Calendar of Events

Folk School Fall Festival 2019

Golden fall sunlight and brightly colored leaves provide a scenic backdrop for the John C. Campbell Folk School‘s Fall Festival. This treasured annual celebration of Appalachian culture, held on the Folk School’s Brasstown, North Carolina campus, heralds its 45th anniversary in October.

The Folk School’s enduring commitment to the arts is evident in a vibrant exhibition showcasing the School’s Quilting and Surface Design Program. The Pitman Fiber Arts Building will feature a display of dozens of striking quilts made by the school’s instructors.

A slideshow of Painting and Photography Instructor art will run throughout the festival in the Keith House Community Room.

Visit over 200 fine craft exhibitors tucked along the school’s winding wooded paths. Watch more than 30 artisans demonstrate traditional and contemporary crafts. Fill your ears with bluegrass, gospel, folk, and Celtic music on both days. Tap your toes to clogging, Morris, and Garland dance performances throughout the weekend.

Children can visit the Kids Cove area where they’ll enjoy pony rides, petting the alpacas, and visiting Valley River Humane Society’s pet adoption booth. The Cove Theatre will offer children an opportunity to participate in creative play with dress-up costumes and musical instruments. Face painting and arts and crafts activities will be offered by the Cherokee County Arts Council.

Hungry festivalgoers can satisfy their appetites with a tasty lunch, dessert, or snack. Vendors’ concession proceeds benefit several non-profit and community organizations.

The Folk School’s renowned Craft Shop, containing fine crafts from over 600 juried regional artists, will draw visitors throughout the weekend and be offering a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Craft Shop.

Fall Festival Survival Guide

No pets allowed

Bring your camera

Wear comfortable shoes and a sun hat

Visit water stations as needed to stay hydrated

Two ATMS will be available, however we encourage you to bring cash to pay for tickets, food, and purchases from vendors who do not accept cards

Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 12-17, and free for children under 12

Music & Dance Schedule

Saturday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Butternut Creek and Friends
10:40 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
11:20 The Curtis & Geoff Show
12:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
12:40 Julie Helms & the Bluegrass Partners
1:20 Jones Brothers
2:00 Heidi Holton
2:40 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
3:20 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
4:00 Dave Peters and the Last Responders

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Jones Brothers
10:40 Greg Biltz
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Heidi Holton
12:40 Crane Creek Cliff Dwellers
1:20 Beansidhe
2:00 Black Mash Hollow
2:40 Mike Davis
3:20 Redwine Jam
4:00 Sea Notes

Sunday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Sunday Morning String Band
10:40 The Pressley Girls
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Just Us Gals
12:40 Liz Nance & Friends
1:20 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
2:00 Granny’s Mason Jar
2:40 Little Brasstown Baptist Church Choir
3:20 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
4:00 Gnarly Fingers

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
10:40 Kilmer and Cooley
11:20 Bona Fide
12:00 Greg Biltz
12:40 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
1:20 Mountain Area Storytellers
2:00 Liz Nance & Friends
2:40 The Pressley Girls
3:20 Scott Low
4:00 Anne & Rob Lough

The MakeHER Market at the Mothlight – Women’s Work Empowers the World

The MakeHER Market returns to The Mothlight in West Asheville on Saturday, October 5th.
The debut event was held in March 2019 as a way to highlight and create connections between the talented community of local female entrepreneurs in celebration of International Women’s Day. The MakeHER Market will feature more than 20 female, independent creatives, makers and designers and their unique, hand crafted goods. Fair Trade coffee, jewelry and home décor as well as locally made art and botanicals will be available to purchase. Created and organized by Incite Coffee Company and Maadili Collective, Fair Trade companies working with female owned cooperatives in developing countries, the event aims to honor the enterprising ventures of women locally and abroad.

Event hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free and families are welcome.

Women’s Work Empowers the World!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makeHERmarket

WHAT: The MakeHER Market
WHERE: The Mothlight, 701 Haywood Road, West Asheville
WHEN: Saturday, October 5th, 10-3pm. Rain or shine.

The MakeHER Market at the Mothlight – Women’s Work Empowers the World. The MakeHER Market returns to The Mothlight in West Asheville on Saturday, October 5th. The debut event was held in March 2019 as a way to highlight and create connections between the talented community of local female entrepreneurs in celebration of International Women’s Day. The MakeHER Market will feature more than 20 female, independent creatives, makers and designers and their unique, hand crafted goods. Fair Trade coffee, jewelry and home décor as well as locally made art and botanicals will be available to purchase. Created and organized by Incite Coffee Company and Maadili Collective, Fair Trade companies working with female owned cooperatives in developing countries, the event aims to honor the enterprising ventures of women locally and abroad. Event hours are 10am to 3pm, admission is free and families are welcome. Women’s Work Empowers the World!

This workshop will introduce you to one of the earliest forms of weaving, backstrap weaving. You will learn how to set up your own backstrap loom to create and weave unique pieces of art that can be made anywhere.

