The smell of fried bread and kettle corn, and the sound of chainsaws and singers will appear once again this year at Mountain Heritage Day. The festival is back for its 37th year on the WCU campus showcasing the finest crafts, food, music, and dancing of the Southern Appalachian Mountains on Saturday, September 24. Festivities will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the Intramural Fields next to Whitmire Stadium. It is a free event with no charge for parking, but come early to find a spot.
The beard and mustache contest is not the only event going on at the annual Mountain Heritage Day. More than 100 craft vendors from the Southern Appalachian area will be demonstrating their skills as well as offering visitors the opportunity to take home their own piece of Appalachian heritage. Jewelry, glass work, wood working, and pottery are just a few categories of vendors selling their unique pieces Saturday.
Plan to stop by the two performance stages located on the grounds to enjoy sights and sounds of Appalachian heritage and tradition. Blue grass and gospel music groups will 
be joined by groups of cloggers to entertain festival attendees.
During the duration of the festival various community members will be demonstrating their trades including blacksmithing, Cherokee pottery, logging skills, and sorghum molasses-making. Cherokee stickball games, sharpnote singing, and black-powder shooting will be demonstrated throughout the day at various times. Registration for the annual chainsaw competition begins at 9 a.m., with the contest beginning at 10 a.m.
For more information about what to expect at Mountain Heritage Day and a schedule of events visit their website. Here is a list of General Events for the day of the festival:
EVENTS
9 a.m. – Registration begins for woodcutting contest
10 a.m. – Woodcutting contest begins; festival booths open, offering arts, crafts and food; antique auto show begins; demonstrations of folk arts and skills begin; Mountain Heritage Center opens
10:30 a.m. – Exhibition of black-powder shooting and “Sacred Harp” shaped-note sing begin
11 a.m. – Exhibition of Cherokee stickball begins
11:30 a.m. – Recognition of arts and crafts awards, and food contest winners, at Balsam Stage
12:10 p.m. – Presentation of Mountain Heritage Awards, traditional attire contests for children and adults, and beard and moustache contest, all on Blue Ridge Stage
1 p.m. – Exhibition of Cherokee courtship game “Fish” begins
1:30 p.m. – “Christian Harmony” shaped-note sing begins; presentation of “The Liars Bench” show begins in the Mountain Heritage Center
2:30 p.m. – Exhibition of black-powder shooting
3 p.m. – Exhibition of Cherokee blowguns begins
4 p.m. – Mountain Heritage Center closes
5 p.m. – Festival closes
