E. Lane Gresham
By E. Lane Gresham, guest columnist
More than 100 families said “yes” to inviting a folk school into the community in 1925. Today, 100 years later, John C. Campbell Folk School is a thriving, integral part of the story of this corner of Appalachia.
A yearlong 100th anniversary observance will officially kick off with the 49th annual Fall Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 4-5, and culminate with the 50th annual Fall Festival, set for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4.
Community members will begin to hear more about this milestone as we launch a nationwide messaging campaign the week of March 31. It is fitting that we first invite our neighbors into the larger story we are ready to share about upcoming plans to highlight the history and look toward a promising future.
In the months to come, you’ll read more about the people who make up the John C. Campbell Folk School’s story – instructors, students, staff, volunteers, donors and others whose contributions are vast and varied. You’ll also have a chance to mark your calendars for signature events that will be co-branded for the 100th anniversary.
As for me, I’m a newbie, serving as the marketing and communications director at the folk school. I’m eager to learn all I can about the organization’s history and its place in the larger story of Appalachia. It seems I arrived at just the right time. A yearlong birthday party? Count me in.
Sitting in my chair perched over the folk school’s History Center, I’m charged with the sell [marketing] and the tell [communications].
What are we selling?
We are selling the experience of connectivity through learning. Students travel from across the county and from around the world to attend classes.
I met a student from Canada in a woodcarving class during my second week on the job. It was her second visit to the school; her first visit was 18 years ago. In all her life and travels, she has never had an experience like at the folk school. This is the “sell” we want to highlight.
What are we telling?
Just like in 1925, when the Scroggs family led the way for Brasstown to become the geographic hotspot for the folk school educational model, the folk school continues to attract individuals hungry for a way to express creativity in a joyful, non-competitive environment.
Part of the student story includes all the intangibles – morning song, family style meals, music and dance, and time to breathe the air that drifts up from the creekside meadow.
With 850 classes and 300-plus performances annually, there’s a lot happening here and through our local learning and retail space, Olive’s Porch.
This community embraced John C. Campbell Folk School then and has held it close all these decades later. We thank you for the nurturing care that has allowed this jewel to become a beacon for those whose spirit calls them to the rarified folk school experience. Visit folkschool.org to learn more about ways to stay in touch or to share a story that might be of interest to the plans we have to celebrate the 100th anniversary.
E. Lane Gresham is the marketing and communications director at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Email her at lane@folkschool.org.