GOURD GATHERING AT CHEROKEE JUNE 2-6, 2021

It’s only mid April and we have so much planning done for The Gourd Gathering at Cherokee 2021. The deposit is paid and a Fairgrounds contract ready for June 2-June 6, 2021. Many of us have a tub of donations for the White Elephant table and the auctions stashed in a closet. One

or two of us have finished and packed our entries for the FOWL PLAY competition and auction and the curly dipper exchange so we can grab and go next May. We already are dreaming of the delicious Haywood Barbeque community dinner and the homemade snack table.

This is the most positive spin we can put on the sad news that the Gourd Gathering at Cherokee 2020 has been cancelled due to the corona virus. Our world has changed so much in the last 6 weeks, and we will miss seeing all of our friends in Cherokee. But we are ready to be back in 2021, bigger and better than ever! Hope to see some of you at the Mountain Gourd Gathering,

in Georgia, or in North Carolina at festivals later this year.

Attendees at the Gourd Gathering in 2019 generously raised funds for scholarships in 2020. Twelve Cherokee attendees were awarded $100 credits

toward class fees for 2020, which will now be credits for 2021 Gathering çlasses. Nearly 20 gourders who planned to attend Cherokee for the first time in 2020 were entered in the scholarship drawing and we congratulate those whose names were chosen: Jane Ballou, Rita Brymer, Nancy Jones, Michell Lemen, Kay Swanstrom, and Rosie Profili.

The Gourd Gathering is deeply indebted to its long term supporters, some of whom have attended for 18 years. Six gourders who have attended for at least ten years will have an extra $100 to spend on classes next year. Congratulations to Jean Clark, Regina Cole, Diana Dillard, Pat Farley, Sandy Jordan, and Tonia Owen. We thank them for their many years of support.

Please support the vendors who were planning to attend Cherokee. We appreciate how much easier they make our shopping in person, and hope we can support them on line through the year. Their addresses will be on the website.

Updates will be on Facebook and on the website. Thanks for following the Gourd Gathering and hope to see everyone next June, if not before!

Stay well.