Fresh lavender in the booth of

Reposting so that you can see what’s in store if you attend the 16th Annual Lavender Festival in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, Tennessee this Saturday, June 21 from 8 to 3. Click here for more information.

I could almost smell the Lavender Festival from the parking lot — well, maybe not from that far away, but I almost could.  It was exciting to walk past the Emma Lee Spray Park and Garden and enter Jackson Square in Oak Ridge at 8:00 AM Saturday. And I was in good company. Hundreds of festival-goers, anxious to get their hands on long stems of lavender bound into bunches, were looking forward to breathing in the fragrance that has lured thousands to this festival for 16 years.

Sponsored by the Jackson Square Business Association, the Lavender Festival has a charm all its own.  It’s not a bustling, noisy festival where visitors line up two deep at hot dog stands while listening to several stage bands at once!

This is a quiet sort of gathering focused on the beauty of plants, hand-made crafts, and products from local gardens — a peaceful, earthy sort of festival where people mill around peering into booths filled with lavender in various forms: bouquets, wands, sachets, creams, oils . . . even edible products like lavender-infused honey or — yes, this is a real product —  lavender ice cream!

And one of many reasons this is a sweet-smelling festival is this — most of us are carrying string-tied bundles of lavender everywhere we go  from Jackson Square to the adjacent Farmers Market!

Three ladies and a dog with lavender bundles!

First stop for me:  the booth of Anne Freels, designer of cornshuck dolls. Anne shared the benefits of lavender with customer Lynn Carroll  – how the fragrance has a calming effect. And bouquets dry naturally but retain their pleasantness for years to come.

Anne Freels helps Lynn Carroll select the perfect bunch.

Marie Bullock offered beautifully displayed Victorian lavender wands woven with colored ribbons. Marie said, Victorian ladies didn’t always bathe every day as we do, so they kept a lavender wand to wave in front of themselves.  The fragrance of lavender would mask any unpleasant odors.  If the wand’s smell lessened over time, the lady would merely pinch the wand, releasing the fragrance into the air once again.

A bouquet of lavender wands in the Heaven Scent booth

Under the label Heaven Scent, Marie offers products made with lavender oil like moisture cream, angel drops, linen spray, and lavender toner. Who knew lavender could be so versatile!

Creams, oils, and drops from Heaven Scent

Honey Rock Herb Farm (Louisville) brought pictures of lavender fields, books on lavender, plant markers, bags and bunches of lavender as well as organic catnip and manuals on the care and growing of herbs.

Pictures and products in Honey Rock Herb Farm’s booth

Perhaps the Profusion of Purple Award (if there ever was such a thing) could go to Scott County Lavender, a booth that was purple to the max — everything from creams to t-shirts and products bottled in purple.

The very purple booth of Scott County Lavender

Pat Osborne told me about Lavender Hydrosol, a by-product of a distillation process. What remains after the process is pure mountain stream water infused with lavender essential oil.  She said that essential oil could be compared to perfume whereas Lavender Hydrosol would be similar to cologne — not as concentrated but quite effective!

Pat says you can spray Hydrosol on a pillows for a lingering fragrance. But Hydrosol spray can also kill germs, lessen the sting of sunburn, repel fleas in pet areas . . . even have a cooling effect on hot flashes!  A wonder elixir, for sure, if it does all that!

Pat Osborne of Scott County Lavender telling me of the wonders of Hydrosol

Many area nurseries and herb farms brought their healthiest, showiest plants for sale.  Melanie and Kathy from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm told me about their location in the Marlow Community near Oak Ridge where herbs are their specialty, but they also have a wide selection of native plants and garden accessories. You really ought to come out to the farm right now, Melanie told me. It’s at its best.  You’d love it!

Melanie and Kathy from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

My favorite booth was this one by Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm. There’s just something appealing about weathered doors and antiques used as garden art.

Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm booth reminds me of an old-fashioned potting shed

In another booth by Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm, terrariums took center stage.  This topless one held gentle fern-like plants poking above glass to catch the light. (I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making these for gifts, so this one inspired me to give it a go! I love these!)

One of several terrariums from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

Although succulents have never been a favorite plant of mine (I think it’s their hard leaves or compact nature that I don’t like), I have been successful with these hardy plants in spite of how I feel.  So I’ve come to look more closely at them as mainstays in my biggest flower pots.  I especially like the looks of a whole flat of these from Erin’s Meadow basking in the early morning sun.

