Saturday was the hottest day we have had this year. It was humid and in the low 90's. We woke up to a frozen air conditioner unit. Just imagine, five people trying to get out of the house for a festival, dripping in sweat. Jeff took a quick look at the air handler in the attic and we realized there was nothing we could do until the outside unit thawed. We piled into the car and headed to Southern Pines.
Yeon Tae Park was set up outside for demos, using Jeff's Japanese kick wheel. Yeon Tae has won first place in the kick wheel competition at the Mungyeong Chasabal Festival.
An amazing group of women cooked and served bulgogi, bibimbop, and pajeon. There was also plenty of rice and kimchi. Hot dogs were also available for the less adventurous eaters.
Jeff did demos on the electric wheel.
Yeon Tae Park applying slip decoration to his moon jar.
Hands on activities... origami and a kids clay table. Both kids and adults got their faces painted!
Local potters set up booths in and around the Campbell House.
Nikki Mizak, with her hand painted chickens along with new soda fired work.
Morgan Hatfield had a nice assortment of Celtic pottery and oil & vinegar bottles.
Jared Zehmer had a sweet selection of tea pots in his booth.
Kings Pottery with wood fired work. They make some really cool face jugs.
Lufkin Pottery - Sally makes piggy banks too!
Frank Neef was inside the gallery showing his intricately pierced, porcelain vases and jars, all in crystalline glaze. Frank demonstrated his technique throughout the day.
Raven Pottery was also set up inside but I somehow didn't get a photograph. They were a major sponsor of the event so a big thank you goes out to them!
Levi Mahan, who now has a shop in our previous location, was set up outside near the demo tent. Levi has some really nice wood fired pots. I give him lots of credit for braving the heat all day!
The crowds were steady for most of the day. I was glad that the heat didn't keep people at home. Initially, the weather report called for rain, but thankfully that never happened.
One last photo of our group at the end of a long hot day. Kyeong Hee and Jong Pil spent the day doing tea ceremony demonstrations inside the gallery. They stayed cool, but were still very tired at 4:00!
We stopped for Mexican food on the way back to Seagrove. It was our guest's first experience with Mexican food. They enjoyed the spicy flavors and were happy to see Budweiser on the menu. When we returned home Jeff went back into the attic and cleaned some corrosion from the fan on the air handler. We all jumped for joy when we turned it on and it worked!!!
