Mountain Spirits: Wine and Beer this week, July 21

July 22, Appalachian Vintner, 2-B Huntsman Place in Asheville NC - Shoe Drive Wine & beer tasting benefiting Kinder Soles, a socially conscious flip flop manufacture from the Triangle. Every pair of Kinder Soles is made from recycled bottles and each sale provides funds to send footwear to those in need through SoleMates Foundation. The evening will have delicious food, great music with local wine & beer samples. Evening brought to you by: Sour Grapes Wine, Green Planet Catering & Pisgah Brewing Company with live music by DEP. $10 at the door. If you bring a gently worn pair of shoes to donate the entry fee is $5 & you also get $10 off a new pair of Kinder Soles, proceeds to benefit SoleMates.

July 21  Brusin'Ales 66 Broadway Street in Downtown Asheville NC - Epic Brewing WNC Launch. Join Brusin' Ales tonight with Michael Malachowski of Epic Brewing (Utah) for the launch of another craft brewery in WNC! 5:00-7:00 PM.

July 23   RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC   - Nita B and Bill Buck, Jazzy Blues duo,  will take you musically from the Blues of Mississippi's earliest juke joints to New Orleans, where blues and jazz mixed, then up to Memphis' Beale Street, over to Harlem's Cotton Club and beyond. Lunch is available from the The Back Door Café.  Eat in or take outside for picnicking.

July 22 Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in AshevilleNC  - Brooklyn Brewing: taste some of the Brooklyn Reserve "big beers" this Friday and get a big mouthful of flavor. There will be some labels you probably haven't tried but should. July 23 FREE wine tasting: Joseph Drouhin Wines from France. With close to 90 appellations, Joesph Drouhin offers a fascinating and quality array of Burgundy terroirs. This family run winery, four generations deep, is fully committed to Biodynamic farming and wine-making practices. "The style of Joseph Drouhin is an alliance between character, balance, and harmony."

Blue Ridge Mountain Fair Includes Crafts Fair, Quilt Show and Classic Cars

July 22-23   Blue Ridge Mountain Fair   Discover the handiwork of local artisans at this arts and crafts fair, held in the heart of Sparta NC at Crouse Park. The event also features local entertainment and food vendors.

Fairgoers also have a chance to visit the Alleghany Quilter’s Guild Show at the Black Exhibition Building at the Alleghany County Fairgrounds on US 21, 1.5 miles north of Sparta. Come see the creativity of local quilters and vote on your favorite for the People’s Choice Award.

Classic car enthusiasts will also enjoy the VFW Car Show on Saturday, July 23, located at 120 Trojan Avenue, in the NAPCO parking lot.

Directions: From I-77, take exit 83 (northbound traffic only) or exit 85 and follow US 21 North 28 miles up the Blue Ridge Mountains to Sparta.
To reach the Blue Ridge Mountain Fair follow US 21 (Main Street) to the second traffic light at the Courthouse. Turn right (north) onto NC 18. Crouse Park begins at the second left (Grayson Street).
To reach the VFW Car Show, continue through town to the third traffic light and turn right onto Trojan Avenue. Go 1 1/2 blocks. The entrance in on the right.
To reach the Quilters Guild Show, continue past the third traffic light 1.5 miles. The show is in the Black Building at the corner of the County Fairgrounds on the left.

Chimney Rock Park Hosts Rally Appalachia 2011

July 20, 2011 Chimney Rock State Park is hosting Rally North America's Rally Appalachia 2011 as a cruise-in to the Park’s top parking lot between about 2:30 and 4 PM. Chimney Rock is one of the Rally’s 37 checkpoints at historic or scenic locations in the Appalachian region from Virginia to South Carolina. Rally North America Charities’ Rally 2011 will benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a national leader in supporting the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.

What  is Rally Appalachia 2011? Rally North America organizes the high-speed scavenger hunt which includes 80-plus muscle and sports cars touring 1,300 miles of some of the nation’s most scenic roads. Rally drivers are given clues each day and challenged to outsmart and outrace their opponents through a series of secret checkpoints and awe-inspiring destinations to the finish line while obeying all rules of the road.

