Looking for something interesting to do this weekend? The Blue Ridge Heritage Area, a non-profit organization that promotes Appalachian crafts, music, food and culture unique to Western North Carolina, has three upcoming events listed that you should consider exploring.
The first one is the National Quilting Day at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC. For anyone who is interested in quilting and loves Irish culture, Connie Brown will be presenting a “Top of the Morning” quilt-themed exhibit showcasing Irish quilt patterns. Ms. Brown will share antique quilt tops and blocks in the lobby, and visitors may bring their own vintage quilts since she is an historian and appraiser of antique quilts. She will also be demonstrating hand quilting, and anyone who is interested can also try their hand at quilting. This event will take place on March 15th – 17th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. There is no charge for this event, and you can find more information and directions to the Folk Art Center here.
Connie Brown is a member of the Southern Highland Crafts Guild, whose mission is “cultivating the crafts and makers of the Southern Highlands for the purpose of shared resources, education, marketing, and conservation,” according to their website.
If you love bluegrass music, the Berea College Folk-Roots Ensemble will be performing traditional Appalachian folk music at the John C. Campbell Folk School on March 16th, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. Admission is free though donations are welcome, and directions to the school are on the folk school’s website.
The next event is a night of contra dancing, also to be held at the John C. Campbell Folk school, on March 23rd at 7:00 pm. This event is also free and will be led by fiddler, band leader and contra dance caller David Kaynor.
There are lots of events, classes and demonstrations throughout the Blue Ridge mountains, and if you like Appalchian culture and music, there’s another event calendar just for music at the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. Have a great week of crafts, music and dance, and come back and visit this site for more upcoming event news.
