What to do this weekend: Events and festivals in the Mountains

July  7-10 LINVILLE near BLOWING ROCK 56th Annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Grandfather Mountain Highland Games and Gathering of Scottish Clans, including many events involving traditional dancing, piping, drumming, athletic achievement, music and Gaelic culture...read more

July 7-10 HIGHLANDS Mountains in Bloom garden festival Over 1,000 garden and nature lovers from all over the U.S. come together to celebrate the 13th annual Mountains in Bloom garden festival. The event includes a tour of five majestic mountain gardens in the Highlands Country Club; a flower show with flower arrangement, horticulture and photography divisions...read more

July 7-10 WILKESBORO Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend The Wilkes Playmakers puts on "Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend" each year to commemorate the local folk legend. Tom "Dooley" Dula was a former confederate soldier imprisoned as authorities searched for the truth. Dula was later tried, convicted, and hanged for the murder. Years later, he still is ...read more

July 8 NEWLAND The Newland River Walk Concert Series 6 PM - 9 PM A variety of music and entertainment in a family atmosphere. Bring your blanket, pop-up tent, table, chairs, cooler or whatever, for a family picnic while enjoying the summer long series...read more

July 8 WAYNESVILLE MOUNTAIN STREET DANCES Downtown is Alive at Night. Put on your cloggin' & square dancin' shoes and enjoy an old-fashioned mountain hoe down! Live mountain music, demonstrations and instruction by local clogging teams...read more

July 8 WEST JEFFERSON West Jefferson Gallery Crawl Over a dozen galleries in historic downtown West Jefferson participate in the 11th Annual Gallery Crawl. Extended gallery hours are ...read more

July 8-9 HENDERSONVILLE Henderson County Crafters Association Craft Show A juried art and craft show at the Blue Ridge Mall. The show features a wide variety of crafts and art forms...read more

July 8- 10 FLETCHER Carolina Mountain Ribfest The Ribfest features World Class professional barbecue rib vendors from all over the country, live entertainment, amusement rides, arts & crafts and more. They will be serving mouth watering, award winning BBQ Ribs, Brisket, Pulled Pork and Chicken, with all the ...read more

July 9 OLD FORT 2nd Saturdays at Mountain Gateway Museum: "Traditions in Arts and Crafts" Day-long celebration of traditional arts and crafts including basket making, pottery, wood working and more. Exhibits and grounds are open free of charge. Bring a picnic and enjoy the day in a shaded setting near the beautiful stream. Demonstrating their creativity and...read more

July 9 SALUDA 48th Annual Coon Dog Day In 2011, the City of Saluda is celebrating its 130th birthday so expect this year's event to be bigger and even better, with a day filled with celebration for dogs and their people! Great food, live music, parade, crafts, street dance, and ...read more

July 9 BREVARD 2nd Saturday Program at the Heritage Museum The History of Transylvania - Appalachian Musical Traditions: Special Guest Harold Turner...read more

July 9 BRYSON CITY Music in the Mountains - Free Concerts Big House Radio Every Saturday night from June through Oct, enjoy a FREE concert in Bryson City at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Train Depot from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Sit in one of the old church pews on the covered depot deck or bring a lawn chair to...read more

July 9 HENDERSONVILLE Sock Hop and Classic Car Show Historic Downtown Hendersonville ...read more

July 9 BRASSTOWN Shape-note Singing at the John C. Campbell Folk School from 10 am - 3 pm. Originally published in 1866, William Walker's Christian Harmony is the oldert seven shape collection to have remained in continuous use, primarily in ...read more

July 9-10 MAGGIE VALLEY Maggie Valley Summer Arts and Crafts Festival Local, Regional and National artists gather to sell their wares. Handmade Arts and Crafts, entertainment, and ...read more

July 10 TRYON The KingPup Radio Show is a worldwide syndicated radio program hosted by musicians Phil & Gaye Johnson showcasing the traditional music and ...read more

July 10 - 19 FLAT ROCK Flat Rock Playhouse Music on the Rock The Music of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Summer Music on the Rock Concerts offer audiences a variety of music of well-known artists performed by ...read more

La Traviata Opens Tonight at Brevard Music Center

Scott Concert Hall at The Porter Center on the Brevard College campus is the location for three of the five staged productions scheduled during the 75th Anniversary Season at Brevard Music Center. 2011 productions include: Verdi's La Traviata, Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel and Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore.

The BMC Box Office at the Porter Center will be open 3 hours before each performance. Ticket availability is limited. Call the box office at (828) 862-2105 or visit the ticketing website to order your tickets. Pricing is $25-$35; some limited visibility seats are available for $20.

La Traviata

David Gately, director

Patrick Hansen, conductor

Thursday, July 7 - 7:30 PM (pre-opera lecture - 6:30 PM)

Saturday, July 9 - 2:00 PM (pre-opera lecture - 1:00 PM)

Sunday, July 10 - 7:30 PM (pre-opera lecture - 6:30 PM)

Sponsor: The Zimmerli Family Opera Endowment

Shape Note Singing at John C Campbell Folk School

The John C Campbell Folk School will host the 19th annual Christian Harmony Shape Note Singing on July 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Music Studio of Davidson Hall.  The event is free, but please bring a potluck dish for the 12:30 "dinner on the grounds."

Originally published in 1866, William Walker's Christian Harmony is the oldest seven shape collection to have remained in continuous use, primarily in Western North Carolina and North Georgia. The Folk School's annual singing draws more than 70 singers from four states.

Riverlink Volunteer Information

RiverLink is an exciting place with an abundance of opportunities for volunteers to get involved. From office work to helping us host special events to cleaning litter from local waterways, RiverLink can match most everyone with a way to help out.

Residents of Western North Carolina and visitors who would like to be involved in restoring the French Broad Watershed as a place to live, work and play are invited to join the team by attending one of two volunteer information sessions on Wednesday,  July 13, 2011. There's a morning session at 10 a.m. and an afternoon session at 5 p.m. at the RiverLink office, 170 Lyman Street in the River Arts District of Asheville.

The information session will detail RiverLink's volunteer positions in a Powerpoint presentation. Volunteers will have a chance to fill out a volunteer application, and Volunteer Coordinator Dave Russell will be available to answer questions and help everyone find their best fit at RiverLink.

Please RSVP to Dave by calling (828) 252-8474, ext. 11 or via e-mail at volunteer@riverlink.org.