Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will celebrate the opening of an exhibit examining food culture with a Sunday, Jan. 23, event featuring free samples of traditional Scotch-Irish fare such as oatcakes and soda bread, and a weaving demonstration by Dillsboro artist Susan Leveille.

Activities will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Mountain Heritage Center, located on the ground floor of Western’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building.

The exhibit, “What’s Cookin’? Two Centuries of American Foodways,” offers an intriguing look at many aspects of food and food culture, said Suzanne McDowell, interim director of the Mountain Heritage Center.

With photographs, documents and artifacts from the 19th and 20th centuries, the exhibit explores topics such as the impact of immigration of food history, how technology has changed the availability of food, food preparation at home, the increase in dining out, and changing images of what constitutes healthy eating. Items on display include a 100-year-old ice cream mold, a fruit jar wrench patented in 1903, an early 20th-century silver-plated oyster fork, and a 1940s cornmeal bag.

“There also will be several hands-on activities and gadgets from yesteryear that might bring back some memories for visitors,” McDowell said.

The exhibit, developed by the Rogers Historical Museum in Rogers, Ark., will be on display at the Mountain Heritage Center beginning Thursday, Jan. 20, and continuing until Thursday, April 14.

While visitors are sampling traditional Scotch-Irish food at the Jan. 23 event, they also will have an opportunity to watch local fiber artist Susan Leveille at work.

A Jackson County native, Leveille produces a variety of hand-woven fabrics, and displays her creations at Oaks Gallery in Dillsboro. She has presented numerous programs at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching and John C. Campbell Folk School, and has lectured and led workshops throughout the Southeast.

Leveille serves on the board of Handmade in America and at the Penland School of Crafts, and she is a lifetime member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Samples of her work will be on display at the Mountain Heritage Center from Jan. 20 through Sunday, April 3.

Winter visiting hours at the Mountain Heritage Center are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information about the Jan. 23 program and other programs and special events call 828.227.7129 or visit www.wcu.edu/mhc.