12th Year of Holiday Giving Tree at City Lights Bookstore

City Lights Bookstore in downtown Sylva NC is pleased to begin the 12th year of its annual Holiday Giving Tree, a program designed to put books in the hands of local children during the holiday season.

Each year since 1998, the store has worked with local social service agencies to come up with an anonymous list of Jackson County children in need. Bookstore customers are invited to buy a book for a child at a 20% discount and put it under the store's Christmas tree. Books will be picked up by the social service agencies and delivered to children in time for the holiday.

A bookmark identifying the age and gender of the child is available at the bookstore, and customers can buy for that child. The store has a wide selection of Spanish-language books, as well, for bi-lingual and Spanish-speaking children in our community. (Language choice is also designated on the bookmark, so that customers know the recipient's preference.) Books may be given in honor of someone on your gift list, and City Lights will provide you with an acknowledgment card. Or you may give in your own name, or even anonymously.

The deadline for participation is Sunday, December 19th, when the store is open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  For questions, call  828-586-9499.

Free Shipping from Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Dec 1

Place your order with the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree on Wednesday, December 1st and the shipping is on us!  Order online 24 hours a day for beautiful handcrafted gifts from the mountains of North Carolina and have your gifts shipped for you...FREE.

The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Project  has created nearly 100 individual small businesses that have produced quality, handmade products as part of the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree collection. Locally handcrafted products are available in the shop or online and include: Furniture, Lighting, Rugs, Textiles (Top of Bed, Quilts, Kitchen and Bath), Decorative Accessories, Home Fragrance, Cookware, Food, Accessories, Christmas, Pottery, Wood, Glass, and Children’s Toys.

Shop online or at the retail shop at 262 Oak Street, in historic downtown Spruce Pine NC.

Asheville's Chocolate Fetish offers Chocolate Event Calendar Discount

Order a Chocolate Advent Calendar and Receive a 50% Off Coupon Towar
ds a Chocolate Refill Kit For Next Year.

Continue an age-old tradition while you count down the days to Christmas with our Heirloom Advent Calendars. High quality, hand painted, wooden calendars are filled with over two pounds of our delicious hand made chocolates.

Each calendar is carefully filled with a selection of chocolates including things like chocolate covered nuts & Oreo cookies, nut clusters, assorted chocolate shapes like Santa and Rudolph, and more delectable treats. Enough chocolate for two people per day.  Order Your Chocolate Advent Calendar Today

The Chocolate Fetish is located at 36 Haywood ST, Asheville, NC

Ashe County Announces this year's Holiday Events

There are lots of Holiday Events in Ashe County this December! From carolers in the streets in costumes of Charles Dickens characters, shops staying open until 8pm on certain nights, a Saturday with Santa, the Community Choral Concert, a Chamber open house, a Hometown Christmas Social, Pet Portraits with Santa, West Jefferson store-front decorating contest, a last-minute shoppers extravaganza, a race on Mt. Jefferson and more:

• Friday, December 03 2010 05:00PM - 08:00PM
  Evening Shopping in West Jefferson  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 04 2010 10:00AM - 02:00PM
  Holiday Open House and Saturday with Santa  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 04 2010 10:00AM - 02:00PM
  Ashe County Farmers Market/Holiday Market  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 04 2010 10:00AM
  Run For The Wreath  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 04 2010 11:00AM - 03:00PM
  Christmas at Camp New Hope  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 04 2010 12:00PM - 03:00PM
  Pet Portraits with Santa & Holiday Bake Sale  ::  Ashe County
• Sunday, December 05 2010 07:30PM
  Ashe Choral Society  ::  Ashe County
• Friday, December 10 2010 07:30PM
  Night Before Christmas Carol  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 11 2010 10:00AM - 04:00PM
  Christmas at Florence  ::  Ashe County
• Saturday, December 11 2010 11:00AM
  Moravian Mountain Christmas  ::  Ashe County
• Friday, December 17 2010 10:00AM - 08:00PM
  Last Minute Shoppers Extravaganza!  ::  Ashe County

