Classic Car Show this weekend in Mariont NC - Christmas Cruise for Charity

November 16    Classic Car Cruise-in    This car show and meet is held the 3rd Saturday of every month. Bring your car, truck or motorcycle to downtown Old Fort NC ( this month to Marion).  This is a free event sponsored by Route 70 Cruisers. 

This month is the Christmas Cruise:  Saturday from  9 AM -1 PM. The Cruisers will leave Peebles Parking Lot at 9 AM and cruise to Clinchfield Baptist Church.  There will be Food , Music and Silent Auction items.  The entry fee for the Cruise is a new unwrapped toy or $10.00. All toys will benefit McDowell County Children.

Get links for more mountain weekend events on the NC Events Calendar. 

 

Andy Roddick meets Jim Courier in Cashiers NC for a Tennis Exhibition

Tickets for the Roddick - Courier Tennis Exhibition are available beginning April 19.

Tennis greats Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will face off in an exhibition match in Cashiers NC on July 27, 2013 at the Cedar Creek Racquet Club.  These two great tennis competitors will play a charity exhibition match that will benefit the newly formed "Mountain Youth Charities" while thrilling tennis fans with a rare opportunity to see the world's best compete again.

tennis great Andy Roddick

Recently retired superstar and new Cashiers homeowner Andy Roddick takes the court against good friend and fellow superstar Jim Courier in The Mountain Challenge, sponsored by United Community Bank. The event is hosted by the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce and benefits Mountain Youth Charities.

The marquee matchup brings together players who have been both been ranked number one in the world. Roddick held that position following his victory in the 2003 U.S. Open, one of 32 ATP titles in his career. Courier was the world's number one player four times in the 1990s. He totaled 23 ATP victories, including four Grand Slam titles.

The UCB Mountain Challenge will also include two preliminary matches featuring local up-and-coming mountain players and top-ranked juniors Thai Kwiatkowski of Charlotte and Korey Lovett of Brevard, and the second is a doubles match pairing the winners of a local pro-am versus Roddick/Courier.

Other festivities include a Friday evening Mountain Dinner Gala, and a Saturday morning VIP breakfast with Roddick and Courier.

Tickets for this unique event go on sale Friday, April 19. Reserved seat tickets are $100. Fans can also choose from an array of luxury box tickets, VIP tickets and group packages.

"This is exciting for our club and the Cashiers community," said Scott Handback, general manager of Cedar Creek Racquet Club. "We're thrilled to provide tennis fans in the Carolinas and Georgia with a rare chance to see two of the world's best tennis players compete in a  beautiful, scenic mountain setting." The stadium at Cedar Creek will seat 2,000 for the match. Handback estimates a third of the tickets have already been purchased during a pre-sale for chamber members.

The charity match came about when Roddick and his wife, actress Brooklyn Decker, decided to live in Cashiers on a seasonal basis. They wanted to make a difference locally by helping young people, so they met with long-time Cashiers resident and philanthropist William McKee. "The goal is to establish a long-term program for all kids in this area," McKee said. "A new non-profit - Mountain Youth Charities - has been formed for that sole purpose."

Grounds open at 9 AM. on Saturday, July 27. The VIP breakfast and the junior match begin at 10 AM., followed by Roddick and Courier against the local pro-am doubles champs at 11 AM. The main event, pitting Roddick versus Courier, is at 11:30 AM.

Find Cashier lodging and links for local restaurants and attractions on the Cashiers NC Visitor Guide.

Go on Safari in Asheville!

May 31, 6 PM - 9 PM   Mountain Safari at the WNC Nature Center   This is a one-of-a-kind social adventure. Dress in your best safari gear and party with the animals.  Tickets are available online.  The evening festivities include live entertainment, special animal encounters, auction and raffle, plus great food and drink.

The evening's entertainment includes live music on stage by Aaron Wood with The Ends and Sunshine and the Bad Things. Included in the admission is a variety of  food and drink generously donated by Cafe Azalea, Chili's, Edna's of Asheville, Fig Bistro, The Marketplace and Ultimate Ice Cream. Come early to get a limited release bottle of Rufus Red Ale thanks to Asheville Brewing Company in honor of the Year of the Red Wolf!

The auction and raffle will raise funds for projects at the Nature Center including  a permanent butterfly exhibit, new visitor center and new animal exhibits. Some of the featured auction and raffle items are beautiful prints of the Center’s animals and one of a kind framed paw prints. 

Western North Carolina Nature Center is a living museum of plants and animals native to the Appalachian region whose mission is to increase public awareness and understanding of all aspects of the natural environment of Western North Carolina through hands-on and sensory experiences. WNC Nature Center strives hard to meet the needs of their adopted 'critters' and the community. Each year they welcome 100,000 visitors, 30,000 of which are school children attending the Nature Center in conjunction with their classroom curriculum. 
 
Get a link for the Mountain Safari and the WNC Nature Center on the Asheville NC Visitor Guide.

Taste of Asheville Fund Raiser includes 37 Restaurants

November 17, 7 PM - 9 PM - Asheville’s premier food event, the Taste of Asheville, will be held at The Venue at 21 North Market Street. This highly anticipated annual fund raising event, held by the members of Asheville Independent Restaurants (AIR), will feature food from 37 restaurants as well as wine tasting and beer tasting from local breweries.

