The John C. Campbell Folk School will hold it’s annual Appalachian Heritage Week August 17-23. All classes offered that week will focus on craft traditions found in the Appalachian Mountains. You can see the line up of classes here.
I’ve been invited to be their guest presenter for the week. Most of my week will be spent visiting studios and talking with students who are taking classes. There’s an element of the week that will be open to the general public. I will be giving three presentations. All are free and open to the public.
TUESDAY, AUG. 19
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
The Rich Colorful Language of Appalachia: A presentation with Tipper Pressley
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 20
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
Using the Internet to Preserve & Celebrate Appalachian Culture : A presentation with Tipper Pressley
THURSDAY, AUG. 21
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
My Life in Appalachia and Connections to the Folk School: A presentation with Tipper Pressley
The folk school is celebrating its 100 year anniversary throughout 2025. Here’s a bit of information from their website.
“They [Olive & John C. Campbell] realized, more than many reformers of the day, that they could not impose their ideas on the mountain people. They would need to develop a genuine collaboration. Several locations were under consideration for the experimental school. On an exploratory trip, Miss Butler discussed the idea with Fred O. Scroggs, Brasstown’s local storekeeper, and said she would be back in a few weeks to see if any interest had been shown. When she returned, it was to a meeting of over 200 people at the local church. The people of Cherokee and Clay counties pledged labor, building materials, and other support. The Scroggs family gave land. In 1925, the Folk School began its work. One hundred years later, instruction at the Folk School remains noncompetitive – no credits, no grades, no pitting of one individual against another – and grounded in Olive’s purpose, to enlighten and enliven the world.”
It’s been a long time since I taught at the folk school so I’m looking forward this year’s Appalachian Heritage Week. If you’re able to come to any of the presentations please say hello.
I appreciate all the birthday wishes folks left yesterday!
Last night’s video: The Best Squash and Zucchini Pickles & Putting Up Food for Winter.
Tipper
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I hope I can go meet you at the school, and I’m trying to get a friend to go with me. I only live about 25 minutes from there.
I’ve been to some of their awesome fall festivals held in October. They are enormous!
Will your talks at the Folk School be videoed and available on your website or You Tube?
I think its wonderful that you have been invited to speak at the Folk School.
Hope you’re having a wonderful Happy Birthday week.
Lenora, I’m not sure if they will be or not, but if they are I will let you know. Thank you!
Glad to see you back at the school–where you belong!
Oh Tipper..I wish I lived close enough to go to all your presentations. Your classes will be packed to the brim, I am sure. I will just have to be satisfied with reading about it in the blog and watching your videos…which I enjoy every day. Hope your birthday was a blast. I really enjoyed watching you make your zucchini/ squash pickles last evening. Congrats to any of you lucky folks that get to attend the folk school presentations by Tipper. I am a little jealous for sure…but mostly happy for you!! Have fun! ❤️❤️
Happy belated birthday!I. I’m so thankful you were born!
Once again I am amazed at what you do, Tipper! If I lived close to you I would attend all three classes. You have taught me so much of Appalachian history in just the 5 years I’ve lived in first NC and now in SC. I love my state of Iowa, always called it God’s Acres, and miss it immensely, but since moving to the Appalachian area I have fallen in love with the mountains and small towns and hollers. My dad’s family grew up in the foothills of Kentucky mountains so I knew about hollers from a small child, but to now actually live where there are hollers, and see them, and to see the mountain vistas is so uplifting!! I must have missed you had a birthday yesterday so happy belated birthday! May God bless you and your entire family and all your many many fans!!
Hope you had a great birthday. I woukd really like to visit the Folk School next time I’m in North Carolina. I know you will be a smash hit at the school!
Happy Birthday, Tipper!! I’m sure you had a great one with your family! I’m down with a sinus infection and not feeling too good I guess that is why I missed commenting yesterday. God bless you all!
Dee-I hope you feel better soon!!
