4 minute read
A Rabun County Mountain Tradition Still Lives!
By Suzie Nixon Flaherty
The morning air is getting crisp and the leaves are starting to turn. It won’t be long until fall will be hitting Rabun County and not far behind it, the Foxfire Mountaineer Festival. Once again, the festival will take place the first Saturday in October at the Rabun County Civic Center and Pavilions in downtown Clayton, Georgia. On October 7th from 10 AM to 5 PM, Rabun County residents and visitors will gather to celebrate the Appalachian Heritage that we live and love. The air will be filled with the sounds of bluegrass music and the laughter of children chasing piglets and playing heritage-based games. Amazing artisan craft vendors with Appalachian treasures and local food vendors with yummy food and treats will be there for your shopping and hunger needs.
The mountaineer festival has been a Rabun County tradition for a long time. As far back as the 1960’s, Rabun County has celebrated our Appalachian and mountain heritage. The festival was originally several days long and encompassed many different traditions and ways of life here in Rabun County. Rabun County native, Melody Henderson, remembers a time when the festival included a hunting-type event that took place on her family’s property. She explained that everyone would bring a picnic lunch and sit out around the lake enjoying the day. Reportedly, in 1995, Foxfire began holding their annual Foxfire Fall Festival in Dillard, Georgia. Foxfire Museum Curator, Barry Stiles, shared that Foxfire held the festival until 2011 when it combined with the Mountaineer Festival in Clayton, Georgia.” After several years, Foxfire took over the event completely and the Foxfire Mountaineer Festival began as it is today. Glenda Welch, who was born in Rabun County, raised in Mountain City and lives in Rabun today, explained that the mountaineer festival was a “true representation of the community and the life lived here. Watching the parade and the hunting dogs and wagons that came down the street, along with the long dresses and bonnets that were worn during the pioneer days was a definite highlight.”
Foxfire is bringing back even more of those traditions this year. Many more Foxfire demonstrators will be showing off the skills that our ancestors used to live in these mountains. From blacksmithing to instrument making, the skills of making what you need has always been a part of the Foxfire method. Handing down the necessary skills and traditions is a part of Foxfire’s mission and the mountaineer festival is no exception. This year, there will be more opportunities for kids to learn Appalachian traditions in our hands-on classes. Heritage-based activities such as buck dancing and clogging demonstrations will take place and you will have a chance to participate in a group quilting activity. You will not want to miss your opportunity to participate in the raffle and live auction where you can continue your support of the Foxfire organization. Visit the Foxfire merchandise table and get your museum membership as well as talk with today’s Foxfire leadership students. Find out how they work to put together the current Foxfire magazines and what being a part of Foxfire means to them.
It is truly a day you will not want to miss. Start growing your beard now so you can join the longest-beard contest. Brush off your buck dancing shoes and get ready to listen to the Foxfire Boys and other great bluegrass bands. It’s going to be a day to remember. So make your way to Clayton, Georgia on October 7, 2023 and experience the Foxfire Mountaineer Festival for yourself. For more information visit www.foxfire.org.
