2010 Event Schedule

Foxfire
Mountaineer
Festival

UPDATE:
8-25-10

**NEW LOCATION & EVENTS THIS YEAR** For the past 15 years, Foxfire has hosted its Fall Heritage Festival in Mountain City or Dillard, showcasing the traditional crafts and skills of Southern Appalachia. Patrons of the Festival get to meet the students and "contacts" whose articles and stories fill The Foxfire Magazine, the 44-years-and-counting collection of stories and knowledge of the region's unique mountain heritage. The Festival also features a gathering of artists and crafts-folk who enjoy keeping the traditional arts, skills, and trades alive—all have examples of their work on hand to browse, many actively demonstrate their skills throughout the event, and a few even let visitors try their own hands at some of the tasks.

Such an event, by nature, tends to be held outdoors, and has been for these past 15 years. However, after Mother Nature saw fit to "rain on the parade" at last year's outdoor Festival in Dillard, Foxfire's Community Board went looking for an indoor venue to accommodate the 16th annual event, procuring the Rabun County Civic Center in Clayton, GA, and kicking off a series of events leading to what promises to be an unforgettable happening—the combination of the Foxfire Fall Heritage Festival with another annual Rabun event. The Mountaineer Festival, a gathering from days gone by, was reborn in 2008 as a chance for some good, clean, mountain-style fun. Wait, did we say clean? Scratch that—beyond the Miss Mountaineer beauty pageant (held in August) and the *Friday night parade and street dance* (schedule has changed, see below) in downtown Clayton, the Mountaineer's signature lineup of come-one, come-all competitions includes tests of skill and vigor from yesteryear that give participants plenty of chances to get sweaty, dirty, and/or sore while competing for prizes. If you think you're a true mountain man or woman, hone your skills and compete in events like hog and turkey calling, buck dancing, archery, wood sawing and chopping, or even a greased-pole climb. For the very enthusiastic, the greased-pig chase is always a high point of the event—and made even more fun if the weather doesn't fare well.

Both events traditionally include plenty of regional music, and this year is no exception. There will be two stages, one inside the Civic Center and one outside on the grounds, both rotating regional bluegrass and gospel groups throughout the day. There will also be a "jam tent" for anyone who wants to bring their own instruments, hang out with other musicians, and pick a few tunes. Other things on offer include a raffle and a live auction of items donated by local and regional businesses, and plenty of food available so that everyone can make a full day of the event.

* UPDATE: Due to a conflict with Rabun County High School Homecoming on Friday night, the parade and street dance have been canceled for this year's event. A smaller parade will occur on Saturday morning at 9:00am, traveling along Main Street and Savannah Street in Clayton, ending at the Civic Center, where the Festival is being held. On Saturday evening, The Foxfire Boys will be providing music for the buck dancing competition until 5:30pm, and they have offered to stick around and play a little longer if folks want to have an unofficial dance after the other events conclude.

Come join the fun in downtown Clayton, GA, on Saturday, October 2, from 10am until 5pm. Admission is $5 for adults, kids 5 & under get in free, and there is a maximum charge of $20 per family. The Foxfire Mountaineer Festival is produced by the Mountaineer Festival organization and Foxfire's Community Board, and is funded in part by donations from local businesses. Some event proceeds support Foxfire's local student work programs, helping Rabun high school students grow skills and stronger ties to their home community. For more details on Mountaineer events, visit www.mountaineerfestival.org.

2010 Foxfire/Julia Fleet Scholarships

As a young girl, Julia B. Fleet
developed an affinity for the North
Georgia Mountains and their residents.
Ms. Fleet came to Foxfire in 1989
while searching for a way to contribute
something significant back to the
area where she had spent so
many pleasurable days.

For over 30 years, Rabun County High School students involved in Foxfire programs have received scholarship funding from The Foxfire Fund, Inc. These scholarships are currently funded by an endowment established by philanthropist Julia B. Fleet. The Julia Fleet/Foxfire Scholarships are awarded based on four main criteria—student participation in Foxfire programs, each student’s potential for success, their demonstrated financial needs, and their academic achievements.

After their time in the Foxfire Magazine classroom, helping to preserve the heritage of Southern Appalachia
while building ties to the community and their elders, four graduating Rabun County High School seniors
were awarded new Foxfire/Julia Fleet Scholarships. Stephanie Dunlap (left), Alex Owens (right), Richelle Coalley
and Laura Daniti (not pictured) joined ten previous graduates in sharing this year's $25,000 in scholarship funds.

The Foxfire Book of Winemaking

Our Newest Release, September 2008

Taken from student author Kelly Shropshire's introduction:

"Blackberry wine is good for
the tummyache and it's a
good cure for diarrhea, too.
My mother used to keep it all
the time. It only took a little—
I'd say a quarter of a cup."
—Mary Pitts

For many people of the Appalachian mountains, winemaking is as much a part of their culture as the mountains themselves. Made from the fruits and berries native to the land, homemade wine has been used for everything from curing stomachaches to cooking and, of course, just plain drinking.

Many early settlers came to the South and brought with them the ancient methods of winemaking. Despite admonitions against the evils of strong drink by Bible Belt preachers, winemaking caught on. Over the years, many unique winemaking methods, as well as types, have evolved. There are those like Lawton Brooks, who use the natural yeast on the fruit itself to make their muscadine wine. And others, like Granny Toothman, who refuse to make their wine in anything but a stone jar. Blackberry, dandelion, corncob—the types of Appalachian wines are as diverse as the people who make them.

"Wine is the most wholesome
beverage in the world. That
goes back to the Bible.
The Lord gave Paul grapes
and told him to make wine."
—Bill Park

We first became interested in winemaking during preparation of The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Cookery. We began learning of mountain people who still made their own wines at home from the fruit they had grown themselves. Here was something we’d never done before—a documentation of winemaking in the Southern Appalachian mountains. Toting tape recorders and cameras, we set out on our interviews—and we usually found ourselves directly involved in the winemaking process. We gathered grapes for Bill Park, crushed blackberries for Harry Pitts, and gutted a pumpkin for Effie Lord. We found that the various types of wine were endless—as John Bulgin puts it, “You can make wine out of anything but a rock.”

Now, we offer to you our finished product. This is a book for the amateur winemaker interested in learning the skill, as well as for the experienced winemaker interested in unearthing the roots of winemaking in this region. And most important, in the tradition of Foxfire, this is a book intended to preserve a small piece of our heritage and to pass along the traditions of the people of the Southern Appalachian mountains.