OCTOBER 8, 2009 ISSUE
Fall Festivals—Next Weekend!
Valle Country Fair October 17 and Woolly Worm Festival October 17 and 18
The two biggest autumn festivals in the High Country—the Woolly Worm Festival and the Valle Country Fair—fall on the same weekend each year. The Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk takes place Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, while the Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis is a one-day event on Saturday, October 17.
Looking to skirt the crowds or heavy traffic? Festival organizers advise that Sunday at the Woolly Worm Festival is typically less crowded. As for the Valle Country Fair, several alternate routes on scenic highways will help you avoid the congestion on Highway 105.
Valle Country Fair October 17
Guests at the Valle Country Fair enjoy the sounds of bluegrass, country and traditional mountain music performed by local bands such as Diana & Sarvis Ridge. Photo by Catherine Morton
The 31st annual Valle Country Fair—the largest church bazaar around—is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, at the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Started by the small Holy Cross Episcopal Church as a fundraiser, it has grown into an annual event that attracts thousands. The fair raised more than $40,000 for local charities in 2008.
The Valle Crucis Conference Center is located on Highway 194, and the fair is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free, and ample parking is available in the adjoining field for $5 per car.
The central feature of the Valle Country Fair is its vast selection of arts and crafts, with 135 vendors carefully selected by a jury committee. Exhibitors selected for the event donate at least 10 percent of their earnings to the charitable work of the fair.
“We have lots of applicants that are not selected for the show because it’s juried,” said Bill Stone, who along with his wife Susan is coordinating this year’s event. “We really feel like we have one of the best quality craft shows in Western North Carolina.”
On the Thursday before the fair, the Apple Butter Boys start cooking down apples, sugar and spices to produce more than 200 gallons of apple butter. On fair day, they start the fires at 3:00 a.m. and have the apple butter ready to start dipping into jars around 11:30 a.m. They will fill more than 1,000 jars with the thick, sweet condiment before the fair is over. Photo by Catherine Morton
The vendor booths include 22 new sellers this year, said exhibitor coordinator Carolyn Darst, and the selection comprises folk art, jewelry, baskets, furniture, sculpture, pottery, toys, seasonal decorations, photography, leather goods, Christmas ornaments, birdhouses, glass, metal work, paintings, quilts, wood products and much more.
“There’s something for everybody there,” Darst said. “It’s a wonderful thing for the whole family to come to.”
If a day of shopping isn’t enough to entice you, the Valle Country Fair also features two entertainment stages—one for musical performers and the other for cloggers, magicians and others.
And do come hungry, because smiling volunteers are ready to fill your plates with barbecue, Brunswick Stew, chili, hot dogs and hamburgers, corndogs, sausage with onions, ham biscuits, ice cream, funnel cakes, baked goods, jams and jellies, fresh-pressed apple cider and hot-out-of-the kettle apple butter.
“We are located in one of most pristine places on Earth, and this is a wonderful time of year to be here,” Stone said. “The gift of nature, crafts, food and entertainment is second to none.”
Proceeds from the 2009 Valle Country Fair will benefit WAMY Community Action, Western Youth Network, The Hunger & Health Coalition, Parent-to-Parent Family Support Network, Child Service Coordination Program, Caregiver’s Haven, School Social Work Back Pack Program, Watauga Children’s Council Parents as Teachers and Watauga Habitat for Humanity. The Holy Cross outreach committee will distribute all remaining profits to individuals and families in crisis.
For more information, call 828-963-4609 or click to www.vallecountryfair.org.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, October 17
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Valle Crucis Conference Center
Cost: Free admission/$5 parking
Alternate Directions to the Fair
To avoid traffic congestion on Highway 105, follow these directions:
From Boone, travel west on Highway 421 and turn left on Highway 194 South. From Linville, take Highway 105 north to Foscoe and turn left on Clark’s Creek Road. Turn right at the stop sign and turn left on Highway 194. From Banner Elk, head north on Highway 194 to Valle Crucis.
Woolly Worm Festival October 17 and 18
Story by Anna Oakes
A woolly worm named Kelly was the 2008 winner, with its stripes determining the official forecast for the following winter. Photo courtesy WoollyWorm.com
One of the most unique festivals in the Southeast is dedicated to the woolly worm, the furry woodland creature said to forecast the winter weather with its 13 black and brown bands of fur.
The 32nd annual Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk will bring thousands of visitors to the High Country on Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18. The festival opens one hour earlier on both days this year, welcoming woolly worm racers and spectators from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday.
The festival takes place at Banner Elk Elementary School in downtown Banner Elk. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for kids 5 to 12 and free for kids under 5.
“It’s a great festival, as it has something for everyone,” said Roy Krege, a festival volunteer, known as “Mr. Woolly Worm,” on the Woolly Worm Festival website.
The main event, of course, is the racing of the woolly worms to determine this year’s multi-legged meteorologist. You can bring your own woolly worm or purchase one at the festival. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m.—entry fees are $5—and the racing heats begin around 10:00 a.m.
The annual Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk attracts a crowd of more than 20,000 people over two days.
Each consists of 20 worms, and races continue all day. The finals around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday will determine the official weather forecaster, and the winning worm trainer wins $1,000. Sunday’s races are for prestige, fun and small prizes.
When you’re not competing or taking in the races, you can enjoy a number of other fall festival activities, including more than 140 food and craft vendors. Items for sale include furniture, holiday items, wooden toys, jewelry, glass, pottery, paintings, folk art, candles, instruments and more.
The festival also features an expanded kids’ play area in the park, carnival rides, face painting, performances by dance teams and local entertainers and, on Sunday, live music by the John Schuffler Band.
The Woolly Worm Festival is co-sponsored by The Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce. The majority of proceeds from the festival will benefit countywide projects, especially programs benefiting children.
For more information, call 828-898-5605 or click to www.averycounty.com.
Want To Go?
Dates: Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18
Times: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday/9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday
Location: Banner Elk Elementary School
Cost: $5 adults/$2 kids 5 to 12/free kids under 5
Woolly Worm Woad Wace at Lees-McRae October 17
On Saturday, October 17, the annual Woolly Worm Woad Wace will begin at the Lees-McRae College track. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m. The foot race is five miles and will start at 10:00 a.m.
This five-mile race takes a cross-country journey through the back roads and unique landscape of Avery County. This is a challenging and fun race because of the terrain. The entry fee is $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the race. All preregistered runners will receive a race t-shirt.
The event also features a One Mile Fun Wun with a $10 entry fee. Registration takes place at the Lees-McRae College Track Field.
Proceeds from the race will help Lees-McRae’s track and field team purchase uniforms and help with expenses during the year while traveling to out-of-town events. To preregister or for more information, call the Avery County Chamber of Commerce at 828-898-5605 or click to www.averycounty.com.
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