Heritage Festival is Saturday

The Mountain Heritage Festival is scheduled for this Saturday, Sept. 28, in downtown Sparta.

There is no admission charge to attend the events, which are to begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Activities are planned for the entire family, including live music, arts and crafts for sale, food and concessions and a play area for children.

"The chamber does this as a way to promote Sparta," said Leanne Murray, the chamber's executive director. "The purpose of the event is to give local business people and artisans the opportunity to generate income, while also drawing in people from outside the county to have fun as tourists and become more familiar with our merchants.

"I consider the festival an economic development tool," added Murray. Numerous demonstrations, including carving, quilt-making and other down-home skills, will be featured.

Children's events will include pony rides, pony and cart rides, carnival games with prizes, an obstacle course/maze and a giant slide.

Two featured groups are slated to perform in the event, including bluegrass bands Fast Forward and the Cana Ramblers. Performances featuring old time music, gospel, clogging and dancing will be featured.

This year, all entrants must feature hand-made crafts. Items to be offered include pottery, jewelry, wood crafts, candles, baskets, dolls, wreaths, ceramics and furniture.

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back