Not one but two pottery festivals this weekend in Seagrove

Seagrove Pottery Festival

SEAGROVE — The 43rd Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival is a two-day event held at the Seagrove Elementary School Gymnasium, 528 Old Plank Road, Seagrove.

This year’s dates and times are Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22 and 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Admission is $5. Veterans and active duty military members get in free as do children under 12.

The potterymakers are mostly from the Seagrove area, but an offer was extended earlier this year to Western NC potters to have a booth for a discount rate of $100.

Booths are located in a large, heated tent on the ballfield and inside the gym of the school.

The annual event brings together traditional craftspeople to showcase and sell their exquisite wares. Visitors can experience the potters market, witness the auction of signed and dated pottery, enjoy live demonstrations and savor delicious food from local vendors.

The idea of a pottery festival was born in 1981 when Richard Gilson of Hickory Hill Pottery decided to form the Museum of NC Traditional Pottery, a non-profit with a sole purpose of bringing all the potters together under one roof.

That same year, the first Seagrove Pottery Festival filled the Seagrove Elementary school gymnasium with all the area potteries, several other crafters and artists, and thousands of appreciative and delighted festival-goers.

For more than four decades since, the festival has greatly expanded in size and variety. Virtually every style of pottery has been represented, from colorful raku to solid, dependable, utilitarian stoneware to vibrant copper red to rare crystalline.

Throwing demonstrations and on-site kiln firings have delighted crowds of people over the years. 

Many other styles of arts and crafts are also represented, including tinsmiths, photographers, woodworkers, florists, jewelers, glassblowers, sculptors, blacksmiths and knifemakers.

Food is also a big part of the festival, with standard fare like kettle corn, cotton candy, funnel cakes and snow cones to heartier options including hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches and NC-style BBQ. More recent additions include Asian fusion and artisan baked goods.

Celebration of Seagrove  Potters

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters began as a two-day event in 2008, but has been building heavily on a three-day approach for many years since. This year is no exception.

On Friday, Nov. 21 alone, here’s the agenda: 

■ 5 to 6 p.m. — Preview Pottery Shopping.

■ 6 to 7:30 p.m. — Catered Reception and Festive Drinks.

■ 7 to 8 .p.m.  — Live Auction of Collaborative Pieces.

■ 8 to 8:30 p.m. — Booths Reopen for last minute Early Bird Shopping.

That’s all part of the Friday Night Gala. Tickets are $65, which can be purchased in advance, with a limited number available at the door.

Those who can’t make the Gala could sign up for proxy bidding until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 19 at discoverseagrove.com to place a bid on a Collaboration Auction of one-of-a-kind pieces made by two or more Seagrove potters working together. 

This year, 25% of the proceeds from the live and silent auctions will be designated to create a scholarship fund for high school seniors from Randolph, Montgomery and Moore counties who are pursuing art programs. 

The Gala, like the 18th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters festival that  follows over the next two days, will be held in a newly renovated space at the Luck Comer Lail Center (Historic Luck’s Cannery), located at 798 NC Hwy 705 E in Seagrove.

Over the next two days — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.;. on Sunday — visitors can expect to see booths from 28 Seagrove pottery shops, demonstrations and food trucks onsite.

Admission to the event on Saturday or Sunday, Nov. 22 to 23, is $8. In addition, the festival offers a free self-guided tour of 29 participating shops in the Seagrove area.

Also, volunteers are needed to help with the event. All volunteers receive one free admission for the weekend. Volunteers working 3 hours or more receive a swag bag with coupons and light swag provided by Randolph Country Tourism. Those working 6 hours or more receive a swag bag and a Seagrove Area Potters Associate logo Tote bag. And those working 12 hours or more receive the swag bag, Tote and a Seagrove Area Potters Association T-shirt. Find a signup sheet at discoverseagrove.com.