Education briefs

Franklin Area Folk Festival kicks off

The 16th Annual Franklin Area Folk Festival, “A Celebration of Appalachian Heritage” will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center. Nestled in Cowee West’s Mill Historic District at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin, the center is a unique showcase for demonstrating the everyday skills, crafts and music of our ancestors. And it is a free event!

Celebrating all things Appalachian, this family-friendly festival features live heritage demonstrations, Appalachian crafts, jammin’ sessions that feature old-time mountain music and bluegrass, kids’ activities, food, textiles and more. Artisans inside Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will exhibit Macon County’s rich Kornbread Kreek, seen here, will be among the heritage by teaching performers at the Franklin Area Folk Festival. Donated photo us about pottery, textiles, painting, old toys and local culture and history. By linking the future to the past, the Franklin Area Folk Festival sponsors hands-on activities through demonstrations to allow visitors to experience what mountain life was like years ago. These folks learned at their parents’ knee woodcarving, moonshinin’, weaving and spinning, and all the many other heritage skills they’ll be demonstrating.

Some additional highlights include special quilts on display, flint napping, woodworking, Border Collies’ demonstrations, bee keeping, weaving, old-time music and more. Performances of mountain music, gospel and bluegrass tunes exemplify a very important cultural heritage of Appalachia. J Creek Cloggers, sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County and storytelling with Shelia Kay Adams, sponsored by Suminski Family Books, are sure to be crowd pleasers.

In addition to performance stages inside and outside, festival-goers are encouraged to bring their instruments and join in during a jammin’ session.

Once known as the quilting capital of the world, displays from the Smoky Mountain Quilter’s Guild and Cowee Quilters will help showcase this important heritage. Also, there will be vendors selling Appalachian crafts in addition to demonstrators with their goods available for purchase.

Beginning at 10 a.m. at the Kids’ Activity Tent located mid-field, kids of all ages are encouraged to play old-fashioned lawn games such as egg races, sack races and tug-o-war. At designated times, kids can also make crafts or try their hand at weaving or butter churning. Additional kid-focused activities scattered around both inside and outside on the grounds include the Smoky Mtn. Quilter’s Guild Make-it/Take-it sewing item, corn shellin’, dancing jacks with fiddle music by Richard Tichich, Macon County 4-H crafts with exhibit of traditional toys and friendly goats, free books from Read-to-Me, face painting by Macon Faces and Henna, ornament making in the pottery room or weaving in the hall by Cowee textiles. Also, kids can take a step back in time and use a washboard to clean clothes, stop by the Civil War re-enactors Camp, or experiment with antique implements and old tools at the Back Porch for a heritage photo op.

Highlands Hair Studio celebrates opening

Saturday, Aug. 13, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce hosted a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome Highlands Hair Studio to the community.

Highlands Hair Studio offers professional hair services to women, men and children. Owner Ashley Caldwell said she is excited to be part of the Highlands business community. She was surrounded by family and Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC Executive Director Kaye McHan during the event.

“I am excited because there is so much opportunity for growth and expansion,” Caldwell said. “I want to create a high-end environment for clients to come relax, while also providing a service at a reasonable rate.”

Highlands Hair Studio is located at 121 Main St. and open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Mondays and Saturdays by appointment only.

Lake Junaluska to host Choir Music Weekend

enjoy time for recreation and fellowship.

During the event, experienced choral directors will teach eight anthems and lead workshops on topics from the basics of playing the ukulele to how to turn hymns into anthems for smaller choirs. A new workshop track is offered specifically for the church accompanist.

Choir Music Weekend is especially geared to the choral needs of small- and medium-sized choirs, but all are welcome to attend.

The theme for this year’s event will be “Reflections of Christ – His Life and Mission.”

“It will be a glorious reunion this fall as we gather to sing after a two-year hiatus,” said Ginger Wyrick, who serves on the Choir Music Weekend leadership team. “Don’t miss this opportunity for hearts and voices to unite in song, fellowship and worship.”

The weekend takes place during peak leaf season in Western North Carolina, so attendees can enjoy the artistry of nature as they expand their choral knowledge.

A program fee of $105 includes the anthem packet, worship and workshops. Also available are lodging packages that include two nights of lodging at The Terrace Hotel or Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska, six meals and program fees.

To register or for more information, call 800.222.4930 or visit lakejunaluska.com/choirmusic.

Chorus group begins 48th season

The Mountain Community Chorus is set to begin its 48th season on Aug. 22 with auditions for new singers at 6 p.m. and its first rehearsal for the fall concert at 7 p.m., both at Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris, Georgia. Terry Hooper returns to lead the chorus as its music director.

The fall concert will be held on Nov. 18 and 19, which is earlier than in previous years. The earlier dates will allow a greater variety of styles and seasons for this concert, which historically has focused largely on music of the Christmas season. This year, there will be songs relating to the fall season and to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, as well as patriotic selections in honor of Veteran’s Day and an arrangement from a Broadway musical.

Selections for the concert will include the “Gloria” movement from Vivaldi’s Gloria; Randall Thompson’s “The Last Words of David”; two selections by noted English choral composer John Rutter – “For the Beauty of the Earth” and “Candlelight Carol”; and Holst’s “Christmas Day”.

Auditions for new members begin at 6 p.m. on August 22 at Sharp Memorial Church, followed by the first rehearsal at 7 p.m. There is a $20 membership fee that covers the cost of music. The chorus welcomes all competent singers who have a willingness to practice and perform a variety of choral music. There is no need for new singers to prepare anything for the audition.

Rehearsals are held on Monday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Sharp Memorial.

Now in its 48th season, the chorus provides an artistic outlet for choral performers in the mountain communities of northeast Georgia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Many chorus members travel an hour or more to rehearsals.

Music Director Terry Hooper currently serves as Adjunct Instructor of Voice at Young Harris College, where he has taught voice, piano and music appreciation, and as Adjunct Instructor of Voice at Truett-McConnell University in Cleveland, Georgia. He is also Minister of Music at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Hayesville, North Carolina. Mr. Hooper has an extensive history of performing and conducting vocal and choral music throughout the United States and Europe.

For more information on how to become part of this community music group, visit mountaincommunitychorus.org or contact Terry Hooper at rterry.hooper@gmail.com.