John Dilbeck Musings

DILLSBORO, NC 28725 - The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival hosts its fourth edition in downtown Dillsboro Saturday, November 1, with three dozen master potters demonstrating on the streets of this walkabout mountain village.

Festival hours are 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine, November 1, 2008.

Admission is $2 per person and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle. Children under 12 are admitted free.

The juried festival spotlights the work of clay artists across the Eastern U.S., including featured potter John Fulwood of New Jersey. Throughout the day, potters share their knowledge through hands-on demonstrations that include raku firing, throwing, wood-firing and horsehair firing. An annual highlight is the opening of the wood-fired coffin kiln at Tree House Pottery.

Organizers are enthused by the appearance of Fulwood, a renowned clay artist from New Jersey’s Kissimmee River Pottery. Fulwood is known for his cone-10 reduction firing technique.

“I depend upon the caress of the flames to influence the color of each piece,” says Fulwood. “These color variations add life to the pots and help make each a one-of-a-kind piece.”

In addition to Fulwood, potters will descend upon Dillsboro from the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and Illinois.

Local potters include Brandt Barnes of Riverwood Pottery, who has been featured on HGTV, and Travis Berning of Tree House Pottery, who has developed a special technique for implanting leaf designs in clay. Joe Frank McKee, also of Tree House Pottery, will demonstrate all day with alcohol reduction raku firing.

The WNC Pottery Festival has become one of the more popular crafts events in the mountains, with large crowds in each of its first three years.

“There’s getting to be quite an interest in the festival,” says McKee. “Everybody’s talking about it, and we have 11 new potters this year to ensure the event stays fresh. We also have more decorative work coming in. People will be impressed by the attention to detail.”

For festival info, call (828) 631-5100 or visit: www.wncpotteryfestival.com.

For lodging info, call the Jackson County Visitors Center at (800) 962-1911.

Healthy Coffee House (Murphy, NC US)

Come visit the Healthy Coffee House, Bed & Breakfast, and Bakery.

Have a drink on us!

Buy one, get one free any drink in the Healthy Coffee House.

Stay one night, second night half price.

Free wireless internet service.

Expires: This coupon expires on January 24, 2009.

Restrictions: One coupon per week per customer

Click the “Get Details” link below. You will go a new page where you can have the required coupon e-mailed to you instantly. Then print out the coupon and redeem at:

Healthy Coffee House
215 Peachtree ST
Murphy, NC 28906, USA

Questions on this offer?

Contact: Healthy Coffee House via Phone: 828-837-1515

Get Details and Money-Saving Coupon

In late December 2007, I created a new social networking site for Murphy NC 28906 on Ning.com.

If you live in, visit, or want to know more about Murphy, NC, come join us at the Murphy NC 28906 social networking site.

You can customize your profile, write a blog, discuss topics related to Murphy, NC in our forum, meet and get to know fellow residents, upload photos, and much more — all for free!

Anyone living in, visiting, or wanting to know more about Murphy, NC is welcome. Come join us today.

Nancy Williams, a resident of Graham County, North Carolina, announces the publication of her new book, A Matter of Destiny. If you are interested in a fast-paced story that combines UFOs, aliens, government conspiracies, and political intrigue, this book may be right for you.

Her background in the US Air Force and knowledge of ham radios, combined with an actual incident that occurred in Brookhaven, NY in 1992, make the fictional story more realistic and exciting.

The sequel, Agenda 21 Conspiracy, will feature a plot set in Andrews, Murphy, and the Nantahala Gorge in western North Carolina.

A Matter of Destiny is available in Murphy, NC, at the Curiosity Bookstore in Shoppes of Murphy on Valley River Avenue; in Fontana Village at Ditmore Drugs; in Robbinsville at The Graham Star; in Hayesville at Lloyd Bookstore; and in Waynesville at Osundu’s.

You can order the book from her website at www.NLWilliamsWriter.com.

To order offline, mail a check for $15.95 ($12.95 and $3.00 shipping) to: N. L. Williams, P. O. Box 1477, Robbinsville, NC 28771.

Nancy Williams will be making a number of personal appearances over the coming months. Don’t miss the chance to get an autographed copy.

I want to thank my friend, Jerry Chautin, for alerting me to an article in the New York Times, A Basket Case in North Carolina, written by David Rakoff, and published on May 20, 2007.

In this article, the author talks about taking a week-long class at the John C Campbell Folk School, in Brasstown, NC.

