✕
☰

Two Long-Running Festivals Provide the Warmth of Nostalgia

by

Folks can retreat to the comfort of the past this August to soak up the nostalgic atmosphere at two long-running festivals in Western North Carolina. 

That’s not to say these events have remained static. There may be different vendors year to year alongside different crowds and entertainment, but overall, the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair and the North Carolina Mineral and Gem Festival serve as a reunion of sorts for those who head to the mountains every year, as well as provide a warm welcome to newcomers. It’s a throwback to a previous era with a chance to slow down, be fully present in the moment, and ditch cell phones and other electronic gadgets. 

The Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair, on the town square in Burnsville, is the oldest of the two—it began in August 1956 and is now in its 63rd year. It will take place August 2-3. 

The other one—the N.C. Mineral and Gem Festival in nearby Spruce Pine—celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Appropriately, the 60th anniversary is known as the “diamond anniversary.” The dates for this year’s four-day event are August 1—4 and includes a rare chance for people to tour area mines (more on that later). 

The two events don’t always coincide. The N.C. Mineral and Gem Festival schedules its run on the first weekend in August, even if the start date is still in July, and the Mt. Mitchell Craft Fair happens on the first full weekend in August. 

Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair

This two-day festival, which runs on a Friday and Saturday, got its start when area artists and craftspeople brought their finished products to the town square to sell. From that it grew to one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the Blue Ridge mountains. This craft fair is a juried show, which raises the bar on the quality of items. Everything offered is handmade. 

Artists and craftspeople come in from around the country, but there are plenty of locals showcasing their talent. The Toe River Valley has long been a haven for creative spirits. The nearby Penland School of Crafts provides an inspirational setting and expert guidance for those taking classes to stretch their abilities. 

During the festival, a sea of pop-up tents and tables cover the square and overflow onto side streets, offering a wide variety of hand-crafted goods: quilts, pottery, blown glass, wooden carvings, dolls, paintings, furniture and more. There are about 200 vendors and a variety of food booths with such delights as homemade ice cream, barbecue, fresh-squeezed lemonade and funnel cakes. On the formal park in the center of town square, musicians keep the event lively with a variety of tunes and dancing. 

On the Thursday before the festival, staff members from the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce join with an army of volunteers to get everything set up and help the sellers secure their booths. 

They’ve learned from past experience that rain, even a brief shower, is usually part of the festival, along with possible winds. Ginger Johnson, executive director of the chamber, remembers one year when a vendor didn’t add weights to the pop-up tent covering her table. “That tent went parasailing through town.” 

Long-time volunteers Kathy and Art Kramer remember that as well. “We had several tents flying that year,” Kathy said. “Some of these folks were newbies who hadn’t secured with weights or concrete. We chased the tents and picked up all the goods and put them back on their tables.”

Other than a few wayward tents, volunteers and sellers alike say the festival usually runs without a hitch. 

Anna Bristow and her husband, Roger, own Bristow Pottery in Moore County, which is about an hour south of Greensboro. Anna said the planning and organization of the festival makes it one of her favorite places to sell their work. 

“We’ve never been disappointed in Burnsville,” she said. “When we come in to set up and get ready for the festival, the planners have everything so well organized. There’s great attendance and events that are enjoyable for the vendors as well as the people who come.”

The emcee for the entertainment is Tim Babb, interim music director at First Baptist Church in Burnsville and retired band and choral director at the local Mt. Heritage High School. “This is his 21st or 22nd year,” Ginger said. “I’m happy to say for the most part we have local musicians. A lot of them have been doing it year after year. We have locals who will bring their lawn chairs and they’ll sit there for two days just listening to the music.”

N.C. Mineral & Gem Festival 

Dealers from all over the country will converge on Spruce Pine August 1-4 for the 60th Annual N.C. Mineral & Gem Festival. A teacher at Harris High School first started it as a place for her students to present displays on the area’s minerals and gems as well as a rock swap. It’s grown and evolved over the years and moved from the school to the now-defunct Pinebridge Coliseum to the Spruce Pine Commons shopping center. 

In past years, it’s been held in a former Food Lion grocery store, but this year the festival moves again—but not far. 

