Going Local-Small Business Saturday

downtown Lincolnton

 We ventured out this past Saturday
to the Lincoln County Small Business Expo.
Our intention is to more fully support locals in their pursuits.
After scouting out the treats for sale near the entrance,
we made our way into the newly renovated Citizen's Center.

Crafters, candymakers and artisans from Lincoln County
and a few surrounding towns filled the auditorium with treasures.

There are always jewelry makers at craft shows,
but I'd never before seen handmade leather earrings.
The creator stated that she prefers them herself,
as they are much lighter on the earlobes.

 Several vendors showcased their knitting talents.
Knit caps, ear warmers and hair accessories were easy to find.

 Hand-crafted cards, stationary and wooden trinkets
filled this booth.

 Who needs paint ball?
These marshmallow shooters are pain-free,
literally a blast, and the ammo is edible!

 This display caught my eye with all of its color and holiday cheer.
The purveyor is new to the craft show scene,
having just relocated here from Wyoming.
She will no doubt do quite well,
from the looks of her offerings.

 Crafty Me Gifts had an assortment of festive holiday decor.
One of these twine trees may have made it home with me.

 Lori Rapp can be reached at 704-740-5917.

 Another local crafter provided an unusual display of measuring spoons.
Wouldn't this be perfect for the wine lover in your life?
Crafts by Betty is Betty Hovis' brainchild.
Her contact number is 704-813-7007.

 One of the unique components in Cinnamon Ridge Soaps
is hemp oil.
Their creations contain none of the harmful ingredients found in commercial soaps.
This business is a labor of love and it shows.
Here's their website.

 I was pleasantly surprised to find the vintage carolers at the event.
And imagine my astonishment in recognizing one of the singers
as our very own President of the Master Gardeners group here in Lincoln County!
(Marcia is second from the left.)

 A few food trucks were found outside,
but with several more stops,
we didn't dare dally.

This will be a yearly tradition for us,
as we enjoy seeing what goodies can be found
right here in our home town.
Go local!

More in Our Going Local Series:

Black Mountain Chocolates
Grace Tree Farm 
Grier Truck Museum
Mundy House Christmas 
Red Wolf Farm

Farmers' Market Opening Day

This past Saturday was the opening day

of the farmers' markets here in Lincoln County.

The market in Lincolnton is small, but growing,

and hosts an array of local goodies for shoppers.

Many folks eschew the grocery store in favor of fresh,

locally grown produce.

Starter plants and flowers in lovely displays were also available.

A few beauties were picked up at this table for some of my beds at home.

Members of the Rose Society donated plants from their personal gardens

to raise money for their organization.

Most plants were $3, quite the bargain!

At this booth, organic personal care preparations could be had.

A multitude of lip balms, lotions, shampoos and beard products was offered.

All items at the farmers' market must be grown or made

within a 50-mile radius of the downtown location.

Can't get more local than that!

One of my favorite vendors, 

Black Sheep Farmstead,

always furnishes a wonderful collection of soaps.

A couple of things may have made it into my bag.

The Master Gardeners set up a booth once a month

to answer gardening questions, share gardening experiences,

and provide an interactive activity for visitors.

My friend Jannah and I,

who both graduated from the Master Gardener class last spring,

were giving away seeds so that folks could get their gardens started.

The seeds were generously donated to the Extension Center,

and we are giving them away every chance we get.

Just look at all the potential in that basket!

We also created a seed sowing station

for kids to understand the value in recycling 

and using what they already have at home.

The basket of paper towel and toilet paper rolls

was readied for them.

We simply made mini pots by slitting and folding the bottoms.

This is a great way to repurpose an otherwise throwaway item.

The whole kit-n-kaboodle can be planted in the ground.

A little soil and their choice of seed was all it took.

It was so encouraging to see these wee ones excited about planting.

The first market of the season went off without a hitch.
We had plenty of visitors and the vendors had many repeat customers.
Feeling blessed to be a part of such a wonderful community activity.

Do you frequent the farmers' market where you live?

Handmade for the Holidays

Autumn is the season of craft festivals.

A couple of weeks ago, we ventured out to the annual

"Handmade for the Holidays" event here in Lincolnton.

A few of my Master Gardener friends and I enjoyed strolling through the booths

and witnessing the amazing creativity of the artisans.

Nancy Richards Ball at Hand Crafted Clay had a large display

of hand-sculptured creations.

With so many critters to choose from,

there's bound to be something that your favorite animal lover would adore.

Smarty Cat had hair accessories, buttons

and other trinkets available for purchase.

The girlbage booth featured some of the most unique signs

I'd ever seen. 

These two sisters transform trash into gorgeous treasures.

You can find their etsy page here.

An assortment of hand-crafted wooden items were showcased

by Jerry Bartusch.

He can be reached at 704-257-6663 or

jbar2sh@yahoo.com

Isn't it wonderful when practical items can also be beautiful?

These cheerful snowpeople were one of my favorites,

and I wish that I had brought one home.