Succulents and garden accessories from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

Some of the most colorful blooming perennials were brought by Sunlight Gardens. The sign near these native Coneflowers says they’re great for cut flowers!

Colorful Coneflowers from Sunlight Gardens

Another sign told me something I didn’t know about Blazing Stars — they’re butterfly magnets!  (They must also be photographer magnets, because several of us were kneeling down to catch the perky color and full blooms on film!)

Sunlight Gardens also brought these showstopper Blazing Stars

Working craftsmen are always a pleasure to watch at a festival.  Scott Weatherly of Crossville stopped his work for a few minutes to tell me about the art of chair caning, a craft he’s practiced for twelve years.  After soaking the cane, he weaves traditional patterns that look best with the lines of the chair. He was putting the finishing touches on this unusual pattern to bring new life to an old piece.

Chair caning demo by Scott Weatherly of Crossville

Linda Baldwin, The Barefoot Weaver, from Heiskell, has been weaving for eleven years.  She told me that after she “got into” weaving, she loved the craft so much she bought the house next door to use as her studio! She weaves placemats, runners, pot holders, and other home essentials, and it thrilled me to watch her hard at work right there in her booth.

Linda Baldwin of Pine Ridge Handwovens provides onsite weaving demonstrations

This particular runner was something I don’t often see — it was woven with a combination of yarn and strips of torn cloth. Sturdy, yet beautiful — with a contemporary feel.

A runner by Linda Baldwin mixing yarn and strips of cotton cloth

Melissa Ball of Stony Clay Station Pottery creates wheel thrown stoneware pottery in her studio in Lenoir City along with partner Benjamin Qualls. She was busy that morning judging from the long line waiting to pay her for her wares.  I asked one customer if her pottery purchases were for gifts, but she smiled and said, Actually no. These pieces are just for me!

Melissa Ball of Stony Clay Station Pottery in Lenoir City

Finding old linens is a hobby that Tina Richey has had for years.  Now she’s putting the embroidered tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases, etc., to good use! She gathers similar patterns (like florals, birds, dogs, etc.); stitches the small pieces together to form larger blocks; and then cuts out fronts, backs, and sleeves to create these one-of-a-kind jackets! Her Knoxville business of wearable art and accessories is known as Spotted Horse Crafts.

Tina Richey shows off one of her themed jackets created from vintage embroidered linens

Jeri Landers – whose dreamlike drawings and scherenschnitte (paper cuttings) have drawn me in for closer looks (and purchases) for years — had a stunning booth. At the Lavender Festival, she was selling her fabulous children’s books.  They’re not only sweet stories . . . they are beautifully illustrated! Look for The Journey of Bushky Busybottom — one of several bunny tales — by Jeri Landers, one of the busiest artists I’ve ever met. (This stunning backdrop is an enlargement of one of her illustrations!)

Jeri Landers, author and illustrator, signs a copy of her latest book.

From Morgan County came Lana Manis whose business Honeysuckle Lane drew me in to her booth.  Her hand-crafted creations — tiny pillows and lavender sachets — have been featured in Romantic Homes, Early American Life, Sunset, and Victoria.

Lana Manis adorns pillows with flowers stitched from ribbon and thread.

She uses bits of ribbon to form flower petals and leaves.  Then she adds embroidery stems and stitchery embellishments — all against a backdrop of  lovely linen in yummy colors.

A tiny pillow topped by a ribbon and embroidery Coneflower by Lana Manis

Jenni Dickenson of Napping Cat Flower Farm in Maryville not only grows these lively flowers — she creates little bouquets and then arranges them in colorful — or plain — tin cans.  Even the names of her bouquets are cute — like “Hippy Chick Farmstand Mix”! (Apologies for the slightly blurry photo.)

Jenni Dickenson of Napping Cat Flower Farm with her colorful bouquets

When she told me she sets up at the Knoxville Farmers Market on Market Square Wednesdays and Saturdays, I knew I could find her again and take home several of her bouquets for gifts in the near future!

Colorful bouquet in a can by Jenni Dickenson

The creator and editor of Flour Sack Mama, Anne Brock, promotes green living on her blog (floursackmama.blogspot.com) and in her booth. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest giving tips for thriftiness and better living that protects the environment and us, too!

