When my daughter was little, she loved the book The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. She had me read it to her every night before bed. I got so sick of that book that I secretly donated it to the public library and claimed ignorance when she asked where it was.
In late June, Trillium Arts presents film screenings, panel discussions and a workshop for the award-winning short documentary Tiny Movements, the story of Asheville native Jenn Green’s embrace of dance as a way to heal after surviving domestic sexual assault.
May marked the beginning of berry season with strawberries—necessitating a crouch, a crawl or at the very least a hinge at the hips to gather the ground-dwelling berries. As May transitions to June, we look upwards in our picking to the berry-bearing trees: mulberry and juneberry.
The Taste of Scotland Celtic Festival and Highland Games will take place Father’s Day weekend, Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21, in Franklin. “We have been putting on the Taste of Scotland Festival for almost 30 years,” says organizer Lloyd Swift.
When Zackary Vernon moved to Boone to begin teaching at Appalachian State University, he took on the personal challenge of trying to make ethical food choices: gardening, raising chickens, buying food from local farmers and volunteering at a certified organic farm.
Downtown Weaverville will once again transform into an open-air concert venue on Saturday, June 13, as the eighth annual Music on Main returns from 4–9 p.m. The free community festival will bring together live music, food trucks, craft beer, family activities and local sponsors along Main Street.
Set against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, La Vie en Rosé returns to Marked Tree Vineyard from Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14, offering a three-day immersion into art, music, fashion and wine.
The juried exhibition Connecting to Place: Blue Ridge Craft Trails Invitational 2026 opened in May and features the work of 20 craft artists from Western North Carolina.
The Laurel of Asheville is available in both print and digital editionsWe are delighted you have chosen us to be your gateway—both through our popular print Asheville lifestyle magazine and our website—to the arts, culture, and communities that comprise the remarkable area that is Western North Carolina. In these pages, you will find behind-the-scenes stories about the region’s concerts, theatre and dance productions, festivals, restaurants, artists, and the multitude of locally-based businesses. We also enjoy bringing you features about the people and organizations who are caring for those in need, protecting our historic heritage, preserving our rich and diverse environment, and nurturing our cultural soul.
