Fourth graders on field trip
tour barns at Smith Farm
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On a spectacular May 4th, 40 fourth graders from Mars Hill Elementary descended early from a school bus to tour the nascent Smith Farm Heritage Farmstead, five minutes from the center of downtown Mars Hill. The cost of the field trip was funded by a grant from First Bank.
They were among the first — along with fourth graders from Brush Creek and and Hot Springs elementary schools — to get a peek at a work-in-progress that will eventually showcase five barns of varying Southern Appalachian construction styles. All will be open to the public as centerpieces of the 87-acre Bailey Mountain Preserve community park that will have a concert stage attached to one of these barns with natural limited amphitheater seating, a Discovery Center, picnic pavilions, and overlooks with benches and stream access.
The town of Mars Hill owns the almost-eight acres on which the barns sit; the Appalachian Barn Alliance will be repairing and restoring three barns built between the 1930s and ‘50s on the site, as well as reassembling two much older barns — flue-cured and livestock — that were donated to the project.
Escorting the students May 4th was architect Taylor Barnhill, the Barn Alliance’s longtime researcher, who has posted hundreds of photos and drawings of distinctive barns at appalachianbarns.org, free to all viewers. Earlier, he and Mike Foster, the Alliance’s treasurer, had visited classrooms to give a presentation on our rich, rural heritage, the kinds of farm activity that took place in each of those barns and prepare the students for what they would encounter on their field trip.
All were given paper and pencil to take notes and sketch; here, you see the drawing produced by Jaydan from Hot Springs Elementary later that week back at school. Clearly, unlimited talent was aboard those school buses. Wonderful thank you notes (like the one from Jaydan) told us that the students truly enjoyed the experience.
The students were also introduced to world-renowned musician Roger Howell, who grew up within walking distance of the Smith Farm. As a child, he explored caves and hills in the area, collecting all manner of quartz, mica, iron ore, you name it. “If the authorities knew I had this stuff, they would throw me in jail,” he teased the wide-eyed students. Most never had heard of him, even though he has 650 tunes on CDs at the Southern Appalachian Archives at Mars Hill University nearby. Once he started to demonstrate fiddling techniques, he barely touched a string before the pupils marveled: “It’s playing itself! How do you do that?”
Not too long afterward, they were treated to carte blanche in the spacious MHU cafeteria — sandwiches, hot food, salads, pizza, you name it — and then a visit to the Rural Heritage Museum on campus.
The Barn Alliance can’t save all the barns evaporating around us, but, through all these students — studying state history in fourth grade — it can begin to instill knowledge and a healthy respect for the unparalleled work ethic their forebears demonstrated in this gorgeous but steep terrain. Dynamic use of the Smith Heritage Farmstead is a first step in that, and plans are already underway for another field trip next year. Volunteer to help at 828-380-9146 or info@appalahianbarns.org. |
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Letter from our President
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Whew! What a busy few months we have had! We were finally able to take all of the 4th grade students in the Madison County schools on a field trip to the Smith Farm. And what fun we all had-- the students, the teachers, and the ABA volunteers. To see the delight on their faces is why we are working so hard to bring the Smith Farmstead to a level where school groups and tourists alike can enjoy the local heritage.
And, what a joy to partner again (after a 2-year "COVID break") with the Asheville Saints of Paint in hosting the 2nd Annual Art Gala. Our new location at Echoview Fiber Mill was a success and we raised $11,000+ which we will be used to repair the burley barn on the Smith Farm. June also brought the good news that we received a grant from the Madison County Tourism Development Authority that will provide the rest of the funds needed to begin work on that barn in the next few months. Great progress! It is such a pleasure to be working with the town of Mars Hill. Town Manager Nathan Bennett told us:
"I am so grateful for the support the ABA has garnered from the TDA to support the project at the Smith Farm. I truly believe this work will have a long-lasting effect of both preserving these barns and providing a destination space to showcase Madison County’s rich cultural and agricultural heritage for generations to come. Thanks for all the hard work and I look forward to the next steps we take together in this process."
We also welcomed back the Bluff Festival-- one of our favorite locations to set up a booth and greet both new friends and old. It has truly been a very rewarding spring for our organization and we look forward to preparing for the upcoming fall events which will round out our year.
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The Old Barn “to be preserved, and to be used as an educational tool for people to know what we are all about around here, and where we came from. That’s what this barn is to me, a testament of where I came from. ” - Elaine Ray Thomas
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Terrific art fundraiser exceeds expectations!
Under clear skies June 3rd, the second Pastoral Palette fundraiser and art exhibition brought the not-for-profit Appalachian Barn Alliance $11,600, a success beyond anyone’s projections! These funds will be used to repair the burley barn at the Smith Farm. For most of that money, we thank those who were both business and individual sponsors of the event and those who attended.
