Thursday Rough Draft

Taupe Gallery

305 10th Street, North Wilkesboro

Jim Lyall and Steve Key visited the North
Carolina mountains and fell in love with the art
they found. Fascinated by the colors, form, and
unique Appalachian flavor of the arts and crafts
they found in the region, the two decided to
open an art gallery/shop.
In 2010, they opened Taupe Gallery in downtown
North Wilkesboro. The two clearly have an eye
for art, because their store is filled with unique
pieces that are truly beautiful. Walking through
the store feels like walking through a very nice
museum, but you can actually purchase the
items that move you.
This gallery is a curated collection of beautiful,
often functional art. The pieces they select are
fresh, and many seem infused with life. Walking
into the store is an uplifting experience filled
with exciting colors and textures. Don’t miss
this unique shop!

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Brey Quality crafts

1830 Glenn Carlton Road, Boomer

Betsy Brey makes truly unique
baskets. She was raised on a large
dairy farm and moved to Wilkes
County in 1978. She was inspired
by our elaborate and aesthetically
pleasing baskets and she spent 30
years perfecting her basketry skills,
making baskets using traditional
materials like white oak.

In 2010, her focus shifted to bark
peeling, She combined bark peeling
with her extensive basket making
skills to create a new kind of basket.

All of the material for her baskets is
sourced from her own homestead.
The 25 acre plot of land provides
her with yellow poplar, cedar,
hickory, white oak, hemlock, and
reed.

Betsy enjoys visitors, and they’ll
find her working. Of course, if the
weather and season are right, they
may have to search a little harder
as she’ll be in the woods harvesting
bark.

Betsy also makes handmade
soap which she sells in her shop
alongside her baskets. She also
teaches soap-making classes.

Be sure to call ahead at (336) 921-
2424, as she’s open by appointment or
email to [email protected].

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Kogut Violins

3110 Lyndhurst Drive, Lenoir

Bob Kogut has certainly elevated violin making to an art. He produces beautiful violins
that sound almost miraculous in a cosy woodshop in Lenoir.
Bob grew up in Philadelphia and had no experience with fiddle music. He was 30 years
old when attended his first bluegrass festival. Once Bill Monroe started playing, he was
hooked, and he learned to play.
He began making violins because he was frustrated. He’d tried countless fiddles, and
none gave him the sound he was looking for. Bob Bragg, his mentor, pointed out that
he may not be able to find the sound he wanted unless he made it. That sent him down
the figurative rabbit hole, and using trial and error, and a LOT of wood, he did find the
sound he was seeking. Since then, he’s made hundreds of violins, and he operates with
quite a waiting list. MerleFest brought Kogut to our region. He was living in Florida, but
after playing several MerleFests, he realized he loved the area, and moved here. Now he’s
a sponsor of MerleFest and they auction one of his fiddles there each year. We love his
fiddles so much that we featured one on the cover of one of our issues!
Call ahead for an appointment at 828-493-4875 or email [email protected].

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Folk Keeper Gallery

902 West Ave NW, Lenoir

Charlie and Susan Frye are the proprietors of Folk Keeper Gallery & Antiques in Historic
Downtown Lenoir. This gallery is both a working studio and a shop selling art and crafts.
The couple has a real love of Downtown Lenoir and they work to keep it vibrant. Charlie
is a renowned folk artist, and when he married Susan, she had a long-standing dream to
operate an art gallery.

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Together they created the unique
Folk Keeper Gallery. The shop
features many fine regional Folk Artist
with a wide range of subject matter
and styles. A unique aspect of Folk
Keeper Gallery is that Charlie Frye, an
internationally collected Folk Artist, is
in residence year-round and Susan
Frye who is an up and coming Folk
artist is also in residence. Charlie will
likely be covered in paint with a brush
in his hand when you stop in.

While Charlie’s primary focus is on
painting, Susan balances her time
between creating art, curating the
antiques and artisan crafts and
running the back end of the business.
She’s cultivated an extremely pleasant
environment that’s sensory rich and
feels like “the foothills.”

Charlie’s folk art is whimsical with a
solid foundation. His use of color is
exciting and bold. He’s quite good
at capturing the heart of something
then conveying it simply.

Frye says,“I mainly paint from
memories and my imagination. It’s
what I do every day. I get to paint the
visions in my head all the time. I’m a
lucky man.”

We appreciate the way he portrays
the mountains we love. We also
enjoy his penchant towards painting
on found objects instead of canvas.
Frye shows his work all over the East
Coast, participating in the Fearrington
Village Folk Art Show (NC), Finster Fest
(GA), and the Kentuck Festival of Art
(AL)

Be sure to stop into the Folk Keeper
Gallery. It has such a strong sense of
place, and that’s something Foothills
Digest will always celebrate!

