15 Jul Join us in celebrating Appalachian culture!
The John C. Campbell Folk School is thrilled to welcome some of the most iconic Appalachian women for Appalachian Heritage Week, taking place August 17–23, 2025.
This special week will feature presentations by local author and YouTube phenomenon Tipper Pressley, founder of Celebrating Appalachia. Enjoy musical performances and storytelling by seventh-generation ballad singer Sheila Kay Adams and eighth-generation ballad singer Donna Ray Norton, both from Madison County.
All events are free and open to the public. Sign up for a class to immerse yourself in the experience for the full week, or attend individual events as your schedule allows. Learn more about the presenters and view the full event schedule below.
Register for Appalachian Heritage Week
The mountains are calling! Immerse yourself in the landscape, traditions, and hospitality of Appalachia during this special week devoted to celebrating our region’s rich heritage. Whether you’re weaving baskets all day or dancing the night away, come learn about the unique mix of natural beauty and cultural gifts that give the mountains their magic.
Schedule of Events
MONDAY, AUGUST 18
7:00 p.m. at the Festival Barn
Concert with Sheila Kay Adams and Donna Ray Norton
A donation of $5-15 per adult is suggested, but all are welcome regardless of contribution.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
The Rich Colorful Language of Appalachia: A presentation with Tipper Pressley
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
Using the Internet to Preserve & Celebrate Appalachian Culture : A presentation with Tipper Pressley
7:00 p.m. Keith House Community Room
Storytelling: An Evening of Appalachian Tales with Kanute Rarey and Friends.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21
4:45 p.m. Keith House Community Room
My Life in Appalachia and Connections to the Folk School: A presentation with Tipper Pressley
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22
7:45 a.m. Keith House Community Room
Morningsong with Sheila Kay Adams and Donna Ray Norton
About Tipper Pressley
Tipper Pressley has been writing about all things Appalachian since 2008 on the popular blog Blind Pig and The Acorn. In 2020 she developed a YouTube channel, Celebrating Appalachia, to further solidify her desire to celebrate and preserve Appalachian Culture. To date over 65 million people have viewed her videos. She was awarded the 2020 e-Appalachia Award by the Appalachian Studies Association. And in 2022 she received an Appy Award for her video work featuring Appalachian foodways, culture, and heritage. In 2023 she co-authored a successful cookbook Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food: Recipes & Stories from Mountain Kitchens with mentor Jim Casada.
About Shelia Kay Adams
Born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, North Carolina, Sheila Kay Adams is a seventh-generation ballad singer, storyteller, and claw-hammer banjo player. Originating in the border country between England and Scotland, the ballads that Adams sing have been passed down through her family since the early 1700s, when Adams’ ancestors first settled in Appalachia. Learning how to sing as a child from her great-aunt, Adams has developed an illustrious resume showcasing, documenting, and advocating for Western North Carolina’s unaccompanied ballad singing tradition. She has performed at festivals, workshops, and other events all across the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., and the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
About Donna Ray Norton
Donna Ray Norton is an eighth-generation ballad singer, the granddaughter of fiddler Byard Ray and Morris Norton, who played the banjo and mouth bow, daughter of singer Lena Jean Ray, and cousin to Sheila Kay Adams and many other prominent Madison County musicians. Norton is now a highly regarded member of the younger generation of Madison County ballad singers and storytellers. She was featured in the documentary Madison County Project, which won the 2005 Audience Choice Award at the Asheville Film Festival. She has performed at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival, Mars Hill University Heritage Day, and at many other venues in western North Carolina every year since she began her musical journey.
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