54th ANNUAL MT. MITCHELL CRAFTS FAIR - AUGUST 7-8 IN HISTORIC BURNSVILLE, NC

From the North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events: "The Annual Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair, August 7-8, is the oldest and largest crafts fair in the Blue Ridge Mountains. For the past several years, the Southern Tourism Society has selected this event as one of the top twenty to attend in the Southeast."

From Yancey County NC Chamber of Commerce http://www.yanceychamber.com/craftsfair.html

Our 54th Anniversary - August 6th & 7th - 2010
This August 6th and 7th the nostalgic town square of Burnsville will once again be transformed into the best event east of the Mississippi, The Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair. As you stroll up and down the “Norman Rockwell” streets lined with artist booths, you will find chairs and tables, hand hewn from rhododendron bushes and maple logs, seasoned blacksmiths producing everything from whimsical fairies to intricate candelabras. So, grab yourself a warm bag of fresh popped kettle corn and continue around the square and onto the side streets. You will see sparkling glass, gold, silver, and beaded jewelry, from the contemporary to the very traditional. Birdhouses, candles, soaps, and lotions available in every size and shape and we guarantee that you will find something that you like and must have. Our over 200 artists are as varied as the crafts that they produce and many will be working on their craft as you browse.


Quilt squares appear not only on local barns and buildings but are for sale by some of the best quilters since Betsy Ross. Handmade clothes, purses, and vests, are just some of the items that adorn the beautifully decorated booths. Yes, we also have homemade jams and jellies that are as good as Aunt Bea used to make.


For lunch enjoy a delicious BBQ plate with a glass of cold Southern Tea while sitting underneath the cool shade of the large maple trees. The sounds of the bluegrass band float along in the late summer breeze and up next is a clogging group from a local school. Performers entertain those gathered on the Town Square with all entertainment being free of charge. Young and old cannot help themselves as they tap their feet or dance a jig as the bands and performers continue through the day… and did we mention the homemade ice cream?


As the sun begins to dip into the western sky, notice the prisms of brilliant colors as the sun sets on the handcrafted stained glass windows and sun catchers. Plan now to attend the 54rd annual Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair August 6th and 7th, 2010 from 9:00am until 5:00pm both days. There will be no Pets allowed in the Fair area. If you cannot leave your pets comfortably at home, Burnsville Dogs is operating a “Doggie Jail.” The Doggie Jail is a cool, clean, and friendly place to house your pet for a nominal fee while you attend the festival.

For more information call the Yancey County Chamber of Commerce at 828-682-7413.

Asheville-Area Accolades and Media Praise

Living within THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN affords the best of all worlds: pristine natural surroundings with plentiful wildlife, beautiful streams, creeks, trout ponds, waterfalls, long-range and short-range mountain views in a private, sanctuary setting with outdoor parks and manicured hiking trails; historic, quaint, small-town America settings within 10 minutes either direction where you will know your postal clerk by first-name and dine on a regular basis with North Carolina "Living Treasures" and nationally renowned artists; and within 45 minutes one of the most acclaimed "destination" cities in America - Asheville. This whole area around Asheville is highly touted in the media, and we want you to know about a few of our most recent laurels.

Asheville Area in Numerous Top Lists and Feature Articles

Mission Hospital Awards

“Mission Health System, of which Blue Ridge Regional Hospital is a member, has recently been named one of the 51 best-performing health systems in the nation. The ranking was given in the annual quantitative study called The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals: Health System Benchmarks”: http://www.spchospital.org/ (4th year in a row!) For more information on our excellent health care facilities, see our blog: http://coveatcelo.blogspot.com/2010/04/health-care-near-celo.html

AND

Explore Asheville Home;Press Room;

