Kings Pottery : Making a Moonshine Face Jug

Backyard Tourist

The Backyard Tourist
By Christa Wagner

The following paragraph came from an article written in the Charlotte Viewpoint Metropolitan Ideas and Art. I have extracted an excerpt from the column. To read the full article visit Charlotte Viewpoint’s website , scroll down and click on “Read our most recent issue here.”
Also you can sign up to receive an e-mail notice of the release of each new free issue of Charlotte View Point Magazine and to receive occasional news and notes about their organization.


“Psst. Guess what they’re calling us? We’re the urban bananas. The nickname refers to the arc along I-85 between the Triangle, Triad, and Charlotte. I think it’s kin of cute. But lately, I’ve been peeling away from my downtown Durham apartment and heading southwest to discover North Carolina’s Central Park counties: Randolph to Richmond by way of Montgomery and Moore. The eight counties that make up the cleverly named Central Park have a lot to offer the urban day tripper. In mid-November, for example, I enjoyed the Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival. There were too many beautiful things I wanted to buy, some beyond my student budget, but other pieces were perfect. Who knew there were so many uses for a slab of colorfully glazed pottery the size of my cell phone? (5$ each.) I bought four: one for my keys, two for used tea bags, and a pretty blue one for the odds and ends that always accumulate on the kitchen counter. I was in Seagrove both as a tourist eager to stock up on holiday gifts and as a researcher, so to speak, for my, graduate work in rural entrepreneurship. In addition to famous Seagrove ceramics, I marveled at glass blown at the STARworks Center for Creative Enterprise and ate a perfectly grilled pimento cheese at Blake’s restaurant in Candor, where that day Congressman Larry Kissell was also having lunch. , STARworks Center for Creative Enterprise is fascinating. STAR stands for Small Town Area Revitalization; it's a nonprofit located in the town of Star focused on growing businesses to one day place in the region's downtown areas. These businesses have a lot of appeal for its urban neighbors, in my opinion. And you can check out the whole region on just one tank of gas".........

Seagrove in the Blogosphere: Dan Traveling

by Janet Lockerby-McCoig
"Seagrove, a small town south of Greensboro, has become the unofficial pottery capital of the southeast. With more than one hundred potteries operating in the area, a day in Seagrove is a pottery lover’s dream. Pottery is such an important facet of the area, both historically and economically today, the North Carolina Pottery Center built an educational facility in the center of town. The Center showcases the works of potters from all across the state, and offers exhibits on historical pottery, works crafted in contemporary and modern styles, and pieces in the southern folk art tradition.
Building on a tradition that began with the earliest European settlers to the area in the 1700s, many potters are a link in a continuous chain of craft that has been passed from one generation to the next.".........
To read more about this article visit Dan Traveling blog.

Seagrove Stoneware Holiday Kiln Opening December 19

Above: Alexa (left) and David (middle) of Seagrove Stoneware
at the 2009 Celebration of Seagrove Potters

Seagrove Stoneware annual Kiln Opening and Pottery Sale -- Dec. 19, One Day Only. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Seagrove Stoneware is located at our studio and gallery at 136 W. Main Street, Seagrove, N. C. 27341. We will have original wheel turned stoneware, functional and decorative. Special Sale prices, one of a kind pieces, refreshments and wheel turning demonstrations.

Will McCanless & Company play Dugan's Pub

Seagrove Potter Will McCanless and Company play every Wednesday night at Dugan's Pub in Pinehurst.
IRISH MUSIC PEAT BOGG BANSHEES
Wednesday December 16, 2009 (6:30 pm)
EVERY WEDENESDAY NIGHT AT 630PM, WILL MCCANLESS & COMPANY PERFORM LIVE IN THE UPSTAIRS NON SMOKING DINING ROOM. GREAT FAMILY FUN, NO COVER CHARGE AND THE BEST FOOD IN TOWN.

Ben Owen Chinese Red Opening- December 19

December 19th, 2009-Ben Owen Pottery will have their Holiday Chinese Red kiln opening (10am-5pm). This will be the largest selection of the Red glaze during the season. A Preview at the Pottery will be 8:30am-9:30am. A preview will be on the website on the Preview page after 3pm December 18th. Other glazes will be available and will be placed on the preview page as well.

Astronomy Night at Town Creek Indian Mound - December 12

Indian Creek Buriel Mound in Mt Gilead.

Tonight Dec. 12.

Geminid Meteor Shower. Bring a chair or blanket and relax as we watch the light show from above. Learn about the constellation Gemini and meteor showers. Registration required. Call 910-439-6802 for more information.

