Northern California Fires -- a way to help out

Three weeks ago tonight, we had the largest lightning storm I've ever seen. I stood in our bathroom and watched as lighting strikes flickered across the sky for hours right over the forest that surrounds our house. I have never been more frightened. Two weeks ago, we sent the Suburban packed with art, photos, and other irreplaceable things down to my parents's house. We had our cars packed with suitcases, the kid's favorite stuffed animals, and important documents waiting for an evacuation notice resulting from the ensuing CZU fire. Last weekend, we finally got to relax and take a breath — although not of the outside air which only started to clear up in the last few days.

It's been a surreal month in a surreal year.

Today, my community is doing what it can to get back to a feeling of normalcy, launching our 57th annual Art Fair. The Art Fair was born from fire, the first one in 1963 raised the funds to help create a volunteer department after a local fire exposed the community's vulnerability. The Art Fair remains a primary funding source for our volunteer fire department and a key reason why any of us can continue to live in this beautiful area. Artists donate 15% of their sales back to the fair. The Kings Mountain Art Fair then uses those funds to fulfill grant requests from the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Department - like helping out with their purchase of a new fire truck, the Kings Mountain Elementary school - helping with funding for an additional teacher and support staff for the very small K-5 elementary school, and Venture Free - an outdoor based after school program on the elementary school campus. 

I have been involved in the Kings Mountain Art Fair since we moved to the area in 2007. Early on I had a booth in the Mountain Artist section selling everything from handmade cards (when my scrapbooking stuff was getting lots of use), tutus, hair bows, aprons, to lavender sachets. Then I transitioned to volunteering, first with the Information Center, then the Art Fair Board of Directors, and now my current role helping with social media and marketing.

Thanks to Covid, we are going virtual this year. Every day of this Labor Day weekend from 10am to 4pm pacific time, anyone can interact with dozens of amazing artists (a heavily curated list every year), purchase great art and support our community. What we lose in homey mountain feeling, we hope to gain by reaching the global community.

Please come join us in the virtual woods tomorrow and Monday. Go to kingsmountainartfair.org to sign up now.