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The 37th Annual World Famous Woolly Worm Festival Kicks Off Oct. 18 and 19 in Downtown Banner Elk

Aug. 28, 2014. Get your Woolly Worms ready for the 37th annual Woolly Worm Festival! The town of Banner Elk welcomes both old and new friends to this family event hosted by the Avery County Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Organization of Banner Elk on the lawn of the Historic Banner Elk Elementary School in downtown Banner Elk.

woolly_worm_38th_annual_2014_poster_wc7_flatThis year’s festival will include foods and craft vendors, great music all weekend, clog and dance teams, trampoline and inflatable rides. The festival’s more than 140 craft vendors will be selling handcrafted wares from woolly worm memorabilia to items crafted for family heirlooms. There will be something for everyone! Be sure to stop by the Pink Gorilla Souvenir T-Shirt booth located near the Wace stage and purchase your 2014 official Woolly Worm t-shirt.

Participants wishing to race their worm may register at 9 a.m. and shortly thereafter, the races will begin. Twenty-five worms are in each heat, but please come early as races fill up early in the afternoon, said Executive Director of the Chamber Susan Freeman.

“And we want all contestants to have an opportunity to Wace their Worm!”

Don’t have a woolly worm? One may be purchased from the Banner Elk PTO booth right beside the gates for only $1. Remember to name your worm. Some favorite names from previous years have been “The Worminator,” “Sir Worms A Lot” and of course “Merry.” The winning worm on Saturday holds the esteemed honor of predicting the winter weather in the High Country and for its hard day of competing against other would-be challengers, will earn prize monies of $1,000 which we hope the winning worm will share with its owner. The fun continues on Sunday where the winning woolly worm earns a cool $500.

It is a wonderful community event with all net proceeds returned to our community to promote our small businesses and enhance children’s programs. Tickets can be purchased online at www.WoollyWorm.com to save time at a slightly higher cost. Befriend Merryweather Woolly Worm on Facebook for the latest updates. Come enjoy the camaraderie of the day and cheer on your favorite Woolly. For more information, contact The Avery County Chamber of Commerce at 800-972-2183 or visit www.AveryCounty.com.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, put on your wunning shoes and compete in the Woolly Worm Woad Wace. The five-mile footwace begins at 9 a.m. on the track at Lees-McRae College (Wegistration the day of the wace begins at 7:30a.m.). There will also be a one-mile Fun Wun. Wegister online at: http://runsignup.com/woollywormwoadwace or stop by the Avery County Chamber office or the Williams YMCA.