News Release

Big South Fork Announces Demonstrators for 2019 Spring Planting and Music Festival

This year's list of demonstrators

News Release Date: April 19, 2019

Contact: Tommy Safranek, [phone]

Contact: Christopher Derman

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area will be hosting the 19th annual Spring Planting and Music Festival on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Traditional arts and crafts as well as music will be included as part of the festival throughout the day. This year’s festival will include demonstrations that emphasize the way of life when people depended on the land for their survival. Activities such as old-timey toys, quilting, flint knapping, woodcarving, soap making, basket weaving, hand spinning yarn, old-fashioned embroidery, blacksmithing, plowing with mule and horse teams, planting sorghum seed, making wooden farming implements, bee keeping, canning, and basic gardening are among a few examples. 

In addition to the plowing and demonstrations, there will be live music from some of the region’s most gifted performers, children’s activities, interpretative talks and food vendors. The day’s events will be spread out between the Bandy Creek fields, the Lora Blevins home site, and the Oscar Blevins farm. Shuttles will run between the three sites every 15 minutes to allow visitors to experience all the activities and cultural sites. 

Help us celebrate the arrival of spring and the Appalachian way of life that has been such an important part of the history of the Big South Fork area. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy a great day of good food and music. This free event starts at 9:00 AM (ET) and concludes at 4:00 PM.

For additional information, please click here: https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/springplanting.htm