ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) —

How much activity can you pack into one weekend?

Try chasing white squirrels in Brevard. Take in some art in Asheville and maybe a gardening show in Hendersonville. Celebrate Black-owned businesses in Asheville — and don’t forget to enjoy the food, hear some music and dance.

That and more leads up to Memorial Day events on Monday honoring fallen service members.

There’s plenty to do this weekend as Western North Carolina kicks off the summer.

White Squirrel Weekend is a free three-day downtown Brevard festival that features a parade, plenty of live music, food, arts and much more.

It celebrates the colony of distinctive, white squirrels that have taken up residence and multiplied in Brevard over the past 70 years. Legend has it, they’re descended from those that escaped from a carnival truck, but that’s a topic to discuss at the street festival.

GRINDFest AVL, a free, three-day event that celebrates the success of Black entrepreneurs and business owners in Asheville, has numerous activities planned.

Enjoy a weekend of music, live performances, food, local vendors, community connection, and more in the River Arts District on Depot Street. A block-party-style event will take place at the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Conference Center at 16 Fernihurst Drive.

The Downtown Asheville Festival of the Arts, set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, will showcase more than 100 regional, local and national artists and craft artisans with fine jewelry, a big variety of art and hand-crafted apparel and decor. The show is set up on the streets of South Pack Square, Reuter Terrace and Pack Square Park.

The Garden Jubilee Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, in Hendersonville, is one of the largest gardening shows in Western North Carolina. More than 200 plant and craft vendors are expected to line Main Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

With those and other activities around the region, don’t forget the original purpose of the three-day weekend is Memorial Day on Monday.

In Buncombe County, Memorial Day ceremonies will start at 10 a.m. Monday, at the Western North Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, at 962 W Old U.S. Highway 70 in Black Mountain.