Mast Farm Inn offers Special Thanksgiving Recipe

The Mother-daughter Chef team at the Mast Farm Inn Simplicity Restaurant is known for their mouth-watering taste treats. Simplicity was selected from among hundreds of fine dining restaurants in North Carolina as one of the top ten finalists for "The Best Dish in North Carolina 2010 Award", North Carolina's "Official State Restaurant Competition" presented every year by The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

What better opportunity is there to display culinary skills than Thanksgiving? Chefs Danielle and Marie Deschamps count their pumpkin roll recipe among their holiday favorites. And it is certainly something for which the rest of us are thankful! If you can't make it to Simplicity over the holidays try it in your own kitchen with the Deschamps' own recipe:
Pumpkin Roll  (Serves 6)
Cake:
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. apple pie spice ( see recipe below)
1 cup pumpkin purée
3 eggs
1 tsp. lime juice
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Confectioners’ sugar
Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and apple pie spice. In a separate bowl, mix pumpkin purée, eggs, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and blend. Spray or grease a jelly roll pan, then line with parchment paper. Spread the mixture evenly onto the pan and sprinkle with pecans. Bake for 15 minutes. Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter, and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Place cake on the paper and roll carefully; allow cake to cool in this shape.

To make filling, mix cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Unroll the cooled cake and remove the paper. Spread the filling evenly on the cake. Roll it up and secure with plastic wrap. Let cool and serve.

Apple pie spice:
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
1 Tbs. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)

Combine all ingredients and blend well. Store in a small, airtight container.

Simplicity restaurant at Mast Farm Inn, 2543 Broadstone Rd, Banner Elk, NC
www.mastfarminn.com. For more recipes, click here

photo by Christopher Shane

Winter Wonderland at Asheville's Grove Arcade

Asheville's historic Grove Arcade has been a wonder since its opening in 1929. Every year at this time the architectural marvel becomes a "Winter Wonderland" with a display of entries from the National Gingerbread House Competition,  a special art exhibition featuring holiday cover art submissions from the Mountain Xpress, live holiday music on the weekends, photos with Santa and special family events on Saturday December 4 & 18. A dramatic reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas will be  performed at noon

Visit the Arcade this weekend after the holiday parade and see the beautiful seasonal decor organized by Arcade merchants led by Beth Hohensee of Studio Flora Diva. Enjoy a delicious meal and get a jump on your gift buying while patronizing local businesses.

What do Biltmore Tickets and Llamas have in common???

And the answer is...Cabin Cove Farm  in Asheville NC. The vacation cabin rental not only has llamas to hang out with but is currently offering a great special for Biltmore. Get Complimentary and Discounted Biltmore Tickets include candlelight evenings. November/December, Rent 2 nights;2 candlelight upgrades FREE with your purchase of discounted 2 DAY tickets $48 each. 3 nights; include in that offer 1 ticket FREE. Extra day and night tickets purchased at $48. Come and go on the estate for two days.


Cabin Cove Farm is a  3 BD, 2 BA contemporary log home with mountain view, fireplace, hot tub and WIFI. Fully loaded kitchen, all linens, local phone. PET FRIENDLY with 1/2 acre fenced pet area, llamas to pet, pottery classes. $195-$255 nt, $1170- $1530 wk.

Cabin Cove Farm is the perfect option for North Carolina pet friendly vacations; we not only allow pets, we encourage them. There is a 3/4 acre fenced in yard for your four-legged babies to run free. We provide beds, bowls, bones, and even a toy to take home so that they can remember their fun time on the farm. The retreat features a full llama and goat farm for you and your family to enjoy. We have four llamas and eight goats that are very people-friendly, and we'll provide you with snacks to help you get acquainted.

GOT TREE? Get Free Trees from Riverlink

RiverLink is giving away trees! Autumn is the best time to plant trees and RiverLink has free trees for Western North Carolina. In what has become an annual event, RiverLink is the lucky recipient of a donation of trees. Most of them are in one-gallon containers, and include Silver Maple, Holly, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, White Oak, White Pine and Red Bud. Our anonymous donor grows them simply to make our area greener. All he asks for is the containers back so he can grow more for next year.

While the trees are free, RiverLink is accepting donations if recipients are interested. Trees save energy and money by shading your house in summer, then dropping leaves and letting the sunshine in during Winter. Trees in a city slow stormwater runoff, cool our city and clean our water and air. And trees are just plain beautiful.