Randolph Arts Guild: Artists Hang Up Today!--Dec. 11

Deliver Work- Friday, December 11^th, 2009 (10am – 6pm)
Opening Reception – Tuesday, December 15^th, 2009 (5:30pm – 7:30pm)
Exhibition dates – November, December 15^th – 31^st, 2009

Have you ever thought about having your artwork hang in a gallery? Well this is your chance. In December, the Randolph Arts Guild is opening its gallery for artists of all media and from all walks of life to share their works of art with the community. The premise is simple; each artist is allowed to bring a piece of his or her art to hang up and display.

Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, or even if this is the first work of art you’ve ever created, this is the prefect time to share it with others. All works are to be delivered on Dec. 11^th, 2009 from 10am – 6pm, with the artist’s name, address, and title on the back. If the work is for sale, please list the price, but know that 25% of the sale price goes to support the Randolph Arts Guild.

The Opening Reception will be held, December 15^th, 2009 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Please note that these dates differ from the published 2009 Sara Smith Self Gallery schedule and as always the opening reception will be free and open to the public.

Sunset Theatre

For the month of December there are X-mas and family movies scheduled at the Sunset Theatre which is located in downtown Asheboro. The all time best movie It is a Wonderful Life starts off the series tonight at 7:00pm and 9:15pm ($5.00 includes small popcorn and drink). Don't we all remember Zuzu's petals?! To see more of the schedule and a bit of history check out the Sunset Theatre website.

Moore Philharmonic Orchestra: Pinehurst Hotel on Dec. 20

There will be the Annual Holiday Concert given by the Moore Philharmonic Orchestra at the Pinehurst Hotel in the Grand Ballroom on December 20th at 3:00 pm, plus a silent auction starting at 2:00pm.

Two Holiday Kiln Openings

There are 2 holiday kiln openings this coming weekend on December 12.

Chris Luther Pottery

Daniel Johnston Pottery

TreesNC Seagrove Tree Planting: New Date Announced

The December 5 tree planting date at the Seagrove Elementary School was postponed because of rainy weather. The new date is December 19th on Saturday. I believe the time would be the same, but stay tuned. To find out more about TreesNC visit their website here.

Collaboration among the Three Corners

Above is an image I took during the set up of the Celebration of Seagrove Potters at the Historic Lucks Cannery.

I just read about a wonderful and interesting collaboration happening among local small businesses in region of Three Corners Clay.

These include: Mistletow Meadows / Flowers on Main in Troy / Trees NC / Seagrove Potters

Take your time reading through this post and article, and please visit the links that I have provided. There is a lot of information here to take in. This is great news of collaboration and cooperation to those of us that live here in the corner of the three counties, Montgomery, Randolph, and Moore.

Tomorrow on December 5, 11:00am at the Seagrove Elementary School in downtown Seagrove the NC Trees and Seagrove Potters will be planting two trees donated by NC Trees.

Here are some highlights from the news release. To read the complete article visit the Celebration of Seagrove Potters website.

"Mistletoe Meadows donated 3 large trees, wreaths and greenery for this year's event held at the Historic Luck's Cannery." Owner Joe Freeman operates a retail lot on Dixie Drive in Asheboro, but the majority of the revenue generated by his acreage in Ashe County, Moore County, and VA comes from wholesale business."....

"The Mistletoe Meadows trees and greenery were decorated in an elegant, traditional fashion by Tom Williamson, owner of Flowers on Main in Troy, NC. Tom is a long-time pottery lover and collector who has volunteered to help create the décor at Celebration for the past 2 years."......"These trees will be re-used by the Shiloh Historical Association of Montgomery County, decorated once again by the very talented Tom."

Note: This morning I read an article in the Asheboro's Courier Tribune, by Mary Anderson about the 23rd Shiloh Tea held by the Shiloh Historical Association at the historic church near Troy. To read more about this event, (which is also happening tommorrow) visit the Courier Tribune's website and read about the events tomorrow at the historic Shiloh Church.

"In October 2009, Owen George, Co-founder of TreesNC, a citizen-based organization in Asheboro that emphasizes ecological stewardship and community collaboration gave two very well received presentations to the Seagrove Area Potters Association and the Seagrove Town Council. The overall theme is the formation of a new chapter of TreesNC, called Trees Seagrove. TreesNC donated trees and landscaping to the Seagrove Library in the past. This year they donated 2 live trees to help decorate the 2nd Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters. The trees will be among those planted this Saturday, December 5th, 11 a.m. at the Seagrove Elementary School."......

Interested Seagrove residents can contact Owen George at 336-558-6966 or through their TreesNC website.