ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Appalachian hills are alive with the sound of a craft fair this weekend.
The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St.
Organized by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the fair will populate the entirety of Harrah’s with ceramics, fabrics, woodworking and leathern crafts. Over 200 craftspeople are vendors at the semiannual event, ranging from established guild members to out-of-towners to local up-and-comers.
Live Appalachian folk music will be performed from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the arena main stage. Performers will include Jonah Riddle and Carolina Express, Nobody’s Darling String Band and Janet Wiseman and Mountain Lights.
The craft fair began in 1948 in Gatlinburg, T.N. at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, what is today the oldest art school in Tennessee. It moved to the Asheville civic center in 1951 where it has remained ever since.
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The Southern Highland Craft Guild operates the Allanstand Craft Shop, the storefront located inside of the Folk Art Center just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Beth Renne, shop manager of Allanstand Craft Shop, said it was important for folks to come out to see the fair this weekend.
“I would say just to support the regional artists and the Craft Guild, which is an organization that continues to work with the community to promote artists and traditional Southern heritage crafts,” Renne said.
Tickets to the event are $12 a day, though children under 12 may enter for free. More information can be found on the Craft Guild website, www.southernhighlandguild.org/craftfair.