Why wait until Arbor Day to get a tree growing in your yard? Contact RiverLink's Dave Russell at (828) 252-8474, ext. 11, or dave@riverlink.org to arrange pickup of free trees today.

"CHOW" offers Thanksgiving Recipes to reply on

Submitted by CHOW, a new kind of food media

We're warning you: Don't try to cook something other than turkey (or a vegetarian turkeylike thing) on Thanksgiving. People will whine. But if you want a little leeway within the turkey sector, CHOW's got all kinds of recipes in varying degrees of tradition-hewing. There's the simple roasted bird, of course; a bird that's smoked; a bird that's wrapped in bacon; a bird that's fried; a bird that's deboned and rolled; and the outrageous outlier, a turkey—and all the trimmings—molded into one big cake. And of course we've got the stuffing, the pie, the cranberry sauce. Tested and approved. All delicious recipes that will provide you with Thanksgiving success stories that you will tell to your children and grandchildren for years to come. For reals.

Basic Roasted Turkey ... Simple, classic, reliable

Fried Turkey ... Embrace the deep-fryer

Smoked Turkey ... Send someone outside to do the dirty work

Homemade Vegan Tofurkey ... Your nonturkey turkey option

Sausage Stuffing ... Can we make this our main course?

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes ... Can't go wrong

Tart Cranberry Pie ... Take another piece

Thanksgiving Recipes ... Dig in here for dinner

News from the Appalachian Advocate

Submitted by Willa Mays, Executive Director, "Appalachian Voices"
191 Howard Street • Boone, NC

As the weather becomes colder and the days grow shorter, it's an ideal time to join together with friends and family and reflect on the many riches that have been gifted to us during the past year. Though I have lived in many parts of the country, Appalachia has always been home to me. I was born and lived most of my life in Appalachia, but, no matter how long you have lived here or even if you just visit, it doesn't take long for these mountains to become part of your personal landscape.

So it is with gratitude that I wake every morning to do the important work of protecting the land, air and water of Appalachia. To top it off, I also get to work with smart and passionate people like our members who love this region as much as I do.

Protecting it isn't an option for us—it's a necessity. Your support makes that work possible. And so for that I express my immense gratitude to you this Thanksgiving.

Wishing you the best,

Willa Mays
Executive Director

Only Two Days Left for Public Comments to the EPA!

The deadline for citizen comments on the EPA's proposed coal ash regulations is this Friday, November 19, and we need your help. Write the EPA and tell them that coal ash—which contains concentrated levels of mercury, cadmium and other heavy metals—should be treated as hazardous waste with federal oversight!

Alexandra Cousteau and the Blue Planet Expedition crew recently revisited the TVA coal ash disaster, interviewing our Riverkeeper, Donna Lisenby, and our research partners at the Tennessee Aquarium about the effects almost 2 years later. [Watch the interview]

Robert Kennedy, Jr. teamed up with Appalachian Voices to file intents to sue three coal companies over Clean Water Act violations. Photo by Jamie Goodman

$37,500 Matching Gift Donated to Protect Appalachian Waterways

Appalachian Voices is launching a new initiative to better protect surface and ground water. Our Appalachia Water Watch team has already uncovered an astounding 20,000 Clean Water Act violations by three coal companies in Kentucky, and in October, we teamed up with Robert Kennedy Jr., to file lawsuits against these coal companies.

A generous donor has pledged up to $37,500 for Appalachia Water Watch, but first we must raise the match. Please give today to help support this important new initiative!

PNC Bank Pulls the Plug on Mountaintop Removal Financing

Rainforest Action Network recently received recognition for its work on pressuring banks to stop funding mountaintop removal projects. PNC is the most recent bank to "bite the dust" on mountaintop removal mining financing. Appalachian Voices received a supporting award for providing data on coal companies that made the organization's campaign possible. Thanks, RAN!

Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Gears Up for the Season

Give the Gift of "Home" this Year! The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree is celebrating its fifth season since opening the non-profit retail store in historic downtown Spruce Pine. Check out the online catalog for your shopping list this year for more a products from our talented artists like these:

Beautiful handmade pottery trivet by Lynda Banner.  Many of our customers use the trivet year round in their kitchen, while some have chosen to use it as wall decor! Either way it is a beautiful gift for yourself or someone on your gift giving list!  $15 

Handmade Fishing Bear Ornament - Perfect for the fisherman or woman in your family or circle of friends! Hand shaped clay bear ornament holding a fishing pole and handpainted clay fish! $15

Handmade Wooden Wine Caddy - a beautiful and unique way to display your favorite bottle of wine.  Made from assorted woods.  Measures approximately 10".  $26

Hand Knit Christmas Tree Cap - Hand knit cap for newborn babies. Green hat with a white angora Christmas tree accent on the front. 15.5" circumferene, 5" h $28

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree DVD brings the story to life using illustrations from the book through authentic narration, local photography and sound effects. A wonderful production for all ages to enjoy. $19.95

New Logo for the Asheville Tourists Baseball Team

The Asheville Tourist have spent the last 5 months overhauling and updating their visual identity. The new look pays tribute to countless moon-lit nights at McCormick Field, during which the Tourists have become part of the summer fabric for families throughout the Land of the Sky. The South Atlantic League team revealed its new identity program yesterday at the Hickory Tavern by introducing its sunglasses-wearing "Mr. Moon" character.

Mr. Moon and the other parts of the Tourists' new identity were created via a collaborative process with Plan B Branding and the team's front office. "We're extremely excited to introduce our new identity program," said Brian DeWine, president of the Tourists and DeWine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball. "During the 2010 season, we formed a working relationship with Plan B Branding and proceeded to meet with fans and other members of the community to try to incorporate a true local feel to what we were trying to accomplish. "Our number one goal was to create an exciting new look for our fans and the community that they will be proud to wear," DeWine said. "While we'll introduce our uniforms in the spring, we couldn't wait that long to get our caps in the hands of our fans so that they too can share in the excitement that we feel for our new identity."

The team's new logo features a home run ball sailing over the Blue Ridge Mountains above the refreshed "Tourists" script. The team also unveiled a new McCormick Field logo, which is shaped like home plate and includes the ballpark's arched entrance along with the moon, stars and its first year-1924.

The Tourists are believed to be the first professional baseball team to incorporate a moon in their identity program. The closest may have occurred 100 years ago, when the Asheville team in the Class D Southeastern League (1910) and the Appalachian League (1911-12) was known as the Moonshiners. The color schemes, meanwhile, pay tribute to the city's hallmarks, including Midnight Navy, Blue Ridge Blue and Biltmore Jade. A new typeface, which will be used for both "Asheville" and "Tourists" as well as the "A" on caps, was rendered in the area's craftsman style.

The new caps and T-shirts are available at team's souvenir store at McCormick Field and online at www.theashevilletourists.com. Season tickets for the 2011 baseball campaign are also on sale at the Tourists' front offices. For more information, contact the Tourists at (828) 258-0428.

Penland School of Crafts holds First online Auction

Penland School of Crafts' first online auction includes over 30 items in clay, glass, iron, jewelry, paintings, photographs, textiles and more. These wonderful works of art were donated to Penland by many generous artists and collectors.

Now's a great time to get something special for a loved one (including yourself) and support Penland at the same time. Funds from the sale of these auction items go directly to Penland School of Crafts. Penland's fees for tuition, room, and board cover less than half the annual expense for classes, outreach programs, and services to artists. Your contribution directly benefits the artists and students who study and work here. Help us sustain Penland's exceptional programs and the school's leadership in the field of craft education. For more information about Penland School of Crafts, visit www.penland.org or donate.

Participate in the auction and find items for sale on Penland's eBay Giving Works page. Bid high, bid often! This online auction is a perfect opportunity to support Penland's educational programs, which have helped thousands of people to live creative lives.  

November is American Indian Heritage Month in NC

Gov. Bev Perdue has proclaimed November 2010 as American Indian Heritage Month. “Honoring the Legacy of Our Warriors” is the theme for American Indian Heritage Month 2010 in North Carolina and is observed as a means to encourage all citizens to learn about and appreciate the historic and contemporary contributions of American Indians in North Carolina.  The governor urged the citizens of – and, indirectly, travelers to – North Carolina to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions made by the native inhabitants of the state.  The 15th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration is Nov. 20 at the N.C. Museum of Art in Raleigh.  To read the proclamation, visit  www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/ProclamationDetail.aspx?newsItemID=1557; to find out more about the American Indian Heritage Celebration, visit www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/AIHC2010/about_the_event.html.

