If you like North Carolina Pottery you are in for a treat - The 26th Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival is taking place tomorrow and Sunday in Seagrove, North Carolina. Since I live in Cary I wrote about taking a daytrip to Randolph County to visit the potteries, the Zoo, and the Richard Petty Museum in Seagrove Pottery and the Ashboro Zoo - A Raleigh Daytrip and Exploring North Carolina in the Fall with the Kids. This year I recommend a visit to The 26th Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival.
I've always wanted to visit the potters in ACTION!! Seagrove is home to over 100 potters and each year they 
are kind enough to display their skills at the pottery fest. One thing that most North Carolina residents don't realize is that the best potters from the Carolinas have learned their trade through many generations of pottery making. I am also intrigued by the "folk" pottery tradition that has deep roots tracing back to the mid-18th century. The tradition grew up in Seagrove where folk potters still use local clays; ash, salt and alkaline glazes; and wood-fired kilns. It's really a throw back to another generation. Folk pottery designs include face jugs to butter churns to vases.
The two day festival attracts more than 12,000 pottery enthusiasts, but it is much more than just serious pottery shopping. There will also be 19th century style craft demonstrations, a civil war reenactment, local food and the very poplular Sunday afternoon aucion of signed, limited edition pottery. The festival's fame has spread into the national spotlight due to media coverage from shows like "Good Morning America" and "National Geographic Travel".
Here are a few items that will be featured at this years festival:
For kids, the Seagrove school art class has a tent full of activities lined up. Scouts and local churches will provide plenty of festival food fare. And, of course, all types of pottery including the face jugs.
So what are face jugs anyway? Potters in Colonial America made moonshine jugs with ugly faces. The ugly faces were used to ward off evil spirits. I just love them.
Click here for more information on the potters and participants. Click here for details on the event. Seagrove is just an hour and fifteen minutes from Cary and an hour and a half from Raleigh. If you want to stay overnight, look for Seagrove's new and only bed and breakfast, The Duck Smith House.
Don't miss this fun event!!
Tracy Santrock, REALTOR, specializes in relocation, buyer agency, listings & investment properties in the Triangle area of North Carolina with Fonville Morisey. Visit www.TriangleNCHomes4Sale.com.
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Tracy - Wow, that is interesting. I believe those are old butter churns in the last photo? Thanks for sharing.
Hi Candy, can you believe they are actually NEW butter urns? Have a good evening.
Tracy: The face jugs are new to me; what a fascinating post! Thanks.
Mike in Tucson
Tracy,
Great information for all people living around, we always learn something new. Keep the good blog / work.
Ray Saenz
Tracy, I love pottery. I always thought it woud be a fun craft to learn but for people like me with allergies it is not possible. Did you go to the Festival?
Ginger
Tracy, you have just written about my favorite hobby...collecting NC pottery. I can't go to the festival this year but it is always great fun and a wonderful opportunity to see so many potters at the same time. I collect Catawba Valley facejugs and go to the kiln sales at their homes. This is such a wonderful, North Carolina art form! If you are ever interested, I'll take you to one. I know the potter who made the facejug in your photo, Walter Flemming. Great post!
Diane -
Very impressive!! The next time you head out I'd love to catch up with you. It's so exciting to have such interesting people, places, and things in our area.
Ginger & Roger -
Unfortunately I spent my time yesterday working on the Week in Review - I had problems w/my html tables and that *&^% post took me hours to fix. So, I have it on my calendar for next year!
Tracy - Those are wild! Love 'em. Did you get a chance to go this year?
See comment above - got stuck doing the week in review but I went last year and plan on going next year.
Hi Tracy...great post. I just wish I could have gone. Seagrove is great any time of year. We used to stop in quite a bit when driving up 220 before the bypass went around it. It's still just an easy exit away but now it always seems we're in a hurry to get somewhere.
Sponsor of the Festival, the Museum of N.C. Traditional Pottery suffered a tragic loss of it's founder, Richard Gillson. Earlier this year, Richard died as a result of a fall at the Museum in downtown Seagrove.
Plans are under way to dedicated this year's show to his legacy.
Make plans to attend this year's 27th annual Seagrove Pottery festival, always the weekend before Thanksgiving.
-Lee
Wow Lee,
So sorry to hear about the loss of Richard Gillson. I'm especially sorry to hear that there was an accident involved.
I will have to get out to the festival this year with my video camera. I just started using video in my articles so that would really help promote the annual event.