Festival Season

Fall in love with festival season

BY MAKAELAH WALTERS

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic community members in the High Country still find the arrival of fall as good a reason as any to celebrate with fun, food and fellowship. The changing of the leaves, the crisp autumn air, the promise of the coming winter are each a perfect opportunity to gather for old fashioned fall fun. Whether it’s apple picking, hand-made crafts, or a locally brewed beer, the High Country offers a little something for everyone during the season.

VALLE COUNTRY FAIR, VALLE CRUCIS

The Valle Country Fair is every fairgoers dream with activities diverse enough to satisfy visitors from all over. Located in the hamlet of Valle Crucis, the fair takes place in a sprawling meadow, across from Holy Cross Church, located at 122 Skiles Way in Banner Elk.

Events, which include live mountain music, crafts, pumpkin bowling and more, begin Saturday, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission to Valle Country Fair is free, though parking costs start at $10 per personal vehicle. Parking is $25 per small bus or van and $50 per large bus or

Woolly Worm greets the alpacas at the 2017 Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk. PHOTO SUBMITTED

A WORD ON COVID-19

Details regarding the events listed are subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some events may undergo a change of venue, be postponed, re-scheduled or canceled altogether. COVID-19 procedures vary depending on the venue. Information about vaccination and mask policies can be found by visiting the website or calling the phone number included in the listing.

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Valle Country Fair was founded and is sponsored by members of Holy Cross Episcopal Church. Members host the annual event to raise funds for community outreach programs. The churches mission of “sharing Christ’s love through compassionate ministry” has always been the driving force of the fair.

Several of the fair’s vendors donate all proceeds from concessions to the fair. Other vendors donate 10 percent of their revenue to the fair as an act of tithing. All work exhibited at the fair undergoes a strict jurying process, by members of Holy Cross Church, to ensure the work is hand-crafted and original in design, form and concept.

Two stages adjacent to the dining tent allow fairgoers to enjoy traditional mountain music with a hot bowl of Brunswick Stew. Other concessions at the fair include apple butter, jams and jellies and baked goods, as well as, sausage with onions and peppers, chili and barbeque.

The youth stage, conveniently located near grazing alpacas, face painters and a sand artist booth, will feature performances from young performing artists and dancers. A Kids Area offers a kidfriendly classic fall fair experience, complete with carnival games and pumpkin carving.

In 2019, the fair distributed $60,000 to nonprofit organizations serving people in need throughout Watauga and Avery County. This year’s Valle Country Grant Recipients include Watauga County Schools’ Extended Learning Center, Spirit Ride, Parent to Parent Family Support Network, Mountain Alliance, Life Village, Hunger and Health Coalition, High Country Caregivers, The Children’s Council, Blue ridge Women in Agriculture and Appalachian Senior Programs, Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs.

For more information on Valle Crucis Fair call the Valle Country Fair committee at (828) 963-4609 or email holy_ cross@skybest.com.

WOOLLY WORM FESTIVAL, BANNER ELK

Banner Elk’s Woolly Worm Festival, recognized as “The Official Woolly Worm Festival of North Carolina,” is a joyous 2-day event, bringing thousands of patrons to Banner Elk each year.

The Woolly Worm Festival honors a 44-year-old tradition with friendly — and fuzzy- competition. Patrons place bets on the small fuzzy worms as they wriggle to the top of a LENGTH string; the winning worm bears a prediction about the coming winter weather.

These small creatures outlast frigid winters in the area by going into hibernation. Some worms are known to survive as many as 14 winters using this method. They produce a chemical that allows their bodies to freeze solid without any adverse effects.

Jim Morton, co-founder of the Woolly Worm Festival, first learned about the woolly worm in 1973. That year, he spent his first autumn in the area. His interest in the local folklore laid the foundation for the theory that woolly worms can predict the weather. Legend has it, the woolly worm’s 13 segments correspond with 13 weeks of winter. Black segments are said to indicate severe

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weather, while orange or brown segments are indicative of a milder season.

But Morton was conflicted about which woolly worm, some more orange than black, some black all around, to trust. Morton discovered the worm’s affinity for climbing while watching one shimmy up a blade of grass, and the idea to race the worms on a line of string came thereafter.

Tasked with bringing an annual event to Banner Elk, Morton and a group of merchants, formed the Woolly Worm Festival Association in 1978. Forty-four years later, the Woolly Worm Festival is held on the same grounds and paying practicing the same time-honored tradition.

This year the fun begins at 9 a.m. each day from Oct.16 -17, at Banner Elk Elementary School, located at 185 Azealia Circle, Banner Elk. Woolly worm races commence at 10 a.m. The winning worm on Saturday is declared the official winter forecasting agent.

Patrons are encouraged to enjoy the food and crafts from more than 170 vendors on-site, as well as music and dancing, and carnival rides.

