JUNE 30
JULY 1
JULY 1
Jefferson
Music, Crafts, Food, Children's Activities, Live Entertainment and MUCH MORE!
Following a successful return to South Jefferson Avenue in 2022, the Christmas in July Festival will remain in the same location this year South Jefferson Avenue will be closed for vehicle traffic at the intersection of E. Second Street and just past Hice Avenue. Vehicle traffic will be able to turn onto Long Street and then use the Backstreet to detour through town or access parking locations.
Ashe Street and State Street will be closed at their intersections with Back Street, as will E. Main Street and E. First Street.
The Ashe County Farmers Market will be open and ready for the big crowds that will show up for Christmas in July in downtown West Jefferson. The market will be open for its normal hours on Saturday, July 1, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The 2023 farmers market season will continue from now through Oct. 28. There will also be special holiday market hours on Nov. 18, 24, 25 and Dec. 2. The hours for the holiday market dates are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
The Ashe County Farmers Market is easily accessible on the Backstreet across from First Baptist
part of
Church and features a covered shelter in case rain should be in the forecast. The market offers a wide variety of products to
browse from more than 50 local vendors.
Some of the market items include fresh, local fruits and vegetables, fresh baked
goods, dog treats and honey. In addition, local crafters will sell pottery, woodwork, fiber arts and candles.
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There will once again be a wide variety of food at the 2023 Christmas in July Festival. This year features a slight change to the food selections as
more local food vendors will be offering a tasty selection to choose from. This year’s local vendors include Bald Mountain Baptist Church, Bethany United Methodist Church, Just Wing It and
New River Barista. Food court areas will be featured in two places with locations on E. Main Street and the main food court in the parking area at the intersection of State Street
and Third Avenue. Specialty food vendors will also be offering different items for purchase, including food seasoning
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from Shipwrecked Seasonings, Defiant Sauce Company and Rising Smoke, you will be sure to get your tastebuds tingling with a wide assortment of sauces.
Food and drink vendors
Bald Mountain Baptist Church – Town Lot 12, 13, 14
Bethany United Methodist Church – Town Lot 11
Carolina Tea Company – Main Street 108, 109
Dixieland Kettle Corn – Main Street 104, 105
Hawaiian Shaved Ice – Main
Street 106
Just Wing It – Town Lot 3, 4
JM Changs – Town Lot 9, 10
Kyle’s Concessions – Town Lot 6,7,8
New River Barista – Town Lot 17
Paris Festival – Main Street 107
Party in a Pita – Town Lot 1, 2
Poppin’ John’s Homemade Ice
Cream – Main Street 101, 102, 103
Steak Boys – Town Lot 15, 16
Specialty food vendors
Charlotte Jerky — 37
Defiant Sauce Company — 12
Poppies — 63
Rising Smoke – 70
Shipwrecked Seasonings — 111
Christmas in July has proven time and time again that there is truly something at the festival for people of all ages.
This year, the tradition will continue as children of all ages will be greeted by Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the festival. You will find them gathering in downtown for photos and offering early Christmas wishes for the young and young at heart.
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243687. BEAUTIFUL HOME IN AQUIET NEIGHBORHOOD THATisconveniently located to West Jefferson, Boone and Westwood School. The main level features asplit three bedrooms, 2full bath floor plan, adining room, spacious kitchen with lots of storage and abreakfastbar.This home features generous storage and closets throughout. Fully finished basement is an area thatyou can use in anyway imaginable such as family room, game room, crafts and a wonderful place for home schooling. New Premium roof installed in 2020 and just an added bonus is an oversized 25 X27oversized garage with workbench. It won’t last long in this awesome location. $529,000
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Kids will also get to enjoy Jeff the Mime performing magic on the streets and will definitely watch stiltwalker Mark Lippard
entertaining everyone that sees him walking through downtown West Jefferson. Professor Whizzpop will steal the show with plenty of fun and magical activities for children to enjoy.
