ClydeFEST and Community Building

Best Place to Celebrate Kids’ Creativity with Clyde:  ClydeFEST

Every spring for more than 20 years now, the Chatham Arts Council honors Clyde with an annual full-day, smile-packed folks art event for children called ClydeFEST. Kids play original Clyde-themed games, make their own art, eat food, and enjoy live entertainment, too. At Critterville, kids get to paint and glitter their own Clyde Critter cut-out to take home.  Wanna know when the next ClydeFEST is happening? You can find out here!

10 Things You Might Not Know About Clyde

1. He was born in Chatham County on April Fool’s Day, most likely in 1938 (he isn’t sure). His parents were William and Hedi Jones, and he was the eldest of three boys.
2. He attended school in Pittsboro up to grade nine.
3. He has made a living cutting lumber, clearing brush, mowing lawns, training dogs, doing carpentry projects, and working at the local polyester mill.
4. He lost his left middle finger while working as a wood cutter in the late 1970’s.
5. In 1979, a large log crushed his leg, and his doctor told him he might never walk properly again. It took him three years to recover. During that time, his urge to create art was percolating.
6. His first chainsaw critter was a pig, created on March 23, 1982.
7. His chainsaw of choice is a mid-size Stihl called a Farm Boss.
8. He began making paintings in 1987 at the age of 49 – 11 years older than Grandma Moses who started at age 38. He didn’t begin signing them until 10 years later.
9. He began adding glitter to his critters and paintings in 1992 because he liked the way the reflected light made them sparkle.
10. He didn’t drive when he lived in Bynum, except for his riding lawn mower. Instead, neighbors and friends would pick him up and take him where he needed to go. A neighbor once said that if she awakened to the sound of his mower outside her bedroom window, she knew it was an invitation to head into town for breakfast.

Best Place to View Clyde’s Critters: Bynum, NC

There was a time that when you got to town, you’d know when you were at Clyde’s house. His was the one that was painted with whimsical animals and had a herd of critters in the yard. Now that Clyde’s age has required that he take up residence in a different spot, community members and dear friends of Clyde, including Stephan Meyers, have created a Clyde gallery in his past home. And though Clyde is further down the road these days, Bynum is still like a drive-through folk art gallery, and Clyde’s critters can be spotted in many a yard. During the holidays many are strung with lights. Look for the houses near the intersection of Bynum Church Road and Thompson Recreation Road, and please be respectful of residents.

Best Place to View Clyde’s Paintings: Captain John’s Dockside Restaurant

When Clyde stopped in to Captain John’s Dockside for a take-out order more than 30 years ago, he and the new owner John became fast friends. The two met up in “Critterville,” and Clyde invited John to pick out a painting. “Something with a fish, please,” said John. The restaurant now has the largest collection of Clyde paintings in one place, many of them custom made. While he doesn’t make it every week anymore, Clyde still feels happy and at home over a meal at Captain John’s.

Learn About Chatham County’s Clyde Jones

1. Clyde: His life, his art (the early years)
2. ClydeFEST and community building through Chatham Arts Council
3. Restoration of the ClydeFEST Mural
4. Other ways to get acquainted with Clyde Jones (videos, documentaries, books, etc)