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Quilts, Tools and More!
This is the theme for the
7th Annual Franklin Folk Festival to be held on Saturday, July 17,
in Franklin, North Carolina. Sponsored by the Folk Heritage
Association of Macon County (FHAMC), this grand celebration of
Appalachian heritage is fast becoming one of the most popular
summer events in Western North Carolina.
Be sure to reserve the third
weekend in July, and come to the festival early for a very special
kick-off event to be held on Friday, July 16, at the Smoky
Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Doc Watson and David Holt
will be performing in a “sure-to-sell-out” evening concert. To
purchase tickets for the show, go to
www.greatmountainmusic.com or visit Daltons of Franklin.
Saturday is the big day for free events sponsored by the FHAMC.
These include volunteer artisans taking part in more than 100 live
demonstrations and exhibits featuring quilting, wood carving,
basket making, fly tying, tatting, shingle splitting, early farm
tools/equipment, spinning, weaving, and a host of other
entertaining and informative offerings all connected to our
cultural, environmental, and natural heritage.
Outdoor exhibits and demonstrations will line the streets of
Franklin and occupy public areas around the new Town Hall and the
Courthouse squares. The Antique Car and Truck Show will take place
in the parking lot on the east side of Town Hall,” and the 25th
North Carolina Civil War Re-enactors will again be camped all
weekend in Frogtown, just down the hill from Franklin’s Main
Street. This popular group will hold mock battles, participate in
the 11:00 a.m. Heritage Parade and offer candlelight tours at
their camp. Shuttle service will be provided for those who want to
visit the camp during daylight hours on Saturday. Also, be sure to
visit the “Front Porch” and listen in as interviews depicting the
good ‘ole days are videotaped. And you are sure to be entertained
as various talented kids participate in the Heritage Alive Youth
Talent Show, sponsored by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia taking
place on the Gazebo Main Stage at 1:30 p.m. A designated
children’s area will also feature games, crafts and activities
(supported by the 4-H, Macon County Arts Council, Boy Scouts and
other volunteer groups).
This year the festival is expanding, and the indoor
exhibits/demonstrations will be held at the Community Facilities
Building, close to the Early Farm Days Engine and Tractor Club
Show at the Fairgrounds (small admission fee at tractor show).
Sponsors of the Engine and Tractor Show partner with the Folk
Festival sponsors to offer the ever-popular Heritage Parade, which
includes many other participants who join the tractor entries for
the Main Street portion of the parade.
The FHAMC will be collaborating with the Macon County Parks and
Recreation Department to provide a large, comfortable indoor space
for exhibitors to display early farm tools and other artifacts and
space to display the Original World’s Largest Quilt, the Cabarrus
Quilt and the Celebrate America Autograph Quilt, all of which are
now back in Macon County, where they were created. The Community
Building will also house many other locally made quilts, fiber
arts creations, local artists, demonstrators and much more.
Additional rooms in the building will provide room for musical
entertainment (‘Lil Church in the Wildwood), church displays and
other activities popular with both men and women, old and young.
The Parks and Recreation Department will also be providing
children’s heritage activities and games on site, free of charge.
Free bus service will be provided all day to shuttle visitors to
and from downtown and the Community Facilities Building, which is
connected by foot path to the Fairgrounds. Food for festival
participant and visitors will be available for purchase at this
location and in town.
On the day of the festival, all kinds of mountain music, ranging
from Indian flute music to gospel and string band music will be
heard throughout the day on the streets and from various stages
provided for the musicians and square dancers. Music lovers of all
ages are invited to take part in fun-filled jam sessions, and
Macon County’s best cloggers will be on hand to teach everyone to
clog.
Adults and children will have multiple opportunities to
participate in games, contests, and lots of other hands-on
activities. Whether you enjoy just looking and listening or really
getting involved, there is something for everyone at the 7th
Annual Franklin Folk Festival!
For more information please contact the Franklin Chamber of
Commerce at 800 (932-5294) or www.franklin-chamber.com or visit
the FHAMC website
www.mcncfha.org.
pdf files to download
get the free Adobe Acrobat Reader here
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