Put on your bib overalls and head to Duke Homestead for the annual Tobacco Harvest and Hornworm Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Hear the sounds of the only tobacco auction left in the Bull City at Duke Homestead, the home and farm where Washington Duke first grew and processed tobacco. His sons later founded The American Tobacco Company, once the world’s largest tobacco company. The Dukes help create a market for Durham-area tobacco products that made North Carolina the heart of an international tobacco empire at one time.
The day starts with demonstrations of traditional tobacco harvesting, curing, and stringing down at the barn with Little River Cloggers performing on stage. Or you can start your morning shopping for treasures made by North Carolina artists.
Enter the hornworm race or the MoonPie eating contest or pick up some produce from the Farmer’s Market area. Save some room for homemade ice cream.
Browse through the booths of 23 artists including painters, woodworkers and potters from across the state. You can find items ranging from a duck decoys and antique birdhouses to soy candles and furniture made from the wood of tobacco barns.
This year’s festival has the added benefit of artists’ demonstrations and displays, which was the idea of Linda A. Carlisle, the secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources. She sees State Historic Sites and the Arts Council working together to create opportunities for artists to reach new audiences. The Tobacco Harvest and Hornworm Arts Festival is a pilot program that also provides the opportunity to educate new audiences for history and the arts.
Artists get a chance to show off their wares and make a living and families watching their budgets have a variety of high quality, fun-filled free activities that will please children of all ages.
In the afternoon relax to Piedmont blues played by legendary Durham guitarist and singer John Dee Holeman. Bring your instrument for the bluegrass jam session at 3 p.m.! 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free. For more information, call Duke Homestead at (919) 477-5498 or visit www.ncarts.org or www.nchistoricsites.org/duke.
About the North Carolina Arts Council
The North Carolina Arts Council works to make North Carolina The Creative State where a robust arts industry produces a creative economy, vibrant communities, children prepared for the 21st century and lives filled with discovery and learning. The Arts Council accomplishes this in partnership with artists and arts organizations, other organizations that use the arts to make their communities stronger, and North Carolinians — young and old — who enjoy and participate in the arts. www.ncarts.org
About North Carolina Historic Sites
North Carolina Historic Sites, a program of 27 state historic sites, allow visitors to open doors to the past. Visitor centers with exhibits filled with artifacts and multimedia presentations can be found most sites, as are picnic facilities. Most tours and many special programs are free. For more information, go to www.nchistoricsites.org.
The N.C. Arts Council and Historic Sites are divisions of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. www.ncculture.com.