Originally, like most men, he wanted to experience the thrill of blacksmithing, of smiting hot steel and shaping it into new forms with fire, hammer, and anvil, but (for reasons he details in the article) he changed to taking a basket weaving class.

As a true lover of the Folk School and all that goes on there, I felt the resonance of reading what I know to be true about the Folk School experience, not just what happens when taking a class and learning a new skill, or improving your ability to create pieces of art in your chosen craft.

Mr. Rakoff talks about the unexpected moments of silence and “getting into the zone” that artists strive for while transforming the vision in our minds into the item in our hands.

This is one of the best articles I’ve read about the Folk School, and I recommend it to you. I don’t know how long the New York Times keeps these articles archived, so maybe you should read A Basket Case in North Carolina, now.

(For more information about the John C. Campbell Folk School, its classes, crafts, and events, call 828-837-2775 or 1-800-FOLK-SCH (800-365-5724) or visit www.folkschool.org.)

(From the Folk School Website:)

The new Blacksmith studio fundraising campaign has begun!

Timber framers from all over will gather at the Folk School for an old fashioned barn raising!

The John C. Campbell Folk School is proud to announce plans for an annex to the historic Blacksmith Shop, originally dedicated to Francis Whittaker in recognition of his two decades of teaching and demonstrating at the school.

Whittaker, known as the “Dean of American Blacksmiths,” devoted his life to keeping the art of blacksmithing alive in this country and the existing studio stands as his symbolic legacy. But, while Blacksmithing has long been the most popular of some 50 programs the Folk School offers, the shop has suffered decades of wear and its space is no longer adequate for the size and diversity of classes such a premier program should offer.

The solution is to renovate the Whittaker Studio and to build an annex with the help of the Timber Framers Guild, which has offered to assemble close to 80 timber framers to do a traditional barn-raising in June 2008.

Fundraising for the project kicked off with a $1000 gift from longtime instructor Lou Mueller. Clay Spencer, nationally known blacksmith and fixture at the school also donated $1000. Not to be outdone, Don Neuenschwander, a long time student and friend of the Folk School from Indiana, donated $5000. Julie Clark, Folk School blacksmith instructor, donated $10,000!

While the full architectural plans have not been finalized, the project cost is estimated at an ambitious $500,000. With the strength and spirit of the Blacksmithing community, we are confident the goal can be met. Ours is a community that is resourceful, creative and, like the Folk School, dedicated to the spread of knowledge and education about blacksmithing.

Please contact Susi Hall, Development Manager, at susi@folkschool.org or at 828-837-2775 ext. 118 to contribute or to discuss making a gift and Paul Garrett, Resident Artist for Blacksmithing, at pdg86@hotmail.com or 828-835-8441 with ideas to assist with the project.

Learn more about the new Blacksmithing annex on the Folk School’s website.

I watched Sing Behind The Plow last evening and enjoyed it greatly.

It is an outstanding production and anyone who loves the Folk School and what people have been doing there for decades should get a copy of this DVD.

Hopefully, it will be rebroadcast on UNC-TV and other public stations in the future.

It was nice to see old friends and familiar places and to learn more about the early history of the school.

The John C. Campbell Folk School is one of my favorite places on the planet and attending classes there has the definite possibility of changing your life for the better.

Instead of competing for ranking and grades, students at the Folk School are welcomed into a friendly, supportive atmosphere of learning, trying new things, and helping each other. This supportive environment continues from Morning Song, through the classes, family style meals in the dining hall, and on into the evenings spent talking, dancing, and enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery.

If you immerse yourself in what is available, you may well be a different person at the end of the week.

I highly recommend the Folk School and the Sing Behind The Plow documentary to you.

Sing Behind The Plow will be available for purchase on DVD from the Folk School’s Craft Shop.

I’ve been promoting Nice Offers coupons for some time, but over the lack week or two I’ve kicked it up another notch or two.

In order to help spread the word about Nice Offers coupons, I’ve created a couple of new blogs for Murphy NC and Western North Carolina. I’ve updated and improved my Syndicate Your Ad blog and I’ll be posting to it regularly, especially about coupons created by merchants I refer to the program.

The Nice Offers system is different from all the other coupon systems I know of and it may be confusing to some people.

This morning, I created a new department for Nice Offers Coupons Marketing Tips on my John Dilbeck And Friends blog.

I’ll be posting opinions, advice, and marketing tips about Nice Offers coupons to that department.

