A chill is in the air! That means cozying up with a good book, putting on some music, enjoying a few good frights, and spending time with family and friends. Upcoming BCSC events and programs are good opportunities for all those things!
On October 14, we’ll mark the 400th birthday of the oldest book in BCSC’s collection with a Rare Books Bash featuring this and other extra-special items in our collection. The Land of the Sky 101 book club will meet on November 1 to discuss two tales of terror from Asheville’s past.
November will also be a month to remember Asheville from 1925-2025, particularly the past century of music history in the region. Throughout the month, a new exhibition, Mountain Metropolis: The Land of the Sky in the Roaring ’20s will be on view at the library. Join us the afternoon of November 1 to celebrate with a kickoff party—jazz age attire encouraged!
From November 6-9, BCSC and community partners will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the historic Asheville Sessions, including a two-day symposium delving into the history and ongoing legacy of this remarkable recording project on November 7 and 8.
Finally, the holidays are also a great time to do a little recording session of your own. Did you know that you can use your library card to borrow oral history and personal archiving kits?
Celebrating the holidays with family, friends, and neighbors is a perfect excuse to share and preserve memories for future generations, and BCSC can help you plan your project. Call us at 828-250-4740 to reserve a backpack!
With this backpack I was able to record my mother retelling her history to my daughter. We had so much fun using the question prompts and giggled our way through the stories. It wasn’t until I listened to it to ensure it all came through that I started tearing up. To have such a sweet, happy, lively conversation with three generations of women is an incredible gift to my family. I’m glad I didn’t wait until it was too late with my mom. —Library patron
Find more details on upcoming events below!
Rare Books Bash!
Tuesday, October 14, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Special Collections Reading Room, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
Buncombe County Special Collections is home to thousands of books. Some of them are brand new and easy to find, but others are far more elusive…
At this event we’ll be celebrating the 400th BIRTHDAY of the oldest book in our collection, as well as exhibiting some of our other unique rarities: translations of Thomas Wolfe’s most famous works in Japanese and Arabic, illustrated 18th century volumes on natural history, and many, many more!
Plus—don’t forget to come back for the Friends of Pack Memorial Library’s annual Antique & Collectible Book Sale on October 24-25 to find some special books to take home with you!
Rising Waters: Writing Place and Environment Series
Thursday, October 30, 6:00 – 7:30pm
UNC Asheville, Highsmith Student Union, Blue Ridge Room, Asheville
Duke hydrologist Ryan Emanuel and East Carolina University literary scholar Kirstin Squint will discuss the centrality of place and water for southern Indigenous people. Dr. Squint will trace connections between two decades of hurricanes, from Katrina to Helene, emphasizing the importance of the stories we tell about water and its impacts on our lives. Dr. Emanuel will consider what it means to build and maintain cultural connections to water and watery places in a time of rapid environmental change.
Land of the Sky 101 Book Club
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 10:30am – noon
Special Collections Reading Room, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
Land of the Sky 101 is a community learning circle for those who are interested in the history of Asheville, Buncombe County, and Western North Carolina.
This four-part series of readings and discussions is modeled after the themes of the exhibit An Incomplete History of Buncombe County in the BCSC reading room. Readers can choose from two selections; one light read like a novel, essay collection, or poetry; and one rigorous non-fiction read written by an expert on the subject. Pick one or both! The choice is yours!
Each session is facilitated by a Buncombe County Special Collections librarian or special guest who shares expert knowledge, additional resources, and sets the context for the conversation.
For the final session of the 2025 cohort, we will be reading and discussing Murder at Asheville’s Battery Park Hotel: The Search for Helen Clevenger’s Killer by Anne Chesky and The Devil Hath a Pleasing Shape by Terry Roberts, a thrilling noir set against the backdrop of the Grove Park Inn in autumn 1924.
The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 years of Americana & Appalachia
In August 1925, a portable recording studio took over a suite in the brand‑new George Vanderbilt Hotel in downtown Asheville. For ten days, legendary producer Ralph Peer invited fiddlers, banjo players, singers, and dance bands from across the region to step up to the acoustic recording horn and cut their songs directly to wax.
The result? The first commercial recordings ever made in Appalachia—an on‑location experiment that captured the region’s ballads, fiddle tunes, gospel, blues, and vaudeville inside a single hotel room.
If the 1927 Bristol Sessions that came two years later are remembered as the “Big Bang of Country Music,” the Asheville Sessions lit the fuse. They proved the mountains were full of music the world needed to hear, and they set the stage for the explosion of American roots music that followed.
As part of the celebration of a century of music history, Buncombe County Special Collections is proud to partner through an exhibition, kick-off party, and two-day Asheville Sessions Symposium & Panels.
Exhibition—Mountain Metropolis: The “Land of the Sky” in the Roaring ’20s
Exhibition opening Saturday, November 1, 2025. Kickoff party 2:00 – 5:00 pm!
Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
This exhibition organized by BCSC staff and guest curator Brody Hunt will highlight the historic Asheville Sessions and George Vanderbilt Hotel. Step back in time to discover what Asheville was like in 1925, especially the people and places associated with these momentous recording sessions.
Mountain Metropolis Kickoff Party
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Lord Auditorium, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
Join us for a roaring ’20s-inspired kickoff party to celebrate the exhibition Mountain Metropolis: The “Land of the Sky” in the Roaring ’20s and The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 years of Americana & Appalachia on Saturday, November 1.
This event will feature live music by Russ Wilson’s 10 Kings of Jazz, Andrew Fletcher, and Brody Hunt. Jazz age attire is encouraged!
Historic 1925 Asheville Sessions Symposium & Panels
Friday, November 7 & Saturday, November 8, 2025, 10:30am – noon
The Venue, 21 N. Market Street, Asheville
Friday, November 7: Dive deep into the history and legacy of Asheville’s landmark 1925 recording sessions with a day of free panels and discussions. The day features a look at “Asheville in 1925” with Katherine Cutshall, Special Collections Manager, and the art of “Remastering Acoustic Recordings” with Bryan Wright of Rivermont Records.
In the afternoon, music historians Ted Olson and Tony Russell will discuss the lasting significance of the sessions. The day concludes with a special “Gathering of Descendants,” as relatives of the original recording artists share their family stories and musical legacies.
Saturday, November 8: Explore the enduring impact of Appalachian music with another day of free panels. Following up on the historic 1925 Asheville Sessions—the first commercial recordings ever made in the region—this symposium delves into the continuing influence of this music. The day includes discussions on “Using Music to Recover From Disasters,” the “Continuing Legacy of Live in AVL,” and a fascinating look at “Eastern Band of the Cherokee Influence on the Traditional Music and Dance of Western Carolina.”
Find more information here about events taking place as part of “The Asheville Sessions: Celebrating 100 years of Americana & Appalachia,” a November weekend filled with concerts and events linking the groundbreaking work of 1925 to the city’s thriving modern music scene, presented by Explore Asheville.
Please also take note of the following upcoming schedule changes:
November: All Buncombe County Public Libraries will be closed Tuesday, November 11, and Thursday, November 27 – Saturday, November 29, 2025.
December: From Saturday, December 6 – Saturday, December 13, BCSC will be open by appointment only to allow staff time to complete special projects. Appointments will be limited to two hours and must be scheduled at least one business day in advance. All Buncombe County Public Libraries will be closed Wednesday, December 24 – Saturday, December 27, 2025.
Learn more about planning a research trip to BCSC here. Thank you for planning your visit accordingly!
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Thank you, so much great stuff going on this fall. Thanks for all you do, to help preserve our mountain history! XO
Thank you, Ben! It’s a privilege to be able to share this history with our community!