Anne Brock of Flour Sack Mama

She offered children a chance to be a part of the festival by making little lavender sachets.  The kids selected fabric, filled the pouches with lavender furnished by The Ferrell Shop, and then stitched the tops closed.  Here’s a dad helping his daughter put the finishing touches on her lavender sachet! Sweet, huh?

A dad helps his daughter make a lavender sachet in the Flour Sack Mama booth

Sweetwater Valley Farm was there, too!  If you haven’t been there for a visit, you can take your children or grandchildren to see farm animals on one of the prettiest farms in East Tennessee in Philadelphia.  (Call before you go to get the schedule: 877.862.4332!)

Amy passed out samples of tasty cheese from Sweetwater Valley Farm

For the Lavender Festival, they passed out samples of Sweetwater Valley Farm Cheddar Cheese and let guests have a taste of Artisan Honey Jelly — that’s right, honey with the consistency of jelly! Mmmm.  Would love that on a hot biscuit!

Honey Jelly from Sweetwater Valley Farm

Behind Jackson Square was the regularly scheduled Farmers Market, so I headed past the festival booths to see what the farmers had brought.  The Cruze Farm girls (well, not many of them since they were manning booths at three locations all on the same morning) brought Lavender Ice Cream and Lavender Honey!

Those cute Cruze Farm girls were there!

Since I had to have my hands free to take pictures all morning, I made no purchases until the end.  And what I came for was right in the Oak Ridge Farmers Market: Joe Hollar of Knoxville was grabbing handfuls of  lavender from an open truck bed, tying those bundles with string, and making lots of customers (including me!) very happy!

Knoxville lavender grower Dan Hollar had customers lined up!

It was heavenly to walk away with my souvenir bundle of lavender that I smelled in my warm car all the way home! (Not this one — but isn’t it gorgeous?!)

An enormous bouquet of lavender sitting near Joe Hollar’s stand at the Farmers’ Market

Each year the Lavender Festival offers a newly commissioned piece of art for sale.  The website posted this lovely pastel work by Mary Katherine Chin titled “Lavender” as the 2012 featured art.

“Lavender” by Mary Katherine Chin

If you want to come to the Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge’s Historic Jackson Square next year, be sure to check the website for dates and times.

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market is open on Wednesdays, 3 to 6 P.M. and Saturdays, 8 A.M. to noon from mid-April through late November.  You can find locally-grown vegetables, herbs, honey, meats, cheeses, baked goods, plants, and fresh cut flowers!

Even with occasional downpours threatening the festival at the UT Ag campus, Blooms Days 2013 (May 11 & 12, 2013) at the UT Gardens blossomed forth with colorful flowers, eager volunteers, and guests in the hundreds admiring, strolling, photographing, and buying. The event has become a rite of spring!

And I was there, along with all those flower lovers, finding seven (really more) things to do at Blooms Days! Here are my top seven springy things to do.

1. Grab a Garden Shot

You couldn’t help but surround yourself with pretty flowers from purple pansies to pitcher plants. The folks at HGTV Gardens were on hand to share tips for how to ensure good growth and how to combine plants by color for shade or sun.

Neatly mulched beds in full bloom sported markers that helped even the flower-challenged among us identify selections by name.

Casual strolling through the gardens would eventually land you at the koi ponds with their beautifully landscaped stone steps and splashy waterfalls.  It was a favorite place for family photos as most wanted to gather under the arched entrance or near the ponds.

Under the tents, local gardeners arranged their best offerings in photo-shoot-worthy style.  Like this grouping of pink flowers tucked nicely inside a weather-worn cart from Sunlight Gardens.

2. Picture a Bonsai

The Knoxville Bonsai Society set up award-winning specimens inside one building where black backdrops showed off carefully pruned greenery.  By training tender new shoots around copper wires, bonsai enthusiasts coax plants we normally see in much larger versions into miniature “trees” complete with trunks, greenery — even blooming branches.  Amazing!

Who would have imagined a ponderosa pine could follow this graceful form?

Or a normally aggressive wisteria would control its shape so artfully?  (Really?)

3.  Inspect an Insect

Bearing larger-than-life stylized drawings of ladybugs and butterflies, this white tent drew me in.  It was buggy all right.  Laid out on tables and pinned up on wall displays, insects as big as your hand were everywhere. If you had ever wanted to see the stuff of nightmares (OK, some people love these guys!) up close and personal, this was your chance.