 Held at the sleek Echoview Fiber Mill in Weaverville, which opened in 2012, the Saints of Paint, an Asheville group of established artists, partnered with the Alliance to mount rural landscape paintings and some dramatic ceramic creations for sale. Upstairs on the landing, in a spacious conference room and also in a large work space, easels and tables covered the floor as patrons milled about to examine the works and interview artists.
Downstairs, the mill’s retail shop drew customers, and outdoors, on a spacious patio,  delectable finger food donated by Whole Foods, HomeGrown, Fig Bistro, Sweet Monkey and Zuma awaited all guests. Our volunteer bartenders served beer brewed by the Mad Co. Brew House in Marshall, wine provided by the 5 Walnut Wine Bar in Asheville and kombucha donated by Buchi Kombucha in Marshall. Musician David Hughes entertained the crowd on banjo and fiddle.
Cutting boards, cheeseboards, butter knives and napkin rings fashioned from aged tobacco sticks caught guests’ attention as the various woods — poplar, walnut, pine, oak — reflected hues of yellow, green and chocolate after being sanded down. Baseball caps embroidered with the Appalachian Barn Alliance logo also sold well.
Artist Rebecca King-Hawkinson set up her easel for a demonstration of the painting process. People stopped by throughout the evening to marvel at the talent.
The first Pastoral Palette was held in 2019, then came COVID, and then came COVID variants. We staged Palette 2.0 in the River Arts District in 2020 with some trepidation and were delighted June 3rd to be able to fully welcome supporters at Echoview. We split the gross proceeds of the sale of the art, 50-50, with the Saints of Paint and look forward to working with them again in the future.
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Mark your Calendars--Upcoming Events
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- Saturday, September 3 from 1pm to 7pm: Annual Barn Day in a new location. Visit barns in the Hot Springs area--this time in a caravan of small vans. The after-party which begins at about 4:30pm will take place at the beautiful Bear River Lodge (189 Bear River Lodge Trail) with food and music. Tickets are $45 ($40 for members) and you can make a reservations by email info@appalachianbarns.org
- Saturday, October 8 from 10am to 4pm: Visit our booth at the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival on the Mars Hill University Quad. Quilt Raffle Drawing will take place at 3pm so you can buy your raffle tickets up until 2:55pm. Quilt raffle tickets will go on sale in August. Call 828 380-9146 for information or go to our Quilt Raffle 2022 page.
- Friday, November 4 from 5pm to 8pm: Opening Night of a Saints of Paint Art Exhibit at Mars Landing Galleries in which a percentage of the proceeds of the art sales will benefit the ABA (and Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre). The Exhibit will continue until December 31 (and during that period all sales of the art in that show will benefit the ABA and SART). Mars Landing Galleries is located at 37 Library Street, Mars Hill 28754 (828-747-7627) and is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11-5 p.m.
- Friday, November 4 from 4pm to 6pm and All Day on Saturday, November 5: Barn Photo Workshop conducted by Bonnie Cooper. Access to barn and farm property and tips for photographing the scenes. Cost is $150 ($125 for members) and space is limited to 8. You can make a reservations by phone 828 380-9146 or email info@appalachianbarns.org
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At Bluff Mountain Fest, family
stories of barns and farms
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At the Barn Alliance’s tent June 11th at the Bluff Mountain Festival in Hot Springs, we discovered intense curiosity from families that had built tobacco barns to house Madison County’s cash crop of 80-plus years.
First, they noticed our extra-large poster featuring the barns that will anchor the Smith Heritage Farmstead near downtown Mars Hill. Second, they wondered if the site — owned by the town — was open to the public. (Yes! Free!) Third, what was the Barn Alliance’s responsibility? (To repair, restore and maintain the three existing barns, plus reassemble two older barns that have been donated for reconstruction on the site.) Fourth, they told us stories of their own families’ barns and how those structures fare today.
With sunny skies, a gentle breeze and music legend Sheila Kay Adams drawing crowds to the stage, we listened to a steady stream of visitors from Spring Creek, Weaverville, Walnut, Marshall, South Asheville and other environs recount how their grandparents and great-grands carved out a livelihood in rugged, WNC territory. The Barn Alliance’s mission is to document and preserve this proud heritage. If you would like to forward us photos and a brief description of your own barn — whether weathered and unused or updated and retrofitted as a dance hall or wedding venue, etc., please send details to info@appalachianbarns.org. We thrive on this sort of enterprising spirit and would like to reprint your stories.
This was Bluff Mountain’s 25th annual festival, and we hope to return next year for the 26th!
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Get ready for our 2022 Quilt Raffle
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Each year the ABA raffles a handmade quilt from one of our talented local quilters. This year we have a beautiful 46" x 47.5" quilt "Succulent Star" by Jennifer Woodruff and donated by a member of the ABA for our raffle. Look for our Board Members to be selling chances starting in August to win this quilt or you can phone 828 380-9146 to arrange to buy the chances. Drawing will take place at the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival on October 8 at 3pm.
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 Please forward this to an interested friend. |
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