Folk Arts, Mountain Music and More - John Campbell Folk School Festival Oct.3-4 in Murphy NC

 

 It's Fall in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina and there's no better way to celebrate than the upcoming John Campbell Folk School Fall Festival.

              

This year's event will be held October 3-4 from 10 AM-5PM on the grounds of the internationally known Folk School.  Activities include an arts and crafts fair with over 200 participants, selling traditional Appalachian folk arts -everything from pottery to quilts to authentic wooden pull toys.

There's a whole area devoted to mountain living and crafts, with demonstrations of wool spinning, woodworking, corn meal grinding and more.  One of our family's favorite stops is always the forge, where one year my son watched as a lump of metal was heated over an open fire, painstakingly hammered and finally turned into a 4 inch nail - which he was given as a souvenir at the end of the demonstration. 

                              

Don't miss the outdoor pavilion, where you can sit on a bale of hay and enjoy music and dancing nonstop. From cloggers to church choirs, banjos to bluegrass - there's a wide variety of entertainment and it's all FREE.

Of course, no festival would be complete without food - homemade ice cream, hot funnel cakes, and Southern barbecue, just to name a few of my favorite stops.  Get there early or you'll find long lines at the popular booths set up by local nonprofit organizations. 

With a backdrop of Brasstown Valley framed by mountains showing off a first glimpse of the fall color spectacle to come, the Fall Festival draws thousands of visitors every year. More information and a complete schedule of events can be found at John Campbell Folk School Fall Festival,    

  

Looking for your dream getaway in the mountains of Murphy, North Carolina? Visit the country homes and land website to see all the latest listings.

Enjoy a preview of our scenic mountains in the YouTube video Murphy Mountain Nights