The Eunice Waymon Birthplace

The Tryon Dolls

The Tryon Dolls

The Tryon Dolls

In midst of the hardest economic times since the Great Depression, work on the Eunice Waymon Birthplace has slowed to a virtual standstill. Yet in the middle of it all a glimpse of home grown hope and achievement emerged recently in the neighborhood surrounding the Birthplace.

Small hand-made dolls of all sorts, shapes and sizes began appearing and caught the eye of visiting Atlanta photographer and collector, Lucinda Bunnen. When asked why these single mothers (and grandmothers) were making dolls, one doll maker told Lucinda, it was "because my kids have their Christmas in Lay-a-way at K-Mart and the extra money goes to that."

The Tryon Doll Makers were born this Christmas season with the help of Lucinda Bunnen (who the Doll Makers now affectionately call, "Miss Lady"). Days later, the Doll Makers found a mentor and champion in a local gallery owner in Landrum, South Carolina, who has found two sewing machines for the group on Craig's List.

The dolls are made of recycled pieces of fabric, twine, lace, and other materials. Sticks, bits of hair, small ornaments, and "grape stems" make up the Tryon Dolls which are helping build neighborhood vitality in a neighborhood caught in a cyclone of poverty and unemployment. With the additional help of Mountain Bizworks and the Small Business Center at Isothermal Community College, the Tryon Doll Makers are receiving coaching and encouragement to help develop their Christmas Dream into a sustainable venture.

"Tryon Doll Maker" signs are being attached to the Doll Maker's mailboxes and large plywood cut-outs of the silhouettes of neighborhood children (and painted by neighborhood children) are also appearing around the neighborhood adding to the excitement. The Community Cloud is delivering much needed nourishment at a time when its needed the most.

The Birthplace is taking shape

We've Come a Long Way

But, we have a long way to go!  September 2008  

Hannon Barbershop Project

Join The Hannon Barbershop Project November 7 - December 7, 2008 for an exhibition of the installation of the re-creation of an African-American Barbershop in an African-American Barbershop with the voice of Marcel Duchamp reading "The Creative Act" set to the 70's disco hit, "Funky Town." The Hannon Barbershop Project celebrates the shop founded by King Leo and Lady Clipper over fifty years ago in Tryon, North Carolina that has been in continuous operation since.

The Hannon Barbershop Project
November 7 - December 7, 2008
Tryon, North Carolina

Free Jazz Friday gets ready for the Big Surprise

Free Jazz Friday prepares for the Big Surprise now just days away. A tremendous thank you goes to Brad Smith and all the great folks at Sewah Studios in Marietta, Ohio who sent this photo of the Eunice Waymon Birthplace Historical Marker as it was being prepared for packing and shipping. Scheduled for delivery to Tryon on June 6 -- the Big Surprise is just days away!

Free Jazz Friday at the Nina Simone Birthplace

Free Jazz, Free Coca-Cola and Free Roasted Peanuts

Friday nights in Tryon's East Village draws the Community, the Kids, and the Characters.

The Nina Simone Birthplace is now a proud underwriter of 91.9 FM WCLK Jazz of the City - Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA USA

Listen LIVE online www.WCLK.com

7:50 AM Tryon
12:50 PM Dublin
1:50 PM Cape Town
7:50 PM Hong Kong

A pedal organ has been found!

We are pleased to announce that a period Shipman Pedal Organ made in Highpoint, NC has been found a purchased for the Birthplace. In I Put a Spell on You, The Autobiography of Nina Simone, an organ is mentioned on page 14. "At the time I was born we didn't have a piano in the house, we had a pedal organ. When our house was burned down [referring to a house the Waymon's later lived in and not the Birthplace], the pedal organ was the first thing rescued out of the fire." Carrol Waymon confirmed this account and described the location of the organ in the Birthplace near the front door -- in what he called the "music corner."

A long way from 30 East Livingston Street

"I believe the next Nina Simone is in a third-grade classroom in North Carolina. I want to help that third-grader. I want to show children what the option of art looks like." Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Tift Merritt, co-Chair of the 2007 Medal of Arts Awards, Raleigh, North Carolina

"Early in the evening, Merritt established a recurring theme in her call for taking the arts into the classroom. She said she often thought about great artists such as the late jazz musicians John Coltrane and Nina Simone, who were once children in North Carolina." The Raleigh News & Observer, Sunday November 18, 2007