The Rogersville Arts Council is presenting for the 5th year, The Appalachian Spring Festival, May 2-5. A generous grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission has allowed us to expand our Festival to include workshops on Thursday and Friday, and to add upgrades to the street event on Saturday.
Our keynote speaker during the Welcome Dinner at 6pm, on May 2 at Price Public Community Center, is Dr. Katie Hoffman, Katie’s PhD is in English, with a specialty in Appalachian Studies. She is a singer and scholar of traditional Appalachian ballads. Katie was the traditional music producer for a 4-part PBS series entitled Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People. She and her husband Brett were married in October of 2012: and on their honeymoon, they played for a farmer’s market in Hawaii! Around home, under the name “The Tenneginians”, they play for community groups, bus tours, academic lectures, radio broadcasts, and now—Appalachian Spring in Rogersville on Wednesday, and during the street festival on Saturday! The price of the Welcome Dinner is $25.
There are workshops on Thursday and Friday which include Katie’s interactive sessions on Appalachian Culture including, customs, art, foodways (make a fried pie!), and the character of the new Appalachia. A great introduction to our culture whether you are a native of this area, or a newcomer. The venue will be the Hale Springs Inn.
The other workshops are: *Storytelling, with Marjorie Shaefer, who has worked with Hawkins County senior citizens this winter to recollect and craft family stories. Join the Story Telling Circle on Thursday to swap and/or craft a new story. Designed for adults and youth fourteen and up. On Saturday, join the Story Telling Circle to share a story about your pet, or a friend or neighbors’ pet, or a pet you wish you had. Find out how to “Puzzle your story together” Hear Marjorie Shaefer tell the story of the Ghost Horse! *Creating Needle Felted Critters with internationally known fiber artist, Pat Pawlowicz, who annually travels to national fiber arts festivals to teach, using her own fiber from sheep she raises in Hawkins County. *English Folk Dance with Winnie Seals, who uses dance to give an authentic flavor to her high school English Literature classes. *Gourd Art class with Melissa Sadek and her home grown gourds. She has made and taught workshops on decorated gourds, lamp beads, and jewelry professionally for many years.