The Rally includes 80 teams of two or more people; three racing venues (Shenandoah Speedway, Motor Mile Drag way, and Darlington Speedway); 37 stops at historical or scenic locations; two police escorted parades (including one in Greenville, SC, on July 20);  and one great end-of-rally party in Charleston, South Carolina.

Established in the winter of 2009, Rally North America Charities is a not-for-profit organization, aimed at bringing automotive enthusiasts from all over the United States and Canada, together for the purpose of Auto rallying. Each rally organized by Rally North America carries a common idea: driving for a cause. RNA believes that by combining the love of the automotive lifestyle and a worthy charity organization, it is possible to do something good through the automotive hobby.

Rally North America participants are required to provide a professional and respectful representation of our community to all. The participants are required to follow the laws of the road and are expected to be courteous to the drivers with whom they are sharing the road at all times.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has been chosen as this year’s Rally North America (RNA) charity benefactor. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a national leader in supporting the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their families, has provided over $120 million in support for the families of military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans. The Fund most recently opened the National Intrepid Center of Excellence to support the research, diagnosis, and treatment of military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury. Learn more at http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/Fundraising/Events/Rally-Appalachia-2011.aspx.

Sponsorship of a RNA event only requires a direct donation to The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in the name of the sponsor and RNA. The 2011 Rally sponsors include CJ Pony Parts, CarDomain.com, Brewmeisters Sports Tavern, Penn Tech Deployments Inc. and Hagerty Collector Car Insurance.

Get details for Rally Event Dates and Times 

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is a developing international outdoor destination located 25 miles southeast of Asheville on Highway 64/74A in Chimney Rock, N.C. It is recognized as one of the Southeast’s most iconic sites and popular travel destinations. The Park’s 535-million-year-old monolith called Chimney Rock offers guests 75-mile panoramic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. Hickory Nut Gorge, one of the state’s most significant centers of biodiversity, is home to 36 rare plant species and 14 rare animal species, as well as the second highest waterfall of its kind in the eastern United States. A popular destination for travel groups, weddings, special events and field trips, the Park is also known for its innovative hands-on educational programs for K-12 schools. 

Saluda's Purple Onion hosts Fundraiser for ECO

July 24 the Purple Onion, located at 16 E Main Street in Saluda NC, will host a Funsraiser for Eco featuring the music of Scott Ainslie. The Purple Onion Sunday Evening Music (POSEM) concert this month is more special than usual as the Purple Onion joins forces with ECO, a non-profit organization with a mission of preserving the natural heritage and environment of Henderson County and the mountain region. The purpose of the evening is to raise money for ECO's work in the area and also represents the café's interest in supporting their efforts.

The highlight of the evening will be a concert by Scott Ainslie (http://www.cattailmusic.com ) , a master guitarist/historian of blues music of all kinds. Scott heard Virginia Bluesman and grave digger, John Jackson (1924-2002) play a couple of songs in the middle of a Mike Seeger concert just outside of Washington, DC, back in 1967.

Scott started playing guitar a month later and has now spent nearly forty years studying and playing traditional music, visiting and documenting senior musicians in America's old-time banjo and fiddle music, Blues and gospel traditions. With four CDs, a teaching DVD on the guitar techniques of Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson, he continues as a performer and a teacher presenting programs that are vital and entertaining.

ECO staff and volunteers work continually to keep the environment healthy in our community. They need your help. In these tough economic times your financial support is even more critical than ever. $30 VIP passes get you in the door early (5:30) to claim the best seats, and enjoy a supper buffet on the deck before the 7:00 concert. Concert-only tickets are $15..

Reservations are required: online at eco-wnc.org or by calling the ECO office at 692-0385. Contributions and/or purchases made through ECO are tax-deductible. You may also make them by contacting the Purple Onion Café at 828-749-1179.