Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014 - 30

CHAD BRANTON

BRC

Click for video from the
Bloomin' Barbeque &
Bluegrass Festival in
Sevierville, Tenn.

BRC

Click for a preview
of Blacksburg, Va.'s
2014 Fork and
Cork Festival.

CONNIE MANCHESTER

BRC

Click for a preview of
the Lewisburg, W.Va.
Chocolate Festival.

30 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

Get to Pikeville, Ky., April 24-26, to join about
100,000 people celebrating the backwoods of the
mountain frontier at Hillbilly Days. This annual
event (hillbillydays.com), along the Country Music
Highway, benefits the Shriners Hospital of Lexington,
Ky., and features three days of outrageous fun, food
and frolics.
On April 24-27, you'll find the memorable music
festival of MerleFest at Wilkes Community College
in Wilkesboro, N.C. (merlefest.org). April is, of
course, also known for April Fools, and the people of
Petersburg, W.Va., know that well: They build "anything that floats that is not a boat" and race down the
South Branch of the Potomac River - for fun - at the
Spring Mountain Festival (gowv.com), April 25-27.
By late April, the return of full foliage makes it a
grand time for Greening Up the Mountains
(MountainLovers.com, 800-962-1911) on April 26,
as Sylva, N.C., celebrates the green lifestyle. On the
same weekend, in Dahlonega, Ga., the unique Bear
on the Square Festival features musicians and crafters, on April 26-27, and recalls an incident when a
baby bear climbed a tree in town and had to be rescued (bearonthesquare.org).
Be sure to visit Blacksburg, the home of Virginia
Tech, for Fork and Cork on May 3, mixing food,
wine and art. Next, the town's Summer Solstice
Fest (downtownblacksburg.com) marks the longest
day of the year, June 20-21, with a dog parade, petting zoo, crafts fair and beach party. More fun happ e n s o n A u g . 1 - 2 a t S t e p p i n' O u t
(blacksburgsteppinout.com) when pedestrians fill
the colorful village center, browsing crafts, dancing
to music and discovering a giant sand beach plus a
dunking booth.
Art takes center stage in downtown Greenville,
S.C., during the Artisphere festival, May 9-11, an
annual three-day event (artisphere.us; 864-2719398) that gives arts patrons a rare opportunity to
meet exhibiting artists while purchasing original
works.
Come hungry: The International Biscuit
Festival celebrates all things biscuit (biscuitfest.
com) in Knoxville, Tenn., on May 15-17, with a
breakfast, brunch, bazaar, bake-off, entertainment
and pageant. Nearby, on May 16-17, you'll find the
largest event of the year in Sevierville, Tenn., with
the 10th Annual Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass
(BloominBBQ.com, 888-889-7415), featuring the
Tennessee State Championship Barbeque CookOff plus free bluegrass concerts and kids games.
Festivals mean fun for all ages, wine, and lots of
food. From the mountains of Maryland to Georgia's
Blue Ridge, the year 2014 holds much in store.

http://www.hillbillydays.com http://www.merlefest.org http://BlueRidgeCountry.com/BloominBBQ http://www.gowv.com http://www.MountainLovers.com http://www.bearonthesquare.org http://BlueRidgeCountry.com/Fork http://www.downtownblacksburg.com http://www.blacksburgsteppinout.com http://BlueRidgeCountry.com/ChocolateFest http://www.artisphere.us http://www.biscuitfest.com http://www.biscuitfest.com http://www.BloominBBQ.com

Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2014