The Lit Fest – Who Knew?
Seven years ago, when I heard
that Burnsville was going to host a literary festival, I thought, “Who will
come to little Burnsville for a literary festival? As it turns out, that was pretty much the
same question well known Burnsville author Charles Price and his wife Ruth
asked when they thought of it 7 years ago. The answer?
Plenty!
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Charles Price (3rd
from right) and his wife Ruth (far right)
relaxing on the front porch of the
historic Nu Wray Inn
with some visiting authors during a past Lit Fest.
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The first lit fest had 30
authors and 200 to 300 people attend. The
6th had 45 authors and 300 to 500 people attend. This weekend is sure to be even bigger. For one thing, one of the authors, Joseph
Bathanti, was just named North Carolina Poet Laureate 2012. So, in addition to his 2 scheduled readings
on Friday, he has agreed to add another on Saturday. For another, a number of Friday morning
authors are presenting programs for students, and up to 150 students will
attend.
When I asked one of the
founders of the event, new local author Britt Kaufmann, what makes our lit fest
so special, she said, “Because it’s not a writer’s conference like most such
events, but a reader’s
conference.” The lit fest committee has
tried to keep it more intimate in small and casual settings throughout the town. It’s more fun for the authors and the
participants. As a matter of fact, our
event has developed such a good reputation with authors, that they contact the
lit fest committee asking to be invited.
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A Lit Fest audience pays
rapt attention to the
keynote speaker in the Burnsville Town Center.
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Britt added, “Also, Lit Fest
has an ongoing book club open to anyone to discuss upcoming lit fest authors.”
The Carolina Mountain
Literary Festival runs this weekend from Thursday night to Saturday night,
September 6-8. Aside from a few
workshops and the Saturday banquet, most of the events are free. Details, a schedule and authors bios are
available at www.cmlitfest.org.
Seeing Stars
If you like to do things that
are different, here’s one for you. This
Saturday night, September 8, the Blue Ridge Astronomy Group (BRAG) will have a
public stargazing on top of Mt. Mitchell.
It will be the highest altitude star party ever held in the eastern
US. It’s free, it will begin at 8pm in
the upper parking lot of Mt. Mitchell State Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway,
mile marker 355, and refreshments will be provided by the NC High Peaks Trail
Association.
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Two of the 200-300 people who come to Burnsville's
unique Stars on the Square stargazing event.
This Saturday's will be
on top of Mt. Mitchell!
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In addition to BRAG,
astronomers from at least 4 other astronomy clubs in Western NC will be there
with many telescopes large and small to share.
So bring the grandkids and jackets for everyone. Oh, and in case of bad weather, this event
will take place the next Saturday.
Details at www.blueridgeastronomygroup.com.
Special thanks
In last week’s blog,
Burnsville’s Abuzz, I completely forgot to give credit for the bike race photo,
and the one of the man setting up a telescope, to my photographer friend who
provided them, Steve Buettner. His work
is amazing. You can see samples at www.sbphotosite.com or www.flickr.com/photos/macsteve. His work is
also displayed at the Toe River Arts Council gift shop and gallery on East Main
St. in Burnsville, next to the Chamber of Commerce.
Check the calendar
Speaking of the Chamber, it’s
website calendar, www.yanceychamber.com, has all the coming events. Look for Glass in the Mountains, the Yancey
Humane Society’s Fall Flea Market, Old Timey Days on the Square, Music in the
Mountains, and a number of musical concerts at our Town Center – all in
September.
Plan a visit
With all that’s happening
here in the mountains, why not plan to visit The Cove at Celo Mountain during a weekend
of events. Get to know the area, our
quaint and bustling town of Burnsville, and all we have to offer. Phone 866 378-4769 and ask about our 2 and 3 day
Mountain Renewal packages.
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