4. Drag Home a Dragon

Vendors brought their best — from iron sculptures of garden dragons to cute clay teapots on garden stakes.  In several designated areas of the gardens, you had your choice of take-home presents for garden lovers — rare plants, herbs, baskets, totes, concrete planters, photography, etc.  High quality.  Creative.  And fun to touch and see!

These plantings in old pots appealed to me since I love both antiques and flowers — and together is even better.

5. Line Up for Food

The hungry among us found something other than the typical sandwiches and hot dogs served at most festivals.  The offerings this year came from Asian-inspired chefs, food trucks, and local cooks.  Sometimes the portions were huge like the meatloaf sandwich served at the Savory and Sweet truck.  (Enough for two, said James Newburn, Assistant Director of the UT Gardens.  And he was right.)

So I opted for a smaller but quite tasty pizza pie from Dale’s Fried Pies.  It helped that a former student, Mickey Johnson (talking to Dale below), treated me and paid the bill!  As he said when he placed the order: This is thanks for all that grammar you made me learn!!! (Nice to see those assignments I gave paying off!)

More good news:  Owner Dale Mackey says she’s getting a food truck for Dale’s Fried Pies soon! Yeah!

6. Photograph an Author

You could even meet an author at Blooms Days!  Jean Leigh Claudette was on hand with her new book The Classified Files of Sweet William Farm, the story of a secret-agent raccoon named JD.  Ms. Claudette was hamming it up a bit, drawing attention to her young reader’s book set on a Tennessee farm. These may not be night-vision goggles like JD would wear, but they sure brought a smile to those who passed by her booth!

7.  Hug a Volunteer

And what would Blooms Days be without all those volunteers giving advice on which plants to buy, where to plant, how much water to give ‘em, etc.?  They were a big help to me as well as persuasive, too!  I got talked into buying sedum to use as ground cover in one of my beds and a mixed pot of primarily pink non-stop (They promised, right?) blooming petunias for a sunny spot on my patio.

Two volunteers grabbed me just as I was leaving — Candace Eagle, president of the Knox County Master Gardeners, and Fran Scheidt, curator of the Elmore Holly Collection at the UT Arboretum — and thanked me for coming.

And so it was.  Another glorious East Tennessee day in my favorite garden spot — the UT Gardens, which has now been named the State Botanical Gardens of Tennessee. (Thanks, Gov. Haslam!)

If you missed this year’s Blooms Days, you missed a good time in a lovely setting.  Hope to see you next year!

The University of Tennessee Gardens

252 Ellington Plant Sciences Building

2431 Joe Johnson Drive

Knoxville, TN 37996

utgardens@utk.edu

Mentioned in this post:

HGTV Gardens: http://www.hgtvgardens.com

Sunlight Gardens: 174 Golden Lane, Andersonville, TN 37705; 865.494.8237; http://www.sunlightgardens.com

Dale’s Fried Pies: 865.236.1590; http://www.dalesfriedpies.com

Savory and Sweet Food Truck: http://savoryandsweettruck.com; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Savory-and-Sweet-Truck/283598151693769

The Classified Files of Sweet William Farm: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Classified-Files-of-Sweet-William-Farm-JDs-Adventures-Begin/268268469967649

A UT fan checks out the antiques at Ramsey House Country Market

Fall for me just wouldn’t be the same without a trip to Ramsey House for the annual Country Market.  And since last fall came and went without the annual celebration, I was feeling a bit of withdrawal.  The Country Market celebrates so many things I love about East Tennessee: colorful fall flowers, homemade cobblers, homey crafts of spinning and quilting, and primitive antiques on burlap-covered tables.  It’s fall at its finest, and I was glad I had the morning to myself to meander the fields and talk to the people who make it happen.

Ramsey House, built in 1797.

The focus, of course, is on preservation.  Ramsey House was built in 1797 by Knoxville’s first builder, Thomas Hope, for Francis Alexander Ramsey, one of the founding trustees of Blount College, now the University of Tennessee.  With its signature red trim, this gray stone home boasts some of the prettiest exterior and interior decorative art in East Tennessee.  The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities purchased the house and the 101 acres upon which it stands in 1952.

Col. Ramsey (a.k.a. Jerry Griffey) welcomes guests to the Country Market.

