TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL
HIDDENITE CELEBRATION of the ARTS

Dates: September 16 - 23, 2006
Place: Streets of Hiddenite, NC
An entire week of activities is planned with a day full day of
celebrating on Saturday, September 23.

HIDDENITE CELEBRATION of the ARTS IS SATURDAY IN HIDDENITE

The twenty-fifth annual Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS will be unveiled on Saturday, September 23 beginning at 9:00 a.m. and concluding at 4:00 p.m. The entire week of September 16 through 23 is officially known by people of Alexander County as CELEBRATION WEEK. The Hiddenite Center has been presenting activities for the people of this region with great success.

The CELEBRATION rolls into Hiddenite for the twenty-fifth annual HIDDENITE CELEBRATION of the ARTS on Saturday, September 23 the Celebration with features of arts and crafts, North Carolina folk ways, Hispanic folk ways, entertainment, food, and lots of fun! Rock and Gem Show will complement the day on Saturday and Sunday in the Center's Educational Complex. The Lucas Mansion Gallery focuses a celebration of silver in conjunction with the Hiddenite Center's twenty-fifth anniversary.

This year's climatic day will feature entertainment, artists and draftspersons, food, folk demonstrations, and much more. Activities will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. This year a special area has been designated for commercial vendors with information, purchased items, etc. for sale and information. Special emphasis this year is being placed on hands-on experiences in traditional art forms for all Celebration-goers. Saturday, September 23! - Twenty-Fifth Annual Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS features entertainment, arts and crafts, food, folk demonstrations, and much more.

The Lucas Mansion Gallery Exhibit for Celebration focuses on an exhibit of silver from the community, which helps to celebrate the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Hiddenite Center. Silver has long represented the twenty-fifth year of marriage, of birth, and yes! the twenty-fifth year of providing arts excellence to the people of the region! This interesting exhibit is possible through the efforts of the Hiddenite Center's staff, under the leadership of Director of Education, Allison Houchins, and the generous searching and sharing by committed volunteers and persons throughout the community.

This is the twenty-fifth annual Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS, which is the "dream-child" of Mrs. Sharpe to show the community what her dream for the Hiddenite Center was. She remembered fondly "Everybody's Day" which was an annual event in Hiddenite, and the Celebration was begun as a spin-off of "Everybody's Day." The goal was to have entertainment, arts and crafts, folkways, food, and activities for the entire family. Unlike many other festivals, the Celebration was designed for families and for education. Mrs. Sharpe was always proud that the Center could provide clean and wholesome activities for the entire family. Celebration is truly a event where parents can relax and not feel that their children are in danger or going to encounter anything that might do them harm.

This edition of the Celebration is shaping up as exciting as versions held in years past. A wide variety of arts and crafts vendors are expected for a great day. All types of art forms will be available for purchase. Visitors to the Celebration are encouraged to plan to kick-off the holiday shopping season on Saturday in Hiddenite. Another of the day's highlights is the outstanding array of international and American foodways that are available for sampling and enjoying. There is certain to be something for everyone's tastes! As a means of support for this annual event, the Hiddenite Center with the valuable help of the Emerald Squares will be selling soft drinks and bottled water. This revenue helps defray some of the expenses for Celebration.

A complete schedule of the day's activities, a map of the Celebration grounds, and other valuable information can be found in the Center's Celebration tabloid which is found in this week's edition of The Taylorsville Times. The Hiddenite Center expresses its sincere appreciation to all of the advertisers who have made this year's tabloid possible. Funds from the tabloid help to defray the expenses of this annual event.

As a integral part of the history and heritage of this geographical region, the Hiddenite Center annually calls attention to the traditional arts through its annual folk pavilion at the Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS. This year's pavilion has been coordinated by Allison Houchins, Director of Education of the Center's staff. The pavilion is designed to provide Celebration goers an overview of the rich tradition of this area. The pavilion also provides these unique artists with an outlet for demonstrating and selling their craft. The Times also includes a schedule of performers for the four stages that happen throughout the day. The Alexander County 4 H'ers and their parents will be providing a petting zoo and sheep shearing demonstrations.

Add to this wonderful mix of food, traditional artists and wonderful entertainment the highly skilled work arts and crafts persons from across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee, and one will be assured enjoyment in one form or another. The arts and crafts vendors will feature the broad expanse of art forms imaginable. These folks will be offering their handiwork for sale, which opens wide the doors for Christmas shopping and home decorating. The public is encouraged to support these vendors efforts to guarantee their return to the Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS in the future.

The Hiddenite Celebration of the ARTS is made possible in part through the generous funding of the Alexander County government, the Eileen and R. Y. Sharpe Family Foundation, the Sharpe Chair of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University, the North Carolina Arts Council's Grassroots and General Operating Grants Categories, the North Carolina Rural Center, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

designed by