LEICESTER FEST 2025

Our big annual fest is back—and better than ever! Join us for an afternoon of fun, community, and connection.

Enjoy music, food, and activities while supporting the Leicester Community Center and Fire Department through raffles, auctions, and more!

Event Highlights:

Grateful Roots, Blue Mountain Hot Dogs,
Celtic Creamery, & Free Sweet Treats
Leicester Artists & Vendors
Kids’ Activities, Races, and Prizes
Half-Hour Raffles, Half & Half Raffle, Silent Auction
Community Organization Booths
Fire Safety, Fire Extinguisher and Community CPR Demonstrations by Leicester Fire Department
Civic Engagement Info

Leicester Fire Department - Leicester Community Center - Utopian Seed Project - Long Branch Environmental Education Center - Appalachian Mountain Health - Brother Wolf Animal Rescue - Children’s Developmental Services - Appalachian Dog Training - Fiber Arts

5:00 - Dog Costume Contest - 5:45 Live Cake Auction
Raffles every half-hour

Get your Fest Gear today. Lots of colors and options available!

ORDER NOW!

It all begins with a spark. You may want to volunteer. You may want to get involved in your community. Whatever it is, the Leicester Democrats are here to help you make a difference in your community.

The Leicester Cluster is a welcoming community of local Democrats and left-leaning neighbors within the Buncombe County Democratic Party in North Carolina. Covering six precincts (52.1, 53.1, 63.1, 68.1, 681, and 69.1), we are passionate about building connections, amplifying local voices, and making a positive impact together.

Our monthly meetings are a chance to come together, share ideas, and plan grassroots activities that support Democratic values and initiatives. Whether you're looking to meet like-minded people, find meaningful ways to contribute, or simply explore how you can make a difference in your community, join us! This is a space where everyone’s voice matters.

Leslie Tighe, Chair
Email | Text: (828) 230-3317

Ken Kahn, Co-Chair
Email | Text: (508) 397-9127

News, Connections, and Stories

Let us know if you are a member of any Affiliate, Non-Profit, Community, or Outreach organizations. We want to know what other organizations are doing, and ways we can support them!

Asheville Watchdog:
https://avlwatchdog.org/
The Utopian Seed Project:
https://theutopianseedproject.org/
Good Trouble WNC:
https://redwineblue.controlshift.app/events/
Indivisible - Asheville:
https://indivisibleavl.org/
BCDP Clubs & Orgs:
https://www.buncombedems.org/affiliate-organizations
The Sierra Club:
https://www.sierraclub.org/north-carolina/wnc
Equality NC:
https://equalitync.org/
WNC League of Women Voters:
https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/lwv-asheville-buncombe
The Leicester Community Center:
https://sites.google.com/site/leicestercommunitycenter/
Wired: https://www.wired.com
Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/
Rolling Stone: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/
Miami Herald: https://www.miamiherald.com/
Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/
ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org
MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/
The New Republic: https://newrepublic.com/
The Associated Press (AP): https://apnews.com/
Project 2025 Tracker: https://www.project2025.observer/
Tangle News: https://www.readtangle.com/
All Sides: https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news
Media Matters: https://www.mediamatters.org/
1440 News: https://join1440.com/about-us
ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org
Free Speech TV: https://freespeech.org/
Stephanie Miller Show: https://www.stephaniemiller.com/
Yes Magazine: https://www.yesmagazine.org/about
General Strikes: https://bsky.app/profile/generalstrikeus.bsky.social
@gregsargent.bsky.social
@kyledcheney.bsky.social
@jeffstein.bsky.social

General Strikes: https://generalstrikeus.com
5050.1: https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/?rdt=59363
Public Citizen: Public Citizen
Common Sense NC: Common Sense
The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast
Talking Feds w/ Harry Litman: https://www.talkingfeds.com
Main Justice with Andrew Weissman & Mary McCord: https://www.msnbc.com/main-justice
The Unpopulist: https://www.theunpopulist.net/
Timothy Snyder: https://substack.com/@snyder?r=9t124&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile
Jim Acosta Show: https://jimacosta.substack.com
Ruth Ben Ghiat’s newsletter, Lucid: https://substack.com/@lucid?r=9t124&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=profile
Andrew Weissman: https://open.substack.com/pub/weissmann
Mark Elias Democracy Docket: https://www.democracydocket.com/author/marc_elias/
Stories Are Weapons: Psychological Warfare and the American Mind by Annalee Newitz
Anatomy of a Purple State: A North Carolina Politics Primer by Christopher A. Cooper
Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean
Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America by Paola Ramos
A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
The Life and Legacy of the Influential KGB Informant Who Defected to the West by Yuri Bezmenov

CLUSTER EVENTS

Book Club

June 1
3:00 pm
Noble Cider Taproom
This month’s recommended book is How to Stand Up to a Dictator, by Maria Ressa. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
Drinks with Dems

June 11
5:30 - 7:30 Drop In
Noble Cider Taproom | Leicester HIghway
Join us for cider, conversations, community connections, and more.

SIGN UP
Monthly Meeting

June 24
6:30 - 8:00 pm
Leicester Fire Department
Join us for our monthly meeting to discuss Leicester Fest successes. We will also begin to plan for 2026!

PICK UP LEICESTER LITTER

Adopt-A-Highway | New Leicester Highway

The Leicester Democrats are a proud sponsor of a 2-mile stretch of New Leicester Highway through the Adopt-a-Highway program. Our stretch begins at the intersection of Newfound Road and ends at the Goughes Branch intersection. However, we also conduct other cleanups throughout the community. Our community pickups happen as-needed and quarterly. Please check back for information on our next community litter pickup.