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Weekend Roundup: Things to Do This Memorial Day Weekend; Check ‘em Out, Make Plans May 23-26

by Madison V. Fisler

May 23, 2014. The High Country has so many exciting events to offer its community and visitors, especially on Memorial Day Weekend! Check our site every Friday for something new and exciting to look forward to while you’re watching the hour hand crawl to 5 o’clock. Find live music down the street, explore a nearby town’s local secrets or try out a new square dancing class. There’s always something fun to do in the High Country.

Weekend-Long Events

Check out this week’s movie trailers and our weekly movie review of Godzilla, click here.

Le Jardin Anime: Northwestern Studios will present two family-friendly dance production this weekend. Jazz, Tap & More Revue will be presented on Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m. The children’s ballet “The Animated Garden – Le Jardin Anime” will be performed on Saturday, May 24 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 25 at 3 p.m. All performances are at Watauga High School’s Ross Auditorium. For more information about this event click here

Friday, May 23

Wilkesboro’s Weekly Open Air Market: The Open Air Market is scheduled May 2 through September 19, 2014 on a weekly basis. The regular market is open every Friday from 4:00-8:00 pm. The vendor selling are farmers with locally grown fruits, vegetables, plants and local art & craft vendors, baked goods, plus many other vendors. This market will take place in the town owned parking lot across from the 50’s Restaurant and Royall’s Framing on Main Street in downtown Wilkesboro.

Lions Club Dance: Friday Night Chilhowie Lions Club Dance – For a great time, fellowship and clean family fun, come listen and/or dance to the music of a different band every Friday night. 

Saturday, May 24

Wild Honey Concert: Wild Honey, a trio of Ashe County rock n’ rollers is slated to take the stage at the Ashe Civic Center on Saturday, May 24 at 8 p.m., offering an evening of locally-grown music. Formed in July 2013, Wild Honey’s driving impulse is to offer music grounded in tunefulness, lyricism and groove. While their music blends folk, country and blues, Wild Honey perhaps fits best in the category of old-school rock n’ roll. For more information on this event click here. 

Missions Possible: Enjoy a day filled with live music, food, crafts, a bake sale, silent auction and more held on Saturday, May 24 from 12-7 p.m. Barbeque dinner will be served from 5:30-7 p.m. Plates are $10 each and include barbeque, sides, dessert and a drink. All proceeds will benefit missions. Located at Howard’s Creek Baptist Church at 240 Howard’s Creek Church Rd. in Boone. For more information about this event call 828-264-1908.

SUP Race: Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) is the hottest water sport craze sweeping the nation, and people in Tricities are ready for the action. As the sport has grown in participants, the first competitive paddleboard regional race is coming to our area Memorial Day Weekend with the Warrior Challenge at Warrior’s Path State Park on Saturday, May 24. SUPing began in Hawaii not long ago and spread quickly to the West Coast. The first SUP race was held in Tahoe City, Ca. in 2007 and has become a frequent sight on both coasts in the last few years. It was only a matter of time before the activity found its way to the beautiful lakes of our region. The race was created by a new organization called Southern Stroke Paddle Series (SSPS) a ten-race series that stretches from Tennessee to Alabama to Georgia to North Carolina. Two of the ten races will be in our area: the Warrior Challenge on May 24 in Kingsport on Patrick Henry Lake and the Appalachian Challenge on Aug. 23 in Butler on Watauga Lake. It is sponsored locally by Tricities Stand Up Paddleboard store located in Bristol, Tenn. For more information, visit www.TriSUP.net. TriSUP is located at 514 State Street in Bristol.

Flapjack Fundraiser: Come out to Applebee’s in Boone for a delicious breakfast for an amazing cause. Tickets are $7. All proceeds go to support the Hospitality House thrift project that will be a job training and financial literacy program for the clients we serve. The Hospitality House serves those living in crisis, homelessness, and poverty in the High Country. With Watauga County’s poverty rate at 29%, the third highest in the state, the need is very high for the housing and supportive service we provide. To purchase tickets, stop by the front desk at the Hospitality House, located at 338 Brook Hollow Road in Boone.