It was fitting, of course, that Col. Ramsey (who closely resembles Jerry Griffey, owner of Gentry-Griffey Funeral Home) would greet guests to the property on this pleasant, but rather warm, first day of fall!

Log house to the right of the main house

I parked my car in the field and headed straight for the antiques and crafts booths set up in tents on the grassy expanse between the Visitor Center and Ramsey House hoping I’d see some familiar faces and a few new vendors, too!

Barbara McDonald who specializes in antique quilts had several quality pieces on display as well as bowls, pottery, and a child’s rope-tied bed.

Barbara McDonald — Dealer of antique quilts

I was drawn to this table of red and white mostly kitchen items displayed on a graphic antique quilt in Joe Wolfenbarger’s booth.  Joe owns both Gertie’s Commissary and Whistle Stop Antiques in Cumberland Gap, so we chatted about the influx of tourists to his area now that the leaves are getting ready for their big fall flourish.

Joe Wolfenbarger’s display of red and white items and antique quilt

Hugh and Barbara Webb have been painting and setting up at craft shows for almost 45 years now.

Barbara and Hugh Webb of Knoxville — artists and long-time exhibitors

I own several pins and driftwood pieces, but I couldn’t resist the almost stony face of this yellow tabby!

Barbara Webb’s hand-painted wooden cat

She’s known for drawings of old Knoxville homes as well as paintings of animals. But there was a surprise this time — tiny little birds Barbara fashioned from leftover building materials.

Little birds from The Webb’s Works

Albert and Sandra Davis of Clinton put out collections of thimbles and buttons.  But sometimes Albert just demonstrates how comfortable his old lawn chairs can be!

Ahhhhh. The joy of old lawn furniture!

Roger Farneth of Louisville brought his hand-carved canes and walking sticks as well as his best asset and the “brains of this outfit”:  his wife Madilyn.  Roger agreed to come out into the sunshine to hold his “food chain” walking stick bearing a snake coiled to attack!

Roger and Madilyn Farneth of Louisville brought hand-carved canes and walking sticks along with jams, jellies, noodles, peanut butter, pickles, and chow chow.

Under the name of Paw Paws Woodturnings, Joe White of Friendsville hand-turns bowls and vases of must-touch woods that I dearly love.  Black cloth contrasted the grains and colorations of the various types of wood.

Joe White hand-turns bowls of wood that beg to be touched!

Craftspeople set up a bit closer to Ramsey House eagerly shared their love of what they make from what they find.

One of the outbuildings on the Ramsey House property

Gloria Felter of Oak Ridge had come upon a stash of scraps last January and set about to make a Log Cabin lap quilt with a tiny inset piece featuring — would you believe? — Elvis!

Gloria Felter uses a hoop for the hand-quilting process.

Linda Avery and Lalena Stewart take pride in making authentic quilts under the name Tennessee Quiltworks.  They’ll be back for the October 20th Second Annual Quilt Show right here at Ramsey House —  a sight to behold, they said, since so many quilts hang gracefully on clothes lines for viewing on the grounds. (Put that one on your calendar!)

Lalena Stewart and Linda Avery of Tennessee Quiltworks

Nancy, a spinner since 2007, gave a demonstration using the vermillion piece she was spinning of cotswold and mohair. Nancy is an advocate for Pick Tennessee Products, noting that the wool comes from sheep in Tennessee.

Spinning cotswold and mohair to make yarn for a shawl.

A drying rack of lovely yarns hanging in the sunshine.

Right behind her was Mark who researches and faithfully replicates powder horns with turned wood tops.  It’s not easy, I gathered. Mark described how he heats up the irregularly shaped horn and molds it on a wooden form prior to fitting it with the top.  Many, many steps, but worth it when you see the beauty of true craftmanship.

Mark holds powder horns that he shapes using heat and a wooden cone.

Inside the Visitor Center were appraisers offering their services for a mere $5.00 donation.  Darryl Mackley, who owns Mackley and Company in Knoxville, and Selma Burgin stood ready to evaluate jewelry.

Darryl Mackley and Selma Burgin, jewelry appraisers

Joe Rosson, News-Sentinel columnist who answers readers’ questions each week, was on hand to appraise antiques.  We talked a bit about the state of antique collecting and wondered if the next generation feels as strongly as we do about keeping family pieces in the family.  We didn’t have any answers, but we did do some head shaking and even more wondering!

