I grew up going to the John C. Campbell Folk School’s Fall Festival-most years Pap performed and I usually tagged along. Sometimes it was on Sunday-sometimes on Saturday-didn’t really matter which day we went-it was fun to go look at all the crafts and enjoy the music.
When the girls were toddlers taking them out into a large crowd of people by myself wasn’t something I was comfortable with. Might have had more to do with the girls behaving like banshees than there being 2 of them.
The folk school’s fall festival was the first place I took them on my own-knowing ahead of time there wouldn’t be anyone to help me keep up with them. Before we went I told them they had to mind me-told them they could not let go of my hand not even for a minute.
The trip to the fall festival was great-they enjoyed it-I enjoyed it-and their banshee alter egos never even showed up. Our only upset of the day happened on the way home. Chatter had her face painted at the festival-and Chitter decided she wanted her’s painted too-just as we rounded the last curve on our road.
The success of the girls first fall festival-ensured we’d go every year-and we’ve not missed a single one since then.
When the girls were small the petting zoo was one of their favorite booths to visit. One year a lamb, that was the same height as Chitter, kept trying to sniff her neck. For weeks afterward, The Deer Hunter and I teased Chitter about what she kept hid under her chin.
The horse rides were also a favorite-at least for Chitter. The first year Chatter finally got up her nerve to try it-she got a pony that refused to move.
Fall festival was where the girls first saw clogging-one year after seeing the JCCFS Cloggers perform they decided they wanted to clog too.
This year’s fall festival-will be the girls 4th year of clogging on the festival barn stage along with the rest of the JCCFS Cloggers.
As October approaches-it seems everyone in Brasstown gets jittery about the fall festival-the dancers all want their routines to be perfect, the musicians want their sound to be just right, the crafters and artists want their booths fixed just so with their best work shining through. And around the school grounds you can see folks working like busy bees-adding a new layer of mulch to the paths, sprucing up the flowerbeds, and laying out the booth areas. This year-I got an added dose of excitement-the John C. Campbell Folk School donated 4 fall festival tickets for me to give away on the Blind Pig.
I know all of you don’t live close enough to attend-but for those of you who do-I highly encourage you to give it a try-it truly is a wonderful festival. Over the course of my life I’ve never been disappointed by attending it.
Want a chance at the free tickets? All you have to do is leave a comment on this post.
Giveaway ends on Friday September 24, 2010
Tipper
Well,
I thought I had entered, but don’t see my reply here. Would love to go.
Fall Festival was great this year, as usual.
Tipper, it was great meeting you in person after all this time talking to each other online.
You have a great family and beautiful, talented daughters. I loved hearing all of you sing yesterday.
Tipper we have been going to the folk school for many years and when we go it is like the excitment starts all over again, It is like zipping the world out when you go in . We love I. My husband was Maintaince spuervisor. I sang the Great Speckled Bird in the seventys on the stage with the Sunliner. A man came up to me and said come to Nashville and auditon and you know my reply I’m married.
Hi Tipper – I love this blog having grown up in the Maggie Valley area (now living in beeg-city Atlanta). It keeps me in touch with my roots.
Last year I gave my son a JCCFS Christmas gift of a beginning blacksmith class. There he met another instructor for that week, they fell in love and are expecting a child who will be named “Campbell”.
So the Folk’s School’s magic is still alive and well! It is my mental health time several times each year where I ground, meet very interesting people and leave with a new skill. LOVE is the word I think of when this school is mentioned.
Hi, nice blog site! I am posting here for an opportunity to win the tickets you are giving away. I also like this blog so much that I am subscribing to it and posting a link on my facebook. Thanks.
I would love to attend. i live in boone and that is close enough for a day trip. i have used to go to the contra dances when i lived in franklin nc but boone is too far away to go to the dances.
This will be my first Fall Festival since I retired from teaching. I am so excited.
Opps Tipper I meant that she didn’t show her steer in Franklin.
Being that I live so close and have never been to JCCFS I would love to win the tickets. I accatually do not have anything going on that weekend. We have had fairs the last 3 weekends so now we have a few weeks down time until the State Fair. If I can brag a little my daughter won grand champion steer at the Haywood fair and reserve champion Heifer her in Franklin along with Grand Champion showmanship in both Steers and heifers. She did not show her heifer because if she had won Grand with it she would have had to sell it here and not have been able to take it to state. Anyway I hope to win I would love to see your dd’s dance. I saw them dance once but at the time did not know who they were.
I’ve been dying to go to this! I get their catalog every year and lust over the classes that I want to take…of course there’s no money and no time with 2 littles right now (and one on the way!).
Maybe this’ll be my lucky year! I think it’s about an hr and a half from here and I would TOTALLY go without the boys–without guilt. 🙂 So I can actually look and wander.
i recently won a week’s tuition, room and board to the john c campbell school and am headed there in february to take whiteline screenprinting. i am so excited, and the more i read about the school and the people, the more excited i become. your blog is great, and i am definitely going to be following you.
would love to come to the festival.
Kenneth-if I had the money-I do better than that-I’d come out there and escort you all the way back here to the festival : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper,
Wish all the Blind Pig readers could be here to share in the festival. You done got me excited.
Hope to see you all there, it’ll
be fun…Ken
Your girls are a prize beyond belief. Those pictures of the little banshees bring back so many memories for me.
I’m really looking forward to the festival this year. The arts and crafts on display are remarkable. I think one of the reasons I enjoy this festival so much is it brings back the “old ways” of life that!
tipper: i dont suppose there would be a round trip air fare from good ole sedro woolley included? no i guess not,sounds like a great time though. one of these days mabe.in the mean time arizona beckons.your friend k.o.h
love the folks school and always wanted to stop in,, didnt realize til i saw this that they had a fall festival.. we may have to ride on up and see all that goes on.. I love this blog btw, it is so local to us and your entries are awesome as I can relate so well to them..
Don’t add me to the list, Tipper. We have other plans that weekend. But–you are sweet to give away from tickets. Love seeing your girls through the years –as they are both growing up…
I love to watch cloggers… SO NEAT.. Wish I could attend the festival… HAVE FUN!!!
Hugs,
Betsy
Wish I lived closer because I would love to attend. looking forward to your post afterward. Have fun!!!!
Pat-you can bet I’ll post about it : ) Hope you enjoy the apple festival!
Blind Pig The Acorn
Music, Giveaways, Mountain Folk
All at http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
We’ve been to that festival several times before and it’s wonderful. Hope someone wins those tickets and has a great time!
That weekend is our local apple festival and I have out of town company coming in also, so won’t be able to attend this year. Maybe you post about it later?
Such an awesome place and the Fall Festival is a don’t miss experience…would love to win tickets to go
If I was close by, I’d want a ticket. Sounds like fun. So glad that you & the girls have made such good memories. Something to always look back on. Wouldn’t take anything for the ones I have with my daughter & grandsons.
I’m excited. We will be there. Gonna be leaving earlier to try to see performance live this year. Hope we can hook up this time.
I love this show more then anyone I ever attended. It just “feels” good. See you there !!!
you are so very blessed to have all these wonderful photos and memories of your two precious girls. i really enjoyed seeing them as they grew up and I did watch last years clogging. they are amazing girls and also are very beautiful. thanks for sharing this.
Tipper I can remember taking my kids to the JCCFS when they were younger and the petting zoo was always their favorite, they never wanted to do anything else except stay right there and ride the ponies and pet the other animals. So we usually spent our day over there with the animals. haha