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PrintThe 35th annual Mountaineer Folk Festival promises a weekend full of traditional food, music and crafts Sept. 6-8 at Fall Creek Falls State Park.
The festival begins with a Friday Night Square Dance featuring The Roan Mountain Hill Toppers, The Blue Creek Ramblers and renowned banjo player Leroy Troy.
Troy is known for his work with the Tennessee Mafia Jugband and Marty Stuart, appearing weekly on The Marty Stuart show on RFD-TV.
Saturday offers a day filled with handmade crafts, demonstrations of pioneer skills and country cooking. Two stages will fill the air with traditional mountain music from Jerry Tipton & Friends, Roy Harper, West Girls, Cumberland, T. McCarrol, Catoosa Canyon, Old Time Travelers and many more.
The music continues Sunday with a performance by Norman and Nacy Blake.
In a career spanning more than 50 years, Norman Blake has played in a number of folk and country groups. He is considered one of the leading figures in the bluegrass revival of the 1970s.
But the true star of the Mountaineer Folk Festival is the park itself.
Fall Creek Falls State Park, located at 10821 Park Road, Pikeville, Tenn., is home to the highest free-fall waterfall east of the Mississippi River.
The park, situated on the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau, contains approximately 26,000 acres of pristine wilderness. Inside the park are both recreational facilities and campgrounds from where visitors can use more than 50 miles of trails, including 25 miles of backpacking trails and 20 miles of biking trails, which wind their way around waterfalls and scenic overlooks.
Questions about the Mountaineer Folk Festival or the park itself should be addressed to the Nature Center at 423-881-5708. Cabins and rooms can be reserved at Fall Creek Inn by calling 423-881-5241 or 1-800-250-8610.
