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DILLSBORO, N.C. — Just as June hits it’s stride on June 16, 2018, the compact town of Dillsboro will glow with home spun talent, for Front Street (by the railroad tracks) will be filled with fine arts and crafts from local artisans.  Strewn with vibrant colors, inviting festival aromas, and the warm sounds of guitars, banjos, and bass, Front Street Arts and Crafts Show will once again swing wide it’s welcome!

Among over 50 vendors on Front Street you will find pottery, glass, candles, jewelry, needle crafts, birdhouses, soaps, gourds, photography, metal art, fiber art and visual arts: oil painting, pen and ink drawings, pastel prints…and so much more! As you stroll through the town, you can also slip into the shops where you can enjoy the many different items especially chosen with you, the visitor, in mind. At lunch time there are many restaurants from which to choose to sit and relax.

One of the featured artists will be Lee James Pantas. Well-known throughout North Carolina for his exquisitely detailed pen and ink drawings of historic buildings and animals, Mr. Pantas has completed more than 2,000 drawings of private residences, bed & breakfasts, inns & hotels and churches. He is one of the few area artists with permission from the Biltmore Company to publish and market prints of his original pen and ink drawings of Biltmore Estate.  He is the author and illustrator of two best-selling books-The Ultimate Guide to Asheville & the Western North Carolina Mountains and Wild & Furry Animals of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

The entertainment stage located at the end of Church Street, will host four local acts. Beginning at 11am, a high-energy dance team, the J. Creek Cloggers, based out of Haywood County NC, will dance on the street.  This group of dancers are keeping alive the old mountain tradition of clogging, audience participation square dances, and broom dances. Members will demonstrate different styles of dance including buck dancing, flat-footing, and clogging.  Director for the team is Kim Ross. 

At 12 noon, Dillsboro welcomes the husband and wife team called Twelfth Fret, featuring a acoustic duo with Craig Neidlinger on guitar and Kim Neidlinger on upright bass. Twelfth Fret performs original as well as pop and classic rock covers of music by John Prine, America, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Eagles,  Elton John, Tom Petty and more.

Beginning at 1pm, the Maggie Valley Band will entertain. Hailing from North Carolina, two sisters and friends of the Maggie Valley band came together in the town they now identify themselves with. Each member learned their trade of music in the beautiful mountains of Maggie Valley, NC. Sisters Whitney & Caroline Miller grew up in a home where playing the piano was a daily requirement. Daily requirements turned to passion as they hit the streets to street busk. TMVB's career has taken them as far as New York to Southern Florida and partnering with great & diverse acts such as: David Mayfield, Black Lillies, Indigo Girls, Lonesome Riverband and many more.

American Idol contestant Alma Russ will be on stage at 2pm.  Alma is a singer/songwriter who sings a blend of folk, bluegrass, and mountain ballads and plays fiddle, claw-hammer banjo and guitar.  As a child, Alma learned to sing mountain ballads, (traditional songs passed down generations from Scotch-Irish immigrants to the area).  The Appalachian culture was also one of Alma's first inspirations for learning to play fiddle.  

On Saturday, June 16, from 10am until 4pm, take the time to join others in sharing in the ambiance of a small town festival. Brenda Anders, president of Dogwood Crafts, an arts and crafts co-operative located on Webster Street says,  “We are looking forward to seeing you … come on out and enjoy the day with us,”  Brenda is the event planner of the festival.

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CONTACT:

Brenda Anders
(828) 506-8331
brendaanders@frontier.com.