Live crafting, 100 vendors, Asheville's Southern Highlands Craft Fair is 'an experience'
ASHEVILLE - The 76th annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands isn’t just an opportunity to shop for local crafts, according to organizers, the July 20-23 event will be an “experience.”
The fair is held by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional craftsmanship in the Southern Highland region. With over 100 vendors, all accepted to the Craft Guild through a jury process, the fair has something for everyone.
Lee Entrekin has sold his handcrafted wooden flutes at the fair nearly every year since he joined the guild in 2005. He says the personal touch the fair provides makes it a unique experience.
“It's a chance to meet the people who are buying your work and for them to talk to you and ask questions,” Entrekin said. “So it's not like ordering something off Amazon, where you have no idea where it came from, you know, somewhere halfway around the world. This way, you actually get a chance to talk to the person who created the work.”
The craft fair will be at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in downtown Asheville from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Craft Guild facilitates the fairs biannually, with their next dates falling Oct. 19-22.
The Craft Guild’s website mentions vendor offerings including pottery, sculpture, furniture, tapestry, apparel, mixed-media, jewelry and more.
The fair isn’t only an opportunity to support local craftspeople by purchasing their work. The $10 admission fee also allows visitors the opportunity to view live interactive demonstrations, learn craftsmanship skills from the vendors and enjoy live bluegrass mountain music played by local musicians. Children younger than 12 can attend with their families for free.
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Marketing Director Millie Davis emphasized the unique chance to see craftspeople in action. While their over 100 booths of guild-selected craftspeople are, of course, a huge draw, she said the guild is excited to offer a diverse array of attractions.
“We invite the public to come and watch live demonstrations, and the demonstrators teach people about what they're doing and the importance of making things by hand and not losing that knowledge,” Davis said. “Because a lot of what these artists do has been replaced by machinery. The industrial revolution has taken this away from a common man in the village doing it for you.”
Entrekin said that one of his favorite parts about participating as a vendor is that chance to connect with his customers on a personal, hands-on level.
“In my case, I can demonstrate how the flutes sound and talk to the people," Entrekin said. "They get to know you a little bit. For me in particular, I love to follow up with people, help them learn how to play, not just buy a flute and walk away."
The biannual fair is always a huge draw for the guild — Davis said their numbers over the four days of each festival have historically averaged between 7,000 and 8,000 people. However, the guild is in need of extra support from the community following the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“It's actually been kind of a struggle,” Davis said. “To be honest, I think there's definitely been a drop in attendance, and even artists signing up to participate in exhibits at the fair.”
Some of the traditional craftsmanship that the Craft Guild aims to preserve will be shown in fair demonstrations. Spinning, pottery and jewelry making will be demonstrated all four days. Basketry techniques will be demonstrated on Friday, and visitors can learn sunprinting on Saturday. This year, the fair will also include a raffle for eight unique prizes crafted by some of the guild’s expert makers.
In the end, Entrekin’s feelings on what the fair offers to the community were simple.
“For people that want to see work that is handmade by local craftspeople, get to talk with the people, learn about their work and how they got started, and so on — this is a great opportunity to do that.”
For more information, visit the Craft Guild website or email info@craftguild.org
Tickets can be purchased on the Craft Guild Ticketmaster page.
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Iris Seaton is a news intern for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What to know about 76th annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
