With our (totally exaggerated) reputation for violence and pillaging, us Vikings never expected to be invited to such a prestigious gathering of artisans. But nonetheless the invitation was given and we embarked on our first visit to the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh as demonstrators.
For those who are unfamiliar with The Village of Yesteryear, it has been a North Carolina State Fair tradition for over 70 years! 'The Village' is a large building that features a well curated group of artisans displaying and demonstrating their traditional crafts. The artists represent some of the absolute best in the state, if not the country, so to be invited was an honor in and of itself, but the degree to which we were welcomed was overwhelming!
Thousands upon thousands of visitors poured by our display to watch Jeremy work on carving while Bekah worked with turning raw wool into yarn. People seemed to be very excited to see us in the village and they often commented on how our art made them feel a connection to their ancestors. The other artisans who were there, (some of them being part of The Village for over 30 years) also made us feel very welcome. We were even bestowed an Honorable Mention Award for our display and demonstration area - something that we were told is not common for first timers such as ourselves.
We were very thankful for the opportunity as well as to all of the new friends we made. It was an exhausting ten days sandwiched between a few days of set up and take down, but we learned a lot and are excited to make our presence known again next year.