Celebrate Blue Ridge Heritage
at Annual Ferrum Festival

Life in the 1800s at the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum
Photo by Charles Pannell

Slated to kickoff at 10 a.m. on Saturday October 28, the 2006 Blue Ridge Folklife Festival is billed as a celebration of Virginia’s folkways. Each fall the campus of Ferrum College transforms into a day-long celebration of living regional traditions for this event, where visitors learn about the old-time customs and competitions.

Dozens of folk artisans will be on hand to demonstrate their skills and sell crafts, while three stages of performers will entertain festival-goers with ballads, blues, gospel, singing, and string band music of the Blue Ridge. The Mountain Comforts Quilt show will showcase antique and contemporary quilts made by artists in the area and lots of old-time food will be available. And don’t miss the horse pull and coon dog competitions which highlight the skills of working animals and their handlers.

This annual festival is held at the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum which features level parking, accessible restrooms, barrier-free access to the inside galleries and level gravel and dirt pathways in the farm museum area.

For more information about the festival or other programs at the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, visit www.blueridgeinstitute.org.

The Blue Ridge Institute is located in Ferrum, which is near the eastern terminus of Virginia’s Crooked Road. This 200-mile heritage music trail winds through Southwest Virginia and connects major music venues and heritage sites. For more information about accessible music venues, heritage sites and lodging options along the Crooked Road, read the Autumn 2006 issue of Emerging Horizons.