Get on the Bus!

Nov. 18 from  noon-2 PM The RiverLink Bus Tour offers answers about Asheville's past and future. How did the French Broad River get its name? Where is the Chicken Hill neighborhood and how did it get its name? What is the Wilma Dykeman RiverWay Plan and what does it hold for Asheville's future? The public is invited to tour the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers with RiverLink.

This is an opportunity to see the improvements that have occurred and hear what is coming over the next several months and years to make our rivers better places to work, live and play. You will learn some local history and visit some streets and neighborhoods you have never seen before.

The bus will meet you at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce (36 Montford Avenue) and return you there. This tour is free for RiverLink members. Non-members cost $15 per person. Lunch is not provided but you can bring your own. Reservations are required. Please go to www.riverlink.org to make your reservation online or call 828-252-8474 ext. 11.

North Carolina Restaurant Chain Honors Veterans

North Carolina is home to one of the largest concentrations of veterans and active duty military personnel in the country. NC is also home to the Golden Corral Restaurant chain. Each year, Golden Corral offers a free meal as, "a special thank you tribute to any person who has ever served in the United States Military. If you are a veteran, retired, currently serving, in the National Guard or Reserves, you are invited to .... Golden Corral's Military Appreciation Monday dinner."

This will be the 10th year that Golden Corral has offered the Military Appreciation Dinner. Last year, Golden Corral served over 335,000 veterans and active duty with a free buffet meal and beverage and collected over $808,000 for the Disabled American Veterans organization. To date, Golden Corral has provided over $2.5 million in free meals and contributed over $4.1 million to Disabled American Veterans.

You can learn more about the Military Appreciation Dinner at Golden Corral here: http://www.goldencorral.com/military/

RiverLink Announces Opening Ceremony of Community Labyrinth

RiverLink invites the community to participate in an opening ceremony of the newly created Cotton Mill Labyrinth on Riverside Drive.  The Labyrinth was built for people of all religious traditions to use for meditation and prayer.  The multi-denominational opening ceremony will be held November 13th at 2:00pm at RiverLink's old cotton mill site in the Rivers Arts District.  The ceremony will begin with a introduction from RiverLink's Karen Cragnolin on the history and importance of the Cotton Mill site, followed by blessings from the community's religious leaders.  At the end of the ceremony, the public will be invited to walk the labyrinth.  The event coincides with the River Arts District Studio Stroll, which takes place both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.,and is open to the public.   Parking will be available across the street at the Sculpture Plaza.

RiverLink is a regional non-profit spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River and its tributaries as a place to live, work and play. Since 1987 we have engaged in simultaneous efforts to address water quality concerns throughout the French Broad River basin, expand public opportunities for access and recreation, and spearhead the economic revitalization of Asheville's dilapidated riverfront district.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Cataloochee Ski Area opened this morning thanks to a cold wave in the weather and and a lot of overnight snow "making". Once again the first NC Slopes to open Cataloochee  invested over $1.2 million dollars into capital improvements over the summer months including the purchase of 2 new Pisten Bully snow groomers, installing 13,000 ft. of snowmaking pipeline, replacing all adult boots and over 700 adult skis in the main rental shop and replacing 24 snowmaking guns with new efficient automatic fanguns. A new efficient six stick automatic snowgun system was installed on Alley Cat, the racing trail. In addition,a new second terrain park in the Turkey Trot area has been added with four new snow guns.

The 49th season at Cataloochee offers16 exciting slopes and trails in a friendly and helpful atmosphere that makes the Cataloochee experience truly unique. This combination of exciting and challenging terrain, breathtaking vistas and soaring freedom are rarely found on the East Coast. Cataloochee Ski Area is located mile high in the mountains of Western North Carolina at Maggie Valley MC.

