JUNE

Friday & Saturday, June 28-29
Artisans Drive-About. 10 am - 5 pm. Self-guided tour of area artists galleries and studios. Meet the artists, watch them demonstrate their craft and find that one-of-a-kind gift you've been looking for. More info

Saturday, June 29
Art Sampler and Silent Auction. 4-7 pm. Proceeds from the Auction benefit the Center; winners announced at concert intermission.

Saturday, June 29
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring Balsam Range. 7:30 pm. Enjoy the acoustic bluegrass "dream team", a perennial favorite on the Grand Old Stage. All the fellows - Tim Surrett, Buddy Melton, Caleb Smith, Darren Nicholson and Marc Pruett - grew up steeped in traditions of The Grand Ole Opry ...as well as the important influences of the Scotch-Irish settlers of the Southern Mountains, English ballads, and Western songs. Winner IBMA 2011 song of the year for "Trains I Missed." Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $25 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert fried chicken dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with Balsam Range also available.

JULY

Saturday, July 6
An Appalachian Evening featuring The Bankesters. 7:30 pm. An acoustic bluegrass/Americana band known for their stellar vocals and beautiful harmonies. Their most recent CD "Looking Forward" has achieved heavy airplay on Sirius/XM radio's Bluegrass Junction channel. This February, "Looking Forward to Looking Back" hit the #1 spot on BluegrassToday.com's national radio airplay chart. Emily Bankester received the inaugural IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year in 2012. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-1 2). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert pulled pork dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Bankesters also available.

Saturday, July 13
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring The Freight Hoppers. 7:30 pm. The band has been heavily praised around the world for their rich Old Time and Americana sound. Two of their albums, “Where’d you Come From, Where’d you go?” (1996) and “Waiting on the Gravy Train” (1998), reached the Top 20 of the Billboard’s Americana music category. The band has completed many international tours and have been featured on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert pork chop dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Freight Hoppers also available.

Saturday, July 20
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring The Kruger Brothers. 7:30 pm. Swiss brothers Uwe Kruger on guitar, and Jens Kruger on banjo, team up with bassist Joel Landsberg. Kruger Brothers performances are exciting, calming, entertaining and spontaneous all-in-one, exhibiting their sheer joy in playing music. Although each of these musicians has earned high credit for his skills individually, it is the interaction of the three together which makes their music so uniquely special. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $25 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert smped chicken dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Kruger Brothers also available.

Saturday, July 27
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring The Snyder Family Band. 7:30 pm. The Snyder Family Band features the talents of siblings Zeb and Samantha Snyder from Lexington, NC.  Backed by their dad, Bud, on upright bass, this band has delighted and surprised audiences at venues including Merlefest, Bristol Rhythm & Roots, the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree, the Musicians Against Childhood Cancer Festival in Columbus, OH, and the Red White and Bluegrass Festival in Morganton, NC. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $20 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert fried chicken dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Snyder Family also available.

AUGUST

Saturday, August 3
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring Pop Ferguson Blues Review. 7:30 pm. A welcome and different sound on the Grand Old Stage. 84-year-old Clyde "Pop" Ferguson is one of the last practitioners of traditional blues in the North Carolina foothills. Recordings of Ferguson's music along with many of his stories have been selected to be in the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert salmon patty dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with Pop Ferguson also available.

Saturday, August 10
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring Town Mountain. 7:30 pm. Town Mountain has collaborated and/ or performed along with Doc Watson, Jim Lauderdale, Steep Canyon Rangers, Acoustic Syndicate, Keller Williams, Larry Keel, David Grisman, & The Infamous Stringdusters. They made their first overseas jaunt to Finland in 2012 and have taught at workshops in Canada, St. Louis, and other cities. The prestigious IBMA has twice selected band member Phil Barker for its songwriting showcase (2010 & 2011), and the band was part of the official showcase in 2011. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert smothered country steak dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with Town Mountain also available.

Saturday, August 17
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring The Jeff Little Trio. 7:30 pm. Much influenced by mountain flat-picked guitar tradition, his style is breathtaking in its speed, precision and clarity. Jeff is conversant with traditional jazz, old-time, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and blues. Accomplished musicians Steve Lewis on guitar and banjo, and Josh Scott on upright bass round out the trio. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $20 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert fried trout dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Jeff Little Trio also available.

Saturday, August 24
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring The Stray Birds. 7:30 pm. When The Stray Birds take the stage, the spotlight falls on three voices raised in harmony above the raw resonance of wood and strings. It is a sound drawn from the richness of American folk music traditions, spun with a stirring subtlety and grace. Raised within a few miles from each other in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven first shared a song in January 2010. Grounded in the unshakeable groove of bassist Charles Muench, the trio landed their signature sound. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert barbeque chicken dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with The Stray Birds also available.

Saturday, August 31
An Appalachian Evening concert featuring Red June. 7:30 pm. Red June is a powerful acoustic trio from Asheville performing beautifully distilled original American music. Their dynamic, yet refined sound features striking three-part harmonies, tasteful instrumental work, and honest, soulful songwriting that seamlessly blends bluegrass, old-time, country and American roots music. Red June has been entrancing audiences across the country and has performed at the Music City Roots live radio show, as well as Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, Suwannee Springfest and MerleFest. Band Website

Individual ticket prices: $15 (adult) & $5 (student, K-12). Purchase tickets With season tickets, you save 33% (adults) and 20% (students) over the cost of individually purchased tickets. Purchase season tickets

A pre-concert end-of-summer cookout dinner is available in the Schoolhouse Cafe. Dinner with Red June also available.

OCTOBER

Fri-Sun, October 18-20
Harvest Festival. Annual celebration with music, dancing, food, 5K, bonfire sing-along, craft vendors, quilt exhibit, demonstrations. More info

Sunday, October 20
Gospel singing. 2 pm. Free.

NOVEMBER

Fri-Sat, November 29-30
Artisans Drive-About. 10 am - 5 pm. Self-guided tour of area artists galleries and studios. Meet the artists, watch them demonstrate their craft and find that one-of-a-kind gift you've been looking for. More info

DECEMBER

Saturday, December 14
Breakfast with Santa. 9 -11 am. $3 per person. Professional photos with Santa will be available for a separate charge or you are welcome to bring Your own camera to capture this special event.

Saturday, December 14
Christmas in the Mountains. Indoor art and craft show and sale just in time for holiday giving.