Classes
Heritage Tours and Group Receptive Services
Read more about Heritage Tours and Group Receptive ServicesMountain Heritage Classes Project
Read more about Mountain Heritage Classes ProjectJunior Appalachian Musicians
Read more about Junior Appalachian MusiciansCherokee Homestead Exhibit in Hayesville
Read more about Cherokee Homestead Exhibit in HayesvilleConnie Regan-Blake
Storyteller
Asheville, NC (Buncombe County)
Internationally recognized storyteller Connie Regan-Blake has lived in Asheville for over thirty years. A native of Alabama, Regan-Blake began telling stories professionally as a young woman living in Chattanooga. After honing her skills performing for local children, she teamed up with her cousin Barbara Freeman to form a storytelling duo in 1975. Calling themselves the Folktellers, they left their jobs and began touring the country in Freeman's pickup truck. The two women became popular performers at many festivals and other venues across the country.
Read more about Connie Regan-BlakeDoyle Pace
Storyteller
Boone, NC (Watauga County)
"I've always been interested in stories," recalls Doyle Pace. "My uncles and father told stories. They didn't tell Jack Tales, but they always had some sort of anecdote to make their point." Doyle's interest in stories and folklore eventually led him to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Since his first trip to Watauga County in 1958, he made frequent extended trips to the area. He bought a house there in 1970, and he has made the area his permanent home since 2005.
Read more about Doyle PaceBernadine George
Potter
Cherokee, NC (Qualla Boundary)
Bernadine George grew up around traditional pottery making. She observed her mother, a potter, at work, and absorbed some of her instincts and techniques by observation. When, as a young adult, she decided to take up pottery herself, it was her sister-in-law who taught her to create and fire pinch pots.
George developed her pottery skills over the years, in the spare moments she could grab while working and raising a family. She became a highly accomplished potter, well respected in the community of traditional Cherokee artists.
Read more about Bernadine GeorgeStecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center
Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center
Read more about Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts CenterJohn C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School
Read more about John C. Campbell Folk SchoolJerry Sutton
Oldtime and country musician
Biltmore Lake, NC (Buncombe County)
Widely respected as a musician, Jerry Sutton is in the middle generation of a multigenerational family of musicians. He is the son of the late fiddler Grover Sutton, and the father of Leesa Sutton Brandon and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Bryan Sutton. Family and friends alike cite him as an important musical mentor.
Read more about Jerry Sutton