For the second year in a row, more than 90 craft vendors and nonprofit organizations will have their presence felt at the 2023 Christmas in July Festival. In 2022 there were 92 vendors. This year, there are 93 total vendors with 68 craft vendors and 25 nonprofit organizations that will have booths at the festival.
Craft vendors
Name and booth number
Adoughables – 3
Amy Bumgardner Jewelry – 98
Bates Leather – 115
Bears Eye Custom Log
Furniture — 123 and 124
Bloomin’ Plates – 97
Blue Ridge Wood Crafters – 92 and 93
Blue Ridge Barkery – 94
Bow Wow Pet Ware – 19
Britt Leather – 1 and 2
Campus Scenes – 16
Cary Pottery – 86
Chicken House Crafts — 66
Christy’s Crafts — 113 and 114
Clay Hope Jewelry — 9 and 10
Crafting Sisters — 35
Creative Paths — 65
Davis Dyes — 119
Debora Mauser Designs — 25
ETC’s Tie Dye — 26 and 27
Geo to Gems Jewelry — 33
Gold Beach Glass — 42 Griffith Garden Art — 0 Hemlock Hill Woodworking — 75
Houcks Woodwork — 28
J&J Enterprises High Country Creations — 76 and 77
JC’s Earthgems — 21
Jennibeanzz Crafts — 125
Julian Owen — 54
Just Genna Designs — 95 and 96
Christmas in July returned in 2022 from a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was greeted with beautiful, sunny weather and great crowds of people strolling through West Jefferson. The festival also returned to its original home on South Jefferson Avenue after
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Kathy Duckett Pottery — 46
spending more than a decade on the Backstreet.
2023 marks the 35th year that the festival has been held. The first festival dates all the way back to 1987 when the event was created as a way to promote the popular and growing Christmas tree industry in Ashe County.
The festival has experienced some change
over the years. In 2004, Christmas in July transitioned from a three-day event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to a two-day event with Friday featuring music and food and then Saturday featuring music, food and craft vendors opening their booths up to festival attendees. All musical performances and vendor sales ended
Treetop Magic — 60
Turned Bowls — 15
Veronica’s Doggie Delights — 52 and 53
Vista Tranquila Publishers — 69
on Saturday evening. A couple of years later, the festival moved from South Jefferson Avenue to the Backstreet.
Between food vendors, craft vendors and nonprofit organizations that operate booths at the festival, there are usually more than 100 different businesses and organizations represented at the
annual festival. Nonprofit organizations especially have discovered that the festival is a great way to raise money, find volunteers and communicate their mission to community members and visitors.
The Christmas in July Festival is a 501 © (3) nonprofit organization with a board of directors and committee members
that are are unpaid volunteers that devote a lot of time and effort into making this festival a memorable one for everyone in attendance. The event would not be possible without the support of both local residents, businesses, officials and visitors that come to the High Country.
This year’s festival takes place June 30 and July 1.
Leaf on the Wind Woodturning — 129
Little Piney Creek Woodworks — 122
Live Edge Tables and More — 110
Made by Mimi — 36
McLeod Handicrafts — 20
Mill Creek Arts — 58
Mitchell’s Creations — 126
Mountain Pride Crafts — 5 and 6
MR Manufacturing — 56
NoodleCakes — 127
Oil of Joy Apothecary — 59
Old Julian Pottery — 89
Olivia’s Forest — 22
OMDPAINTER — 68
Parsons Forge and More — 40 and 41
Pottery by Suz — 120
Pottery for Life — 117
Pursonalities Plus — 62
Renegade Tees — 44 and 45
Salem’s Grace — 38
Sazzy Woodcrafts — 11
Scruffy Boo Scraps — 61
Silver and Stones — 112
Smokin’ Hot Brass — 39
Southern Comfort Swings — 17 and 18
Steve Korloski Sculpture — 85
Stitches by Denise — 78
Strings Attached — 71 and 72
The Burr Next — 84
The Vintage Locket — 7
Throw & Sew — 128
Tree of Life Designs — 118
West End Wreaths — 13
Woodcrafts by Hedrick — 90 and 91
Nonprofit vendors
Name and booth number
Ashe County Arts Council — Main Street and Sixth Avenue
Ashe County Bee Keepers Assoc. — 48
Ashe County Democratic Party — 8
Ashe County DSS — 121
Ashe County Habitat for Humanity — 32
Ashe County Piece-makers Quilt Guild — 24
Ashe County Republican Party — 80 and 81
Ashe County Rescue Squad — 43 and 57
Ashe County Shrine Club — 29 and 30
Blue Star Mothers — 34
ECKANKAR — 4
Florence Thomas Art School — 79
Generations Ashe — 116
Gideon’s International — 64
Hope Thru A Vision — 67
John Birch Society — 31
Legal Aid of NC — 47
Marine Corp. League 1389 — 82 and 83
Mountain High Basketmakers Guild — 23
Museum of Ashe County History — 87 and 88
Pond Mtn. VFD — 14
Riverview Lions Club — 73 and 74
SNIPS of Watauga Humane Society — 130 and 131
VFW 7946 — 99 and 100
We Are Down Home — 55
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The 2023 Christmas in July Festival has another great musical lineup with country music rising star Tim Elliott and local music legend Wayne Henderson taking the stage during the two-day festival.
