Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
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Here’s a look at some of what’s going on this weekend. Don’t forget that Monday is the day to celebrate the work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. In Asheville, an annual prayer breakfast, march and vigil are all ways to connect with your community. Check out the video highlights, and see the full list below.
-The second weekend of the Great American Strip-Off at The Magnetic Theatre, 9:30 p.m., featuring Glenn Reed Indeed, Lisa Zahiya, Rouge Remedy and Illysa Hamlin.
–Women’s March AVL Benefit at The Burger Bar, 3 p.m., featuring Purple People Feeder food truck, a DJ and more.
FRIDAY
-Opening reception at Black Mountain College Museum, 5:30 p.m., for Zola Marcus/Kinetic Origins, featuring a discussion between Dr. Eva Bares, Lecturer of Art History at UNC Asheville, Julie Feinsilver, niece of painter Zola Marcus, and Garry L. Hagberg, James H. Ottaway Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics, Bard College.
-Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. In celebration, there’s a planned peace march and rally beginning at 11:30 a.m. at St. James AME Church, 44 Hildebrand St. with a noon march to Pack Square Park. Theres’ a 6 p.m. candlelight service at the Fellowship Hall of Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, in downtown Asheville. Details at mlkasheville.org.
Also Monday, Kenilworth Presbyterian Church at 123 Kenilworth Road will host is annual celebration of King. There’s a potluck dinner from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Kenilworth Center, 4 Chiles Ave., with the program starting at 6:30.
The featured speaker is Hazel Mack, founding member of the WinstonSalem chapter of the Black Panther Party. The evening’s topic is “Memoir as Manifesto: A Push for Social Justice through Community Service.”
Mack will reflect on her experiences as a member of the Black Panther Party, her career as a civil rights attorney for Legal Aid North Carolina, and the modern Black Power movement. The Winston-Salem chapter of the Black Panther Party implemented life-saving social programs for the poor and was the first and most prominent Black Panther Party chapter in the South. The evening will be hosted by Marvin Chambers, a founding member of A.S.C.O.R.E. (Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality), and an icon of the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina.