creativity and talent for a chance to win in the ReStore ReUse Contest. Garden shed, artist
studio, chicken coop…tree house, playhouse, tiny house…if you recently built a structure like
this using predominantly reused building materials, Habitat wants to know. The contest runs
July 1-August 31 and submissions must be sent electronically. Information and entry form will
be available on ashevillehabitat.org starting July 1 st .
The purpose of the contest is to showcase innovative building projects constructed
predominantly of used building materials. “Our customers often tell us about the projects they
make using materials purchased at the ReStore. This contest is a great way to showcase their
projects and inspire others to reuse, recycle and repurpose usable materials,” said Scott
Stetson, ReStore General Manager.  Five judges will select winners in the following categories: Furniture, Homesteading, Live
and/or Work Space, Home Décor, Youth (age 16 and under), and Best in Show. Winners will
be announced in
mid-September.

Asheville Outlets Hosts Back-to-School Give to the Music Kids Day
Aug 5 all-day
Asheville Outlets

Come on over to Asheville Outlets (www.shopashevilleoutlets.com) and join us for a Back-to-School Kids Day with Give to the Music Sunday, August 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be a free fun-filled day for kids and their families featuring an afternoon of entertainment for kids of all ages including strolling magic, balloon art, face painting, crafts, mega-games and live music (Rock Academy, The Buskits and Spintastics). The event is FREE and open to the public.

Booths & Displays: Give to the Music, Great Beginnings Great Smiles, Macaroni Kids, Kanuga, UNCA, Chimney Rock, The Learning Village, Asheville Ride for Kids, Mt. Dew Truck, Enka-Candler Fire & Rescue and MORE!

Mamma Mia!
Aug 5 all-day
Flat Rock Playhouse

The #1 most requested musical at FRP and international phenomenon…MAMMA MIA!

Dance the night away to such ABBA favorites as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “The Winner Takes It All” and “Thank you for the Music” in this delightful musical comedy and Broadway sensation.

Following the release of the brand new musical movie, Mamma Mia 2 in movie theaters on July 20th, see where it all began at the Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage from July 27th to August 18th as WE present Mamma Mia!

Matinees: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM

Evenings: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00PM

Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage
2661 Greenville Highway Flat Rock, NC 28731

THE 2018 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER | LEONARD BERNSTEIN FESTIVAL
Aug 5 all-day
Brevard Music Center

By highlighting these and other works, Brevard Music Center is presenting some of Bernstein’s greatest output and showing a wonderful variety of his music that is at the core of American classical music experience. We spend so much time celebrating the works of European masters like Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, and Dvôrak. And those works all deserve to be celebrated. But they must stand alongside Bernstein, Copland, and Gershwin—these masters gave American classical music its voice.

It’s wonderful for Brevard to be joining in with orchestras and institutions all around the world in celebrating the birth of one of the most compelling musicians of our time…or any other time.

THE 2018 BREVARD MUSIC CENTER   LEONARD BERNSTEIN FESTIVAL
Sun., June 24Beloved Bernstein
Mon., July 9Bernstein & Friends
Thurs., July 12: Leonard Bernstein/An American Icon (free lecture/details to come)
Fri., July 13: A Bernstein Celebration
Sat., July 14West Side Story (movie + live symphony)
Sun., July 15: Bernstein the Educator
Thurs., July 26 & Sat., July 28Candide (opera with English supertitles)
Sun., August 5: Season Finale: Bernstein’s Mass

WWW.BREVARDMUSIC.ORG/BERNSTEIN

Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
Aug 5 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NC Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

Monday, August 6, 2018
7TH ANNUAL REUSE CONTEST
Aug 6 all-day

For the seventh consecutive year, the Asheville Habitat
ReStore at 31 Meadow Road near Biltmore Village is encouraging residents to show off their
creativity and talent for a chance to win in the ReStore ReUse Contest. Garden shed, artist
studio, chicken coop…tree house, playhouse, tiny house…if you recently built a structure like
this using predominantly reused building materials, Habitat wants to know. The contest runs
July 1-August 31 and submissions must be sent electronically. Information and entry form will
be available on ashevillehabitat.org starting July 1 st .
The purpose of the contest is to showcase innovative building projects constructed
predominantly of used building materials. “Our customers often tell us about the projects they
make using materials purchased at the ReStore. This contest is a great way to showcase their
projects and inspire others to reuse, recycle and repurpose usable materials,” said Scott
Stetson, ReStore General Manager.  Five judges will select winners in the following categories: Furniture, Homesteading, Live
and/or Work Space, Home Décor, Youth (age 16 and under), and Best in Show. Winners will
be announced in
mid-September.