I’ll add belated birthday wishes also. I hope yesterday made a full set of blessed memories for you and yours. You know we all are happy when you are and sad with you when you are not. I’d sure like to hear your behind the scenes stories of your digital journey but not the nuts and bolts of how it works but rather about the human connections made. Digital is not necessarily cold, heartless and unfeeling as we here know very well. At it’s best it is about so much more that numbers or selling or buying. BP&A is much like old-fashioned “pen pals” sharing interests, experiences and even needs. I sometimes envy you a bit, not for your success but because you experienced from the ground up the forging of a community, first of interest but it outgrew that, becoming something more. The ‘something more’ is what intrigues me most. Just one example is how you never fail to post you will pray for those in troubles of whatever kind. I could go on and on but I’ll spare everybody who reads all the comments. I wish you to have the kinds of success you most desire at the 100th anniversary of the JCC Folk School.
Happy belated birthday, Tipper! I don’t know how I missed it. The folk school has fascinated me for years. When I look through their brochure, I wish I lived close enough to attend all of the classes. That would be a dream come true, and meeting and talking to you would be the highlight of the class.
Happy belated birthday, Tipper! Your videos & those of The Pressley Sisters, as well as The Blind Pig & the Acorn, bring much happiness & knowledge to your followers. I feel like your family gives us a gift everyday. Thank you for sharing your world with the world at large.
Happy belated birthday Tipper, I pray you had a wonderful day, may God bless you and your family I pray
Oh! How I wish I lived closer to Brasstown!
This event would be so wonderful to attend. What an honor for you to be asked to present your most cherished knowledge to those in attendance. I’m sure you have been an important part of the Folk School’s
success in past years. Enjoy your time there this month!
Tipper, I would really enjoy attending your presentations if I could get there. It’s probably a few hours from here in Virginia but my husband and I don’t drive over 50 miles any longer due to our age and arthritis pain. I hope you had a wonderful birthday yesterday.
Happy belated birthday Tipper.
Tipper, I’ve been behind on a few blogs and videos this week. Just been very busy lately. I’m sorry I missed your birthday, but hey, let’s keep your celebration going for the rest of the week, Happy 55th Birthday sweet Tipper!!! May God bless you with many more wonderful, happy, healthy, prosperous and fun years to come!!! Im excited for you to speak at the Folk School during the week to celebrate their 100 year anniversary of the school. What a treat for the students, staff and the public! If I lived closer I’d attend to hear you speak to the public. I know it will be a packed house on those days! Thank you for sharing the Folk School history. It is so interesting what a community can do when there is a true interest and dedication to a community project. I wonder if those who helped build the school with all their donations of time, tools, and supplies ever thought they were building a legacy to celebrate the culture of Appalachia that is still going strong 100 years later. I have no doubt that all 200 that showed up would be proud of their accomplishments in being apart of building the school. Please make sure to honor the 200 people who showed up that day to show support to build the school. Not by name, or what they did, but by the simple fact that 200 showed up to support the effort of the school being built. Some spread the word, some gave what they could, some worked to build, some probably prepared meals to feed and water the workers that built, some gave time to come teach their crafts and other signed up as students or as staff workers. It took the entire community to commit to see this legacy built. Yes it was the vision of the Campbells to start the legacy and their dedication to see it through, but if not for the 200 that showed up, there probably wouldn’t be a 100 year legacy to talk about.
I thought ok Folk School-“how nice.” Then one day I decided to look it up and it REALLY is a BIG deal and a beautiful school I might add. If I was closer, I’d probably wander down there to see what all is available for my learning pleasure. Tipper, you’d be a wonderful speaker or any job that made Appalachia look like it TRULY is instead of crazy stuff we’ve all seen or heard on tv. I think it’s wonderful! I think you’re wonderful! I hope and pray your DOUBLE NICKEL birthday goes wonderfully this next year! I liked the movie where James Garner when asked by Sally Field how many candles should she place on his cake and he replied “ JUST SET THE DANG THING ON FIRE!” Lol Have a beautiful day yall and don’t hate me cause I’m sitting here wrapped in a blanket, have a jacket zipped up and a warm cap on my noggin!!! At last MY TIME HAS COME!!! Lol I’m a’ loving this cool dark weather and cannot help but to breathe… God bless you all out here in this weird world!