Artist John Mac Kah's sale of "Ledges" will help Riverlink

Asheville artist John Mac Kah's solo exhibit at 16 Patton Gallery features "The Ledges." The show  began October 23, with an opening reception. The exhibit, which runs through November 27, will include Kah's new painting of the stretch of rapids on the French Broad River just north of Asheville. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the painting, a 24 x 48-inch oil painting, will benefit RiverLink. Stop by the gallery and take a look, or see more of John's work at his Long Branch Studios, located in Cotton Mill Studios, 122 Riverside Drive in the River Arts District.

2010 "Best of WNC" Celebration Tonight at Hops and Vines

Nov 4, 4 PM - 8ish, Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Road, Asheville NC.  The Westside Wins Again!
Come celebrate all the neighborhood business & winners of the 2010 "Best of WNC" (and Hops and Vines 3rd Anniversary!). There will be three local kegs of beer on tap as well as hand picked wines and food provided by West End Bakery, Universal Joint, and Nona Mia!

Enter the raffle to benefit River Link, including great prizes from... Center for Holistic Medicine, Organic Mechanic, Orbit DVD, Blue Barnhouse, Hot Stuff Tattoo, 444 Bakery & Gallery, Hops & Vines and more! Raffle prizes include over $1,500 worth of prizes from local West Asheville businesses! All kegs and wine served for the raffle are donations from local breweries and Hops & Vines and proceeds will benefit Riverlink. We hope to see you again this year. Cheers!

Our State Magazine Fall Photo Contest

Our State Magazine offers Fall Photo Contest for images which capture the essence of North Carolina in the Fall. Photos should showcase the changing leaves, colorful landscape, and the essence of fall in North Carolina. Images must have been taken in North Carolina this fall or last, between October 1, 2009 and November 30, 2010. The contest is open to amateur photographers who are 18 and older. Submit your photos for a chance to win the grand prize of $200. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 30.

The Purple Onion offers a variety of live music in November

November Music at Saluda's Purple Onion

submitted by Robert Seiler, Purple Onion Café

The smell and feel of autumn has been in the air for some time now and it is glorious. Submit yourselves to it and our great performance schedule for this month:

NOVEMBER 4 – BUDDY MONDLOCK. Veteran Nashville-based singer/songwriter here for the first time. “His songs are like movies you want to see again.” Billboard www.buddymondlock.com

NOVEMBER 6 – GIGI DOVER & THE BIG LOVE. Long-time audience favorite brings new songs. www.gigidover.com

NOVEMBER 9 – WINE TASTING A selection of French wines. You can make reservations by calling 828-749-1179.

NOVEMBER 11 - NIKKI TALLEY. Nikki will also be bringing us new music from her new CD. www.nikkitalley.com

NOVEMBER 13 – THE SPACE HEATERS. Fabulous early jazz and swing music. www.myspace.com/leojohnsonandthespaceheaters

NOVEMBER 18 – THE HONEYCUTTERS. “Old school country in the truest sense. . .” returns. www.myspace.com/thehoneycutters

NOVEMBER 20 – MICHAEL RENO HARRELL. An old friend returns with both fine music and stories.www.michaelreno.com

NOVEMBER 21 – JONATHAN BYRD. A signature special Sunday evening performance by one of your favorites. The performance starts at 7. Tickets are $15 per person. You can reserve your place by calling 828-749-1179. www.jonathanbyrd.com

NOVEMBER 25 – THANKSGIVING. NO MUSIC. Make your own music by being thankful for those you care about and those who care about you.

NOVEMBER 27 – DONNA HUGHES. Bluegrass and country singer back with a new recording. www.donnahughes.com

EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT – FRED WHISKIN doing his thing on the piano. A wonderful addition to your evening at the café.

The Purple Onion is located at 16 Main Street, Saluda NC and features a variety of ethnically and locally inspired dishes with an emphasis on the Mediterranean's simple, healthful cuisines and a focus on freshness.

Are you ready for some Punkin Chunkin?

Nov 5 - 6    HAYESVILLE  NC hosts the Punkin Chunkin Fall Festival.  Lots of crafts,  Food Vendors, Game, Activities, Machine Previews, Practice Launching. Enjoy the Chili Cook Off and anything with pumpkin cook-off. And who needs Miss America when you can watch the  (Womanless) Ms. Chunkin Pageant. Get happy feet at the  Street Dance, or just get happy at the Beer Garden. Both days a filled with live music and family fun.