The YMI Cultural Center is 130 years old. | Photo by Camille Nevarez-Hernandez

It’s officially Black History Month: a time to recognize the struggles, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans. Here are 11+ ways that Ashevillians can get involved locally, all month long.

Brush up on your history

The Hood Huggers Tour and self-guided Historic James Vester Miller Trail both offer important glimpses into the story of Black Asheville. The Buncombe County Public Library system has also published a schedule of special events, along with a Black Legacy Month Reading List.

Noir Collective is a Black-owned boutique and art gallery.

Connect with community

From spoken word performances and pie baking to a garden work day, there’s plenty of ways to honor Black history with our community.

RAISING BLACK | Thursday, Feb. 9 | 7-9 p.m. | Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd., Asheville | $15 | A collection of poetry, skits, and monologues from Penny Meacham that explores themes of resiliency and hope.
Hidden In Plain Sight | Saturday, Feb. 11 | 2 p.m. | Black Wall Street , 8 River Arts Pl., Asheville | Free | Community elders will share struggles and triumphs of Asheville’s Black community.
Soul Food Supper | Thursday, Feb. 23 | 6-8 p.m. | Stephens-Lee Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave., Asheville | Free | Indulge in down-home cooking like fried chicken, black-eyed peas, and sweet potato pie.

See a full list of Black History Month events via our calendar.

Black Wall Street Founders J Hackett and Bruce Waller — J Hackett and Bruce Waller, founders of Black Wall Street AVL.

Donate to these organizations

Help the YMI Cultural Center with its capital fundraising campaign.
Support the vision of West Asheville’s Peace Gardens via Patreon.
Contribute to Black Wall Street’s mission of growing and expanding Black businesses, owners, and networks.
Give to Southside Community Farm‘s campaign for Black food sovereignty.

Support Black-owned businesses

By our count, the Asheville area has at least 85+ Black-owned businesses. Our directory includes everything from childcare and hospitality to financial services. Notice a business is missing from the list? Let us know and we’ll add it.

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EVENTS

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Thursday, Feb. 2

Arboretum Reads: Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey | Thursday, Feb. 2 | The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville | $0-$10 | Local writer Rebecca Caldwell explores works by Tricia Hersey, aka The Nap Bishop, on how rest, daydreaming, and naps can be a foundation for healing and justice.
Pop-Up at The Trashy Vegan | Thursday, Feb. 2 | 2-6 p.m. | The Trashy Vegan, 697 Haywood Rd., Asheville | Free | Shop from handmade and vintage gifts, get a donation-based haircut by Mountain Dews, and treat yourself to a vegan meal.
Preschool-8th Grade Open House: Rainbow Community School | Thursday, Feb. 2 | 4-6 p.m. | Rainbow Community School, 574 Haywood Rd., Asheville | Free | Learn more about the mission and vision of Rainbow Community School + Omega Middle School, tour both campuses and the award-winning playground, and meet their talented teachers.*

Friday, Feb. 3

Celebrating Black History & Black Futures | Friday, Feb. 3 | 5-8 p.m. | Noir Collective, 39 S. Market St., Asheville | Free | Join for a spoken word performance, art reception, and celebration of the YMI Cultural Center’s 130th birthday.
Friends of the South Buncombe Library Book Sale | Friday, Feb. 3-Saturday, Feb. 4 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Rd., Asheville | Free | Support the library when you shop thousands of discount books in every genre and age group.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Black History Month Celebration | Saturday, Feb. 4 | 5-8 p.m. | Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St., Asheville | Free | Join Burton Street friends and neighbors for dinner and a movie highlighting the accomplishments of Black Americans.
Assembly Required: The Asheville Designer Toy Expo | Saturday, Feb. 4-Sunday, Feb. 5 | Times vary | The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville | $5-$10 | Celebrating a true to form turn-of-the-century art movement, *Assembly Required is the premiere destination for independent designer, bootleg, and art toy artists and collectors.

Sunday, Feb. 5

Sunday Brunch at Black Wall Street AVL | Sunday, Feb. 5 | 10:30 a.m. | Black Wall Street, 8 River Arts Pl., Asheville | $25 | Join the Black Wall Street team for a morning of networking, connection, and brunch.
Fe-BREW-ary 5th Drag Brunch Season Kickoff | Sunday, Feb. 5 | 2-3 p.m. | Green Man Brewing, 27 Buxton Ave., Asheville | $25-$45 | This lively event includes brunch and a one-hour drag show, with proceeds benefiting local nonprofit Sunrise Community for Wellness and Recovery.

