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Archived Arts & Entertainment

Holiday craft show returns to Cullowhee

A popular post-Thanksgiving arts and crafts tradition will once again fill Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center for two days of holiday fun.

The 24th annual Hard Candy Christmas Fine Art and Craft Show is Nov. 25-26, featuring more than 110 artisans hand-picked by show organizer and veteran crafter Doris Hunter.

Hunter spends the year visiting shows throughout the Southeast, seeking talented crafters who add a special touch to her show, which gets its name from a simpler era when folks enjoyed the season with stockings of hard candy and gifts made by hand.

This two-day event, the largest holiday arts and crafts show in Western North Carolina, features a variety of hand-made items from basket weavers, wood carvers, quilters, silversmiths, potters, furniture makers, blacksmiths, glass blowers and doll makers.

Holiday items available include candles, ornaments, trees, wreaths and peanut brittle.

This year’s featured artist is Jean Littlejohn of Clyde, who creates limited-edition holiday crafts from the 1800s. Her German-style candy containers are sculpted of papier mache. Littlejohn has won numerous awards and been featured in several crafts magazines.

The show has grown so much that a dozen artisans will be displaying outside the arena.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $3 per person, with children under age 12 admitted free. Parking is also free.

For show info call Doris Hunter at 828.524.3405, or visit www.mountainartisans.net. For info on dining and lodging, call the Jackson County Visitors Center at 800.962.1911.