What are you going to do when it gets cold? This is my kind of weather, I could be as happy as a pig in slop if it stayed like it’s been for the last week all year long. I don’t know how to post one of those smiley face what you call it’s.
My wife attended the Campbell Folkarts School many years ago and still talks about the wonderful experience. I know Appalachia has a very limited regional meaning to many Americans, but we here in Maine live in the heart of our own Appalachia that has more in common with the traditions associated with the backcountry of that range of mountains than many folks realize.
What a great resource the folkschool isfor your area! I took a look at their website, and it seems like a beautiful place and a blessing to the people of your area. I know those in attendance will have wonderful learning and fellowship! ❤️
Is any BP&A friends going to Tipper’s presentations? If you are, maybe everyone could go the same day and meet each other! I know it’s impossible for some, but maybe acorns that live close by. Something to think about!
Happy Belated Birthday!
Didn’t realize this was such a special anniversary for the folk school. Wishing you success with your presentations.
Happy Birthday Tipper, I am so sorry I missed your Birthday. I know you had a blessed, beautiful day celebrating your happy day with your precious family.
Happy Birthday yesterday! ♥️ Thanks for letting us know about the opportunity at the Folk School. We visited there many years ago. I was very impressed with the school. Thank you for all your hard work.
Tipper, I apologize for not wishing you a happy birthday yesterday, I hope you had a Happy Birthday. Coming to see you would be something I would enjoy, but I no longer go anywhere like this since my wife died, there is no fun in having to go by yourself and now on top of that I worry about having car trouble, even something as simple as a flat tire, because of my problems I have with with my legs and back.
I can’t wait to see the video of your family making your birthday dinner and celebrating you….you said you are 55, I was born in 1955 so on the 17th I will be 70—I do not know where the years went, how did I get this old….Thursday my dear friend would have been 84, but as it turns out that will be the day of her funeral, so she will be celebrated on her birthday but it will be with tears instead of joy. I lost a friend in Dec, a brother in April, now another close friend and any day now a cousin will go on to Glory due to quickly losing his battle to cancer (that is also what took both friends) I could use prayers as I am feeling as any more deaths of loved ones and my heart will not be able to stand the pain. I wish I could drive from OK to see you at the folk school, that would be such a treat (if I were younger and healthier I would have made the trip. Watched Paul’s video yesterday–boy your cousin sure can sing!
Gaylia, I’m sorry. I will pray for you.
Gaylia, I will go ahead and wish you a Happy Birthday before I forget. My wife was also born in August of 1955, she was born on the 3rd. What I want to say has more to do with the deaths of your friends. Just in the last few weeks, I have lost 5 friends, some of them due to cancer. I intend to go to one’s visitation and service this coming Saturday. I often think about something my father in law once told me after many of his friends had died, it was “you know you are old when you have as many friends (some lifelong) under the ground as you still have on top of the ground.” I am now old, it seemed like it is almost a daily thing to hear about another coworker or friend dying. Sorta makes me wonder how long before it will be my turn. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
That sounds like so much fun! I did not know they held an annual meeting. What a special anniversary and we know they’ve got one of the best speakers ever!!
I could not get the link to work, but I’ll try to go to the site
Thank you for sharing!
Happy, happy Birthday to you! My husband and I watch every video that you produce. We got behind over the weekend and missed your birthday yesterday. We hope that your celebration was awesome! You have inspired us to work more or our gardening skills. Being originally from Asheville I love how you celebrate Appalachia.
Tipper my wife and I are so excited about being able to see you. We watch every video you and all members of your family produce because each one is so real. My wife will be bringing your cookbook to sign. I grew up and spent.most of my summers and winters playing and working in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and listening to you brings me back home to those northern Appalachian Mountains.