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OSuzannah’s

130 W. Union Street, Morganton

OSuzannah’s is located in Downtown Morganton. Proprietor Susan McRae’s fiber journey
began at the young age of six with a miniature Singer sewing machine and a 2” pin
loom. She’s been fascinated by fiber arts ever since. In 2013, she opened a yarn shop
and almost immediately, it became her working fiber studio.
If you’re looking for yarn, this store is a great place to buy it. While you shop, you may see
McRae weaving at an old-fashioned loom. . She also creates indigo shibori. Shibori is the
Japanese art of binding and folding fabric in different patterns before dyeing, and indigo

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is a deep blue dye. You
may find her dyeing
pieces in her indigo vat.

She’s amassed a lot of
knowledge about fibers,
and she’s happy to help
customers choose the
right yarn for the project
they are working on.

You can also buy
beautiful shawls and
other handwoven items,
naturally dyed and
printed items, unique
hand made wall art,
indigo shibori pieces
and more, crafted by
McRae in her shop.
Additionally, she makes
jewelry using vintage
beads and pendants.

She also sells vintage
textiles and supplies
needed for knitting,
crocheting and weaving.
Antique baskets and
textiles decorate the
space, contributing to
a pleasant, decidedly
Appalachian feel.

Susan McRae also offers
classes in knitting,
weaving, indigo dyeing
and intuitive stitching,
boro and visible
mending. She’s always
excited to help other
people improve their
skills with traditional
textile arts.

This store is open on
Thursday, Friday and
Saturday.

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Oak Hill Iron and Wood

107 S. King Street, Morganton

Dean Curfman built log homes, and the most
authentic tools to use for such a traditional style
of home are hand forged iron. So, Curfman set out
to learn how to create the tools he needed. In the
thirty years since then, Curfman has built a unique
business.
Oak Hill Iron + Wood sells hand forged items. They
have an ever-changing line of products they offer,
available on site at their shop, but they also make
high-end, always hand-forged architectural and
artistic ironworks for commercial and residential
spaces. The business also sources live-slab wood,
which is very popular in home design. At their South
King Street location, visitors can look through a huge
selection of live-slab pieces, to find the perfect slab
for their own space.
Oak Hill Iron + Woodwork employs a team of 8 highly
skill artisans to create beautiful works that are also
functional.

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West Main Antiques To be held at the Taylorsville
Fairgrounds
Spring Vintage Market
170 Fairgrounds Road
Taylorsville, NC 28681

Friday, April 1st-1:0-5:00
Saturday, April 2nd-9:00-4:00

Come join us for a whole new shopping
experience: great antiques, vintage
items, home decor, plants & flowers,
food trucks & so much more!

For more information contact West
Main Antiques

294 West Main Avenue, Taylorsville, NC
828-352-9500

HCT

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Hamilton Williams Gallery and Studio

403 E. Union Street, Morganton

Hamilton Williams might have been an architect, except for a college pottery course
that changed the direction of his life. He’s been a potter since then, spending the first
25 years focusing on functional pieces. Recently, he’s been working more on decorative
pieces, working out exceptional and almost architectural detailing. We’re fascinated with
his work so we asked him what draws him to make pottery. He says, “In the early days,
the draw was simply getting to work with my hands and the immediate gratification of
shaping a piece of clay on the potter’s wheel. As I’ve matured into the craft, I realize that
there are endless facets to ceramics and pottery that keep me interested; the science
of clay and glaze, design and functionality, the way ceramics is interwoven with the
development of civilization, and the myriad opportunities of self-expression. There is
always something new to discover and new ways to reinvent what I make.”

In addition to a studio that you can visit, the spaces holds a gallery that sells Hamilton

Williams’ work, but also the work of other artisans. We asked why he decided to sell

other artisan’s work as well. He answered, “My own pottery work is pretty narrowly

focused so when it came to opening a retail space in Downtown Morganton, I felt that

the shop needed to have a greater variety of handmade items on offer. This gives

customers a greater chance of finding a piece that speaks to them, but it also appeals

to my sense of community by highlighting the work of other local artists and supporting

their creativity. Customers that tour western North Carolina craft galleries take notice

of the unique pieces here and tend to appreciate how grounded we are in the creative

resources of own specific area.” 112

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West Union Art Studio

113 W. Union Street, Morganton

West Union Art Studios is home to 13 different artists. Owners Adam and Molly Mackay
set out to create a space that could help lighten the load for working artist, and provide
a cooperating working environment.
They renovated a Downtown Morganton building, creating studio spaces as well as a
gallery. The artists create work in the space, and then they have a place to sell their
goods. Artists consist of potters, painters, and fiber artists. Additionally, music lessons
are taught in piano, guitar, ukulele, and violin.