Watauga County Farmers’ Market: Join us for the 40th anniversary season of Watauga County Farmers’ Market! The farmers’ market has been Boone’s Town Square since 1974. 

Ashe County Farmers’ Market: We will have everything from fresh produce and meats to plants and crafts all under one roof!

Hickory Ridge Living History Museum: Hickory Ridge Living History Museum, located on the grounds of “Horn in the West,” is an eighteenth-century living history museum highlighting the daily lives of our mountain ancestors. See live demonstrations of a various pioneer skills, such as hearthside cooking, flintlock rifle, blacksmithing, spinning and weaving, etc. Open Saturday mornings, May – October (during Farmers Market on site), and evenings before “Horn in the West,” Tues. – Sun., late-June through mid-August. Admission to the museum is by donation.

Elk Knob Volunteer Trail Work Day: Warmer weather has finally returned along with the Volunteer Trail Work Days at Elk Knob State Park. Every Saturday beginning April 5 and running through the middle of November (except June 28 and September 13), staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 am and work until approximately 3:30 pm, weather permitting. Tools are provided but volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and bring work gloves, lunch and water. Most of the time will be spent building our new one mile loop trail, the Beech Tree Trail, although we may include some repair work on the Summit Trail. If you would like to be involved in a fulfilling project that will fill you with a well-deserved sense of pride, then join us on Saturdays at Elk Knob State Park. For more information please call 828-297-7261.

Miner’s Heritage Day: Join your friends on Saturday, May 24th for Miner’s Heritage Day at Emerald Village near Little Switzerland, from 9 till 6. Celebrate the gem and mineral heritage of the mountains at historic mines in a spectacular setting! Enjoy free live music under the tent from 11 to 4, with 5 great original musical acts, including Celo Conley, Jesse Smith, Pete & Kim McWhirter, Glen Nance & Lenny Ski, and Paul Thomas and friends. Good food from the Switzerland Cafe will be available. Take a free guided hike to a hidden mine at 11:30 or 3:30. Children (12 and under) will enjoy the free Kid’s Treasure Hunt all day. At 1:30 there will be a free mine history presentation at the entrance to the Big Deal Mine. Gem Mining, Mineral collecting and Gold Panning will be offered all day, and the free Discovery Mill exhibits will be open! Come back at 9:00 PM for a one-of-a-kind underground Black Light Mine Tour. It’ll be a great day to celebrate the start of summer! Come see why Emerald Village is called “North Carolina’s Gem” and is the Granddaddy of all gem attractions in North Carolina!

Johnson County Farmers’ Market: The main work of the Johnson County Farmers Market is to help strengthen a sustainable local agricultural and food economy. We do this by providing education, engaging in community and economic development, and promoting the availability and benefits of local food and agriculture.

High Country Kid’s Triathlon: High Country Kids Triathlon, May 24th, 10 am at Watauga County Parks and Recreation Department. Swim is in the pool; bike and run on the Greenway Trail. 3 age groups and distances: 8 & Under: swim 50m, bike 1 mile, run .5 miles; 9 to 12 age group: swim 100m, bike 3 miles, run 1 mile; and 13 to 18: swim 200mm, bike 4 miles, run 1.5 miles.

Carlton Gallery Opening Reception: Spring is finally here in the High Country…Almost…..we hope! Our artists have had a great winter creating beautiful new works of art so please join us for our first Exhibition and Opening Reception of the season!

Barbeque Dinner Fundraiser: Enjoy a delicious BBQ dinner as part of the second annual Missions Possible Festival. Plates are $10 and include pork barbeque, slaw, beans, dessert and drink. In addition, there will be live music, crafts, a silent auction, a bake sale, cornhole and more. BBQ will be served 5:30 – 7 pm. Festival hours are noon – 7 pm, so come early and enjoy the day! All proceeds benefit missions.