In this workshop, we will explore setting up a backstrap loom from start to finish using a string-heddle method and a plain weave structure. Naturally dyed hemp, wool and alpaca yarns/fibers will be available for use and experimentation. You will leave the workshop knowing how to set up a backstrap loom, with an informational zine to support your future backstrap weaving and having created a unique piece of woven art! All materials are included in the class fee, and loom kits will be available for purchase following the class ($60). No experience necessary.

About the teacher:
Neil Goss focuses his art on Earth processes while responding to human impacts upon those processes. In 2012 he received two BFA’s in Design (Textiles and Ceramics) from the University of Kansas SOTA. He has been dedicated to researching sustainable arts processes such as natural dyeing, weaving, utilizing hand-dug clay, and foraging art materials. Goss has taught workshops, installed public art and done artist talks from coast to coast in the United States. He currently is a practicing professional artist and educator. Most recently he was an artist-in-residence at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery in New York, NY hosted by the Textile Arts Center.

Join us for “Saturday Night Lights,” a family-friendly event at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC, happening every Saturday evening May through October featuring FREE carousel rides, pony rides, bounce house, face painting, entertainers and live music, plus horse show competition. General admission and parking are also free and open to the public. With onsite dining options, concessions, shopping, and lodging, come for the night or for a vacation getaway! Learn more at Tryon.com/SNL.

Phone: 828-863-1000

Email: [email protected]

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

Spend some time with your family detoxing naturally in the Salt Cave. Adults $25, 4-12 years old $15, 3 and younger are free.

Folk School Fall Festival 2019

Golden fall sunlight and brightly colored leaves provide a scenic backdrop for the John C. Campbell Folk School‘s Fall Festival. This treasured annual celebration of Appalachian culture, held on the Folk School’s Brasstown, North Carolina campus, heralds its 45th anniversary in October.

The Folk School’s enduring commitment to the arts is evident in a vibrant exhibition showcasing the School’s Quilting and Surface Design Program. The Pitman Fiber Arts Building will feature a display of dozens of striking quilts made by the school’s instructors.

A slideshow of Painting and Photography Instructor art will run throughout the festival in the Keith House Community Room.

Visit over 200 fine craft exhibitors tucked along the school’s winding wooded paths. Watch more than 30 artisans demonstrate traditional and contemporary crafts. Fill your ears with bluegrass, gospel, folk, and Celtic music on both days. Tap your toes to clogging, Morris, and Garland dance performances throughout the weekend.

Children can visit the Kids Cove area where they’ll enjoy pony rides, petting the alpacas, and visiting Valley River Humane Society’s pet adoption booth. The Cove Theatre will offer children an opportunity to participate in creative play with dress-up costumes and musical instruments. Face painting and arts and crafts activities will be offered by the Cherokee County Arts Council.

Hungry festivalgoers can satisfy their appetites with a tasty lunch, dessert, or snack. Vendors’ concession proceeds benefit several non-profit and community organizations.

The Folk School’s renowned Craft Shop, containing fine crafts from over 600 juried regional artists, will draw visitors throughout the weekend and be offering a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to the Craft Shop.

Fall Festival Survival Guide

No pets allowed

Bring your camera

Wear comfortable shoes and a sun hat

Visit water stations as needed to stay hydrated

Two ATMS will be available, however we encourage you to bring cash to pay for tickets, food, and purchases from vendors who do not accept cards

Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for ages 12-17, and free for children under 12

Music & Dance Schedule

Saturday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Butternut Creek and Friends
10:40 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
11:20 The Curtis & Geoff Show
12:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
12:40 Julie Helms & the Bluegrass Partners
1:20 Jones Brothers
2:00 Heidi Holton
2:40 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
3:20 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
4:00 Dave Peters and the Last Responders

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Jones Brothers
10:40 Greg Biltz
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Heidi Holton
12:40 Crane Creek Cliff Dwellers
1:20 Beansidhe
2:00 Black Mash Hollow
2:40 Mike Davis
3:20 Redwine Jam
4:00 Sea Notes

Sunday

FESTIVAL BARN STAGE

10:00 Sunday Morning String Band
10:40 The Pressley Girls
11:20 Faith Willin’
12:00 Just Us Gals
12:40 Liz Nance & Friends
1:20 Campbell Folk School Cloggers
2:00 Granny’s Mason Jar
2:40 Little Brasstown Baptist Church Choir
3:20 Brasstown Morris Dancers & Band
4:00 Gnarly Fingers

CRAFT SHOP STAGE

10:00 Folk School Junior Appalachian Music Students
10:40 Kilmer and Cooley
11:20 Bona Fide
12:00 Greg Biltz
12:40 Kudzu Kicker Cloggers
1:20 Mountain Area Storytellers
2:00 Liz Nance & Friends
2:40 The Pressley Girls
3:20 Scott Low
4:00 Anne & Rob Lough

Come out for the last outdoor market of the year and shop for uncommon treasures including antiques, vintage decor, art, jewelry, home furnishings and more

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

NON-MUSICAL

Adapted by Mountain Community Theater from the novel by VALENTINE DAVIES, Based upon the 20th Century Fox motion picture

Directed by Candice Burchill

AUDITIONS: October 7-8, 2019
Monday, October 7: 6:00-9:00 pm
Tuesday, October 8: 6:00-9:00 pm

PRODUCTION DATES: December 5-20, 2019; Performances Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 pm; Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: October 13 – November 30, 2019; Rehearsals generally held Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. All actors will not necessarily be needed for every rehearsal or for the entire rehearsal. Full rehearsal calendar available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: Large cast of men, women, children (6-11) and teens (12+). All roles open to actors of any race or ethnicity.

