Christmas Open House at Reece Farm

The 2013 season of visitation at the Reece Farm and Heritage Center will conclude on the weekend of November 30 and December 1.  In celebration of the closing and in anticipation of the seasons of Advent and Christmas, an Open House will be observed on those two days.  The hours will be the usual open hours, from 10:00 to 5:00 on Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday.

     There will be no charge for admission to the exhibits on both of those days.

     Drawings for door prizes provided by consignors and others will occur at 4:00 on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.  Presence at the drawings is not required, but persons must come to the Welcome Center to receive a ticket and register attendance.

     Light refreshments will be served.

     Craft activities for children will be available.

     Weather permitting, musical presentations and singing will be conducted in the pavilion.

     Authors of books or cds in the Gift Shop, primarily from the local area, will be present for signings on Saturday the 30^th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  These include: Johnny Carter and his Uncle Remus Tales cd; Ann Douglas and her children’s book, Purple Frogs and Pumpkin Seeds; Deuce Douglas and his poetry chapbook , Marshmallow Staircase; Jackie Elsner and her cd “Ballad of the Bones,” featuring 20 Reece poems set to old ballad tunes and sung a capella; Silvia Fontaine signing her novel, Mountain Tribulations; Emory Jones, who will sign for his book, Zipping Through Georgia…On a Goat-Powered Time Machine with Ludlow Porch and a Parrot Named Pete; Ethelene Dyer Jones and her book of poems  co-authored by her son Keith, Mother and Child Reunion;  Sylvia Dyer Turnage, signing her illustrated booklet, The Choestoe Story, as well her cd, “Clark Dyer’s Flying Machine”; and Eva Nell Wike with her book about the life and times of her Uncle Johnny Mull, entitled Fiddler of the Mountains.

     Persons seeking gifts for Christmas will find discounts on selected items.  The Gift Shop is well stocked with all kinds of craft items: handmade/homemade furniture, baskets, jewelry, Alpaca scarves, hats, and socks, kitchen towels, ornaments, pottery (functional and ornamental), wood-turned bowls, pens, soap, cushions, etc.  In addition, there are numerous clothing items featuring the Reece Society logo, such as caps, denim shirts, t-shirts, and pull-over shirts.  All of Reece’s books and those about Reece are available, as well as a wide selection of books by local and regional authors and books especially related to Appalachia, such as Cherokee Indian literature.  Two cds featuring musicians who have set Reece poems to music can be found, namely, Jim Clark’s “The Service of Song” cd and Jackie Elsner’s “Ballad of the Bones” cd.  And both of the oral history DVDs featuring interviews with people who knew Reece can be purchased: “The Bitter Berry and friends” and “Voices: Finding Byron Herbert Reece.”

     The public is encouraged to attend on one of these two days.  You will find a Christmas tree in the likeness of one pictured in the Reece family home, decked with the family’s decorations.  And you will find the spirit of joy and good will in abundance.