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• June Networking Social: Meet Conner Borkowski — OBA's New Executive Director

  • When
    06/10/2026
  •  
    5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    The Meadow at Highland Brewing

  Register

  The Outdoor Business Alliance invites you to raise a glass and welcome our new Executive Director, Conner Borkowski! Come network with fellow OBA members and get to know the person leading our alliance forward in a silo in the Meadow at Highland Brewing.
  
  This is a casual evening of beer, conversation, and community. Whether you're a longtime member or just getting involved, we'd love to see you there.
  
  A big thank you to Highland Brewing for hosting us, and to our co-host MADE MTNS for all that you do! We hope to see you there!

  
  

  Hosted by: Outdoor Business Alliance

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• Daniel Summerlin Impact Invitational Golf

  • When
    06/16/2026
  •  
    8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Location
    Balsam Mountain Preserve 81 Preserve Rd Sylva NC, 28779

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Mark your calendars: June 16, 2026 — The Daniel Summerlin Impact Invitational

  Now in its fourth year at Balsam Mountain Preserve, we’re honored to continue partnering with one of the most breathtaking and exclusive golf venues in the Southeast. The Arnold Palmer Championship Course offers a playing experience that’s both pristine and unforgettable—set high in the mountains, surrounded by protected wilderness, and maintained with true excellence.

  This year, we’re building on real momentum. The 2025 tournament came within one team of a full sellout, featured more sponsors than ever before, and delivered new on-course contests and elevated prizes. In 2026, we’re adding even more—including an all-new post-round awards lunch and celebration.

  Proceeds from this event directly support PIVOTPoint WNC’s school-based prevention programs, which use experiential learning to help students build connection, resilience, and a stronger sense of self. Every team, every sponsor, every swing makes a difference.

  Join us for a day of purpose, play, and community at one of the most extraordinary mountain courses in the region.

  We’ll see you June 16.

  
  

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• An Evening with FIND Outdoors at the Cradle of Forestry

  • When
    07/15/2026
  •  
    5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Cradle of Forestry - 11250 Pisgah Hwy. Pisgah Forest, NC 28768

  Register

  Join us for the July member social, hosted with FIND Outdoors and the Cradle of Forestry!

  FIND is an outdoor recreation nonprofit that centers forest education and stewardship. In partnership with the US Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers, we inspire people to connect with nature through well-managed outdoor recreation sites, campgrounds, visitor centers, guided tours, and educational and outdoor opportunities for all ages and abilities. We also manage retail outlets that offer forest-related gifts and souvenirs, nature-based activities for children, local crafts, and trail guides. 

  FIND began over a half-century ago as The Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association. The Cradle of Forestry is a 6,500-acre site in the heart of the Pisgah that was established to “preserve, develop, and make available to this and future generations the birthplace of forestry and forestry education in America.” It was originally home to the Biltmore Forest School, which was the first school of forestry in America. The site features seven historic buildings, an interactive discovery center, miles of paved trails, and regular educational and interpretive programming. 

  
  

  
  

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• Working with Bone - An Overlooked Gift w/ Josh Barnwell

  • When
    08/15/2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    40 Avon Rd, Asheville, NC 28805

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Explore traditional bone crafting as you shape tools and adornments by hand—a hands-on workshop rooted in skill, care, and kinship.

  Since time immemorial, bone has filled a material niche for humanity. Harder and sharper than wood, less brittle than stone, this often over-looked gift from our four-legged kin brings both beauty and function and has been used by all of our ancestors to shape our world.

  With expert guidance from beloved Firefly Gathering instructor Josh Barnwell, participants will pick a project suited to your interests and needs: an awl or needle, a crochet hook, hair pin or even a whistle! In this hands-on workshop, you will transform these material gifts into beautiful functional crafts that invite the natural world into your daily life. Through cleaning, shaping, polishing, and finishing bone by hand, we’ll explore both the practical skills of the craft and the deeper understanding that comes from working directly with animal bodies.

  Participants will learn:

  Proper sourcing, handling and storage of bone

  Basic deer anatomy and how it relates to human anatomy

  How to select the right bone for different projects

  Understanding and experience of which tools to use while working with bone and how to safely use them

  Best practices for cleaning, shaping, polishing, and finishing bone

  The basics of scrimshaw and other decorative techniques

  Examples of additional bone projects to inspire future exploration

  This class is open to all skill levels, from absolute beginners to experienced makers curious to explore a new material. By crafting with bone, participants are invited into a deeper relationship with the more-than-human world—one that can quietly shift how we understand kinship, care, and our human place within the larger living web of life.

  This class will be held outdoors on Saturday, August 15th, 2026, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Asheville, NC.

