ASHEVILLE - The Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site announces three programs in honor of the famous writer’s 108th birthday. On Oct. 3, 9:30 am -10:00 pm “What is this Dream of Time” reading on the front porch featuring performers Charlie Flynn-McIver and Deborah Austin, joined by harpist Maricia deBary, produced in cooperation with WCQS 88.1 FM.
“Pickin’ on the Porch” from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 3 features well-known Asheville musician Don Humphries who will perform traditional bluegrass music with this tradition continues with a free performance at one of the most famous porches in Asheville, the “Old Kentucky Home.” Best know for the bluegrass song “The Ghost of Eli Renfro”, Humphries will be performing at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 8-10.
The ambivalence Wolfe felt about his hometown takes center stage Thursday, Oct. 2-Sunday, Oct. 5, when the Occasional Theatre brings “Return of an Angel” to the Asheville Community Theatre for an encore run. Written by native playwright Sandra Mason, this play focuses on Wolfe’s return to Asheville in 1937, the first time he’d been home since the release of his debut novel “Look Homeward, Angel,” a book whose thinly veiled characters and events had enraged friends and neighbors when it was published in 1929. Thursday, Friday and Saturday night performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and $15 for students.
The state historic site is located at 52 N. Market Street in downtown Asheville. For more information, call 828-253-8304 or email contactus@wolfememorial.com.
The Thomas Wolfe Memorial is part of the Division of State Historic Sites, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history, and culture through such programs as “Telling Our Stories,” a yearlong celebration of North Carolina’s stories of struggle and freedom, memorable characters and colorful daily life. For more information, visit www.ncculture.com or call 919/ 807-7385.