April in Transylvania County - April 2019

The days are longer, the daffodils are bobbing their buttercup-yellow heads, and the forest is alight in new growth. Though we still need our jackets in the mornings and evenings (we are, after all, mountain-dwellers), Spring has officially sprung in Transylvania County!

Brevard and surrounding Transylvania County never seem to slow down: no matter the season, there’s always something on the local calendar guaranteed to appeal to young and old, and anyone in between. April seems to be our mountain town’s door-opener season. This month, summer folks and vacationers begin to trickle into town, taking advantage of the cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities right alongside the locals. By May, it feels as if Brevard doubles in size.

Brevard and Transylvania County offer a welcome as wide-open as our Spring-green mountains. There is room enough for everyone … and ever so much to do.

Here’s a look at what’s happening this month:

• There is never a shortage of great music around Brevard, and April is no different. On Friday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m., the renowned United States Air Force Heritage of America Band will perform at the Porter Center at Brevard College. The Concert Band, which tours all over the East Coast, is comprised of more than 40 “professional Airmen-musicians.” Expect to hear patriotic favorites in addition to orchestra classics, Broadway hits, movie music, and more. Tickets are free, but you’re encouraged to reserve yours in advance by calling 828.884.8147.
• The Cradle of Forestry in America opens for the season on Saturday, April 6, with its Opening Day Appalachian Folkways Celebration. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. enjoy 1900s life in a small, mountain community in the days of the famed Biltmore Forest School. Along the Biltmore Campus Trail, watch gorgeous Percheron draft horses demonstrate how to plow a field, admire open hearth cooking, blacksmithing at the forge, listen to traditional music, and try your hand at some old-time games. It’s the perfect way to kickoff Spring in The Pisgah National Forest. (www.cradleofforestry.com)
• There is always a bike race going on in the unofficial cycling capitol of the Southeast! Cheer on racers in the 20^th Anniversary of the Assault on the Carolinas, an 100K and 50K bike race climbing its way through the North and South Carolina mountains. It starts at 9:00 a.m. on East Main Street in downtown Brevard (also the finish line). This is an annual fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Pisgah Forest, and all proceeds will be donated to charity. The after-party band will be Asheville progressive folk/bluegrass/newgrass band the Fireside Collective; the after-after party will be held at local brewery Oskar Blues from 3:00 p.m. on. (www.assaultonthecarolinas.com)
• The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education hosts a number of classes (both free and for small registration fees) for children and grown-ups alike. Have you wanted to join the anglers enjoying the crisp, clear waters of the Davidson River by learning to fly fish? Or learn more about the ecological makeup up the new home you’ve chosen? Or even learn to use a map and compass the next time you take to the trails? April classes in fly fishing, fly tying, eco-exploring, wilderness skills, and bird-watching abound. (www.ncwildlife.org)
• William Shakespeare once wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” To hear it live, be sure to catch one of four performances of Twelfth Night at Brevard College’s Morrison Playhouse. Performances run Thursday through Sunday, April 11 – 14. Tickets range from $5-$10 and can be purchased via www.eventbrite.com.
• Need an art fix? Stroll through the friendly streets of Brevard’s vibrant downtown during the 4th Friday Gallery Walk, April 26 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Explore downtown’s variety of art galleries, shops and restaurants, open late. Brevard’s is a thriving art scene, with a boundless number of creatives putting out new and exciting work in all genres.

Brevard is rich year-round in cultural and recreational opportunities, and there are far too many to list. To put it simply, Transylvania County is a happening place in Spring, with something fun to do for everyone. Even a simple walk in the greening forest, a waterfall hike, an early dinner downtown or a stroll through the local library remind us why we’ve chosen to make our homes in this unique part of the world.

Welcome to April in Brevard!