Version of the story was originally published in The Sylva Herald April 30 edition
Music, food, beer, arts, crafts, bugs and critters and plenty of people were present at the 27th annual Greening Up the Mountain Festival last Saturday. Officials estimate 11,000 people attended on a glorious day weatherwise.
The festival aims to be environmentally friendly by limiting single use plastics and has water refill stations to encourage bringing water bottles from home. The festival’s namesake highlights the trees getting greener as they crawl up the mountain in the spring. It is Sylva’s way to celebrate the start of spring, celebrate the planet and open the tourist season.
As every year the day started with the 5K race with locals and people who have travelled from hours away.
Austin Santee found the 5K online and drove four hours from Raleigh.
“I came to Greening Up the Mountains last year, and when I was starting to look it up for visiting this year, we saw there was a 5K and we were interested,” said Santee. “I like all the different locals bringing their different trades and crafts and showing them off.”
For one couple, Greening Up the Mountains was a draw for why they wanted to move to the Sylva area.
“We actually came here when we were looking to move to the area. We came to the festival, and we’re like, yeah, we fit here. We love the diversity and it was important in making a decision to move to Sylva area,” said Sati Jaya and her wife.
Some of the local environmental organizations like the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River provided an opportunity to play in murky water in a container and search for bugs and other critters that live in the river and educate people young and old about biodiversity in the river.
Next to them was Friends of the Panthertown providing information on the park and raising funds. This year they celebrate 20 years since their foundation.
Among the vendors present there were many arts and crafts. The Southwestern Community College pottery club was selling their art and raising funds for the club. Present were also artists from the Green Energy park showing their products but also showing how they make them.
“We’re a part of the Green Energy Park, which is kind of like a collective of artists, so the glass blowers, the potters and then the blacksmiths. We make a wide variety of things from chain mail, weapons and armor and we teach a lot of classes,” said Jess Boulder, a blacksmith at the Green Energy Park.
The Bridge side of the festival had everything from lemonade, to pottery and other art. Local bands also played on the stage.
“I had a really good time, the music was enjoyable and the shops were nice,” said Chole Porter, a student at WCU.
Vendors, attendees and volunteers all agree that this year’s Greening Up the Mountains was a success.
Halle Stanley contributed to the story
