Watauga County’s Back 2 School Festival is one of 127 different non-profit organizations that have received funds from the Valle Country Fair over the past 47 years. Organizers of the Back 2 School Festival provide students with school supplies, new shoes & socks, backpacks, haircuts and healthy food in an atmosphere of fun, dignity and respect. (Watauga County Schools photo)
VALLE CRUCIS, NC — Helene turned our world upside down last year and forced the cancelation of the 2024 Valle Country Fair (VCF), but the congregation of Holy Cross Episcopal Church rallied and is planning to reintroduce the beloved Fair on October 18, 2025, at the Red Barn pasture on Highway 194 between Banner Elk and Valle Crucis.
Since its inception in 1979, the Valle Fair — a celebration of Appalachian food, crafts, and music — has raised $1.3 million for local charities and for High Country families with emergency needs. A total of 127 different charitable organizations (along with thousands of area families) have benefitted from the Valle Country Fair.
VCF spokesperson Catherine Morton said that after Helene, “our congregation and friends stepped up and gave generously to make up for lost proceeds so that our Mission and Outreach Committee would have funds to help our High Country neighbors facing ongoing crises from Helene.”
Mountain Alliance shows up in force to help with the logistics of putting on the Valle Country Fair as a truckload of teens show up to help transport equipment and supplies from storage to the field to set up for the event. The teens return again after the crowds depart to help pack equipment and transport it back to the storage room. (Mountain Alliance photo)
The Mission and Outreach Commission at Holy Cross partners with local agencies that cover a range of needs, from hunger and homelessness to companionship for the elderly and afterschool and summer camps for local children. Fair proceeds have also benefited multiple service organizations, provided seed money for women and veterans to start small businesses, funded programs for disabled youth, and supported Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society.
“For 47 years, the Valle Country Fair has lived its mission of ‘neighbors helping neighbors’,” said VCF 2025 Chairman David Johnston. “We are unique in that we not only support local nonprofits, but pitch in to help individual families with emergencies — things like fuel oil, help with medical bills, and rent assistance. All of us involved with the Fair are grateful for the ongoing commitment that our partner organizations have to the High Country community.”
Not only has the Valle Country Fair poured more than $1.3 million into assisting neighbors in need over the past 47 years, in 2019 the Boone Chamber of Commerce recognized the event as an important driver in the local tourism economy. (Photo by Ahren Koenig)
When you come to the Fair, plan on a day of local musicians on the main stage, fabulous foods, and award- winning artisans presenting their work. Every year, Holy Cross parishioners and volunteers don their overalls and grow their beards for an authentic apple butter experience or make real apple cider in the cider barn. Others make barbecue and old-fashioned Brunswick stew, and there’s a jam tent and a bake sale to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Our bakers are careful to list the ingredients on the baked goods and there’s always a big gluten-free selection, too.
The Valle Country Fair is a fall festival held the third Saturday in October in a large pasture with an iconic Red Barn, located alongside NC Highway 194 between Valle Crucis and Banner Elk. Admission is free, and parking is $10 per car. The Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. NO PETS are allowed.
Media sponsors for the 2025 Valle Country Fair are Curtis Media Group, WATA radio, and the Mountain Times Publications. This project was supported by the Watauga Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The Valle Country Fair is a joint effort between Holy Cross Episcopal Church and the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Proceeds are used to provide grants to local non-profit organizations, and relief to local families with emergency needs. For more information, contact Holy Cross Church at 828-963-4609 ext. 23 or visit the Fair website at www.vallecountryfair.org.
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