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Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area

proudly celebrating Tennessee State Parks 75^th Anniversary!

 Calendar of Events

February 2012

Traditional Arts Workshops are by registration only and must be pre-paid.

Sycamore Shoals Fife & Drum Corps

Saturdays                                                                                 10:00 am

The Fife & Drum Corps performs at historical events, dedications, and parades.  This group is open to anyone ages 12 & up.  Musical experience is welcome but not necessary; just come with a willingness to learn.  Meet our volunteer coordinator John Large at the Sycamore Shoals Visitors Center.  Lessons are free of charge, just call and let us know you’re coming!

Step by Step Oil Painting                              Instructor:  Kay Braswell

Saturday, February 4                                      9 am – 4 pm

Cost: $50 (includes supplies)                           Min: 6              Max: 15

Discover oil on canvas through wet-on-wet painting techniques.  Beginners are welcome or come to improve the skills you already possess.

Beginners Knitting                                         Instructor:  Amy Gawthrop

Sunday, February 5                                                            1:30 – 4 pm

Cost:      $25.00                                                                   Min:       1              Max:   10 

While making a cozy winter scarf, you will learn to cast on, cast off, knit & purl, pick up dropped stitches, and learn to knit with your left or right hand! Bring at least 2 skeins of worsted weight wool, or any fiber you would like for a comfortable scarf. If you want a longer scarf, you will need extra skeins. Also bring a set of US#8 knitting needles (wood or plastic; straight or circular), no longer than 10”.   Bring a friend and they can take the class for $15.00!

Watercolor Painting  - Mixed Media           Instructor: Barbara Jernigan

Saturday,  February 11                                               10 am – 1 pm

Cost: $12 (plus supplies) or $20 (includes supplies)    Min: 5              Max:  open

Learn and practice watercolor techniques and style.  Dress to take a short walk outdoors for photos and observations, weather permitting.

Beginners Spinning                                       Instructor: Amy Gawthrop

Sunday, February 12                                       1:30 – 4 pm    

Cost:  $40.00 includes fleece  (1^st time students in this class)   

           $15.00 for returning students              Min:  1        Max: 5

Learning about wool, it's structure and how it reacts. Wool preparation with hand cards, viking combs and drum carder. Practical at the wheel time

The Liberty Spinners

Tuesday, February 14 (2^nd Tuesday of the Month)                                          9:30 am – 1 pm

This gathering of spinners and fiber artists is open to anyone interested in the art of spinning.  Join us at 9:30 am on the 2^nd Tuesday of each month (except December).   

Living History – Militia Muster at Fort Watauga

Saturday, February 18                                                             10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Sunday, February 19                                                               10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Visit Fort Watauga and step into a colorful Revolutionary world.  Re-enactors portray a variety of characters, from hunters and farmers to land speculators and backcountry gentry.  Walk among colonists and native peoples who share their past through talks, mini-dramas, and demonstrations of 18^th century life. Contact the park for detailed schedule. 

Watercolor Painting  - Mixed Media           Instructor: Barbara Jernigan

Saturday,  February 18                                   10 am – 1 pm

Cost: $12 (plus supplies) or $20 (includes supplies)    Min: 5              Max:  open

Learn and practice watercolor techniques and style.  Dress to take a short walk outdoors for photos and observations, weather permitting.

Shape Note Singing - Led by Don Wiley

Sunday, February 19^th (3^rd Sunday of each Month)                             2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Sing the shapes!  In this early musical tradition, “shapes” represented each note of the do-re-mi scale.  Although many Appalachian frontiersmen could not read, they achieved beautiful four-part harmonies through this simplified method of learning music.  We invite you to join “The Old Fields Singers” for an experience you will not forget.

Basketry – Dresser-top Dish                        Instructor: Candy Alexander

Saturday,  February 25                                   9 am – 3 pm

Cost:     $25.00                                                Min:   4                        Max: 15

Learn how to make a basket with a solid hard-wood base. This cute little basket is 6” x 2 ½” and is just big enough for pocket change and keys or whatever small things you need to keep track of.  Bring garden or kitchen shears, a kitchen towel, pencil spray bottle of water, and 12 small spring clips or clothespins.

Northeast Tennessee Autoharp Community & Old Time Group  (CANCELLED)

Canceled for February, please join us in March!         1:30 – 2:30 Autoharp & Dulcimer Beginners

                                                                        2:30 – 4:00 Open Jam

Start on the basics on Autoharp & Dulcimer, then stick around for the open jam to show off what you’ve learned!  Old-time musicians of all instruments and skill levels are welcome to play!  This group meets on the 4^th Sunday of the month, January through May and September through November.  January – May & September – November

For more information or to register for workshops, contact 

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area

1651 West Elk Avenue     Elizabethton, TN 37643

(423) 543-5808

Visitors Center Hours:        8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Monday through Saturday

1:00 PM – 4:30 PM Sunday

Our Visitors Center is closed on most State holidays.  Park grounds are open from dawn until dusk.

                                                  www.sycamoreshoalstn.org                                               www.tnstateparks.com/SycamoreShoals/