  
  

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• Broom Making: Craft a Turkey-Wing Whisk Broom w/ Emileigh Zola

  • When
    08/23/2026
  •  
    1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    74 South Main Street, Marshall, NC 28753

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Gather in community to make a traditional whisk broom by hand. A calm, intentional workshop rooted in rhythm and care.

  Join longtime Firefly friend Emileigh Zola, for an afternoon of broomcraft and belonging. More than a traditional handcraft class, this workshop is a community-oriented gathering, a connective space; an invitation to slow down, settle in, and create with intention.

  Emileigh brings Rhythm & Ritual to everything she does and won't be able to join us at the Annual Gathering this year; so now is your chance to soak up the calm and meditative vibe that Emileigh creates, while learning an ancient skill that serves form, function and connection.

  Together, we’ll slow down and work with natural materials to create a traditional turkey-wing whisk broom, learning each step of the tying process along the way. Using broomcorn stems, participants will also weave a decorative handle, gaining a versatile technique that can be adapted to make other styles of whisk brooms in the future.

  This class is designed to be accessible to beginners and welcoming to all. The repetitive motions of broom-making offer a grounding, meditative experience, while the shared space encourages presence, intention, and creativity in community.

  Participants can expect to:

  Learn about broomcorn and its historical role in traditional broom-making

  Set intentions for the time together

  Take part in an inclusive, supportive creative space

  Tie a traditional turkey-wing whisk broom

  Weave a decorative handle using broomcorn stems

  Participants will leave with a finished whisk broom, the foundational skills to continue making brooms on their own, and a renewed sense of connection: to themselves, to community and to keeping traditional Appalachian craft alive through shared practices and hands-on learning.

  This class will be held indoors on Sunday, August 30th, 2026, from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm in Marshall, NC.

  
  

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• Basket Weaving: Willow Picnic Baskets w/ Tyler Lavenburg (3 Days)

  • Start
    09/18/2026
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • End
    09/20/2026
  •  
    5:00 PM
  • Location
    McDaris Cove Rd. Weaverville, NC 28787

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Weave a traditional willow picnic basket by hand in this immersive 3-day workshop rooted in skill, heritage, and use.

  Willow basketry is a craft built slowly—through repetition, patience and the steady conversation between hands and material. In this immersive 3-day willow workshop, you’ll weave a durable, beautifully functional picnic / gathering basket using the traditional European stake and strand method, a technique carried across generations by migrant ancestors and still trusted today.

  Working with strong yet supple willow, you’ll create a compact version of a full pack basket, but small enough to manage comfortably, yet still crafted with strength and durability. These baskets are meant to be used: for harvesting food, carrying daily essentials, or heading out into the wilderness for a beautiful picnic! Your finished piece will be completed with your choice of a wrapped willow handle or soft leather straps.

  Beloved Firefly friend and willow weaver Tyler Lavenburg, guides the process with care and attention, helping students move through the inevitable moments of challenge toward real skill and confidence. As your basket takes form, you’ll learn a variety of traditional weaves while developing an intuitive understanding of how willow bends, holds, and even breaks–such good metaphors for life.

  Open to all experience levels, this class is ideal for anyone drawn to traditional handcraft, practical skill-building, and the quiet pride of making the things we need in our everyday lives.

  You’ll Walk Away With:

  A beautiful and unique handwoven picnic / gathering basket made start to finish by you

  Knowledge of willow propagation, tending and sustainable harvesting techniques

  Hands-on experience with a variety of traditional basket weaves

  The skills and understanding to replicate the entire weaving process on your own

  A deeper connection to an ancient craft rooted in European heritage

  A renewed confidence and appreciation for what your hands can make and do

  This class will be held outdoors on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, September 18-20, 2026, from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm on Friday and 9:00 am – 5:00 pm on Saturday & Sunday, near Weaverville, NC.

  
  

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• Appalachian Folk Medicine w/ Byron Ballard

  • When
    10/10/2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    60 State St, Asheville, NC 28806

  
  

  EVENR DETAILS HERE!
  

  Discover Appalachian folk medicine through hands-on herbal craft, story, and the living traditions of the mountains.

  Just in time for Samhain, step into the wild heart of southern Appalachia and explore its vibrant folk traditions through the wisdom of Appalachian magic practitioner and beloved storyteller, Byron Ballard.

  Carried across oceans in the hearts of immigrants and woven together with local Indigenous plant knowledge, Appalachian folk medicine is a unique living, breathing tradition: practical, powerful, ancestral. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll trace the twisty history of these old medicines and discover how culture, land, and spirit shaped a distinctly Appalachian healing practice.

  Together, we’ll roll up our sleeves and work with the plants themselves — crafting tinctures and poultices, and creating traditional asfidity (protection) bags from up-cycled fabric. These humble tools carry generations of knowledge about protection, restoration, and care of both body, spirit and the land.