The first advice is simple: create a coupon.

Act on your dream!

JD

Mountain Brew Coffee House (Murphy, NC 28906) has a nice offers coupon for new and loyal returning customers for their specialty drinks. The offer will expire on December 31, 2007.

Buy One Specialty Drink and Get One 50 Percent Off. Click the link to get the details and to have the coupon emailed to you.

You can redeem this nice offer at Mountain Brew Coffee House, located in the Hickory Oaks Plaza at 1370 US Hwy 64 West in Murphy, NC 28906. Their phone number is 828-835-9848.

Over 4000 merchants in over 100 countries are offering Nice Offers to reward new and returning customers. If you are a merchant, you can advertise for free and pay only for results. You set the terms of the coupons you offer.

Merchants get more business and only pay for advertising that works; customers save money by patronizing their favorite businesses.

If you live in, or travel through, Murphy, NC, and want an outstanding specialty drink in a relaxed atmosphere, redeem your Buy One Specialty Drink and Get One 50 Percent Off coupon at Mountain Brew Coffee House.

I love posters and I’ve built an artstore on JohnDilbeck.com that links to items I love, including castles, dragons, wizards, and many other subjects.

Here’s a list of other topics for which I’ve built my own store pages:

Artists

• Leonardo da Vinci Art
• Michelangelo Buonarroti Art

Musicians and Actors

• Johnny Depp Art
• Mel Gibson Art
• Elvis Presley Art

Movies and TV

• Disney Art
• Harry Potter Art
• Lord of the Rings Art
• Monsters, Inc. Art
• Spiderman Art
• Star Trek Art
• Star Wars Art
• Warriors Art
• X-Files Art
• X-Men Art

Places

• Ireland Art

Nature & Outdoors

• Animal Art
• Bears Art
• Birds Art
• Butterflies Art
• Cats Art
• Deer Art
• Dinosaur Art
• Dogs Art
• Dolphins Art
• Doves Art
• Eagles Art
• Floral Art
• Frogs Art
• Horses Art
• Landscape Art
• Manatees Art
• Pelicans Art
• Rainbow Art
• River Sports Art
• Reptiles Art
• Roses Art
• Seagulls Art
• Sunset Art
• Wildlife Art
• Wolf Art

Other

• Angels Art
• Aviation Art
• Believe Art
• Castles Art
• Cowboy Art
• Dragons Art
• Fairies & Pixies Art
• Fantasy Art
• Inspirational Art
• Kings Art
• Lighthouse Art
• Mermaids Art
• Motivational Art
• Princes Art
• Princesses Art
• Queens Art
• Space Art
• Unicorns Art
• Warriors Art
• Waterfalls Art
• Wizards Art

If you aren’t particularly interested in the same topics I am, you can select from over 300,000 items, some of which are sure to be of interest.

Here are some of the topics you may choose to browse directly at the Art.com site:

Art.com offers over 300,000 items from which to choose.

It’s easy to find what you’re looking for at Art.com. You can click on my selections in the menu to your left, go to their site and browse their main categories, or use the handy search box, below.

Top 100

Top 100 at Art.com

What’s New?

What’s New at Art.com

LIFE Picture Collection

The LIFE Picture Collection at Art.com

Other Popular Art

To make it convenient, I’ve put together some samples from a variety of interest areas. Just click one of the following links to see a sample of the art that is available in that category. A new window will open with items that you will, hopefully, find to be of interest.

• Abstract posters and prints
• Animals posters and prints
• Architecture posters and prints
• Astronomy & Space posters and prints
• Book Illustration posters and prints
• Botanical posters and prints
• Comics posters and prints
• Cuisine posters and prints
• Education posters and prints
• Fantasy posters and prints
• Holidays posters and prints
• Home & Hearth posters and prints
• Humor posters and prints
• Inspirational posters and prints
• Maps posters and prints
• Motivational posters and prints

Popular Movies

Movies posters and prints

Popular Music

• Music posters and prints
• People posters and prints
• Places posters and prints
• Religion & Philosophy posters and prints
• Scenic posters and prints
• Sports posters and prints
• Still Life posters and prints
• Television posters and prints
• Transportation posters and prints
• Vintage posters and prints
• World Culture posters and prints
• Youth posters and prints

In addition to art prints, photos, and posters, Art.com offers a framing service so you can do all your gift buying and framing at the same time.

The selection is huge and the prices are right. Order today to avoid the holiday rush and to be sure to get the items you want.