The community can experience the talent of Kahiti residents at the upcoming Kahite Arts and Crafts Festival.
The festival will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Kahite Community Center. Unlike other craft events in Tellico Village, this festival will only showcase Kahiti residents.
Nohemi Zerbi, Kahiti resident, crafter and festival organizer, said she realized after a spring golf tournament benefitting Monroe Area Council for the Arts at The Links at Kahite that community talent is often overlooked.
“There is so much talent in this small community,” Zerbi said. “I (was) like, ‘Why can’t we have an all-out festival so that we can not only showcase all of the talent around but also be able to sell it?’ As a crafter, one of the things I love is for someone to look at my craft and like it and want to use it.”
“If I’m just creating and have one outlet a year to show my art or to show my craft, it’s kind of sad for a person who’s wanting to create,” she added.
Zerbi said she asked a similar question as part of a knitting group, and the women loved the idea. Zerbi immediately took action.
She said she checked with the POA for permission and sent an email calling Kahiti crafters and creators to sign up.
Since the festival will be held in the community center, only about 20 vendors will be secured this year to allow for ample space. Crafters will specialize in porcelain dolls, quilting, handmade cards, woodworking, painting and more.
Kahiti Pub and Grill will be closed for renovations, so local food trucks will set up for the day. A coffee cart will be included.
Odile Rourke, who participates in the knitting circle, said she was excited about the festival idea and almost immediately got to work. Although she had surgery a month later, she said she’s been preparing her collection for the festival.
Rourke specializes in porcelain dolls, figurines and ornamental art. From start to finish, she takes a simple mold with liquid porcelain and creates a Hallmark-worthy collectable. For dolls, she sews the dresses and other clothes.
She said she will occasionally seek help from a friend, but a majority of the process happens in her basement art rooms. Rourke said she began her passion in the 1980s, and she’s worked meticulously to master the craft.
In the nine years she’s lived in Kahiti, Rourke couldn’t recall an event that allowed only residents to showcase talents and sell what they made.
Valerie Vericella, a fairly new resident, has been creating wooden ornaments, signs and home goods for nearly 40 years and has been involved in numerous arts and crafts fairs and shows.
At some point, Vericella said she chose to not participate in as many shows because crafters weren’t abiding by handmade unspoken rules.
“People were bringing in stuff that wasn’t handmade and putting a ridiculous price on it,” she said. “We work hard … and you can’t compete against that. ... I was very happy, as well with my fellow crafters from Kahiti, to know we’re all hand-making everything.”
There is no admission to the festival. Individual vendors may take cash or credit depending on their preference. Parking will be available at the community center for visitors and patrons.
Although vendors are Kahiti residents, all residents from Tellico Village and the surrounding community are invited.
