Summertime and the Living is Easy at Dillsboro’s “Summer Arts & Crafts Market” Saturday, August 20, 2016 • 10am—4pm

Located adjacent to the Tuckasegee River, the historic town of Dillsboro sometimes feels the breeze from the river’s cool waters. When strolling along the streets of the town during the Summer Arts and Crafts Market, the breeze is only surpassed by the aroma of kettle corn cooking in a copper kettle, or barbecue drifting out of the Haywood Smokehouse, or roasting almonds, or sweet chocolate from Dillsboro’s Chocolate Factory. The combination of the festival, it’s foods, it’s music, it’s arts and crafts vendors added to the town merchants’ offerings makes for a great summer activity.

Saturday, August 20, 2016 (10am until 4pm), is the day festivities own the streets in Dillsboro. On Front Street by the railroad tracks, over 40 local vendors will be displaying and demonstrating their arts and crafts. The market offers fused glass and copper, rustic and refinished furniture, needlecraft, jewelry of all kinds, pastel, watercolors and oil painting, basket and chair weaving, wood working, stone carving, photography, gourds, authentic Cherokee art, and so much more.

Live entertainment will claim the stage the whole day, beginning at 11am with Twelfth Fret, a husband and wife team featuring a acoustic duo with Craig Neidlinger on guitar and Kim Neidlinger on upright bass. At 1:30pm the J. Creek Cloggers, a high-energy dance team will present the old mountain tradition of clogging on the street.  Then, at 2:30pm, Karen “Sugar” Barnes  and Dave Magill  will entertain, featuring folk, blues and country. Closing out the day at 3:15pm will be Kim Shuler, who specializes in vintage music…songs scanning decades from the ‘30s to to the early ‘90s.

This year Summertime Arts and Crafts Market has expanded it’s offerings for children’s activities and festival foods, so much so that Church Street will be lined with booths. There will be “Design your own candle,” “Fishing” opportunities with prizes, hands on with a pottery wheel, and many avenues for coloring.  Another great offering for children and parents is the new vendor, Heavenly soft Pretzels. The pretzels will be made on the spot, with a fun opportunity to watch the pretzel made right before your eyes. Other festival foods offered are funnel cakes, sandwich wraps, kettle corn and BBQ.

The merchants invite one and all to come and spend the day with them, where you can not only take part in the Summer Arts & Crafts Market, but spend time in small town America! Its five square blocks of century-old stores, restaurants, galleries and inns are a nostalgic reminder of what our grandparents saw when they came to town. Come on out on August 20th and experience an exciting day at the Market in Dillsboro…for it’s summertime and the living is easy.

Dillsboro is located in the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina at the intersection of US Hwys. 19/74 and 441— 45 minutes west of Asheville and just 20 minutes from Franklin, Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Bryson City and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

For more information, call Connie Hogan at (828) 586-3511, or go to www.visitdillsboro.org.