Festivals

Friends of Wilderness Road State Park invite you to participate in this year’s Heritage Festival activities on October 12, 13, and 14. You can experience the fall season along the Wilderness Road in the early years of our Nation’s history, discovering how settlers prepared for the coming winter. The historic Martin’s Station offers educational demonstrations for your enjoyment on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: soap making, authentic music, a Longhunter’s camp, Cherokee warrior’s camp, an 18th century market, and much more.

Be sure to checkout the Abingdon Crooked Road Music Festival! It starts on October 5th at Latture Field in Abingdon with a Youth Music Concert featuring Iron Mountain Ridgerunners, Adam McPeak & Mountain Thunder and The Wright Kids. On October 6th, at Latture Field there will be music featuring Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice, Whitetop Mountain Band, Seamus Connolly and much more. It will also include many workshops such as a Dance workshop and Singing Styles.

One of the premier festivals in the area. Blue Grass & Old Time Music, barbecued chicken, sorghum molasses, and quality arts & crafts. Don't miss the auctioning of the Wild Ponies from Grayson Highlands State Park! Visit www.graysonvirginia.com or cal 276-579-6423 or email ghfallfestival@yahoo.com for more information.

Celebrate the second oldest river in the world, the New River with the Town of Fries. Listen to live Old Time & Bluegrass Music while you enjoy wonderful food, arts and crafts and relax along the banks of the New. Take a canoe ride of bring your fishing pole and enjoy the afternoon. Visit www.friesva.com for more information or call 276-744-2231

This festival honors the life of late legendary fiddler and instrument maker, Albert L Hash and hopes to preserve and promote traditional mountain music, dance, crafts, and instrument making. Enjoy a day full of mountain music, crafts, dance, food and fun. Form more information including location call 276-579-4322, or visit www.alberthashmemorialfestival.com

Old Time & Bluegrass Competition. Two nights of competition in the Fries Town Park at Fries, Virginia. Come and camp, compete or just enjoy the sounds of our mountain music heritage. Food available. Grounds open at 8:00 am on the first day of the Convention. Visit www.friesva.com for more information or call 276-744-2231.

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the file, Dirty Dancing, at the Dirty Dancing Festival on August 11th in downtown Pearisburg. Activities include Children Activities, Mountain Lake Bus Tours, Dirty Dancing Indoor Movie Showing, Silent Auction, Log Dance Contest, Baby & Johnny Look-A-Like Contest, Dirty Dancing Lessons, Dirty Dance Competition, Talent Show, Live! Sound Express/The Legacy Band. Access to festival vendors, car cruise-in and many of the activities are FREE! Enter an activity or contest for just one ticket or $3!

The 33rd annual Wise County Famous Fall Fling will be held in downtown Wise, Va., the weekend of October 8 and 9. Held in the heart of downtown Wise, which features the historic Wise County Courthouse and the Inn at Wise, which is undergoing restoration, the event features nonstop traditional music and mountain crafts artisans. Six artisans, including a blacksmith and a wood spinner, will be exhibiting their crafts.

Ticket office opens at 10:30am. Music starts at noon. Featuring The Celtibillies, Dale Jett and Hello Stranger, and the Dust Busters, plus Papa Joe Smiddy, Mountain Melody, Ron Short and the Possum Playboys, Mountain Empire Community College Music School students, and Rich and the Po' Folks. Admission $10.