Where: Folk Art Center, Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 382, Asheville, NC
When: Sept. 19 & 20, 2026
Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday & Sunday
Admission: Free parking and admission. All ages welcome
Info: craftguild.org | 828-298-7928
Come celebrate true Southern Appalachian culture and heritage craft at the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s 46th Annual Heritage Weekend, with live demonstrations, music, and family activities like the one and only World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition.
The two-day event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20, 2026, at the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville, NC.
Some Guild artisans, especially blacksmiths, weavers, and woodworkers, still use no electricity, harvest their own local materials, and color materials with natural plant dyes — all original heritage techniques learned from generations of family elders and community mentors.
“It’s my mission to keep these heritage crafts alive and thriving,” said Heritage Weekend organizer Janet Wiseman, who is also a musician and the Southern Highland Craft Guild’s education director.
Craft demonstrations will include:
Woodworking with traditional tools
Weaving, spinning, and natural dyeing
Broom-making and blacksmithing
Stone carving and printmaking
Soap-making
One of Heritage Weekend’s biggest draws is the one and only World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. This popular contest began the year Folk Art Center opened in 1980.
What in the heck is a whimmy diddle? Well, it’s a whimsical mountain toy made from two carved sticks that fascinates people of all ages. Usually made with rhododendron branches, one stick is carved with notches and has a spinning propeller on the end. The other stick is carved smooth.
By rubbing one stick against the other, the propeller spins either right ("gee") or left ("haw"), old terms used to direct a plowing mule to pull to the right (“Gee!”) or to the left (“Haw!)
Contestants can enter child, adult, or professional categories and face fun challenges. To advance to the finals, contestants must be able to make the whimmy diddle Gee and Haw in 4 seconds. To win, they must be able to Gee and Haw opposite-handed within 6 seconds and Gee and Haw behind the back within 6 seconds. Everyone who participates will get a free Moon Pie, and winners can earn T-shirts and other prizes.
In addition, two local storytellers will amuse guests with cherished folklore and native traditions. Ash Woody, of Swannanoa, will perform Appalachian Jack Tales, or stories involving a clever boy who employs his sharp wit to outsmart adversaries and other impossible predicaments. And Davy Arch, a woodcarver, historian, and practitioner of traditional medicine, will tell Cherokee stories and legends.
Heritage Weekend guests can also make a variety of crafts with guidance from Guild members at an interactive activity table.
Demonstrators:
May Lyn Wake
Doug Lowman
Lyle Wheeler
William Wheeler
Sherry Green
Connie Brown
Collene Karcher
Dede Styles
Mary Nichols
Rita de Maintenon
Ronnie McMahan
Tony Dills
Marlow Gates
Jonathan Giddens
John Dickens
Rodney Leftwich
Ann Oakes
Davy Arch
Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual
Cassie Dickson
Tom Godleski
Dorothy McMillan
Peter Werner
Martha Owen
Michael and Donna Fox
Rae Bachus
Sandra Rowland
Nora Mosrie
Entertainment Schedule:
Live Bluegrass and Mountain Music performances on an outdoor stage
Saturday, Sept. 19
10 a.m. - Ash Woody- Appalachian Jack Tales
11 a.m. - Michael and Donna Fox
12 p.m.- Blue-Eyed Girl
1 p.m. - Split Rail
2 p.m. - 46th Annual World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition
3 p.m. - Carol Rifkin and Friends
Sunday, Sept. 20
11 a.m. - Davy Arch- Cherokee Stories
12 p.m. - Nobody's Darlin' Stringband
1 p.m. - Jonah Riddle and Carolina Express
2 p.m. - Buncombe Turnpike
3 p.m. - Janet Wiseman and Pearl Shirley – Mountain Music
Event Highlights
World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 PM
The Venue: Folk Art Center
Exhibitions, a craft shop, museum, and library
Grassy picnic area
Family-friendly atmosphere
Mountains to Sea Trail
The Folk Art Center, at 382 Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 382) in East Asheville, offers free parking, indoor galleries, and a grassy picnic area, making it the perfect spot to spend a crisp early autumn day. Explore Appalachian heritage, meet local craftspeople, and enjoy the beauty of Western North Carolina.
For more information, please visit www.craftguild.org or call 828-298-7928.
About the Southern Highland Craft Guild
Founded in 1930, the Southern Highland Craft Guild is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to promoting the crafts and makers of the Southern Highlands through education, marketing, and preservation. The Guild is an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.