photos by Emma Scruggs
You’re invited to Cedar Grove this coming Saturday, November 9, 2024, to delve into the history of farming in our region and advancements through the generations. Discover insights from local farmers on the tools they use today and those their ancestors relied on in the past. At its peak in 1910, 318,282 acres of land in Mecklenburg County were dedicated to farming. Now, only 13,000 acres of farmland remain.
Join us as we piece together our region’s farming past, present and future at HEARTS Harvest ‘24: Down on the Farm on November 9, 2024, from 2:00 - 5:00 PM, at historic Cedar Grove in Huntersville, NC and visit next door at the Hugh Torance House and Store.
This multifaceted event includes local farmers, farming history, local art, nature, and more. Featuring live music by the Broken Arrows, a special seasonal tasting by the Carolina Farm Trust, and a display of historic tools from the Catawba Valley region, tickets for HEARTS Harvest ‘24: Down on the Farm are free with donations appreciated. Click here for tickets or visit www.hught.org.
Guests are invited to explore the display of historic tools, guess the featured tools’ use, and cast their votes for the Most Unusual Tool, the Oldest Tool, and the Most Beautiful Tool. The owners of the award-winning tools will receive a special HEARTS Harvest artisan gift, a hand-blown glass pumpkin by Charlotte glass artists at Hot Glass Alley.
HEARTS Harvest presents live music by “The Broken Arrows,” featuring the talented multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Billy Jones, Phil Skipper, and Mike Orlando. Together, they merge their years of musical history performing blues, bluegrass, and jazz through mandolins, banjo, acoustic guitar, upright bass, and eclectic drums with classic Americana instrumentation for their original songs.
In addition, a special HEARTS Harvest tasting of a locally sourced creation by the Carolina Farm Trust will also be shared with guests during intermission.
Designed to inspire and enhance our community’s shared sense of place, HEARTS grass-roots events are known for juxtaposing regional history and ecology with curated local music, visual art, and dance in multi-faceted, place-based programs.
Gracing the Center Hall of Cedar Grove is the visual art exhibit, “Land, Sea, and Sky.” This exhibit features the works of Pam Imhof and Oluwanbe Amodu in collaboration with visual arts partner Nine-Eighteen-Nine Studio.
A trio of moths followed by colorful underwater seascapes float along the wall of Cedar Grove’s Center Hall, each with its own dramatic and whimsical details. Pam Imhoff, the creator of these works, incorporates her love of fiber arts and crochet into her paintings bringing new dimensions to her work. A Charlotte resident since 2013, she is a former public educator turned full-time artist. Pam also enjoys working with organizations to help others discover the joys of artmaking, and she has a passion for bringing the community together through public art. Pam has completed murals and other public pieces in the Charlotte area and New Jersey, where she previously resided. Her artwork includes paintings, lace making, crochet, and mixed media (paint and fibers), with a focus on floral and other natural subject matters.
The powerful paintings of Oluwanbe Amodu ground the show with their rich textures and colorful details. His featured work, “Anike Alata (Anike pepper vendor)” opens the viewer’s senses to the rhythm, heat, and smells of the moment. According to Oluwanbe, “The name Anike is a very special name in Yoruba land. It means someone you have to care for. Anike is a very beautiful young single mother. Her hustling spirit is so high. She never focuses on her beauty. All she cares about is her hustling and taking care of her children. Her husband abandoned her with two children many years ago.” Oluwanbe was born in Lagos, Nigeria where he attended the famous Yaba College of Technology. In 2007 Oluwanbe was featured in the Araism Movement Exhibitions and in 2010 was featured in a book celebrating modern contemporary Nigerian artists. Oluwanbe Amodu's works have been exhibited in Nigeria, the USA, and also in Beni Republic.
Next door, the Hugh Torance House and Store will be open from 2:00-5:00 offering new and interesting local artisan goods and fresh local honey, snacks, beer, wine, sundries, and more. Plan to come early and/or stay late to enjoy the historic grounds and tour the oldest standing store in NC. The Hugh Torance House and Store is one of Mecklenburg County’s few surviving 18th-century structures and is adjacent to Cedar Grove, the 1831 Greek Revival home of James Torrance, son of Hugh and Isabella Torance.
HEARTS (history, ecology, arts, reunion, trails, store) happenings are free, place-based gatherings featuring music, visual arts, and lectures exploring local history, nature, and our shared sense of place. These events are made possible by dedicated volunteers, HEARTS Circle members, community partner Lake Norman Realty, and donations. All proceeds benefit HTHS’s efforts to further the HEARTS mission of historic preservation, ecological conservation, and forging community connections in our region.
The Hugh Torance House and Store (HTHS), is a private 501c3 nonprofit historic site. Group tours and volunteer opportunities for stewardship, preservation, and conservation are available. Open to the public each Sunday from 1:00-4:00 and during HEARTS events, and is located at 8231 Gilead Road, Huntersville, NC 28078. Cedar Grove is a private residence open in partnership for select HEARTS Happenings. For more information, visit www.hught.org, email info@hughtorancehouseandstore.org, or call (704) 920-9931.
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