SEPTEMBER 2, 2010 ISSUE
Elk Knob Community Day September 11
Work on the Elk Knob Summit Trail continues. The sixth annual Elk Knob Community Day takes place Saturday, September 11, to celebrate the preservation of the communities and natural areas surrounding the peak.The sixth annual Elk Knob Community Day will take place on Saturday, September 11, at Elk Knob State Park from 11:00 a.m. until about 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish to share, and lunch will begin at 12:00 p.m. Between 400 and 500 people usually attend the gathering, said Elk Knob State Park Superintendent Larry Trivette.
In addition to all the food, the Community Day will feature wagon rides; apple butter and apple cider making; an operating grist mill; displays and demonstrations of pottery, chair caning, quilting, spinning and corn shuck doll making; and old-fashioned children’s games. Park officials will also lead environmental programs and a hike on the Elk Knob trail.
Performers include Lost Faculties, the Forget-Me-Nots, Dollar Boys, the Swing Guitars, Maggie Idol, Appalachian Rhythm Cloggers and the Appalachian Studies String Band.
The Community Day is organized by the Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization (EKCHO). In 2000, the communities of Elk Knob were on the brink of radical transformation, with the potential for development of a ski slope or gated community. With the assistance of Tommy Walsh, the Nature Conservancy was able to purchase a large track of land that became the Elk Knob State Natural Area in 2003.
The first Community Day was held in 2005 to celebrate the opening of the new park.
A limited edition print by Stephen Shoemaker called “Ripshin Trestle at Whitetop, Va.” will be raffled off at the Community Day to benefit EKCHO. Tickets are one for $5 or three for $10 and can be purchased up until the time of the drawing on September 11 from any EKCHO Board member. You do not have to be present to win. For information about the raffle, contact Jan Ellison at 828-297-7971 or Meghan Minton at 336-977-4774.
To get to Elk Knob State Park from Boone, travel 4.5 miles north on N.C. 194 to Meat Camp Road. Turn left and travel 5.5 miles to the top. For more information, call the Elk Knob State Park office at 828-297-7261.
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