| Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville |
One of the special features of Appalachian North Carolina is the
treasured tradition of handmade craftwork that carries on today through individual crafters as well as groups
such as the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Craft Guild will be sponsoring the 33rd Annual Heritage Weekend, celebrating the traditional music, dance and crafts of the
area, on September 21-22, 2013.
The 36th annual Sourwood Festival is right around the corner! This fun street festival, presented by the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce, is the quintessential awesome small town event, featuring hundreds of arts and crafts vendors, food that ranges from vegetarian to BBQ, as well as ice cream and festival fare, kids’ activities and rides, live music, and the part we like best — honey and bee demonstrations.
The beautifully restored Southern Railway Steam 630 locomotive made a visit to our neck of the woods during the weekend of April 20-21, 2013. The excursion train, owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM), is part of Norfolk Southern 21st Century Steam Program. [Photo below of the 630 near the Inn on Mill Creek taken by Bob Elliott]
Old Fort, North Carolina is a small town where big things happen: On Saturday April 27, 2013, three very different events will be taking place, but all connect history to the present…perfect for Old Fort.
This year, our area of Western North Carolina is the place to be in early May if you love food and local art!
| [Photo credit: Painters Greenhouse] |
Time to get your thyme! The 9th annual Painters Greenhouse Herb Festival is the weekend of April 13-14, 2013, at Painters Greenhouse in Old Fort, NC. Painters is one of our favorite places to buy plants and the herb festival features not only a variety of herbs on sale, but also local crafts, great food, live music and other activities. So while you’re walking among all the sage and rosemary, you can also check out the work of more than 25 local artisans and listen to fabulous music, featuring Lee Entrekin and Friends opening on Saturday followed by Mean Mary, then jazz and blues artist Linda Mitchell on Sunday morning followed by Jay Brown One-Man-Band performing American roots originals and classics.
Christmas Cookie season has arrived! This weekend, December 15 and December 16, is the second annual Black Mountain Visions of Sugar Plums Cookie Tour, where you can visit the Black Mountain area B&Bs and Inns and view all their holiday decorations, taste a different cookie at each one, and take home the recipes! Tickets are $10 and benefit the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, a team of churches and volunteers who work to provide basic services and emergency relief for those facing hardship.
| Photo Credit: RomanticAsheville.com |
Grove Park Inn in Asheville is hosting the 2012 National Gingerbread House Competition display from now through January 2, 2013. This is the 20th year that Grove Park Inn has held the competition and the entries seem to have gotten grander and grander over the years.
| Photo Credit: Chimney Rock Park |
For 20 years now, Santa Claus has been practicing for his big night of heading down everyone’s chimneys by going down the 315-foot “Chimney” at Chimney Rock Park, 30 minutes south of the Inn on Mill Creek.
