“Fall has always had a special place in my heart. […] It’s a time when everything’s changing…and that reminds all of us that a little bit of change can be beautiful.” –Dolly Parton, September 2023
The approaching autumn always brings a sense of reflection and renewal—maybe even more strongly this year, in light of the recent loss of an Appalachian icon. That makes it a perfect time to explore the histories and traditions that shape our region (not that there’s ever a bad time!)
We hope you’ll join us in the coming months for exhibitions and events exploring histories of labor, agriculture, and rural communities in Western North Carolina (plus a bit of regional folklore in the Halloween spirit!)
News & Updates
In July and August, we closed out exhibitions about North Carolina’s role in the American Revolution and about Asheville’s legacy of street art.
We shared vintage technology across generations at the third annual Retro Technology Discovery Day.
The Leicester History Project also continued to grow, with numerous events and new collections telling the story of Leicester, Sandy Mush, and French Broad Townships.
Oral histories and community contributions to the Leicester History Project include this collection of materials from Bill Duckett documenting Leicester residents’ fight against a proposed nuclear waste site in the area in the 1980s.
Other new acquisitions to the collection include historical yearbooks from Carolina Day School (hitting the reference shelves soon), a series of photos of Trantham’s Drug Store in 1952, loaned for digitization by Mary Corn, and oral history interviews about Black history in Weaverville from independent researcher Sharon Fahrer.
Finally, we are saying goodbye to summer volunteers Alie and Maya, along with long-time volunteer Caitrin, who will be starting graduate studies abroad. Wishing the very best of luck to all these hardworking and inquisitive volunteers!
Upcoming Closures and Schedule Changes
Please note that all Buncombe County library locations will be closed on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.
The Buncombe County Special Collections reading room will be open by appointment only during the week of September 14-18. Quarterly in-service weeks like this one make it possible for us to tackle bigger collections projects so that more research materials are available to you. Please call or email in advance to reserve time for research that week. Thank you for planning your visit accordingly!
Check out the full chronological list of BCSC exhibitions and events for September and October below—or visit the BCPL calendar to see all upcoming local history events throughout Buncombe County Public Libraries.
New Exhibitions
Coming Together through Agriculture & Mutual Aid in WNC: Photographs and Interviews by Carolina Corona
September 8–December 31, 2026 during BCSC open hours
Special Collections Reading Room, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
On view in the Buncombe County Special Collections Reading Room from September 8 through December 2026, this exhibition features photographs and interviews by artist Carolina Corona exploring the experiences of farm workers in Asheville, Fairview, Leicester, and Marion. The collection “tells a story of the power of community and of what has been accomplished through mutual aid in WNC,” says Corona. “Every farm I visited was so welcoming and open to sharing their knowledge, experience, and harvest. I could truly feel the solidarity and learned so much spending time in community with these amazing individuals.”
This exhibition features bilingual content in English and Spanish.
Off-Site Exhibition: The Early Years of Agriculture and the NC Cooperative Extension in Buncombe County
September 11–September 20, 2026
Expo Building, NC Mountain State Fair, WNC Ag Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd., Fletcher
As part of a partnership with the Buncombe County Agriculture and Land Resources Department and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Buncombe County Center, Buncombe County Special Collections will host an exhibit about the history of agriculture and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Buncombe County at the Mountain State Fair, September 11-20 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. The exhibit will be on display in the Expo building on the fairgrounds.
September-October Events
Land of the Sky 101 Book Club
Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 5:30pm–7:00pm
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.
On September 1, 2026, Land of the Sky 101 will discuss:
- The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
- The Maya of Morganton: Work and Community in the Nuevo New South by Leon Fink
As of August 31, there are still a few spots available for the September 1 session–feel free to register whether you’ve read the books or not!
Hollering in North Carolina: Ancient Communication for Rural (and Urban) Life
Thursday, September 17, 5:30–7:30 pm
Sandy Mush Community Center, 19 School Road, Leicester, NC
Hollering, one of the oldest forms of communication, is found in communities around the world. Whether agricultural, pastoral, nomadic or urban, cultures everywhere have used hollers to communicate across long distances, get work done, and express their emotions. In the United States, rural farming communities made use of hollers for hundreds of years. In this presentation Lynch-Thomason will discuss hollering traditions from the North Carolina Piedmont as well as the Deep South. She’ll holler some samples of cow-calling, calling for water, distress calls, and a variety of expressive hollers—and get the audience involved as well!
This event is presented in partnership with the Leicester Library as part of the Leicester History Project, a project to collect, preserve, and share the history of Leicester, Sandy Mush, and French Broad Townships.
Opening Reception: Coming Together through Agriculture & Mutual Aid in WNC
Tuesday, September 22, 6:00–7:30 pm
Special Collections Reading Room, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
Join us to celebrate the opening of the exhibition Coming Together through Agriculture & Mutual Aid in WNC: Photographs and Interviews by Carolina Corona. Light refreshments will be served.
Book Talk with Leicester Author Ann Howell
Saturday, September 26, 2026, 3:00–4:30pm
Meeting Room, Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Road, Leicester, NC
Peek into Buncombe and Madison County history with local author Ann Howell as she shares from her recently published novel, Never Let Me Go. Never Let Me Go was published by Holland Press in 2025 and follows her great-grandfather’s journey in the Civil War with Co.K, NC 25th Regiment.
