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This Thursday, March 17, is St. Patrick’s Day—a day known for wearing green and drinking beer. As “Beer City USA,” Asheville has no shortage of beer‐drinking venues. However, 2016 marks the first year of Asheville’s Emerald City Ball, a new event sponsored by Emerald City Tiny Homes, a local business that is launching on March 17, 2016.
The festivities will include a free showing of The Wizard of Oz, an open mic event with themed music, a costume contest, and a pub crawl.
Since the need for affordable housing was one of the factors that prompted Kelly Palmatier to start Emerald City Tiny Homes (EmeraldCityTinyHomes.com), the ball will raise funds for the North Carolina Housing Coalition (nchousing.org), a non‐profit organization whose mission is “to lead a movement to ensure that every North Carolinian has a home in which to live with dignity and opportunity.”
“Basic housing should be a right for every human,” said Palmatier. “And tiny homes not only have the ability to be more affordable than typical American homes, they also reduce the carbon footprint required to build and run a home.”
Asheville has a large group of tiny home advocates, as evidenced by the growing membership of Asheville’s Tiny Home Association, a local Meetup group. Other tiny home design and building companies also hail from this region, including Wishbone Tiny Homes (WishboneTinyHomes.com) and Brevard Tiny House (BrevardTinyHouse.com).
“I love the way tiny homes have the potential to be extremely eco‐friendly,” said Palmatier, “so the name Emerald City Tiny Homes resonated with me as a fun way to celebrate being green. The timing of the business launch coinciding with St. Patrick’s day seemed like a good excuse to have a huge party for Asheville while also raising funds for a great cause.”
The festivities will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a free showing of The Wizard of Oz at THE BLOCK off biltmore, located at 39 S. Market Street, at the intersection of Eagle Street. This portion of the evening is an all‐ages event. Green punch and free cookies will be available.
At 7:00 p.m., the Emerald City Ball will begin. Revelers are encouraged, but not required, to wear green, dress up in festive St. Patrick’s day attire, or wear any costume related to The Wizard of Oz. Green beer and “Lollipop Guild” specialty cocktails will be available for purchase as well as other assorted beverages and vegan food. No admission fee is required; however, donations to the North Carolina Housing Coalition are encouraged.
Starting at 7:30 p.m., an open mic night event will include songs that are Irish or St. Patrick’s Day‐themed along with songs from The Wizard of Oz.
At 8:00 p.m., the costumes will be judged, and the winner will receive $100 in cash. The evening ends with a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl:
- At 8:30 p.m., the pub crawl will begin by heading over to Wicked Weed at 91 Biltmore Avenue.
- At 9:15 p.m., the next stop is Bhramari Brewhouse at 101 S. Lexington Avenue.
- At 10:00 p.m., revelers will visit Hi Wire Brewing at 197 Hilliard Avenue.
- At 10:45 p.m., the last stop of the pub crawl will be at Ben’s Tune Up at 195 Hilliard Avenue.
