ELDERHOSTELS are a world-wide network of informal, non-degree granting adult education facilities centrally coordinated from Boston. Since May 1997 I have attended six of them. They were scattered between Wisconsin, South Carolina (two), Georgia, Kentucky and North Carolina. Brasstown in far Western North Carolina, near Murphy, is the home of the John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS). There in late May 1998 I was one of five people taking a six night, 30 hour course in genealogy. 

Elderhostel sites range from college campuses through state parks, hotel-motels, conference centers and retreat houses. As the name indicates, elderhostels are primarily for “elders”: people 55 and older. An age-eligible student may, however, be escorted by a spouse or other adult younger than 55.  Sites which administer elderhostels are usually multi-purpose. That is, they do things besides host elderhostels. In a typical elderhostel between 20 and 50 persons come together for either five or six nights. They each take the same three courses, with each course meeting 1 1/2 hours daily Monday through Friday. The three courses are sometimes completely unrelated one to another. In the USA, typical cost for a five night program is $350 and for  six nights (Sunday afternoon till breakfast on Saturday) $375. This includes registration, lodging, meals, courses and some  after hours entertainment.

In the state of North Carolina the John C. Campbell Folk School (JCCFS) is  uniquely important as an elderhostel site. This is obvious from the “Elderhostel United States Catalog” for Summer Programs (July, August, September) 1998--a bulky 17” by 11 1/2” newspaper size, 152 page document free for the asking from Boston. All programs available in North Carolina in those three months are listed in 21 columns between pages 107 and 112. Of those 21 columns, the JCCFS offerings occupy twelve.

My May 17-23 1998 elderhostel course at JCCFS was preceded by a scenic 2 1/2 hour, 125 mile drive west from Asheville to Brasstown. The Folk School is steadily and systematically improving lodging for students. I estimate that within two years every student will find comfortable quarters competitive with other major sites in the hot, humid southeastern United States. In all other respects (including location, food, course content, competency of instructors and leisure time activities), the Campbell School already ranks in the top third of elderhostels I have known. Here are the School’s strong (in some cases unique) features as an elderhostel host: 

--Campbell Folk School elderhostelers are invited to join (at markedly reduced cost) classes which are guaranteed to take place whether any elderhostelers are there are not. That is, elderhostelers  never make up the hard, indispensable core of a Campbell School course. The typical JCCFS course participant is well under 55 years old, sometimes, for example, a nineteen year old Rotary exchange student from Brazil learning to make baskets or a 30-something banjo player from California. The Folk School is said to enjoy a unique dispensation from its Boston mother house to mingle the age groups. Senior citizens like me love this intergenerational feature.

--JCCFS courses are very small. Eight or nine students in a given course appears normal. My own genealogy course was limited in advance to six. I did hear of ceramics courses sometimes reaching 18 enrollees. By contrast I have attended elderhostel courses elsewhere with 40 or more people and some are advertised with a limit of 100.

--Campbell school courses are serious business. While a typical elderhostel offers 4 1/2 hours of daily “academic” instruction Monday through Friday, the Folk School offers six hours daily. To my agreeable surprise, many Folk School students then voluntarily put in another two to six hours daily in photography, wood carving, marquetry (decorative inlaying) and the like. In addition, at JCCFS you are not permitted to take more than one course at a time. In many other elderhostels, by contrast, it is not uncommon to take two “serious” courses, e.g., on coal mining in West Virginia along with a third, e.g., on water coloring. The sensible goal elsewhere appears to be to keep the overall atmosphere from becoming a grind. Campbell students, however,  are there to work. And it is hard to keep them away from their tools at all hours.

--Students make palpable, personally gratifying progress. Over five six-hour days of basket weaving, to take but one example, students with no previous experience make at least six attractive baskets in six different styles. At the traditional talent night on Friday evening the apprentice banjo players are already capable of accompanying the genealogists who sing that Hit Parade favorite from 1947, “I'm My Own Grandpaw.” The Folk School’s philosophy is for students and teachers to work as non-competitive and sharing colleagues. It did not inhibit any novices with whom I spoke in Brasstown that some of their classmates were 40 or more years old and returning to Campbell for the 3rd or 4th time to take the same course.

There it is: what is uniquely attractive about elderhostels in far western Brasstown, North Carolina. Courses include students both young and old. Novices join professional classmates who earn their living as photographers, ceramicists, musicians and the like. Classes are small. Courses are intense, focused and produce measurable results. The  Folk School in Brasstown is yet  another great reason for rejoicing that Western North Carolina is our home.

For a free course catalog write John C. Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902-9603. Or phone 1-800-FOLK-SCH. Or use your computer to check out the attractive web site at www.grove.net/~jccfs.

For information on elderhostels in general, including receiving free catalogs for programs in the USA, Canada and overseas, write Elderhostel, 75 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110-1941. Phone 1-617-426-8056. Or view the already rich and constantly improving web site at http://www.elderhostel.org.
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