Last week was awfully busy. I'm trying to get orders done and get ready for CLAY ALLIANCE HOLIDAY FAIR but all that had to stop for a few days. The first Saturday in November is The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival in Dillsboro NC. This is the best clay festival I've seen and potters come from Texas, Minnesota, New York and other far away places every year to sell pots for 6 hours. My friends Mike and Karen Baum do the show and I take the camper down so I can be there to wrap pots for them.
On the way, is the Raccoon Valley Escapees Campground and on Thursday night folks come down from the hills and play music there. Most of them are older and some are in their 80's. When you hear them play you know what 60 or 70 years of practicing will do for your pickin ! Each of us do 2 songs until everyone has had a turn then we do one each until it is time to go home. Nobody passes. Nobody scratches their head trying to come up with a song. When it's your turn you stand up ( some of the older guys have a mic at their seat ) and get it done. It is a very nice group of regulars and I have played with them once or twice a year for 5 years or so. It is an honor to play with people who sound so good and make it look so easy.
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| Not our rig but there were 3 like this in the campground, Sheesh! |
Friday started with an easy drive to Dillsboro. If you go, take 40 to Waynesville. then west on 74. You do not want to go through Pigeon Forge !!! I got down there about noon and started running into old friends immediately. I helped get some tents up for the clay Olympics and the fun started about 1:00. Twelve potters competed for tallest 5 lb cylinder, Widest 5 lb bowl,Tallest 2 lb in 2 minutes and a blindfolded challenge. Everyone had a great time and Featured artist Sarah Wells Rolland took the overall championship.
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Some pots Sarah Demonstrated on Saturday.
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After the Olympics there is a lull of a few hours that a lot of the potters use to go check into hotels and such since they cannot set up until about 7:00. John Bauman, Roxie Clark and I have used it to make music the last couple of years. John brings the pickin skills, Roxie brings the voice, youth, and good looks, I bring the nerve.. It is a lot of fun and a good chance to get to know some people beyond their pottery. After we played, I saw more friends and went to dinner with Mike and Karen before setting up. Pitching the Craft Hut, unloading 60 boxes of pots and setting up displays took us to 9:00 pm and I was ready for bed but four women came beating on my door. What's a guy to do? I let them in.
Overnight, we had a hard rain and Saturday we had off and on mostly light rain all day. We started stocking the shelves about 6:00 and were ready by 10:00 when they opened the gates and people started coming down the street. This is a destination show. You don't have a bunch of townies out to walk their dog. People book a room a year in advance and come out to buy pots. They don't come from Knoxville or Atlanta to go home empty handed. We were slammed until about 2:00 then it was more manageable til we closed at 4:00. Late in the day I managed to get out and take some pictures.
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| Jim Rhinehert |
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| John Bauman |
John Bauman
John Bauman
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| Sarah Wells Rolland |
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| Tom Wirtz |
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| Tom Wirtz |
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| Laurie Faye Long |
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| Laurie Faye Long |
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| Tony and Mindy Winchester |
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| Tony and Mindy Winchester |
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| Tony and Mindy Again |
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| Courtney Tomchik |
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| Courtney Tomchik |
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| Doc Welty |
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| Roxie Clark in Doc's booth |
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| Royce Yoder |
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| Travis Berning |
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| Richard Aerni |
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Rob Withrow. That;s Rob on the left. He never looked better
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I also picked up a couple of bowls to take home
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| John Bauman |
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Royce Yoder
The show closed at 4 and with a ton of help from Evan Allhands and fiance' Lauren Canfield we got knocked down and loaded by 6:30, a new Baum record. After the show there is dinner for everyone and a party if you have the strength. I made it through dinner and stumbled to the rig in the darkness. Sleep came soon after. By 7:00 am I was motoring north on the slow road. I took the Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville and had most of it to myself. No large game sightings but some nice views and 3 different flocks of turkeys totaling about 30 birds. From there I picked up 81 and 25E to slip through the Cumberland Gap that my ancestors had walked through 200 years ago. It was an excellent trip even with the rain . I see more old friends and make more new friends every time I make this trip. Sometimes it is exhausting work but people bond through shared suffering and these are great people to bond with...Also all guys know that if it doesn't hurt the next day (or two) you didn't really have fun.
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Love that Bauman bowl, wish I could have gotten up there as my sale was pretty much a wash out. thanks for all the photos; some of those wall hangings have inspired me to go even bigger with mine.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days, Im going to get up to that show, but for now its nice to see it through your photos! Sounds like a great place to get more pottery, which I really need :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the second year I missed it, due to weather. The pottery looks like it didn't care if I was there or not, as it should.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great show with so many awesome potters. We have a couple of Aerni pieces that I treasure. Laurey-Fay Long was my sister-in-law's childhood friend, while growing up in Georgia. Looks like the rain didn't deter the sales!
ReplyDeleteThanks Y'all. It is a fabulous show. Not only very talented potters but very nice people.The organizers really know what they are doing and bend over backwards to show that old southern hospitality. Weather( short of lightening) does not stop the loyal buyers. If any of you make it down next year, I'll see you there.
ReplyDeleteHey Dennis, who's work is that in the two photos under the Laurie Faye Long photos? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRon I think they may be Doc Welty's but I wasn't 100% sure so i didn't caption.
ReplyDeleteAh ok. Thanks.
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