Ashvegas Hot Sheet: Asheville Vaudeville returns, Asheville Mardis Gras parade, more

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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keith_shubert_asheville_2015More of what’s going around:

-Asheville Vaudeville returns: From the press release:

Asheville’s premier performing arts collective, Asheville Vaudeville, is returning to Toy Boat for a Feb. 21 extravaganza. With Master of Ceremonies, the always darkly entertaining Keith Shubert of Toy Box Theatre leading the way, the evening will be filled with comedy, music, flow arts, puppetry and a daring dash of burlesque. Standup comedy from Dr. Hyena, a naughty song from Mille Van Illa, wild acrobatics from Lucky Rigel 7, Madison J. Cripps’ puppetry, hooping by April Shapril, song stylings of Valerie Meiss of Miss Mousie and the Rigamarole, a mini-mystery by Jim Julien, more hooping by Laura Goetz, Sherrie Bell’s dark entertainments and a burlesque comic sketch by Queen April and Keith Campbell of local juggling stars, Forty Fingers and a Missing Tooth all cook up a rich stew of vaudevillian performance. Hot stuff for a cool evening, intended for audiences 18 years of age and older. Asheville Vaudeville will continue through the spring with exciting shows at the Toy Boat on Saturday, March 14 and Saturday, April 18. Check out our Facebook event page for more updates and info on our shows.

When: February 21, 2015 at 7:30 pm and 10 pm

Where: Toy Boat Community Artspace, 101 Fairview Road, Asheville (in Biltmore Village)

How Much: $15.00 for 7:30 pm show, $12.00 for 10:00pm show. Tickets at door.

-Girls Pint Out/Asheville: A new chapter of Girls Pint Out is up and running in Asheville. “Girls Pint Out originated in Indianapolis, Indiana in early 2010. The Girls Pint Out movement quickly spread to Arizona and Texas. Today Girls Pint Out has more than 60 chapters in over 30 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Our mission is to build a community of women who love craft beer and who are an active, contributing part of the greater craft beer community.” Girls Pint Out on Twitter.

-Asheville music doc hits festival circuit: Buskin’ Blues, a music documentary about the street music scene in Asheville, has been accepted into two film festivals: Bare Bones International Film Festival and Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. Learn more about Erin Derham, the filmmaker, and the Buskin’ Blues project here.

-Asheville Mardis Gras parade Sunday: The Asheville Mardi Gras Parade and Ball is set for Sunday, Feb. 15. The parade will begin at 3 p.m. on Wall Street. The ball will follow immediately at Pack’s Tavern’s Century Room and will go from 5-9 p.m. Both events are free and family friendly. Empire Strikes Brass will headline the ball. Asheville Mardi Gras is an all-volunteer community based, arts and culture group.

-Burial Beer and Mardis Gras: Burial Beer on the South Slope is celebrating Mardis Gras big time with great food and music on Sunday, as well as on Tuesday. The food, music and beer releases look superb. Here’s the beer description for Tuesday’s party: Houtenhamer Imperial Stout aged on Defiant Whiskey spirals + OAKED Scythe Rye IPA.

-Short Street Cakes and Mardis Gras: Speaking of Mardis Gras, Short Street Cakes in Asheville will celebrate. in grand style. Here’s the press release:

On Mardi Gras day, Tuesday, February 17, 2015, starting at 5pm, Short Street Cakes, Asheville’s source for all-natural, scratch-made, birthday cakes, wedding cakes, and cupcakes, will celebrate the 6th anniversary of the Cake Shop with a dance party and raffle to benefit enrichment programs at Hall Fletcher Elementary School.

The Southern-style Cake Shop will also be celebrating a big change on the horizon: the business has expanded its lease to include the retail space next door to the Cake Shop (formerly Wood & Spoon) and is now seeking a buyer who will purchase Short Street Cakes and take the business into its next phase of growth.

More info about the sale of the business and a detailed statement from the owner can be found HERE. Interested parties can contact the owner at [email protected] for an overview.

Meanwhile, the Mardi Gras Party is an opportunity for Short Street Cakes to thank the community for their continued support with live music, a benefit raffle featuring prizes from local businesses, and free Birthday Cake, Cocktails, and Mardi Gras Beads!

Handmade, all-natural, traditional Southern King Cakes, complete with a baby trinket hidden inside, are also available at the Cake Shop through Mardi Gras, February 17. The cost is $25 for a Medium sized cake (serves 15) and $48 for a large (serves 30).

For more information and ordering go to www.shortstreetcakes.com. Short Street Cakes is located at 225 Haywood Road in East-West Asheville. The mission of Short Street Cakes is to add meaning to life’s celebrations by providing beautiful, delicious, all-natural, scratch-made cakes, and in so doing, generate a sustainable livelihood for our employees, educate the community about traditional foodways, and support the local food and agriculture economy.

-Experience Music holds auditions: Experience Music, an Asheville organization dedicated to supporting the development of young musicians, has announced that it is holding auditions for its spring session on March 7 and March 14 at the Experience Music Studio, 339 Merrimon Ave. More:

Aspiring youth will have the opportunity to fill one of 14 open spaces and be placed into one of two bands. The spring session runs from March 23 – May 30 with weekly rehearsals and specialized instruction provided by professional musicians. The spring session will also include a musician mentoring element with members of local rock band Phuncle Sam. The end of the session will culminate with members joining Phuncle Sam on-stage for a live performance.

“We recognize there are youth players with high levels of ability and few, if any, organized opportunities for them. Our program focuses on creating original music, providing skilled mentorship, rehearsing and recording in a professional space, and booking unique performance opportunities with established artists in the industry,” said instructor Casey Saulpaugh.

Auditions are divided into three parts including: an informal interview, prospective members performing music of their choice and/or jamming along with Experience Mentors, and performing a prepared song. This song, (audio and written versions), will be given to perspective members in advance to give the musician a chance to familiarize and practice before the audition. The perspective member will play the song accompanied by Experience Mentors. …

To register for an audition, go to experiencemusicavl.com or contact Chuck Lee at 828 230 4510 or email at [email protected].

-Arboretum sets attendance record: The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville set attendance records last year. From the press release:

For the first time in its history, The North Carolina Arboretum welcomed more than half a million visitors in a calendar year. Expanded programs and offerings, combined with a growing demand for outdoor recreation activities, contributed to a 35 percent increase in visitation over a four year period, from 2010 to 2014.

The milestone comes as the Arboretum concludes Winter Lights, its first annual holiday light show. The nightly display transformed the gardens into a twinkling wonderland, attracting more than 22,000 visitors from across the country. Rocky Cove Railroad, a model train exhibit developed as part of Winter Lights, was so well received that the Arboretum extended its operating hours into the spring. The G-scale (garden scale) trains, including a Thomas the Tank Engine locomotive, can be seen every Saturday through March 28, 2015 from noon to 4 p.m.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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