Monday, Feb. 6

AVL Film Mixer | Monday, Feb. 6 | 6-8 p.m. | Highland Brewing, 12 Old Charlotte Hwy., Asheville | Free | Hang out and meet fellow filmmakers at this club’s first mixer since 2020.

Plan Ahead

Champainting with the Animals at the WNC Nature Center | Monday, Feb. 13 | 6-8 p.m. | WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd., Asheville | $50-$75 | Enjoy a night out at the WNC Nature Center with your galentine or favorite person starting with a champagne toast, followed by a step-by-step creative painting of one of our black bears.*

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

COMMUNITY

Two can’t-miss events at The Omni Grove Park Inn

Come for the festivities stay for the relaxation. | Photo provided by The Omni Grove Park Inn

Looking for a fun night out (or a lux local stay)? Enter: Omni Grove Park Inn’s Winter Concert Series, featuring:

Rock N’ Roll Weekend | Friday, Feb. 10-Saturday, Feb. 11 | A rockin’ weekend featuring the legendary sounds of Queen and Journey tribute bands. 🎸
Comedy Classic Weekend | Friday, March 3-Saturday, March 4 | Laugh the weekend away with three hilarious entertainers. 🎤

Packages include two night stay, buffet breakfast, two tickets to shows + overnight parking.

Can’t stay for the weekend? Individual tickets are also available for the Rock N’ Roll Weekend and Comedy Classic Weekend.*

BOOK YOUR PACKAGE

NEWS NOTES

Weather

46º | Showers | 90% chance of rain

Announced

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss have announced stops for their new tour and Asheville is on the itinerary. The duo will perform at the ExploreAsheville.com Arena Tuesday, May 9. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. and presale is happening now. 🎸

Opening

Soon, Asheville will say aloe to its newest plant shop. Plant House, an experience-based terrarium workshop and plant store, will open Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 Hendersonville Rd. 🪴

Transit

Buncombe County has shared that it’s interested in expanding the affordable parking program it launched earlier this year. Help organizers gauge interest and fill out this survey by Friday, Feb. 24. 🚗
Turo and the Asheville Airport have reached an agreement over their ride-sharing dispute. Moving forward, travelers will have the option for peer-to-peer car sharing. Learn more about Turo’s offerings. (Asheville Citizen-Times)

Community

The North Asheville Tailgate Market reopens this weekend. Stop by UNC Asheville Lot P28 on Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., now through the end of March. In April, hours expand to 8 a.m.-12 p.m. every Saturday. 🥕

Eat

Feeling saucy? Asheville Proper’s signature steak sauce is now available for purchase online and at the restaurant. The sauce, developed by Chef Owen McGlynn, works great with classic grilled meats + vegetables.

Home

Need electricity? Having a portable generator on hand means you can have power wherever you need it — whether that’s plugging in a power tool on a job site or keeping the lights on at home if your power goes out on a cold winter day. Learn how to choose the right one. 🔌 *

Traffic

What we’re buying for our cars: Dash cams. The REDTIGER Dual Dash Camera captures both the front and rear of your car and can be a lifesaver when it comes to contesting traffic violations and recording evidence of collisions. Plus, it connects to your mobile device. 🚦*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

EAT

Inside Asheville’s noodle speakeasy 🍜

| Photo by @lauriemoviegal

On select Monday evenings, hand-pulled, Lamian noodles become a delicious act of performance art.

Noodle Hole, a passion project from Hole Doughnuts owner Ryan Martin, doesn’t have a menu, waitstaff, or an advanced booking system. To get a seat, all you have to do is keep an eye on @noodle.hole‘s Instagram stories and message them to set up a reservation.

“I like that people walk in a little confused,” shares Martin. “You just get food and you leave.” He adds, “I’m trying to keep it fun and small. I don’t want it to feel elite or fancy... It’s just noodles.”

Those who are adventurous enough to leap into the unknown are rewarded with a front-row seat to Martin’s zen-like noodle practice, a skill he’s honed for more than five years. Then, you receive a box of noodles, accompanied with a starter and doughnut, all for a suggested donation of $10.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Laura.

Editor’s pick: While we’re on the topic of Hole Doughnuts, did you know that this made-to-order spot recently switched to doing gluten-free donuts full-time? Previously, the spot served these once a week, but the demand has clearly grown.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Get the scoop on The Rumpus, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Laura Hackett, Brook Bolen, Erin McPherson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Helen Purnell | Advertise with us.

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