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In the store, you’ll find functional pottery Natural
like plates, bowls, mugs, vases and cups in
each artist’s own style. There are also lovely Elements
agate ware clay pieces in a multitude of color.
There is folk style pottery including face jugs, OfN o r t h
sculptural work like carved birds and seasonal Carolina
pieces both thrown and hand-built. There are
also paintings and other art available, as well We curate
as musical instruments, some of which are products for
made by the in-house luthier.
a natural
Call (828) 403-4148 if you have any questions lifestyle
about this unique collective.
Our products
include:
• A full-range of NC

CBD products
• Elderberry Syrup
• Organic vitamins

& supplements
• Honey
• Jewelry
• Essential Oils
• And more!

15 US Hwy 321SW
Hickory, NC 28602

828/729/9868

238 Morganton Blvd
Lenoir, NC 28645

828/929/2420

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Ad Gee Haw
Whimmy
$1000
Diddle
Call
828.475.1323 Have you ever played with a Gee Haw
Whimmy Diddle? Have you ever heard of
or email one? Most of us have never seen one of
these clever creations, but there was a
editor@ time when most mountain kids had one,
foothills carved for them by their dad or a family
digest.com friend.

A Whimmy Diddle is carved out of
two sticks of mountain laurel, or
rhodedendron. The sticks need to have
a certain bend to them. Then, notches
are carved into one of the sticks, and
a propeller is attached to the end.
Cherokee called this toy a Hoodoo Stick
and sometimes it was called a Hooey
Stick.

Now, the user uses the unnotched stick
and rubs it back and forth across the
notches. Experienced Whimmy Diddle
users will get that propeller spinning.
If it’s your first time, you may instead
spend several frustrating minutes trying
to get it to spin. There’s certainly a trick
to it.

“Gee” and “Haw” are words you shout at a
horse to get him to turn right (gee) or left
(haw). The Whimmy Diddle’s propellor
can be coerced to spin the other
direction, and users are encouraged
to make it switch directions and shout
either “Gee” or “Haw.” Of course, the toy
isn’t responding to the calls, but the fun
lies in pretending.

It’s possible the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle
would have faded from our collective
consciousess, were it not for a March
1960 article in the influential Popular
Science Magazine.

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The article was titled “Folk Toys are
Back Again.” The article boosted the
folk toy industry and allowed the
wooden toy survive the onslought
of plastic toys.

In 1980, folks at the newly
constructed Folk Art Center on
mile marker 382 of the Parkway
needed something to spark interest
in the community. Roger McGuire,
Assistant to the Director of the Folk
Center, came up with the idea to
host the World GeeHaw Whimmy
Diddle Competition.

More than 40 years later, the annual
festival is still going strong. The
event is now the centerpiece of the
Center’s annual Heritage Weekend.

The festival is MCed by Joe “Colonel
Buncombe” Bly, and competitors are
judged on their ability to operate the
Whimmy Diddle. One category tests
the number of alternating gee and
haw rotations in twelve seconds.
Will Hines is the current world
record-holder at 58!. There are also
behind-the-back rotations, switched-
hand rotations, and “most creative”
whimmy diddle categories.

Winners get a moonpie and a tshirt,
and more importantly, life-long
bragging rights.

Use these QR codes to learn more!

Learn to play!

See the Popular
Science Article.

Hear a song.

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JOSH TURNER OLD CROW
GREENSKY BLUEGRASS MEDICINE SHOW

EMMYLOU HARRIS TRAMPLED BY TURTLES THE WOOD BROTHERS COLIN HAY

NITTY GRITTY DURAND JONES & WE BANJO 3 SAM BUSH
DIRT BAND THE INDICATIONS

JERRY DOUGLAS PETER ROWAN STEEP CANYON
BLUEGRASS BAND RANGERS

12 Stages of “Traditional Plus” Music

MerleFest.org • 111-8800-343-7857

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The Spirit of

MerleFest

MerlleFest started as a celebration of the life of Merle Watson, son of legendary musician
Doc Watson. The festival was meant to be a fundraiser, with monies going to build the Doc
and Merle Watson Garden of the Senses. Back then, no one expected that it would turn into
one of the most important annual festivals for traditional music. But, that’s what happened.