AUDITION INFO: TBD

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

It’s over a century old. It’s a cornucopia of sights and sounds—a treat for all your senses. It’s a carnival and an agriculture show. It’s an art show and a game show. There’s food, music, and rides. It’s pure, unfiltered fair entertainment with that unmistakable Cherokee touch.

General admission is $10 per person at the ticket booth (gate), Tuesday through Saturday. Children ages 6 to 10 are $5 per person. Youth under 6 years old will be admitted for free. Enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and other federally recognized tribes will receive free admission with their enrollment card.

Tuesday: Parade Day (gates open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 11 p.m.)

Wednesday: Children’s Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and from noon until closing, youth 17 years old and younger are admitted for free and will get a wristband to enjoy complimentary rides)

Thursday: Elder’s Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and all Elder’s ages 59 and a half are admitted for free)

Friday: Veterans’ Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and all Veterans’ are admitted for free)

Saturday: Community Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and will feature a variety of traditional competitions for the communities to compete against one another for a chance to win cash prizes)

NON-MUSICAL

Adapted by Mountain Community Theater from the novel by VALENTINE DAVIES, Based upon the 20th Century Fox motion picture

Directed by Candice Burchill

AUDITIONS: October 7-8, 2019
Monday, October 7: 6:00-9:00 pm
Tuesday, October 8: 6:00-9:00 pm

PRODUCTION DATES: December 5-20, 2019; Performances Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 7:30 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 pm; Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.

REHEARSALS: October 13 – November 30, 2019; Rehearsals generally held Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. All actors will not necessarily be needed for every rehearsal or for the entire rehearsal. Full rehearsal calendar available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.

DIRECTOR SEEKS: Large cast of men, women, children (6-11) and teens (12+). All roles open to actors of any race or ethnicity.

AUDITION INFO: TBD

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

It’s over a century old. It’s a cornucopia of sights and sounds—a treat for all your senses. It’s a carnival and an agriculture show. It’s an art show and a game show. There’s food, music, and rides. It’s pure, unfiltered fair entertainment with that unmistakable Cherokee touch.

General admission is $10 per person at the ticket booth (gate), Tuesday through Saturday. Children ages 6 to 10 are $5 per person. Youth under 6 years old will be admitted for free. Enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and other federally recognized tribes will receive free admission with their enrollment card.

Tuesday: Parade Day (gates open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 11 p.m.)

Wednesday: Children’s Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and from noon until closing, youth 17 years old and younger are admitted for free and will get a wristband to enjoy complimentary rides)

Thursday: Elder’s Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and all Elder’s ages 59 and a half are admitted for free)

Friday: Veterans’ Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and all Veterans’ are admitted for free)

Saturday: Community Day (gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. and will feature a variety of traditional competitions for the communities to compete against one another for a chance to win cash prizes)

Take a break from the frenzy of everyday life and enjoy Smoke on the Mountain, a wholesome celebration of faith, community, and Appalachian Music. Set in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina around 1938, Smoke on the Mountain brings to life a small-town musical revival featuring the traveling Sanders Family as they play the best of bluegrass, gospel, and hymns. Audiences will recognize beloved songs such as “Rock of Ages”, “The Church in the Wildwood”, “A Wonderful Time Up There,” and more as they are performed by talented actor-musicians. Running October 4th – 19th, Smoke on the Mountain, showcases the power of music to bring us all together and will have audiences singing along.

Director, Amy Jones, describes the experience as, “an entertaining and inspirational evening full of rousing gospel music played by the cast while also getting to know the unique dynamics of the Sanders family through their witnessing. The music is beautiful and heartfelt, and the characters are fleshed out in a very real and relatable way.”

Family Fun Broadway Style Circus!

Take a break from the frenzy of everyday life and enjoy Smoke on the Mountain, a wholesome celebration of faith, community, and Appalachian Music. Set in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina around 1938, Smoke on the Mountain brings to life a small-town musical revival featuring the traveling Sanders Family as they play the best of bluegrass, gospel, and hymns. Audiences will recognize beloved songs such as “Rock of Ages”, “The Church in the Wildwood”, “A Wonderful Time Up There,” and more as they are performed by talented actor-musicians. Running October 4th – 19th, Smoke on the Mountain, showcases the power of music to bring us all together and will have audiences singing along.

Director, Amy Jones, describes the experience as, “an entertaining and inspirational evening full of rousing gospel music played by the cast while also getting to know the unique dynamics of the Sanders family through their witnessing. The music is beautiful and heartfelt, and the characters are fleshed out in a very real and relatable way.”