For the Press

Labor Day Weekend Event
For September Calendars

High resolution, downloadable photos are available here.

Fact Sheet

Media Contact
Aeron Noe
(415) 722-7326
aer.noe@gmail.com
General Information: (650) 851-2710
www.kingsmountainartfair.org

Event
48th annual Kings Mountain Art Fair, featuring 135 juried artists and 25 mountain folk artists under the redwoods

When
Labor Day Weekend, 2012
September 1, 2 and 3 (Saturday, Sunday and Monday)
10 AM to 5 PM
Pancake breakfast with the artists starts at 8 AM

Where
Kings Mountain Fire Station
13889 Skyline Boulevard, Woodside

Kings Mountain stretches along 10 rural miles of Skyline Boulevard between Highway 92 and Highway 84. This stretch of road is a California Scenic Drive, lined with redwood forest and open space preserves.

Admission
Free

Description
Fine art under the redwoods!

Kings Mountain was selected as one of the top five fine art fairs in California (2011 Art Fair SourceBook). The jury process ensures the highest quality of arts and crafts balanced across categories (painting, sculpture, furniture, jewelry, toys, etc.). There are wonderful items available at all price ranges, from $10 to $10,000. The artists’ booths are set up around the firehouse, spilling over into the surrounding redwood forest.

This is a true grassroots event, 100% volunteer-run, with no corporate sponsorship.

For Families
In Kiddie Hollow, children of all ages can make their own art at the supervised booths, including spin, string, straw, and glitter art, among other activities. There is a nominal fee for many of these activities ($3 for 12 tickets, $5 for 24). There’s plenty of free stuff, too, including the reading corner and an authentic Native American teepee to explore. Parent's Retreat overlooks Kiddie Hollow, so the adults can relax while the children play. Kiddie Hollow is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Food
Breakfast with the artists - 8 to 10:30 AM
Lunch - 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Kings Mountain Art Fair offers satisfying “fair food” like burgers and corn on the cob. Our volunteers in the cook shack seek out the highest quality ingredients every year, settling for nothing less than 100% all natural beef, for example. Grandma Jenny’s giant cookies (baked by local school parents) are sold as a special fund-raiser for the Kings Mountain Elementary School.

Beneficiaries
Proceeds from the Art Fair go back to the community, primarily supporting the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade, a group that responds to more than 150 emergencies a year, and the Kings Mountain Elementary School. The firehouse was built using Art Fair funds and volunteer labor, and the four-room public school recently installed a much needed, new classroom with the help of Art Fair funds.

History
Started in 1963 by local homeowners as a fund-raiser to help create a volunteer fire company for the remote Kings Mountain community, the first fair was held in a red barn with mostly local artists and raised $50. The fair has grown over the years, and now has a reputation among artists and fairgoers alike as one of the best art shows on the West Coast.

Free Parking
Park along Skyline Boulevard and take the complimentary shuttle to the fair, available wherever there is a shuttle sign (about two miles north and south of the firehouse).

Other
Because much of the art is fragile, dogs and bicycles are not permitted on the fair grounds. Bicycle racks are available. Fairgoers may want to bring a sweater in case of cooler weather under the shade of the trees.

Information
(650) 851-2710
www.kingsmountainartfair.org

Photographs

Click on a thumbnail for a full-size image.
Image 001
The redwood forest provides a majestic backdrop for Deborah Bridge's Buddha faces, which were extremely popular at the Art Fair in 2010. Deborah and her faces will be returning in 2011.
Image 002
There are only a handful of artists who are invited to come back to the Art Fair year after year, for decades. Hugo Lecaros, whose art work is pictured here, is one of those. Collectors who bought his work in the 1980s have watched the value of his work increase over the years as his popularity has risen.
Image 003
A Hugo Lecaros painting hangs on a redwood tree in the foreground, with fair-goers listening to harpist Aryeh Frankfurter in the background. Aryeh's is the only live music allowed at the fair, and most fans agree it only adds to the ambiance of the redwood forest gallery setting.
Image 004
The Mountain Folk Art section provides a smattering of less expensive crafts side by side with fine art, all by residents of Kings Mountain. For many, it's a favorite part of the fair.
Image 005
The redwoods allow artists to create striking and creative displays. The painting strung up between trees here is from local talent, Felicia Forte.
Image 006
Face painting is a popular activity for children at the fair.
Image 007
Kiddie Hollow provides simple but fun crafts and games for children, set in an idyllic redwood hollow.
Image 008
Kings Mountain Elementary School parents make Grandma Jennie's famous giant cookies in a professional bakery. Proceeds go to the tiny, local school.
Image 009
Every Labor Day weekend, the parking lot and the redwood forest surrounding the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Station is transformed into a fine art mecca.