  Midway through, we’ll break bread and share a warming bowl of soup, nourishing body and spirit in good company.

  Participants will also spend time with the Seven Sovereign Sisters of the Appalachian mountains, learning the stories and healing relationships surrounding these beloved plant allies. Alongside the herbal work, Byron will guide deep relaxation techniques rooted in traditional practice — reminding us that healing has always been about tending the whole person.

  Throughout the day, we’ll explore the culture and heritage behind these practices, dispelling stereotypes and gaining a fuller, truer understanding of Appalachian people and their ways. These traditions are not relics — they are vital threads in the living fabric of the region.

  In this workshop, you will:

  Learn the history and cultural roots of Appalachian folk medicine

  Explore the blending of British Isles traditions and native plant wisdom

  Work hands-on with tinctures, poultices, and traditional protection bags

  Meet the Seven Sovereign Sisters and their healing uses

  Practice deep relaxation techniques grounded in folk tradition

  Gain a richer, more nuanced understanding of Appalachian people and culture

  Come spend the day in the old ways — practical, grounded, generous — and leave with skills, stories, and a deeper connection to mountain folk medicine.

  This class will be held indoors on Saturday, Octber 10th, 2026, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Asheville, NC.

  
  

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• Rawhide Lanterns w/ Josh Barnwell

  • When
    11/14/2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    60 State St, Asheville, NC 28806

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Craft a rawhide candle lantern by hand and explore this ancient material’s luminous magic in a hands-on workshop.

  As the leaves fall and the diminishing days lead to long November nights, we turn toward one of the oldest human instincts: to tend a small fire and lean in towards the light. Before glass was common, before hardware stores and headlamps, people depended on candles, shaping the materials around them into vessels to protect the light. Rawhide has been meeting this need across continents and cultures since time immemorial. When held to a flame, its translucent surface softens and amplifies candlelight like nothing else, glowing beautifully and coming to life with the flame.

  In this hands-on workshop, we’ll join beloved Firefly Gathering friend & instructor, Josh Barnwell, in crafting our own individual rawhide candle lantern rooted in European designs dating back to the Iron Age.

  During this workshop, you will:

  Learn how rawhide is made and why it behaves so differently from leather

  Explore its unique properties as a natural material

  Select and assess hides for your project

  Create and pattern your own lantern design

  Clean and prepare the lantern body

  Practice basic rawhide stitching

  Assemble your own working candle lantern

  This class is open to all skill levels, whether you’re brand new to handcraft or already comfortable with natural materials, you’ll find something here: a new medium, a new technique, a new way of being with the light. Each participant will take home your finished rawhide candle lantern, as well as the knowledge and skill to continue experimenting, adapting and following your inspiration wherever it leads.

  This class will be held indoors on Saturday, November 14th, 2026, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Asheville, NC.

  
  

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• Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making w/ Jess Kaufman

  • When
    12/19/2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    726 Haywood Rd, Asheville 28806

  
  

  EVENT DETAILS HERE!
  

  Celebrate the Solstice by hand-dipping beeswax candles in this cozy, hands-on workshop rooted in tradition and light.

  On the longest nights of the year, we’ll come together in warmth and good company for this age-old Solstice tradition: hand-dipping beeswax candles, a timeless practice that invites patience, presence and a quiet resilience.

  In the 5th Annual cozy, hands-on workshop, you’ll gather around the “fire” of gently simmering cauldrons of golden beeswax, the earthy-sweet smell filling the air. Settle into the calming rhythm of dip, cool, and repeat as your tapers slowly take shape. Jess Kaufman, local batik artist and founder of WAXON, will guide you through the candle-making process while sharing the deeper story of beeswax—an increasingly rare and precious gift from our pollinator kin.

  You’ll also learn how WAXON’s zero-waste batik studio reclaims and reuses every drop of wax, honoring this sacred material through careful stewardship and creative reuse. The result is a practice rooted not only in craft, but in sustainability and care.

  Participants will leave with:

  Two pairs of hand-dipped beeswax taper candles (four total, with the option to make more)

  Practical candle-making skills, from wick selection to tapering, trimming, and shaping, along with tricks learned over time

  A shared sense of connection and joy as we honor the darkness and welcome the returning light in the 5th Annual Solstice Beeswax Candle Dipping Workshop

  Jess says her favorite part of the class is “watching the joy on people’s faces as their candles grow.” Come celebrate the Solstice, kindle your own light, and take part in a tradition that weaves together community, craft, and reverence for the natural world.

  This class will be held indoors on Saturday, December 19th, 2026, from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm in Asheville, NC.

  
  

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