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!

Red Cross Board Member, Billy Rivet, holding his own with the ladies at Red, White and Rock

No one planning Red, White, and Rock, the Knoxville Area Red Cross fundraiser, could have predicted the heat.  In fact, not even the weatherman could see it coming!  With over 100-degree weather and an outdoor setting at Knoxville’s Cherokee Plaza, Red, White and Rock had the potential for a stay-in-the-cool, nobody-dancin’ event. 

But not so.  It was a rockin’ good time — even with record-setting, hotter-than-blue-blazes temps!

The Silent Auction. Since my husband Bert is on the Red Cross Board, we’ve attended several of these benefits, and whoever is in charge of acquiring top-notch silent auction items ALWAYS does a great job.  We couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us this time. So we grabbed a bottle of cold water and, first thing, headed for the auction tables. 

Sebastian Pons guards a very valuable commodity — cold bottled water!

No disappointment here!  Laid out on tables with bid sheets in front of each item, auction choices ranged from vacations to jewelry and lots of stuff in between. The ladies in charge directed us to what they thought were the prime takeaways of the evening.

Bethany Obanion, Jenna Estep, and Melissa Tyler directed us to the must-have Silent Auction items!

Rabbi Alon Ferency and his wife Karen take a look at the items for sale.

Here are a few of our favorite for-sale items:

Studio Pottery Pitcher & Bowl by Paul Borian

Autographed ball by Cuonzo Martin, UT Men’s Basketball Coach

Tommie Rush Vase from Bennett Galleries

Vacation package from Wilderness Resort in the Smokies

And my favorite: Cornhole Boards with Red Cross logo

The Food. In the same room with the biddable stuff were tables set with hors d’oeuvres, fruit, and other temptations.  Cyndee Hensley, Knoxville Chapter American Red Cross administrative assistant, was awhirl talking to guests and filling her plate with good stuff.

Cyndee Hensley sampling from the buffet table inside

Randy Bellew who works for Knology volunteered his time to man the crepes table.  As it turns out, he’s a man with talent:  good at pouring batter, waiting ’til the right minute to lift the crepes, and adding peach or chocolate filling. Yum!  Of course, I had to try one of each!

Volunteer Randy Bellew creating fresh peach and chocolate crepes

Frank Snyder, Joyce Duncan, and Stuart Sullins rest near the inside buffet tables where it’s air conditioned!

Outside, the heartier fare was equally good.  Michael Janke, volunteer chef for the evening, wowed us with flank steak he had marinated for two days. He grilled it right before our very eyes (in the heat, no less) and placed thin slices atop artisan bread.  Platters cleared out quickly!

Michael Janke grilling marinated flank steak

The Music. Keeping everyone movin’ and groovin’ were the Chillbillies, one of the hottest (pun intended) bands in Knoxville for big, crowd-pleasing events.  Their mix of oldies, sing-alongs, and just fun tunes made everyone move front and center, under the tent, for good times together. And yes, that’s Knox County Juvenile Court Judge Tim Irwin (aka Vocalist) singing with the Chillbillies!

Judge Tim Irwin and the Chillbillies

Joyce Duncan, Amber Willis, Lisa Janke, Angela Shankle, and Laurie Hallenberg take a break from dancing to pose for pictures

The Guests. Part of the reason for attending any benefit is not just the good feeling you get for supporting a worthy cause — it’s also the fun of meeting people and finding out who shares a common interest.  We loved talking with the guests– even in the heat!

The Buckinghams – John, daughter Lisa, and Kathy, Knoxville Area Red Cross Board Chair

Alex Martin, Erin Hill, Joe Daniels-Mulholland, and Kim Weaver enjoying good times!

Proud of the turnout — Lori Marsh, Development Director, and Boyd Romines, Executive Director

Robin Broyles and Board Member Tammy White cooling off for a minute!

West High teachers Sarah Searles and Karen Stanish assisting with the collection.

Art James, wife Linda, and mother Ann say they’ve bid on A LOT!

Bert enjoys talking with Tennessee Senator Becky Duncan Massey

The Cause. So, all in all, Red, White and Rock was a hit: a quality silent auction, a little dancin’ with the Chillbillies, and a chance to give to a great cause.  Thanks, Red Cross, for all you do to improve the lives of others — and for giving us a reason to celebrate, donate, and act a little crazy ourselves!

That’s us living the dream of being surfer dudes!

Later, I spoke with Lori Marsh about the event. It was a fun night to put in a some sweat equity, for sure, she told me.

And then she added, We raised over $31,000 for the American Red Cross!

Sometimes a little heat brings out the best in all of us!

If you’re interested in more information about the Knoxville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, click here.

And if you really want to do something special, be a volunteer!  You can learn a lot while doing a lot!  http://www.knoxarc.org/volunteer/becomeavolunteer

Knoxville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross

6921 Middlebrook Pike

Knoxville, TN 37909

865.584.2999

info@knoxarc.org

We arrived at the Tennessee Terrace at Neyland Stadium on Friday, April 27, greeted by volunteers wearing pink and green signature t-shirts. 

