Annual craft fair begins in Asheville, 7/18/2002 -
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Published on: 7/18/2002
Last Visited: 7/18/2002
Paige Johnson, director of development for the Southern Highland Craft Guild, said having two fairs every year give the 800-plus members of the guild the opportunity to participate in one or both events, thus giving visitors more of a chance to find their treasure.
"We have 165 crafters in this fair and October is usually a little larger," Ms. Johnson said."In July, we usually see 10,000 to 12,000 visitors and we'll have about 15,000 in October.People really look forward to it and we have a good market for it.Plus, you really can't beat October in the mountains."
Guests to the fair will find weaving, glass-blowing, wood-turning, jewelry, clay, fibers, woodcarving and much more.In addition to the many booths to check out, there will also be more than a dozen craft demonstrations including a guest bagpipe craftsman from Scotland and other Scottish craft demonstrations.
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Ms. Johnson encouraged those who love mountain crafts to take full advantage of this opportunity to see a sampling of the talented artisans who call this region home.
"There are just so many wonderful craftsmen.We have guild members in nine states, with the highest concentration in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina," Ms. Johnson said."Because we're a membership organization, the quality of our crafts go through a juried process.These are some of the finest crafts you'll see in the southeast.The standard to be a member is quite high.We really are quite proud of what we have."