Joe Rosson, columnist and appraiser, waits for his next customer.

Autographing her books was Dr. Lin Stepp, who writes modern fiction set in the Smoky Mountains with each book set in a different locale: The Foster Girls — Wear’s Valley; Tell Me About Orchard Hollow — Townsend; For Six Good Reasons — Greenbrier, and Delia’s Place — Gatlinburg. Her book covers feature paintings by celebrated artist, Jim Gray, and Dolly Parton has given her stamp of approval to someone she says “believes in all the things that I do.”

Delia’s Place, a modern-day novel set in Gatlinburg, by Lin Stepp.

Lin’s husband J. L. has a book coming out Spring 2013 outlining easy hikes anyone can enjoy:  The Afternoon Hiker: A Guide to Casual Miles in the Great Smoky Mountains. Click here to read more about their publications. Click here for Lin’s books on Amazon.

J. L. and Lin Stepp autograph books outside the Visitor’s Center.

In another area, flowers and farm goods beckoned.  Carefully arranged mums, cuttings of Sweet Annie, paper-wrapped bouquets of dried lavender, and white and orange pumpkins artfully positioned on hay bales added a fall touch to the Ramsey House booth.

Pumpkins, cornshocks, and mums for a lovely fall setting.

Sylvia looks over the osage orange for sale in the Ramsey House booth.

Stuart and Martha of Strong Stock Farm brought their signature grass-fed beef to their artfully arranged booth flanked by white-blooming hydrangeas and fall foliage.

Stuart and Martha talked to me about where they market their grass-fed beef.

In the children’s booth, little Kendall waited patiently for Mickey, the volunteer tattoo artist, to peel off the stencil and reveal a much-anticipated glittery heart.

Kendall waits for step two of her glitter tattoo!

And in the background, I heard the bluegrass stains of an old-time string band, Boogertown Gap.

Musicians from Boogertown Gap

By this time, I had worked up an appetite for either the beans and cornbread or the bar-b-que served by Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson, three Ramsey House board members.  I chose the bar-b-que smoked by John Wallace whose wife Connie is also on the board.

Janet Oakes, Charlotte Brown, and Miriam Anderson serve bar-b-que for lunch.

Smoked and pulled bar-b-que by John Wallace was my choice for lunch!

You’d think that would be enough, but not so.  Two men had piled the goodness of dough and the richness of peaches into a black kettle that sat simmering over hot coals for almost half a day.  When I got there, they scooped out the steaming goodness into a cup, topped it with homemade ice cream, and watched me smile!

Dessert was a big scoop of peach cobbler right from the black cast iron pot!

Full and oh-so-happy, I joined Dr. Charles Faulkner for my last act of the day — a tour of Ramsey House!

Dr. Faulkner chats with another visitor about the architecture of Ramsey House.

Fall festivals in East Tennessee showcase the very best in area crafts, food, and the heritage of a land we love.  But you don’t have to wait until next year’s Country Market to visit Ramsey House.  It’s open year round Wednesday through Saturday.

Hoping Ramsey House has a Country Market every year!

You can have that Country Market experience every time you walk across the grounds or peer into the rooms or sit a spell on a bench and just imagine what life was like back then.

It was good then . . . and it’s still good now.

Lovely view of Ramsey House with begonias in bloom.

Ramsey House

2614 Thorngrove Pike

Knoxville, TN 37914

865.546.0745

info@ramseyhouse.org

Leave me a comment about a fall festival you’ve attended or you’ve got on your to-do list. Or just let me know what your favorite part of a country market is for you!  Thanks for reading!

But we only had about an hour and a half on this Saturday morning, May 19th, to taste and tour! 

You hafta get up pretty early in the morning “if’n ya wanna git the best biscuits” — so we did — and arrived around 7:45 A. M.!  We found out that’s the time to hit the Biscuit Festival in downtown Knoxville — before the more than 20,000 folks scarf up all those doughy delights! (A friend told us later that he arrived at 2:00, and there was little to be had.  So, mark that early morning time down for next year!)

First, this cute guide, Lauren, directed us down Biscuit Boulevard to pay $10.00 and line up for breakfast!

Then Kay Mayes, who long ago worked with Jim Walls (former Director of the Dogwood Arts Festival) and knows a thing or two about events of this size, pointed us to the line. This many people already? It’s only 8:00!

