The 66th Mt. Mitchell Arts & Crafts Fair will take place at the Burnsville Town Square on Friday, August 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, August 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 250 artists from the Toe River Valley and beyond will fill the square with their wares for this juried event. This will be the second Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair for Olivier Calas, who does encaustic painting under the studio name ArtinO. “Last year was an amazing experience that went beyond my expectations,” he says. “The fair offers a wide open platform to many craftsmen and artists and for that very reason it is very eclectic. There literally is something for every taste and most visitors leave with at least one piece of art.”
Just a Gigolo. Olivier Calas, artist
Fran Innes has been selling her handmade, recycled art at the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair for many years. “The fair has a great variety of artists with quality items,” she says. “I have painted and stained glass old wooden windows, painted gourds, metal buckets and watering cans. I also have a variety of bike wheels with stained glass attached and old teapots made into wind chimes with beads and stained glass.”
Dennis McAvoy will bring his crystalline-glazed pottery to the fair this year. “Each piece is unique because of the nature of the glazes,” he says. “I will have functional pieces like mugs, vinegar/oil dispensers, bowls, plates and platters, to mention a few. The plates and platters can be hung on the wall to display as art when they are not being used.”
Live music will take place on the stage every day, with performances by Asheville Junction Band, Tall Boys, Admiral Radio and The Edwards Family of Burnsville. On Friday, there will also be a clogging demonstration by Appalachian Performing Arts of Burnsville and a children’s performance of The Tale of the Pig by the Parkway Playhouse’s Reading is Alive Program.
For information, visit YanceyChamber.com/crafts-fair or call 828.682.7413.
