Stonecarver Collene Karcher
36th Annual Heritage Weekend Celebrates Southern Appalachian Culture
The 36th annual Heritage Weekend returns to the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Folk Art Center Saturday and Sunday, September 17–18. Sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, this free celebration of Appalachian heritage includes music, dancing, competitions, kids activities, and hands-on crafting for visitors. Hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, there will be ongoing demonstrations in traditional woodworking, chair making, whittling, blacksmithing, beekeeping, spinning, weaving, natural dyeing, stone carving, woodcarving, and printmaking. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make a broom or a cornshuck doll, then this is the place to be. Saturday highlights will include sheep shearing with Anthony Cole, while Sunday’s festivalgoers can watch sheepdog trainer Joe Parham in action with his animals at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
You can also participate in the traditional World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle competition at 2 p.m. on Saturday. This traditional mountain toy is made from two sticks of rhododendron. One is carved with notches and has a propeller on the end; the other is used for rubbing along the carved notches to make the first stick spin. See whose stick will spin to the right (Gee) and spin to the left (Haw) or whose will rotate the most in a set amount of time.
Stonecarver and Southern Highland Craft Guild member Collene Karcher creates sculptural work by carving letters in stone the old-fashioned way. “Mostly what one sees today are mechanical sandblasted letters, using rubber templates and little time,” she says. “During Heritage Weekend, I will be present at my carving easel demonstrating the nearly lost art of the hand carved letter and bas relief sculpture in stone with hammer and chisel. Trying to keep the letters alive, one tap at a time.”
Knitting and spinning are the focus of another Craft Guild member, fiber artist Mary H. Nichols. “I learned to spin yarn about 18 years ago and it opened up a new world for me,” says Mary. “I can now design my knitted items, mostly knitted lace scarves and shawls, literally from scratch, ‘from sheep to shawl.’” At the event, Mary will be spinning wool yarn on her wheels and demonstrating the process of carding wool in preparation for spinning. She’ll have examples of handspun, hand-dyed, and hand knitted items on display and for sale.
Musical acts on Saturday include Southern Crescent Bluegrass, Split Rail, Firefly, and J Creek Cloggers, and the Ross Brothers. Sunday’s lineup is Level Ground Gospel, Carol Rifkin, Cole Mountain Cloggers, Gospel Grass, and Buncombe Turnpike. There is ample parking and a picnic area where you can enjoy mouthwatering Farmhouse barbecue. Visitors can also tour the Folk Art Center and take a walk in the woods.
For more information, including a list of participating craftspeople and musicians, call 828.298.7928 or visit craftguild.org and southernhighlandguild.org/heritage-weekend.
