MountainTrue, a local nonprofit whose mission is to support healthy waters, forests and communities, will host the Paddling Film Festival World Tour at New Belgium Brewing Co. on Thursday, Aug. 22, 6:30-9 p.m.
Organized by Paddling Magazine and Rapid Media, the film festival is a fundraiser for MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper program, including its Swim Guide and the French Broad Paddle Trail.
The Paddling Film Festival, one of the largest in the world, was launched by Rapid Media in 2006 and has since screened 959 times to more than 282,864 audience members, according to a press release. Rapid Media has awarded $71,000 to paddling filmmakers and helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for charitable causes.
Doors to the event open at 6 p.m. Several short films will be followed by an intermission with a brief presentation about MountainTrue’s French Broad Riverkeeper program and the event sponsor, Headwaters Outfitters. The show will conclude with one longer film and a few short clips.
“Proceeds from this event will support our French Broad Riverkeeper program … meaning that ticket sales go right back into local stewardship and advocacy,” says French Broad Paddle Trail manager Jack Henderson. “We’re stoked to share these awesome movies with our community, many of which echo the same issues and opportunities that we face here on our local rivers in Western North Carolina.”
There will also be a raffle for a variety of outdoor gear and swag. New Belgium Brewing will have a food truck outside, and MountainTrue will offer free popcorn. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and $5 for children younger than 12.
New Belgium Brewing Co. is at 21 Craven St. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1n.
Arts for Schools grant recipients announced
ArtsAVL has announced the 14 artists and organizations that have been awarded the 2024-25 Arts for Schools grant.
The grant supports nonprofit arts organizations and qualified teachers in Buncombe County who provide arts-focused educational opportunities for K-12 students, such as performances, workshops, residencies and field trips. This year’s awards include five in-school programs and nine out-of-school programs:
Anna Kimmell, a theater artist and educator, will offer an immersive residency to fourth-grade students at Johnson Elementary as part of its English/language arts module. Funds will be used for artist fees and theater supplies.
Asheville Chamber Music Inc. will engage the Isidore String Quartet as part of the Asheville Amadeus Festival and will help with transport and admission costs to enable over 600 students to attend an interactive concert experience featuring professional performers of color.
The Asheville City Schools Foundation will expand the Teaching Artists Presenting in Asheville Schools program to serve Hall Fletcher, Lucy S. Herring and Claxton Elementary after-school programs.
Asheville Symphony Orchestra will host the Young People’s Concerts program, introducing about 2,000 Asheville City fifth graders to classical music.
Asheville Creative Arts will use grant funds to support its new extracurricular series Authentically Me, a theater and movement-based workshop series for kindergarten through fifth-grade students.
The Buncombe County Schools Foundation will use the funds to provide artist fees for the Global Grooves program, exposing seventh-grade students to a 45-minute musical performance with a supporting curriculum and opportunity to interact with the performers.
Colaborativa La Milpa’s Raíces Emma Erwin, an after-school program for Latine middle school students that focuses on traditional Mexican Folklorico dance and history, will use the grant to pay teaching artists and purchase clothing for eight annual performances.
Dancing Drum will give students at W.D. Williams and Pisgah elementary schools the opportunity to learn about percussion instruments and rhythms from West Africa, the Caribbean and Brazil through its interactive School Drum Day program.
Journeymen, a mentorship organization for teenage boys, will use the grant to cover mentor fees and more student fees for its Afterschool Multicultural Music Program.
LEAF Global Arts will use the grant to support its Songs for Peace project in an after-school environment. LEAF will also collaborate with the YMCA of Western North Carolina and Owen Middle School to facilitate choral music experiences with messages of multicultural inclusion.
Local Cloth will launch a new pilot program called Farm to Fiberarts in the Blue Ridge, including a textile summer camp for teens led by teaching artist Emolyn Liden.
Nica Rabinowitz will use the grant to offer 12 middle and high school scholarships to her Connecting Through Cloth after-school garment-weaving program.
Playground Stage Children’s Theatre will offer scholarships for its after-school musical theater and production classes for elementary school students.
Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective, a Black-led youth leadership and substance use recovery group, will use the grant to support the John R. Hayes Hillcrest High Steppin’ Majorette and Drum Corp, an after-school program founded by John Hayes in 1977.
For more information, visit avl.mx/cvl.
NC Stage presents Wiley one-man show
Mike Wiley will perform Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart, the story of the first Black baseball player to play for the major leagues, at N.C. Stage from Wednesday, Aug. 21-Sunday, Sept. 1.
The one-man show provides a glimpse into Robinson’s life and his experience of both fame and second-class citizenship during an era of segregation. This will be N.C. Stage’s fifth performance by Wiley, a nationally known, Raleigh-based playwright whose work focuses on expanding awareness about the experiences of Black Americans for student and adult audiences. “I felt the need to tell the story of Negro League baseball using Jackie’s story as the linchpin,” says Wiley. “The play is still current, given the pushback on diversity and equity nationally in the workplace and our campuses.”
Wiley’s previous performances have included the stories of Emmett Till and Henry Box Brown, a one-man play based on Timothy Tyson’s memoir Blood Done Sign My Name, and an ensemble performance about the Freedom Riders called The Parchman Hour.
Jackie Robinson lasts roughly two hours and will be followed by a postperformance discusstion.
N.C. Stage is at 15 Stage Lane. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1o.
Asheville FM to host record fair
Asheville FM will host its fifth annual record fair at Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville on Sunday, Aug. 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The fair will feature vendors from the Southeast, live DJs from the station, and food and beverage concessions. Proceeds from the event will go toward the station’s fundraising goals for the year. The event will include over 30 vendors selling records, 45s, CDs and various collectibles.
Last year’s event brought in over 700 people, and the station hopes to have over 1,000 this year to build on its success. “Community radio offers a special platform for local voices and perspectives from diverse viewpoints,” says KP Whaley, executive director of Asheville FM. “That empowers and strengthens the community. At Asheville FM, we strive to keep Asheville thriving by producing diverse and eclectic programming that inspires our listeners to build connections across our communities and to discover new music and ideas.”
Early bird tickets to the event are $20. In addition to early admission at 10 a.m., early bird ticket holders will receive a tote bag and swag from the event sponsors. (Outside bags are not allowed in Harrah’s Cherokee Asheville unless they are clear). Regular tickets are a suggested donation of $5-$10.
Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville is at 87 Haywood St. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1p.
Asheville Junior Theater presents Broadway adaptation
Asheville Junior Theater will present Into the Woods JR. at the Tina McGuire Theater from Thursday, Aug. 22-Sunday, Aug. 25.
The performance is a family-friendly adaptation of the Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The comedic production follows the intertwining stories of fairy tale characters as they venture into the woods to fulfill their wishes and face unexpected challenges. This Junior Theater performance is described as being stripped down to focus on acting, singing, movement and deeper meaning, and is best suited for adults and children 8 and older. In the Tina McGuire Theater, the Wortham Center’s black box performance space, actors perform close to the audience.
Showtimes will be 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, with matinees Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is at 18 Biltmore Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/e1q.
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