Asheville has been recognized for its splendors by dozens of magazines, Web sites and publications in recent years. Accolades range from the designation by Frommer's as one of a dozen top travel destinations in the world to recognition for the Asheville area arts community, outdoor adventures, cuisine, organic and vegetarian eats, and much more.
2010
Golf Magazine: The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa’s Donald Ross designed golf course was honored as a new gold medal winner in the 12th edition of their Premier Resorts ranking. More than 6,000 readers cast votes on Golf.com to determine the winners. (March 2010)
TopRetirements.com: Asheville was rated number one in TopRetirement.com’s list of the most popular retirement towns for 2010. (February 2010)
RateBeer.com: This craft beer aficionado Web site named several Asheville area restaurants, breweries and craft beer stores in their annual RateBeer Best 2010. (January 2010)
Southern Living: In the magazine’s “Best of the South Travel Awards,” Asheville’s Little Pigs BBQ placed second in the best barbecue in North Carolina category. (January 2010)
Points North: The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa made Point’s North list of the editorial staff’s top 10 favorite resorts in the Southeast and the Caribbean isles. (January 2010)
Travel+Leisure: Asheville’s Inn on Biltmore Estate and Richmond Hill Inn were named in the magazine’s "500 Best Hotels" list. (January 2010)
Byways: Named Asheville as one of the magazine's "Top 50 North American Group Tour Destinations of 2010." (December 2009)
Sherman’s Travel: The online travel resource, Sherman’s Travel, named the Blue Ridge Parkway in their list of “Top 10 Value Destinations for 2010.” (December 2009)
2009
U.S. News & World Report: Named Asheville as one of “America's Best Affordable Places to Retire.” (September 28, 2009)
USA Today’s Road Warrior Panel: A panel of 1,000+ travelers who voluntarily provide travel information for USA Today named Asheville as one of their top cities for business trips. Asheville got high marks from the panel for its “great arts and music scene; a community mix of mountain folk, bohemians, business people and highly educated locals; wonderful outdoors lifestyle and fly-fishing; and organic Caribbean-Cuban-Mexican-Jamaican food at Salsa Mexican Caribbean Restaurant.” (August 12, 2009)

HuffingtonPost.com: Named Asheville as one of its “Top 10 Undiscovered Local Food Cities.” (August 2009)
Imbibe Magazine’s Internet Poll: Asheville took first place with over 55% of the votes as “Best Craft Beer City in America.” (July 2009)
DogFriendly.com: Released its “Top 10 Dog-Friendly Resort Regions” in the U.S. and named Asheville as one of the best vacation spots to visit with your dog. (June 23, 2009)
Online Poll Posted on Examiner.com: Asheville won the East Coast title for “Beer City U.S.A.” in an online poll posted by founder of the American Homebrewers Association Charlie Papazian on Examiner.com. (May 2009)
AmericanStyle: For the second year, Asheville held the number two spot in the small cities category (population under 100,000) in the annual “Top 25 Arts Destinations” reader’s poll. (April 2009)
Forbes.com: In their 11th annual ranking of the “Best Places for Business and Careers,” Asheville ranked as #6 in the top metro areas category. (March 25, 2009)
D.K. Shifflet & Associates: This leading travel and tourism research company ranked Asheville as a top 10 value destination for couples in search of romance on its list of cities with the best value for the money. Asheville came in third place, beating out Nashville, San Diego, San Francisco, Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas. (February 2009)
Southern Living: Announced their “Best of the South Readers’ Choice Awards” and readers of the magazine recognized these Asheville favorites:
• Best Breakfast or Brunch Restaurant – Moose Café (Placed #9 out of 10)
• Southern Favorite Restaurants – Moose Café (Placed #10 out of 10)
• Best Splurge Restaurants – The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa (Placed #3 out of 10)
• Best Scenic View – Grandfather Mountain (Placed #2 out of 10) and Chimney Rock Park (Placed #3 out of 10)
• Best Public Gardens – Biltmore Gardens (Placed #3 out of 10)
• Best Southern City – Asheville (Placed #8 out of 10)
• Best Hotel – The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa (Placed #1 out of 10) and the Inn on Biltmore Estate (Placed #8 out of 10)

Featuring Grammy-Award Winner David Holt

So popular, the Blue Ridge Parkway Events website highlights it:

"Shall we gather by the river? Yes, the Toe River Storytelling Festival takes place by the Toe River in Spruce Pine’s Riverside Park. The storytellers and listeners always gather each year on the third Saturday of July for the “spinning of tales.” Travelers from far and wide travel by the Blue Ridge Parkway or under the Parkway to listen the stories of history, folklore, and the ever-entertaining “Jack Tales” of long ago. Each year at least five tellers, the likes of David Holt, share their stories and the laughter can be heard across the river into downtown Spruce Pine. Young and old alike gather together with their ears atuned to great yarns and the music provided by only the best storytellers. The festival is located just five miles from Milepost 331 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

http://blueridgeparkway75.org/index.php?events/view/49/


For more information:
Contact
Spruce Pine Main Street
Kay Goins
828.765.3008
spmainst@bellsouth.net
http://www.sprucepinefestivals.com