Local artist demonstrates glassblowing during Green Energy Festival in Dillsboro, NC, Sept.20, 2014.
Photo by Cory Klein
Families gathered to enjoy the festivities of arts and crafts created by using methane gas.
Jackson County Green Energy Park (JCGEP) hosted their annual Youth Arts Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20 in efforts to popularize the use of clean renewable energy sources for economic and educational purposes.
The Youth Arts Festival offered a variety of activities, including children and adult face painting, squirt gun painting and gemstone cutting. Artists demonstrated glass blowing, blacksmithing and ceramics to visitors. Live music accompanied the event with David Street and other Appalachia musicians.
This festival brought more than 300 visitors on Saturday. There were several volunteers helping with parking and operations, one of which was Western Carolina University student Chelsea Miller.
“I fell in love with this event my freshman year of school and have volunteered here ever since,” said Miller who is now in her senior year. “This event is all about the kids.”
Loretta Ford had some of her blown glass products for sale and stressed the importance of community involvement.
“It’s important for children to get exposure to renewable energy,” said Ford.
The Green Energy Park is a complex of pottery/art showrooms and studios in Dillsboro, NC. The park captures methane gas from the old Dillsboro Landfill to use as fuel for its blacksmith forges and glassblowing studios. It also acts as a leasable business incubator for artists and places high emphasis on conservation and sustainable energy education. Their end goal is to put Jackson County on the map. http://www.jcgep.org/about.html#.VCwMgf5OW70
