15th Annual Townsend Heritage Festival
and Old Timers Day
Was held September 28-29, 2007:
We had lots of fun! Below are highlights, and be sure to attend our other festivals!
The 16th Annual Townsend Heritage Festival and Old Timers Day will be
September 26-27, 2008
Stay tuned for details!
(Please use the inside scroll bar on the right to view events below.)
This Fall Heritage Festival celebrates mountain culture, including bluegrass music, Appalachian arts and crafts demonstrations, and the natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Featured: bluegrass and mountain music performances, an antique tractor and engine show, storytelling, children’s activities, crafts by local artisans, and demonstrations of a variety of traditional skills including basketry, spinning, weaving, sorghum molasses, apple butter making, lye soap, beekeeping, and blacksmithing.
Festival events are free and take place on the grounds of the Townsend Visitors Center, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN 37882. For more information, please call the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-525-6834 or 865-448-6134.
Thank you to Mary Grace and Bud McCaffery for Festival Photography.
Festival Daily Activities of 2007:
All day: Appalachian Skills on the Grounds
Mountain Berry Basket Making and Poetry, Bill Alexander
Chair Caning, Lois Parker
Blacksmithing, David Thompson
Sorghum Molasses Making, Mark and Sherry Guenther
Apple Butter Making, Marie DeVault and friends
Beekeeping and Observation Hive, Tony Holt
Pottery demonstrations at various times to be announced, Carol Ware and Janet Harper
Herbal Harvest, Honey Rock Herb Farm, D. Brown
9:00am-6:00pm: Arts and crafts in the Exhibit Room:
Rug Hooking, Carol McBride
Weaving, Effie Suttles
Spinning on the Great Wheel, Dale Liles
Quilting, Ila Mae Morton and Maetta Conrad
Basketry, Bonny Kate Sugg
Woodcarving, Lendel Abbott
12:00noon-10:00pm: Bluegrass Music on the Stage and Jam Sessions on the porch and under the trees
10:00am and 2:00pm: Harvesting and Using Herbs from the Fall Garden with D. Brown of Honey Rock Herb Farm. Plants for sale all day Friday
10:00am-6:00pm: Arts and Crafts Booths along the Bike Trail
10:00am-5:00pm: Featured Author and Book-Signing with Sam Venable in the Visitor Center
1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm: Cake Walk and Bake Sale, with proceeds to the Hearts and Hands Scholarship Fund
5:15pm: Scarecrow and Appalachian Face Jugs Auction to benefit the Blount County Humane Society and Heritage Middle School. Ralph Lindsey, auctioneer.
All day: Antique Engine and Tractor Show
All day: Appalachian Skills on the Grounds
Mountain Berry Basket Making and Poetry, Bill Alexander
Chair Caning, Lois Parker
Blacksmithing, David Thompson
Sorghum Molasses Making, Mark and Sherry Guenther
Apple Butter Making, Marie DeVault and friends
Beekeeping and Observation Hive, Tony Holt
Pottery demonstrations at various times by Carol Ware, Janet Harper, and Marion Schlauch
9:00am-6:00pm: Arts and crafts in the Exhibit Room:
Rug Hooking, Carol McBride
Weaving, Effie Suttles
Spinning on the Great Wheel, Dale Liles
Quilting, Ila Mae Morton and Maetta Conrad
Basketry, Bonny Kate Sugg
Woodcarving, Lendel Abbott
9:00am-12:00noon: Young Folks Program and Family Fun in the Storytelling Tent
Children's Songs and Tunes with Mike Clemmer, Wood-N-Strings Dulcimers
Old fashioned toys and puzzles by Charles Goosie
Nature Games and Hands-on Fun with Great Smoky Mountains Institute
Spinning Wheel show and tell with Dale Liles
Book-reading, puppets, and nature talk with Robin Goddard: The Great Smoky Mountains Salamander Ball, by Lisa Horstman
Visits and activities with bear experts from the Appalachian Bear Rescue Center: games and fun facts for wildlife conservation
Tours of "The Dorothy" locomotive with "Railroad Days" at the Little River Railroad Museum
"Pottery Pals", demonstrations with Carol Ware, Janet Harper, and Marion Schlauch
11:00am-10:30pm: Bluegrass Music on the Stage and Jam Sessions on the porch under the trees
10:00am-6:00pm: Arts and Crafts Booths along the Bike Trail
10:00am-5:00pm: Featured Author and Book-signing with Bill Lea in the Visitor Center
1:00pm-4:00pm: Storytelling by Sam Venable, Robin Goddard, and Dwight McCarter in the Storytelling Tent.
1:00pm, 3:00pm, and 5:00pm: Cake Walk and Bake Sale, with proceeds to the Hearts and Hands Scholarship Fund
The Heritage Festival is sponsored by the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Please Note: Schedule is subject to change. For updates and more information, contact the Townsend Visitor Center, 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Townsend, TN 37882, 865-448-6134. http://www.smokymountains.org/