Admission to the festival is $6 for adults, $4 for children age six-12 and free for children 5 and younger. All proceeds from the festival are given back to the community to enhance schools, children’s programs, and to promote business and tourism in Avery County. Due to COVID-19, all visitors are requested to wear a face covering.

For more information about the 44th annual Woolly Worm Festival call (828) 898-5605.

OKTOBERFEST, SUGAR MOUNTAIN

The annual Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest brings a festive, Bavarian atmosphere to the High Country during the autumn season. Oktoberfest offers plenty of reasons to grab a beer stein, pull out the Lederhosen and head to Sugar Mountain Resort Main Lodge, Saturday, Oct. 9 through Sunday, Oct. 10.

Featuring the Harbour Towne Fest Band, the festival offers authentic musical entertainment.

Activities at the festival, located at 1009 Sugar Mountain Drive, Sugar Mountain, take place from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. each day, with music beginning at noon. Admission, parking and shuttle services are free of charge. Bavarian cuisine at the event includes bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut, strudel and pretzels, though the good old American standards are also available, including hot dogs, hamburgers, soda, cotton candy kettle corn, funnel cakes, candy apples and more.

Avery County Cloggers give a special performance on Sunday at 2 p.m. Local artisans and craftsmen will show their wares at the 31st Sugar Mountain Oktoberfest, on the Sugar Mountain ski area grounds. A wide variety of items from food to ironworks will be available for purchase to the public.

Guests who show up to the dance floor Saturday at 4 p.m. are eligible for a prize in the Oktoberfest Costume contest.

Guests can also enjoy the area’s fall foliage while riding the Summit Express Chairlift to the top of Sugar Mountain from 10 a.m.-6p.m. each day.

The festival’s kids fun center operates 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Some of the activities include Fun Time

TED MOREE TMOREE@GMAIL.COM A busy tent community is set up in a huge hayfield in the center of one of the most picturesque valleys in the mountains of Western North Carolina during the peak of the fall color season. In addition to crafts, guests can enjoy homemade Brunswick Stew and fresh-pressed apple cider.

inflatables, hay rides, corn hole, water balloon toss and pumpkin bowling. Admission to the kids fun center is $15.

For the latest updates about Sugar Mountain’s 31st annual Oktoberfest visit www.oktoberfest.skisugar.com.

TOE JAM FESTIVAL, SPRUCE PINE

Toe Jam is a rock ‘n’ roll concert in downtown Spruce Pine in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Groove to classic hits, sample local food and beverages and enjoy a game of cornhole at this family-friendly party.

Guests are encouraged to leave banjos, ukuleles and fiddles behind for a night of the best local and regional rock, hard rock and rock country musical acts. This year’s musical guests include The Pierce Danger Band, of Spruce Pine and The Rewind, of Boone.

The purchase of an official toe jam cup for $1 grants access to sample beverages at nearby Beirdock Brewery. Admission to the festival, which includes a Toe Jam Cup and beer bracelet, is $5. All proceeds benefit the Toe Jam Music Scholarship fund.

Located at 503 E. Tappan St., Spruce Pine, the day-long festival will be held Sept. 11 from 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

For more information including a complete list of musical performances visit www.sprucepinetoejam.com.

Downtown Erwin, Tenn. is transformed into festival grounds for the Unicoi County Apple Festival every year. The festival draws more than 110,000 attendees annually. The festival has been consistently named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 events in the Southeast, and is a threeyear winner of the Northeast Tennessee tourism Association’s Pinnacle Award.

The event displays agricultural, horticultural, craft, cattle, sheep, produce, flowers, cooker, wine, arts and crafts, industrial marquee and more.

The 44th Annual Unicoi County Apple Festival takes Place Oct.1 – 2 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. The two-day event features live music, a 4-mile race, Miss Apple Festival pageant, cooking contests, and hosts more than 300 vendors.

ANTLERS & ACORNS: THE BOONE SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL

This three-day festival brings music to the town where Doc Watson never leaves the corner of King and Depot Streets. The festival joins the wordsmiths, the weavers of chords and sharps and flats, the storytellers, the prophets and the liars. The town itself is the venue, the bars, restaurants, cafes and theatre are the stage. Music lovers walk the streets from one welcoming door to the next to hear their favorite singer/songwriter tell the stories of their songs, where they came from, where they went. It is an intimate encounter, a weekend in the mountains, a walk in the woods.

The festival commences Thursday, Sept. 9, with a screening of the Guy Clark documentary ‘Without Getting Killed or Caught’ and a show with Guy’s friends and proteges. Events the following night, Friday, Sept. 10, include a Friday Night Welcome at Booneshine Brewery. The festival closes Saturday, Sept. 11 with a songwriter’s showcase at the Jones House from 12:30 p.m.6 p.m.

For more information about Antlers & Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival visit www.antlersandacornsboone.com.