Greetings Chair Nerds of America (and beyond)!
Asheville NC awaits your arrival. It gets really busy here in the summer, so plan ahead and reserve early. Here is some information to help you do so:
Gathering dates: July 29-31, 2016
Gathering Location: The Folk Art Center Auditorium, Milepost 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC 28805.
Where to stay: We have reserved blocks of rooms at two hotels in Asheville. Both have breakfast and pools and are 10-15 minute drive to the Folk Art Center. I have reserved rooms for Thursday July 28th & Sunday July 31st in case people want to stay longer.
1. Brookstone Lodge on I-40.
Address:4 Roberts Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
Phone: (828) 398-5888
Website: http://brookstonelodgeasheville.com/
Rate: Fri 29 & Sat 30 $129 + tax, Thurs 28 & Sun 31 $99 + tax
Call to reserve your room and give the code "WEAVER" to get the reduced rate.
There is no cut-off date to reserve so long as others haven't already booked them!
Address: 148 River Ford Parkway Asheville, NC 28778
Phone: (828) 298-9141
Website: http://www.ramadariverridge.com/
Rate: Fri 29 & Sat 30 $139 + tax, Thurs 28 & Sun 31 $89 + tax
Call to reserve your room and give the code "SWGG16" to get the reduced rate.
If rooms are not reserved by July 15, they will release the rooms to the public.
3. There are many hotels in the area, lots in Biltmore Village and Hwy 191 Brevard Rd near the outlets, and on Tunnel Rd off of I-240. Anything in East or West Asheville will be closer to the conference. One I couldn't get a group rate on is the Best Western Asheville Biltmore East on Tunnel Rd. You basically want to be near I-240 or I-40.
4. www.airbnb.com and www.vrbo.com are sites where you can rent houses for less than or equal to the hotel. You can specify price, dogs, #beds, room within a home or an entire home.
For airbnb.com (I use it a lot and have had great experiences without paying hotel prices), reviews are important. You can see the host (do you want to stay with a 30 year old hipster? or a 60 year old craftsman? or a lesbian couple? or people with dogs?) and see the space (does the photo on the site represent well? was the host helpful? was the bathroom clean?).
5. Campgrounds do not accept group reservations so you are on your own. Many campgrounds are already taking reservations for July and it is one of the busiest times in Asheville. Check website for more info...ASAP. Many campgrounds fill up a couple of months in advance. The following are for both RV & tents.
http://ashevillebearcreek.com/
81 S Bear Creek Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 253-0798
225 Amboy Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 254-4676
c) Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground
15 Uphill Rd. Swannanoa, NC 28778
(828) 686-4258
Basic schedule:
Friday, July 29 11am-4pm Checkin/Registration at the Folk Art Center Auditorium
10am-6pm Open House at Silver River Center for Chair Caning
9 Riverside Dr. (upstairs) Asheville, NC 28801
Saturday, July 30 10am-9pm. Annual Gathering at Folk Art Center Auditorium
Sunday, July 31 10am-12pm. Members only convention wrap-up
12pm-4pm. SeatWeavers Roadshow! Open to the public. Details to come.
Meals: Will be provided Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. Snacks and drinks will be on site all day Saturday & Sunday. You are welcome to bring your own lunch and stash it in a cooler on site. We are coordinating a food vendor for Sunday lunch, so bring cash to purchase.
*Any dietary restrictions/allergies/gluten-free/vegetarian meals that you will need for Saturday lunch & dinner, please email Brandy at www.gochairrepair.com and put MEAL in the subject line.
**Board members ONLY: We are coordinating a dinner at Silver River for the Board Meeting Friday July 29 from 6-8pm, cost expected to be about $10-15pp.
Other fun stuff to see/do in town: I have been working on several lists of my favorite chair nerd activities, as well as outdoors, shopping, food, and side trips. Look out for it in the next edition and also on my website.
Websites to visit to help plan your trip: http://www.exploreasheville.com/ http://www.romanticasheville.com/ http://www.riverartsdistrict.com/
Volunteer opportunities at the conference: We will need your help to pull this off. I am coming up with a list of specific jobs and times we will need help. For example, Friday registration requires 4-5 people at the Folk Art Center, Saturday & Sunday: someone to make sure we have enough coffee! Saturday & Sunday, teachers and teacher assistants. Sunday break-down. Stay tuned for specific time slots and jobs.
What to bring: 1. Bring business cards/rack cards!
2. Bring any of your favorite tools for tips and tools session.
3. If you have a special chair you would like to show off, bring it!
4. Bring any books you may want to donate to the Silver River Library. You will get credit for your donation in a book label.
5. Bring any chairs you may want to put in a TSWG Members Display at Silver River (Windsor, Hunzinger, Shaker, Mid-century, Laced cane with unique pattern, etc.) We do mostly restorations and have not had much luck selling restored chairs so this would be a loan to be returned at the next gathering. Please send photo of chair to gochairrepair@gmail.com and put Member Exhibit in subject line.
6. We will have coolers on site for any food or beverage you want to bring.
7. Bring cash for lunch on Sunday
8. Bring friends who may not want to be there all weekend but would want to participate in the Sunday SeatWeavers Roadshow.
9. Bring photos of your work to share during breaks or social time.
10. Things to do: check out Chair Nerding and Asheville Adventures
That's all for now. I can’t stress it enough to book the hotels, houses, and campsites early! Complete schedule, cost, volunteer opportunities, and info about fun things to do around Asheville coming soon.
See y'all soon! Brandy & Dave
Learn about the Southern Highland Craft Guild , where the event will be held at the Folk Art Center
and about your hosts Brandy and Dave at Silver River Center for Chair Caning