Valley’s Festivals Are Year-Round Attractions
Published Feb 23, 2009
The nine-day Fun Fest draws about 180,000 people to Kingsport, Tenn., each year for concerts and many other kinds of events.
Fans of fun, rejoice.
Feel free to dust off your kilt and head to Elizabethton, Tenn., for the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival. And be sure to wear your clogging shoes when attending the Clinch Mountain MusicFest in Scott County, Va.
The Northeast Tennessee Valley region has dozens of festivals each year, with just about every month covered. Springtime events include the Iris Festival in Greeneville, Tenn., while summertime attractions include the Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tenn., each August. In the fall, there is the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and wintertime attractions include A Candlelight Christmas in Piney Flats, Tenn., as well as Speedway in Lights from November to January in Bristol, Tenn.
“In Northeast Tennessee, events are our specialty,” says Claudia Moody, chief executive officer of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association. “Live music performances are abundant at festivals, some of which include the nation’s finest Americana, old-time, country, bluegrass and gospel music. After all, this is a land where country music was born and where mountain music thrives.”
One of the biggest annual attractions, Fun Fest, takes place in Kingsport, Tenn., over nine days. Activities include a Tour de Possum Creek bike ride, an 8K run, concerts, a film festival, arts show, block parties and a Mardi Gras parade. “We actually schedule 100 events,” says coordinator Lucy Fleming. Fun Fest draws about 180,000 people annually.
Also in Tennessee, the Independence Day Celebration at Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone extends to a second day. And the Rhythm & Roots Reunion is held on a weekend each September on both sides of the Tennessee-Virginia state line in Bristol.
Other annual events of note include, in Tennessee, the Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City, the Unicoi County Apple Festival in Erwin and Heritage Days in Rogersville; and, in Virginia, the Mountain Treasures Festival in Dungannon, Nickelsville Days and Duffield Daze.
Story by Kevin Litwin
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