2ND ANNUAL LIVING LEGACY TRADE FAIR

By JUBILEE P. REID

Original Publish Date: August 22, 2023

Next weekend the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum will be hosting the 2nd Annual Living Legacy Trade Fair, sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission, the City of Athens, and Piedmont Lithium. The free event will be open to the public from noon to 5 pm on Friday, August 25th and Saturday, August 26th. Donations are welcome.

This gathering of craftworkers and artisans was first held in August of last year and was a huge success with approximately 700 visitors over the weekend. More attendees are expected this year as the event has grown from 29 vendors at the 2022 fair to 42 attending the upcoming fair. The trade workers are traveling from all over East Tennessee as well as from a few other states. These skilled artisans will be demonstrating numerous trades and art forms including basketweaving, stained glass, brass spoon-making, fly-fishing, spinning, bead-making, tatting, broom-making, pyrography, blacksmithing and horticultural topiaries. There will also be a Civil War encampment, Revolutionary War re-enactors, and live Appalachian music.

Attendees will be able to participate in various activities such as practicing calligraphy with quill pens, hand quilting, making butter and bookbinding. Also at the museum will be a dairy cow from 6 Akers Farm in Niota, Tennessee for visitors to milk. Many of the vendors will also have products available for sale. Participants can purchase refreshments from a food truck and Mayfield Dairy ice cream will be available.

A festive Christmas quilt, pieced and quilted by members of the Heritage Quilt Guild of McMinn County, will be displayed at the museum during the Trade Fair. Visitors can purchase tickets for an opportunity to win this quilt for $2 apiece or $5 for three tickets. The drawing will be held on December 5th and the quilt can be mailed to an out-of-town winner. All proceeds from the drawing benefit the guild which donates quilts to several charities. Multiple tree-of-life wall hangings made by members of Heritage Quilt Guild will also be exhibited.

The 2nd Annual Living Legacy Trade Fair is an excellent opportunity for adults and children to learn about many of the skills which were used regularly by the original settlers of McMinn County. Come by the museum on the 25th or 26th for a great afternoon and to support local artisans!