Musem's 2nd Saturday program to focus on old-time skills and crafts

By Mike Conley
Published: July 08, 2010

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The next 2^nd Saturday program at the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center will focus on the homestead crafts and skills of the Southern Appalachians.

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is holding a series of 2^nd Saturday programs in June, July and August. The programs will combine the unique power of the arts and heritage with food and fun during the summer months. The programs will be held at all 37 museums and historic sites operated by the state of North Carolina. Most events are free, according to a news release.

In June, the 2^nd Saturday program at the museum in Old Fort focused on trout fishing and its role in western North Carolina heritage. This month’s program will highlight the traditional mountain crafts and skills that have been around for centuries. It will be held this Saturday at the museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to the public.

Museum Administrator Terrell Finley said Saturday’s program will feature a variety of crafters demonstrating their time-honored skills.

Participants lined up for the 2^nd Saturday program include gunmaker and knifemaker Homer Sales, woodcarvers Donald Duncan and Nannette Hankins, painter and sketcher Barbara Kahn, potter Lin Venhuizen and painter and mixed media artist Alica Greko.

All of the state museums and historic sites will have something similar to offer as part of the 2^nd Saturday series.

Each program will reflect the unique character of host place, whether it be storytelling at Town Creek Indian Mound in Montgomery County with American Indian craft, music and food; or re-enactors, quilting demonstrations, music and fresh farm produce at the CSS Neuse in Lenoir County. The nearby Thomas Wolfe Memorial and the Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace will have special programs as well.

In many rural counties, the state historic site or museum is the main tourist destination. Organizers predict that 2^nd Saturdays will attract attention and visitors and generate sales opportunities for artists, including potters, weavers, photographers, painters, metalworkers, papermakers, jewelers, and farmers with produce or value-added products such as honey, goat cheese, soy candle makers, or bakers.

Partners in 2^nd Saturdays include Our State magazine, the Division of Tourism within the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Cooperative Extension, and the Tourism Extension Program in N.C. State University Parks Recreation and Tourism Management.

On Saturday, July 24, the Mountain Gateway Museum and Heritage Center will hold a Blue Ridge Traditions program featuring The Kruger Brothers. The bluegrass group will play at the Old Fort Elementary School auditorium with seating on a first-come, first-serve basis. The show will last from 7 to 9 p.m.

And the next program in the 2^nd Saturday series will be held Aug. 14. It will focus on farming and contain demonstrations of old-time agricultural methods.

For more information, call the Mountain Gateway Museum at 668-9259. For more information about the 2^nd Saturday programs statewide, visit http://ncdcr.gov/2ndsaturdays.asp.