The 2012 AIR passport will also be kicked off as a part of the evening's events. The AIR Passport program offers discounts at many of Asheville’s top restaurants while encouraging passport holders to try new restaurants. A portion of the proceeds from the evening and the sale of the Passports will go to benefit AIR’s “Chefs of Tomorrow” scholarship at AB Tech. Tickets for the event are $70 for a single ticket and $125 for a pair.

Get a link for Taste of Asheville and other
Asheville NC events, lodging and information HERE

Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show this Week

July 26 - 31  Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show - Hunter Jumper  One of the oldest horse show events in the country and a Blowing Rock tradition since 1923.  Open to spectators. The Show is held at the  L. M. Tate Horse Show Grounds, at the Blowing Rock Equestrian Preserve located in the mountain splendor of Western North Carolina's Moses Cone Memorial Park, the Pisgah National Forest, and one mile from historic Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

Proceeds from the show support local organizations including the Blowing Rock Fire Department, the Blowing Rock Rescue Squad, and the Watauga County Humane Society,  Blazing Saddles - a dedicated volunteer-based organization that provides therapeutic riding for the handicapped - and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

"Sylva Skates" Phantom Funraiser for Mill Street Improvements

Submitted by Julie Sylvester, Downtown Sylva Association

It’s been a century or so since anyone’s ice skated on Scotts Creek, but the Downtown Sylva Association thinks its a tradition that should be revived – at least in spirit! The DSA and the Town of Sylva have announced plans for a “Sylva Skates” ice skating party on Scotts Creek, February 5, 2011. There’s only one caveat: if the creek doesn’t freeze the whole thing’s called off!  The “event” is a phantom fundraiser to benefit continued improvements to public spaces in the Mill Street area of Sylva.  Click here for the full invitation.

The DSA and the Town of Sylva are applying for a grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Main Street Program to make improvements to Mill Street. Assuming Sylva is awarded the grant, property owners on Mill St. who contribute funds toward the grant would have their contributions matched by the state, and could then apply those funds toward upgrades to their buildings.

Funds from the “Sylva Skates” ice skating party will be applied to a separate fund to be used to improve public spaces in the same area. Donations received on or before February 5th could be matched by the state of North Carolina. The “Sylva Skates” fundraiser was inspired by a century-old photograph, donated by Teresa Beck for publication in the 1987 book “The History of Jackson County”, which showed Sylva residents skating on a frozen Scotts Creek.

For more information, visit the Downtown Sylva Association website at downtownsylva.org.

Community Harvest Dinner Thursday in Sylva

Enjoy a special meal for a special cause at the Community Harvest Dinner hosted by Papou's at 414 W. Main St. in Sylva NC. This will be an evening of Great Food, Great Beer, Fine Wines and Raising Funds for The Community Table.

Annie's Bakery, Yellow Branch Cheese Farm, Mill & Main, Papou's and Heinzelmannchen Brewery have combined their talents to offer you a three course meal paired with beer and wine, on Thursday, November 18 from 6 - 9 pm at Papou's. Tickets are $30 each or 2 for $50 and available at Annie's, Mill & Main, Papou's and the brewery. Here is the scrumptious menu:

Appetizers: Yellow Branch Farm Cheese, Annie's Pumpkin Hummus, Bread and Olive Tray
Entree: Mill & Main's Tenderloin Medallions and salad
Dessert: Annie's Mousse-filled Chocolate & Pastry Dessert Cups
Each course will be paired with a wine from Papou's and a Heinzelmannchen Beer!

The Community Table is a nonprofit organization serving nutritious meals to our neighbors in need in Jackson County, NC since 1999. We are open for dinner on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4-6 at 127 Bartlett Street in Sylva. Everyone is welcome! Help raise funds to move  The Community Table to their new location.

A Taste of Compassion in Asheville

Nov 11 head for Asheville and a Taste of Compassion .  Music by One Leg Up and wine and hors d’oeuvres provided by local restaurants during the Asheville-based Animal Compassion Network’s seventh annual event. Guests can bid on more than 200 items, including concert and theater tickets and designer pet supplies, during a silent auction. Proceeds help the no-kill organization foster, spay and neuter, and find homes for pets.

Sell-out Allows Second Performance by USO Liberty Bells in Blowing Rock

A second performance of the USO Liberty Bells has been added on Sunday, August 29 at 2 PM following a sell-out of the initial August 28 fundraising event at the Hayes Performing Arts Center in Blowing Rock North Carolina. The only tickets remaining to the fundraiser are at the sponsor level. Tickets to the added performance, a general public performance, are $25 for general seating and $50 for premium general seating plus a pre-show reception with the USO Liberty Bells in the Ebert Reception Room on the second floor of the Hayes Center. All proceeds from the show will help sustain the Hayes Center and its limited operations as the performing arts venue prepares for its grand reopening in Summer 2011.

The USO Liberty Bells - comprised of three female vocalists and one male vocalist for this performance - will perform music by legends such as the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra, as well as contemporary artists like the Black-Eyed Peas and Beyoncé. The USO Liberty Bells travel throughout the world performing for service members, their families, veterans and audiences that actively support the troops here and abroad. The troupe is comprised of Broadway and Off-Broadway professionals who are chosen each year after an extensive audition process in Manhattan. This year's performers hail from the Broadway shows Hairspray, The Sound of Music, The Color Purple and Cirque du Soleil.

In addition, 40% of the USO Liberty Bells' artist fee goes directly back to the USO to enable the USO Liberty Bells to perform for free for active duty military, veterans and Wounded Warriors, as well as provide phone cards and care packages for the troops.
Click here to see a video of the USO Liberty Bells