We stood in the tent, plate in hand, and let ‘em layer us up with plain ol’ biscuits ‘n honey, cheddar and garlic biscuits, pimento cheese biscuits, and berry biscuits! Then we poured out orange juice and coffee and commenced the feast! Yum!

Meg Cockrum and Jack Welch (works for Gerdau on the Gay Street Bridge project) had fun building a tower with the creamer and napkins (told you this was a fun event!) while we just kept eating. 

And waiters kept bringing — seconds, thirds, or however much you wanted.

Outside the tented area, folks paid $5.00 so they could sample from 5 booths lining the street.  Then they were asked to vote for their favorite biscuit delight.  We might try that process next year, if we can just narrow our focus! 

Here are some of the offerings from booths on the street.  How would you decide which ones to pick?

Nashville Urban Gardens brought Cat-Head Biscuits — my favorite for presentation — along with a biscuit-eating boar, too!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch — a cinnamon and vanilla biscuit topped with a cinnamon sugar crunchy shell was the offering from Cafe 4!

There were long lines at the Benton’s Bacon booth! Is there anything better with biscuits than Benton’s?

Little Alex Sink loved the chocolate-filled biscuits from The Plaid Apron! He poked his finger in the hole in the top and offered us some of the oozy chocolate goodness!

Want some, he said?

Tupelo Honey Cafe won my vote with biscuits stuffed full of pimento cheese!

The folks from B 97.5 brought biscuits . . .

And so did NBC!

Cruze Farm girls offered something to wash it all down with at their Milk Bar . .

While Bruce Bogartz  of Rouxbarb set up a booth next door for his usual great gourmet fare!

And talk about accommodating! Tables were available in alleys, streets — well, in a lot of places!

But there’s more to the Biscuit Festival than just biscuits — believe it or not!

Here are

my favorite vendors

from our quick early-morning run-through.

Amy Campbell of Tennessee Folk Art does folk portraits of heroes and landmarks in Tennessee!

She suckered me in for an heirloom spinning gourd! Now, I can amaze my friends — or at least my granddaughter!

Three huge tents became the Biscuit Bookstore filled with cookbooks and other foodie publications!

Mary Constantine, whose blog Stirring the Pot appears in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, was on hand selling her cookbooks and talking Southern cooking in general. 

I told her how much I liked the recent article on Wisner Farm – and she pointed her finger thataway. And there they were, the Wisner family, just around the corner — with a copy of the article right there in the booth!

Gwen and Mo’s Chopping Blocks brought handcrafted cutting boards!

Kroger, yes Kroger, had gourmet cheeses like the one I sampled — Merlot Bellavitano – served on 34 ° Natural Wafers.  We’re headed to the Bearden store to check this out!

Murray’s brought cheese products, too!

Rushy Springs Farm sold hot sauces. I loved the handwritten labels!

The Loveless Cafe — a country cookin’ place in an old Nashville tourist court — spread out their goods with smiles all around!

Warrior King Pastries brought yummy goodness packaged beautifully. 

Just look at King Coconut: Moist buttery cake made with fresh coconut and filled with rich Mango butter!!! 

Colvin Family Farm got my vote for the tallest display and greatest varieties of spring lettuces.  Look at their turnips, bok choi, and cauliflower — fresh-picked and perfect!

I was very glad to meet Nancy Kendrick, the creator of Ms. Cock-a-Doodle’s chicken salad that I bought (and loved) at The Coop Cafe in the Knoxville Tourism & Sports Center when we lived downtown for a couple of weeks!  She gave me the best news:  She’s looking for a spot in West Knoxville to sell her many varieties of chicken salad!  Yay!

And if I hadn’t been heading to another event, I would have snapped up a tin can bouquet of delicate sweet peas from this booth that Claude Monet would have loved!!

We ended our tour listening to the sounds of Jimmy Brown Johnson and the Band of Awesome singing their original biscuit song! What a hoot!

Cheering on the lead singer (none other than Jimmy Brown Johnson himself) were his wife Christie and daughters Isabella (left) and Alana.  Son Drake was too preoccupied to stand still for this stuff!

Although our Biscuit Festival time was short, we managed to down more than a few biscuits, visit with vendors, and sway to the music! Not bad for a Saturday morning in downtown Knoxville!

International Biscuit Festival: http://biscuitfest.com/

 See ya’ll next year?