Randolph Arts Guild

May 2, 2023

Asheboro Fall Festival returning as one-day event

Staff Reports Entertainment, Events, News Asheboro Fall Festival, Randolph Arts Guild

ASHEBORO — After three years of cancellations, the 48th Fall Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 7, as a one-day event. The festival will continue to feature arts and craft vendors, musical performances, and food.

“While the Fall Festival has historically been held over two days, this year, based on the responses and feedback of vendors, attendees and community members, the Fall Festival will be a one-day event,” said a statement from the Randolph Arts Guild.

The Arts Guild release said the event would comply “with the recommendations of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for guidance in all safety measures.” This year will mark the fourth attempt by the group to hold the 48th iteration of the event. The organizers cancelled the event three straight years citing safety concerns. In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency orders which prevented large gatherings. In 2021, the group cited concerns over hospital capacity and the pandemic though large events were then allowed. In 2022, the group cancelled the event due to a state of emergency declared by Gov. Roy Cooper which affected transportation and emergency management rules but did not prohibit outdoor events.

The inaugural Fall Festival was held in 1972 on Sunset Avenue in Asheboro. This year’s version will have a larger footprint in downtown Asheboro. The deadline for vendors to register of the event is Friday, Aug. 25.

January 18, 2023

RPC Awarded grant by Randolph Arts Guild

Randolph Record News art explosion, grant, Randolph Arts Guild, randolph partnership for children, RPC

ASHEBORO — Randolph Partnership for Children (RPC) was awarded a $3000 grant by the Randolph Arts Guild to support early childhood educator training and children’s activities in preparation of Week of the Young Child’s 2023 Art Explosion.

“The Randolph Partnership for Children is honored to be the recipient of the Grassroots Grant for the second year in a row! We are so thankful for the opportunity to bring in three Master Artists who can share their Language of Art with our early educators, children, and families in Randolph County, “Early Childhood Specialist Kristy Umfleet said. “Art can unleash creativity and be healing when children have big feelings. It boosts their confidence and is beneficial to their mental health.”

Funds from this grant will be used to provide training by master teachers to local early childhood educators on how to incorporate mixed media materials into art activities with young children. Additionally, children from local centers who have applied and been approved will have the opportunity to go on a field trip to enjoy getting to create mixed media art in child-focused art environment.

The training and children’s activity will take place in February to lead up to Art Explosion during the Week of the Young Child, April 1-7. Week of the Young Child was first established by the National Association of Educators of Young Children in 1971 and the purpose is to focus attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. For many years, one of the ways RCP has celebrated the week through Art Explosion collecting, preparing, and displaying the artwork of local children in the shop windows of downtown Asheboro.

“During the Week of the Young Child, we celebrate our early childhood educators who teach, nurture and support our children,” said Governor Roy Cooper, during Week of the Young Child 2022. “Childcare and early learning programs lay the foundation for future success.”

Research shows that art is an important outlet for children to build and strengthen skills needed for their future. As small hands manipulate crayons, chalk, and paintbrushes they are learning the fine motor control needed for writing and daily self-care tasks. When children make a mental plan on what to create, they are practicing critical thinking. Math skills also benefit from art as the little artists begin to understand the concepts of size, shape, and making comparisons. Finally, as they describe their art to you the children are practicing communication and building their vocabulary.

Funding for the grant was provided by the N. C. Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Grant program which provides per capita-based funding for arts programming to all North Carolina counties to ensure opportunities for citizens to experience the arts in their own communities. The funding is matched with funding from RPC.

October 6, 2022

Nixed festivals will have to wait until next year

Bob Sutton Events Fall Festival, Hurricane Ian, NASCAR Day Festival, Randleman Chamber of Commerce, Randolph Arts Guild

ASHEBORO — Two major festivals in Randolph County were called off last weekend because of weather concerns related to the impact from Hurricane Ian.

The Fall Festival in Asheboro and NASCAR Day Festival in Randleman were wiped off the schedule.

The Randolph Arts Guild, which manages the event in Asheboro, announced the decision to nix the event. “for the safety of our vendors, entertainers, attendees, sponsors, and downtown merchants,” according to a statement from the guild.

The group cited an executive order from Gov. Roy Cooper, who declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as the path of Hurricane Ian put much of central and eastern North Carolina in line for several days of rain. The state of emergency didn’t prohibit outdoor events.

“The Randolph Arts Guild Board knows that this cancellation does not come without consequence,” the guild’s statement said. “The Fall Festival is an essential economic driver for local non-profits, community groups, small businesses, and vendors. We understand the disappointment that this may bring.”

Vendor refunds for registration fees will be issued no later than Nov. 1, according to the guild.

This marked the third year in a row that the Fall Festival didn’t take place. For the past two years, it was called off because of the pandemic. The first Fall Festival was held in 1972.

Up to 60,000 people have attended the two-day event in some years. Normally, crowds exceed 40,000.

In Randleman, NASCAR Day Festival was canceled for similar reasons last weekend.

Jeff Reeman, who’s director of the festival and executive director of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce, said it’s not practical to find another date.

“It’s hard to reschedule,” he said. “A lot of vendors go to multiple shows in the fall, and they have their dates filled.”

Other factors also make it a challenge to reschedule are available policing agencies and approval for street closures.

NASCAR Day Festival was held in 2021 after it was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Freeman said the Randleman Chamber of Commerce is organizing a downtown candlelight Christmas event. It will have some of the same components from the NASCAR Day Festival but will not nearly be the size of the event slated for last weekend.