Celebrating the Fourth a few days early

Penland School of Crafts always does things their own way--including holding their Fourth of July Parade and fireworks celebration a few days early. It was a delightfully crisp and clear evening--the kind of night that reminds you why you moved to the mountains in the first place. Sunny, 71, a picnic blanket, a bottle of wine, kids off amusing themselves, and no bugs. It was practically heaven.

The parade approaches.

The jewelry studio forms a human ring, complete with sparkling diamond setting.

The glass studio tooted on glass horns and flutes, rang glass bells, and wore glass adornments.

The basket-weaving class spritzed everybody with water, as they do their baskets.

One of the kids camps got into the act too, winning "Most-Patriotic."

It's the 60th anniversary of Penland's founding by Lucy Morgan as a trade school for women, and this group built a twelve foot tall puppet of her that waved regally.

In perhaps the most bizarre entry of the evening, the Thai jars pottery class offered a tribute to the recently-departed King of Pop...

Including a choreographed pottery dance--with once glove apiece, of course.

The Penland gardeners are all about the love.

And there's Jo, who was supposed to be helping us be official parade judges but instead found her way into a wagon being pulled by our friend Stacey.

The drawing studio sent a queen with a crown of pencils.

And the silk screen class made up t-shirts and a banner for the occasion.

A great hat from one of the photo students. (Love that jacket too...)

Penland Fourth of July...yeah!