The “Brisket, Bourbon & Beer” fundraiser for REACH of Haywood County will take place from 5:30-9 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at the Shelton House in Waynesville. 

A new exhibit on the history of weaving in Haywood County will open Friday, June 16 at Shelton House — History, Heritage and Crafts (The Museum of NC Handicrafts) during the “Blue Ridge Heritage Weekend” Arts and Crafts Festival. 

For 10 years, museum curator Jackie Stephens has prepped The Shelton House for Civil War commemorations.

The Shelton House, which is home to the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts, opens for its 35th season this summer. 

In order to have a clear vision of the future, one must cherish the traditions of the past. 

“Southern Appalachian traditions are our heritage,” said Beth Woody. “They made us what we are today. To know who we are now, we need to know who and what we came from.”

Pale glimmers of subdued lighting casting shadowy silhouettes against a backdrop of muffled voices will transform the historic Shelton House from a gallery where artifacts, crafts and valuable artistic pieces are displayed in an eerie setting where ghostly tales are relayed.

The Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts at Shelton House will host the second Ghosts and Goblets event from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, with the storytelling program lasting approximately one hour.

Those wishing to attend, including children age 10 and up,  should come to the Shelton House Barn where small groups will be assembled throughout the evening. Goblets of wine and juice as well as light refreshments will be available in the barn before or after the visit with storytellers. Refreshments will be served until 10 p.m.

Storytellers will be situated in various rooms in the historic Shelton House and will mesmerize the audience with tales of ghostly encounters, strange occurrences and spectral visits — blurring the line between real, surreal and supernatural. No goblins or monsters will startle from behind a creaky door, but the tales relayed will impress the audience with their potential for hazy connections between imagination and actuality.

The Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts is celebrating its 30th anniversary affiliation with historic Shelton House, built in 1875.  Ghosts and Goblets is one in a series of events and fundraisers held in 2010 to support the upkeep of the house and the museum collection. Tickets are $10 at the door.  

Shelton House is open May through October, Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Curator Jackie Stephens is available to give tours and introduce visitors to the history of the house, its original owners, and the extensive craft collection.

Craving information about a family heirloom or a quilt purchased at a flea market or antique shop? A Bed Turning event will help solve those mysteries.

It will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21, at the Historic Shelton House Barn behind the museum. The event is part of a continuing series of educational and entertaining events scheduled for 2010 to commemorate the 30th year merger of the North Carolina Handicrafts Museum with the Historic Shelton House in Waynesville.

In bed turning, woven and quilted bed covers are placed on a bed or table and turned, front and back, to determine various aspects of the piece’s history. Quilt and coverlet specialist Suzanne McDowell will oversee the evaluation of 20 quilts and/or coverlets while simultaneously instructing participants and observers about the quilting or weaving style, design, category, materials, dyes, age, location of origin, and unique qualities about each quilt and coverlet.

Last year’s event involved 20 bed coverlets and quilts and proved to be popular with observers as well as those desiring detailed information about their own particular piece of handiwork.

For example, McDowell determined that Jackie Spenser’s quilt, a variation of the Lone Star pattern, was created in the late 1800s and was made using Turkey red dye, with accompanying green on white.

828.452.1551 to reserve a space. $10 for one quilt/coverlet and $15 for 2. Observers may enter for free.

By Michael Beadle

Terry Painter and his wife Anita love collecting ornaments for their Christmas tree each year, but they found that fewer and fewer ornaments bore any connection to the actual holiday.