The 41st annual “Lights & Luminaries” will return from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 13-14 in the streets of downtown Dillsboro.

Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter and song. Over 2,500 luminaries light your way to shops and studios. 

Watershed Association of the Tuckaseegee River (WATR) is holding a celebration and fundraising event.

The event, which a release noted will celebrate WATR’s “past, present and future,” will be held from 4-8 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Innovation Station in Dillsboro. 

As the temperature drops in Western North Carolina, the fun only heats up. The holiday season here is filled with events and activities aimed to celebrate the best way we know how — with friends, family and visitors alike. 

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Jackson County Economic Development has put together a grant opportunity for businesses impacted by the storm.  

Jackson County was largely spared the damning effects of Hurricane Helene from which its neighbors to the east are still reeling. However, heavy rains and high winds have left thousands without power, water and telephone or internet service.  

The 16th annual ColorFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in downtown Dillsboro. 

The annual “Youth Arts Festival” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. 

Two projects will come to fruition this month that honor the lives of those who were victims of incarcerated labor in Western North Carolina during the Jim Crow era — a highway marker in Dillsboro, and an exhibit at the Mountain Heritage Center in Cullowhee.

The Appalachian Women’s Museum “Airing of the Quilts” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the museum in Dillsboro. 

Balsam Mountain Trust announced its seventh-annual Bird Festival celebrating World Migratory Bird Day.