We had such a good time and we are really sorry if you missed FOLK FEST this year. We traveled down to Georgia in torrential rains. Sorry to pass Nashville, Tn while the mess was coming down. They sure didn’t need the rain! Saw lots of accidents, mostly trucks going too fast. But, nothing was going to deter us from Atlanta.

We arrived on Wednesday evening and got settled into the hotel. Then, on Thursday we headed over to the Trade Center to get loaded in for the show. IT WAS HOT! But, thanks to the help of a porter, we finally got everything inside. (Have to have everything in the building on Thursday).We started on filling the walls and then setting the tables in place. Ran out of time, so we headed to The Wafflehouse to eat. There we met our new friend “T” ..Tenesha..who was waiting tables. What a trip. If you get to this Waffle House, don’t miss her. She was a talker and we liked her right away. Grand dreams of traveling, going to Japan or maybe she’ll just join the military after graduation and see the world that way. So, each evening after the show, we’d head to the Waffle House just to hear what she had dreamed up next. We hated to leave her behind but gave her some lucky Mardi Gras beads to remember us by! Hoping to get a picture of us on here somehow!

This was one of the best shows ever!! This year we were surprised by a visit from MINNIE ADKINS, the famous wood carver from Newcome Creek near Isonville, Ky. Minnie has influenced so many people in her life . If by chance you don’t know of her, just do a search on her! She puts on a show in May every year in Morehead called

A Day In The Country

..She’s influenced carvers everywhere and is a real ambassador for the arts..her first collaboration in book form in 1998 was “Bright Blue Rooster” and Govenor Paul Patton recognized her for her contribution to art and artists. She received the highest honor of being given a Doctorate of Humanities award from Morehead State. So…Dr Adkins, WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE and continue to do for folk art. What an honor it was to have her grace the Atlanta show for the very first time with her grandson Greg and his wife Menash! Minnie continues to do carving demonstrations at schools and other gatherings. The book O’ Appalachia came out in 1998 and after that she was inundated with reporters from newspapers, magazines and TV doing stories on her. You MUST HAVE a piece of Minnie’s art in your collection…Hint, Hint…her POSSUMS are out of this world!!

We met up with Missionary Mary Proctor and her husband Tyrone…Mary brought some really interesting pieces to the show..including the very first door she ever painted! Wow! It was something else. We visited before the show with Eric Legge, Ruby Williams (My bestest friend from Florida and famed Produce Stand Artist), Cornbread (the most collected artist of the show), and all of our Gallery Friends who work so hard to bring the artwork to the show for you all to see and enjoy!

We met a lot of new artists and are working on getting a few of them on the website for you to see and start collecting. So, keep watching…we’ll Get R Done!

Thanks to Slotins and everyone involved that help us the Galleries get to come to this show and exhibit our wonderful artists and artwork!!