Don’t call MerleFest a bluegrass festival! It’s much more than that. Doc Watson said,
“When Merle and I started out we called our music ‘traditional plus’, meaning the
traditional music of the Appalachian region plus whatever other styles we were in the
mood to play. Since the beginning, the people of the college and I have agreed that the
music of MerleFest is ‘traditional plus’.”

MerleFest is a festival that inspires loyalty, both from performers and audience
members. At left you’ll see B Townes, the man who worked to start the festival and
helped turn it into what it is today. He’s standing with Doc Watson and Emmylou Harris.
She played at first MerleFest in 1988, pictured. But she also played in 1989, 1990, 1991,
1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2003, 2006 and 2009, and she’ll be back this year!

At right you’ll also see the first audience of MerleFest. Many of them have come back
to each of the subsequent festivals. Now, the festival regularly attracts 80,000 people
each year! That’s more than the entire population of the county, and the festival draws
people from all over the world. We asked some fans what they love about MerleFest.

“I love that it is a true representation of our western NC! It’s full of music, food and
community that provides non-profit funding that gives back to our community.”
-Sara Mofford

“I love the pomp and circumstance of growing up in the community where it takes
place. Artists visit local schools and play music, teachers incorporate something about
MerleFest into their lessons, and high schools send kids to volunteer and work the
festival. It was awesome growing up with that experience each year.”
-Kelli Osborne

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“Other than having a collection of talented, diverse musicians performing just up the
road from my home, I love that the security is efficient and expeditious. Other festivals
have come to MerleFest just to see how it’s done!”
-R Byron Stevens

“I love that it is such a historical music festival with deep roots the community. Offers
amazing variety of artists and bountiful choices of grub!”
-Janey Trivette Porter

“I love the transformation of a campus that encapsulates so many musical genres that
in turn generates the gathering of an international cross-section who adore & value
the archetypal artist’s achievements.”
-Kaylene Burcham

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MerleFest
Heritage

Crafts

It isn’t just traditional music
that you’ll find at MerleFest.
The festival is also known for
its Heritage Crafts area.

Everyone attending the
festival must walk through the
Shoppes at MerleFest on the
way to the stages, and one
large tent is full of heritage
crafts. There are over 60
vendors in the Shoppes and
about 24 of them are heritage
artisans.

All of the heritage artisans
give demonstrations
throughout the day, as well
as sell their crafts. Everything
they sell must be hand made.

Customers seem to enjoy th
experience of watching the
craftspeople work, and then
purchasing the item.

The artisans very from year
to year, but there are several
regulars.

One notable artisan is Raleigh
Avery of Avery Knifeworks.
He has a working forge at the
festival, and demonstrates
his art in front of interested
crowds. Raleigh is only 21
years old, but he has been
forging knives (see picture at
left) since he was 14 and he’s
very talented. He opened his
forge in 2016 and he’s become
a staple at the Heritage Tent.

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He was also a regular
on History Channel’s
“Mountain Men,” where
he was the apprentice
of Eustace Conway. He
spent a year learning
many of the traditional
crafts and the old ways
of Appalachian living.
The Morganton native
now lives in Boone and
says, “I am in love with
the work I do,” Avery
said. “It’s my passion to
make and create.”

Pete (shown top right)
and Kim McWhirter
with McWhirter Pottery
are another set of
familiar faces. They
bring their potter’s
wheel and throw pots as
audiences gather. Their
pottery is unique. It’s
mostly functional, with
unexpected decorative
twists.

We asked why they
keep coming back to
MerleFest. They said,
“a;sdkjfa laksdjf lk;
lkfdsaj fla;skdfjlsa;kdf
s laskdfj lask asalskdfj
as asldfkj a fsdal;k fjaf
ssadklfj as sa;lkdf sdf”

Whatever sort of craft
you’re looking for,
you’re sure to find it
in the Heritage Area.
There’s a great variety,
from Cherokee artisans
to glassblowers, and
everything in between.

Be sure to stop by the
Heritage Crafts area as
you visit MerleFest this
year.

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Ad Thursday
Friday
$1,500
Saturday
Call Sunday
828.475.1323

or email

editor@
foothills
digest.com

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Get Ready for MERlefest

Each year we like to make some playlists to get us excited about
MerleFest. Use your smart phone to scan the codes at left. Each one
will pull up a playlist that features our favorite songs from each artist
scheduled to play on that day. The songs will be in random order.

History of MerleFest

Education NC recently highlighted
MerleFest with a documentary. Watch
an excerpt by using the QR code below.

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in America.

During this pandemic, our team has continued
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hospitals. Patient Safety — and the safety of all
who work here and enter our facilities — will
continue to be our number one priority. We
are COVID-safe and we are grateful that you
place your care in our hands.

We are here for you, and we are committed to your safety.