Who will pick the winning winter weather worm this year? The 36th annual Woolly Worm Festival, scheduled for Oct. 18-19 in Banner Elk, is coming up quick! Since 1978, the residents of beautiful, scenic Banner Elk have celebrated the coming of winter with the highly-anticipated event that always takes place on the third weekend of October.
BY MADISON FISLER LEWIS
After being postponed due to rain earlier this month, the annual Shag at Sugar Mountain will finally take place on Saturday, Aug. 23. The event will be held from 4:30-9 p.m. at Sugar Mountain Golf Clubhouse located at 1054 Sugar Mtn Dr. in Sugar Mountain. “The first one was in 2010 to celebrate our 25th anniversary as a township,” said Tammy Floyd, Clerk at the Village of Sugar Mountain. “But people loved it so much and asked for it again and again so we obliged and made it an annual event.”
BY MADISON FISLER LEWIS
In celebration of a long-awaited Boone spring, the fourth annual Boone in Blossom Festival will bring a weekend’s worth of local art, music and community service to the High Country May 2-4. Hosted by the Boone Community Network and presented by Gati Productions, Boone in Blossom and its fall sister festival Harvest Boone promote local community service, music, and visual and healing arts.
BY RACHEL EMILY AUTON
June 21, 2013. The second annual Festival of the Book will kick off on Saturday, June 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Watauga High School. Sponsored by the Friends of the Watauga County Library, the festival will allow participants to join authors, exhibitors and other bibliophiles for a day of literary celebration.
June 21, 2013. For two days, the High Country Fairgrounds will be taken over by the first annual Siren Mountain Jam, a two-day frestival showcasing women’s music and art in the High Country of North Carolina. On June 21 – 22, the festival will showcase a dozen musical acts, over 30 artist vendors, a healing arts village, workshops, food vendors with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and on-site camping.
BY MADISON V. FISLER
April 19, 2013.The unique culture of Valle Crucis will be on display at Valle Crucis Community Park’s inaugural Rootsfest.
The festival, to be held on June 15, will feature live music, arts and crafts vendors, historical and educational displays and demonstrations, and activities for children of all ages.
April 17, 2013. The fourth annual Blue Mountain Documentary Festival will present 10 student documentary projects Thursday, April 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Appalachian State University’s Belk Library Room 114. The event is free and open to the public.
Oct. 31, 2012. Watauga High School will welcome more than 250 high school actors from 11 different schools at the annual North Carolina Theatre Conference Regional High School Play Festival this Friday and Saturday Nov. 2 and 3. The high school’s honors acting class, the Pioneer Playmakers, along with more than 80 volunteers, will help run 14 one-act plays over the course of the two days. The festival is free.
Sept. 15, 2012. The 15th annual Cove Creek Farm Heritage Day takes place in the vibrant community of Sugar Grove and celebrates the rich heritage of Watauga County on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the fields of the Historic Cove Creek School.
BY JESSE WOOD & PAUL T. CHOATE