Ann will read from her novel and share the research and inspiration involved in writing this story.
Storytelling with Bert Abrams at the Sandy Mush Harvest Festival
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Sandy Mush Community Center, 19 School Road, Leicester, NC
Buncombe County Special Collections will host a booth and storytelling event with Sandy Mush native Bert Abrams at the Sandy Mush Harvest Festival and Country Fair on Saturday, September 26. The fair will be held at the Sandy Mush Community Center beginning at 2pm with fun for the whole family. Stay until 7pm for a traditional square dance. Visit sandymushcommunitycenter.org for more details.
The Farm at Black Mountain College
Thursday, October 1, 2026, 10:00–11:00am
Lord Auditorium, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
While many people know about Black Mountain College, few know about its farms—both at Blue Ridge and Lake Eden campuses. These farms were started and sustained by (mostly) students, served to save the college money and help build community, and for a while, especially during World War II, supplied the college with most of its food. Significantly, the college learned how to farm from local farmers, including those with the Asheville Farm School (now Warren Wilson College) and the nearby Mountain Test Farm.
Join David Silver, professor at the University of San Francisco and author of The Farm at Black Mountain College, as he shares insights and stories about food and farming at Black Mountain College.
Panel Discussion: Coming Together through Agriculture & Mutual Aid in WNC
Monday, October 12, 5:30–6:30 pm
Lord Auditorium, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Hawyood Street, Asheville
This panel discussion will feature speakers from Semilla de Vida, Tierra Fertil, Root Cause Farm, Southside Community Farm, and PG Produce-Tomas Farms. This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Coming Together through Agriculture & Mutual Aid in WNC: Photographs and Interviews by Carolina Corona, on view through December 2026.
Tar Heel Terrors with Liz Z. Pardue
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 5:30–6:30pm
Lord Auditorium, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville
Tar Heel Terrors is a spine-tingling storytelling experience by Liz Z Pardue that explores North Carolina’s most chilling ghost stories, haunted legends, mysterious folklore, and eerie true tales. Through captivating storytelling, Liz takes audiences on a journey across the state, uncovering the spirits, supernatural encounters, and dark history that have shaped the Tar Heel State’s most unforgettable mysteries.
Perfect for fans of folklore, local history, and the paranormal, this entertaining program offers a hauntingly fun look at North Carolina’s spooky side.
Community Events
We’d also like to highlight a few free events from our friends and partners that may appeal to our patrons interested in regional history and memory. Please refer to the links for further information or to RSVP. These events are not organized or hosted by BCSC or other Buncombe County Public Libraries staff. Please contact their respective host organizations with any questions.
Dry Ridge Historical Museum: Garry Linton – The Liberty Tree
Thursday, September 10, 2026, 10:30–11:30am
60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville
During the American Revolution, Patriots gathered under the Liberty Tree to voice opposition to Britain. Garry will talk about how the Liberty Tree represents the enduring principles of community action and shared civic responsibility. This event is free. Donations for the support of the Museum are always appreciated. RSVP on Facebook.
UNC Asheville: Appalachian Flooding in Fact and Fiction
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 5:30–7:00pm
Blue Ridge Room, Highsmith Union, UNC Asheville
Nico Zegre, Ph.D., explores how floods work, what flooding looks like in Appalachia, and why floods are changing. He will discuss how the region’s steep topography, narrow valleys, and limited flat land for development contribute to significant flood risks, as well as how flooding connects Appalachian communities through space and time.
Literary scholar Jessica Cory, Ph.D., examines representations of flooding in Appalachian literature, from early works to contemporary depictions in 21st century texts. Through mapping literary floods across the region, Cory explores how water connects us, even in disastrous ways.
This event is free and open to the public; however, registration is encouraged. Register here.
Wilma Dykeman Legacy: Family of Earth: A Southern Mountain Childhood
Monday, October 5, 2026, 7:00–8:00pm
Battery Park Book Exchange, 1 Page Avenue #101, Asheville
Join the Wilma Dykeman Legacy in person or online via Zoom at the beautiful Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar in downtown Asheville for a heartwarming dive into A Southern Mountain Childhood with Wilma Dykeman’s family stories. The discussion, led by Wilma’s son Jim Stokely, brings alive the rich traditions and tales that shaped a unique Southern experience.
Thomas Wolfe Memorial: Film Screening – You Can’t Go Home Again from CBS (1979)
Friday, October 16, 2026, 7:00pm
Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 North Market Street, Asheville
Join the Thomas Wolfe Memorial for for a special screening of You Can’t Go Home Again from CBS, a rare chance to experience Thomas Wolfe’s work on screen. This adaptation of the classic novel stars Chris Sarandon and Lee Grant and follows the story of a young writer trying to make it in New York, his relationships, and the editor who sees his potential for literary genius. Please reserve your seat with the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.
Got feedback on past BCSC events or ideas for future ones? Let us know in this short, anonymous survey or email us!
To stay up-to-date on upcoming BCSC events, consider signing up for our blog via email, following us on Instagram or Facebook, or visiting the Buncombe County Public Libraries calendar. (Hint: Use the “Program Type” filter to view only events with a local history focus!)
