RETURN OF THE FESTIVALS

Downtown events bring crowds to King Street

BY JILLYAN MOBLEY

King Street became a hub for musicians, vendors and lovers of the arts in 2022 as festivals brought thousands to downtown Boone in a true return after COVID-19.

Kicking off the summer with an inaugural, first-of-its-kind event, Town of Boone Cultural Resources Director Mark Freed helped bring thousands of people to the streets of downtown for Boonerang the weekend of June 18.

“Over the years there have been a few different downtown festivals and it always just seems like it brings our community out in such a great way. It’s great to see everybody coming out to downtown and we wanted to revive that tradition, but to do it in some new and exciting ways,” Freed said. “Putting the big street stage out and closing streets and having open containers in certain areas and doing some things that hadn’t been done exactly in those ways before — incorporating some of our brick and mortars and working with DBTA and our downtown businesses and also our local nonprofit and essentially, making it really Boone-centric.”

With stages at the Jones House, Lost Province, South Depot Street and Espresso News, the live performances covered a wide array of musical styles including gospel, soul, blues, reggae, rock, singer-songwriter, bluegrass, metal, pop and Americana.

Art vendors organized by the Watauga Arts Council sold clothing, accessories, decor and more while local restaurants set up tents and food trucks to serve community favorites at the event. Nonprofits participated, too, having information, resources and opportunities to donate to the organizations that

PHOTO BY JILLYAN MOBLEY Sarah Zurhellen and Will Johnson smiled at their child Greta Lou Johnson enjoying Boonerang in her noise cancelling headphones.

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“Just the awesome support from all these organizations and dozens of volunteers, it’s just really heartwarming,” Freed said. “The response from the community has been hugely enthusiastic and the energy and the vibe we got from people is so exciting.”

Freed said the planning team and volunteers are already preparing for Boonerang 2023. Though he said they are expecting some growth in “healthy, organic way,” it will remain the same at its core as a “Boone-centric, free street music and arts festival downtown the third weekend of June.”

Rounding of the warmer months was Antlers and Acorns, an innovative music festival taking place the week of Labor Day.

Working Title Farm collaborated with the Downtown Boone Development Association to bring a songwriters festival to King and Howard streets,

PHOTO BY JILLYAN MOBLEY AnnaLisa Hadnavny and Andre Pierre Rowland danced to the bluegrass music played by Wiseapple at Boonerang on June 17.

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performers that encouraged visitors to explore Boone and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Self-identified creative and festival founder Shari Smith said 93% of ticket buyers were from out-of-state, coming to town for the week specifically for the performances taking place downtown.

Smith said she loves Boone and used the festival as an opportunity to show people the town. Smith said she would share daily itineraries, highlighting local businesses and “must-sees.” Alongside the performances, songwriters went on excursions during the day. From hiking to fly fishing, fans had the opportunity to explore the High Country with their favorite artists.

Smith said an unexpected hit of the festival were morning performances at Hole Lotta Doughnuts on Friday and Saturday mornings, which brought people together to enjoy a coffee, a treat and a songwriter they loved.

In the evenings, Lost Province, Ransom, Venture Wine and Chocolate, Coyote Kitchen, Booneshine Brewing Company, The Horton Hotel and the Jones House were transformed into concert venues for various performers while the Appalachian Theatre featured headliners including John Paul White, Mary Gauthier, Matt King and Heidi Newfield and Caleb Caudle.

Smith said the week was full of memorable moments, from “nutty” to emotional. From folks “jumping up and down” at Lost Province to witnessing the “unmitigated joy that music can bring to somebody,” Smith said she is looking forward to more moments like that next year.

As the leaves changed, the festivities continued with Buskers Fest taking to King Street the evening of Oct. 7 with the planning of the Watauga Arts Council and the Downtown Boone Development Association.

The “celebration of diverse cultural and artistic community here in Watauga County” featured a poetry open-mic, African dance demonstrations, auctions, a dance floor and more than a dozen musical performers. There was also a huge paper mache guitar, a king-bed-sized weaving loom and a paint by number that all of the visitors were welcomed to contribute to.

Printmakers, cloggers, bagpipers and fiber artists were among the 60 different free opportunities of arts enjoyment taking place that evening.

“The spirit of the festival lies in the fun community atmosphere and the accessibility of the arts to everyone. We want all members of the Watauga County community to be exposed to and enjoy the arts, and to be able to recognize and appreciate the amazing artists that live among them,” said Amy Forrester, chair of the programming and events committee. “We want to keep the arts and those who provide them for our community at the top of the minds of those who are fortunate enough to enjoy them. We feel like this festival brings so many people — artists and art appreciators — together to celebrate the magic our little town has in its tight-knit community atmosphere.”

Businesses throughout downtown participated in the event. From hanging up paintings to hosting performers, the Watauga Arts Council brought the community together to celebrate artists. 2022 was a true return of the festival — old and new alike — in downtown Boone and it has set a foundation for future years to host even more community get-togethers.

PHOTO BY PIPER SAUNDERS Cidny Bullens sings at Coyote Kitchen on Sept. 9, during Boone’s Antlers and Acorns songwriters festival. This was Bullens’ first gig in two and a half years and he was very grateful for the opportunity.

PHOTO BY MOSS BRENNAN Naomi Jarrell gets help with a piece of pottery from an artist in front of the Hands Gallery during Buskers Fest.