Sunday, May 25

David Holt and the Lightning Bolts at Tweetsie Railroad: For one day only, a unique blend of mountain music will ring through Tweetsie Railroad when the park welcomes four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt and his assembled group of stellar musicians, the Lightning Bolts, on Sunday, May 25 at noon and 3 p.m. For more information about this event click here.

Mountain Home Music Concert: A musical celebration for the Memorial Day weekend will be presented by Mountain Home Music at Boone United Methodist Church on Sunday, May 25 at 7:30 p.m. Music for the evening will be classic country and patriotic. Featured is David Johnson, a familiar face and great friend of Mountain Home Music. For more information about this event click here.

St. Mary of the Hills Evensong: The choir of St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church in Blowing Rock will present the first choral evensong of the season this Sunday afternoon, May 25, at 3:30 p.m. in the newly refurbished nave of the church. For more information about this event click here.  

Elk Knob State Park Program: In celebration of butterflies and moths, come learn about their fascinating history, interactions with humans, and amazing, little known facts about these marvelous creatures.

Watauga Community Band Concert: The Watauga Community Band will perform its annual Memorial Day Concert at 3:00pm, Sunday, May 25, 2014 at the Rosen Concert Hall, in the Hayes School of Music, on the campus of Appalachian State University. The band, under the direction of Bill Winkler, will honor our fallen service men and women with pieces such as “Armed Forces Salute,” arranged by Bob Lowden, and “Mansions of the Lord,” by Randall Wallace. The band will also perform “Each Time You Tell Their Story,” a poem written by Dr. Samuel J. Hazo and set to music by his son, Samuel R. Hazo. The concert is free, and all are welcome to join us in honoring our military heroes.

Program at Grandfather Mountain State Park: Meet a Ranger and learn about the classic ten essential items of backpacking, the Grandfather Mountain ten essentials and see examples of the types of equipment that hikers should be taking with them. The program will last 30 – 45 minutes and will be outside. Dress appropriately for the weather. If there is new snow or ice, please call ahead. Meet at the Lowes Foods parking lot at the far left side of the lot when looking at the building. Lowe’s Food is located on the left side of the road just past the Profile Parking lot. Please contact the park office if you have further questions. 828-963-9522.

Alpen Summer Concerts: The Beech Alpen Summer Concert Series showcases the best in local music with breathtaking views! Featured bands perform a variety of music including Classic Rock-n-Roll, Beach, Motown, Soul, Country/Bluegrass, Swing, Jazz and Blues. Concerts take place on the lawn of the Beech Alpen Inn Pavilion every Sunday 5-9 Memorial Day thru Labor Day. Seating is provided or bring your own chair/blanket. Special lawn menu is available from the Alpen Inn Restaurant. Concerts are free and open to the public. Pets on leashes are welcome.

Monday, May 26

Memorial Day Ceremony at Boone Mall: This Memorial Day, Boone Mall will host the eighth annual Memorial Day Ceremony held by The High Country Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 26. For more information about this event click here

Color Blast 5K: On Memorial Day, May 26, Hospitality House and Western Youth Network (WYN) are teaming up to host the Memorial Day Color Blast 5K Run/Walk to raise funds, awareness and support for families and youth in our community. The event will take place on the Boone Greenway Trail at Clawson-Burnley Park beginning at 5 p.m. For more information about this event click here

Smyth County Jam: Our goal is to provide a musical event that will showcase the various musicians and singers in the surrounding area while teaching the aspects of musicianship as well as encouraging the development of new talents while at the same time providing entertainment as a service to the community and the county.

Blowing Rock Pool Opens: With temperatures steadily rising and days lengthening, summer is rapidly approaching and pool season is nearly here. Starting on Memorial Day Monday, May 26, Grover C. Robbins Memorial Swimming Pool in Blowing Rock will be open to the public. The pool is located on Clark Street at Broyhill Park in downtown Blowing Rock.