Hayley Benton

hbenton@citizen-times.com

1. The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands.

In its 69th year, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands returns to downtown Asheville's U.S. Cellular Center, filling both the concourse and arena levels with master craftspeople and their various wares. The craft that will be on display ranges from contemporary to traditional in works of clay, wood, metal, glass, fiber, natural materials, paper, leather, mixed media and jewelry — and will be available for purchase during the event. Attendees can browse or buy at nearly 200 booths, and food, drink and music will be on-site for guests to recharge and relax. The fair runs from July 21-24, and entry tickets are $8 for adults and free for children younger than 12. The event is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. To learn more or for a list of vendors, visit craftguild.org.

2. Fox & Beggar Theater presents "Tarocco: A Soldier’s Tale."

Asheville's “dreampunk cirque nouveau” performing arts troupe, Fox & Beggar Theater, will present a tale inspired by the Tarot this weekend, July 22-24. "Tarocco" tells the story of an Italian World War I infantryman, trapped behind enemy lines after narrowly escaping death. The soldier happens upon a dying man and tries to comfort him with stories from the Tarocco Piemontese, an ancient deck of cards preceding the modern Tarot deck. Using circus arts, dance, mask-and-puppet theater, original music, elaborate costumes and animation, the cards lead the doomed soldier through his own mind, seeing the characters from the deck come to life in his final hours. The performance is held at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 4 p.m. show on Sunday. Tickets are $27.50 for adults and $22.50 for seniors and can be purchased at dwtheatre.com.

3. Folkmoot opens for 2016.

Folkmoot invites Western North Carolina to experience the vibrancy of many different cultures in a single community, and the festival opens this weekend at Lake Junaluska's Stuart Auditorium with dance, music, costumes and culture. The grand opening performance will be 7-10 p.m. on July 22, and the evening will feature 10 group performances with more than 200 international dancers and musicians beside the lake. Dance troupes in 2016 represent the cultures of China, the Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Ghana, Japan, Peru, Poland, Romania, the Eastern Band of Cherokee, local Appalachian groups and a special United States/Mexico collaboration. The word Folkmoot means “meeting of the people,” which is exactly the intention of the festival. Folkmoot provides the opportunity to build a deeper sense of connection, mutual respect and shared purpose by experiencing other cultures. Tickets range from $21-$31 for the grand opening performance and can be purchased at folkmoot.org, where you can also find the festival's full schedule, running through July 31.

4. Celebrate three years with Hi-Wire Brewing.

The beloved brewer of three-ringed beers like Bed of Nails, Lion Tamer and Strong Man is celebrating its third anniversary on Asheville's South Slope this Saturday at 5 p.m. Instead of hosting the party in its smaller, downtown space, though, Hi-Wire Brewing will hold the circus-themed event at its Big Top Production Brewery, 2 Huntsman Place, on July 23. The family friendly event with feature attractions that go along with the brewery's theme, including a Ferris wheel, dual aerialist acts, a Tarot card reader, stilt walkers, a high striker, a face painter and other big-top fun. Additionally (and excitingly, for beer aficionados), Hi-Wire will be pouring eight never-to-be-seen-again sour beers, and the brewers will release the Third Anniversary Beer, a bottle-conditioned gin-barrel fermented tart wild ale brewed with lemongrass. The special release will be available in 750-milliliter cork and caged bottles. In addition to attractions, brews and activities, Hi-Wire will have food on site from its resident food truck, Foothills Local Meats. The party runs from 5-10 p.m. July 23 at the Big Top. In the words of Mr. Kite: Don't be late.

5. Water Liars play The Mothlight.

Get ready for a folksy evening at The Mothlight, brought to you by the Mississippi-based Water Liars and Asheville's own Livingdog. Water Liars have been praised by many a magazine, and they're bringing their sometimes acoustic/sometimes full-band indie folk rock to the West Asheville venue on July 26 at 9:30 p.m. The night will open up with a performance from local folk-noir artist Livingdog, the moniker behind the one-man band that is Corey Parlamento. Click here for more information on both artists or head to themothlight.com to purchase tickets. Tickets are $8 and can also be purchased at the door.