Steve Lewis, Eric Hardin, Randy Greer, and Josh Scott, 5:30 — 6:45 p.m.
Steve Lewis, Eric Hardin, Randy Greer, and Josh Scott will kick off the entertainment. This local band will surely delight the crowd with their talent and crowd-pleasing selections. Featuring Steve Lewis, national banjo champion, Eric Hardin on guitar, Josh Hardin on bass, and Randy Greer, known as an ex-
pert mandolinist. These musicians all call Ashe County home and have performed regionally and nationally. Traditional bluegrass music with nods to old-time, folk, gospel, and newer contemporary bluegrass will be part of the repertoire.
Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road, 7 — 8:15 p.m.
Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road will take the stage at 7 p.m. Growing up in Deep Gap just down the road from Doc Watson, Liam Purcell leads Cane Mill Road as they rock the traditional bluegrass standards they were raised on, yet boldly write original music with roots in the fertile grounds of bluegrass, old-time and Americana.
Special Occasion Band, 8:30 — 10 p.m.
For more than 20 years, Special Occa-
sion Band has entertained young and old all over the Carolinas. Come and make this occasion one to remember, as this band always aims to please and play a song that will bring back special memories.
Saturday’s music schedule
Jeff Little Trio, 10 — 11:30 a.m. Jeff will mesmerize the crowd with his fast work on the ivories. He plays with a distinctive two-handed style influenced by the mountain flat-picked guitar tradition and regional musicians like Doc Watson.
Tim Elliott, 11:45 a.m. — 1:45 p.m. Tim Elliott, described as a genuine rising country star, has Ashe County roots
SEE BANDS ON PAGE 13
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and will bring his band for a special appearance starting at 11:45 a.m. Tim started his touring business from the ground up. He performs in Nashville, Myrtle Beach, and venues across the Southeast. Tim is a powerhouse singer, and Christmas in July is honored to have Tim and his band perform for the first time at this year’s festival.
Wayne Henderson & Friends, 2:15 — 3:15 p.m.
Wayne Henderson & Friends will follow Tim Elliott. Wayne is always a local favorite with his stories and playing. His finger-picking guitar playing has been enjoyed at Carnegie Hall and across the globe. Herb Key
often joins Wayne and is also a favorite. Herb Key grew up in a musical family in Wilkes County, and he has played music for most of his life, spending more than 30 years making, repairing and restoring instruments.
Lucky Strikes Orchestra, 3 — 4:30 p.m.
The Lucky Strikes Orchestra will be the closing act and plan to perform a variety of Motown, Beach, Swing and Classic Rock. For over a decade, Lucky Strikes have delighted and entertained audiences in western North Carolina with their unique brand of fun, upbeat, danceable music and humor.
From Motown, Beach and Swing, to Classic Rock-nRoll 50s-80s, their timeless playlist appeals to the young and the young at heart.
