12:30 pm -- "Grannies Box Stories" presented by Lara Chew -- Valleytown Cultural Arts Center

Lara Sanders Chew was born in rural North Georgia but is descended from several generations born on Sanders Knob in Western North Carolina. Lara came to Western North Carolina looking for her roots. She immediately felt at home so she stayed. She lives with her husband Paul in a 160 year old log house at the foot of Sanders Knob where her father, Roy Sanders, was born.

Lara is a retired teacher, storyteller and naturalist with a passion for wild edible plants. She has published three books for children and is currently performing two monologues: "Mother Jones" by Gary Carden and her own monologue "Granny's Box Stories" which is based on stories told to Lara by her grandmother Ella Jones Sanders. Ella lived on Jones Creek and then on Sanders Knob, a part of Western North Carolina that had been isolated from the rest of the world for a 100 years. But momentous changes were taking place: the implementation of fences laws, the demise of the chestnut trees, and the coming of the railroad.

"Granny's Box Story" is a window into the lives and struggles of the families living in isolated parts of Western North Carolina and the events that would change their lives forever.

7:00 pm -- "Appalachian Tales and Heartland Adventures" presented by Bill Landry -- Valleytown Cultural Arts Center

Bill Landry was the voice, host/narrator, and co-producer of The Heartland Series, which ran for 26 years on WBIR-TV, in Knoxville. He will be relate anecdotes about filming the series. Since it began in 1984, over 1,900 short features have been produced, including 150 half-hour specials.

A graduate of Trinity University, the Dallas Theatre Center, with a Master of Fine Arts degree, and a BA in literature from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Bill has received 2 Emmy Awards for directing the Heartland Series episodes, and the Education in Appalachia Award from Carson Newman College. He has also received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Lincoln Memorial University.

For over thirty years Bill has written, produced, and performed in his one-man play "Einstein the Man" which has been presented over 1000 times in 38 states and 2 provinces of Canada. In 2000, the script was distributed throughout the state by the Department of Education, with an introduction by the Governor. In 2003, Bill's production of The George Washington Carver Project was distributed statewide, as well.

In 2009, Bill premiered his production of "William Bartram - An Unlikely Explorer" for the 75th Anniversary of the founding of The Great Smokey Mountain National Park. This live, multi-media, video presentation tells the tale of the little known 18th century explorer, adventurer, and naturalist, William Bartram. Presentations of the Bartram DVD and lecture are currently being presented.

Bill is deeply rooted in the Appalachian region. He serves on the board of Fish Hospitality Pantries, the board of the Clarence Brown Theater, and the board of the Princess Theater Foundation. Currently, Bill is helping to set up a TV Station next to the restored 900 seat Princess Theater in Harriman, Tennessee as part of a downtown revitalization effort. He's helping with the effort to establish Harriman, Tennessee as a Communication center of east Tennessee. He will co-produce a multi-media production of "Appalachian Dreams" to premiere at the Princess Theater grand opening this coming spring.

Bill continues to work with WBIR TV, occasionally, and is a 'spokesman' for several companies. He also teaches Media Production at Roane State Community College, and is writing a book about his Heartland adventures. Then, like Bilbo Baggins, after a bit of rest, will continue on with his new adventures. He lives happily in Happy Valley beside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with his wife Becky. They have three pretty spectacular grown sons, and one grandchild, Hawk Augustus.

2:00 pm -- "Becoming Elizabeth Lawrence" presented by Emily Herring Wilson -- Valleytown Cultural Arts Center

Gardeners will want to come hear Emily Wilson discuss her book on the famous garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence, whom Horticulture magazine posthumously named one of the 25 most famous gardeners in the world.

Emily Herring Wilson, a native of Columbus, Georgia, has lived in North Carolina for most of her life. Her favorite book as a child was The Secret Garden, which ignited her passion for gardens and writing.

Emily earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) and a Master of Arts degree in English from Wake Forest University.

During college, Emily’s involvement in student government led to her lifelong interest in community service. After graduating, marriage, and a family, she began to teach and to write, collecting oral histories for her book Hope and Dignity: Older Black Women of the South. She led public programs as a scholar with the North Carolina Humanities Council, and collaborated on the North Carolina Women’s History Project.

Emily's decades-long interest in Elizabeth Lawrence began while working on the North Carolina Women’s History Project with Margaret Supplee Smith. "I think there is a mystery about [Elizabeth] because she lived a private life," Emily says. "I wanted to pay homage to a woman I thought had been slighted in history—not just Elizabeth Lawrence, but also women like her."

Emily is the author of two previous books on Elizabeth Lawrence, Two Gardeners: Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence—A Friendship in Letters and No One Gardens Alone: A Life of Elizabeth Lawrence. These books earned her praise from gardeners and readers alike. Verlyn Klinkenborg of the New York Times Book Review said, "Two Gardeners is one of the finest gardening books published in years, largely because it reveals as much about the character of these two remarkable women as it does about the plants they loved."

In addition to her books on Lawrence, Emily is also coauthor with Margaret Supplee Smith of North Carolina Women: Making History. She has received the North Carolina Award and the Caldwell Award and is a MacDowell Colony Fellow.

Emily lives and gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is available for lectures and book discussions.

7:00 pm -- "Coy" a play by Gary Carden presented by Tom Dewees -- Valleytown Cultural Arts Center

We are once again honored to present a play by distinguished area Appalachian playwright Gary Carden. "Coy" is one of a trilogy of plays, each portraying a different character remembering and portraying a part of Appalachian history and culture. The character portrayed in "Coy" is a gas station attendant in a small , rural mountain town. Carden is known for his warm authentic portrayal of local characters whose parts are based on fact and remembrances from the authors own past. They represent a true and accurate picture of rural life in our Southern highlands and generate respect for what is so often misunderstood and misrepresented about a dignified and hardworking people.

Thomas Dewees is from Sylva,born and raised there. He currently resides in his childhood home which is about two miles from Gary Carden's house. His interest in the performing arts began in elementary school and has remained strong throughout his life, despite various attempts by misguided counselors to get him to cease this foolishness and lead a "normal" life. He has steadfastly maintained his love of entertaining, thanks to wise tutors like Mr. Carden and others.

Gary Carden will be at the "Coy" event to do a Question and Answer session after the play.

3:00 pm -- The Andrews High School Jazz Band directed by Joslyn Parker -- Valleytown Cultural Arts Center

The Andrews Jazz Ensemble is comprised of 19 talented local students. Being deemed by many as "the little band that could", Andrews High School Band programs have a strong history of excellence both on and off the stage. The band has received Grand Champion awards at the Southern Invitational Music Festival as well as numerous first place awards in other competitions in Western North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. The Jazz Ensemble will play and highlight different genres within the jazz realm such as swing, latin and even a little funk.