Local artisans to showcase at Cumberland Gap Folkfest on Saturday

TOP PHOTO: Tennessee Folklife Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program participants Joseph Hensley and Tony Branam will be at the Cumberland Gap Folkfest Saturday. Tony Branam (right) and Joseph Hensley (left) apprenticed under Keith Williams (center) a master luthier and fiddle player.

CUMBERLAND GAP, TN (WLAF) – Several Tennessee Folklife Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program participants will be demonstrating at Saturday’s Folkfest in Cumberland Gap from 10 am till 5pm.

Cumberland Gap Folkfest organizers are excited to share another great group of artisans whose participation at FolkFest is made possible by the Tennessee Folklife Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.

Joseph Hensley and Tony Branam are apprentices to Keith Williams, a master luthier and fiddle player. Make certain to stop by and see them to admire both their handiwork in making these beautiful instruments and their music skills on Saturday in Cumberland Gap.

Tennessee Folklife Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program participants and mother-daughter team of Jeanette (above) and Charlotte Underwood will also be at Folkfest on Saturday from 10am until 5pm showcasing traditional Appalachian agriculture practices.

Joseph and Tony are additionally involved at Postmark LaFollette – both they and the Guardians of the Gap are dedicated to preserving the cultural traditions of our part of the world. Make certain to check out all of the wonderful offerings that they present throughout the year.

The mother-daughter team of Jeanette and Charlotte Underwood will also be at Folkfest on Saturday show casing traditional Appalachian agricultural practices.

The Underwoods have spent decades practicing increasingly rare Appalachian agricultural folkways at their homeplace in rural Campbell County. Thanks to the Tennessee Folklife Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, you have the opportunity to learn from them about the “Moss Ivey Bean” heirloom seeds they have collected and grown for nearly 60 years, and the agricultural and canning methods that they have practiced.

Their participation is made possible by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/11/2023-6AM)