If I find this artist again, I will be sure to pick one up.

Cindy Jones can be reached at 704-560-4407.

Black Sheep Farmstead is one of the regular vendors

every week at the Lincolnton Farmers' Market.

Their handmade soaps are works of art.

This gal does everything required to create these lovely soaps,

from milking the goats to fashioning the designs.

You can find their facebook page here.

Woods and Goods proved to be too cute to resist.

I saw many of these reindeer walking out the door

with their new owners.

A few of these wooden ornaments came home with me,

as well as one of the spindle snowmen you see on the left.

If you want one of your own, 

you can reach Ronnie Pittman at 828-234-3638.

Bags by Sheila offered up a large variety of prints and styles

of purses, totes and wallets.

From her website:

" It is our belief that there is nothing average about the average woman 

with an average income. She works hard and often does without for her family. 

This woman deserves beauty, style and quality at a reasonable price."

Dontcha just love that?

These delightful suncatchers are made from recycled C/Ds.

Isn't that clever?

One of the owners of Making Mudpies Ceramics and Art Gallery

displayed these along with dozens of ceramic pieces.

The local studio would make a great gal's day out adventure!

We enjoyed talking to Marge Crunkleton,

the artist who creates these engaging Santa sculptures.

We were mesmerized by the detail and lifelike quality.

You can see more of Marge's work here.

Miscellaneous Moose has a wide variety of home decor,

all hand-crafted and ready to spruce up any home.

You can find more of their handiwork here.

It's so inspiring to see all of the artists displaying their wares,

knowing that they have put their hearts and souls into

creating something for others to enjoy.

This show is sure to become an seasonal favorite.

Going Local-Santa's Forest

Happy Birthday Farmer Lynn!
I am SO thankful that you were born!

~~~~~~~

December has surprised us with beautiful, clear blue skies
and mild temperatures.
That is supposed to change later this week,
but we were happy to enjoy a field trip in the great outdoors this past weekend.
It was time to procure a Christmas tree
and we knew we wanted to support a local tree farm,
rather than make the purchase from a big box store.

We found a tree farm that has been selling trees for more than a dozen years,

and they are mere minutes from our home here in Lincolnton.

Welcome to Santa's Forest Christmas Tree Farm

at the Herter Nursery .

This 30-acre tree farm has been in the Herter family for generations,

having had many transformations over the years.

We feel blessed that they are so close to our location

and offer so much,

but it was a bittersweet discovery, as I'll later explain.

The farm offers White Pine, Green Giant, Leyland Cypress

as well as Frazier Firs, which is always the choice for our holiday tree.

This is a choose and cut farm,

which means that you can cut down your own tree

to get that homesteader experience of olden days.

There were still a good selection of trees from which to choose,
and we made our way through the rows,
enjoying the fresh scent of Christmas.
The farm was having a special sale this year,
any tree from the choose and cut area was only $20.

These saplings were also for sale,
and I'm thinking about revisiting them to pick up a couple for our property.
We have an abundance of deciduous trees on our lot,
and it would be nice to have more evergreens 
to retain some privacy 
for our neighbors and ourselves in the winter.

Here's something you don't often see.

Bread and popcorn are left near the pens

so that visitors can feed the goats and pigs beyond the fence.

The sign outside of Bella's run was fair warning

that she doesn't take too kindly to strangers invading her space.

We are grateful that she came through Thanksgiving unscathed.

This character is busy people watching.

A bounce house and a playground area were available for kids to use up some of their energy,

as well as an ornament hunt that children could enjoy.

The fire pit was the perfect place to roast marshmallows,

which are given to every guest at the farm.

There was also a concession area

where hot dogs, chips and drinks were available for purchase.

It was a great day for a ride on the zipline!

For a nominal fee, folks up to 150 pounds could

 get a birds' eye view of the farm.

The hayride was more our speed,

and was probably the best part of our visit.

There was no charge for most of the "extras" at this venue,

including this relaxing tour of the farm.

Just sitting together on the hay bales,

drinking in our surroundings and relishing the chance to be together.

What could be better than spending time with those you love?

The day was absolutely gorgeous and 

even C said he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

That's not always the response we get from our teenaged boy.

One of the three barns on the property was the backdrop

for our family photo.

A fellow visitor to the farm

was kind enough to take our picture in front of this lovely structure.

I can't think of a better way to end our visit.

We picked out our Frasier Fir and loaded up.
It was a wonderful experience and we hope to repeat it in years to come.
The bittersweet part of this story
is that Santa's Forest may not be selling trees next year.
They are considering taking a hiatus or possibly even discontinuing the event altogether.
Everyone we came in contact with at the farm
was so kind and thoughtful.
Thankfully, we read about this magical place in time
to get at least one visit in before they close their doors to Christmas tree enthusiasts.
We certainly wish them well.

 

Going Local Series:
Lincolnton Christmas Parade 
The Mundy House 
Hardware Upgrade