News

WEEKEND! Cider, Wine & Dine, 'Ring of Fire' and Earth Fest on tap

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 21, 2023

Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend starts today, the Johnny Cash tribute show "Ring of Fire" opens tonight and Hendersonville's first Earth Fest is Saturday. Here's the scoop:

Cider Wine & Dine

More than a dozen venues will offer tastings, tours, new releases, picnics, pairing dinners, live music and vineyard hikes during the three-day Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Approximately 50 events take place throughout the weekend including dining, dancing and discovering new delights.

“It’s fun to see all of these local, craft producers come together for a weekend of events,” said Michelle Owens, executive director of Visit Hendersonville, the event sponsor. “Each one does an excellent job on its own, but when they pair their beverages with local foods, local bands playing music and other outdoor activities, it elevates the experience for visitors.”
The weekend is designed to encourage patrons to get out to the vineyards, orchards and tasting rooms, many located in the Blue Ridge countryside, and see where these wines and ciders begin their journey from field to bottle. Participating wineries are part of the Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA, North Carolina’s newest wine region. The cideries draw on decades of apple-growing heritage and a bounty of fresh fruit from area orchards.
Souther Williams Vineyard, which celebrates its one-year anniversary this spring, hosts hike-and-sip tours throughout the day on Friday, April 21. Guests traverse the N.C. Bicentennial Farm, which has been in owner Ken Parker’s family since 1800, and hear how he transitioned the property from traditional agricultural crops into a vineyard, all while sampling five different wines.
Marked Tree Vineyard will serve a savory vintner’s dinner with sunset views Friday evening featuring four courses, each paired with a Marked Tree wine produced from meticulously tended European vinifera and French-American hybrid grapevines in surrounding vineyards.
On Saturday, visitors can be among the first to see Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards’ new on-site winery and taste wines straight from the barrel. Across the road, folks can enjoy live music while sipping dry, European-style ciders and overlooking a hillside orchard at Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider.
Sunday’s finale at Point Lookout Vineyards features a Celtic band and the opportunity to taste a variety of meads and wines at the mountaintop tasting room.
Events are both free and ticketed. For a full schedule and weekend lodging options, click here or call 828-693-9708.

'Ring of Fire' opens tonight

From the songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and the healing power of home and family. More than two dozen classic hits including “I Walk the Line,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.”

“Having spent many years working on various productions of Ring of Fire — this production will be my personal 10th! — the most extraordinary thing I keep finding about Mr. Cash is how unanimously loved he is, even now, 20 years since his death," Director Ben Hope says. "No other project seems to attract such a varied and enthusiastic crowd as the music of Johnny Cash. I think it's because he wrote for the ordinary. His words and music are authentic and simple, and he speaks plainly about things we all connect with. He was fallible, with personal demons and shortcomings. He makes us feel like our own imperfections are normal and mundane, and he teaches us that there's beauty and hope, even in despair. I love Johnny Cash, and I know Flat Rock audiences are going to love 'Ring of Fire'.”

The show runs from April 21 to May 6 on the Leiman Mainstage. Tickets range from $52 to $72. Student prices are available for ages 18 and under. For more information, call 828.693.0731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org

Ring of Fire is presented by WHKP and Carolina Ace Hardware. Flat Rock Playhouse’s 2023 Season is supported by Charlotte & Bob Otto, Optimum, WHKP, and WTZQ as well as the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. www.NCArts.org

Hendo Earth Fest

The city of Hendersonville will celebrate the first-ever Hendo Earth Fest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Earth Day, Saturday.

Local organizations and environmental champions will educate, entertain and raise awareness of the need to protect the planet for future generations. The festival is sponsored by the ESB in association with the Blue Ridge EV Club, Team ECCO, Conserving Carolina, Mountain True, Caregivers of Mother Earth and Trinity Presbyterian Church. The festival will be held on Main Street between Fourth and Sixth avenues and on Fifth Avenue between Wall Street and King Street 

At 10:30 a.m., Mayor Pro Tem Lyndsey Simpson and Council Member Jennifer Hensley will welcome attendees and provide remarks from the steps of City Hall along Fifth Avenue East.

In the 400 block of Main Street, the ESB will have exhibits and activities to inform, renew and expand knowledge on how to preserve the local environment. The Aquarium and Shark Lab by Team ECCO will have water-related exhibits and fun activities for children and adults on the 500 block of Main Street. On Fifth Avenue, the Blue Ridge EV Club will display electric-powered sedans, crossovers, SUVs, trucks, electric bikes, and more.

The Blue Ridge Bicycle Club is leading two community rides to Hendo Earth Fest each starting at 10:00 am. One ride begins at First Congregational Church (1735 Fifth Ave. West) and the second begins at Patton Park (114 East Clairmont Drive) to Fourth Avenue ending at City Hall on Fifth Avenue. Henderson County Sheriff’s Office VIP personnel will provide traffic assistance at key intersections.

Plenty of parking is available in the new parking deck on Church Street and Fifth Avenue West as well as in the Azalea and Spruce parking lots. Free parking options are available a short walk beyond the boundaries of Church Street and King Street. Hendo Earth Fest attendees are also encouraged to park at Patton Park or Jackson Park and bike to the event, where a bike corral provided by the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club will be available. For more information visit www.hvlnc.gov/hendoearthfest.

BOGO tickets for jazz trio

Hendersonville Theatre is offering a BOGO ticket special for the performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday of the Jon Stickley Trio, April’s intimate Hometown Sound concert. A progressive ensemble from Asheville, the band is rooted in bluegrass, but also incorporates Gypsy jazz, grunge, folk-punk and jam-band styles. With inspiration ranging from Green Day to Duran Duran to Nirvana and the Grateful Dead, the trio has released several albums on the Organic Label and is currently touring nationally. Click here for tickets or call 828-692-1082.