Blog Posts

The fall season at the Ashe County Little Theatre in West Jefferson will be highlighted by the production of the acclaimed show, Angel Street.

If you love antiques, this annual High Country event is a must! The West Jefferson Olde Time Antiques Fair is held annually in the streets of downtown West Jefferson, located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The event is held in September every year so that visitors can admire the beautiful scenes full of colorful leaves as they stroll and shop! This outdoor antiques fair hosts numerous vendors of antiques (old & modern), collectibles, primitives & rare hard-to-find relics!

The 2018 On the Same Page Literary, which is sponsored primarily by the Ashe County Arts Council and Ashe County Public Library, celebrates new and well-known writers of fiction and non-fictions, memoirs, blogs and more! The festival takes place on Tuesday, September 11th – Saturday, September 15th, and will feature nine authors with a variety of workshops, lectures, events and more.

August through early September is a great time of year to enjoy New River State Park, one of the High Country’s natural treasures. New River State Park offers a variety of learning opportunities for all ages. Typically led by park rangers, these interpretive programs allow the public to gain perspective into what makes North Carolina state parks naturally wonderful.

In addition to offering self-catering lofts with beautiful views of the New River’s South Fork, the New River Escape Barn and Guest House in Fleetwood offers special events such as these quilt barn workshops. Check it out!

Ashe county has been home to many an interesting character. Genevieve Stebbins (1857-1934) might just be one of Blowing Rock’s least well-known, but most-renowned, summer residents. For about ten years beginning in the mid-1890s, she and her husband, a retired British military officer, spent their summers in a house overlooking the Johns River Gorge. Like so many others, they came to the mountains to relax. But relaxation was also what made Stebbins famous. In her lifetime, she was a celebrated teacher of relaxation exercises—including something she called Yoga breathing. It was among the exercises Stebbins taught in Madison Avenue parlors, YMCAs, and at an influential school she began in New York City. Stebbins also debuted innovative performances of self-expressive dance, and Ruth St. Denis and Isadora Duncan were among those inspired by her aesthetics. This talk will share stories from Stebbins’ fascinating life and offer insights about her connection to modern dance and modern Yoga.