A Special Place

Here in the mountains of western North Carolina, about as far from Wilmington as our state's roads will carry us, is the John C. Campbell Folk School, a place which is truly special.

It's special because it's nestled within some mountainous topography dense enough to allow Eric Rudolph to evade the combined forces of the FBI, CIA, and the United States Army. (He was caught when he snuck back into civilization for food, and, who knows, perhaps to stop the cat and mouse game he was winning.) The nearest town to us is a little over a mile away, but we have to drive seven miles to get there! If you can picture the point where North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee come together, there we are. It's a long way from everywhere.



It's special because based on the Danish folk school model, John C. Campbell began in 1925 as an alternative to the higher education facilities that drew young people away from the family farm and home. Still today it offers instruction to locals and others in arts and crafts of every stripe; this week's program covers work on clay mosaics, old time fiddle, sign carving, photography, collage, metalwork (jewelry), polymer clay, (pause for breath of air) rug weaving, wooden toys, cooking, spinning and dyeing, baskets and chair seats, and blacksmithing. Next week's classes will all be different. Not your ordinary "school".

It's special because it is dedicated to preserving and supporting many of the traditional art forms which were being lost to the modern world, and it's rather like being in a time warp around here. Modern conveniences (like WiFi) are here, obviously, but they take a back seat to the culture and values of the southern Appalachian mountain people. There is a large clock in the folk school office, long ago stopped and never repaired, over which is a sign, "Time stands still at John C. Campbell". Indeed it does.




Ann and I have been here several times before, and try to make a return visit every year. Ann paints, or tries out some other artsy subject like papermaking or collage, while I lug around my fiddle to learn some new tunes or try some new ways to play the Golden Oldies. But the subject matter is almost secondary to the real fascination which the folk school holds for us, and that is the opportunity to get to work with and meet people we might otherwise not get to know in a completely non-competitive environment. It's a fascinating community which gathers here, many of them return visitors, and we enjoy getting to know them. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of us or the school to post with these comments, since I thoughtlessly left behind the necessary umbilical cord between the camera and the computer. But stop by the house, and we'd be glad to show them to you!