Immediately someone asked us to sign up for the door prizes. Sweet Pea Gift and Garden Shop had planted a Salad Box — a painted container filled with colorful, edible salad greens with a sign that read “Be Strong, Be Calm.”

The other prize — a pair of Aucara pearl earrings donated by Jewelry Television – was showcased in a handpainted keepsake box by Christina Patterson Winter.

And then we turned to the walls lined with Silent Auction offerings — about 50 pieces of art fashioned from thrift store furniture, twigs, seashells, banisters, boxes, trinkets, and — well, you name it. It was cast-off furniture transformed into glamorous, fancifulobjets de art! 

We headed over to thank Morena Constantinou and her husband Constantine for inviting us, and then stopped to see what she had created for the sale. 

The first to catch my eye was a large (almost 2 x 3 foot) mirror adorned mainly with oyster shells Morena had gathered herself.

Morena had also turned a whimsical birdcage into a floor lamp complete with artsy birds and a filament light bulb!

Our favorite, though, had to be what Morena named Journey Unknown, a lamp whose shade was totally composed of Kodak slides!  (We told her we had the makings of a roomful of lamps if she used our old Europe slides taken in the 70s!)

Other local artists offered choice pieces.  Like My Little Chickadee by Marcia Hickerson! On the accompanying card: “whimsical iron bird perched on unique wire nest atop a mercury glass drawer pull giving it a touch of glam — could be used as door stop or mantel or coffee table accessory!”  

Bobbie Crews whose work can be seen downtown at The Emporium donated Back to the Beach, two painted bar stools reminiscent of ocean waves, sea oats, and happy times!

Ashley Hahn fashioned Who Has Your Number? using sculpting clay and acrylic paints to transform this mirror to an all-white work of art.  The card said “reflects the artist’s lifelong proclivity to create works which mirror nature as well as the intricacies of human relationships.” And someone must have loved it a lot . . . the last bid I saw was $1,000!

Bearden High art teacher Flowerree Galetovic entered chairs painted by her Honors Art Students.  Van Gogh would have loved this one called Starry Night!

 We bid and re-bid enough throughout the evening to take home this painted chair — a take-off of Edward Munch’s The Scream for our son Scott’s birthday present! (Scott was a former student of Flowerree‘s!) We’ve since read that the original painting The Scream sold at Sotheby’s for $119,000,000 — considerably more than we paid for the chair!

A team from Salon Visage created So New York, generating lots of interest judging by the groups of people passing and pointing! Having fun at ARTique were some of the Salon Visage team: Dustin Stewart, Claudia Caves, Co-Owner Frank Gambuzza, and Jared Holyfield.

Paige Trout and Salon Visage Co-Owner, Belinda Gambuzza, were also admiring the art!

Tony Carilli (Rothchild’s Catering) took a closer look at this wardrobe called Organization Station by Rebecca Clark emellished with paint, decorative hooks, and a fabric front.

And, like Tony, a lot of people stopped to read the quote from Walt Disney painted inside the door.

Lauren Ramsey and Grace Loy who work for the Cancer Center said they liked all the creative designs of the artists on what could have been called junk beforehand!

John and Kathy Buckingham said they liked the food AND the art pieces.

Longtime patrons of the arts, Jeff and Vicki Chapman, were on hand to support the cause.

And so were Ron and Connie Hutchins.  Connie has attended every ARTitude even when The Cancer Support Community was called The Wellness Center.

I was able to slow down John Clark, Beth Hamil (Executive Director), and Robert Cathey (Chairman of the Cancer Support Community Board) long enough for a picture.

Later, Robert’s family (except for the oldest daughter Ella who was rehearsing for her performance at the Rossini Festival the following day) gave me happy smiles all around: Amy, Meg, Anna Grace, and Robert.

Bert was happy to pose with Kerry Howland, Development Director for the Cancer Support Community.

Later, we both squeezed into a picture with Rhonda and John Clark, friends we’ve known since Bert’s days at UT.  Of course, I had to catch up on what was happening with the Clarks’ sons, Chip and Andrew, former students of mine at Bearden High!

From the beautiful white hydrangea and pink tulip arrangements . . .

 to the bountiful food from many generous vendors . . .

to the service with a smile delivered by The Pour Guys . . .

to the interesting artwork like The Prince and the Frog by Gwendy Kerney admired by Kate Apking (who just had to have it!) and her mother-in-law Barbara . . .

we’d have to say that ARTitude was a hit!  Thanks, Karen McKinney (Chair of ARTitude and Board Member) and your team, for good times and a good cause!

And now, for my favorite piece that I posted at the top:  this rustic twig table, Handmade in Townsend, by Wade Richardson!

 Click here for more information on the Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee!