Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2018 - 28

Hobart Jones

The Mayberry Days festival (above) is an event that happens on
Sept. 24-30 in Mount Airy, North Carolina. The Bristol Rhythem
no Roots Festival (right) comes up September 21-23 in Bristol,
Tennessee/Virginia.

What's also on the first weekend
in August: The Mineral and Gem
Festival can be found in Spruce
Pine, North Carolina, Aug. 2-5, with
mine tours and shopping for gem
stones (ncgemfest.com).
Steppin' Out runs Aug. 3-4 in
Blacksburg, Virginia, with thousands of pedestrians browsing crafts
(blacksburgsteppinout.com). Also, on
Aug. 3-4, you can find the Mount
Mitchell Crafts Fair in Burnsville, North Carolina-with more
than 200 juried artists and vendors
at the historic town square (yanceychamber.com).
Turn the page and try the Lewisburg Literary Festival in West
Virginia on Aug. 3-4, featuring visiting authors, outdoor art, music
and children's story time. Also in
the Mountain State: The multi-day
State Fair of West Virginia near
Lewisburg runs Aug. 9-18 at Fairlea,
with rides and entertainment (statefairwv.com) near Lewisburg.
Want music? Try the Old Fiddler's Convention, held Aug. 6-11
in Galax, Virginia-with concerts
and contests. For a more electric
flair, discover the Little Chicago
Downtown Music & Arts Festival in Johnson City, Tennessee, on
Aug. 10-11 (littlechicagofestival.com).
And if you really want to rock, get to
Lockn' at Arrington, Virginia, on
Aug. 23-26 (locknfestival.com).
28 BlueRidgeCountry.com

courtesy of birtHplace of country Music | adaM Martin

SEPTEMBER
As summer heads into its final
stretch, look for the North Carolina Apple Festival on Aug. 31 to
Sept. 3 at Hendersonville, featuring
apple-filled pastries, arts and the King
Apple Parade (ncapplefestival.org).
Follow The Crooked Road in Virginia for festivals in September. On
the Saturday before Labor Day each
year you'll find the Albert Hash
Memorial Festival, held this year
on Sept. 1 at Grayson Highlands
State Park (alberthashmemorialfestival.com) near Mouth of Wilson. The
next day, pop up at the Papa Joe
Smiddy Mountain Music Festival on Sept. 2 (coveridge.com) at Natural Tunnel State Park near Duffield.
Then look for the Dock Boggs &
Kate Peters Sturgill Festival on
Sept. 8 at the Country Cabin II near
Norton (dockboggsfestival.com).
For more music: Make your way
to Olive Hill, Kentucky, on Sept. 5-8
for the Fraley Festival of Traditional Music at Carter Caves State
Resort Park (800-325-0059). You can
also discover the Colonel Bill Wil-

liams Blues Festival at Greenbo
Lake State Resort Park's Amphitheater in Greenup, Kentucky, on Sept.
8 (606 473-7324).
Want to escape the summer heat
on Labor Day Weekend? Well, head
for Beech Mountain, North Carolina, where the sky above Mile High
Kite Festival fills with colorful creations as music soars on Sept. 1-2
(beechmountainchamber.com).
Still want to shop? Well, stuff
your wallet and explore the eclectic Flea Market and Gun Show
in Hillsville, Virginia, on Aug. 31 to
Sept. 3, just off I-77's Exit 14 at the
junction of U.S. 52 and U.S. 58.
You can also find the Oak Leaf
Festival at Oak Hill, West Virginia, Sept. 1-3, with vendors, crafts,
quilts, live bands and pageants (oakleaffestival.com).
Historic Morganton Festival
hosts outdoor concerts with more
than a mile of arts and crafts vendors in North Carolina on Sept. 7-8
(morgantonfest.org), just as summer
begins to fade to autumn.
You can follow the Yellow Brick
Road, but get your tickets early for
Autumn at Oz atop Beech Moun-

http://www.ncgemfest.com http://www.blacksburgsteppinout.com http://www.ncapplefestival.org http://www.yanceychamber.com http://www.beechmountainchamber.com http://www.alberthashmemorialfestival.com http://www.alberthashmemorialfestival.com http://www.statefairwv.com http://www.coveridge.com http://www.oakleaffestival.com http://www.dockboggsfestival.com http://www.morgantonfest.org http://www.littlechicagofestival.com http://www.locknfestival.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com

Blue Ridge Country - March/April 2018

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