“The Food Lion lease is up so we are moving to the other end of the shopping center,” said Patti Jensen, executive director of the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce. “Our dealers offer everything from raw minerals and gemstones to finished jewelry. Some people come to have jewelry designed here, or they bring in their own stones for a setting. Some even find their engagement rings here.” 

There are typically about 50 booth spaces that range from one table to 10 tables, depending on how much space a seller needs. 

One special aspect of this event is the chance to tour mines of The Quartz Corp. in Spruce Pine, which is the source of the world’s purest quartz. 

“There’s a fee to participate on two different nights,” Patti said. “Participants are able to go to the mine and keep anything they find. They can bring buckets, bags and backpacks. We’ve seen people come out with bags of quartz and huge sheets of mica. Some bring tools for picking and digging. It’s the only time of year that people are allowed to go into the mine. They get to stay about two hours. We’ve had pouring rain before and think people won’t show up, but they bring their ponchos.”

Check ncgemfest.com for details on how to sign up. Organizers are also working on some new things which will also be revealed on the website. One is a ticketed Wednesday evening preview party with food, drink, music, and a chance of first selection. 

First selection can be important because “many of our vendors bring one-of-a-kind pieces,” Patti said. 

Grassy Creek Gem Show

Rock hounds and gemstone lovers will be delighted to know that the festival isn’t the only such event happening that week in Spruce Pine. The Grassy Creek Gem Show, now in it’s 35th year, runs July 27-August 4 at the Parkway Fairgrounds. It’s about two miles from the festival site. Vendors put up outdoor tents and have a larger collection of raw materials than finished products. 

Long-time festival dealers Dwight and Judie Sebastian of Hayes, North Carolina, started out at the Grassy Creek event before moving over to the indoor festival. 

“We got to the point that we couldn’t put up the tents,” said Judie. “I’m not the youngest chicken I used to be. My husband and I don’t just sell; we are true jewelers. We live in a small rural area so we couldn’t have a shop where we live. We’d starve to death, so we have to travel” to sell at fairs and festivals.

They don’t offer custom orders, but they do offer repairs and on-the-spot sizing of the rings they sell. Judie says one of her sweetest memories involved an elderly woman who brought in the top portion of an antique ring that had belonged to her great-grandmother. When Dwight inspected the ring, he told her he could add a shank to it so she could wear it.

“That little old lady almost jumped up and down,” said Judie. “He fixed it and there were hugs and kisses all around. She cried. It was just wonderful.” 

Reuniting with other dealers also brings a lot of joy. Judie says while all of the dealers are operating independently within the festival space, they’ve gotten to know the others and consider them extended family. 

She says she’s heard over the year that some people think the products are too expensive, but she disagrees. “You can find just about anything you want,” said Judie. “We always bring inexpensive items for the children.”

Long-time dealer Pamela Blair, of Pamela’s Jewelry, said her father was one of the original dealers at the Mineral and Gem Festival. “He and my mother operated Bass Gems and Minerals—that was the name of their business,” she said. “When I was in my early 30s I started my own business. We were doing the same show, but with different inventory. “They carried high-end jewelry and gemstones and I carried high-end jewelry and diamond goods.”

As her parents aged and needed more caregiving, Pamela took a couple of years off. “Last year was the first year I went back,” she said. “There’s a nice variety of dealers. There’s high-end merchandise, but lower end stuff too.” 

Some people will bring in items that they’ve found in attics when they’ve cleaned out the homes of their parents and grandparents. “They’ll bring specimens in to find out what they have,” Patti said. “Sometimes the dealers will trade for it.”

Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair

N.C. Mineral and Gem Festival

Grassy Creek Mineral and Gem Show

More Gems

If visitors don’t get their fill of gemstones and minerals at the festival, they can go to nearby Museum of North Carolina Minerals at 79 Parkway Maintenance Road (nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/museum-of-north-carolina-minerals-mp-331.htm), as well as visit Emerald Village (emeraldvillage.com) and Gem Mountain (gemmountain.com) to do a little mining or learn about the history of the area.

Back to topbutton