Festival to entertain thousands
Folk School hosts weekend of craft and art, music and dance, food and fun
Submitted by KATHI OSBORNE Photos by Keather Weideman

A young Fall Festival shopper ready for Halloween shows off his new walking stick.

BRASSTOWN, NC - John C. Campbell Folk School will host its thirty-fourth annual Fall Festival on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7, from 10am-5pm on its campus in Brasstown, NC.

Fall Festival is one of the largest events of its type in the region and will feature over 200 craft vendors, 40 craft demonstrators, 30 performing music and dance groups, multiple children's activities and over a dozen food booths.

Jan Davidson, Folk School director, said Fall Festival is one of his favorite events of the year. "Every year we bring folks from the region together on our beautiful campus for a weekend of fun and camaraderie. With the artists' fine wares and a terrific showing of musical and dance talent, Fall Festival is truly a festive affair," Davidson stated.

Both juried and non-juried craft vendors will sell handmade goods in a variety of media in booths located throughout the campus. Crafted items for sale will include pottery, ironwork, wood items, jewelry, and fiber goods, among others.

Left: Sticks in the Mud Morris Dancers is one of many music and dance groups scheduled to perform throughout the weekend.

Nearly 200 individual musicians and dancers will play and dance to old-time, bluegrass, folk, gospel, and celtic music on two stages during the festival. Represented dance styles will include morris, garland, and clogging.

Demonstrations of contemporary woodturning, pottery, spinning, weaving, and painting will take place in studios around campus. A Mountain Life Area will feature demonstrations of traditional knife making, corn grinding, and blacksmithing.

Playing in a drum circle, face painting, and pony and wagon rides are a few of the activities planned for children. The Humane Society's pet adoption booth will be on site to pair furry faces with loving homes.

More than a dozen food vendors will serve meals, snacks, and drinks. Fall Festival is the primary fundraising event for many local non-profit groups that sponsor food booths.

Both the Folk School's Craft Shop and History Center will be open during the festival.

Right: Attendees will see demonstrations of contemporary and traditional craft techniques in several of the studios on campus. Last year, Julie Schreiber (foreground) and others demonstrated yarn spinning in the school's fiber studio.

"My husband and I attend Fall Festival every year, usually with friends or family who come in from out of town for the event," said Mary Gonos, of Brasstown. "We love talking directly to the artists about the items they've made, and the music and dance performances are so entertaining. Fall Festival is a fun tradition for us."

The festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7, from 10:00am to 5:00pm on the school's campus on Brasstown Road in Brasstown, NC. Admission prices per day are $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children ages 12-17, and free for children under 12. Parking is free. For more information about Fall Festival or John C. Campbell Folk School, call 1-800-365-5724 or 828-837-2775, or visit www.folkschool.org/fallfestival.

John C. Campbell Folk School offers adults over 830 weeklong and weekend classes year-round in traditional and contemporary craft, art, music, dance, cooking, gardening, nature studies, photography and writing. Founded in 1925, the nonprofit Folk School is a national landmark on the National Registry of Historic Places.