While we're on the subject of outstanding attractions in the neighborhood of Greater Metropolitan Asheboro, it's fitting to focus also a bit south of the zoo, where North Carolina's famous pottery industry has deep roots in the little town of Seagrove.

An art form that in many cases has been handed down from one generation to the next in almost hereditary fashion flourishes in and around Seagrove's kilns and galleries. But perhaps not surprisingly when artistic temperaments, pride and money are all involved, there's trouble these days within the community of Seagrove potters. Could internal rivalries somehow shatter the area's well-earned status as a pottery Mecca?

The N&O's Martha Quillin had the story on Thursday. The tension seems to center on two groups, one associated with the Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery and the other with the N.C. Pottery Center.

Local potters allied with the center apparently resent what they see as a tilt by one of the museum's leaders toward Sanford, which also is promoting itself as a pottery destination. Because of the rift, Seagrove could end up hosting not one but two yearly pottery festivals -- which might be one too many.

People do come from all over, many from out of state, to visit Seagrove's pottery places, and the current festival in November is a big deal. But it's not hard to imagine that pottery economics can be a bit fragile. There are dozens of outlets, not just in the Randolph County town of Seagrove but scattered down N.C. 705 into Moore County and up the U.S. 220 corridor toward Asheboro. Competition must be intense.

At the same time, a cooperative approach to marketing helps keep Seagrove in the forefront as a destination and a brand of sorts for pottery buyers and collectors. The wares range from humble jugs and mugs to high-end, museum-quality pieces. Key to the appeal is the sense that even the fanciest of these works draws on a distinctive North Carolina folk art tradition.

Fine pottery is made in many parts of the state, but the Seagrove legacy is worth protecting. In more ways than one, it's time to handle with care.

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