News

No Kings Day fills much of downtown with protesters

Police estimate at least 2,000 people gathered on Main Street on Saturday for Hendersonville’s second No Kings Day rally.

By Amy McCraw, Published: October 18, 2025

Hendersonville’s second No Kings Day rally on Saturday filled much of downtown with people who said they want change in America.

“I’m horrified about what is a happening in this country,” Peggy Hammond of Asheville said as she stood on Main Street near the Historic Courthouse.
Hammond said she came to the rally because she was concerned about a lack of freedom and the erosion of the due process of law in the country.
“That’s not American,” she said. “We are supposed to have a president and three branches of government and not one man with a disgruntled ego who is using the Department of Justice for his personal revenge tool. It’s just ridiculous.”
Hammond said she came to the rally in Hendersonville Saturday morning because the No Kings event in Asheville was scheduled for the evening and too late for her.
Protesters began gathering around 9 a.m. at the Henderson County Courthouse on Grove Street on Saturday before marching together to the Historic Courthouse on Main Street for a rally.
Holly Newton and Frank Stewart of Hendersonville wore frog costumes while their friend Torie Roberts of Greenville wore a dinosaur costume. Roberts carried a sign that said “Release the Epstein Files” as they waited for the march to Main Street to begin.
“We’re the Hendo Frogs for Freedom,” Newton said.
The three said they came out on Saturday to support the No Kings event and bring a little humor to a depressing time in America.
A Hendersonville resident who identified herself as Joan C said she came to the rally on Saturday because she too was concerned about a lack of freedom in America, including the erosion of due process and free speech. The Trump administration’s recent targeting of boats off the coast of Venezuela is also a reason for concern, Joan C said.
“The rule of law is being tested in our country,” she said.
Many who attended Saturday’s rally carried signs voicing their opinions while others joined in chants of “This is what democracy looks like” and “Hey, Hey. No KKK. No Fascist U.S.A.”
As they marched from Grove Street to Main Street, protesters in the front of a long line of demonstrators carried banners saying “We The People United” and “We Love America. That’s Why We’re Here.”
Speakers outside the Historic Courthouse on Main Street urged those who attended the rally to also make their voices heard at the ballot box.
“It is right that we are here today,” Sam Edney, an unsuccessful candidate for state House District 113 in 2018 and 2020 told the crowd. “There are no kings in America.”
Edney, who was the Transylvania County Democratic Party chair from 2021 to earlier this year and 2024 Mountain Democrat of the Year, urged those gathered to also meet candidates for office, talk to voters and contact local officials.
“Protesting is not enough,” he said.
Other speakers echoed Edney’s call for people to become involved in making a difference beyond attending a protest.
Hendersonville Police Department officers who provided security for the event said it was peaceful. They estimated at least 2,000 people attended.
Indivisible Henderson County sponsored “No Kings Day 2.0” in Hendersonville as part of a national day of action by the same name.
The peaceful mobilization was a sequel to the first “No Kings Day” on June 14, when an estimated 6 million Americans marched in the streets of major cities and in hundreds of small towns across the country to protest policies and actions of the Trump administration.
Indivisible Henderson County was formed with 34 residents of Highland Lake Village in Flat Rock during a postcard writing party on March 14.
"In the seven months since, we’ve defined our mission, clarified the values that guide our actions, registered as an official group with Indivisible.org, formed a steering committee and three teams to execute our mission, participated in four rallies in Hendersonville, handled the publicity for the first “No Kings Day “on June 14, 2025 when 2,500 citizens crowded into the square in front of the Historic County Courthouse," organizer Ron Redmon said, adding that membership has grown to more than 200 strong.